Congress’ Budget Chaos Disrupts Rural Providers, Community Health Centers
The annual budget battle in Washington, D.C. seems to get draw out longer every year, and that uncertainty has a real-world toll on health care practices and professional, Modern Healthcare reports. Other impact from government health policies relates to tensions between hospitals and insurers, and telehealth access.
Modern Healthcare:
The Federal Budget Process Is A Mess. These Providers Pay The Price.
While the medical community has grown accustomed to a certain level of frustration about this recurring phenomenon, the increasing frequency and scope of the chaos is exacting a meaningful toll across the sector, providers and their representatives said in interviews. When Congress fails to operate predictably, that exacerbates the underlying financial problems already causing burnout and staffing shortages and limiting access to healthcare, particularly in rural and underserved urban areas, they said. (McAuliff, 4/3)
Axios:
Hospital And Insurer Battles Over Medicare Advantage Set To Grow
Tensions between hospitals and Medicare Advantage insurers are poised to keep growing as the program gets larger and the federal government takes a harder line on health plans. Why it matters: How hospitals and insurers respond to financial threats could ultimately affect the care received by more than half of seniors now enrolled in the program — whether it means reduced benefits, fewer provider choices or higher costs. (Owens, 4/4)
KFF Health News:
End Of Internet Subsidies For Low-Income Households Threatens Telehealth Access
For Cindy Westman, $30 buys a week’s worth of gas to drive to medical appointments and run errands. It’s also how much she spent on her monthly internet bill before the federal Affordable Connectivity Program stepped in and covered her payments. “When you have low income and you are living on disability and your daughter’s disabled, every dollar counts,” said Westman, who lives in rural Illinois. (Tribble, 4/4)
In other administration news —
Reuters:
US FDA Approves Basilea Pharmaceutica's Antibiotic
The U.S. health regulator approved Basilea Pharmaceutica's (BSLN.S) antibiotic for bacterial infections including multidrug-resistant strains, the FDA said on Wednesday. The Switzerland-based company was seeking approval of its antibiotic ceftobiprole for the treatment of three conditions - Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (SAB), acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections, and community-acquired bacterial pneumonia. (Roy and L, 4/3)
The Washington Post:
FDA Approves AI-Driven Test For Sepsis Made By Prenosis
Bobby Reddy Jr. roamed a hospital as he built his start-up ... an artificial intelligence tool that would individualize treatment. Now, the Food and Drug Administration has greenlighted such a test developed by Reddy’s company, Chicago-based Prenosis, to predict the risk of sepsis — a complex condition that contributes to at least 350,000 deaths a year in the United States. It is the first algorithmic, AI-driven diagnostic tool for sepsis to receive the FDA’s go-ahead, the company said in a statement Wednesday. (Gilbert and Roubein, 4/3)
Stat:
FDA Urged To Withdraw DNA Test Predicting Opioid Addiction, AvertD
In the next 24 hours, more than 130 people will die from opioid-related drug overdoses. That will happen again tomorrow and the next day. Each year, the U.S. is losing roughly 110,000 people to these deaths of addiction, mostly from illicit opioids like heroin and fentanyl. Under pressure to help combat this public health crisis, the Food and Drug Administration has begun taking steps intended to reduce overdoses and opioid use disorder. Last year, it approved selling the overdose-reversing naloxone nasal spray without a prescription, and in December, the agency approved a DNA test to help guide physicians’ opioid-prescribing decisions. (Molteni, 4/4)
In other news —
Reuters:
Sanofi To Settle 4,000 Zantac Cancer Lawsuits In US State Courts
Sanofi (SASY.PA) has reached an agreement in principle to settle 4,000 U.S. lawsuits linking the discontinued heartburn drug Zantac to cancer, the company said on Wednesday. Sanofi did not disclose the financial terms of the deal. The agreement, which still needs to be finalized, will resolve most of the lawsuits against the French pharmaceutical company in U.S. state courts, with the exception of Delaware where the majority of the cases are pending. (Knauth, 4/4)
Axios:
Trump's Surgeon General Urges Red States To Support Needle Exchanges
Former President Trump's surgeon general is advocating for conservative states to back needle exchanges as a strategy to reduce transmission of infectious diseases like HIV and hepatitis C and save lives while the fentanyl epidemic rages on. Why it matters: Making illicit drug use easier may seem counterintuitive, but it's been shown to improve public health and reduce societal costs, Jerome Adams argued in an opinion piece he co-authored in USA Today. (Bettelheim, 4/4)
Politico:
Trump Aims To Bring Back His Stymied Drug-Pricing Plan
Former President Donald Trump wants to reinstate a controversial drug-pricing policy stymied during his administration’s final months if he wins the election in November. The policy, which could save the government billions, was halted in 2020 before it could be implemented and would likely be challenged again by the pharma industry. It aims to reduce prices by requiring Medicare to pay no more than what other developed countries pay for the top 50 drugs that physicians administer to patients, such as cancer drug infusions. (Lim, 4/3)
Also —
The Hill:
20 Percent Say Violence May Be Needed To Get US Back On Track: Poll
Just more than 20 percent of Americans indicated violence may be necessary to secure political objectives in 2024, according to an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll released Wednesday. Roughly equivalent portions of Democratic and independent respondents said they see violence as an option, with 28 percent of Republicans agreeing violence may be a political strategy. (Vickers, 4/3)
