Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Hastily Revised ACIP Charter Rescinded Because HHS Did Not Meet Legal Requirements
Bloomberg: HHS Rescinds Vaccine Panel Charter After Administrative Error
The US Department of Health and Human Services has rescinded the committee charter for a key vaccine advisory panel after previously changing the rules to allow Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to remake the group. In a notice posted on Monday, the agency said it is returning the group to its original framework for the next two years following an administrative error. HHS and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention didn’t provide the appropriate amount of time for public comment before issuing the new charter on April 6, the notice said. (Nix, 5/18)
On the healthcare system —
MedPage Today: HHS Panel That Aims To Reshape U.S. Healthcare Holds Its First Meeting
A new HHS health advisory committee met very briefly Monday to introduce its members and outline its broad goals for reshaping large parts of the healthcare system. The Healthcare Advisory Committee, whose existence was announced on March 26, says on its website that its purpose is to "advise HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and CMS Administrator [Mehmet Oz, MD, MBA] on ways to improve how care is financed and delivered across Medicare, Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program [CHIP], and the [Affordable Care Act] Health Insurance Marketplace. The committee will provide non-binding recommendations to inform federal healthcare policy and program administration." (Frieden, 5/18)
The New York Times: Insurers’ Delays In Approving Medical Care Persist, Despite Promises
Nearly a year after the nation’s health insurers pledged to overhaul their much-criticized practice of prior approval for medical care, patients and doctors say there is little evidence that delays and denials for necessary treatment have eased. Just ask Candace Rond. She tried for weeks to get medication for her 15-year-old daughter, Gabby, who has two autoimmune diseases. “The whole prior authorization experience is a nightmare,” Ms. Rond said. (Abelson, 5/18)
KFF Health News: Eroding ACA Enrollment Portends Higher Insurance Rates
Enrollment in the Affordable Care Act continues to erode as some customers struggle to make premium payments, with the declining numbers churning market uncertainty for insurers. In response, insurers are likely to raise rates again next year, following this year’s larger-than-typical hikes. Sign-ups were already down in January by about 1.2 million from last year’s record enrollment. For this year, enrollees then faced premiums that increased, on average, by 26%. On top of that, subsidies that help people purchase coverage shrank or vanished. (Appleby, 5/19)
On MAHA —
Modern Healthcare: RWJBarnabas Health Launches Food-Is-Medicine Hub In Newark
RWJBarnabas Health has opened a $7 million food-is-medicine hub to take on chronic disease, making it a potential standard bearer in the Make America Healthy Again movement. Last week, the New Jersey academic health system opened Harvest — an 8,000-square-foot facility in Newark that is a combination food bank, commercial kitchen and classroom. The center is designed to teach people living in nearby food deserts how to eat healthier and provide them with the food to do it. (Eastabrook, 5/18)
The New York Times: Calls For ‘No Seed Oil’ Push Companies To Order Up Butter And Beef Tallow
Businesses are finding different (and more costly) ways to fry foods as shoppers demand alternatives to seed oils as part of the Make America Healthy Again movement. (Creswell, 5/19)
On the immigration crisis —
The Washington Post: ICE Agent Charged In Shooting Of Immigrant During Minneapolis Crackdown
Minnesota prosecutors issued a warrant for the arrest of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who allegedly shot a Venezuelan immigrant during the federal government’s enforcement surge in Minneapolis early this year. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty identified Christian J. Castro, 52, as the ICE agent alleged to have shot Julio C. Sosa-Celis in the leg on Jan. 14, as agents chased after another man. Minnesota authorities described it as a “case of mistaken identity.” (Hernandez, 5/18)
AP: Autopsy Released On Haitian Man Who Died After Being Detained At Arizona Facility
An autopsy report released Monday confirmed that the death of a Haitian man after spending months at an Arizona immigration detention facility was related to his dental problems, as a family member had contended. But the report also said 56-year-old Emmanuel Damas, whose brother previously said had died from an untreated tooth infection, declined recommendations at dental appointments to have his problematic teeth removed. (Billeaud, 5/19)
ProPublica: Over 100,000 American Kids Had Parents Detained In Immigration Sweeps, Report Estimates
Far more American children have likely been separated from their parents during immigration sweeps than previously understood, according to a report by the Washington, D.C.-based think tank Brookings. The report published Monday estimates more than 100,000 U.S. citizen children have had a parent detained since President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign began last year. The analysis cites reporting from ProPublica on the detention of parents, which can often lead to family separations. (Rosenberg, 5/18)
