New report: Three quarters of those who have lost jobs and health insurance are skipping needed medicine and health care; many struggling with medical debt. A report from the Commonwealth Fund finds that 72% of people who lost health insurance over the past two years have skipped needed health care or have not refilled prescriptions due to costs. Aaron’s comment: This shouldn’t be surprising to long time readers of the blog. Here’s a post where I discuss how people in the US avoid care or meds because of costs, and here’s another on the topic which Austin and I wrote together.
GOP governors in a tough spot on health care reform, reports Jonathan Weisman (WSJ). “‘The politics are fierce,’ said Alan Weil, executive director of the National Academy for State Health Policy. […] ‘I don’t want to look like someone who’s defending Obamacare, so I’ve made this about the sovereignty of Texas,’ [Gov. Rick Perry] said. ‘But exchanges have become synonymous with Obamacare, whether we like it or not.'” Austin’s comment: It should strike us as inappropriate, or at least odd, that we’re not hearing a lot about how the health of their state populations influences the governors’ thinking on health reform implementation. Shouldn’t it matter, at least a little, if not a lot?
IOM finds no link between vaccines and autism, reports Julian Pecquet (The Hill). Austin’s comment: Thank you, IOM. But, it should never have come to this.
H/t: Igor Volsky.
