Viewpoints: Fake News Impacts Health Debates; The Cost Of Growing Old
A selection of opinions on health care issues.
Los Angeles Times:
It's Not Just Politics: 2016 Was An Epidemic Year For Fake News In Science, Too
One of the watchwords of politics in 2016 was the epidemic of “fake news” — a catch-all term encompassing propaganda, misinformation, disinformation and hoaxing — impinging on the presidential campaign. But let’s not overlook its spread in the spheres of science and medicine. That point is made in a recent article by Ivan Oransky and Adam Marcus. ... The No. 1 episode of scientific fake news must be what Oransky and Marcus termed the “cage match of credulity” staged by that noted purveyor of pseudoscience, Dr. Mehmet Oz, and then-presidential candidate Donald Trump in September. The encounter was billed as an inquiry into Trump’s health. But it was a grotesquely misleading program. (Michael Hiltzik, 1/3)
The Los Angeles Times:
Not Rich, Not Poor And Not Ready For The Cost Of Growing Old
Caroline from Sierra Madre wrote to me about the “five-year-long funeral” that followed her father’s stroke, saying “he retired a member of the middle class and died impoverished after all the family funds were spent on care.” (Steve Lopez, 1/4)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Stress Is Making Our Children Ill; Here Is What We Can Do About It
In the most recent California Healthy Kids Survey, 1 in 3 high school juniors reported feeling chronically sad. An astonishing 1 in 5 freshmen and juniors reported contemplating suicide. The causes of student distress vary, but 1 in 3 teens told the American Psychological Association that stress was a primary driver, and the single biggest cause teens named was school. (Rep. Ro Khanna, Vicki Abeles and Tarun Galagali, 1/2)
Los Angeles Times:
How Trump Can Help Working-Class Americans: Keep Funding Planned Parenthood
Can Congress stop harassing Planned Parenthood? That would be my wish for the new year. Unfortunately, the harassment may increase in a Trump administration. But it doesn’t have to. It is within President-elect Donald Trump’s power to put a stop to it. (Carla Hall, 12/30)
The Los Angeles Times:
Obama's Enduring Legacy: The Concept Of Universal Coverage
President Obama has embarked on his final campaign, this one aimed at making sure we miss him once he’s gone. He’s giving a speech in Chicago next week to talk about his legacy. “I couldn’t be prouder of the work that we’ve done,” he said in a recent preview. “I can say without equivocation that the country is a lot better off: the economy is stronger, the federal government works better, and our standing in the world is higher.” (Doyle McManus, 1/4)