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Covid, mpox, bird flu, hantavirus — and now Ebola again. The threats just keep jabbing at America’s borders. The United States needs to rethink its quarantine policies, and it may not be able to avoid being brutal. Brutal should be the new norm, because it often works. But it should stop being guided by xenophobia, racism and foolishness and instead follow data and experience. (Donald G. McNeil Jr., 6/1)

Evidence suggests that people would drink and use illegal drugs less if the prices were higher. (German Lopez, 6/1)

Mark Cuban, whose new deal with the Trump administration is already lowering prescription drug costs and expanding access for patients, recently asked why health insurers aren’t liable for malpractice when their denials harm patients. As a physician, I have been asking that question for more than 30 years. The answer is the same now as it was then: No one is holding them accountable. It is time to change that. (Brad Wenstrup, 6/1)

There are, of course, good reasons for medicine’s queues: scarcity of clinicians and resources, unpredictable surges of illness, and the need to prioritize the sickest patients. But the tools available to us are changing. Telemedicine, asynchronous messaging, remote monitoring, and emerging AI tools raise a new question: If we can redesign how patients enter the system, what kind of system should we build? (Iyesatta Massaquoi Emeli, 6/2)

For years, medicine has tried to eliminate stigma. Now, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is bringing back the language personal responsibility. (Simar Bajaj, 6/1)