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Each week, KHN finds longer stories for you to enjoy. This week's selections include stories on covid, medical gaslighting, TikTok tics, mental health on Madison Avenue, the "Cave" at Berkeley, and more.
Already dangerous illegal drugs in Chicago and elsewhere are reportedly even more dangerous now that the veterinary drug is part of the mix; the sedative is showing up in more autopsies of opioid-related deaths. A peanut butter recall, end-stage kidney disease, and more are also in the news.
President Joe Biden released a supportive message on trans matters, noting transgender people were "deserving of dignity, respect and support." The State Department announced Thursday that an "X" gender marker would be allowed on U.S. passports. And Florida's governor was sued by LGBTQ+ students.
The post-24-week abortion ban had exceptions only for situations where the pregnancy threatened the mother's health, but the House then added an exception for fatal fetal anomalies. PBS NewsHour, meanwhile, calls Oklahoma's anti-abortion law a "tipping point" for the future of abortion access.
The controversial approval of the Alzheimer's drug Aduhelm generated much media discussion, but Dr. Robert Califf, the new head of the Food and Drug Administration, says it also hurt trust in the FDA among the expert community. Meanwhile, reports say drug, health supplies shortages are ongoing.
The updated provision extends the coverage from 60 days after birth to one year. Other Medicaid news is from Maryland, Connecticut, Idaho, and elsewhere.
Modern Healthcare reports that the hospice care industry has also been suffering the same kind of staffing issues during the pandemic as other medical services. Meanwhile, in Boston, Atrius Health is laying off dozens of nurses as pandemic needs wane.
The Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday it will not regulate percholate, a chemical that has been linked to infant brain damage. The agency says it's following the “best available peer reviewed science," but the decision to uphold this Trump-era policy — that many environmental scientists denounced at the time — shocked public health advocates.
Axios and the Washington Post cover data showing pregnancy is linked to nearly double the risk of having a breakthrough covid infection. Organ transplants are similarly correlated to breakthroughs. Other media outlets cover more covid matters, including 44 countries being under 20% vaxxed.
From 2019 to 2020, the maternal death rate in the U.S. rose from 20.1 deaths per 100,000 live births to 23.8 deaths — a nearly 37% increase over 2018. Covid in pregnancy can increase the risk of preterm delivery, blood clots, stillbirth, and preeclampsia, said Dr. Jason Melillo, an OhioHealth OB-GYN.
A CDC study finds that 44% of American teens report that they feel “persistently sad or hopeless" -- up from 37% before the pandemic. The numbers get even worse for LGBTQ+ youth: 75% report emotional abuse in the home, and 20% say they've experienced physical abuse. “These data echo a cry for help,” said Debra Houry, a deputy director at the CDC. “The covid-19 pandemic has created traumatic stressors that have the potential to further erode students’ mental well-being.”
Republicans overwhelmingly opposed the bill, which they say could cause insurance premiums for everyone to rise. The measure now moves to the Senate, where it faces stiff opposition and where advocates are hoping a bipartisan effort might offer a compromise that could win passage.
Senators negotiations reached "an agreement in principle" on a $10 billion covid funding package that would boost federal pandemic efforts to test, treat and vaccinate Americans. Most of the money for global vaccination efforts has been stripped from the proposal, which falls far short of the $22 billion the Biden administration says is needed.
New technology allowed scientists to finish the final 8% of the genome, but putting it to use for medical care could still take years.
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial writers explore these public health topics.
Opinion writers tackle these covid issues.
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
The disorder, which affects language processing, has many causes though some reports say Bruce Willis' declining cognitive state has been a concern on movie sets for some time.
According to the AP, a 40% jump in reported covid deaths last week is likely due to changes in reporting, and adjusted figures from India. But according to the World Health Organization, the world's case count is falling even in regions where the rate rose in December.
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