First Edition: June 2, 2023
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
KFF Health News:
The Gun Violence Epidemic Is ‘Locking Us Back In Our Room’
Erin Brown recalls all too well the dreadful call he received from his mother in 2021, while in the thralls of the covid-19 pandemic: His cousin — his “brother” — had been shot six times. Although it was not the first time gun violence had reached the then-17-year-old Brown’s social circle, that incident was different. It involved family. So it hit Brown harder, even though his cousin, then 21, survived the gunshot wounds. (Racer, 6/2)
KFF Health News:
How To Negotiate With Resistant Aging Parents? Borrow These Tips From The Business World
You’ve reached a standstill with your mother and father, who are in their late 80s. You think they need some help in the home, but they vigorously refuse. You’re frustrated because you want to make their lives easier. They’re angry because they think you’re interfering in their affairs. Can negotiation and dispute resolution techniques used in the business world help defuse these kinds of conflicts? Yes, say a group of researchers at Northwestern University. And they’re on to something. (Graham, 6/2)
KFF Health News:
The Debt Ceiling Deal Takes A Bite Out Of Health Programs. It Could Have Been Much Worse
Policy analysts, Democrats, and Republicans dissatisfied with the deal agree: Federal health programs have dodged a budgetary bullet in the Washington showdown over raising the nation’s debt ceiling. A compromise bill — approved in a bipartisan vote by the House of Representatives on Wednesday night and approved by the Senate late Thursday — includes some trims and caps on health spending for the next two years. (Rovner, 6/1)
KFF Health News:
'What The Health?' Podcast: Our 300th Episode!
This week, KFF Health News’ weekly policy news podcast — “What the Health?” — celebrates its 300th episode with a wide-ranging discussion of what’s happened in health policy since it launched in 2017 and what may happen in the next decade. (6/1)
KFF Health News:
Watch: Payback For The Opioid Crisis: How Did The Sackler Family Skirt Liability?
This week, a federal appeals court ruling concerning opioid manufacturer Purdue Pharma spared its owner, the Sackler family, from further civil litigation in exchange for a $6 billion settlement. KFF Health News senior correspondent Aneri Pattani appeared on PBS NewsHour to discuss the ruling and her reporting into the ongoing distribution of more than $54 billion in opioid settlement funds. (6/1)
Politico:
Senate Averts Default, Sends Debt Bill To Biden’s Desk
The Senate passed the bipartisan debt deal Thursday night, sending it to President Joe Biden’s desk days before the default deadline and capping off months of melodrama. The upper chamber saw some last-minute twists of its own, after defense hawks demanded a written statement from Senate leaders committing not to block supplemental defense funding and consideration of appropriations bills. Other senators demanded what became a total of 11 amendment votes — all of which failed — resulting in more than three hours of floor time before the chamber could move to final passage. (Diaz, 6/1)
Vox:
The Biggest Policy Changes In The Debt Ceiling Deal, Explained
The cuts are going to land disproportionately on programs that help the poor and on administration, which also affects the people who rely on government programs. Some discretionary spending — on the military and for veterans — is actually going to increase. But the rest, including funding for child care, low-income housing, the national parks, and more, will be subject to a cut for the next two years. (Prokop, Scott, Matthews, Leber, Paz and Zhou, 6/1)
The Washington Post:
Biden Plans To Pick Physician Mandy Cohen To Lead CDC
President Biden plans to select former North Carolina health secretary Mandy Cohen to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to three people with direct knowledge of the pending announcement. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra spoke with Cohen this week to congratulate her on her selection, the people said. Biden’s formal announcement is expected later this month, after White House officials finalize Cohen’s paperwork, the people said. (Diamond and Sun, 6/1)
The Wall Street Journal:
Biden Plans To Name Dr. Mandy Cohen As CDC Director
Cohen, a medical doctor, served in the Obama administration as chief of staff at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. She helped implement the Affordable Care Act and new payment models at the agency. She also served as North Carolina’s health secretary for nearly five years into 2021, helping lead the state through the Covid-19 pandemic. She is an executive at Aledade, a network of independent primary-care practices. (Armour, Restuccia and Toy, 6/1)
AP:
Supreme Court Revives Claims That SuperValu, Safeway Overcharged Governments For Generic Drugs
The Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously revived whistleblower lawsuits claiming that supermarket and pharmacy chains SuperValu and Safeway overcharged government health-care programs for prescription drugs by hundreds of millions of dollars. The decision gives the whistleblowers another chance to pursue their claims that the companies defrauded the Medicare and Medicaid programs when they reported retail prices for generic prescription drugs, even though they had mainly been sold to customers at deeply discounted prices. (Sherman, 6/1)
Reuters:
US To Require Patient Data For Payment Of Leqembi, Similar Alzheimer's Drugs
The U.S. Medicare health plan said on Thursday it would limit reimbursement for Eisai Co Ltd and Biogen Inc's Alzheimer's drug Leqembi to patients whose doctors participate in a health agency database should the drug win full approval, a move advocates say will hinder its use. The decision marks the first time that Medicare has required data-collection through a so-called registry for the intended use of a drug that has been deemed safe and effective by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (Steenhuysen, 6/1)
Axios:
New CMS Alzheimer's Drug Coverage Plan Raises Questions Around Worth
A Medicare plan for covering new Alzheimer's drugs treatments is reviving thorny questions about whether pricey treatments with modest success slowing the disease's progression are worth the cost and safety concerns. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Thursday outlined conditions under which it would expand coverage for a specific class of Alzheimer's drugs, including Eisai and Biogen's experimental Leqembi. (Gonzalez, 6/2)
CNN:
Drug Costs Lead Millions In The US To Not Take Medications As Prescribed, According To CDC
Millions of adults in the United States are not taking their medications as prescribed because of costs, according to a new report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most adults between the ages of 18 and 64 took at least one prescription medication in 2021. But more than 8% of them – about 9.2 million people – said they tried to save money by skipping doses, taking less than prescribed or delaying a prescription fill, according to the CDC data. (McPhillips, 6/2)
Reuters:
Pfizer Says Its Experimental Antibiotic Combo Can Treat Some Superbug Infections
Pfizer Inc said on Thursday data from late-stage trials showed its experimental combination of antibiotics was effective in treating deadly infections caused by drug-resistant bacteria. Deaths from antibiotic-resistant bacteria, also known as superbugs, have been on the rise globally, and health regulators have called for the development of newer treatments as resistance to older antibiotics grows. (6/1)
ABC News:
Cancer Drug Shortage Is Forcing Doctors To Decide Which Patients Get Treatment
Just six weeks ago, Greg DeStefano began a new chemotherapy combination. The 50-year-old, from Northbrook, Illinois, had recently been diagnosed with his fourth round of cancer and doctors were hopeful the medication would treat the tumors growing in his neck. DeStefano was responding well, but then, in late May, he got a call from his doctor and was told one of the three drugs he was receiving -- carboplatin -- was under a global shortage and because of the way the hospital had to prioritize treatments, he wouldn't be qualified to receive it anymore. (Kekatos, 6/2)
AP:
FDA Warns Consumers Not To Use Off-Brand Versions Of Ozempic, Wegovy
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers not to use off-brand versions of the popular weight-loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy because they might not contain the same ingredients as the prescription products and may not be safe or effective. Agency officials said this week that they have received reports of problems after patients used versions of semaglutide, the active ingredient in the brand-name medications, which have been compounded, or mixed in pharmacies. Officials didn’t say what the problems were. (Aleccia, 6/1)
Fox News:
Ozempic, Wegovy And Pregnancy Risk: What You Need To Know About The Issue
The two semaglutide-containing medications — Ozempic for type 2 diabetes control and Wegovy for weight loss — could also pose a serious risk to unborn babies. Animal studies have shown that when pregnant rabbits, rats and monkeys were given semaglutide, they experienced higher rates of miscarriage, birth defects and small fetal size — information that’s included in the drug labels for both medications, which are made by Novo Nordisk in New Jersey. (Rudy, 6/1)
Stat:
Coherus Works With Mark Cuban To Sell Biosimilar Humira At Steep Discount
In a bold move, Coherus BioSciences plans to sell a biosimilar version of Humira — one of the world’s best-selling medicines — at a steep discount, and will work with Mark Cuban’s generic drug company to make the medicine available directly to consumers for even less. (Silverman, 6/1)
Modern Healthcare:
GenesisCare Files For Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, To Sell U.S. Operations
Cancer treatment provider GenesisCare filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the Southern District of Texas on Thursday and looks to sell its underperforming U.S. operations. Sydney, Australia-based GenesisCare said in a news release it is restructuring the business, including $1.7 billion in debt, to separate U.S. operations from those in Australia, Spain and the U.K. (Hudson, 6/1)
Modern Healthcare:
Friday Health Plans Going Out Of Business
Friday Health Plans is shutting down after more states took action this week to halt its operations and as creditors refuse to front it more capital, the health insurance company announced Thursday. Regulators in every state where the company operates–Colorado, Georgia, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Texas–have barred Friday Health from taking on additional members due to its rocky finances. (Tepper, 6/1)
The Boston Globe:
Compass Medical Closure Sends Shockwaves Through Already Struggling Health Care System
Tens of thousands of patients are scrambling to find new doctors, fill prescriptions, and reschedule appointments following the abrupt closure of a large physician group that had six offices throughout Southeast Massachusetts. Compass Medical, which has 80 physicians and serves 70,000 patients, said late Wednesday night that it would be closing its practices, effective immediately. Compass urged patients to go to their nearest local emergency room or urgent care center for medical attention in the interim. (Bartlett, 6/1)
The New York Times:
Allina Health System In Minnesota Cuts Off Patients With Medical Debt
Many hospitals in the United States use aggressive tactics to collect medical debt. ... But a wealthy nonprofit health system in the Midwest is among those taking things a step further: withholding care from patients who have unpaid medical bills. Allina Health System, which runs more than 100 hospitals and clinics in Minnesota and Wisconsin and brings in $4 billion a year in revenue, sometimes rejects patients who are deep in debt, according to internal documents and interviews with doctors, nurses and patients. (Kliff and Silver-Greenberg, 6/1)
AP:
Idaho Hospitals Working To Resume Full Operations After Cyberattack
Two eastern Idaho hospitals and their clinics are working to resume full operations after a cyberattack on their computer systems. Officials with Idaho Falls Community Hospital said the attack happened Monday, causing some clinics to close, some ambulances to be diverted to nearby hospitals and their cafes to only accept cash. Mountain View Hospital, also located in Idaho Falls, was similarly affected by the computer virus, officials said. (6/1)
AP:
Mistrial Declared For Doctors Charged With Conspiring To Pass Medical Records To Russia
A mistrial was declared Thursday in the federal trial of two Maryland doctors charged with trying to help Russia in its war against Ukraine with medical records they believed Moscow could exploit. The Baltimore Sun reports that U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher declared a mistrial after the jury deadlocked following two days of deliberations. Dr. Anna Gabrielian, a former Johns Hopkins anesthesiologist, and her spouse, Dr. Jamie Lee Henry, a physician and major in the U.S. Army, remain charged with conspiring to assist Russia after it invaded Ukraine and disclosing the health information of several patients. The charges carry maximum penalties of decades in prison. (6/1)
Fox News:
Doctors Under Fire As Patients' Claims Of 'Medical Gaslighting' Go Viral: Need To 'Be Our Own Advocates'
Patients who don’t feel heard by a health care professional are finding a voice on social media — with the hashtag #medicalgaslighting now garnering more than 226 million views on TikTok. "Medical gaslighting" is a term used to describe the situation in which patients — often young individuals, women and minorities — feel their symptoms are inappropriately dismissed or labeled as psychological when they go to see a doctor. (Sudhakar, 6/1)
USA Today:
Are You Truly At Risk For Prostate Cancer? Adding Genetics May Give More Accurate PSA Tests
For decades, it has been known that prostate specific antigen ‒ or PSA ‒ tests are a flawed way to diagnose prostate cancer. Many men have a high PSA without having cancer. Others have low PSA that might lead to aggressive tumors being missed in screenings. This has led to overtreatment of men who didn't need biopsies or whose cancers would never have become dangerous and undertreatment of those whose tumors were missed. (Weintraub, 6/1)
Fox News:
AI Identified These 5 Types Of Heart Failure In New Study: 'Interesting To Differentiate'
Researchers from the University College London (UCL) recently used machine learning — a type of artificial intelligence — to pinpoint five distinct types of heart failure, with the goal of predicting the prognosis for the different kinds. "We sought to improve how we classify heart failure, with the aim of better understanding the likely course of disease and communicating this to patients," said lead author Professor Amitava Banerjee from UCL in a press release announcing the study. (Rudy, 6/2)
The Wall Street Journal:
The CT Scan Test For Lung Cancer That More People Should Get
There is a test that could diminish the toll of the nation’s top cancer killer—if people would use it. Doctors are pushing harder to make that happen. Lung cancer kills upward of 127,000 people in the U.S. each year. The toll has waned in recent years thanks to declining smoking rates and new treatments, but it remains the deadliest cancer for Americans by far. A CT scan can catch the disease early to help save lives. (Abbott, 6/1)
AP:
Black Men Were Likely Underdiagnosed With Lung Problems Because Of Bias In Software, Study Suggests
Racial bias built into a common medical test for lung function is likely leading to fewer Black patients getting care for breathing problems, a study published Thursday suggests. As many as 40% more Black male patients in the study might have been diagnosed with breathing problems if current diagnosis-assisting computer software was changed, the study said. (Stobbe, 6/1)
The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer:
Ohio Supreme Court Says Abortion Rights Amendment Does Not Require Split Proposal
The Ohio Supreme Court declined a request Thursday from two anti-abortion activists to require that the Ohio Ballot Board divide the abortion rights constitutional amendment into two or more separate proposals, which would make it harder to pass at the ballot box. Thursday’s decision is one less hurdle for backers of the constitutional amendment proposal, who must collect roughly 413,000 signatures by July 5 to get on November ballots. (Hancock, 6/1)
Politico:
Florida Recreational Marijuana Effort Clears Crucial Hurdle
The effort to legalize recreational marijuana in Florida crossed a major hurdle but still faces a likely challenge from the state’s attorney general. Florida’s Department of State reported that the proposed ballot measure to legalize recreational marijuana gathered enough signatures to put it on the ballot in 2024. (Ritchie, 6/1)
Boston Herald:
Florida-Bound Seaweed Blob Contains Flesh-Eating Bacteria, Study Shows
Most people were already aware of the 5,000-mile long sargassum bloom making its way toward Florida — and possibly Alabama — beaches, but thanks to a new study, there’s more to be concerned about than just the stench which accompanies the bloom. Florida Atlantic University has released a study which found that sargassum bloom contains both the Vibrio bacteria and plastic marine debris, creating what the study’s authors called a “perfect pathogen storm” with significant health risks to both humans and marine life. (6/1)
CBS News:
Last Winter Saw A "Large Spike" In Very Rare Pediatric Brain Infections, CDC Reports
Hospitals reported a "large spike" of children with brain infections this past winter to the highest levels seen in several years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday, but cases still remain rare overall. The new findings were published in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, updating a previous analysis from the same database run by the Children's Hospital Association. (Tin, 6/1)
CBS News:
The FDA Just Set Arsenic Levels For Apple Juice. The Level Could Hurt Kids, Consumer Reports Says
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has set limits for inorganic arsenic in apple juice, but Consumer Reports argues that the level is still too high and could harm children who consume the popular drink. The FDA on Thursday announced it is setting the limit of 10 parts per billion as an allowable amount of inorganic arsenic in apple juice, noting that it has identified some apple juice products with levels about that amount. (Picchi, 6/1)
Coastal Review Online:
States Underestimate Extreme Heat Hazard Risk
State-by-state emergency plans aimed at minimizing the impacts of natural disasters overwhelmingly understate extreme heat as a hazard to human health, according to a Duke University analysis. The recently released policy brief, “Defining Extreme Heat as a Hazard: A Review of Current State Hazard Mitigation Plans,” highlights the need for states to better evaluate the growing threat of extreme heat as the climate changes, identify populations of people most vulnerable to high temperatures, and implement plans to educate and assist those populations. (Talton, 6/2)
USA Today:
How Does The Brain Process Memory During Sleep? Study Provides Clues
While it's long been suspected that our brains consolidate each day's events as we sleep, a new study is the first to show that process in action. Researchers were able to reinforce memories as study volunteers slept by stimulating specific parts of their brains in synchrony. The participants all had severe epilepsy and agreed to be part of the study while under observation for their seizures. (Weintraub, 6/1)
CIDRAP:
Study: Cats Can Transmit COVID-19 To Each Other
Cats can become infected with COVID-19 through contact with other infected animals or contaminated pens and should be considered part of the household dynamics of the virus, according to a new study in Microbiology Spectrum. (Soucheray, 6/1)
NBC News:
Al Pacino Expecting A Baby At 83: Health Risks For Children Of Older Fathers
Doctors and medical ethicists alike are warning about the risks of fathering children in old age, following news that actor Al Pacino is expecting a child at age 83. Pacino’s girlfriend, Noor Alfallah, is eight months pregnant. The "Scarface" star already has three other children: daughter Julie Marie, 33, and 22-year-old twins Anton and Olivia. (Bendix, 6/1)