Latest KFF Health News Stories
Your Flu Shot Is Missing Something This Year — And You’ll Be Glad For It
NPR reports that the FDA is not including one of the strains of flu — B/Yamagata — in this year’s recipe because covid prevention initiatives appear to have pushed it into oblivion. Meanwhile, whooping cough reaches its highest spread since 2014. Have you updated your Tdap shot? You need it every 10 years, the CDC says.
Editorial writers delve into these public health issues.
CVS Ousts CEO Amid Company’s Struggles To Drive Up Profits, Stocks
CVS announced Friday that CEO Karen Lynch will be replaced by David Joyner, as consumer spending drops at the company’s retail pharmacies and Aetna, its insurance unit, faces higher medical costs.
Former Medicare Chief Warns About Medicare Advantage Pay Rates
Donald Berwick, who ran Medicare during the Obama administration, says Medicare Advantage plans run by private insurers need a lot more regulation. He suggests a two-pronged system fix that would take the overpayments out of MA and use that money to cover vision, dental, and hearing service in traditional Medicare, Stat says.
Tennessee Doctors Who Do Emergency Abortions Shouldn’t Fear Punishment, Judges Say
Although a panel of Tennessee judges agrees that providers can’t be punished in the professional realm, they noted physicians still may face criminal charges. Meanwhile, a federal judge clamped down on Florida’s threat to go after networks that run abortion ads, calling the action “unconstitutional coercion.”
CDC: Teen Use Of Tobacco Products Falls 20% To Lowest Level In 25 Years
The CDC released data Thursday that shows teen use of at least one tobacco product — such as cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, nicotine pouches and hookahs — fell to the lowest level since the survey started in 1999. Also, young Instagram users are being warned about sextortion.
First Edition: Friday, Oct. 18, 2024
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Research Roundup: Metformin; Covid; Mpox; RSV; Breakdancing (Yes, Really)
Each week, KFF Health News compiles a selection of health policy studies and briefs.
Alcohol Safety Study Stirs Controversy Ahead Of New Dietary Guidelines
A study this year from the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking, intended to inform dietary guidelines for 2025-30, is causing outrage among a group of lawmakers, led by the co-chairs of the Congressional Wine Caucus.
Archdiocese Of Los Angeles Settles Childhood Sex Abuse Claims For $880M
“My hope is that this settlement will provide some measure of healing for what these men and women have suffered,” Archbishop José H. Gomez said. News from around the nation also includes psychiatric hospital changes in Maryland, meningococcal disease in Texas, and more.
Chemo-Radiation-Chemo Combo For Cervical Cancer Cuts Death Risk By 40%
Researchers found that a quick blast of chemotherapy ahead of standard treatment not only improves survival chances but also reduces the chance of the cancer returning.
FDA Can Approve Cheaper Copycat Of Heart-Failure Drug Entresto, Judge Says
Novartis, which made more than $6 billion in revenue from the drug last year, says it will appeal the ruling. In other news: A study shows that people with HIV can safely receive donated kidneys from deceased donors who also had HIV.
Oropouche Virus Spreads; CDC Warns It Might Be Sexually Transmissible
CIDRAP reports that federal health officials know of 90 cases of Oropouche virus from five states, mostly from Florida, although none of the cases is known to have been sexually transmitted. Plus: Novavax’s trial of its covid-flu shot stalls after one of the participants reported nerve damage.
Viewpoints: The Sad Reality Of Abortion Care In America; Abortion Bans Causing Doctors To Flee
Editorial writers discuss these public health topics.
‘Big 3’ Medicare Advantage Insurer Algorithms Deny 1 in 4 Post-Acute Care Requests: Probe
A Senate investigation found the three largest Medicare Advantage insurers have been increasingly denying seniors claims since adopting AI and algorithms to help streamline the approval process, reaching a nearly 1 in 4 denial rate since 2022.
Not Satisfied With ‘Concepts,’ Doctors Want Full Health Plan From Trump
Over 1,500 physicians from the Committee to Protect Health Care PAC, which has endorsed Democrat Kamala Harris for president, are calling on Republican Donald Trump to release a concrete health care policy plan before the election. Separately, some Republican operatives aren’t happy with doctors who are urging their patients to vote.
Kansas, Idaho, And Missouri Taking Steps To Limit Mifepristone Access
In the legal filing, made in Texas, the states lay out their case for bringing back restrictions on the medication used in abortions, arguing that easing those restrictions “undermine state abortion laws and frustrate state law enforcement.”
CDC: Drug Overdose Deaths Drop By Record Amount Over Past Year
Provisional data from the CDC indicates a 15% drop from the prior 12-month period. Separately, accidental overdoses of fentanyl in San Francisco dropped to a four-year low in September.
First Edition: Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Teen Mental Health Lawsuits Against Meta Allowed To Proceed, Judge Rules
A federal judge ruled Tuesday that the social media company Meta must face lawsuits brought against it by U.S. states, claiming the company’s addictive algorithms contribute to mental health problems in teens. Meanwhile, California’s Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, mandates menstrual health education for middle and high school students.
