Viewpoints: When It Comes To Replacing ACA, Trump Wants Dessert Without Finishing His Veggies
A selection of opinions on health care developments from around the state.
Los Angeles Times:
Trump Embraces The Cool Parts Of Obamacare — But Not The Part That Makes It Work
When it comes to healthcare, President-elect Donald Trump made it clear Friday that he’s all in favor of dessert but doesn’t want any Brussels sprouts. He said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal that he’s not against all aspects of Obamacare. He’s in favor of the ban on insurers denying coverage to people with preexisting conditions, and he supports keeping kids on family policies until they turn 26. (David Lazarus, 11/11)
Sacramento Bee:
Repealing Obamacare Won't Be Simple For Trump
When it comes to their oft-repeated vow to repeal the Affordable Care Act, President-elect Donald Trump and his Republican allies in Congress are like the dog that chased the car. Now that they’ve caught it, what are they going to do? It was easy to blame Obamacare for all the ills in the country’s dysfunctional health care system, even the problems that existed long before Democrats passed the measure expanding coverage to more than 20 million people. (Daniel Weintraub, 11/14)
Los Angeles Times:
Will The Trump Presidency Mean The End Of FDA Drug Regulation?
Donald Trump will be coming into office waving the banner of deregulation. While most of the speculation about his plans has focused on the financial industry and the possibility of eviscerating Dodd-Frank reforms, keep your eyes on the Food and Drug Administration. In a Trump administration the agency, figuratively speaking, will have a big bull’s-eye on its back. (Michael Hiltzik, 11/16)
Sacramento Bee:
Trump Could Harm Public Health
While there will be many ripple effects of a Donald Trump presidency, the real loser will be your health and its connection to the health of the planet. Regulations born from decades of sound science look to be rolled back by Trump, a pitch to industry leaders and lower wage earners. The ironic twist is that such regulations were developed to protect ordinary citizens from the negative side effects of industrial and agricultural practices. (Benjamin Z. Houlton, 11/15)
Los Angeles Times:
Paul Ryan Is Determined To Gut Medicare. This Time He Might Succeed
Bursting with the policymaking power that control of both houses of Congress and the White House gives Republicans, House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) has lost no time in teeing up a favorite goal: gutting Medicare. (Michael Hiltzik, 11/14)
Los Angeles Times:
Selling Health Insurance Across State Lines Is A Favorite GOP 'Reform.' Here's Why It Makes No Sense.
Of all the healthcare reform nostrums in all the world, the most popular among Republicans in the U.S. is allowing the sale of insurance policies across state lines. (Michael Hiltzik, 11/14)
Los Angeles Times:
I Had A Health Crisis In France. I’m Here To Tell You That ‘Socialized Medicine’ Is Terrific
On Sunday, March 29, 2015, two days after my 54th birthday, I came very close to dying. I was sitting in an armchair in my Paris apartment, reading a newspaper, when I became dizzy. The next thing I knew, my heart was beating violently. When the paramedics arrived, it was racing at 240 beats per minute. I was taken to Lariboisière, a major hospital in the north of Paris. ... In the United States, opponents of the Affordable Care Act often raise the nightmarish specter of European “socialized medicine.” For what it’s worth, here is a brief account of my experience with a single-payer system in the face of a life-threatening crisis. (Jake Lamar, 11/18)
Sacramento Bee:
Aliso Canyon Doesn't Need To Reopen
Southern California Gas Co. has announced it is seeking approval to reopen the Aliso Canyon gas storage facility, the site of one of the state’s worst ever environmental disasters. A massive leak spewed more than 9,000 metric tons of highly polluting methane into the atmosphere before it was plugged five months later. Bringing Aliso Canyon back online before we even know what caused the leak seems like a risky bet, since little has been done to explore safer and cleaner alternatives. (V. John White, 11/16)
Sacramento Bee:
3 Actions We Can Take Now To Ensure Kids Are Nourished And Ready For School In California
A parent’s first instinct is to protect their children. Try as we might, we can’t always keep our kids safe from injury, keep them from getting sick, or even shield them from the ugliest aspects of our recent presidential election. The protective powers of low-income parents are especially challenged. Just over 2 million children in California live in a “food insecure” household that struggles to put food on the table. And try as they might, parents in these households are not always able to protect their children from the most damaging aspects of hunger and food insecurity. (Valerie Ruelas and Goerge Manalo-LeClair, 11/16)
Sacramento Bee:
California Must Add Cancer Warning On Processed Meats
When you stroll up to virtually any meat counter in any grocery, the “freshly slaughtered” color of red stares back at you. But for many of those products, that deep color is a troubling ruse – a fiction maintained only by the addition of nitrates and nitrites. And a 2015 World Health Organization report has made clear that the chemically induced rosy sheen has an extremely harmful downside: Consumption of processed meat, much of which contains nitrates or nitrites, has been linked to colorectal cancer. (Nathan Donley, 11/14)