Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Lab Sued Over Covid Test Fees By Another Blue Cross, Blue Shield Insurer
Modern Healthcare: BCBS Sues COVID Testing Lab Again
Another Blue Cross and Blue Shield insurer sued GS Labs over its COVID-19 tests on Thursday, alleging the national testing facility forced commercially insured customers to take unnecessary, expensive tests to fleece Premera Blue Cross out of $26 million. The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington at Seattle, represents the second complaint against Omaha, Nebraska-based testing company. In July, BCBS Kansas City accused GS Labs of attempting to profit from the public health crisis by upcharging the not-for-profit insurer $9.2 million for COVID-19 tests. GS Labs responded by counter-suing BCBS Kansas City, accusing the insurer of "legal bullying" by filing a surprise lawsuit intended to stiff the company out of paying for some 34,600 member claims. The case is pending. (Tepper, 10/15)
In other news about the spread of the coronavirus —
The New York Times: Coronavirus Cases Rise In The North Amid Lower Temperatures
Even as the Delta-variant-driven virus wave is receding in much of the United States, many counties across the country’s northernmost regions are experiencing rising cases as colder weather arrives. ... The five states with the fastest rising caseloads are Vermont, Colorado, New Hampshire, Michigan and Minnesota, and the two counties with the most cases per capita in Vermont and New Hampshire are on the Canadian border. The virus followed a similar pattern last fall: Cases receded in the Southern regions after summer surges, while they steadily increased throughout the North as the weather became colder and people moved indoors. (Slotnik, 10/18)
Oklahoman: Oklahomans Will See The COVID-19 Death Toll Jump Next Week. Here’s Why
The Oklahoma Health Department’s death toll for COVID-19 in Oklahoma will jump by about 1,000 next week as part of a data reconciliation process. The update will bring the Health Department’s toll, which stood at 9,402 as of its last update, closer to the one reported by the Centers for Disease Control’s National Center for Health Statistics. The discrepancy in numbers is not believed to be indicative of an inaccuracy in either figure. The CDC numbers are the most timely count of Oklahoma lives lost to COVID, according to state officials. The state's health department numbers lag slightly as each case goes through an investigative process before a death is ruled a result of COVID-19. (Branham, 10/16)
The Washington Post: District To Hire More Pandemic Staff To Help School Administrators
The District plans to spend nearly $40 million to hire additional contact tracers, substitute teachers and workers who would handle coronavirus logistics in schools, marking an attempt to address staffing shortages that have hampered the reopening of campuses. (Stein, 10/16)
The Washington Post: Antibody Tests Can’t Give Answers You Want About Covid-19 Immunity
Talk of the need for coronavirus booster shots has prompted many Americans to seek antibody tests.In most cases, however, getting an antibody test to determine immunity is a fool’s errand, infectious-disease doctors agree. The tests for antibodies, also known as serology tests, do not provide the answers that most people are seeking. ... The tests might indicate the presence or even the level of coronavirus-fighting antibodies in the bloodstream, but scientists don’t yet know what number of antibodies provide protection from covid-19. (Ollove, 10/17)
KHN: Journalists Tell How Covid Complicates Organ Transplants And The Health Of Rural America
KHN senior correspondent JoNel Aleccia discussed organ transplants and the covid-19 vaccine on NBC’s “NBC Now” on Oct. 8. ... KHN Midwest correspondent Lauren Weber discussed covid deaths in rural America on Iowa Public Radio’s “River to River” on Oct. 7. (10/16)
