Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
EPA Takes Aim At Respiratory Illness Growth With Tougher Air Standards
Stat: As Respiratory Diseases Rise, EPA Tightens Air Quality Standards
The Environmental Protection Agency announced on Friday more aggressive air quality standards for particulate matter, pollutants small enough to be inhaled and cause respiratory illness and other disease. The agency’s new rules would help clean the nation’s air and bring it more in line with the past decade of research on the harmful effects of particulate matter. (Cueto, 1/6)
On health insurance and medical care costs —
NBC News: Epinephrine Costs Not Covered By Some High-Deductible Health Plans
For years, Meghan Neri paid $30 apiece for packages of epinephrine auto-injectors for her two adolescent children with food allergies. The price for four packs of the lifesaving medication was a manageable $120 a year. So Neri, 42, of Scituate, Massachusetts, was shocked when, in 2019, her family pharmacist said that each auto-injector pack would cost $600. (Edwards, Bauer and Thompson, 1/7)
CNBC: How Health Insurance May Have Made Health Care More Expensive
Widespread medical debt is a uniquely American problem. Roughly 40% of U.S. adults have at least $250 in medical debt, according to a survey conducted by Kaiser Family Foundation. “The history of medical debt is basically a history of the changing answer to the following question: When the patient can’t pay the bill, who foots it?” said Dr. Luke Messac, an emergency physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston who is writing a book about the history of medical debt. (Morabito, 1/8)
Also —
The Wall Street Journal: What Marketers Need To Know About The FTC’s Updated Guidelines On Health Claims
Federal Trade Commission guidelines for advertising health-related products just got a big refresh—and they could be a rude awakening for marketers making overzealous claims about products such as supplements or health apps. (Graham, 1/6)
KHN: Journalists Review 2022’s Top Health Stories And The CDC’s Policy On Remote Work
KHN and California Healthline staffers made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances. (1/7)
