First Edition: April 30, 2024
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
KFF Health News:
Toxic Gas Adds To A Long History Of Pollution In Southwest Memphis
For many years, Rose Sims had no idea what was going on inside a nondescript brick building on Florida Street a couple of miles from her modest one-story home on the southwestern side of town. Like other residents, she got an unwelcome surprise in October 2022 at a public forum held by the Environmental Protection Agency at the historic Monumental Baptist Church, known for its role in the civil rights movement. (Miller, 4/30)
KFF Health News:
Sign Here? Financial Agreements May Leave Doctors In The Driver’s Seat
Cass Smith-Collins jumped through hoops to get the surgery that would match his chest to his gender. Living in Las Vegas and then 50, he finally felt safe enough to come out as a transgender man. He had his wife’s support and a doctor’s letter showing he had a long history of gender dysphoria, the psychological distress felt when one’s sex assigned at birth and gender identity don’t match. (Houghton, 4/30)
KFF Health News:
KFF Health News' 'An Arm And A Leg': The Hack
In this episode of “An Arm and a Leg,” host Dan Weissmann explores what the fallout from a cyberattack says about antitrust concerns in health care. (4/30)
The Washington Post:
Court Says State Health-Care Plans Can’t Exclude Gender-Affirming Surgery
A federal appellate court in Richmond became the first in the country to rule that state health-care plans must pay for gender-affirming surgeries, a major win for transgender rights amid a nationwide wave of anti-trans activism and legislation. The decision came from a set of cases out of North Carolina and West Virginia, where state officials argued that their policies were based on cost concerns rather than bias. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit rejected that argument, saying the plans were discriminating against trans people in need of treatment. (Weiner, 4/29)
The Hill:
Texas Governor Says State Will Ignore ‘Illegal’ Biden Title IX Revisions
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said Monday his state will not abide by the Biden administration’s sweeping new changes to Title IX, the federal civil rights law prohibiting sex-based discrimination at government-funded schools. In a letter to President Biden, Abbott railed against the revised rules — which provide new protections for transgender students — saying they’re “illegal” and the result of a “ham-handed effort to impose a leftist belief onto Title IX,” which Abbott said “exceeds your authority as President.” (Fortinsky, 4/29)
CIDRAP:
WHO COVID Vaccine Advisers Recommend Switch To JN.1 Strain
The World Health Organization (WHO) Technical Advisory Group on COVID-19 Vaccine Composition, which meets about every 6 months to assess if any changes are needed, has recommended that the next COVID vaccine formulations use a monovalent (single-strain) JN.1 lineage. The group met in the middle of April to review the genetic and antigenic evolution of SARS-CoV-2, with an eye toward vaccine composition implications. (Schnirring, 4/29)
AP:
Chinese Scientist Who First Published COVID Sequence Protests After Being Locked Out Of His Lab
he first scientist to publish a sequence of the COVID-19 virus in China was staging a sit-in protest after authorities locked him out of his lab. Virologist Zhang Yongzhen wrote in an online post Monday that he and his team had been suddenly notified they were being evicted from their lab, the latest in a series of setbacks, demotions and ousters since Zhang published the sequence in January 2020 without state approval. The move shows how the Chinese state continues to pressure and control scientists conducting research on the coronavirus. (Kang, 4/30)
CBS News:
Seller Of Fraudulent N95 Face Masks To Refund $1.1 Million To Customers
A company alleged to have fraudulently sold a face mask as N95-grade must refund more than $1.1 million to customers nationwide, the Federal Trade Commission announced Monday. Razer and its affiliates advertised the Zephyr mask as N95-grade despite never submitting it for testing or certification by the Food and Drug Administration or National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the agency said. (Gibson, 4/29)
CIDRAP:
X's Crowdsourced Tool To Counter COVID Untruths Mainly Accurate, Credible, Researchers Say
Community Notes, a crowdsourced COVID-19 vaccine misinformation countermeasure on X (formerly Twitter), generally corrected false posts accurately and pointed readers to more credible sources, according to researchers who evaluated the posts. The University of California at San Diego (UCSD)-led team assessed the accuracy and credibility of a random sample of 205 Community Notes on COVID-19 vaccines from the year after the tool's December 2022 launch. The reviewers included an infectious-disease doctor and a virologist. The results were published last week in JAMA. (Van Beusekom, 4/29)
CIDRAP:
Analysis Of Cow, Cat H5N1 Avian Flu Samples Raises Concerns About Spread To Other Animals
Microbiological examination of cow, milk, and cat samples early in the investigation of H5N1 avian flu in some of the first affected states found that the cats died shortly after they were fed raw colostrum from sick cows, highlighting the risk of spread from cows to other animals through contaminated milk. (Schnirring, 4/29)
Stat:
H5N1 Bird Flu: What We're Starting To Learn About Infection In Cows
The H5N1 bird flu virus has been around for decades, and the damage it wreaks on chickens and other poultry is well documented. But the recent discovery that the virus has jumped into dairy cattle — whose udders seem to be where the virus either infects or migrates to — has dumbfounded scientists and agricultural authorities. (Branswell and Molteni, 4/30)
Reuters:
US FDA Grants Full Approval For Pfizer's Cervical Cancer Drug
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted full approval for Pfizer's drug for treating cervical cancer patients whose disease had progressed on or after chemotherapy, the agency said on Monday. The treatment, Tivdak - an antibody-drug conjugate co-developed by Genmab A/S and Seagen - received the FDA's accelerated approval for the same indication in 2021. (4/29)
Politico:
Beating Cancer Used To Be Bipartisan. What Happened?
President Joe Biden is scrambling to fund his cancer moonshot and its ambitious goal of cutting the death rate by half — an aim close to his heart that’s no longer a bipartisan priority. Lawmakers backed the initiative during the final days of Barack Obama’s presidency, passing the 21st Century Cures Act, and allotting $1.8 billion to the cause, nearly unanimously. Then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) called it “the most significant legislation passed by this Congress.” (Schumaker, 4/29)
Reuters:
One Dose Of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy Back In Supply, FDA Website Shows
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's website showed on Monday one dose of Novo Nordisk's weight-loss drug Wegovy as available after being in short supply, while three other doses remained in limited availability due to increased demand. The website listed the 1.7 milligram (mg) dose as available — making that and the 2.4 mg dose of the drug available for supply. But lower doses of 1 mg, 0.5 mg and 0.25 mg were still listed as in shortage. (4/29)
The Washington Post:
An AI Genetic Test Aims To Detect Postpartum Depression Before Symptoms
Postpartum depression is a leading cause of maternal death, but its diagnosis and treatment is spotty at best, negligent at worst. Now San Diego-based start-up Dionysus Digital Health is pitching a blood test to check for the condition, even before symptoms appear. The company says it has pinpointed a gene linking a person’s moods more closely to hormonal changes. The test uses machine learning to compare epigenetics — how genes are expressed — in your blood sample with benchmarks developed during a decade of research into pregnant people who did and didn’t develop postpartum depression. (Hunter, 4/29)
Bloomberg:
UnitedHealth Hack: Lawmakers Probe Change Healthcare Data Breach
When a cyberattack on Change Healthcare paralyzed much of the US health-care system, some lawmakers saw it as proof its parent company, UnitedHealth Group Inc., was too big. UnitedHealth Chief Executive Andrew Witty saw it differently. He has said that the company’s size kept the hack, which crippled a network that handled $2 trillion in health claims a year, from being more harmful. It was “important for the country that we own Change Healthcare,” Witty said earlier this month. (Tozzi, Griffin, and Robertson, 4/29)
Modern Healthcare:
Change Healthcare Update: CMS, NCQA Delay Quality Reporting
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and National Committee for Quality Assurance are extending insurers’ deadlines to submit quality data by two weeks due to “extraordinary circumstances” caused by the cyberattack on Change Healthcare. Health plans will now have until June 28 to report their performance on Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set measures to NCQA and the agency. (Devereaux, 4/29)
Stat:
Biden Cybersecurity Plan For Hospitals Entails Carrots First, Then Sticks
The Biden administration’s plan to improve cybersecurity at hospitals starts off with incentives, but eventually hospitals will face penalties for not adopting measures to protect patient data, HHS Deputy Secretary Andrea Palm said Monday. (Wilkerson, 4/29)
Modern Healthcare:
How The Nursing Home Staffing Rule Could End Up In Court
A nursing home staffing mandate could face court challenges and congressional action as skilled nursing facilities prepare for the first phase of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services rule to go into effect this summer. Hours after CMS finalized the rule last week, nursing home trade group the American Health Care Association said it would “vigorously defend nursing home members by any means necessary and is exploring all options." (Eastabrook, 4/29)
Modern Healthcare:
Medicare Home Health Pay Lawsuit Against HHS Dismissed
A federal court on Friday dismissed a lawsuit against the Health and Human Services Department and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services over Medicare home healthcare payment calculations. The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled the National Association for Home Care and Hospice failed to exhaust all possible administrative fixes before filing a lawsuit, since it skipped an agency process for seeking expedited review of a new reimbursement method. (Eastabrook, 4/29)
Modern Healthcare:
MultiPlan, Cigna, Aetna, Others Face Allegiance Health Lawsuit
A rural health system sued technology company MultiPlan and eight of the country's largest insurance companies over alleged schemes to strongarm providers into accepting low out-of-network rates. At issue in the proposed class-action suit are MultiPlan's repricing tools, which allegedly rely on insurers' data to deflate their out-of-network reimbursement payments. (Tepper, 4/29)
The Washington Post:
Supreme Court To Hear Cases On Veterans’ Benefits, Pet Food And Visas Next Term
In a case that could have significant implications for those who serve in the military, the Supreme Court will weigh a matter involving two veterans who argue they were improperly denied medical benefits for treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder related to their service. Joshua Bufkin, who served in the Air Force from 2005 to 2006, and Norman Thornton, who served in the Army on active duty from 1988 to 1991, say they should get care under a benefit-of-the-doubt rule that requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide access to treatment when it is a close call whether the applicant qualifies. Both cases had evidence for and against them receiving benefits. (Jouvenal, 4/29)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Court Filings Hint At New Operator For St. Louis Hospital
Eight months after its sudden closure, change may be coming to South City Hospital, the Dutchtown facility formerly known as St. Alexius. Daniel Wiggins, the court-appointed receiver who has managed the hospital for the past year, said in an email Monday that the company’s lease will end Wednesday, allowing for a new “business occupant” in the facility. (Merrilees, 4/29)
Modern Healthcare:
Amazon One Medical’s Trent Green Sees Expansion, Not More Layoffs
One Medical CEO Trent Green isn't sold on the term "disruption." The primary care provider was acquired by Amazon, one of the healthcare industry's biggest disruptors, in a $3.9 billion deal in early 2023. But Green said One Medical wants to work with, not replace, traditional healthcare providers to improve care delivery. One Medical has pursued partnerships with health systems and has more in the pipeline, he said. (Hudson, 4/29)
Modern Healthcare:
Talkspace, Charlie Health, Others Partner On Specialty Care
Talkspace is partnering with three other behavioral health providers to broaden in-network access to specialty care and treatment programs. The consortium, which includes Charlie Health, Ria Health, and Bicycle Health, will increase options for specialty behavioral health services for alcoholism, substance abuse and eating disorders, the company said. Talkspace will refer insured members to the other providers. (DeSilva, 4/29)
Modern Healthcare:
Why Nashville Is Becoming A Healthcare Headquarters Hub
Nashville, Tennessee's reputation as an epicenter of the nation's healthcare industry got a boost last week with Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison's announcement that he will relocate the company's world headquarters to the city. Technology giant Oracle, based in Austin, Texas, is making a big push into healthcare. Ellison, who is also the company’s chief technology officer, called Nashville "the center of the industry we're most concerned about." (DeSilva, 4/29)
The Colorado Sun:
A Colorado Board Wants To Lower Prescription Drug Costs. Why Are So Many Patients Opposed?
Heather Kluck, who lives in Colorado Springs, calls her 12-year-old daughter, Avery, “my miracle child.” When Avery was diagnosed as an infant with a rare genetic condition called Aicardi syndrome, doctors told Heather and her husband that Avery may not survive her first year and would likely never walk or talk. She defied those predictions, though she has significant developmental delays. (Ingold, 4/30)
The CT Mirror:
CT Elder Care Reform Bill Passes House
Acknowledging Connecticut’s substantial and increasing older adult population, the House of Representatives on Monday passed sweeping legislation overhauling the state’s elder care system, including requiring more oversight of home care workers, creating a speedier process for accessing Medicaid, and launching a registry to make it easier for consumers to find caregivers. (Carlesso and Altimari, 4/29)
The New Republic:
Florida’s Six-Week Abortion Ban Will Ruin Some People Financially
When a new abortion ban goes into effect in Florida this week, it will rob people across the south of one of the last few options they had. Floridians and those in neighboring states will instead have to travel to North Carolina or even farther to get an abortion. Abortion funds were already straining to meet the need of patients. Now, they must raise more money for people traveling longer distances, later in pregnancy when abortions can be more complicated and expensive. This is the post-Dobbs reality: For all the optimism surrounding state ballot measures in November, abortions are increasingly out of reach or financially ruinous for large numbers of people. (Grant, 4/30)
The Texas Tribune:
Amarillo Activists Gather Signatures For Abortion Travel Ban
Anti-abortion activists in Amarillo say they have collected enough signatures — more than 10,000 — to force the City Council to reconsider a policy that would outlaw using local streets to access an abortion in other states. Organizers submitted the petition to the city last week. (Carver, 4/30)
Axios:
C-Sections In The U.S.: Why The Rate Increased, Again
The rate of cesarean births in the U.S. has gone up, again. About one in three births in the U.S. are C-sections, according to new data, well above the 10-15% rate that the WHO considers "ideal." (Mallenbaum and Beheraj, 4/29)
The New York Times:
Physical Fitness Can Improve Mental Health In Children And Adolescents, Study Suggests
Physical fitness among children and adolescents may protect against developing depressive symptoms, anxiety and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, according to a study published on Monday in JAMA Pediatrics. The study also found that better performance in cardiovascular activities, strength and muscular endurance were each associated with greater protection against such mental health conditions. The researchers deemed this linkage “dose-dependent”, suggesting that a child or adolescent who is more fit may be accordingly less likely to experience the onset of a mental health disorder. (Richtel, 4/29)
CNN:
A Healthy Lifestyle Can Mitigate Genetic Risk For Early Death By 62%, Study Suggests
Even if your genetics put you at greater risk for early death, a healthy lifestyle could help you significantly combat it, according to a new study. That risk could be mitigated by about 62% in people with a genetic predisposition, said lead author Dr. Xue Li, dean of the School of Public Health at Zhejian Univeristy School of Medicine in China. (Holcombe, 4/29)
The New York Times:
A Peek Inside The Brains Of ‘Super-Agers’
A paper published Monday in the Journal of Neuroscience helps shed light on what’s so special about the brains of super-agers. The biggest takeaway, in combination with a companion study that came out last year on the same group of individuals, is that their brains have less atrophy than their peers’ do. (Smith, 4/29)
CBS News:
Eating More Avocados Could Lower Risk Of Type 2 Diabetes In Women, Study Says
Eating more avocados could help women stave off Type 2 diabetes, a new study found. ... In this study, a team of researchers, including two who work for the Avocado Nutrition Center, analyzed dietary information on more than 25,000 Mexican adults. They found that women who ate avocados showed a 22 percent to 29 percent lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. The same protective effect was not observed in men, and it's not clear why. though hormonal shifts over a woman's lifespan may contribute. (Marshall, 4/29)
Stat:
Supporters See A Long Fight Ahead For A Menthol Cigarette Ban
Advocates of a federal ban on menthol cigarettes have spent the better part of the last decade trying everything — from federal lawsuits to holding mock funerals outside the White House — to convince Washington policymakers to remove the minty substance from cigarettes. Now, it seems, advocates may just have to sit around and wait. (Florko, 4/30)
The Washington Post:
After Steady Decline, TB Has Increased Every Year Since 2020 In U.S.
After decreasing for 27 years, the number of U.S. residents with tuberculosis has increased every year since 2020, with 9,615 cases recorded last year in the 50 states and D.C., according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Searing, 4/29)
USA Today:
Powassan Virus Detected In Massachusetts: Symptoms, What To Know
A Massachusetts town has confirmed its first case of Powassan virus, a tick-borne disease that has become increasingly more common in humans. A confirmed case of the disease has been reported in Sharon, Massachusetts, according to a release posted by the town on April 25, and the Sharon Health Department is warning residents to take precautions against contracting the disease. (DeLetter, 4/29)