Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Nevada Adult Infected With New Bird Flu Strain; Human Risk Still Low
The Washington Post: New Version Of Bird Flu Infects Nevada Dairy Worker
A Nevada dairy worker was infected with a version of bird flu that is known to have killed one person in the United States and severely sickened a teen in Canada, state and federal health authorities said Monday. This version of the virus was detected for the first time in dairy farms last month in Nevada. The Central Nevada Health District said Monday that an adult was exposed to infected dairy cattle while working at a farm in the northwestern part of the state. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said its genetic analysis confirmed that the virus in the Nevada person is the same as was detected in the Nevada dairy cows. (Sun, 2/10)
Other health news from across the U.S. —
AP: States Absorb Big Increases In Medicaid For Sicker-Than-Expected Enrollees After COVID-19 Pandemic
States are absorbing substantial increases in health care costs for the poor, as they realize that the people remaining on Medicaid rolls after the COVID-19 pandemic are sicker than anticipated — and costlier to care for. In Pennsylvania, state budget makers recently unveiled the scale of that miscalculation, with Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro proposing an increase of $2.5 billion in Medicaid spending in the next fiscal year. That amounts to a roughly 5% increase in overall state spending, mostly driven by the cost to care for unexpectedly sick people remaining on the state’s Medicaid rolls. (Levy, 2/7)
North Carolina Health News: Bills Take Aim At ‘Government Mandates’ On Health Insurance
Bryan Lewis, 59, of Forsyth County, found a lump on his neck over a year ago. He had just moved to North Carolina and didn’t have health insurance through his employer, so he signed up for a plan through the insurance marketplace created by the Affordable Care Act. Soon after, he was diagnosed with tongue cancer and had to start radiation and chemotherapy treatments. The radiation caused him to be unable to eat or drink, and he eventually had to subsist on a feeding tube. (Vitaglione, 2/11)
WGCU: Florida Ranks Lowest Among States In Passing The Nursing Exam Needed For Licensing
A report recently released from the Florida Center for Nursing noted that in 2024 Florida had the nation's lowest pass rate on the exam required for registered nurses and practical nurses to receive their licenses. (Barbor, 2/10)
Becker's Hospital Review: 4 Pharmacists Sentenced To Prison In $13M Fraud Scheme
Four pharmacy owners have been sentenced for their involvement in a scheme to defraud Medicare, Medicaid and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan out of more than $13 million. Raef Hamaad of Maricopa County, Ariz., was sentenced to 10 years in prison; Tarek Fakhuri of Windsor, Ontario, received a seven-year prison sentence; Ali Abdelrazzaq of Macomb County, Mich., was sentenced to two years; and Kindy Ghussin of Greene County, Ohio, was sentenced to five years, according to an Feb. 6 news release from the Justice Department. (Murphy, 2/10)
CBS News: Minnesota Man's Free Cruise Ends With $47,000 Medical Bill
A free cruise turned into a financial nightmare for Mike Cameron, a Minnesota truck driver of 25 years, and his girlfriend, Tamra. The couple won a free cruise with Norwegian Cruise Line and were excited to celebrate Tamra's recent lung cancer recovery. The pair set sail for the week-long trip in early January, but shortly into the week, Cameron got sick. He said he went to the ship's medical center and was diagnosed with the flu. ... But when it came time to pay the bill, Cameron was shocked to learn that the total cost of his care was more than $47,000. (Mitchell, 2/10)
KFF Health News: A Year After Super Bowl Parade Shooting, Trauma Freeze Gives Way To Turmoil For Survivors
Emily Tavis was on a first date in December when she looked up and realized they were driving past the downtown Kansas City, Missouri, intersection where a bullet ripped through her leg at last year’s Super Bowl victory parade. “Oh f—,” Tavis said, bewildering her date. She lives 35 miles away in Leavenworth, Kansas, and hadn’t yet returned to Union Station, where the mass shooting happened. She felt like crying. Or maybe it was a panic attack. She held up a finger signaling to her date that she needed a moment. That’s when it hit him, too. (Sable-Smith and Lowe, 2/11)
