First Edition: Aug. 9, 2023
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
KFF Health News:
Pioneering Study Links Testicular Cancer Among Military Personnel To ‘Forever Chemicals’
Gary Flook served in the Air Force for 37 years, as a firefighter at the now-closed Chanute Air Force Base in Illinois and the former Grissom Air Force Base in Indiana, where he regularly trained with aqueous film forming foam, or AFFF — a frothy white fire retardant that is highly effective but now known to be toxic. Flook volunteered at his local fire department, where he also used the foam, unaware of the health risks it posed. In 2000, at age 45, he received devastating news: He had testicular cancer, which would require an orchiectomy followed by chemotherapy. (Norman and Kime, 8/9)
KFF Health News:
As A Union Pushes To Cap Hospital CEO Pay, It’s Accused Of Playing Politics
The aim is aspirational: Hospital executives shouldn’t make more than the president of the United States. Next spring, Los Angeles city voters will have a chance to put the brake on runaway salaries by capping hospital executives’ pay at $450,000 a year. The measure, proposed by a local union and approved by the City Council in June, will appear on the March 2024 ballot. (Castle Work, 8/9)
KFF Health News:
Listen To The Latest ‘KFF Health News Minute’
This week on the KFF Health News Minute: The FDA approves the first over-the-counter daily birth control pill, and the nation’s new mental health crisis line turns 1. (8/8)
AP:
Voters In Ohio Reject GOP-Backed Proposal That Would Have Made It Tougher To Protect Abortion Rights
Ohio voters on Tuesday resoundingly rejected a Republican-backed measure that would have made it more difficult to change the state’s constitution, setting up a fall campaign that will become the nation’s latest referendum on abortion rights since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned nationwide protections last year. The defeat of Issue 1 keeps in place a simple majority threshold for passing future constitutional amendments, rather than the 60% supermajority that was proposed. Its supporters said the higher bar would protect the state’s foundational document from outside interest groups. (Smyth and Hendrickson, 8/8)
Politico:
Abortion Rights Won Big In Ohio. Here’s Why It Wasn’t Particularly Close
Tuesday’s election proved that the state-by-state battle over abortion rights is still a serious motivator to get voters to the polls — even when abortion isn’t directly on the ballot. ... More than 600,000 people voted early — a number that could still rise from late-arriving mail ballots — which outpaced the entirety of the turnout for that 2022 August election. It was also more than twice the number of people who voted early in the May 2022 primaries, which featured competitive Senate or gubernatorial contests. (Fernandez, Ollstein and Montellaro, 8/8)
USA Today Network:
What Ohio Issue 1 Results Mean For November Abortion Amendment
Issue 1's defeat is good news for backers of the abortion rights measure, but it doesn’t assure an easy victory in November. Ohio is the only state voting on abortion rights this year, making it the epicenter of the fight over reproductive rights just over a year after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. ... Tens of millions will be spent on both sides of this political battle, including out-of-state money and secretive dark money. Supporters of the amendment estimate they will spend about $35 million on their campaign; opponents haven’t thrown out a number. Both groups were also active in the campaign for and against Issue 1. (Balmert and BeMiller, 8/9)
AP:
Abortion Rights Advocates Push For 2024 Ballot Initiative In Arizona
Abortion rights advocates on Tuesday began a push to ask Arizona voters to create a constitutional right to abortion, injecting the issue into the battleground state’s volatile politics ahead of next year’s election. If proponents collect enough signatures, Arizona will become the latest state to put the question of reproductive rights directly to voters, who have turned out in large numbers to support abortion rights even in conservative states. (Cooper, 8/8)
AP:
In Utah And Kansas, State Courts Flex Power Over New Laws Regulating Abortion Post-Roe
State courts have become hot spots in the national abortion debate, with Utah’s top court and a Kansas judge considering Tuesday whether their state constitutions require them to block or invalidate laws regulating the procedure more than a year after Roe v. Wade was overturned. The U.S. Supreme Court’s June 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson transformed what was long a debate over the U.S. Constitution, immediately limiting the pathways abortion advocates could take in challenging restrictions from one state to the next. (Metz and Hanna, 8/8)
AP:
College Professors Sue Idaho Over A Law That They Say Criminalizes Classroom Discussions On Abortion
Six university professors and two teachers’ unions are suing Idaho over a law that they say violates their First Amendment rights by criminalizing teaching and classroom discussion about pro-abortion viewpoints. The 2021 No Public Funds for Abortion Act prohibits state contracts or transactions with abortion providers and also bans public employees from promoting abortion, counseling in favor of abortion or referring someone to abortion services. Public employees who violate the law can be charged with misuse of public funds, a felony, and be fired, fined and ordered to pay back the funds they are accused of misusing. (Boone, 8/8)
Axios:
Black And Poor People Found Less Likely To Access Medication Abortion
Black pregnant people and pregnant individuals below the poverty line are less likely to access medication abortion, according to surveys of more than 4,700 patients by the Guttmacher Institute. It's evidence of how race and economic status can disadvantage some groups, especially in areas where medication abortion is the only option available. (Dreher, 8/9)
Politico:
Abortion Fight Erupts Over Pregnant Workers' Protections
Republicans and social conservatives are fuming over the inclusion of abortion language in proposed rules to protect pregnant workers, threatening to mar a law that passed with bipartisan support. The rule put forward Monday by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission includes abortion among the potential medical conditions for which employers may have to make workplace accommodations, such as rest breaks. (Niedzwiadek, 8/8)
The Philadelphia Inquirer:
Real Alternatives, A Funder Of Crisis Pregnancy Centers In Pennsylvania, Will No Longer Receive State Dollars, Shapiro Administration Says
Gov. Josh Shapiro says his administration will cut ties with an organization that funds “crisis pregnancy centers” when its multimillion dollar state contract expires at the end of the year. Real Alternatives, a Harrisburg nonprofit, for decades has received millions in funding from the state legislature earmarked for programs that offer alternatives to abortion. State lawmakers have also sent Real Alternatives about $1 million per year in federal funding from the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program, which is intended to provide cash assistance to women and children in poverty. (Whelan, 8/9)
Reuters:
Alabama Regulators Sued Over 'De Facto Ban' On Birth Centers
A group of midwives and doctors on Tuesday accused Alabama's health department of imposing a "de facto ban" on freestanding birth centers not affiliated with hospitals, which they said reduced much-needed access to maternal and infant healthcare. In a complaint filed in Montgomery County Circuit Court, several individual providers and the Alabama branch of the American College of Nurse-Midwives said that the Alabama Department of Public Health exceeded its authority under state law in imposing "onerous" requirements that forced the state's first birth center to shut down earlier this year. (Pierson, 8/8)
CNBC:
Amazon To Offer Reproductive Care To 1 Million Employees
Amazon, the United States’ second-largest employer, will now offer fertility and family planning services to employees through a partnership with Maven Clinic. The free offering will be available to more than 1 million eligible Amazon employees spread across 50 countries outside of the U.S. and Canada. (Goldberg, 8/8)
The 19th:
House GOP Adds Dozens Of Anti-LGBTQ+ Provisions To Must-Pass Bills
House Republicans have embedded at least 45 anti-LGBTQ+ provisions into must-pass funding bills — many of which would weaken discrimination protections for same-sex couples or restrict gender-affirming care for adults and minors. The volume and severity of these provisions is an unprecedented attempt by federal lawmakers to restrict the rights of LGBTQ+ people, activists say. (Orion Rummler, 8/8)
NPR:
A New Clue To The Reason Some People Come Down With Long COVID
Stéphanie Longet is an immunologist and a COVID researcher at the University of Saint-Etienne in France, and just like 10-20% of adults who were infected with the virus, she continues to have symptoms well after her infection has resolved – a condition known colloquially as long COVID. ... Longet and other scientists don't exactly know why some people develop long COVID while others don't, but preliminary research released in medRxiv in July suggests that genetics plays a role. (Barnhart, 8/8)
Stat:
‘Underwhelming’: NIH Trials Fail To Test Meaningful Long Covid Treatments — After 2.5 Years And $1 Billion
More than 2.5 years after the National Institutes of Health received a $1 billion mandate from Congress to study and treat long Covid, the agency has finally launched clinical trials for the often-debilitating condition. But both scientists who study long Covid and patients who have struggled with it say the trials are unlikely to deliver meaningful treatments, suggesting the federal government’s landmark Covid research effort may have been wasted. (Ladyzhets, 8/9)
Stat:
Emergent Cuts Jobs, Executive Role In Business Shake-Up
Emergent BioSolutions, the manufacturing company that fell into hot water in 2021 due to a contamination issue involving millions of doses of Covid vaccines, is pivoting its business and cutting hundreds of jobs, including a C-suite role. (DeAngelis, 8/8)
The Washington Post:
Patients Grapple With Side Effects Of Popular Weight-Loss Drugs
After years of fad diets and even gastric bypass surgery, Robin Demoy turned to the weight-loss drug Wegovy. The once-a-week injection helped the New Hampshire travel agent shed more than 60 pounds. But when she got up one morning several weeks ago, Demoy was so dizzy it felt like she had motion sickness. Her legs turned weak, and she was nauseous. She vomited and had little desire to eat for weeks. (Ovalle and McGinley, 8/8)
CNBC:
Eli Lilly CEO's Top Priority Is Meeting Demand For Mounjaro And Drugs
Eli Lilly CEO Dave Ricks told CNBC’s Jim Cramer on Tuesday his top priority was to meet demand for the company’s drug, Mounjaro, which is currently only approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat diabetes but is expected to soon be cleared to treat obesity, along with other health conditions. (Coleman, 8/8)
Los Angeles Blade:
HIV-Positive Soldier Commissioned With U.S. Army National Guard
Gay D.C. attorney Nicholas Harrison, a longtime member of the U.S. Army National Guard, was officially commissioned as a First Lieutenant in the D.C. Army National Guard at an Aug. 5 ceremony. The ceremony at the D.C. National Guard Armory located next to RFK Stadium took place a little over a year after Harrison, who was diagnosed with HIV in 2012, successfully challenged the military’s longstanding policy of banning soldiers with HIV from becoming commissioned officers in a lawsuit initially filed in 2018. (Chibbaro, Jr., 8/7)
Stat:
Senators Push IRS To Launch Nonprofit Hospital Probe
A bipartisan group of senators wants federal tax regulators to probe nonprofit hospitals’ compliance with community benefit requirements, ratcheting up a longtime campaign to hold the tax-exempt providers accountable. Nonprofit hospitals are often subsidized by state or federal funding and exempt from many taxes. In exchange, they are required to aid their surrounding area through public health programs and providing free or discounted care to low-income patients. (Owermohle, 8/8)
Axios:
Pentagon Starts Independent Generic Drug Safety Tests
The Pentagon is turning to the independent testing lab Valisure to assess the quality and safety of generic drugs given to service members and veterans amid supply chain issues and shortages of certain treatments. (Bettelheim, 8/8)
Modern Healthcare:
Generative AI In Healthcare Lacks Strategy: Bain & Company Report
It's early days for health system leaders interested in implementing generative artificial intelligence, according to a report published Monday from consultancy Bain & Company. For the report, Bain surveyed 94 health system leaders, the overwhelming majority of which haven’t fully strategized on how to use the technology. Despite this, there is still considerable excitement over how generative AI applications like ChatGPT can be used to reduce administrative headaches. (Turner, 8/8)
Reuters:
Stop Asking Aspiring Lawyers About Their Mental Health, Psychology Group Says
The world’s largest professional psychology group has joined the push to end the required disclosure of personal mental health information by individuals applying to become lawyers. The American Psychological Association said Monday that it approved a policy pledging to work alongside the American Bar Association and state bar associations to remove questions about mental health diagnoses or treatment history from the character and fitness reviews of aspiring attorneys, which jurisdictions conduct before allowing them to practice there. (Sloan, 8/8)
The Boston Globe:
RI Attorney General Rejects Proposed Health Insurance Rate Hikes
Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced Tuesday that he has filed official objections to several rate increases requested by the state’s health insurers. Neronha filed objections to health insurers’ proposed rate increases with the state’s Office of Health Insurance Commissioner, which received requests earlier this summer from multiple insurers seeking to raise their rates. Those companies included Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island, United Healthcare, Aetna, Cigna, and Harvard Pilgrim in the large market. (Gagosz, 8/8)
AP:
A Retired Health Care Executive Is Running As A Republican In North Carolina's 2024 Governor's Race
A retired health care executive has entered next year’s race for North Carolina governor, with Jesse Thomas describing himself Tuesday as a “no-nonsense Republican” who aims to attract voters within the “wide middle ground between the two extremes.” Thomas, who led the Medicaid plan offered by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina to hundreds of thousands of consumers, announced his bid on a Greensboro-area podcast last week, when he also filed his candidate committee paperwork. (8/8)
AP:
West Virginia's Capital Officials Reject Abortion Provider's Proposal To Start Syringe Service
City councilors in West Virginia’s Democrat-controlled capital city voted against a proposal from the state’s long-time abortion provider to start a syringe service program in one of the country’s most opioid-devastated areas. The 17 to 9 vote on Monday came two years after the council and the Republican-controlled state Legislature passed regulations restricting the programs, which are supported by the Centers for Disease Control as scientifically-proven methods to curb drug use and prevent the spread of infections like hepatitis c and HIV. (Willingham, 8/8)
The New York Times:
NYC Nonprofit’s Method Of Stopping Drug Overdoses Faces Legal Scrutiny
As street drugs have become ever more powerful and deadly, a small nonprofit in Manhattan dedicated to preventing overdoses has drawn politicians and health officials from around the country searching for possible solutions to the opioid epidemic. But now, Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor is warning that the group’s methods are illegal, and is suggesting that his office could crack down — and perhaps even end the effort. (Otterman, 8/8)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Living Near Wildfire Poses Higher Death Risk For Lung Cancer Patients
People exposed to wildfire within a year after lung cancer surgery have significantly lower chances of survival than people who were not, new research shows — highlighting a grave consequence of climate change on medically vulnerable people with one of the most common types of cancer in the United States. (Ho, 8/8)
Fox News:
Bedbugs Could Transmit MRSA Bacteria That Causes Staph Infections 'In Some Settings,' Study Suggests
Bedbugs may be able to acquire and transmit methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), according to a recent study published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. MRSA is a type of bacteria found on people’s skin that can cause serious infections. In some cases, it can lead to sepsis or even death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (Rudy, 8/8)
The Wall Street Journal:
Women’s Problem Drinking Is Catching Up To Men’s
Women are closing a gender gap, but it isn’t a good one: They’re catching up to men when it comes to problem drinking. Women’s drinking, on the rise for the past two decades, jumped during the pandemic as women reported more stress. Although men still drink more alcohol than women and have higher alcohol-related mortality rates, doctors and public health experts say women are narrowing that divide. (Reddy, 8/8)
NBC News:
Just 4,000 Daily Steps May Lower Your Risk Of Death, Study Finds
Walking just 4,000 steps per day is associated with a lower risk of death, according to the analysis published Tuesday in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. The research pooled the results of 17 studies that looked at the health benefits associated with step counts across six countries. The least active people in the studies took around 4,000 steps per day and still saw a reduced risk of death from any cause. The more steps people took, the lower their risk of dying. (Bendix, 8/9)
The New York Times:
By 5-4 Vote, Supreme Court Revives Biden’s Regulation Of ‘Ghost Guns’
The Supreme Court on Tuesday temporarily revived the Biden administration’s regulation of “ghost guns” — kits that can be bought online and assembled into untraceable homemade firearms. In defending the rule, a key part of President Biden’s broader effort to address gun violence, administration officials said such weapons had soared in popularity in recent years, particularly among criminals barred from buying ordinary guns. The court’s brief order gave no reasons, which is typical when the justices act on emergency applications. (Liptak, 8/8)
AP:
Mexico Shutters 23 Pharmacies At Caribbean Coast Resorts After US Warned Of Dangerous Pill Sales
Mexico has shuttered 23 pharmacies at Caribbean coast resorts, six months after a research report warned that drug stores in Mexico were offering foreigners pills they passed off as Oxycodone, Percocet and Adderall without prescriptions, authorities said Tuesday. A four-day inspection raid targeted drugstores in Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum. (8/8)