First Edition: Oct. 31, 2022

KHN: Readers Boo Medical Debt And Viral Threats In Winning Halloween Haikus 
You did it again, readers! We received more than three dozen Halloween haiku submissions in KHN’s fourth annual Halloween haiku contest. Our expert panel of judges took the ghastly challenge of choosing the best head-on … or off. Here’s the winner, which was recited by Julie Rovner on last week’s “What the Health?” podcast, plus a sampling of finalists illustrated by Oona Tempest. The judges’ favorites drew inspiration from real-life viral outbreaks and the burden of haunting medical bills. Keep an eye on KHN’s social media accounts (Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook) for more of our favorites. Enjoy! (10/31)

KHN: California Patients Fear Fallout From Third Dialysis Ballot Measure 
Toni Sherwin is actually looking forward to the procedure that will relocate her dialysis port from her chest to her arm, which will be easier to keep dry. Since she started dialysis in February — as part of blood cancer treatment — she has washed her hair in the sink and stayed out of her pool to prevent water from getting into the port. Three times a week, Sherwin, 71, drives to a dialysis clinic in Elk Grove, California, the suburb south of Sacramento where she lives, and lies tethered to a machine for about four hours while it filters her blood. The treatment exhausts her, but she feels well cared for and knows the clinic workers will call the police if she doesn’t show up for an appointment and they can’t get in touch with her directly. (Bluth, 10/31)

KHN: ‘Fourth Trimester’ Focus Is Pushed To Prevent Maternal Deaths
For several weeks a year, the work of nurse-midwife Karen Sheffield-Abdullah is really detective work. She and a team of other medical investigators with the North Carolina public health department scour the hospital records and coroner reports of new moms who died after giving birth. These maternal mortality review committees look for clues about what contributed to the deaths — unfilled prescriptions, missed postnatal appointments, signs of trouble that doctors overlooked — to figure out how many of them could have been prevented. (Dembosky, 10/31)

KHN: Open Enrollment For Marketplace Health Plans Is Soon. Here’s What You Need To Know
It’s fall again, meaning shorter days, cooler temperatures, and open enrollment for Affordable Care Act marketplace insurance — sign-ups begin this week for coverage that starts Jan. 1, 2023. Even though much of the coverage stays the same from year to year, there are a few upcoming changes that consumers should note this fall, especially if they are having trouble buying expensive policies through their employer. In the past year, the Biden administration and Congress have taken steps — mainly related to premiums and subsidies — that will affect 2023 coverage. Meanwhile, confusion caused by court decisions may trigger questions about coverage for preventive care or for abortion services. (Appleby, 10/31)

KHN: Journalists Talk Medicare And Public Health Infrastructure 
KHN’s chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner discussed the future of Medicare on Newsy’s “The Why” on Oct. 20. ... KHN Midwest correspondent Lauren Weber discussed her reporting on public health infrastructure and health equity in rural America on San Diego State University’s “If I Could Change One Thing” podcast on Oct. 26. (10/29)

The New York Times: Legal Abortions Fell Around 6 Percent In Two Months After End Of Roe 
In the first two months after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on June 24, legal abortions nationwide declined by more than 10,000, a drop of about 6 percent, according to the first attempt at a nationwide count of abortions since the decision. (Sanger-Katz and Miller, 10/30)

ABC News: Do Voters Care About Abortion Heading Into Midterms?
Surveys have indicated younger female voters strongly oppose restrictions and care more about abortion rights than any other issue. Democrats were banking on abortion rights being a key issue going into the midterm elections, but a large percentage of Americans say it is not critical to their vote. (El-Bawab and Kekatos, 10/31)

Modern Healthcare: Elon Musk Owns Twitter. Should Healthcare Organizations Be Worried?
Twitter is an important tool for many healthcare organizations, and has helped transform the industry's marketing strategies since its founding in 2006. Health systems, insurers and others use the platform to reach consumers and disperse information. (Hudson, 10/28)

San Francisco Chronicle: Will COVID Experts Stay On Twitter? Here’s What UCSF’s Wachter Says
UCSF Department of Medicine chair Dr. Bob Wachter, a prominent voice on Twitter for his COVID expertise, tweeted on Saturday that he is “staying put for now” on the platform despite concerns in the wake of Elon Musk’s $44 billion purchase. (Hwang, 10/30)

The New York Times: Covid Symptoms Can Rebound Even If You Don’t Take Paxlovid 
When the antiviral treatment Paxlovid came into wider use for Covid-19 infections earlier this year, doctors who prescribed it and patients who took it noticed that symptoms sometimes flared up again a few days after having gone away. Some people even tested negative before they experienced the rebound. But this puzzling phenomenon can occur whether you take Paxlovid or not, according to a new study. Researchers found that when patients received a placebo instead of treatment, a portion of them still experienced a rebound of their symptoms after they had initially improved. (Sheikh, 10/27)

CIDRAP: Study: 30% Of COVID Patients Had Rebound After 2 Days Without Symptoms
Nearly one third of 158 untreated COVID-19 patients experienced symptom rebound after being symptom-free for at least 2 consecutive days, finds a study of US adults published yesterday in JAMA Network Open. (10/28)

The Atlantic: COVID Antibody Treatments Are In Decline
For the first couple of years of the coronavirus pandemic, the crisis was marked by a succession of variants that pummeled us one at a time. The original virus rapidly gave way to D614G, before ceding the stage to Alpha, Delta, Omicron, and then Omicron’s many offshoots. But as our next COVID winter looms, it seems that SARS-CoV-2 may be swapping its lead-antagonist approach for an ensemble cast: Several subvariants are now vying for top billing. (Wu, 10/29)

CIDRAP: WHO Advisers Weigh In On Omicron XBB And BQ.1 Subvariants 
The WHO advisory group said XBB and BQ.1 don't currently diverge sufficiently from each other or from other Omicron lineages that have extra immune escape mutations to warrant a variant of concern designation or a new label. "The two sublineages remain part of Omicron, which continues to be a variant of concern," the group said. (Schnirring, 10/28)

Bloomberg: China Dismisses ‘Fabricated’ Virus Leak Theory Vanity Fair, ProPublica Revived
China lashed out at a report about a lab in the city of Wuhan where the coronavirus first appeared, saying it was driven by politics in the US. (10/31)

The Washington Post: Many Lockdown Babies Slower At Social Development, Faster At Crawling, Study Says 
Early in the pandemic, when much of the world was in lockdown, many parents and other caregivers expressed fears about how a historic period of prolonged isolation could affect their children. Now, a study out of Ireland has shed some light on this question. Its results suggest that babies born during Ireland’s first covid-19 lockdown were likely to be slower to develop some social communication skills than their pre-pandemic peers. They were less likely to be able to wave goodbye, point at things and know one “definite and meaningful word” by the time they turn 1. On the other hand, they were more likely to be able to crawl. (Timsit, 10/28)

AP: Massive Learning Setbacks Show COVID's Sweeping Toll On Kids 
The COVID-19 pandemic devastated poor children’s well-being, not just by closing their schools, but also by taking away their parents’ jobs, sickening their families and teachers, and adding chaos and fear to their daily lives. The scale of the disruption to American kids’ education is evident in a district-by-district analysis of test scores shared exclusively with The Associated Press. The data provide the most comprehensive look yet at how much schoolchildren have fallen behind academically. (Toness and Lurye, 10/28)

The Hill: Texas Girl First Child In US To Die From Flu This Season
Officials in Hidalgo County, Texas, have confirmed that a 3-year-old girl’s death earlier this month was flu-related. The child’s death is the nation’s first confirmed pediatric flu death in the United States for the 2022 flu season, according to CDC data updated Friday morning. (Masso and Nexstar, 10/28)

Stat: With Hospitalizations Ticking Up, Flu Season Appears Off To Early Start
There are increasing signs that flu season is off to a very early start in parts of the United States, with the cumulative hospitalization rate higher than it has been at this point in the fall for more than a decade, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Friday. (Branswell, 10/28)

Stat: Polio-Like Syndrome In Kids Seems Not To Flare, Adding To Mystery
Physicians who treat children who develop a strange polio-like syndrome known as acute flaccid myelitis had been steeling themselves this fall for an onslaught of cases of the irreversible condition, which appears to be triggered by infection with an enterovirus known as EV-D68. (Branswell, 10/31)

USA Today: Common Infections May Trigger Lasting Health Problems, Studies Suggest
In most people, norovirus causes a few days of misery spent in the bathroom and then is quickly forgotten. Epstein-Barr virus can pass without any indication at all. And many people shrug off COVID-19. But a growing body of research suggests that in some unlucky few, the immune system overreacts to these seemingly minor insults, leaving years or even a lifetime of symptoms. (Weintraub, 10/31)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: After Weeks Of Drama, Disappointment, Atlanta Medical Center To Close
The doors to Atlanta Medical Center in downtown will be locked at 12 a.m. Tuesday, ending a century of health care for the poor at that site and leaving city and state officials still searching for a way to continue caring for nearby residents. (Thomas, 10/31)

Modern Healthcare: Providers Cut Gender-Affirming Care Amid Political, Violent Threats
Clinics that specialize in gender-affirming services have historically been the main sources of support for LGBTQ patients amid shifting laws and public opinion. As demand for LGBTQ-inclusive health services has increased in recent years, major institutions have expanded the care they provide to this population. (Hartnett and Devereaux, 10/28)

Bay Area News Group: Fentanyl Is Behind 1 Out Of 5 Deaths Of Californians Ages 15-24
Fentanyl overdoses are leaving their toll not only in tragically familiar places like San Francisco’s gritty Tenderloin district but also inside teenagers’ bedrooms in some of the Bay Area’s most upscale neighborhoods. More and more often, users have no idea the drugs they are taking include fentanyl. (Nickerson, 10/30)

AP: As Fentanyl Drives Overdose Deaths, Mistaken Beliefs Persist
As fentanyl gains attention, mistaken beliefs persist about the drug, how it is trafficked and why so many people are dying. (Mulvihill, 10/28)

WQCS: Florida's Attorney General Warns About 'Rainbow' Fentanyl Ahead Of Halloween
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody is warning families about the possibility of "rainbow" fentanyl disguised as candy being distributed on Halloween. Law enforcement nationwide have seized brightly colored fentanyl pills that resemble candy — some of these deadly drugs have been found in toy and candy boxes, officials say. (10/28)

NPR: Ketamine Lifts Depression Longer With Positive Feedback
Computer games designed to boost self-esteem appear to prolong the antidepressant benefits of the mind-bending anesthetic ketamine. A recent study of 154 people found that those who played games featuring smiling faces and positive messages remained free of depression up to three months after a ketamine infusion, a team reports in the American Journal of Psychiatry. (Hamilton, 10/31)

The Washington Post: A Psychiatry Wait List Had 880 Patients; A Hospital Couldn’t Keep Up
This summer, Massachusetts General Hospital had a staggering 880 people on its wait list for psychiatric services. The list had grown so large that the hospital issued an unusual plea to its physicians: Stop referring psychiatry patients for non-urgent care. “Our triage staff is not able to make any progress in this wait list with the current number of incoming referrals,” the Aug. 18 letter to physicians said. (Zimmerman, 10/29)

The Washington Post: 10 Ways To Get Mental Health Help During Therapist Shortage
A significant number of mental health professionals are not accepting new clients. Others have long waiting lists. The Washington Post asked mental health professionals what advice they would give people who are struggling to find a therapist. About 300 experts from across the country responded with advice on getting an appointment — and tips on what people can do in the meantime to try to help themselves. Here are their recommendations. (Bever, 10/29)

San Francisco Chronicle: Ex-Girlfriend Of Suspect In Paul Pelosi Attack Says He Struggled With Mental Illness, Drugs, Believed He Was ‘Jesus For A Year’
The imprisoned longtime partner of David DePape, the suspect in the attack on U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul, said Sunday that mental illness and drug use had caused him to deteriorate so profoundly that he once grew convinced that “he was Jesus for a year.” (MIshanec, 10/30)

The Washington Post: You May Have Hearing Loss And Not Know It. Here’s What It Sounds Like
The problem with identifying hearing loss is that many people don’t know what they are missing. One study found that about 24 percent of people between the ages of 20 and 69 who think they have excellent hearing actually have measurable hearing damage. (Morris and Steckelberg, 10/28)

NBC News: Young Women On TikTok Want The Next Generation To Avoid Becoming ‘Almond Moms’
Some experts who spoke with NBC News likened the term “almond moms” to those who have orthorexia, or an obsession with proper or "healthful" eating, according to the National Eating Disorders’ website. (Rosenblatt, 10/28)

NPR / Midwest Newsroom: EPA To Screen More Midwest Kids' Blood To Tackle Lead Threat
A study shows about half of children in the United States have detectable levels of lead in their blood, despite federal regulations that ban or restrict its use. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) adopted a new strategy to reduce exposure, particularly in low-income and communities of color that are disproportionately affected. (Horton, 10/28)