Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Judge Tosses $100K H-1B Visa Fee That Wreaked Havoc On Healthcare Industry
The New York Times: Judge Throws Out Trump Administration’s Policy Imposing $100,000 Fees For H-1B Visas
A Trump administration initiative to impose $100,000 fees on employers seeking visas for skilled foreign workers amounts to an unlawful tax on those companies and must be voided “in its entirety,” a federal judge ruled on Monday. The decision by Judge Leo T. Sorokin of the Federal District Court for the District of Massachusetts nullified one of a series of tactics the Trump administration has used to restrict legal immigration, even in fields in which foreign skilled labor helped address severe shortages. ... About 85,000 new visas have been provided annually to hire so-called high-skilled foreign workers at companies through the program’s lottery process. Technology, finance, hospitals and universities have all made ample use of those visas. (Montague, 6/8)
In other news about the immigration crisis and U.S. sanctions —
AP: ICE Facility In Louisiana Reports Its Second Death In 2 Months
A second detainee has died in less than two months at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Louisiana where a recent inspection report found insanitary conditions, problems with medical care and the use of excessive force. Mamuka Artmeladze, a 43-year-old from the country of Georgia, was found unresponsive June 4 at Winn Correctional Center in Winnfield, Louisiana, ICE announced in a press release Sunday. ICE said staff began lifesaving measures before he was taken by ambulance to a local hospital, where a doctor pronounced him dead less than an hour later. (Foley, 6/8)
AP: Attorneys: Wisconsin Mosque Leader Denied Diabetes Care In ICE Detention, Down 30 Pounds
Attorneys for the president of Wisconsin’s largest mosque say he is being denied basic medical care for diabetes and has lost 30 pounds in the two months since he was detained by immigration officers. Salah Sarsour, a Palestinian-born legal permanent resident of the United States, was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in April. His attorneys say he is being detained on baseless claims that he is a foreign policy threat, but they believe he was actually targeted for speaking out against Israel and for a conviction as a minor by Israeli military courts. (Boone, 6/9)
Bloomberg: UN Says Children Are Dying In Cuba Because Of Strict US Sanctions
Tighter US sanctions on Cuba have led to a spike in infant mortality and plummeting survival rates for child cancer patients, the United Nations warned in one of its strongest rebukes of Washington’s pressure campaign against the island. US President Donald Trump’s push to force change in Cuba by cutting off almost all fuel shipments to the government is depriving the nation of 10 million people of access to water, food and healthcare, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said Monday in a statement. (Wyss, 6/8)
On Medicaid changes —
Stat: Affordability Czar Targets Medicaid 'Gimmicks' At Hospital Conference
Hospital finance leaders rolled out the red carpet for the Trump administration’s new health care affordability czar at an industry conference on Monday. He promptly took the main stage to champion Medicaid cuts that threaten their bottom lines. (Bannow, 6/9)
Healthcare Dive: Over Half Of Medicaid Enrollees Say They’re Unaware Of Upcoming Work Requirements
Many enrollees don’t know they’ll need to report work, education or volunteer hours starting in less than six months in order to stay covered, according to a recent survey from the Health Management Academy. (Olsen, 6/8)
More news about the Trump administration —
The Hill: Medical School Organizations Sign On To RFK Jr.'s Nutrition Requirements
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced Monday that numerous medical school accrediting organizations and assessors have agreed to increase nutrition requirements for U.S. medical education. HHS said in a release that eight medical school organizations had agreed to “increase nutrition requirements at every level of U.S. medical education, competency-evaluation, training, and residency.” (Choi, 6/8)
The New York Times: RFK Jr. Appears Disengaged On Many Health Department Matters Beyond Vaccines
Shortly after the World Health Organization declared the Ebola outbreak in Africa a public health emergency, a reporter asked Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. if he was worried about the virus. Six Americans had already been exposed. His response was brief: “Yeah, we’re working on it.” In the nearly three weeks since, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention imposed travel restrictions to keep the virus from coming to the United States, Mr. Kennedy has made no public comments about the spreading outbreak. (Gay Stolberg, 6/7)
ProPublica: Trump DOJ Killed Criminal Probe Of Sen. Jim Justice’s Southern Coal
Trump administration officials earlier this year killed a federal criminal investigation into the coal empire owned by Sen. Jim Justice, a Republican from West Virginia and a close ally of the president’s. The investigation examined potential criminal violations of the Clean Water Act by the multistate mining operations largely run by Justice’s son, Jay, according to current and former officials familiar with the matter. (Redden and Asher-Schapiro, 6/8)
Military.com: How VA’s Telehealth Kidney Program Saves The Lives Of Rural Veterans
Kidney disease is a leading cause of death in the United States, and it is getting worse. For veterans living in rural areas, a national shortage of nephrologists — along with the reality that the nearest kidney specialist may be hours away — compound the problem. Rural veterans with chronic kidney disease and refractory hypertension are hospitalized more frequently and die at higher rates than veterans in urban or suburban areas. Many go years with their kidney care managed exclusively by a primary care provider who may not have the training or time to adjust the specialized medications these patients need. (Wile, 6/8)
