Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Marines May Remove Troops With Skin Condition Affecting Mostly Black Men
Military.Com: Marines With Skin Condition Affecting Mostly Black Men Could Now Be Booted Under New Policy
A new Marine Corps policy says troops with a genetic skin condition that can cause pain and scarring from shaving and mainly affects Black men can be separated if the health issue persists. The "interim guidance" issued Thursday gives military health care providers 90 days to reevaluate Marines diagnosed with pseudofolliculitis barbae, or PFB. If they don't recover based on a four-phase treatment program outlined in the message, have to remain on a shaving waiver for more than a year, and a commander deems it fit, the Corps can administratively separate them "due to incompatibility with service," according to the message. (Lawrence, 3/14)
More news about the Trump administration —
The New York Times: Trump Administration Revives Detention Of Immigrant Families
For decades, detaining undocumented immigrant families has been a contentious enforcement tactic. Critics of “family detention” have said young children suffer in confinement. Proponents say that locking families up while they await likely deportation sends a stark message about the consequences of entering the United States illegally. Now, after falling out of use under the Biden administration, family detention is being resurrected by President Trump, as his administration marches forward on its promise to crackdown on immigrants. (Ulloa and Jordan, 3/17)
ProPublica: Trump Halted an Agent Orange Cleanup. That Puts Hundreds of Thousands at Risk for Poisoning.
Diplomats in Vietnam warned Washington that halting USAID’s efforts to clean up the massive deposit of postwar pesticides would be a catastrophe for public health and relations with a key strategic partner in Asia. (Barry-Jester, Murphy and Van, 3/17)
KFF Health News: Scientists Say NIH Officials Told Them To Scrub MRNA References On Grants
National Institutes of Health officials have urged scientists to remove all references to mRNA vaccine technology from their grant applications, two researchers said, in a move that signaled the agency might abandon a promising field of medical research. The mRNA technology is under study at the NIH for prevention and treatment of infectious diseases, including flu and AIDS, and also cancer. It was deployed in the development of covid-19 vaccines credited with saving 3 million lives in the U.S. alone — an accomplishment President Donald Trump bragged about in his first term. (Allen, 3/16)
The Washington Post: A Vaccine Researcher Mentioned ‘Hesitancy.’ Now Her Funding Is Gone
When the National Institutes of Health terminated dozens of research grants that focused on why some people are hesitant to accept vaccines, many researchers were taken aback, outraged, disheartened. Nisha Acharya read her letter in disbelief. Acharya, an ophthalmologist and professor at the University of California at San Francisco, doesn’t study how to combat vaccine hesitancy or test ways to increase vaccine uptake. ... Instead, she studies how well the shingles vaccine works to prevent the painful infection. (Johnson, 3/15)
Modern Healthcare: HHS Public Comments Rollback May Face Supreme Court, Legal Issues
The Health and Human Services Department aims to fast-track policymaking by scrapping procedures it followed for more than 50 years to collect public feedback on government decisions. The Supreme Court and several federal laws may stand in the way. As such, healthcare interests could cite decades of legal and statutory precedent supporting the notice-and-comment process for federal policies to push back against HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s plan to reduce transparency, according to legal and policy experts. (Early, 3/14)
Also —
The 19th: How Will Linda McMahon Approach School Shootings?
For almost three hours, Linda McMahon sat through a confirmation hearing last month in which senators pressed her on everything from teacher pay to transgender athletes. But none from either party asked her about school shootings. (Nittle, 3/14)
