First Edition: April 2, 2024
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
KFF Health News:
ACA Plans Are Being Switched Without Enrollees’ OK
Some consumers covered by Affordable Care Act insurance plans are being switched from one plan to another without their express permission, potentially leaving them unable to see their doctors or fill prescriptions. Some face large IRS bills for back taxes. Unauthorized enrollment or plan-switching is emerging as a serious challenge for the ACA, also known as Obamacare. (Appleby, 4/2)
KFF Health News:
Track Opioid Settlement Payouts — To The Cent — In Your Community
State and local governments are receiving billions of dollars in settlements from companies that made, sold, or distributed prescription painkillers and were accused of fueling the opioid crisis. More than a dozen companies will pay the money over nearly two decades. As of late February 2024, more than $4.3 billion had landed in government coffers. KFF Health News has been tracking how that money is used — or misused — nationwide. (Pattani, Zuraw and Hacker, 4/2)
KFF Health News:
More Patients Are Losing Their Doctors — And Trust In The Primary Care System
First, her favorite doctor in Providence, Rhode Island, retired. Then her other doctor at a health center a few miles away left the practice. Now, Piedad Fred has developed a new chronic condition: distrust in the American medical system. “I don’t know,” she said, her eyes filling with tears. “To go to a doctor that doesn’t know who you are? That doesn’t know what allergies you have, the medicines that make you feel bad? It’s difficult.” (Arditi, 4/2)
KFF Health News:
California Universities Are Required To Offer Abortion Pills. Many Just Don't Mention It
When Deanna Gomez found out she was pregnant in September 2023, she felt the timing couldn’t have been worse. The college senior at California State University-San Bernardino worked 60 hours a week at two jobs. She used birth control. Motherhood was not in the plan. Not yet. “I grew up poor. And I don’t want that for my children, like, ever,” she said. She wanted a medication abortion. (Fortiér and Guzman-Lopez, 4/2)
Axios:
Medicare Advantage Plans To See 2025 Base Pay Fall
The Biden administration on Monday followed through on its proposal to cut next year's base payments to Medicare Advantage plans an average of 0.16%, despite pressure from insurers and their allies in Congress. Why it matters: While the plans will wind up seeing a net increase once payments are risk-adjusted to account for the health of their customers, the news sent shares of UnitedHealth, CVS Health, Humana and Centene falling amid predictions of continued financial pressure. (Goldman, 4/2)
Stat:
Medical Bills So High, Medicare Adding Extra Digits To Claim Forms
Health care costs are getting so high that prices are literally running off of the page. Medicare on a couple of occasions recently has had to deal with billing forms that don’t provide adequate space for prices. (Wilkerson, 4/2)
Modern Healthcare:
HHS Affirms Consent Rules For 'Sensitive Examinations'
The Health and Human Services Department issued a guidance document and an open letter to teaching hospitals, medical schools and state regulators Monday reiterating that federal law requires informed consent to conduct tests on unconscious patients. The guidance ... cite reports of patients undergoing "sensitive examinations" unrelated to their treatments while under anesthesia without consent. (Hartnett, 4/1)
Axios:
ACA Enrollment Surge Brings Tradeoffs For Kids
More kids than ever are covered through the Affordable Care Act as the law's insurance markets help catch those affected by the nationwide Medicaid enrollment purge that began a year ago this week. Why it matters: The transition to the ACA marketplaces from Medicaid or a sister program just for kids comes with tradeoffs that hundreds of thousands of families may be discovering about their child's new coverage. (Goldman, 4/2)
Roll Call:
Timeline For Menthol Ban Slips Again
The White House’s timeline for banning menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars appears to have slipped again after the administration missed its self-imposed target to finalize the rules by March. This is the third time the FDA has attempted to restrict menthol cigarettes, first in 2013 and again in 2018. Another delay could push the date beyond the 2024 November election. (Clason, 4/1)
The Washington Post:
Bird Flu Detected In Dairy Worker Who Had Contact With Infected Cattle In Texas
A dairy worker in Texas is being treated for bird flu, only the second human case in the United States of an illness caused by a highly virulent virus that has recently rampaged through dairy cows in five states, federal and state officials said Monday. The patient, who experienced eye inflammation as the only symptom, was tested for flu late last week, with confirmatory testing performed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention over the weekend. The patient was told to isolate and is being treated with oseltamivir, an antiviral drug sold under the brand name Tamiflu. The newly emerged case does not change the risk for the general public, which remains low, federal officials said. (Sun and Roubein, 4/1)
NBC News:
Bird Flu Case In Person In Texas: Here's What Experts Say
Sid Miller, commissioner of the Texas Department of Agriculture, said it’s not yet clear whether the person was infected by a dairy cow or through the same source that infected the dairy cows, which appears to be dead waterfowl that were found on the property. Regardless of the source, Miller said the public should not be worried. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a similar statement Monday, saying, “This infection does not change the H5N1 bird flu human health risk assessment for the U.S. general public, which CDC considers to be low.” (Sullivan, 4/2)
Tampa Bay Times:
Florida To Get 6-Week Abortion Ban, But Abortion Access Will Be On 2024 Ballot
The Florida Supreme Court on Monday ruled that the state’s Constitution does not protect access to abortion, letting the current 15-week ban stand and triggering a stricter six-week ban. That six-week ban is now set to take effect in 30 days. But the court separately on Monday gave the OK for an amendment to go on November’s ballot that would protect abortion. (Ellenbogen, 4/1)
The Hill:
Florida’s Abortion Law Will Change: Here’s When
A six-week ban on abortion, passed last year but paused due to the state Supreme Court’s case, will go into effect May 1. That change is set to bring Florida in line with other restrictive states in the Deep South, severely limiting access to abortion for the whole region. ... Adding abortion protections to the Florida ballot could drive voter turnout, as Democrats hope to turn the Sunshine State purple once again after years of strong performance by Republicans. The Biden campaign described the state as “winnable” on Monday, citing the abortion ballot measure. (Robertson, 4/1)
Kansas City Star:
Kansas Lawmakers Approve Bill Criminalizing Abortion Coercion
Backed by a Republican majority, Kansas lawmakers approved legislation Monday making it illegal to coerce a woman into getting an abortion. GOP legislators sidestepped efforts from Democrats to criminalize all forms of reproductive coercion arguing the language would reinforce Kansas’ existing protections for abortion rights. The bill, which the Kansas House approved with a near-veto-proof majority Monday roughly along party lines, now heads to Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s desk. The Kansas Senate passed the measure last week. (Barackman and Bernard, 4/1)
NBC News:
Michigan Ends Ban On Surrogacy Contracts
Alex Kamer considers herself lucky — she didn’t have to fight a legal battle for the parental rights to her biological children. Kamer and her husband, Alan Kamer, grew their family via surrogates; their younger son was born in June. But the couple lives in Michigan, where a 1988 law had banned the use of surrogacy contracts and compensated surrogacy. That had left uncertainty about what could happen once the baby was born last year. Michigan was the last state in the country with such a law on its books, and for more than 30 years, those who violated it could, in extreme cases, face jail time. (Vitali, 4/1)
AP:
Oregon Governor Signs Bill Recriminalizing Drug Possession Into Law
Oregon’s Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek on Monday signed into law a bill that recriminalizes the possession of small amounts of drugs, ending a first-in-the-nation experiment with decriminalization that was hobbled by implementation issues. The new law rolls back a 2020 voter-approved measure by making so-called personal use possession a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail. It also establishes ways for treatment to be offered as an alternative to criminal penalties by encouraging law enforcement agencies to create deflection programs that would divert people to addiction and mental health services instead of the criminal justice system. (4/1)
Tampa Bay Times:
Recreational Weed Will Be On Florida’s 2024 Ballot, Supreme Court Rules
Floridians will vote on recreational marijuana in November after the Florida Supreme Court signed off Monday on ballot language for a proposed constitutional amendment. The amendment would permit nonmedical marijuana use and would remove criminal or civil penalties for adults over 21 who possess and use up to 3 ounces of pot for personal use. (Wilson and Ellenbogen, 4/1)
CBS News:
Michigan Health Experts Fear Primary Doctor Shortage Will Worsen If Not Addressed
"People need to know the situation," said Dr. Jinping Xu, a professor at Wayne State University. Xu is referring to several reports released recently outlining the state of the health care profession, particularly relating to primary care physicians. ... Xu said the primary care workforce is not growing fast enough for the population, and one of the main reasons is that primary care doctors are overworked and underpaid. (Vicci, 4/1)
Chicago Tribune:
More Than 1,000 UChicago Medicine Residents, Fellows Move To Unionize
A group of more than 1,000 residents and fellows at UChicago Medicine is taking steps to unionize, following a recent, similar effort by peers at Northwestern Medicine. The doctors filed a petition Monday morning with the National Labor Relations Board to hold a formal election to decide whether to unionize under the Committee of Interns and Residents, a union representing resident physicians and fellows. Residents often work at hospitals after earning medical degrees, as they train to become specific types of doctors. (Schencker, 4/1)
The Mercury News:
Santa Clara County Nurses Prepare For Three-Day Strike Over Wages, Working Conditions
In what’s expected to be a three-day strike impacting three South Bay hospitals and possibly patient care, thousands of Santa Clara County nurses plan to walk off the job early Tuesday in protest over workplace conditions, wages and staffing ratios. The strike — the first in the union’s history — is scheduled to start at 4:59 a.m. Tuesday and end at 6:59 a.m. on Friday. It could affect county-owned clinics as well as its three hospitals. (Hase, 4/1)
NBC News:
Senate Investigating Whether ER Care Has Been Harmed By Growing Role Of Private-Equity Firms
A Senate committee has asked three major private-equity firms for information on how they run or staff hospital emergency departments to see if private equity’s management of a large share of the nation’s ERs has harmed patients. Led by its chairman, Sen. Gary Peters’ ... staff conducted interviews with over 40 emergency department physicians who expressed “significant concerns” about patient safety and care resulting from the aggressive practices of private-equity firms in the arena. (Morgenson, 4/1)
The Washington Post:
Algorithms Guide Senior Home Staffing. Managers Say Care Suffers.
Two decades ago, a group of senior-housing executives came up with a way to raise revenue and reduce costs at assisted-living homes. Using stopwatches, they timed caregivers performing various tasks, from making beds to changing soiled briefs, and fed the information into a program they began using to determine staffing. Brookdale Senior Living, the leading operator of senior homes with 652 facilities, acquired the algorithm-based system and used it to set staffing at its properties across the nation. But as Brookdale’s empire grew, employees complained the system, known as “Service Alignment,” failed to capture the nuances of caring for vulnerable seniors, documents and interviews show. (MacMillan and Rowland, 4/1)
Modern Healthcare:
Intermountain Closes Saltzer Health After Not Finding Buyer
Intermountain Health has closed Saltzer Health after failing to find a buyer for the network of multispecialty clinics. Nampa, Idaho-based Saltzer is still in talks with organizations about purchasing some of its health services, the provider said in a Friday statement. (DeSilva, 4/1)
Modern Healthcare:
FTC Seeks Injunction To Block Novant Health-CHS Hospital Sale
The Federal Trade Commission is seeking a preliminary injunction to block Novant Health from acquiring two of Community Health Systems' North Carolina hospitals for $320 million. The agency, which sued in January to block the deal announced in February 2023, alleges the purchase would be anticompetitive, and alleges the deal would "irreversibly consolidate the market for hospital services in the Eastern Lake Norman Area in the northern suburbs of Charlotte." (DeSilva, 4/1)
Modern Healthcare:
How The Change Healthcare Attack May Impact Industry Mergers
Add mergers and acquisitions to the list of things the Change Healthcare cyberattack has disarrayed. Healthcare deals are on the rise. But the ransomware attack against the UnitedHealth Group division has already caused dealmakers to more intensely scrutinize cybersecurity vulnerabilities and to consider the financial damage potential targets have endured, according to attorneys who specialize in M&A. (Hartnett, 4/1)
Reuters:
Fitch Says UnitedHealth Unit Hack To Have No Credit Impact On Not-For-Profit Hospitals
Fitch does not anticipate any credit impact on not-for-profit hospitals in the United States from the cyberattack at UnitedHealth's tech unit Change Healthcare that caused disruption to pharmacies across the U.S., the ratings agency said on Monday. The agency said it does not see any negative rating implications tied to the hack if the care providers can return to normal operations in the near term and maintain a large-enough cash cushion. (4/1)
Modern Healthcare:
Digital Health Startups Search For Buyers As Funds Decline
Many digital health startups that received hefty funding rounds in 2021 and 2022 find themselves in need of a lifeline in early 2024, either from investors with deep pockets or a buyer. In 2021, venture capital investors wrote a record number of checks for digital health companies based on the promise of greater demand for virtual care, a part of the market that showed promise during the COVID-19 pandemic. But venture capital funding for digital health companies plummeted last year. (Perna, 4/1)
Reuters:
Blue Cross Blue Shield Must Face Ford Motor Antitrust Claims, US Judge Rules
Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and its Michigan affiliate must face a lawsuit from Ford Motor accusing them of artificially inflating the automaker’s costs for health insurance, a U.S. judge has ruled. U.S. District Judge Linda Parker in a ruling on Saturday in Detroit federal court said Ford had adequately alleged for now that it was overcharged for commercial health insurance products purchased from Blue Cross. (Scarcella, 4/1)
Modern Healthcare:
Universal Health Services To Appeal Illinois Verdict
A Universal Health Services subsidiary was ordered to pay $535 million related to negligence charges filed after a 13-year-old patient was sexually assaulted by another patient at a psychiatric facility in Illinois, the for-profit health system said Monday in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing. (Kacik, 4/1)
USA Today:
Costco To New Offer Weight-Loss Program Possibly Including Ozempic
Costco and its low-cost healthcare partner are expanding into weight-loss management. Costco will begin offering its members in the U.S. access to a weight-loss program through Sesame, a healthcare marketplace, Sesame exclusively told USA TODAY. The service, which will cost $179 every three months, is scheduled to become available April 2. (Lin-Fisher, 4/2)
The Wall Street Journal:
Why Ozempic Doesn’t Help Some People Lose Weight
Behind the blockbuster success of drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy is a less-noticed phenomenon: Some people don’t lose much weight on them. There is wide variation in weight loss on these types of drugs, called GLP-1s. Doctors say roughly 10% to 15% of people who try them are “non-responders,” typically defined as those who lose less than 5% of their body weight. These patients, doctors say, don’t experience enough appetite reduction to result in significant weight loss. (Reddy, 4/1)
CIDRAP:
US Data Show Only 16% Of Adults 27 To 45 Have Received An HPV Vaccine
Only 16% of US adults aged 27 to 45 have received the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, with men, Hispanic respondents, and people with less education at even lower levels, according to a large survey study published last week in Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics. Although routine HPV vaccination was initially recommended for children aged 11 to 12 years, with catch-up vaccination through age 26, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expanded the age range in 2018 to adults 27 to 45 years, as well. (Wappes, 4/1)
Chicago Tribune:
Johnson Unveils Chicago’s First Chief Homelessness Officer
Mayor Brandon Johnson debuted his pick for Chicago’s first chief homelessness officer during a Monday news conference that also saw him stand firm against the real estate lobby and other political adversaries over his progressive agenda. Sendy Soto, a former senior director at the Chicago Community Trust and ex-managing deputy commissioner at the city’s Department of Housing, will helm the post starting next week, the mayor’s office announced. Soto’s chief task will be to develop a five-year plan on addressing the city’s homelessness crisis. (Yin, 4/1)
Houston Chronicle:
Galveston County To Open First Stand-Alone Mental Health Crisis Center
Galveston County officially broke ground last week on a $13 million development to expand access to mental health services. The Mental Health Wellness Center will be centrally located in La Marque to serve the communities in Galveston County, including League City, Texas City and Dickinson. It's part of ongoing expansion of access to healthcare services in the Bay Area. (Orozco, 4/1)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Stanford Study Finds Keto Diet Can Help Manage Serious Mental Illness
Eating a ketogenic diet appears to help people with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, according to a new study led by Stanford researchers — underscoring the importance of diet in the management of serious mental illness. The study, published in Psychiatry Research on March 27, found that trial participants who were instructed to follow a ketogenic diet — high in protein and fat, and low in carbohydrates — for four months showed improvements in both psychiatric outcomes and metabolic syndromes like obesity and insulin resistance. (Ho, 4/1)
The Atlantic:
The Doctor Will Ask About Your Gun Now
A man comes to Northwell Health’s hospital on Staten Island with a sprained ankle. Any allergies? the doctor asks. How many alcoholic drinks do you have each week? Do you have access to firearms inside or outside the home? When the patient answers yes to that last question, someone from his care team explains that locking up the firearm can make his home safer. ... Northwell Health is part of a growing movement of health-care providers that want to talk with patients about guns like they would diet, exercise, or sex—treating firearm injury as a public-health issue. (Walecki, 4/1)
North Carolina Health News:
Workforce Woes Leave Folks With Disabilities Waiting For Support
Thousands of North Carolinians with intellectual and developmental disabilities rely on caregivers, known as direct support professionals, for help with everyday tasks like bathing and eating. But those workers are in short supply. A recent study by The Arc of North Carolina, a nonprofit that advocates for people with cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and other conditions, found that the state needs at least 20,000 more direct support professionals to meet the current demand. (Baxley, 4/2)
Fox News:
Pneumonia Misdiagnoses Are Common Among Hospitalized Adults, Study Finds: There Are 'Implications'
Adults who are admitted to the hospital are often inappropriately diagnosed with — and treated for — pneumonia, new research suggests. These misdiagnosed adults almost always receive a full course of antibiotics that may not be necessary, according to a new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine. Among older adults who were treated for community-acquired pneumonia in the hospital, 12% were misdiagnosed, researchers found. (Sudhakar, 4/1)
NPR:
Safer Table Saws May Get Mandated, Possibly Preventing Severed Fingers
Table saws are widely considered the most dangerous power tool, and approximately 30,000 blade-contact injuries require medical treatment each year in the United States. About 4,000 result in amputations that can be career-ending for some professional carpenters and contractors. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says that when a person is hospitalized, the societal cost per table saw injury exceeds $500,000 when you also factor in loss of income and pain and suffering. (Neuman and Arnold, 4/2)
AP:
US Defense Official Had 'Havana Syndrome' Symptoms During A 2023 NATO Summit, The Pentagon Confirms
senior Defense Department official who attended last year’s NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, had symptoms similar to those reported by U.S. officials who have experienced “Havana syndrome,” the Pentagon confirmed Monday. Havana syndrome is still under investigation but includes a string of health problems dating back to 2016, when officials working at the U.S. Embassy in Havana reported sudden unexplained head pressure, head or ear pain, or dizziness. (Copp, 4/1)