Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
FDA To Focus On Drug Review Process As Shutdown Forces Agency To Make Tough Prioritization Decisions
The Washington Post: FDA Directs Dwindling Resources Toward Reviewing New Drugs
The Food and Drug Administration plans to furlough more people and suspend lower-priority tasks to preserve money for drug reviews, including for new treatments for depression, diabetes and several types of cancer. With money for drug reviews rapidly diminishing as the government shutdown drags into its fourth week, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said in an interview Thursday that he plans to curtail “discretionary activities” and call for additional furloughs in areas in which workloads have been reduced due to the shutdown. (McGinley, 1/17)
CNN: This Diabetic Federal Worker Rationed Her Insulin During The Shutdown Because Debt Was Scarier Than Dying
A furloughed federal worker who is diabetic said she resorted to rationing her insulin medication because "the thought of having more debt was scarier than the thought of dying" in her sleep. "I thought, no end in sight for the shutdown. I can't afford an ambulance bill. I can't afford to go to the emergency room right now, because I know there's more bills coming our way," Mallory Lorge explained on CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360." (Barrett, 1/17)
Politico: Next Shutdown Victim: School Lunches
Servings of fresh fruits and vegetables are disappearing from school lunch trays in rural Vance County, N.C. The Prairie Hills school district in Kansas is worried about not being able to feed kids at all. On top of that, there are thousands of new kids nationwide eligible for free or low-cost school meals because their parents have been furloughed by the federal government. (Hefling and Quilantan, 1/17)
Wyoming Public Radio: Wind River Reservation School District Offers Free Lunches To Families Hit By Shutdown
Three schools on the Wind River Reservation are offering free lunches to people affected by the government shutdown. Owen Saint Claire, the superintendent of Fremont County School District 14, said more than a thousand people on the Wind River reservation are not getting their paycheck right now. (Edwards, 1/17)
Iowa Public Radio: What's Open, What's On Hold For Food And Ag During The Government Shutdown
The long tentacles of the partial federal government shutdown are reaching especially deep into food and agriculture. Here’s an update on some of the impacts in the fourth week of the longest shutdown in history. (Mayer, 1/17)
Kaiser Health News: Pain From The Government Shutdown Spreads. This Time It’s Food Stamps
Antoinette Martinez was relieved when she heard she would receive her food stamps for February about two weeks early. Her cabinet was nearly empty after the holidays, and now she could stock up on groceries to feed her family. But Martinez also feared she wouldn’t be able to make the funds last. “I know I’m gonna spend them and I’m gonna be struggling next month,” 31-year-old Martinez said late Wednesday as she loaded her car with bags from a Food 4 Less market in Los Angeles. (Gorman, 1/18)
Kaiser Health News: Furloughed Feds’ Health Coverage Intact, But Shutdown Still Complicates Things
Joseph Daskalakis’ son was born New Year’s Eve, a little over a week into the current government shutdown, and about 10 weeks before he was expected. Little Oliver ended up in a specialized neonatal intensive care unit, the only one that could care for him near their home in Lakeville, Minn.But air traffic controller Daskalakis, 33, has an additional worry: The hospital where the newborn is being treated is not part of his current insurer’s network and the partial government shutdown prevents him from filing the paperwork necessary to switch insurers, as he would otherwise be allowed to do. He could be on the hook for a hefty bill — while not receiving pay. Daskalakis is just one example of federal employees for whom being unable to make changes to their health plans really matters. (Appleby, 1/18)
