Latest KFF Health News Stories
Appeals Court Hears Arguments On Vaccine Mandate For Federal Workers
A federal judge in Texas had ruled that President Joe Biden’s order for all federal employees to be vaccinated overstepped his power, but judges in other parts of the country have upheld the mandate.
FDA Is A Step Closer To Shutting Down Loophole That’s Fueling Teen Vaping
A provision in the congressional spending bill would give the Food and Drug Administration greater authority to regulate synthetic nicotine — an ingredient e-cigarette manufacturers have used to get around regulations. New regulation would be part of the effort to stop the dangerous resurgence in teen vaping.
Congressional Spending Deal Allocates $15 Billion To Covid Efforts
But that’s less than the $22 billion the White House says is needed for pandemic measures. The massive budget package also includes aid for Ukraine. In other news, Congress passes a $50 billion U.S. Postal Service relief bill intended to avoid delivery delays — which can impact medications — but means big changes to workers’ health care programs.
‘We Owe You’: Biden Focuses On Need For Better Veteran Health Care
Reinforcing his State of the Union message spotlighting the unique and urgent health care issues of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans, President Joe Biden Biden met Tuesday with service members at a Veterans Affairs clinic in Fort Worth, Texas.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Israel Has First Polio Case In 32 Years
An unvaccinated 4-year-old in Jerusalem is infected with Israel’s first polio case in over 30 years. In other news, the alleged 9/11 “20th hijacker” has been repatriated to Saudi Arabia for mental health care; 80,000 births are expected in Ukraine with poor care services; and more.
Opinion writers examine these covid related topics.
San Francisco Police Still Using Victims’ DNA To Investigate Crimes
The San Francisco Police Department had promised to stop the practice, but are reportedly planning to keep doing it while being less open about how they acquired the DNA. Also in the news, a concerning change to nursing home staff requirements in Florida, a “religious freedom” bill against future pandemics in Virginia, and more.
People Falling Victim To Price Gap For Tests In Surprise Billing Law
Also, changes in care models driven by staff shortages and treatment deferrals; a battle over Medicare Advantage coding intensity; a novel pediatric care clinical model from NYC; reduced pediatric hospitalization thanks to medical-legal partnerships; and more.
Economic Burden Of LGBTQ+ Conversion Therapy Is $9 Billion
New research showing the direct costs of LGBTQ+ conversion therapy are around $650 million a year, but the indirect costs of covering treatment for anxiety, depression, and the drug abuse it causes total $8.58 billion. Media outlets cover more LGBTQ+ issues, abortion restrictions, and more.
Lawmakers Close In On Deal For $15 Billion More In Covid Funding
The negotiations for additional relief money is part of ongoing budget negotiations that face a looming deadline. The White House urges lawmakers to move fast, saying that current funds are running out. In other news from the Hill: Sen. Ron Johnson races the specter of Obamacare repeal again.
Moderna Soon Will Begin Vaccine Trials For 15 Other Diseases
The company’s efforts will include prototype vaccines against Middle East respiratory syndrome, the Ebola and Marburg viruses, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, chikungunya, and dengue. The company has already begun trials for HIV and Zika vaccines, Bloomberg reported.
Unvaxxed Navy Seals May Be Forced To Get Shots By Supreme Court
The White House is asking the Supreme Court to overrule a federal judge who had upheld the Navy Seals’ lawsuit against a Defense Department vaccine mandate. Separately, students are suing Santa Clara University over its booster mandate, alleging they experienced side effects.
CDC Head Expects Covid To Be Seasonal Like Flu
Dr. Rochelle Walensky said she anticipates covid being s seasonal virus, and spread more during the colder months. In other pandemic news: half of the people in Houston who died of covid had diabetes, and that it may be causing more diabetes cases among younger people who had covid.
Mild Covid Can Cause Brain Damage, Study Finds
The shrinkage of brain matter was equivalent in size to at least one extra year of aging and as much as a decade. However, “it is possible that it is reversible,” said the lead author of the study, Gwenaëlle Douaud of the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences at Oxford.
Defying CDC And Science, Florida Says Healthy Kids Shouldn’t Get Vaxxed
Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo didn’t say when the new guidance from the state’s department of health would become official and provided few details. But health experts immediately criticized the plan as needlessly putting millions of children in harm’s way.
FDA Clears Way For Sale Of Gene-Edited Beef
The Food and Drug Administration says it found no safety issues with meat from genetically altered cattle. The CRISPR-edited beef could hit the markets in two years, the FDA estimates.
EPA Proposes Tougher Truck Emission Standards To Combat Health Issues
The Environmental Protection Agency released a draft rule that would kick in by 2027 and impact large vehicles like tractor-trailer trucks and buses that emit toxic pollutants. Other environmental health stories report on asthma, extreme heat, tainted water, and more.
Exposure To Lead In Gas As Kids Dulled IQ In Half Of US Adults: Study
Over 170 million people born in the U.S. before 1996 — when the country banned leaded gas — were exposed to harmful levels of lead during their developmental years, a new study estimates. And that resulted in an average per-person drop in IQ of 2.6 points.
Editorial writers delve into these public health topics.
