Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
First Edition: Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024
KFF Health News' Bill of the Month: Toddler’s Backyard Snakebite Bills Totaled More Than A Quarter Million Dollars
This spring, a few days after his 2nd birthday, Brigland Pfeffer was playing with his siblings in their San Diego backyard. His mother, Lindsay Pfeffer, was a few feet away when Brigland made a noise and came running from the stone firepit, holding his right hand. She noticed a pinprick of blood between his thumb and forefinger when her older son called out, “Snake!” (Fortiér, 10/30)
KFF Health News: For People With Opioid Addiction, Medicaid ‘Unwinding’ Raises The Stakes
It was hard enough for Stephanie to get methadone treatment when she moved to Florida from Indiana last year. The nearest clinic was almost an hour’s drive away and she couldn’t drive herself. But at least she didn’t have to worry about the cost of care. As a parent with young children who was unable to find a job after moving, Stephanie qualified for Medicaid despite Florida’s tight eligibility rules. The state insurance program for people with low incomes or disabilities covers the methadone she needs to reduce her opioid cravings and prevent withdrawal sickness. (Krisberg and Colombini, 10/30)
KFF Health News: Florida Medical Device Maker Exactech Declares Bankruptcy
Exactech, a Florida device manufacturer that faces more than 2,000 state and federal lawsuits from patients who allege the company sold defective hip and knee implants, filed for bankruptcy protection Tuesday. The Gainesville-based company said in a statement it was restructuring and would be sold to an investor group of private equity and “alternative asset” firms, which would provide about $85 million in financing to fund the company’s operations. (Schulte, 10/29)
KFF Health News: Listen To The Latest 'KFF Health News Minute'
“Health Minute” brings original health care and health policy reporting from the KFF Health News newsroom to the airwaves each week. (10/29)
The Washington Post: What Trump Winning The Election Could Mean For The CDC
State and local health departments would no longer be able to track opioid overdoses, provide cancer screenings and help people quit smoking, according to health officials, if Republicans carry out their plans to dramatically shrink the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under a second Donald Trump presidency. Conservatives in Congress and Washington think tanks have proposed eliminating programs they say are not central to fighting infectious disease. Republican House appropriators want to slash the public health agency’s budget by about 20 percent and eliminate two dozen programs they consider “duplicative and controversial,” including initiatives to study the public health impact of climate change. (Sun, 10/29)
The New York Times: Trump Ad Claims Harris Will ‘Doom Medicare’
Donald J. Trump’s presidential campaign has spent more than $9.6 million since Oct. 16 to run this 30-second ad, “Doom Medicare,” on television stations, according to AdImpact. And the campaign has put more than $1 million behind the ad in each of Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Here’s a look at the ad, its accuracy and its major takeaway. (Gold and Qiu, 10/29)
Modern Healthcare: Medicare Physician Reimbursement Bill Aims To Block 2025 Pay Cuts
Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are trying to block proposed cuts to Medicare physician payments next year, with only days remaining until the deadline for regulators to finalize them. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in July proposed a 2.9% pay cut for doctors in the 2025 physician fee schedule. Statute requires the final rule to be published by Nov. 1. In the meantime, physician groups have ramped up efforts to urge Congress to block the planned reduction and overhaul the broader payment system. (Early, 10/29)
The New York Times: Why Is Harris So Passionate About Abortion Rights? Her Past Work Holds Clues.
In April 2004, Kamala Harris was less than four months into her new job as San Francisco’s district attorney, a high-profile position that thrust her into the local headlines, when she flew to Washington, D.C., to become one face in a sea of more than a million. People from around the country descended on the National Mall for the March for Women’s Lives, organized by groups including Planned Parenthood and the National Organization for Women, to call for the protection and expansion of reproductive health care, including abortion rights. (Knight and Belluck, 10/29)
Politico: Pennsylvania Democrats Lean Into Abortion As Closing Election Message
Pennsylvania Democrats believe their path to expanding power in the state Legislature runs through the suburbs — and they’re hammering the importance of protecting reproductive rights to pull it off. Two and a half years after Dobbs, ensuring that voters continue to be swayed by abortion messaging is critical for Democrats in Harrisburg, where the party holds a single-seat majority in the state House and Republicans control the Senate. That’s why Democrats are spending a record amount on abortion-focused campaign ads and knocking on thousands of doors making the case for protecting reproductive rights. (Crampton, 10/30)
The 19th: Anti-Abortion Centers Are Stepping Into Electoral Politics
Anti-abortion centers and their leaders have been campaigning against the abortion ballot measures in 10 states in the lead up to Election Day. The organizations — also known as crisis pregnancy centers — have sought to remove those measures from state ballots and distributed materials with misleading talking points. It’s a pattern that shows the increasing significance of anti-abortion centers, which are often religiously affiliated and publicly funded. (Luthra, 10/29)
AP: One Candidate For West Va. Governor Defends Abortion Bans. The Other Wanted Abortion On The Ballot
The closest West Virginia voters could come to having their say at the ballot box on whether abortion should be legal in the post-Roe v. Wade era might be in this year’s governor’s race. State Attorney General Patrick Morrisey and Huntington Mayor Steve Williams have been leaders and occasional allies in the fight against drug abuse in West Virginia, both working to stem the flow of pharmaceuticals into the state with the highest opioid death rate in the nation. But when it comes to reproductive rights, the two could hardly be further apart. (Willingham, 10/30)
Times-Standard: Stipulation Could Force Providence To Provide Emergency Abortion Services
Lawyers for Providence and the state Attorney General filed an agreement for the Eureka hospital to follow while a lawsuit surrounding emergency abortions moves forward. The stipulation was filed three days before Providence St. Joseph becomes the only hospital with a birthing center in Humboldt County. State Attorney General Rob Bonta filed both a complaint and a preliminary injunction last month, with the latter seeking a court order guaranteeing patients can receive emergency abortions at the hospital. This stipulation, which has yet to be signed by a judge, marks more specifics on when a physician can provide abortion service. (Alexander, 10/29)
Roll Call: Bills Exclude Mental Health From Emergency Abortion Exceptions
Two data points in the aftermath of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling paint a picture of that decision’s impact on mental health. First: Early data shows that states that enacted abortion bans after Roe v. Wade was overturned have seen higher rates of self-reported mental health concerns, particularly among the less wealthy. Second: Lawmakers in those states are increasingly loath to include mental health concerns or psychological conditions in the list of reasons to justify a legal, emergency abortion. (Raman, 10/29)
Roll Call: Appeals Court Hears Drugmaker’s Challenge To Abortion Restrictions
A federal appeals panel expressed skepticism Tuesday during oral arguments in a case challenging West Virginia’s abortion laws, arguing they effectively limited access to a commonly used medication abortion drug. (Raman, 10/29)
Roll Call: For Reproductive Health Workers, A Big Change Since The Dobbs Ruling
These days, half of what was the first nonprofit clinic in the nation to house a birthing center and provide abortions is empty. The clinic is CHOICES – Memphis Center for Reproductive Health and it opened in 1974, in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade ruling. But now its abortion patient clinical rooms and recovery area are used for storage. The call center room is going unused. Many staff have been let go, and others have had to navigate a new career path. (Raman, 10/29)
CIDRAP: CDC Offers New Details On Lassa Fever Case In Iowa
Early information suggests the patient may have had contact with rodents while in West Africa, the CDC said. Lassa virus is endemic in West Africa and spread via contact with urine or droppings of infected rodents. Rarely, the virus can be transmitted person-to-person through direct contact with a sick person's blood or other body fluids, through mucous membranes, or through sexual contact, the CDC said. (Soucheray, 10/29)
CIDRAP: More Human Avian Flu Cases In Washington State, California
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said there are 6 confirmed human cases of H5 avian flu in Washington state, as well as 3 more cases in California, raising the national total of human cases to 36 in the United States. In both Washington and California, the new cases have occurred in workers on affected farms. (Soucheray, 10/29)
The New York Times: C.D.C. Warns Of Unusual Rise In Walking Pneumonia Cases
Infections with the bacteria that causes walking pneumonia have risen significantly this year, particularly among young children, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned this month. The bacteria, called Mycoplasma pneumoniae, spreads through coughs and sneezes and can cause respiratory illnesses. Cases have risen among adults and children, but the most notable increase has been among children between 2 and 4, which experts say is striking given that the bacteria typically infects older children. Data suggests that doctors have diagnosed a growing number of children in this age group with infections after they sought treatment in emergency rooms for pneumonia. (Blum, 10/29)
CIDRAP: In Florida Nursing Homes, Only 11% Say Staff Flu Vaccination Is Required Despite High-Risk Setting
Only 11% of infection-prevention leads at 3,700 Florida nursing homes and assisted-living facilities (ALFs) said their facility requires influenza vaccination for healthcare workers despite the high risk to residents, shows a survey published last week in the American Journal of Infection Control. (Van Beusekom, 10/29)
Axios: Extreme Heat Set Records For Health Perils In 2023
Climate change exposed people to an average of 50 more days of health-threatening temperatures around the world last year and drove heat-related deaths to record highs, according to an annual report published Wednesday. The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change represents the most up-to-date assessment of the connection between health and climate change and includes sweeping recommendations for the U.S., including a call for ending fossil fuel expansion specifically because of the health consequences. (Bettelheim, 10/30)
WUSF: Dengue Spreads In Tampa Area After Hurricanes Bring Ideal Mosquito Conditions
The state’s recent onslaught of warm, wet weather is bringing back the mosquitoes. And while you might be used to dealing with the tropical bug, now may be a good time to take extra precautions. “This is one of the most active arbovirus years for the state of Florida that I’ve seen in my 17 plus years in the state mosquito control industry,” said Adriane Rogers, executive director of Pasco County Mosquito Control. (Kukday, 10/29)
Bloomberg: Climate Change Is Driving Sleep Loss As Nights Get Warmer
Climate change is increasingly disrupting people’s sleep. High nighttime temperatures led to 5% more hours of sleep lost worldwide over the past five years compared to the period between 1986 and 2005, according to the latest edition of the Lancet’s study of climate and health. It marks the first time the prestigious medical journal has examined this metric. Sleep loss peaked in 2023, the hottest year on record, when there was a 6% rise. (Rudgard, 10/30)
ABC News: Discontinuation Of Popular Asthma Medication, Flovent, Linked With Increased Hospitalization
Data from over 3 million people who had been using Flovent showed a 17.5% increase in asthma-related hospitalization in the three months after Flovent was discontinued, and a 24.1% increase in the following three to six months. ICU admissions for asthma in those previously using Flovent increased 17.4% three months after discontinuation, and 23.1% three to six months after discontinuation. The data included children and adults. It was analyzed by two teams at EPIC Research, who came to similar conclusions. These findings have not gone through the usual peer-review process. (Parekh and Avery, 10/29)
Stat: Alzheimer's Drug From Roche Shows Potential In Early Study
An experimental Alzheimer’s therapy from Roche successfully cleared a protein that’s a hallmark of the disease from patients’ brains, the company reported Wednesday, adding to evidence that the drug shows promise. (Joseph, 10/30)
Stat: Eli Lilly Says Modified Dosing Of Its Alzheimer’s Drug Kisunla May Be Safer
A change in the dosing regimen of Eli Lilly’s Alzheimer’s drug Kisunla resulted in a lower rate of brain swelling among patients in a clinical trial, new data reported Tuesday show. But it’s unclear whether the new dosing schedule, if approved by regulators, will convince doctors that the treatment is safer for patients. (Chen, 10/29)
Bloomberg: Ozempic Copycats Spurring Employer Interest In Covering Weight-Loss Drugs
Telehealth companies Hims & Hers Health Inc., Noom Inc. and Sesame Inc. have lured individual customers with low-cost versions of popular weight-loss shots like Ozempic and Wegovy. Now, they’re going after employers, too, as the medications become an in-demand perk. After Noom began offering a compounded copy of Wegovy for $149 a month, Chief Executive Officer Geoff Cook said he was “actually a little surprised” by the level of employer interest. (Constantz and Muller, 10/29)
Modern Healthcare: CVS To Offer MinuteClinic For Primary Care To Aetna Members
CVS Health's MinuteClinic is becoming an in-network primary care provider for select Aetna plan members. Aetna commercial, individual and family health plan members in San Antonio, Houston, Atlanta and south Florida have the option to use MinuteClinic as an in-network primary care provider, with members in North Carolina becoming eligible in the coming weeks, said Dr. Creagh Milford, retail health president at CVS Health. (Hudson, 10/29)
Crain's Chicago Business: Walgreens Layoffs Hit 256 Workers In Another Round Of Cuts
Walgreens Boots Alliance is laying off more employees in another round of corporate personnel cuts.The struggling pharmacy chain is laying off 256 employees, or 3.6%, of its support center team employees and cutting about 215 open and unfilled roles, Walgreens spokesman Fraser Engerman confirmed Tuesday in a statement to Crain’s. (Davis, 10/29)
Modern Healthcare: Scrub Capital Aims To Bring Clinician Perspective To Investing
A group of clinicians brought together over an interest in venture capital has evolved into a full-fledged investment firm. Scrub Capital, a digital health-focused venture capital firm, publicly launched on Tuesday after six months of operating quietly. The firm, which has 650 clinician members, is setting the target for its first fund at $10 million and will invest in digital health and medical device companies. (Turner, 10/29)
Modern Healthcare: Prospect Medical Holdings Sued Over Crozer Health Management
Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry filed a civil lawsuit Tuesday against Prospect Medical Holdings for its alleged mismanagement of Crozer Health facilities. The attorney general's office is seeking a preliminary injunction to preserve existing service lines and the appointment of a receiver to manage Crozer's facilities until a new owner is secured, Henry said at a Tuesday press conference. (Hudson, 10/29)
Modern Healthcare: State Medicaid Pay Is Too Low, Insurers Say. States Disagree
Twenty-five of 41 states surveyed increased Medicaid capitation payments for fiscal 2024 and fiscal 2025 to reflect rising acuity in the aftermath of mass eligibility redeterminations, according to a report the health policy research institution KFF published last week. Michigan, for example, boosted rates in April to address escalating costs. But health insurance companies argue the raises did not do enough to steady their finances. (Tepper, 10/29)
CBS News: Ann Arbor Teachers Sound Alarm Over New Health Care Rate Hikes
Teachers in Ann Arbor Public Schools are saying new health care premium increases would make it difficult for them to continue teaching in the district. This followed the Board of Education's March announcement that it was suddenly facing a $25 million "budget shortfall." Fred Klein, president of the Ann Arbor Education Association, said although the increase came from insurance companies, the district decides how to divide costs. (Bruckner, 10/29)
Los Angeles Times: Health Advocates Call State Plan On Maternal Deaths Burdensome
Dozens of maternal health organizations and advocates are urging the California surgeon general to suspend the rollout of a plan aimed at reducing maternal mortality, saying that the recently announced initiative won’t effectively address the crisis and “risks exacerbating existing inequities.” In a letter shared with The Times, representatives of organizations ... faulted the plan for “placing undue burden on individuals” and failing to “explicitly name and address racism as a root cause of maternal health inequities.” (Alpert Reyes, 10/29)
Stateline: Overdose Deaths Are Rising Among Black And Indigenous Americans
The recent decline in overdose deaths hides a tremendous disparity by race: Deaths have fallen only among white people while continuing to rise among people of color, according to a new Stateline analysis of federal data.Health experts in nonwhite communities say they’re finding strategies that work in their areas, but that they still struggle for recognition and funding to address the problems, especially among Black and Native people. (Henderson, 10/29)
San Francisco Chronicle: S.F. To Pay Drug Users Up To $100 A Week For Sobriety Under New Program
San Francisco will begin paying city welfare recipients up to $100 for every week they stay sober, the latest city strategy to combat a drug epidemic that has claimed over 500 lives this year. Mayor London Breed and Supervisor Matt Dorsey — who represents the South of Market and Mission Bay — unveiled the “Cash Not Drugs” bill in July, and the plan to pay welfare recipients when they test negative for illegal substances passed the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday. (Toledo, 10/29)
Los Angeles Times: 14 Sent To Hospital After Suspected Overdoses At Men's Central Jail
Three weeks after one man died from a suspected overdose at a downtown jail, authorities said another seven Men’s Central Jail inmates were hospitalized early Tuesday morning following another potential drug exposure incident. ... In addition to taking lifesaving measures — including giving the men the overdose-reversing drug naloxone — deputies requested help from the Los Angeles Fire Department. (Blakinger and Uranga, 10/29)
The Mercury News: Santa Clara County: Officials Announce Program To Provide Health Services To Those Released From Prison
Santa Clara County is one of the first in the state to implement a program that would provide health services to people who are set to be released from prison or jail through Medi-Cal, county officials said at a press conference in San Jose on Tuesday. The Justice-Involved Reentry Initiative would provide medical and behavioral health services for Medi-Cal eligible adults and youth in state prisons, county jails and youth correctional facilities 90 days before their release. Officials said Tuesday that they had already enrolled 100 people in the county’s pilot program. (Delacruz, 10/29)
