First Edition: March 29, 2024

KFF Health News: A Physician Travels To South Asia Seeking Enduring Lessons From The Eradication Of Smallpox
Smallpox was certified eradicated in 1980, but I first learned about the disease’s twisty, storied history in 1996 while interning at the World Health Organization. As a college student in the 1990s, I was fascinated by the sheer magnitude of what it took to wipe a human disease from the earth for the first time. Over the years, I’ve turned to that history over and over, looking for inspiration and direction on how to be more ambitious when confronting public health threats of my day. (Gounder, 3/29)

KFF Health News: Your Doctor Or Your Insurer? Little-Known Rules May Ease The Choice In Medicare Advantage
Bart Klion, 95, and his wife, Barbara, faced a tough choice in January: The upstate New York couple learned that this year they could keep either their private, Medicare Advantage insurance plan — or their doctors at Saratoga Hospital. The Albany Medical Center system, which includes their hospital, is leaving the Klions’ Humana plan — or, depending on which side is talking, the other way around. The breakup threatened to cut the couple’s lifeline to cope with serious chronic health conditions. (Jaffe, 3/29)

KFF Health News: The Supreme Court And The Abortion Pill
The Supreme Court this week heard its first abortion case since overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022, about an appeals court ruling that would dramatically restrict the availability of the abortion pill mifepristone. But while it seems likely that this case could be dismissed on a technicality, abortion opponents have more challenges in the pipeline. (Rovner, 3/28)

Modern Healthcare: UnitedHealth Urges Change Customers To Reconnect To Restored Systems
UnitedHealth group is calling on more health insurance companies to utilize the Change Healthcare systems it has already restored and bring the healthcare system closer to normalcy. The company, which operates Change Healthcare through its Optum subsidiary, is processing claims through its restored Assurance software and has reactivated its Relay Exchange clearinghouse, for example. But UnitedHealth Group needs more insurers to reconnect, it said in a notice on its website Wednesday. (Berryman, 3/28)

Modern Healthcare: Disruptions To Endure Even As Change Healthcare Fixes Systems
Providers and health insurance companies see a long road ahead that stretches past whenever UnitedHealth Group declares Change Healthcare is fixed. Full restoration of claims, billing and other processes won't mark the end of the mess that began with a cyberattack last month, which forced UnitedHealth Group to take Change Healthcare systems offline and plunged the healthcare sector into disarray. Healthcare organizations anticipate operational and financial effects even when Change Healthcare is up and running again. (Berryman, 3/28)

Politico: Hospitals Blame Insurers For Not Helping Enough After Crippling Cyberattack
Hospitals are still struggling to get paid even as the damage from last month’s Change Healthcare cyberattack is slowly remediated — and they are pointing the finger at insurers. Thirty to 40 percent of claims continue to be denied, compared with 5 percent before the attack, according to Chip Kahn, CEO of the Federation of American Hospitals, a trade group. ... “The insurers have not stepped up to the plate,” Kahn said. The insurance industry counters that it’s doing all it can. (King, 3/28)

Stat: Change Healthcare Incident Prompts Washington To Consider New Rules
Washington is cracking down on the technology running behind the scenes in health care following a debilitating cyberattack on a health care payments processing company — and it could have major implications for hospitals and the vendors selling crucial IT. (Ravindranath, 3/29)

The New York Times: Biden Administration Finalizes Rule Curbing Use Of Short-Term Health Plans
The Biden administration announced on Thursday that it had finalized a new regulation that curbs the use of short-term health insurance plans that do not comply with the Affordable Care Act, reversing a move by the Trump administration to give consumers more access to cheaper but skimpier plans. Under the new rule, the short-term plans will be able to last for only 90 days, with an option for a one-month extension. (Weiland, 3/28)

Modern Healthcare: Short-Term ‘Junk’ Health Insurance Limited Under HHS Rule 
The plans are not subject to consumer protections set by the Affordable Care Act, which includes a requirement for policies to cover individuals with preexisting conditions. Under the final rules, consumers cannot purchase short-term, limited-duration insurance plans issued by the same company within a one-year period. The rules also require an insurer to provide clear disclosures regarding coverage limits in all marketing, application, enrollment and re-enrollment materials. (DeSilva, 3/28)

Modern Healthcare: CMS Extends Marketplace Enrollment For Medicaid, CHIP Members
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said Thursday it will extend the temporary special enrollment period for Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program members who no longer qualify for coverage to enroll with a federal marketplace insurer. Those no longer eligible for Medicaid or CHIP will now have until Nov. 30 to transition to a marketplace plan. The original deadline was July 31. (DeSilva, 3/28)

Modern Healthcare: Nursing Homes To See Medicare Pay Bump In 2025 Under CMS Proposal
Nursing homes, hospices and inpatient psychiatric hospitals would get pay bumps in fiscal 2025 under a series of proposed rules issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Thursday. Skilled nursing homes would get a 4.1% increase in Medicare reimbursements under one proposed rule. The proposed regulation also includes revisions that would tighten CMS oversight of those facilities. (Eastabrook, 3/28)

Politico: Biden Admin Advances First-Ever PFAS Limits For Tap Water
The Biden administration is one step closer to finalizing landmark nationwide limits on “forever chemicals” in drinking water. The White House this week wrapped up its review of EPA's final regulation requiring water providers to reduce concentrations of PFAS, according to the Office of Management and Budget. The rule would be one of the most significant new drinking water regulations in decades. (Willson, 3/28)

Politico: RFK Jr.'s Vice Presidential Pick Calls IVF ‘One Of The Biggest Lies Being Told About Women's Health’
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s running mate ... Nicole Shanahan has for years denounced IVF — calling it "one of the biggest lies that’s being told about women’s health today." At the same time, she has also been a vocal proponent of and financial backer for unconventional research into the possibility of helping women having children into their 50s and exploring no-cost interventions to help women conceive, such as exposure to sunlight. (Gibson, 3/28)

The Hill: Breyer Predicts Supreme Court Will See ‘More And More And More’ Abortion-Related Cases
Former Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer predicted Wednesday that the high court will see a jump in abortion-related cases in the future. Breyer told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer that the “harmful” decision in 2022 that overturned Roe v. Wade — ending the federal right to abortion access — would not reduce the number of abortion-related cases brought before the high court. (Sforza, 3/28)

Reuters: Trader Joe's Lawsuit Over 'Heavy Metals' In Chocolate Is Largely Dismissed
A U.S. judge dismissed most of a lawsuit accusing Trader Joe's of misleading and endangering consumers by failing to disclose that its dark chocolate bars contained harmful levels of "heavy metals" such as lead and cadmium. In a decision on Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Ruth Bermudez Montenegro in San Diego said consumers in the proposed class action failed to adequately plead that the grocery chain's chocolate posed an unreasonable safety hazard or were unfit to eat. (Stempel, 3/28)

Reuters: Exclusive: China's WuXi AppTec Shared US Client's Data With Beijing, US Intelligence Officials Told Senators
U.S. intelligence officials in late February told senators working on a biotech security bill that Chinese pharmaceutical firm WuXi AppTec (603259.SS) had transferred U.S. intellectual property to Beijing without consent, according to two sources. The U.S. government is concerned that certain Chinese biotech companies are contributing technology or research and development for use by China's military, and the proposed legislation would restrict U.S. government funds going to those Chinese companies. (Martina, Erman and Freifeld, 3/28)

Reuters: US CDC Alerts Healthcare Providers Of Increase In Meningococcal Disease
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an advisory on Thursday alerting healthcare providers about an increase in invasive meningococcal disease and urging them to ensure necessary vaccinations against the deadly disease. Meningococcal disease, caused by the bacterium Neisseria meningitidis, is a serious bacterial infection that commonly affects the brain, spinal cord and bloodstream. (3/28)

Reuters: US FDA Extends Review Of Applied Therapeutics' Genetic Disease Drug
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has extended its review of Applied Therapeutics' (APLT.O) experimental drug to treat galactosemia, a rare genetic metabolic disease, the company said on Thursday. The health regulator will now give its decision by Nov. 28, 2024, compared with its previous action date of Aug. 28. Galactosemia results in an inability to metabolize the simple sugar galactose, causing it to build up to toxic levels in the blood. (3/28)

CIDRAP: BioMerieux Receives FDA Clearance For Rapid Respiratory/Sore Throat Test
French diagnostics company bioMerieux announced yesterday that it has received US Food and Drug Administration 510(k) clearance for a rapid respiratory/sore throat panel that company officials say will help clinicians make more informed decisions about antibiotic prescribing. The panel, Biofire Spotfire, is a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test capable of detecting and identifying nucleic acids from up to 15 of the most common bacteria, viruses, and viral subtypes that cause respiratory or sore throat infections in about 15 minutes. (Dall, 3/28)

CIDRAP: Asking Patients About Flu Shots In The Emergency Room May Boost Uptake
Simply asking patients to get the flu vaccine during emergency department (ED) visits may double vaccination rates—or raise them even higher if the request is combined with helpful video and print messages, according to a study this week in NEJM Evidence. The study, led by researchers at the University of California-San Francisco (UCSF), compared two interventions among 767 non-critically ill adult patients seen in the ED who were not yet vaccinated against influenza. (Soucheray, 3/28)

AP: US Tuberculosis Cases Were At The Highest Level In A Decade In 2023
The number of U.S. tuberculosis cases in 2023 were the highest in a decade, according to a new government report. Forty states reported an increase in TB, and rates were up among all age groups, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday. More than 9,600 cases were reported, a 16% increase from 2022 and the highest since 2013. Cases declined sharply at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, but have been rising since. (Stobbe, 3/28)

AP: Dengue Is Sweeping Through The Americas Early This Year
Dengue is surging across the Americas early this year from Puerto Rico to Brazil, with 3.5 million cases of the tropical disease reported so far, health officials said Thursday. That tally is three times the number of cases reported at this point last year, said Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, director of the Pan American Health Organization, the regional office of the World Health Organization in the Americas. Last year, there were a record 4.5 million cases in the region, and PAHO officials said they expect this year will set a new record. (Coto, 3/28)

CIDRAP: Quick Takes: Record Dengue Pace In The Americas, Call For Ebola Treatment Stockpile
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) this week called for the establishment of an international stockpile of Ebola treatments. Though it's been 10 years since West Africa's large outbreak, two treatments are not readily available in countries where Ebola is endemic. "Instead, all Ebola treatments remain under the control of just two US pharmaceutical corporations, Regeneron and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, and are almost exclusively kept in a US stockpile for national security and biodefense purposes," MSF said in a statement. (Schnirring, 3/28)

The Washington Post: More Than One Alcoholic Drink A Day Raises Heart Disease Risk For Women
Young to middle-aged women who drink more than one alcoholic beverage a day, on average, were more likely to develop coronary heart disease than people who drink less, according to new research by Kaiser Permanente Northern California. Women in the study who reported drinking eight or more alcoholic beverages per week were 33 to 51 percent more likely to develop coronary heart disease. (Chesler, 3/28)

Newsweek: Partners May Live Longer When They Drink Together
Your partner's drinking habits could affect your lifespan, new research suggests. Scientists have long suspected that couples who have similar drinking patterns tend to have better marital outcomes, reporting both better quality and longer lasting marriages. ... To investigate these effects, researchers from the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research recruited a cohort of 4,656 married or cohabiting heterosexual couples over the age of 50 in the United States. (Dewan, 3/28)

The New York Times: Working With Your Hands Is Good For Your Brain
The human hand is a marvel of nature. No other creature on Earth, not even our closest primate relatives, has hands structured quite like ours, capable of such precise grasping and manipulation. But we’re doing less intricate hands-on work than we used to. A lot of modern life involves simple movements, such as tapping screens and pushing buttons, and some experts believe our shift away from more complex hand activities could have consequences for how we think and feel. (Heid, 3/28)

Newsweek: Scientists Reveal Symptom That Is Major Flag For Dementia Risk
Agitation, confusion and poor focus can all be strong risk factors for dementia and death in older age, a large new study has found. Over 5 million Americans over the age of 65 live with dementia, according to 2014 data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dementia comes in different forms—the most common of which is Alzheimer's disease—and is characterized by an impaired ability to remember, think and make decisions. (Dewan, 3/28)

CIDRAP: Study: COVID Booster Cuts Severe COVID Risk By A Third In Patients With Weak Immune Systems
One dose of the updated, single-strain COVID-19 vaccine introduced last fall is 38% effective against hospitalization in the 7 to 59 days after receipt and 34% effective at 60 to 119 days in adults with weakened immune systems, yet uptake in this group is low, estimates a study published today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) researchers led the study, which was based on data from the Virtual SARS-CoV-2, Influenza, and Other respiratory viruses Network (VISION) collected from September 2023 to February 2024. (Van Beusekom, 3/28)

CIDRAP: Moderna Reports Promising Findings For Next-Generation COVID Vaccine
Moderna today announced promising interim phase 3 clinical trial  findings for its next-generation COVID vaccine, which offers the potential for a longer shelf life and paves the way for a combination mRNA vaccine against flu and COVID. Diverse Stock Photos / Flickr ccThe mRNA-1283 vaccine showed a higher immune response—including in seniors—than its currently licensed vaccine, called mRNA-1273.222. Response was higher against Omicron BA.4/BA.5 as well as the original SARS-CoV-2 virus. (Schnirring, 3/28)

USA Today: Like Secondhand Smoke, Secondhand Vaping May Harm Your Kids: New Study
We all know that secondhand cigarette smoke is a bad thing − the dangers of tobacco smoke exposure to children specifically have long been known to cause ailments from asthma attacks and infections to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. ... A recent study presented this month at the conference of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners found that secondhand "smoke," or vapor from vaping and e-cigarettes may, in fact, impact the children in your life, not unlike traditional cigarettes and tobacco. (Walrath-Holdridge, 3/28)

Reuters: Bristol Myers' Bowel Disease Drug Fails In Late-Stage Study
Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY.N) said on Thursday its experimental drug to treat Crohn's disease, a chronic inflammatory bowel condition, did not help patients achieve disease remission in a late-stage study. Crohn's is a chronic bowel disease that causes inflammation in the digestive tract, and can lead to diarrhea, abdominal pain, fatigue and weight loss. It affects about 12.6 million people worldwide, according to the company. (3/28)

Modern Healthcare: What Steward Health’s Physician Group Sale To Optum Means 
UnitedHealth Group’s Optum is poised to solidify its position as the largest physician employer, but its proposal to acquire Steward Health Care’s physician group will likely meet stiff regulatory scrutiny. Optum Care, a subsidiary of Optum, plans to buy Stewardship Health, the physician arm of the ailing for-profit Steward health system, according to regulatory filings with the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission. (Kacik, 3/28)

Modern Healthcare: UnitedHealth Names John Rex President As Dirk McMahon Retires
UnitedHealth Group has named John Rex as its next president, succeeding Dirk McMahon, who is retiring. Rex will retain his role as chief financial officer and will take on the additional role of president April 1, according to a Thursday Securities and Exchange Commission filing. (Berryman, 3/28)

Modern Healthcare: Walgreens’ VillageMD Closing Almost 50% Of Clinics Amid $6B Hit
Walgreens is painting a much broader picture of the scale of VillageMD's footprint reduction, six months after announcing clinic closures. Walgreens-backed VillageMD has closed 140 clinics this year across several states and is planning to close another 20, Walgreens Boots Alliance CEO Tim Wentworth told analysts on Thursday's second-quarter earnings call. The closings represent roughly 50% of the original footprint. (Hudson, 3/28)

AP: Walgreens Books Hefty Charge As The Drugstore Chain Adjusts The Value Of Struggling Clinics
Walgreens lost nearly $6 billion in its second quarter mainly due to a drop in value for the VillageMD clinic business it controls. Excluding that charge, the drugstore chain reported results Thursday that topped Wall Street expectations. Walgreens spent more than $5 billion a few years ago to acquire a majority stake in VillageMD and launch a plan to add hundreds of clinics to its stores and grow its ability to provide care. (Murphy, 3/28)

The Wall Street Journal: Wegovy: First Medicare Health Plans To Start Paying For Weight-Loss Drug
The first major U.S. health insurers have agreed to start paying for the popular anti-obesity drug Wegovy for certain people on Medicare with heart-related conditions. CVS Health CVS 0.42% Elevance Health ELV -0.27% and Kaiser Permanente said they would cover Novo Nordisk’s NOVO.B -0.79% Wegovy for the use of reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes in people who have cardiovascular disease, meet body-weight criteria and are covered by a Medicare drug-benefit plan. (Loftus and Wilde Mathews, 3/28)

The Hill: Kansas Lawmakers Send Bill Banning Gender-Affirming Care For Minors To Governor’s Desk
Kansas could become the latest state to ban gender-affirming health care for minors after its Republican-dominated Legislature sent a bill prohibiting transgender youth from accessing treatments such as puberty blockers and hormones to the governor’s desk. The bill, which passed both the state House and Senate on Wednesday, is expected to be rejected by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, who vetoed a similar measure last year. (Migdon, 3/28)

AP: As Kansas Nears Gender Care Ban, Students Push University To Advocate For Trans Youth
With Kansas poised to ban gender-affirming care for minors, college students are trying to counter Republican efforts to roll back transgender rights by pushing the state’s largest university to declare itself a haven for trans youth. The GOP-controlled Legislature approved its proposed ban on puberty blockers, hormone treatments and surgeries for minors Wednesday, apparently with the two-thirds majorities in both chambers needed to override an expected veto from Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly. (Hanna, 3/28)

The Hill: Idaho Governor Signs Bill Banning Use Of Public Funds For Gender-Affirming Care
Transgender people in Idaho will no longer be able to use Medicaid and other publicly funded programs to help cover the cost of gender-affirming medical care under a new state law set to take effect in July. Republican Gov. Brad Little quietly signed the measure Wednesday, a day after receiving it from Idaho’s GOP-controlled Legislature. Little’s office did not immediately return a request for comment. (Migdon, 3/28)

AP: Massachusetts Joins With NCAA, Sports Teams To Tackle Gambling Among Young People
Top Massachusetts officials joined with NCAA President and former Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker on Thursday to announce a new initiative aimed at tackling the public health harms associated with sports gambling among young people. Baker said those harms extend not just to young people making bets, but to student athletes coming under enormous pressure from bettors hoping to cash in on their individual performances. (LeBlanc, 3/28)

AP: Kentucky Senate Approves Expanding Access To Paid Family Leave
A bipartisan bill aimed at expanding access to paid family leave won final passage Thursday as Kentucky’s legislature shifted into overdrive before a two-week break. The Senate voted 36-0 to send the family leave legislation to Gov. Andy Beshear.Supporters said House Bill 179 would amend state law to allow voluntary paid family medical leave to be offered as an insurance product. (Schreiner and Lovan, 3/28)

AP: Georgia Joins States Seeking Parental Permission Before Children Join Social Media
Georgia could join other states in requiring children younger than 16 to have their parents’ explicit permission to create social media accounts. Lawmakers on Friday gave final approval to Senate Bill 351, which also would ban social media use on school devices and internet services, require porn sites to verify users are 18 or over and mandate additional education by schools on social media and internet use. The House passed the measure 120-45 and the Senate approved it 48-7. (Amy, 3/29)

AP: Lawmakers Seek To Prop Up Delaware Medical Marijuana Industry After Legalizing Recreational Use
Senior citizens in Delaware will be able to get medical marijuana without a prescription or referral from a doctor under a bill heading to Democratic Gov. John Carney. Legislation approved by the state Senate on Thursday also eliminates a requirement that a person must have a “debilitating medical condition” to qualify for a medical marijuana card. Instead, according to chief Senate sponsor Kyra Hoffner, doctors will be able to prescribe medical marijuana “as they feel fit.” (Chase, 3/28)