First Edition: April 19, 2023
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
KFF Health News:
California’s Medicaid Experiment Spends Money To Save Money — And Help The Homeless
Sporting a bright smile and the polished Super Bowl ring he won as a star NFL player in the late 1980s, Craig McEwen doesn’t fit the archetype of someone teetering on the brink of homelessness. Evicted from his San Diego County apartment last July, McEwen — who endured repeated concussions during his six seasons in the NFL — scoured housing listings for anything he could afford. (Hart, 4/19)
KFF Health News:
The CDC Lacks A Rural Focus. Researchers Hope A Newly Funded Office Will Help
In 2017, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published multiple reports analyzing health disparities between rural and urban populations. That effort pleased researchers and advocates for improving rural health because the dozen or so examinations of rural health data provided important details about the 46 million Americans who live away from the nation’s population centers. It began to fill a gap in the information used by those who study and address the issues that affect people in rural communities. (Saint Louis, 4/19)
KFF Health News:
Listen To The Latest ‘KFF Health News Minute’
This week, the KFF Health News Minute looks at why state lawmakers are worried about yoga pants and how rising inflation is keeping people away from the doctor. (4/18)
AP:
FDA Clears Extra COVID Booster For Some High-Risk Americans
U.S. regulators on Tuesday cleared another booster dose of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for older Americans and people with weak immune systems. The Food and Drug Administration also took steps to make coronavirus vaccinations simpler for everyone, saying that anyone getting a Pfizer or Moderna dose — whether it’s a booster or their first-ever vaccination — will get the newest formula, not the original shots. (Neergaard, 4/18)
The Washington Post:
FDA Backs Second Omicron Booster For High-Risk Groups
People who are eligible for the extra boosters might be able to get them as soon as this week. Vaccine advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are scheduled to meet Wednesday to discuss the second booster, and CDC Director Rochelle Walensky is expected to sign off quickly. Federal health officials will not formally urge that people get a second booster. Instead, the “permissive” policy says they may get one if they want. (McGinley and Sun, 4/18)
Politico:
Biden Administration Developing Plan To Get Covid Vaccines To The Uninsured
The Biden administration plans to roll out a new initiative this week guaranteeing free Covid vaccines, treatments and tests for the uninsured into 2024, two people briefed on the matter told POLITICO. The program comes as the White House prepares to wind down its pandemic response operation. It also represents an effort to ensure vulnerable Americans can still access shots and treatments once the government shifts broader responsibility for Covid care to the private sector. (Cancryn, 4/18)
Reuters:
Employer COVID-19 Vax Mandates: Still Legal, But For How Long?
While the clamor for vaccine mandates has subsided, many employers remain committed to having their employees fully up to date with their COVID-19 boosters. But will they be able to enforce such a policy? The answer is: It depends. (Samuel and Shimada, 4/18)
AP:
Judge: Mississippi Must Give Religious Exemption On Vaccines
Mississippi must join most other states in allowing religious exemptions from vaccinations that children are required to receive so they can attend school, a federal judge has ruled. U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden handed down the decision Monday in a lawsuit filed last year by several parents who say their religious beliefs have led them to keep their children unvaccinated and out of Mississippi schools. According to the lawsuit, some of the plaintiffs are homeschooling their children, while others have family or work connections in Mississippi but live in other states that allow religious exemptions for childhood vaccinations. (Pettus, 4/18)
Reuters:
COVID-19 Vaccine Claims Yield Small Payouts From U.S. Government
Of more than 8,000 people who filed claims with the federal government alleging injuries from COVID-19 vaccines, three have now received cash payouts, new government data shows. Their combined compensation? Less than $5,000. (Greene, 4/18)
The New York Times:
Covid May Increase The Risk Of Type 2 Diabetes, Researchers Find
People infected with the coronavirus were significantly more likely to be diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes within a year of their infection, compared with those who had not been exposed to the virus, researchers in Canada reported on Tuesday. Men were more likely to develop diabetes than women, the scientists found. People who were so sick that they were hospitalized were more than twice as likely to go on to a diabetes diagnosis, compared with those who were not infected. (Rabin, 4/18)
Reuters:
AstraZeneca Confident New COVID Antibody Protects Against Known Variants
AstraZeneca is confident that its new version of COVID-19 antibody treatment could protect immunocompromised patients against all known virus variants, its vaccines head said. Laboratory studies show the antibody, called AZD3152, neutralizes all known variants of COVID-19 and AstraZeneca has support from regulators to make the treatment available by the end of this year, Iskra Reic said in an interview on Tuesday. (Fick, 4/18)
San Francisco Chronicle:
One California Republican Signed Onto A Brief Supporting Abortion Pill
Republicans may be trying to downplay abortion as an election year wedge issue, but more than half of House Republicans are asking the Supreme Court to allow a lower court ruling banning an abortion pill used by millions of patients to stand. That included only one California House member: Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Richvale (Butte County). House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a Bakersfield Republican, did not sign the brief. (Garofoli, 4/18)
Politico:
‘The Justices Were Kidding Themselves’: Supreme Court Takes Up Abortion After Saying Lawmakers Should Decide
Abortion is back before the Supreme Court just 10 months after conservative justices said they were washing their hands of the issue. The court is expected to rule by Wednesday on whether to allow an earlier decision from the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals to take effect, sharply limiting access to a commonly used abortion pill nationwide. The lower court ruling, which the Biden administration wants paused while the legal battle plays out, would prohibit telemedicine prescriptions, mail delivery and retail pharmacy dispensing of the drug. (Ollstein, 4/18)
The Washington Post:
Abortion Pill Rulings Threaten FDA, Drug Companies Tell Supreme Court
Pharmaceutical companies, among the most powerful interests in Washington, have mobilized against a pair of lower-court rulings restricting access to abortion pills that they contend go far beyond issues of reproductive health and pose a threat to the regulatory foundations of the U.S. drug industry. The warnings — contained in friend-of-the-court advisory briefs filed Friday with the U.S. Supreme Court — are harshly critical of rulings this month by a U.S. District Court judge in Texas and a three-judge panel of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. (Rowland, 4/18)
The New York Times:
Insurers Are Starting To Cover Telehealth Abortion
The legal effort to ban mail-order abortion pills came along just as the fledgling telehealth industry became a more accepted and entrenched part of abortion care. This week, Hey Jane, one of more than a dozen virtual abortion providers that have no physical locations, began contracting with the insurers Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield of Connecticut, Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield of New York and Sana, which provides health plans for small businesses nationwide. Hey Jane also already accepted Aetna in eight of the nine states in which it operates. (Miller and Sanger-Katz, 4/18)
Modern Healthcare:
AAMC: Number Of OB-GYN Residency Applicants Plummets
Far fewer medical school graduates are pursuing obstetrics-gynecology residencies as the battle over reproductive healthcare and abortion rages, making an existing shortage of specialists in the field worse. There was a 5.2% decrease in senior OB-GYN residency applicants this year, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. The drop in applicants more than doubled in 13 states with abortion bans. (Devereaux and Berryman, 4/18)
Axios:
New Doctors Avoid Residencies In States With Abortion Bans
New doctors applying to medical residency programs were likelier to avoid practicing in states with the most stringent abortion restrictions, an analysis from the Association of American Medical Colleges found. Why it matters: The drop in applications, particularly for OB-GYN residencies, could exacerbate the lack of maternal health care in those states, which already have the highest maternal mortality rates in the U.S. (Dreher and González, 4/18)
AP:
Harris Applauds Nevada Abortion Rights Effort At Reno Forum
Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday applauded efforts under way in Nevada to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution, saying the move stands in stark contrast to other states where such rights are under assault. “What you are doing at the statewide level is so important,” she said during a forum on the University of Nevada, Reno, campus. Harris said she met Tuesday with several state lawmakers who supported a resolution in the state Senate this week to amend Nevada’s constitution to include abortion rights up to 24 weeks. (Sonner and Stern, 4/19)
AP:
Tenn. Lawmakers Cut Proposed Amount To Anti-Abortion Centers
Tennessee budget writers on Tuesday said they will funnel $20 million of taxpayer dollars to help fund anti-abortion centers, marking a dramatic reduction from the original $100 million proposed by Gov. Bill Lee several months prior. “After a considerable conversation, both negotiating teams agreed that we would leave $20 million in the budget for crisis pregnancy centers,” said state Sen. Bo Watson, chairman of the Senate Finance, Ways and Means Committee. “We would also like to have further discussions on exactly who these crisis pregnancy centers are and what they do.” (Kruesi, 4/18)
Reuters:
Biden, Facing Roadblocks In Congress, Signs Executive Order On Childcare, Eldercare
U.S. President Joe Biden, facing congressional resistance to his "care economy" proposals, on Tuesday signed an executive order aimed at advancing free preschool and expanding affordable care for children, older Americans and those with disabilities. Biden signed the order, which includes over 50 specific actions, in the White House Rose Garden, flanked by family caregivers, people with disabilities, older adults and early childhood and long-term care workers. (Bose and Shalal, 4/18)
Reuters:
US Government Watchdog: Health Chief Becerra Violated Hatch Act
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra violated the Hatch Act by expressing support for Democratic Senator Alex Padilla's re-election at a public event last year, a U.S. government watchdog said on Tuesday. The U.S. Office of Special Counsel report cited Becerra's comments that he intended to vote for Padilla while speaking at a Congressional Hispanic Caucus dinner in September in his official capacity as having "mixed his personal electoral preference with official remarks." (4/18)
Modern Healthcare:
MedPAC Asks Congress To Adopt Site-Neutral Post-Acute Payments
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission will recommend Congress lower the payments to all post-acute care settings except long-term care hospitals and look to adopt smaller, site-neutral policies that should be phased out if and when a unified payment system is implemented. (Turner, 4/18)
Modern Healthcare:
John Hopkins Health, Sibley Memorial Settle Stark Act Violation
Johns Hopkins Health System and Sibley Memorial Hospital have settled improper payment allegations for $5 million. Sibley Memorial, in Washington, D.C., allegedly violated the Stark Law from 2008 to 2011 by billing Medicare for services referred by 10 cardiologists with whom the hospital had a financial relationship, the Justice Department said Monday. (Berryman, 4/18)
Modern Healthcare:
Meharry Medical College Fined For Violating False Claims Act
Meharry Medical College has agreed to pay more than $100,000 to settle federal allegations that the medical school submitted fraudulent claims to Medicare for services provided by unsupervised, non-physician residents. (Berryman, 4/18)
Stat:
Mark Cuban's Drug Company Sets Up A Pharmacy Network
In its latest bid to upend the pharmaceutical supply chain, the Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company has enlisted three dozen pharmacies around the U.S. that will accept a card that consumers can use to purchase prescription medicines at lower prices. (Silverman, 4/18)
Modern Healthcare:
CVS Health Exec: Predictive AI Is ‘Too New’ For Behavioral Health
CVS Health is more cautious than others about the potential of predictive artificial intelligence for behavioral health. “A lot of it is too new,” said Dr. Taft Parsons III, vice president and chief psychiatric officer at CVS Health. “I’ve been playing with some of the products out there and they are interesting. They do some things well but being within the space of behavioral health and looking at the types of recommendations I get, [the AI] is either too broad and general to be clinically useful or it’s flat out inaccurate.” (Turner and Devereaux, 4/18)
Modern Healthcare:
Cleveland Clinic, Verizon To deploy 5G Network At New ‘Smart Hospital’
Verizon Business is deploying a private 5G network at Cleveland Clinic's new 'smart' hospital, the companies said Tuesday at the Healthcare Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS) conference in Chicago. (Devereaux, 4/18)
Reuters:
J&J Talc Unit Asks Judge To Halt Cancer Lawsuits As It Pursues $8.9 Bln Settlement
A Johnson & Johnson subsidiary is again asking a U.S. judge to pause tens of thousands of lawsuits alleging the company's baby powder and other talc products cause cancer, as it seeks to resolve the litigation in bankruptcy after a federal appeals court found its first attempt improper. (Knauth, 4/18)
Reuters:
Teladoc Expands Telehealth Services To Capture Obesity Drug Market
Teladoc Health Inc is expanding its telehealth services to include prescribing obesity drugs such as Novo Nordisk's Wegovy, in the latest sign of growing interest in a multi-billion dollar market. Shares of the company jumped 11% after Teladoc announced its foray into the weight-loss drugs market, which is globally expected to grow to $50 billion in sales by 2030. (Sunny, 4/18)
The Wall Street Journal:
Unexpected Ozempic Side Effect? Weird Dreams
Ozempic and other similar medications are doing more than helping people tighten belts and fit into old outfits. Many users are reporting bizarre, vivid and eerily realistic night visions that bear no resemblance to their past dreams. (Loftus, 4/18)
AP:
Kentucky Gov Candidate Backs Some Medicaid Work Requirements
Republican gubernatorial candidate and current state Attorney General Daniel Cameron said Tuesday that he supports creating a work requirement for some able-bodied Kentucky adults receiving Medicaid health coverage, reigniting a contentious issue from the state’s governor’s race four years ago. (Schreiner and Lovan, 4/18)
AP:
States Restrict 'Tranq,' Animal Sedative Linked To Overdoses
States are increasingly looking to restrict access to a powerful animal tranquilizer showing up in supplies of illicit drugs and contributing to a growing number of human overdose deaths. Pennsylvania’s governor said Tuesday that his administration will add xylazine to the state’s list of controlled substances, tightening regulations on the drug and allowing authorities to charge people who violate those rules. (Levy, 4/18)
NBC News:
Up To 1 In 4 Students Misuse ADHD Drugs, Study Finds
More students from middle school to high school are misusing ADHD prescription drugs, amid an increasing number of children being diagnosed with the condition in the United States, a study published Tuesday finds. At some schools, as many as 1 in 4 students reported misusing drugs for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in the previous year — meaning they used the medications without a doctor’s prescription or for nonmedical reasons, according to the study in JAMA Network Open. (Lovelace Jr., 4/18)
AP:
Planning A Trip? Oregon's Magic Mushroom Experiment Advances
Oregon’s pioneering experiment with legalized magic mushrooms took a step closer to reality as the first “facilitators” who will accompany clients as they experience the drug received their state licenses, authorities said Tuesday. Voters approved the regulated use of psilocybin in a 2020 ballot measure, and anticipation has been building over the past 2 1/2 years for the day — expected to come later this year — when people can gain access to the drug that studies indicate has therapeutic value. (Selsky, 4/18)
CBS News:
Source Of Deadly Fungal Outbreak At Michigan Paper Mill May Be Impossible To Determine, Says Union Chief
Workers at a northwest Michigan paper mill shuttered by a deadly fungal outbreak may never know how the outbreak started, according to the head of their union local. Gerald Kell, president of the United Steel Workers Local 21, told CBS News on Tuesday the fungus afflicting the plant, blastomycosis, is endemic to the area, but pinpointing the source could be impossible. (Tin and Nelson, 4/18)
Houston Chronicle:
Dementia Burden: Texas Leads US In Mortality, Cognitive Decline, More
Texas has the greatest dementia burden score in the country, highlighting a lack of support received by loved ones of dementia patients, according to a report published by Seniorly Resource Center. According to the report, Texas averaged 41.9 deaths from Alzheimer’s per 100,000 people in 2021, with numbers expected to rise by 22.5 percent by 2025. (Holmes-Brown, 4/18)
The Washington Post:
Damar Hamlin Plans To Return To NFL, Shares Commotio Cordis Diagnosis
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin said Tuesday he intends to resume his NFL career after receiving clearance from medical experts. Hamlin, 25, made his announcement less than four months after he suffered cardiac arrest on the field during a Jan. 2 game in Cincinnati and was resuscitated by medical personnel. He said doctors had diagnosed that his cardiac arrest was caused by commotio cordis, a rare condition in which an impact to the chest results in an abnormal heart rhythm. (Maske, 4/18)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Here’s How Much Soda Sales Dropped After Oakland Taxed Sugary Drinks
Purchases of soda and other sugary drinks dropped 27% in Oakland in the first 2½ years after the city adopted a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages, according to a new study by UCSF researchers. (Ho, 4/18)
The Washington Post:
An Extra 10 Minutes At Dinner May Help Kids Eat More Healthy Foods
Parents, if you are worried about your children eating enough fruit and vegetables, try spending an extra 10 minutes with them at the dinner table. When families took about 10 minutes longer to eat dinner, children ate “significantly” more fruits and vegetables, amounting to an additional seven pieces of fruits and vegetables — one extra portion — a new study by German scientists shows. (Cimons, 4/18)