Latest KFF Health News Stories
Employee Mistake Caused Ascension Cyberattack
The simple mistake — accidentally downloading a file with malicious code inside — likely enabled criminals to access hospital system files that contained personal information, Ascension says. In other news: Heat shutters a Chicago ER, hospital-at-home services expand, and more.
Telehealth Execs Charged In Alleged Scheme To Bilk Pharmacies, Insurers
Done Global’s founder and head doctor are accused of targeting patients seeking stimulants and “deceptive” advertising, the Justice Department alleges. As a result of the charges, patients in need of ADHD drugs and other stimulants might find those medications hard to come by.
Pentagon Ran Effort To Smear Chinese Covid Shots In Philippines: Reuters
A Reuters investigation revealed a previously unreported story about a secret U.S. military effort to attack perceived rising Chinese influence in the Philippines during the pandemic. The operation sowed doubt about safety and efficacy of Chinese-made covid shots and also attacked face mask quality and test kits.
Abortion Pill Ruling Raises Stakes For Election: Do We Want Access Or Not?
The next president would hold sway over federal agencies with the authority to restrict access to mifepristone. Both sides of the abortion issue are gearing up for future fights.
Senate Republicans Block Bill To Protect IVF Access Nationwide
Senate Democrats’ proposed measure failed Thursday in a 48-47 vote. The bill would have provided federal protections for in vitro fertilization access and required insurance coverage for federal employees.
Feds Will Redo This Year’s Medicare Advantage Quality Ratings
The decision, announced late Thursday, comes in the wake of two court rulings that faulted the agency’s ratings, The Wall Street Journal reported. Also: Legionella bacteria are detected at CMS headquarters near Baltimore.
House Adds Measure To Defense Bill That Would Overturn Abortion Policy
House Republicans pushed through an addition to the National Defense Authorization Act that would reverse Pentagon policy ensuring abortion access to troops and their families. The move threatens bipartisan support for the overall legislation and risks passage.
Here are today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Supreme Court Upholds Access To Abortion Pill
The Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Thursday that a group of anti-abortion doctors and activists lacked standing to challenge the FDA’s more than 20-year-old approval of mifepristone, a drug used in medication abortions.
Viewpoints: More Dairy Workers Must Use PPE Against H5N1 Threat; Congress Can Open IVF Accessibility
Editorial writers discuss H5N1, ‘Right To IVF’, Dr. Fauci, and more.
In Wake Of Change Healthcare Hack, Ransomware Incidents Escalated
Meanwhile, Ascension said it thinks a recent cyberattack might have compromised patient health information. That attack was enabled by an employee downloading a “malicious file,” the company said. UPMC, Washington Health, Sutter Health, and more are also in the news.
Michigan Insurer Will Curtail Coverage Of Weight Loss Drugs
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan will drop coverage of GLP-1 obesity drugs like Wegovy from many of its plans, affecting some 10,000 people. The reason: cost. In other news, a research project at the University of California, Berkeley, into the visual effects of psilocybin will include human subjects.
Another 34 Salmonella Cases Related To Cucumbers Reported
The CDC says 196 people have now been sickened, with cases reported in three new states. Several varieties of cookie cough are also being recalled due to Salmonella contamination — nearly 30,000 cases of Rise Baking Company products are affected.
Opioid-Related Deaths Fell 10% In Massachusetts Last Year
It’s the largest decline in more than a decade, the Boston Globe says, and comes after two years of record death rates. Meanwhile, a new study shows that communities closer to marijuana dispensaries in Oregon have lower opioid prescription rates.
Research Roundup: Lung Cancer; Sepsis; MIS-C; Chronic Wasting Disease
Each week, KFF Health News compiles a selection of health policy studies and briefs.
9/11 Responders Who Didn’t Wear PPE Have Higher Dementia Risk Before 65
A new study compared data from 5,010 people who were severely exposed to building debris in the aftermath of the 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. Plus: A CDC report shows the number of US adults with dementia is holding steady.
Southern Baptists Vote No To IVF
The convention’s vote comes as Texas lawmakers block a Republican amendment to protect the procedure and as Democrats prepare to put forth legislation that would make it a right to have access to in vitro fertilization and other treatments.
Lawmakers Take FDA, DOJ To Task Over Continued Sale Of Illegal Vapes
“E-cigarette companies addicted a new generation of children to nicotine, erasing the hard work so many of us undertook to convince kids not to smoke tobacco cigarettes,” Richard J. Durbin, D-Ill., said at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. Other news looks at gun violence and medical debt.
Soldiers’ Suicide Risk 9 Times Greater Than Death From Enemy Fire
A new Pentagon study examined data for a five-year period ending in 2019 and found suicide was the leading cause of death in active-duty soldiers. Axios, meanwhile, reports that response times for the 988 suicide hotline vary depending on where you live.
Antiviral-Resistant ‘Dual Mutant’ Flu Virus Is Now On US Radar, CDC Says
Vaccination can still offer protection from these strains of H1N1 influenza, which have sickened two people in the U.S. Meanwhile, a new nasal swab, produced by Roche Diagnostics, will be available to help sick people determine if they have covid, the flu, or RSV.