First Edition: March 5, 2024
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
KFF Health News:
Whistleblower Accuses Aledade, Largest US Independent Primary Care Network, Of Medicare Fraud
A Maryland firm that oversees the nation’s largest independent network of primary care medical practices is facing a whistleblower lawsuit alleging it cheated Medicare out of millions of dollars using billing software “rigged” to make patients appear sicker than they were. The civil suit alleges that Aledade Inc.’s billing apps and other software and guidance provided to doctors improperly boosted revenues by adding overstated medical diagnoses to patients’ electronic medical records. (Schulte, 3/5)
KFF Health News:
Statistical Models Vs. Front-Line Workers: Who Knows Best How To Spend Opioid Settlement Cash?
In this Gulf Coast city, addiction medicine doctor Stephen Loyd announced at a January event what he called “a game-changer” for state and local governments spending billions of dollars in opioid settlement funds. The money, which comes from companies accused of aggressively marketing and distributing prescription painkillers, is meant to tackle the addiction crisis. But “how do you know that the money you’re spending is going to get you the result that you need?” asked Loyd, who was once hooked on prescription opioids himself. (Pattani, 3/5)
Reuters:
US Urges Court To Preserve Obamacare Mandate To Cover Cancer Screenings, HIV Drugs
President Joe Biden's administration on Monday urged a U.S. appeals court to preserve a federal mandate that requires health insurers to cover preventive care services including HIV-preventing medication and cancer screenings at no extra cost to patients. "These are preventive services provisions that are critical and life-saving to millions of Americans," Daniel Aguilar, a lawyer for the government, told a three-judge panel of the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals during arguments in the administration's appeal. (Pierson, 3/4)
The Hill:
All Drugmakers Send In Counteroffers In Medicare Price Negotiations
All of the manufacturers whose drugs were chosen for the federal government’s Medicare price negotiation program have sent back counteroffers for what they consider to be a maximum fair price, the White House said Monday. President Biden confirmed in a statement Monday that all companies are continuing to engage in the negotiation process, despite the host of legal battles to block the program. (Choi, 3/4)
Politico:
White House Turns To Health Care In Biden’s Latest Move Against ‘Corporate Greed’
The White House plans to announce a new federal task force focused on easing health care costs, according to three people with direct knowledge of the matter. The move comes as President Joe Biden seeks new ways to show voters he’s cracking down on the so-called corporate greed that he has increasingly blamed for high prices — a message he is expected to highlight during his State of the Union address on Thursday. (Sisco, Cancryn and Wilson, 3/4)
Stat:
White House Is Told Big Three PBMs Are 'Everything Wrong With This Industry'
As part of its battle to blunt the growing cost of medicines, the White House on Monday held a so-called listening session in hopes of finding ways to rein in big pharmacy benefit managers, which occupy an opaque but crucial role in pharmaceutical pricing in the U.S. (Silverman, 3/4)
Bloomberg:
Mark Cuban Backs Biden Over Trump In 2024, Calls For Drug Cost Reform
Mark Cuban urged President Joe Biden to go further to rein in prescription drug costs. The billionaire entrepreneur visited the White House on Monday in his role as co-founder of the Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Co. for a roundtable on drug prices. (Wingrove, 3/4)
Axios:
Health Providers Ask Feds To Intervene In Cyber Outage
The American Hospital Association and the American Medical Association, as well as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) issued public letters calling for the Department of Health and Human Services to step in and address the ongoing disruption. They are pushing for HHS to make accelerated and advanced payments available from federal health programs. (Reed, 3/5)
Modern Healthcare:
Change Healthcare Outage: AHA Slams UnitedHealth’s Funding Plan
The American Hospital Association slammed UnitedHealth Group's offer of financial assistance for some healthcare providers in the wake of the cyberattack on Change Healthcare and called on Congress for assistance. AHA President and CEO Richard Pollack said Change Healthcare parent company UnitedHealth Group's temporary loan program misses the mark in a letter sent Monday to UnitedHealth Group President and Chief Operating Officer Dirk McMahon. (Berryman, 3/4)
AP:
First Over-The-Counter Birth Control Pill Begins Shipping In US
The first over-the-counter birth control pill will be available in U.S. stores later this month, allowing American women and teens to purchase contraceptive medication as easily as they buy aspirin. Manufacturer Perrigo said Monday it has begun shipping the medication, Opill, to major retailers and pharmacies. A one-month supply will cost about $20 and a three-month supply will cost around $50, according to the company’s suggested retail price. It will also be sold online. (Perrone, 3/4)
USA Today:
Wyoming's New Abortion Regulations Could Mean The End Of Last Clinic
The Wyoming House and Senate passed a bill on Friday that would significantly regulate surgical and chemical abortions at Casper’s Wellspring Health Access, the last remaining legal clinic in the state. (Neff, 3/4)
San Francisco Chronicle:
California Pushes To Expand Abortion Access With Physician Assistants
California’s efforts to expand access to abortion care are enabling more types of medical practitioners to perform certain abortion procedures. The latest move is a law that enables trained physician assistants, also known as physician associates, to perform first-trimester abortions without a supervising physician present. (Udesky, 3/4)
Source New Mexico:
Texas Anti-Abortion Activists Offering Guidance To New Mexico Cities, Counties
Abortion rights opponents in Texas dictated terms and pressured officials in New Mexico municipalities to pass ordinances restricting clinics, according to public records — potentially as part of a bigger legal strategy. (Fisher, 3/4)
AP:
France Becomes The Only Country To Explicitly Guarantee Abortion As A Constitutional Right
French lawmakers on Monday overwhelmingly approved a bill to enshrine abortion rights in France’s constitution, making it the only country to explicitly guarantee a woman’s right to voluntarily terminate a pregnancy. The historic vote during a special joint session of France’s parliament drew a long standing ovation among lawmakers. (Surk and Garriga, 3/4)
AP:
Alabama Lawmakers Aim To Approve Immunity Laws For IVF Providers
Alabama lawmakers, who face public pressure to get in vitro fertilization services restarted, are nearing approval of immunity legislation to shield providers from the fall out of a court ruling that equated frozen embryos to children. Committees in the Alabama House of Representatives and the Alabama Senate on Tuesday will debate legislation to protect providers from lawsuits and criminal prosecution for the “damage or death of an embryo” during IVF services. Republican Sen. Tim Melson, the sponsor of the Senate bill, said Monday they are hoping to get the proposal approved and to Gov. Kay Ivey on Wednesday. (Chandler, 3/5)
The New York Times:
Women Turn To Drugs Like Ozempic For Weight Loss Before Pregnancy
Excess weight may increase the risk of miscarriage and pregnancy complications. But little is known about the impact of drugs like Ozempic on a fetus. (Blum, 3/4)
AP:
Scientists Have Used Cells From Fluid Drawn During Pregnancy To Grow Mini Lungs And Other Organs
Scientists have created miniorgans from cells floating in the fluid that surrounds a fetus in the womb – an advance they believe could open up new areas of prenatal medicine. Miniorgans, or “ organoids,” are tiny simplified structures that can be used to test new medical treatments or study how the real organs they mimic work, whether they are healthy or diseased. (Ungar, 3/4)
Bloomberg:
Updated Covid-19 Vaccine Expected To Come This Fall, CDC Director Cohen Says
Americans should expect yet another update of the Covid-19 vaccine this fall at about the same time as flu shots are available, the top US public health official said Monday. Researchers are working on selecting a strain for the upcoming version, and will probably wait until May to pick one to target with vaccines, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Mandy Cohen said in an interview at Bloomberg’s offices in Washington. (Denham and Griffin, 3/4)
CIDRAP:
BA.2.87.1 COVID Variant Detected In Southeast Asia
Scientists examining SARS-CoV-2 wastewater samples in Southeast Asia have detected a few samples containing the BA.2.87.1 variant, the first known detection outside of South Africa. In mid February, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it is closely monitoring BA.2.87.1 because it has more than 30 changes in the spike protein compared to XBB.1.5, the variant covered by the current monovalent (single-strain) vaccines. (Schnirring, 3/4)
The Hill:
Free COVID-19 Test Program To Be Suspended For Now
The federal government’s free at-home COVID-19 test program will be suspended beginning Friday in response to a drop in respiratory diseases. The Biden administration brought back the free test program last year ahead of the respiratory viral season. By going to COVIDtests.gov, households could order a free pack of four at-home COVID-19 tests. This most recent batch of free tests was the sixth round made available. (Choi, 3/4)
Stat:
Covid-19 Increases Risk Of Autoimmune Disease
Having Covid-19 increases a person’s risk of developing an autoimmune disease in the year after infection, a large study out of South Korea and Japan reports, but vaccination helps decrease that risk. (Cueto, 3/4)
CIDRAP:
Low Iron May Play Key Role In Long COVID
Patients who went on to develop long COVID showed more problems with regulation of blood iron levels, including anemia, as soon as 2 weeks after acute infection, suggesting low iron levels may play a role in the chronic condition, according to a new study in Nature Immunology. (Souchery, 3/4)
Fox News:
Protest Of CDC’s New COVID Guidance Planned For This Month In Washington, DC
A community of "long COVID" patients and activists are planning a march in Washington, D.C., to protest a recent announcement from the CDC. A community called LC/DC, which describes itself as non-partisan, is planning a protest at the Lincoln Memorial on March 15. (Rudy, 3/4)
Fox News:
Sen. Elizabeth Warren Calls For COVID Memorial Day
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts. renewed calls on Monday for a national day to honor the lives taken by COVID-19. In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Warren urged Congress to pass a resolution to designate the first Monday of March as "COVID-19 Victims Memorial Day." "Over a million Americans have died due to COVID-19—including many family members & loved ones," she wrote. "We must honor & remember the lives lost." (Casiano, 3/4)
CIDRAP:
US Measles Cases Rise To 41
Since its last update on February 23, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last week reported 6 more measles cases, raising the nation's total so far this year to 41. Against a backdrop of rising global activity this winter, measles infections in the first months of the year are gaining quickly on the 58 cases the CDC reported for all of 2023. (Schnirring, 3/4)
Chicago Tribune:
Nurses At UChicago Medicine Announce One-Day Strike
Nurses at UChicago Medicine announced Monday they will go on a one-day strike March 14 to call attention to staffing concerns amid a breakdown in contract negotiations. (Ahmad, 3/4)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Kaiser To Lay Off Dozens Of Bay Area Employees
Kaiser Foundation Hospitals is set to reduce its workforce by more than 70 employees by April, primarily in the East Bay, according to information provided last week to the California Employment Development Department. In regulatory filings, Kaiser’s Human Resources Director Christine Neubauer said the layoffs would affect 49 workers at the company’s Pleasanton location, one in Oakland, two in Stockton, and 20 from elsewhere around the state, mainly in Pasadena. (Vaziri, 3/4)
WUFT:
Gainesville Hospital Removes VP, Gets State OK After Concerns Over Sanitizing OR Instruments
HCA North Florida Hospital removed one of its vice presidents and fired other employees nearly six weeks after nonemergency surgeries abruptly halted with concerns about sterilized operating room equipment. (Sandoval, 3/4)
San Francisco Chronicle:
New California Bill Would Extend Hospital Stays For Violent Offenders
People with severe mental illness who commit violent crimes could be kept in state mental hospitals longer to allow the state to better plan for continued treatment after their release under a bill by a San Francisco lawmaker. Assembly Member Matt Haney, a Democrat, said he introduced the legislation in response to a Chronicle column published last year that detailed the circumstances leading up to a Chinatown bakery stabbing. (Bollag, 3/4)
San Francisco Chronicle:
A Post-Sex Antibiotic Slashed Rates Of Syphilis And Chlamydia In S.F. Is It The Answer To Rising STIs?
Rates of chlamydia and syphilis dropped dramatically among men who have sex with men and transgender women after San Francisco began offering them prescriptions for antibiotics to take after having unprotected sex, according to a report released Monday. The preliminary report, shared at the international Conference for Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Denver, could have a tremendous impact on how the United States approaches soaring rates of sexually transmitted infections nationwide, researchers said. (Allday, 3/4)
ProPublica:
Syphilis Is Killing Babies. The U.S. Government Is Failing To Stop The Disease From Spreading.
Across the country, physicians, clinic staff and public health experts say that a treatment shortage is preventing them from reining in a surge of syphilis and that the federal government is downplaying the crisis. State and local public health authorities, which by law are responsible for controlling the spread of infectious diseases, report delays getting medicine to pregnant people with syphilis. This emergency was predictable: There have been shortages of this drug in eight of the last 20 years. Yet federal health authorities have not prevented the drug shortages in the past and aren’t doing much to prevent them in the future. (Barry-Jester, 3/4)
Reuters:
Christian Employers Do Not Have To Cover Gender Transition, Judge Rules
A Christian business group and its members do not have to offer health insurance coverage to employees for gender transition treatments, a North Dakota federal judge ruled Monday. U.S. District Judge Daniel Traynor in Bismarck ruled that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) cannot make the Christian Employers Alliance (CEA) comply with rules requiring that coverage. (Pierson, 3/4)
Fierce Healthcare:
Opioid Treatment Retention Improves With Insurance Coverage
Insurance network coverage dramatically impacts whether a person remains in treatment for opioid use disorder, according to results shared by treatment provider Ophelia. A new study finds that nearly three-quarters (72.3%) of patients receiving opioid treatment through network insurance stayed in treatment for at least six months. Patients received telehealth treatment from Ophelia. (Tong, 3/5)
NPR:
Places Across The U.S. Are Testing No-Strings Cash As Part Of The Social Safety Net
Christopher Santiago recalls being skeptical the first time he heard about basic income — giving people cash with no conditions on how to spend it. It was 2020, when presidential candidate Andrew Yang pitched it for all American adults, and Santiago thought, "That doesn't make much sense." But for a year now, Santiago has been getting $500 a month through one of the largest cash aid pilots in the U.S., and he's come around. (Ludden, 3/5)
CNN:
Diet And Sugary Drinks Boost Risk Of Atrial Fibrillation By Up To 20%, Study Says
Drinking two liters or more per week of artificially sweetened beverages — the equivalent of a medium-sized fast-food diet soda a day — raised the risk of an irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation by 20% when compared to people who drank none, a new study found. (LaMotte, 3/5)
Fox News:
Researchers Find Sources Of Four Brain Disorders, Which Could Lead To New Treatments
Researchers may have found a new way to target the sources of certain brain disorders. In a study led by scientists at Mass General Brigham, deep brain stimulation (DBS) was able to pinpoint dysfunctions in the brain that are responsible for four cognitive disorders: Parkinson’s disease, dystonia (a muscle disorder condition that causes repetitive or twisting movements), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and Tourette's syndrome. The discovery, published in Nature Neuroscience on Feb. 22, could potentially help doctors determine new treatments for these disorders. (Rudy, 3/5)
WUSF:
As The Climate Warms, Disease-Carrying Mosquitoes Can Adapt To Temps, A UF Study Says
The mosquito's ability to adapt to changing temperatures may be contributing to the spread of diseases, like dengue fever, Zika virus, and chikungunya virus. “We've been interested in climate change for awhile trying to understand why we get more disease in one location than another. And how these patterns of risk might change, as climate warms,” said Matthew Thomas, the director of the Invasion Science Research Institute within the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Science. (Meszaros, 3/4)
NPR:
Brazil In State Of Emergency Due To Dengue Fever: 1 Million Cases So Far In 2024
At least six Brazilian states in addition to the Federal District are facing dengue epidemics and 17 cities have declared a state of emergency as the country has already registered 1 million cases of dengue in the first two months of 2024, more than half the 1.6 million cases confirmed last year — which was already almost 18% higher than in 2022. ... As a result, Brazil's public health-care system, known as SUS, has been grappling to keep up, resorting to field hospitals like the one in Brasília and tents in strategic points around its cities to triage patients with suspected cases of dengue. (Langlois, 3/4)