Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Most States Try To Limit Opioid Treatment Access, Despite Low Uptake
Side Effects Public Media: Most People Who Need Addiction Treatment Don’t Get It. Yet Many State Laws Limit Access
Federal data shows most people who need treatment for opioid use disorder don’t get it. Yet nearly every state has laws that limit access to opioid treatment programs, according to a new report from the Pew Charitable Trusts. (Benson, 9/22)
USA Today: Black, Hispanic Kids Suffer More From Asthma. High Heat Makes It Worse
Higher temperatures mean higher levels of ozone, a gas that forms from burning fossil fuels. That’s a particular concern for inner-city kids of formerly redlined neighborhoods because of the urban heat island effect, which occurs when certain neighborhoods are exposed to more pollutions. These communities also have less green spaces. All of those factors make these areas hotter than other parts of a city, explained Dr. Bridgette Jones, an allergist and pediatrician at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri. (Hassanein, 9/22)
Press Association: Reusable Contact Lenses 'More Than Triple Risk Of Rare Eye Infection'
Reusable contact lens users are almost four times as likely as those wearing daily disposables to develop a rare sight-threatening eye infection, a study has found. The researchers suggest people should avoid wearing their lenses while swimming, or in the shower, and that packaging should include "no water" stickers. (Massey, 9/23)
Press Association: Icy Swim May Cut 'Bad' Body Fat, Protect Against Obesity, Study Suggests
Taking a dip in icy water may cut bad body fat in men and reduce the risk of disorders such as diabetes, a new study suggests. Researchers looked at 104 studies and found that many reported significant effects from cold water swimming, including also on good fat which helps burn calories. (Massey, 9/23)
Stat: Surgeons Can Take A Fifth Of The Lungs To Get A Tumor. Is There A Better Way?
Claudia Donohue was on the operating table first thing in the morning. It wasn’t where she wanted to end up when she first learned she had lung cancer. (Chen, 9/23)
KHN: Hemp-Derived Delta-8 Skirts Marijuana Laws And Raises Health Concerns
Suzan Kennedy has smoked marijuana, and says her Wisconsin roots mean she can handle booze, so she was not concerned earlier this year when a bartender in St. Paul, Minnesota, described a cocktail with the cannabinoid delta-8 THC as “a little bit potent.” Hours after enjoying the tasty drink and the silliness that reminded Kennedy of a high from weed, she said, she started to feel “really shaky and faint” before collapsing in her friend’s arms. Kennedy regained consciousness and recovered, but her distaste for delta-8 remains, even though the substance is legal at the federal level, unlike marijuana. (Berger, 9/23)
KHN: Shattered Dreams And Bills In The Millions: Losing A Baby In America
The day after his 8-month-old baby died, Kingsley Raspe opened the mail and found he had been sent to collections for her care. That notice involved a paltry sum, $26.50 — absurd really, given he’d previously been told he owed $2.5 million for treatment of his newborn’s congenital heart defect and other disorders. (Weber, 9/23)
Also —
Reuters: World Leaders Pledge Billions To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, Malaria On UN Sidelines
The Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria on Wednesday reached $14.25 billion pledged as world leaders seek to fight the killer diseases after progress was knocked off course by the COVID-19 pandemic. U.S. President Joe Biden, who hosted the conference in New York on the sidelines of the annual high-level meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, said the funding is crucial to combating the diseases. (Psaledakis and Holland, 9/21)
