Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: Hurdles Not Slowing Floridians From Signing Up During Enrollment For ACA; Alarmed Minn. Health Officials Urge Hep A Vaccine For Those At Risk
Tampa Bay Times: Obamacare Still Thrives In Florida, Despite New Hurdles
As open enrollment nears for the Affordable Care Act, large swaths of Florida are doing without the health care “navigators” who help Americans understand and sign up for insurance plans. The Trump administration slashed the budget for their services over the last two years, one of the reasons enrollment in the federal health care program is down nationally. (Griffin, 10/28)
MPR: Hepatitis A Infections Rising In Minnesota
The number of hepatitis A infections in Minnesota has been consistently climbing since spring, and state health officials are urging people at risk to get vaccinated.Infections were initially reported mostly in the north-central part of the state but have recently moved into the Twin Cities, said Kris Ehresmann, director for infectious disease at the Minnesota Department of Health. (Collins, 10/25)
The Associated Press: Medication Lockers Help Miami's Homeless Living With HIV
Ivette Naida says keeping tabs on her HIV medication can be a daunting task. Naida lives underneath a Miami highway overpass with several other homeless men and women. She has no safe place to keep her belongings. HIV-positive people who live on the streets are less likely to be successful in suppressing the virus with medication, according to a 2017 National Institute of Health study and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (10/26)
Boston Globe: Charities Pay $6 Million To Feds To Resolve Allegations They Paid Kickbacks To Medicare Patients Purchasing Medications
Two charities have agreed to pay a combined $6 million to resolve allegations they enabled drug companies to pay kickbacks to Medicare patients who took the companies’ medications, federal prosecutors in Boston said Friday. In a statement, US Attorney Andrew E. Lelling’s office identified the nonprofits as the Chronic Disease Fund Inc., doing business as Good Days from CDF, and the Patient Access Network Foundation. (Andersen, 10/25)
The Associated Press: Man Wins Lottery Prize On Way For Cancer Treatment
A North Carolina man won a $200,000 lottery prize while on the way to his last round of chemotherapy. WTVD-TV reports that Ronnie Foster bought the winning scratch-off ticket before getting treatment for colon cancer. Foster said he claimed the prize Friday at the lottery headquarters in Raleigh. He said he took home about $140,000 after taxes. Foster said he plans to use part of his winnings to pay his medical bills. (10/27)
St. Louis Public Radio: More Young People Are Getting Skin Cancer — And That Troubles Missouri Doctors
The deadliest form of skin cancer is becoming more common in children and young adults. Head and neck melanoma cases in young people rose more than 50% in the U.S. and Canada in less than two decades, according to new research from St. Louis University. Melanoma rates have increased the fastest among young white men — a group often overlooked in skin-cancer-prevention campaigns. (Farzan, 10/27)
New Hampshire Union Leader: Catching Patients Off Guard: A Call For Greater Transparency For 'Facility Fees'
A facility fee is often applied by medical offices, urgent care centers and clinics affiliated with hospitals to spread costs across the network to boost revenue to offset losses. The fees are legal, but many say they’re poorly disclosed and carry a high cost compared to the services provided. ...Facility fees have become more frequent as the number of physicians affiliated with hospitals or larger health care networks have increased over the past 20 years, according to Tyler Brannen, director of health economics with the New Hampshire Insurance Department. (Phelps, 10/26)
The Oregonian: 2 More Cases Of Measles Linked To Portland Airport Case; Washington, Clackamas And Lane Counties Exposed
Two new cases of measles in Oregon are linked to the exposure at Portland International Airport earlier this month. Both people were exposed on an international flight that landed in Portland on Oct. 12 and have since come down with the virus, according to a news release from the Oregon Health Authority. One is a Lane County resident and the other was visiting Washington County. (Goodykoontz, 10/26)
California Healthline: Snooze You Can Use: California Legislates More Sleep For Better Health
Teenagers don’t get enough sleep, and California’s effort to fix the problem may serve as a wake-up call to other states’ lawmakers. A law recently signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom that mandates later start times for most students — no earlier than 8 a.m. in middle school and 8:30 a.m. in high school — is the first statewide response in the United States to overwhelming evidence that chronic lack of sleep impairs teens. (Kreidler, 10/25)
Seattle Times: Madigan Army Medical Center Won’t Appeal $12.3M Verdict For Child Burned During Surgery
The Army has withdrawn plans to appeal a $12.3 million verdict awarded to the family of a child who was seriously burned and disfigured in an operating-room fire at Madigan Army Medical Center in 2015, clearing the way to release money the child needs for additional surgeries and rehabilitation, according to court documents. The decision came more than two months after the Army, after admitting responsibility for the fire in court documents, announced it would take the verdict to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals for possible review after damages came in nearly four times the amount government attorneys had recommended the child and his parents be paid. (Carter, 1/25)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Georgia Emergency Services Face Lack Of Resources
Other on-and-off budget cuts over the years and lax enforcement further eroded the quality of emergency transport care, critics say. As a result, Georgians can’t rest assured that their rush to the hospital will be in a vehicle that is safe and has the equipment and personnel that will provide them with the best chances of survival, an Atlanta Journal-Constitution examination found. (Berard, 10/26)
Austin American-Statesman: Austin ISD Board Slated To Approve Controversial Sex Ed Curriculum
A showdown between conservative and liberal state activists over the district’s proposed sex education curriculum is expected at Monday night’s Austin school board meeting. Planned Parenthood of the Texas Capital Region is advocating for the district’s new curriculum, and on Wednesday asked supporters to join it in the board room to advocate for the new lesson plans, describing them as “LGBTQ inclusive, science-based, and much-needed.” (Washington, 10/25)
Kansas City Star: KCK Schools, Local Groups Work To Support Homeless Students.
In 2015, with more than 1,400 homeless students attending its schools, KCKPS partnered with the non-profit Avenue of Life, a community service organization looking for a population to help. In four years, the collaboration cut the district homeless population roughly in half. This year KCKPS counted 788 homeless students. (Williams, 10/27)
Boston Globe: Mass. Hemp Farmers Say They Face Ruin Thanks To State Ban On Most CBD Products
Now, farmers say, the disaster they warned of all summer is here: Tens of thousands of pounds of hemp harvested in the last few weeks and currently drying in barns across Massachusetts have nowhere to go, with edibles-makers sidelined and other buyers offering extremely low prices to use the crop as biomass for fuel or feed. Lacking a financial incentive to process the plants into CBD and with state rules also banning exports and the sale of smokeable hemp flower, growers are bracing for ruin. (Adams, 10/25)
