Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Groundswell For Raising Smoking Age Goes Hyper-Local, With More Action Coming Out Of City Councils Than State Capitols
Stateline: Local Governments Aren’t Waiting For States To Raise Smoking Age
Last month, Massachusetts became the sixth state to boost its legal smoking age to 21. While two dozen other states considered similar bills this legislative session — and many likely will do so again in 2019 — much of the groundswell of activity isn’t happening in state capitols. A growing number of local governments are acting on their own to ban the sale of tobacco products to anyone under 21. At least 340 towns, cities and counties in 21 states have taken action, compared with about 200 in 14 states in 2016. (Bergal, 8/29)
Stat: Officials Look To Update Federal Guidelines For Mail-Order DNA Companies
The Trump administration wants to modernize the federal guidelines for companies that sell made-to-order DNA in hopes of keeping dangerous genetic material — like smallpox or the Ebola virus — out of the hands of malicious potential customers, federal officials confirmed to STAT this week. The administration’s work is still in early stages, and it’s too soon to tell whether or how the government will make the guidelines more stringent, as companies and experts in the space have called for. (Swetlitz, 8/29)
Stat: Genealogist Barbara Rae-Venter Helped Crack The Golden State Killer Case
Barbara Rae-Venter is pioneering a new, high-stakes application of genomics — one that could put killers behind bars. Half a lifetime ago, she was married to the man who went on to become perhaps the best-known pioneer of the field. The retired patent attorney and genetic genealogist offered California investigators crucial guidance that helped crack the Golden State Killer case, according to the San Jose Mercury News. (Robbins, 8/28)
Kaiser Health News: Earwax, Of All Things, Poses Unrecognized Risk In Long-Term Care
Of all the indignities that come with aging, excessive earwax may be the most insidious.Don’t laugh. That greasy, often gross, buildup occurs more often in older ears than those of the young, experts say. And when it goes unrecognized, it can pose serious problems, especially for the 2.2 million people who live in U.S. nursing homes and assisted living centers. (Aleccia, 8/29)
The New York Times: Exercise Now, Sit In Front Of The TV Later
If we spend an hour working out, that’s one hour less during our day that we can potentially spend being sedentary. But we may, consciously or not, find other opportunities during the day to move less, undermining our best intentions and the potential health benefits of the exercise, according to an interesting new study of how people use their time, minute by minute, on days when they exercise and when they do not. Time management is always tricky, involving constant trade-offs, not all of which are voluntary or even conscious. (Reynolds, 8/29)
Stat: At 83, AIDS Activist Larry Kramer Isn’t Done Ripping Into His Foes
Over the course of three decades, the name Larry Kramer has become synonymous with the gay rights movement, patient rights — and savage attacks on public officials and drug companies. Today, with controversy over drug prices and concern over public health funding, we were curious what Kramer had on his mind. We also wondered whether at the age of 83 he has mellowed. He has not. (Berke, 8/29)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Did You Get Whooping Cough Vaccine? Don't Assume You're Protected
Whooping cough, a potentially life-threatening childhood illness, all but disappeared in the 1940s after a vaccine was developed. But in recent decades, the illness has been making a comeback. Changes in the vaccine and waning immunity are likely contributing to the resurgence of the illness, according to experts. (Oliviero, 8/28)
