First Edition: Jan. 18, 2024
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
KFF Health News:
Women And Minorities Bear The Brunt Of Medical Misdiagnosis
Charity Watkins sensed something was deeply wrong when she experienced exhaustion after her daughter was born. At times, Watkins, then 30, had to stop on the stairway to catch her breath. Her obstetrician said postpartum depression likely caused the weakness and fatigue. When Watkins, who is Black, complained of a cough, her doctor blamed the flu. (Szabo, 1/18)
KFF Health News:
‘Emergency’ Or Not, Covid Is Still Killing People. Here’s What Doctors Advise To Stay Safe
With around 20,000 people dying of covid in the United States since the start of October, and tens of thousands more abroad, the covid pandemic clearly isn’t over. However, the crisis response is, since the World Health Organization and the Biden administration ended their declared health emergencies last year. Let’s not confuse the terms “pandemic” and “emergency.” As Abraar Karan, an infectious disease physician and researcher at Stanford University, said, “The pandemic is over until you are scrunched in bed, feeling terrible.” (Maxmen, 1/18)
Stat:
Prior Authorization Will Have To Move Faster Under New Biden Rule
The Biden administration moved Wednesday to force insurance companies to give specific reasons for denying coverage, and to speed up the pre-approval process in general. The new rule applies to health insurance companies that offer Medicare, Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program, and Obamacare plans. It concerns so-called prior authorization requests, and will require insurers to return urgent requests within 72 hours and non-urgent requests within seven days. (Trang, 1/17)
Stat:
Copay Coupons To Count Toward Deductibles, After Biden Court Move
Insurers will have to count drug copay coupons toward deductibles and patient spending caps in most cases, after a Biden move in federal court on Tuesday. Drug companies use copay coupons to help patients cover the cost of their drugs. (Wilkerson, 1/17)
Stat:
Congress’ Negotiations Over Doc Pay, Health Centers Fell Apart Ahead Of Spending Extension
Negotiations to add extra health care policies to Congress’ stopgap funding bill fell apart late last week, five sources told STAT. The provisions at issue included a bump to physicians’ Medicare pay rates and efforts to increase funding for community health centers and enact some behavioral health policies. (Cohrs, 1/17)
Axios:
How A Supreme Court Case Over Federal Power Could Affect U.S. Health Care
A Supreme Court hearing on a case that could significantly curtail the federal government's regulatory power has big implications for America's health care system. The justices on Wednesday are considering whether to overturn the 40-year-old legal doctrine known as the "Chevron deference," in which the courts have given leeway to federal agencies to reasonably interpret ambiguous laws or ones subject to multiple interpretations. (Millman, 1/17)
Axios:
New Cancer Diagnoses Expected To Hit Record High This Year
New cancer diagnoses in the U.S. are expected to top 2 million for the first time in 2024, driven in large part by an alarming increase in cancers among younger Americans, according to new American Cancer Society data. There have been major improvements in cancer survival, but there's a worrying rise in some cancers at the same time doctors are trying to figure out why they're seeing more young patients with cancer. (Reed, 1/17)
The New York Times:
Cancer Deaths Are Falling, But There May Be An Asterisk
Cancer deaths in the United States are falling, with four million deaths prevented since 1991, according to the American Cancer Society’s annual report. At the same time, the society reported that the number of new cancer cases had ticked up to more than two million in 2023, from 1.9 million in 2022. Cancer remains the second leading cause of death in the United States, after heart disease. Doctors believe that it is urgent to understand changes in the death rate, as well as changes in cancer diagnoses. (Kolata, 1/17)
Houston Chronicle:
Rice Researchers Say 'Molecular Jackhammers' Can Kill Cancer Cells
Researchers at Rice University are developing “molecular jackhammers” that go inside the body and kill cancer cells by vibrating trillions of times per second. Their research has been tested in lab cultures of human melanoma cells, a kind of skin cancer, with 99 percent efficiency. It has also been tested in mice with melanoma tumors, half of which were deemed cancer-free after treatment. “We’ve found this to be a very efficient way to kill cancer cells,” said Ciceron Ayala-Orozco, a Rice research scientist in the Tour group and lead author on a study published in Nature Chemistry. (Leinfelder, 1/17)
The Wall Street Journal:
Your Healthspan Is As Important As Your Lifespan—And It’s Declining
Americans are living longer, but spending less time in good health. The estimated average proportion of life spent in good health declined to 83.6% in 2021, down from 85.8% in 1990, according to an analysis of the latest data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation’s Global Burden of Disease study, a research effort based at the University of Washington. The decrease of time spent in good health is partly because medical advances are catching and treating diseases that once would have killed us. But it is also because of the rising prevalence, often among younger people, of conditions such as obesity, diabetes and substance-use disorders. (Janin, 1/17)
Reuters:
Minority Children In US Get Poorer Healthcare, Analysis Finds
The quality of healthcare for minority children in the United States is universally worse than it is for white children, even after accounting for insurance coverage, an analysis of dozens of recent studies found. The pattern was similar across all medical specialties, including newborn care, emergency medicine, primary care, surgery, hospital care, endocrinology, mental health care, care for developmental disabilities, and palliative care, researchers said. (Lapid, 1/17)
The Wall Street Journal:
Chinese Lab Mapped Deadly Coronavirus Two Weeks Before Beijing Told The World, Documents Show
Chinese researchers isolated and mapped the virus that causes Covid-19 in late December 2019, at least two weeks before Beijing revealed details of the deadly virus to the world, congressional investigators said, raising questions anew about what China knew in the pandemic’s crucial early days. Documents obtained from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services by a House committee and reviewed by The Wall Street Journal show that a Chinese researcher in Beijing uploaded a nearly complete sequence of the virus’s structure to a U.S. government-run database on Dec. 28, 2019. Chinese officials at that time were still publicly describing the disease outbreak in Wuhan, China, as a viral pneumonia “of unknown cause” and had yet to close the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, site of one of the initial Covid-19 outbreaks. (Strobel, 1/17)
The 19th:
RSV Shots For Babies: Parents Are Struggling To Find Immunization
When a new RSV immunization for babies was approved this past summer, Eileen Agosta-Weimer was thrilled. Then pregnant with her first child, she was worried about the virus. She had heard the stories of just how debilitating it could be for infants — and she knew her baby would be at risk of falling ill come winter, when RSV infections typically spike. Almost immediately, Agosta-Weimer, 42, began to hear from other moms that the shot — known as Beyfortus and approved for use in August — was nearly impossible to find. (Luthra, 1/17)
CIDRAP:
Flu Cases Plummet After Winter, Spring Breaks In Schools, Study Suggests
Cases of influenza-like illness (ILI) among students in a Wisconsin school district dropped by nearly half after winter and spring breaks, with the largest dips occurring when the breaks coincided with spikes in local flu activity, University of Wisconsin researchers report. (Van Beusekom, 1/17)
Financial Times:
Cyber Attacks Are One Of The Biggest Threats Facing Healthcare Systems
An increase in cyber attacks on the healthcare sector is jeopardising patient safety, and prompting some governments to publish new cyber security standards. Publicly disclosed global cyber security breaches between January and September last year showed that the healthcare sector suffered more attacks (241) than any other sector, ahead of government (147), and information technology including software, hardware and IT services (91), according to research by Omdia, a technology research provider. (Huber, 1/16)
The CT Mirror:
Bid To Halt Birthing At Johnson Memorial Hospital Gets Initial Denial
The Office of Health Strategy issued an initial denial of Trinity Health of New England’s application to close the labor and delivery unit at Johnson Memorial Hospital, according to a proposed final decision published Tuesday. The decision found, among other points, that Johnson Memorial failed to sufficiently demonstrate that the closure would improve accessibility and cost effectiveness of health care delivery in the region. (Golvala, 1/17)
CBS News:
Duquesne University Opens New Medical School Amid National Physician Shortage
Amid a nationwide shortage of physicians, Duquesne University opened its new College of Medicine on Wednesday. "This is probably the biggest thing to happen to the university in 50-plus years," said College of Medicine Dean Dr. John Kauffman. In July, the college will welcome its inaugural class of 85 students pursuing their doctor of osteopathic medicine degrees. (Guay, 1/17)
Modern Healthcare:
Cigna Group CFO Brian Evanko Named CEO Of Cigna Healthcare
Cigna Group is revamping its leadership approach as it continues searching for ways to drive growth for the company. Cigna Group Chief Financial Officer Brian Evanko will take on the newly created additional roles of president and CEO of Cigna Healthcare, the company's health insurance division. Evanko will oversee Cigna Healthcare's U.S. commercial, international health and U.S. government businesses, according to a Wednesday news release. (Berryman, 1/17)
Modern Healthcare:
Blue Cross North Carolina Acquires FastMed Clinics
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina closed its acquisition of 55 FastMed locations in North Carolina and named a leader for the urgent care provider. Jim Moffett will serve as FastMed's CEO, replacing Webster Golinkin. Moffett previously served as president of Livonia, Michigan-based Trinity Health’s Holy Cross Medical Group in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (DeSilva, 1/17)
The New York Times:
Apple Says It Will Remove A Health Feature From New Apple Watches
Apple said on Wednesday that it would begin selling its flagship smartwatches without the ability to detect people’s blood-oxygen levels. The tech giant will drop the feature starting Thursday after losing a patent case over its blood-oxygen measurement technology two months ago. The court ordered Apple to stop selling its Apple Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 devices. Rather than discontinue sales, the company sought permission to continue selling the devices after removing the infringing technology. (Mickle, 1/17)
CIDRAP:
FDA To Review European-Approved Oral Antibiotic For Urinary Tract Infections
UK-based biotechnology company Utility Therapeutics announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted priority review to its new drug application (NDA) for pivmecillinam for treatment of uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs). The company also announced that it has received a new round of funding led by the AMR Action Fund. (Dall, 1/17)
The Texas Tribune:
Feds Approve 12 Months Of Medicaid For Texas Moms
Texas moms will be able to stay on Medicaid for a year after childbirth, after the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid approved the state's application on Wednesday, according to emails obtained by the Texas Tribune. The move caps a yearslong effort to extend coverage for low-income moms. Medicaid covers half of all births in Texas, but coverage currently expires after two months. (Harper, 1/17)
Minnesota Public Radio:
New Minnesota Prescription Drug Board Gets Up And Running But Expects Industry Resistance
Debate in Washington over prescription drug pricing has gone on for a long time. But state leaders, including those in Minnesota, have grown impatient with the pace of activity in Congress, so they’re trying to tackle cost matters themselves. That’s one of the drivers behind a new Prescription Drug Affordability Board, which was established in law last year and will soon begin its work. (Zdechlik, 1/17)
CBS News:
Prescription Drug Affordability Act Aims To Set Limits On High Medication Prices
Lawmakers in Springfield, Illinois, are focusing on high prescription drug prices. On Wednesday, they announced the Prescription Drug Affordability Act. The legislation would create an independent Prescription Drug Affordability Board. "Drugs don't work if people can't afford them. Today, 28% of Illinoisans have reported not filling their prescriptions or rationing their medication to save money," said State Rep. and co-sponsor Nabeela Syed (D) Palatine. If passed into law, the board could set upper limits on what people would pay for their medications. (Bizzle, 1/17)
San Francisco Chronicle:
New Data Shows Grim Tally In San Francisco’s Worst Year For Overdoses
San Francisco surpassed its deadliest year last month, with fatalities counted in the first 11 months of 2023 eclipsing the previous peak of 726 deaths in all of 2020. This new preliminary data through the end of December, released Wednesday by the medical examiner’s office, provides a more complete picture of how the overdose epidemic continues to grip the lives of San Franciscans despite efforts by top city and state leaders to curb the crisis. (Angst, 1/17)
AP:
South Dakota House Passes Bill That Would Make The Animal Sedative Xylazine A Controlled Substance
The South Dakota House passed a bill Wednesday that would make xylazine, an animal sedative that is being mixed with fentanyl and then used by some people, a controlled substance. The measure, which passed unanimously in the Republican-held House and now goes to the Senate, would establish penalties of up to two years in prison and fines of up to $4,000 for possession and use of xylazine. There are exceptions for veterinary use, however. (1/17)
New Hampshire Public Radio:
In NH, The Opioid Crisis Hasn’t Faded. But Its Role In The Primary Campaign Has
Teresa Gladstone, of Concord, lost her grandson Oliver to an overdose in 2020. In the years since, she's turned to advocacy and helped to organize local overdose awareness vigils. Ahead of this year's presidential primary, Gladstone — who describes herself as a center-leaning independent — has been curious to hear how candidates plan to address addiction. (Cuno-Booth, 1/17)
The Athletic:
Colts Owner Jim Irsay Treated After Suspected Overdose, Per Police
Colts owner Jim Irsay was found unresponsive and struggling to breathe last month at his home in Carmel, Ind., due to what police logged as a suspected overdose, according to police reports obtained by The Athletic on Wednesday. The incident occurred on Dec. 8, when emergency responders were dispatched to Irsay’s home at approximately 4:30 a.m. ET. ... One police officer wrote in his report that Irsay was “cool to the touch and had agonal breathing,” so he used naloxone (more commonly known as Narcan) on Irsay. A different officer wrote in his report that Irsay “responded slightly” to the naloxone before eventually being transported via ambulance to a local hospital. (Boyd, 1/17)
Houston Chronicle:
Bloomberg Seeds $31 Million For Houston Healthcare High School
An unprecedented, $31 million investment from Bloomberg Philanthropies to the Memorial Hermann Foundation has led to the creation of a career-technical education high school to prepare students from the Greater Houston area for well-paying careers in health care. Memorial Hermann and Aldine ISD announced on Wednesday that the Health Education and Learning High School, or HEAL, will share a campus with Nimitz High School. The program begins with the 2024 academic year this fall, and grow in phases over the next four years. (Elliott, 1/17)
The Washington Post:
Uvalde Parents Brace For Federal Review Of Failures In Police Response
Justice Department leaders held an emotional private meeting Wednesday night with the families of victims of the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Tex., preparing them for a mammoth, long-awaited report to be released Thursday that is expected to recount major failures in the police response to the crisis. Attorney General Merrick Garland and other Justice Department officials traveled to Texas to meet with the parents of those killed and survivors of the May, 24, 2022, massacre that left 19 students and two teachers dead in one of the worst school shootings in U.S. history. (Hernandez and Barrett, 1/17)
The Washington Post:
Md. Democrats Propose Taxing Guns, Ammo To Offset Cost Of Trauma Care
Democratic state lawmakers want gun manufacturers to help foot the bill for trauma injuries, including gunshot wounds, following an example set by California last year. A bill from Sen. Sarah K. Elfreth (D-Anne Arundel) and Del. Bernice D. Mireku-North (D-Montgomery) would levy an 11 percent excise tax on gun and ammunition manufacturers to feed the Maryland Trauma Physician Services Fund. That fund helps cover emergency medical care for severely injured patients — often people harmed in falls, car accidents or gun violence — and is supported by a $5 motor vehicle registration fee. (Shepherd, 1/17)
The Washington Post:
School Policing And Mental Health Services Decline, Report Finds
The report found that the overwhelming majority of schools increased social and emotional supports for students affected by the coronavirus, but that fewer schools provided treatment and diagnosis of mental health disorders. (Meckler and Natanson, 1/17)
The Wall Street Journal:
Children On Instagram And Facebook Were Frequent Targets Of Sexual Harassment, State Says
Children using Instagram and Facebook have been frequent targets of sexual harassment, according to a 2021 internal Meta Platforms presentation that estimated that 100,000 minors each day received photos of adult genitalia or other sexually abusive content. That finding is among newly unredacted material about the company’s child-safety policies in a lawsuit filed last month by New Mexico that alleges Meta’s platforms recommend sexual content to underage users and promote underage accounts to predatory adult users. (Blunt and Horwitz, 1/17)
Reuters:
Iowa Sues TikTok Alleging Parents Misled About Inappropriate Content
Iowa's attorney general on Wednesday sued TikTok, accusing the video-based social media platform of misleading parents about their children's access to inappropriate content on the company's app. Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird in a lawsuit, opens new tab filed in a state court in Polk County accused TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance of lying about the prevalence on its platform of content including drugs, nudity, alcohol and profanity. (Raymond and Shephardson, 1/17)
Reuters:
Mother Whose Child Died In TikTok Challenge Urges US Court To Revive Lawsuit
A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday wrestled with whether the video-based social media platform TikTok could be sued for causing a 10-year-old girl's death by promoting a deadly "blackout challenge" that encouraged people to choke themselves. Members of a three-judge panel of the Philadelphia-based 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals noted during oral arguments that a key federal law typically shields internet companies like TikTok from lawsuits for content posted by users. (Raymond, 1/17)
CBS News:
New Bill Would Give California Parents More Control Over Whether State Can Store Their Kid's DNA
Should you have the right to know that the state is storing your child's DNA and that researchers or law enforcement may use it without your consent? This is an issue Julie Watts has been investigating for years, and today, parents are one step closer to getting that right. Most parents have no idea that California has been storing a DNA sample from every baby born here since the 80s. A bill that passed out of the state senate judiciary committee this week could change that. (Watts, 1/17)
The 19th:
Nearly 1 In 10 Teenage Girls Have Turned To Pills For Weight Loss, Research Shows
Nearly 1 in 10 adolescent girls have used non-prescription pills to lose weight, according to new research. The report, an analysis of English-language research, noted that teenage girls in North America were the most likely group to have used these so-called weight loss aids, and pointed out that these tendencies — and the mindset driving them — raise the risks for eating disorders and overall harm to physical and mental health. (Gerson, 1/17)
Politico:
Youth Tackle Football Ban Dead After Newsom Vows Veto
California lawmakers on Wednesday shelved a proposal that would have banned youth tackle football a day after Gov. Gavin Newsom took the unusual step of saying he would veto the bill if it reached his desk. Assemblymember Kevin McCarty, the bill’s author and a candidate for mayor of Sacramento, said he would not continue advancing the legislation, which cleared its first committee hearing last week and was expected to get a floor vote as soon as this week. (He and Bluth, 1/17)
Reuters:
Montana Supreme Court Denies Bid To Pause Landmark Youth Climate Ruling
The Montana Supreme Court has refused to pause a landmark ruling that found that the state's policies prohibiting regulators from considering the impacts on climate change when approving fossil fuel projects violate the rights of young people. The high court said in a 5-2 ruling on Tuesday that the state had not shown a lower court abused its discretion when it refused to stay its August ruling in favor of 16 young people who said their health and futures are jeopardized by climate change, which the state aggravates through its permitting of energy projects. (Mindock, 1/17)
AP:
South Carolina House OKs Ban On Gender-Affirming Care For Minors, Missouri Panel Sees Similar Bills
The Republican-led South Carolina House overwhelmingly approved a ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors on Wednesday, while a Missouri legislative committee discussed a slew of like-minded proposals. The measures’ consideration in the two GOP strongholds highlights the continued interest among conservative lawmakers in targeting issues that impact LGBTQ+ people after a wave of high-profile bills last year. The South Carolina proposal will soon head to the state Senate, where the chair of the Medical Affairs Committee has said it would have his attention. (Pollard and Ballentine, 1/17)
CBS News:
Nearly 50,000 Veterans Used Free Emergency Suicide Prevention In First Year Of Program, VA Says
Nearly 50,000 veterans received free emergency suicide prevention care in 2023, the first year of the program, the Department of Veterans Affairs will announce on Wednesday. In January 2023, the Department of Veterans Affairs instituted a new policy allowing eligible veterans and certain former service members in acute suicidal crisis to go to any VA or non-VA health care facility to receive emergency care at no cost. The policy covers emergency room care, inpatient or crisis residential care for up to 30 days, and outpatient care for up to 90 days. (Watson and Cook, 1/17)
CBS News:
New Pennsylvania Law Expands Access And Coverage For Babies Needing Donor Breast Milk
A new law takes effect across Pennsylvania on Jan. 20 that will help medically fragile babies. Act 32, known as Owen's Law, will provide medical coverage for breast milk that's been donated and pasteurized for infants whose mother's milk is not available. Leaders celebrated at the Mid-Atlantic Mother's Milk Bank in Pittsburgh. Acting Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen explained that donated human milk is the standard of care in NICUs. (Sorensen, 1/17)