Latest KFF Health News Stories
Drug Industry Plagued With Shortages and Tainted Medications
Read about the biggest pharmaceutical developments and pricing stories from the past week in KHN’s Prescription Drug Watch roundup.
Covid Vaccine Makers Decline To Refund Covax $1.4B For Canceled Orders
The New York Times reports that Gavi, the global foundation that tried to increase access to covid vaccines to the world’s poor via its Covax program, is trying to negotiate with companies to get back some of the prepayments for vaccine orders that were ultimately canceled. The manufacturers involved made $13.8 billion on the vaccines distributed through Covax.
Does House Bill Qualify Medicare As ‘Socialist’?, Democrats Ask
With ongoing negotiations over budget cuts as the backdrop, during a hearing discussion Tuesday Democrats asked if programs like Medicare and Social Security fall under the language of a House Republican’s proposed anti-socialism resolution. Other news from Capitol Hill covers drug prices, veteran health, and more.
In Wake Of Infant Formula Crisis, FDA Shakes Up Leadership Of Food Safety
FDA Commissioner Robert Califf unveiled a plan Tuesday to put a single person in charge of food policy and regulation within the agency, the Wall Street Journal and other news agencies reported. Califf also said he doesn’t plan to fire or reassign anyone involved in the formula controversy.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
New AHA Guidance Reframes TIAs As Warnings, Not Merely ‘Mini Strokes’
The Washington Post reports on new guidance from the American Heart Association concerning transient ischemic attacks, or TIAs: they should be seen as emergencies, a warning of a bigger stroke to come. Separately, research shows happiness spikes when people are in their 70s and 80s.
Memphis EMTs Fired Amid Controversy After Tyre Nichols’ Death
News outlets report on the ongoing impact of Nichols’ death following a traffic stop, including the firing of two EMTs and a lieutenant from the Memphis Fire Department. The rise of Valley fever, slow ambulance response times in Boston, and more are also in the news.
Opioid Trial Of Drug Distributor Companies Begins In Georgia
Cardinal Health Inc., McKesson Corp and JM Smith Corp are accused by families of opioid addicts in Georgia of acting as illegal drug dealers, Reuters reports. Meanwhile, in Detroit a doctor was sentenced to nearly 17 years in prison for a “vast” opioid prescription scheme.
Report: Financial Pressures On Hospital Operating Margins Easing
A monthly Kaufman Hall analysis found while rising labor costs pushed hospital operating margins down from 2021 to 2022, pressure may be easing as expense growth slowed and inpatient volumes rose. But Bloomberg says Moody’s is warning hospitals of bad debt as Medicaid enrollment changes.
Court Tosses J&J Bankruptcy Strategy To Skirt Talc Cancer Suits
A federal appeals court in Philadelphia rejected Johnson & Johnson’s strategy of using bankruptcy to freeze around 40,000 lawsuits linking its talc products and cancer, which could force J&J to fight the cases for years in trial courts.
While Deaths Still Rare, Covid Is Eighth-Top Cause Of Child Mortality
A study published Monday shows that in recent months covid has been the eighth-leading cause of death in children, at a rate of about 1 per 100,000. Also in the news: higher non-white death rates during pregnancy, and higher death rates in California — which can’t be explained by covid alone.
2021 Covid Birth Rate ‘Bump’ Reversed Decline Seen In Recent Years
News outlets report on fresh data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which show a “bump” in the U.S. birth rate in 2021. ABC News says it’s the first uptick in seven years. CNN argues the rate has been declining since 2008. The Hill notes the average age for first pregnancy also rose.
US Health System Most Expensive, Yet Worse For Outcomes Than Peers
News outlets report new data from The Commonwealth Fund research group that found that while the U.S. spends more on health care than any other high-income country, it has the lowest life expectancy at birth and the highest rate of people with multiple health complications.
CMS Sets Tougher Penalties For Improper Medicare Advantage Charges
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services estimates that it could claw back $4.7 billion over 10 years from pending audits of private Medicare Advantage insurers’ charges. The companies didn’t get the leniency they sought for diagnostic errors, which could set up court challenges. Insurers did a major reprieve from returning overpayments from 2011 to 2017.
RNC Pressures GOP To Pass Strictest Anti-Abortion Legislation Possible
The Republican National Committee wants all lawmakers and candidates to “go on offense” in the 2024 election cycle. Other abortion news is from South Carolina, Tennessee, Massachusetts, and elsewhere.
Biden Administration Moves To Expand Coverage Of Birth Control Under ACA
Three federal agencies proposed a new rule to bolster the Affordable Care Act’s contraception protections. It would roll back a Trump-era regulation that allows employers’ moral objections to block insurance coverage to birth control. And it creates an independent pathway for individuals who work for a company that denies coverage on religious grounds.
Pandemic Emergency Will End May 11; Expect To Pay More For Covid Costs
Among the changes likely to occur: The cost of covid vaccinations may skyrocket, the government will no longer give out free covid tests, and hospitals won’t get extra payments for treating covid patients, AP reported. Medicaid benefits, student loan payments, and Title 42 are also affected.
Viewpoints: Physical Pain Has Many Negative Effects On Patients; Why Didn’t EMTs Save Tyre Nichols?
Editorial writers discuss these public health topics.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: We Are Failing Postpartum Families; Lifesaving Reforms Needed For Organ Donation System
Editorial writers tackle these public health topics.
