by Kim Berard

Here’s a sentence I never thought I’d write: The most interesting discussion in healthcare over the past week has been about Neil Young versus Spotify.

For those not following the controversy, Neil Young gives Spotify ultimatum: It can have his music or Joe Rogan, but not both. “I’m doing this because Spotify is spreading disinformation about vaccines — potentially killing people who believe they’re spreading disinformation.” Spotify chose Rogan.

Mr Young isn’t the first to express shock at some of the Covid “messages” being promoted on Mr Rogan’s podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience (JRE).For example, last December, hundreds of scientists from around the world published a An open letter to Spotify Specifically regarding the JRE, the warning:

By allowing the spread of false and socially harmful assertions, Spotify is making its hosted media damage the public’s trust in scientific research and cast doubt on the credibility of the data-driven guidance provided by medical professionals.

Mr. Young isn’t the only artist boycotting Spotify right now because of the content on the JRE; Joni Mitchell and Nils Lofgren have followed suit.Notably, more contemporary artists like taylor swift or adele Not yet, nor has there been a celebrity podcast like Meghan Markle and Prince Harry or Obama, though the former royal couple expressed their concerns.

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To sum it up, Mr Yang risked about 60% of his streaming revenue, Estimated to be around $750,000 per yearwhile Mr. Rogan has a $100 million deal with Spotify for his 11 million loyal listeners. It was clearly not a difficult decision. Spotify lost $4b market cap last week, but seems to have fully recovered.

Mr. Logan Already sent Sorry, in a way, not really apologizing, but if someone was offended, I would feel sorry. He claimed that he was not anti-vax, but just wanted alternative information for discussion and debate. He admitted he didn’t do much research before a guest came on the podcast, claiming he didn’t want to be controversial but wanted to try to provide a more balanced discussion.

Spotify also has posted its own faultdoes not intend to censor more content, but at least directs people to its Covid-19 hub For “easy access to data-driven facts, the latest information shared by scientists, doctors, academics and public health authorities around the world, and links to trusted sources.”

The show is over, guys. This is nothing to see. Move forward.

I don’t have a Spotify account.The only podcast I follow is THCB Gang (You can listen to it on Spotify, by the way). I suspect that many people listen to the JRE for education; more likely, they listen for entertainment, perhaps to reinforce existing views that may be out of the “mainstream”.Honestly, I’m not even a big fan of Neil Young and the last time I actually watched Joe Rogan was news radio. But I do think what Mr. Yang does is important.

The COVID-19 anti-vaccine movement threatens everyone. If this mistrust existed decades ago, we would still be living with polio and measles.Controversy over the need for a vaccine, as anyone would expect other disease is expanding, state lawmakers are already working on bills that could weaken existing requirements, such as measles. “Measles is like a jam jar full of wasps that are running wild,” says Professor Liam Smith of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine warn NBC Finance Channel. “As soon as vaccine coverage drops, measles reemerges. So that’s a concern, that [Covid anti-vax sentiment] This decline in confidence is filtering into other vaccines. This is a real concern. “

The scientists who signed the letter to Spotify were openly critical, but Mr Yang put his earnings at risk. Not that his music isn’t available elsewhere, but losing $750,000 a year will get most people’s attention.He’s already criticized Spotify because he thinks sound quality problemso maybe there are other motivations here, but I would choose to believe that he is willing to take the loss of income “in solidarity with the frontline healthcare workers who risk their lives every day to help others”.

marvelous.

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In my opinion, though, this is even broader than COVID misinformation, and we shouldn’t rely on musicians for ethical leadership in healthcare. People working in healthcare need to be willing to give up some of their income when they see the wrong situation.

Amid the incredible bravery and sacrifice of frontline healthcare workers throughout the pandemic, some doctors have spread misinformation and promoted treatments that are useless at best and harmful at worst. Where are the healthcare workers who quit their jobs instead of contacting them? Where are the medical boards that think these practitioners are still worthy of medical licensure?

And, let’s be clear, some doctors do these things outside of COVID. They do unnecessary surgery, they advocate unnecessary treatment, they treat diseases for which they are not eligible. We allow this unless something particularly egregious happens, because once a doctor is licensed, it’s very hard to get it back. Doctors don’t like to criticize, much less punish other doctors.

Likewise, some hospitals will sue patients for unpaid bills, even if those bills are based on charges that no one really expects to have to pay in full.Some hospitals contract emergency room practices or anesthesiology groups that they know will bill patients for “surprise” (at least, in no surprises behavior). Medical staff can claim, oh, we don’t know about these practices, but, yes, they probably know, or at least choose to look away.

Some people—doctors and others—work for health insurance companies who deny treatment to critically ill patients or make them skip unnecessary cycles for which they don’t have the time or energy. Who among these companies is fighting for these patients and at what risk?

In many cases, health care personnel should have pulled Neil Youngs and walked away loudly.

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It takes courage to speak out about injustice and dangerous practices. Even more so when someone puts their income at risk. Healthcare has a lot to talk about and disagree with. If not now, when, if not us, who?

Kim was the former head of e-marketing for the Blues major program, the late and lamented editor tincture.ionow a regular THCB contributor.