Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
First Edition: June 29, 2023
KFF Health News: Once-Resistant Rural Court Officials Begin To Embrace Medications To Treat Addiction
Rachel Solomon and judges hadn’t been on the best of terms. Then Judge O. Duane Slone “dumbfounded” her. Solomon was given her first Percocet at age 12 by a family member with a medicine cabinet full. It made her feel numb, she said. “Nothing hurt.” By 17, she was taking 80-milligram OxyContins. A decade later, she was introduced to heroin. During those years, Solomon was in and out of trouble with the law. (Sisk, 6/29)
KFF Health News: More States Drop Sales Tax On Disposable Diapers To Boost Affordability
Shirley Bloxom can’t forget the pride-swallowing shame she felt asking friends and church members for financial help. After surgery left her husband partially paralyzed, he needed to use disposable underwear at least three times a day, said Bloxom, 72. Living on a fixed income, the couple couldn’t afford them. Bloxom’s husband is among the estimated 2.5 million older Floridians who use incontinence products, like pads and adult diapers, daily. But with over a tenth of the Sunshine State’s seniors living in poverty, many struggle to pay for the supplies they need. (Critchfield, 6/29)
The Washington Post: Heat And Smoke Are Smothering Most Of The U.S., Putting Lives At Risk
Much of the United States felt like a blazing inferno on Wednesday, as record heat attacked the South like a blowtorch, thick smoke from Canadian wildfires blanketed the Great Lakes region, and triple-digit temperatures threatened to wallop California for the first time this year. Scientists said climate change helped shape the weather conditions that were causing misery and putting lives at risk from Mexico to Canada. There was no disputing the impact: If it wasn’t way too smoky, it was way too hot. (Werner, Stillman and Selig, 6/28)
CBS News: Heat Blamed For More Than A Dozen Deaths In Texas, Louisiana. Here's How To Stay Safe
More than a dozen people across Texas and Louisiana have suffered heat-related deaths in recent days, as extreme temperatures are forecast to continue. Eleven of the Texas heat-related deaths happened in under two weeks in Webb County, which includes Laredo, Dr. Corinne Stern, the county's medial examiner, said. The dead ranged in age from 60 to 80 years old. (Chasan, 6/28)
The Texas Tribune: Texas Inmates Die In Stifling Prisons, But Heat Is Seldom Cited As A Cause
Tommy McCullough was exhausted and thirsty, living in a stifling Huntsville prison as the record-breaking and relentless heat wave bore down across Texas this month. But he got up Friday morning and set to work, mowing the sun-scorched fields outside the Goree Unit. By midday, he’d collapsed, dying of what the prison system says was cardiac arrest. He was 35. (McCullough, 6/28)
CBS News: Can Air Quality Affect Skin Health? A Dermatologist Explains As More Canadian Wildfire Smoke Hits The U.S.
As Canadian wildfire smoke continues to blanket parts of the U.S. and endanger the health of millions of people, experts say there is an organ that requires just as much attention as your lungs: your skin. "Pollution can damage the skin by a lot of the same mechanisms that UV radiation can," Dr. Shayan Cheraghlou, a resident dermatology physician in New York City, told CBS News. "That's by generating reactive oxygen species that can cause premature aging of the skin, [and] can exacerbate underlying skin conditions like eczema or other inflammatory skin conditions." (Rocha, 6/28)
The Hill: DOJ Charges Nearly 80 People In $2.5 Billion Health Care Fraud Scheme
The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Wednesday it has charged 78 people relating to their alleged involvement in defrauding care programs for elderly and disabled people of more than $2.5 billion. Among the charges filed against the accused are allegations of telemedicine fraud, pharmaceutical fraud and accusations of opioid distribution. Many of the defendants obtained their funds by making fraudulent claims for Medicare reimbursement, often for items that were ineligible. (Choi, 6/28)
AP: Dozens In 16 States Charged With Health Care Fraud Schemes, Including $1.9B In Bogus Claims
In one case filed in the Southern District of Florida, investigators said they found nearly $2 billion in fraudulent telemedicine claims submitted to government-funded coverage programs like Medicare and Medicaid, which mainly cover people age 65 and over and those with low incomes, respectively. ... Those cases involved templates for fake doctor orders for braces and pain creams that were used in exchange for kickbacks and bribes, investigators said. (Whitehurst and Murphy, 6/28)
The Washington Post: Transgender Care Bans For Kentucky, Tennessee Minors Partly Blocked
Judges in Kentucky and Tennessee on Wednesday temporarily halted some restrictions on gender-affirming care for transgender youths shortly before the provisions were set to go into effect. Both federal courts blocked parts of respective state laws that would have prevented transgender minors from receiving hormone therapy and puberty blockers, which the Kentucky court described as “appropriate and medically necessary” in some cases. In Tennessee, the judge did not go as far as blocking a ban on surgeries for minors; in Kentucky, the case did not directly discuss surgeries. (Ables, 6/29)
AP: Michigan Legislature Approves Ban On 'Conversion Therapy' For LGBTQ+ Minors
Michigan lawmakers gave final approval to legislation banning so-called conversion therapy for minors as Democrats in the state continue to advance a pro-LGBTQ+ agenda in their first months in power. The legislation would prohibit mental health professionals from engaging youths in the scientifically discredited practice of trying to convert people who are LGBTQ+ to heterosexuality and traditional gender expectations. (Cappelletti, 6/28)
AP: Judge Considering Blocking Parts Of North Carolina Abortion Law Won't Halt Broader 12-Week Ban
A federal judge said Wednesday that she won’t temporarily block most of a newly revised abortion law from taking effect this weekend in North Carolina, including a near-ban on the procedure after 12 weeks of pregnancy. U.S. District Judge Catherine Eagles said at a court hearing that she won’t grant the request by lawyers for Planned Parenthood South Atlantic and a physician to set aside most of the new restrictions before they are to come into force on Saturday, calling it overbroad. (Robertson, 6/28)
NBC News: Crisis Pregnancy Center Failed To Spot Ectopic Pregnancy, Lawsuit Alleges
A crisis pregnancy center in Massachusetts failed to diagnose an ectopic pregnancy, causing a life-threatening emergency for the patient, a lawsuit filed last week alleges. The complaint, filed Thursday, says the anti-abortion Clearway Clinic in Worcester, about 50 miles southwest of Boston, engages in deceptive advertising, aiming to persuade women to forgo abortions rather than "providing them with the range of medically appropriate options." (McShane, 6/29)
Reuters: Menopause Hormone Pills Associated With Dementia, Causation Unclear
Use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to ease the effects of menopause, even for short periods, was associated with a higher risk for dementia in a nationwide study from Denmark, but the cognitive declines may not have been due to the treatment, researchers said on Wednesday. The study, published in The BMJ, contradicts some earlier studies that suggest HRT may protect against cognitive decline if the treatments are started near menopause onset. (Lapid, 6/28)
Los Angeles Times: Internal Report Details Rampant Diarrhea Among Children At Overcrowded Border Facility
Diarrhea was rampant, children were losing weight, and parents had to clean soiled clothing in sinks because guards would not provide them with clean items, mothers at an overcrowded Texas border facility in Laredo told Department of Homeland Security investigators last month, according to an internal report obtained by The Times. (Aleaziz, 6/28)
USA Today: Health Rankings Report: Which States Are Best, Worst For Access?
A new report sheds light on glaring disparities and preventable deaths in the U.S., finding surges in deaths from treatable causes, gaps in maternal health care and inequities in health care access. The Commonwealth Fund’s 2023 Scorecard on State Health System Performance ranked states based on health care access and affordability, reproductive health care access and outcomes, premature death rates, medical debt and other factors between 2019 and 2021, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. (Hassanein, 6/29)
ProPublica: How Often Do Health Insurers Deny Patients’ Claims? No One Knows
It’s one of the most crucial questions people have when deciding which health plan to choose: If my doctor orders a test or treatment, will my insurer refuse to pay for it? After all, an insurance company that routinely rejects recommended care could damage both your health and your finances. The question becomes ever more pressing as many working Americans see their premiums rise as their benefits shrink. (Fields, 6/28)
Modern Healthcare: CMS Tests Payment Models To Identify Underserved Communities
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is testing new ways to distribute Medicare funding based on need. Last year, CMS started using the area deprivation index to adjust payment rates and quality incentives in some models to encourage participating providers to offer care to disadvantaged populations. (Hartnett, 6/28)
Los Angeles Times: Harassment Is Routine For Doctors, Scientists On Social Media
It began with life-saving advice in the midst of the pandemic. It ended with death threats. “When I posted a picture of myself with my badge in my white coat after my COVID-19 vaccination I received hundreds of harassing anti-vaxx messages including death threats.” The medical professional on the receiving end of those threats was hardly alone. A new survey of physicians and biomedical scientists in the U.S. found that nearly two-thirds experienced harassment on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Errico, 6/28)
AP: Relatives Of Man Who Died During Admission To Psychiatric Hospital Seek Federal Investigation
Lawyers for the family of a Virginia man who died of asphyxiation after he was pinned to the floor for about 11 minutes while being admitted to a psychiatric hospital have asked the U.S. Department of Justice to open a criminal investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death. ... Irvo Otieno, 28, died March 6 as he was being admitted to Central State Hospital. Video from the hospital showed Henrico County sheriff’s deputies and hospital staff attempting to restrain Otieno — who was in handcuffs and leg shackles — for about 20 minutes. For most of that time, Otieno was on the floor being held down by a group that at one point appeared to include 10 people. (Lavoie, 6/28)
Reuters: Nursing Home Owners Stole $83 Million While Neglecting Residents, New York Lawsuit Says
New York's attorney general on Wednesday accused nursing home operator Centers Health Care and its owners of stealing $83 million in government funds while understaffing its facilities, resulting in widespread neglect, illness and death among residents. (Pierson, 6/28)
NPR: Opioids No More Effective Than Placebo For Common Back Pain, A Study Suggests
Back and neck pain afflicts millions of American adults, driving many to seek relief from their family doctor or even the local emergency room. When these episodes of pain are acute and nonspecific — meaning there's no clear cause or explanation — it's generally advised to start off with everyday remedies like over-the-counter anti-inflammatories, and alternatives like heat therapy, massage or exercise. (Stone, 6/28)
Military.com: Research On Psychedelics, Marijuana As Alternative Treatment For Vets Advancing In Congress
Psychedelic drugs and marijuana could be evaluated as treatments for post-traumatic disorder and other conditions afflicting veterans under bills advancing through Congress. The version of the annual defense policy bill approved by the House Armed Services Committee last week would require the Pentagon to conduct a clinical trial on treating service members' PTSD, traumatic brain injury and chronic traumatic encephalopathy with drugs including MDMA, commonly called ecstasy, and psilocybin, the psychedelic compound found in magic mushrooms. (Kheel, 6/28)
Stat: Psychedelics Group Wrestles With New Pharma Identity
He could have been a rock star, a religious icon, the way ecstatic applause from thousands of attendees greeted the man dressed in a crisp, all-white suit as he strode onto a backlit stage. He was neither. This was Rick Doblin, the founder and evangelist of a movement to legalize psychedelic MDMA and bring the drug into mainstream medicine. The scene in a Denver conference hall last week was a world away from the first conference Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) held in 1990, when Doblin spoke alongside Timothy Leary — the ex-Harvard professor who popularized the phrase “turn on, tune in, and drop out.” That was just a few years after MDMA, also known as ecstasy, was criminalized, deemed a Schedule 1 drug “of no medical use.” (Goldhill, 6/29)
AP: Biden's Brother Says The President Is 'Very Open-Minded' About Psychedelics For Medical Treatment
President Joe Biden’s youngest brother said in a radio interview Wednesday that the president has been “very open-minded” in conversations the two have had about the benefits of psychedelics as a form of medical treatment. Frank Biden made the comments during a call into The Michael Smerconish Program on SiriusXM. The host had just interviewed a Wall Street Journal reporter who recently wrote about powerful Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and employees who believe the use of psychedelics and similar substances can help lead to business breakthroughs. (Madhani and Bedayn, 6/28)
Bloomberg: Biden Sleep Apnea: President Starts Using CPAP Machine At Night
President Joe Biden has begun using a continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP, machine to treat longstanding sleep apnea, according to the White House. (Jacobs and Leonard, 6/28)
Reuters: Exclusive: WHO's Cancer Research Agency To Say Aspartame Sweetener A Possible Carcinogen - Sources
One of the world's most common artificial sweeteners is set to be declared a possible carcinogen next month by a leading global health body, according to two sources with knowledge of the process, pitting it against the food industry and regulators. Aspartame, used in products from Coca-Cola diet sodas to Mars' Extra chewing gum and some Snapple drinks, will be listed in July as "possibly carcinogenic to humans" for the first time by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the World Health Organization's (WHO) cancer research arm, the sources said. (Rigby and Naidu, 6/29)
The Washington Post: Torn ACL Injuries Can Heal Without Surgery, New Study Finds
In the new study published this month in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, 90 percent of 80 ruptured ACLs studied showed signs of healing and repair on scans about three months later. The patients had followed a newly developed protocol of bracing and physical therapy. (Reynolds, 6/28)
The Washington Post: More Americans See Gun Violence As Major Problem, Poll Finds
A growing number of Americans, including Democrats and Republicans, now view gun violence as a significant problem, and a majority expect it to get worse over the next five years, according to a new poll released Wednesday from Pew Research Center. While the poll found that twice as many Democrats as Republicans said gun violence is a “very big” problem in the nation, at 81 percent of Democrats compared with 38 percent of Republicans. Pew noted that, over the last year, the number of people in both parties who said gun violence is a “very big” problem has increased 11 percent. (Alfaro, 6/28)
The Washington Post: Living Near Green Spaces Could Add 2.5 Years To Your Life
Want to live longer? Living near more green spaces could be part of the answer. A study published Wednesday in the peer-reviewed journal Science Advances suggests that if you have long-term exposure to more greenery where you live, on average you may be adding 2.5 years to your life. (Chiu, 6/28)
9news.Com: Plague Case Reported In Person In Southwest Colorado
An adult in southwestern Colorado has tested positive for the plague, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) said on Tuesday. CDPHE said it's working closely with Montezuma County Public Health on monitoring plague activity and investigating how the person became infected. The person was likely exposed to the disease on private property, CDPHE said in a news release. (Whitehead, 6/27)
NBC News: Tick And Mosquito Season Is Shaping Up To Be Severe This Year
Summer is peak tick and mosquito season, and the insects may pose a particularly acute threat this year, experts say. On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an alert about the first locally acquired cases of malaria in the U.S. in 20 years, detected in Florida and Texas. (Pandey, 6/28)
The New York Times: A Record 100,000 People In New York Homeless Shelters
New York City passed a woeful milestone this week, spurred by an influx of migrants from the nation’s southern border: For the first time, there are now over 100,000 people in homeless shelters here, city officials said on Wednesday. Days earlier, the city said that the number of migrants in shelters had passed 50,000 and that, for the first time, they made up the majority of people in homeless shelters in the city. (Newman, 6/28)
