Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Study Shows Guns Now Kill More People Than Other Traumas Do
The Hill: Firearm Deaths Become Leading Cause Of Trauma-Related Death: Study
Firearms are now the leading cause of trauma-related deaths in the U.S., according to a study published on Tuesday, overtaking motor vehicle crashes as the top cause of years of potential life lost. Researchers at the Westchester Medical Center reached the finding after reviewing data from recent years in National Vital Statistics Reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC calculates years of potential life lost by subtracting an individual's age when they died from the standard year of 80, which is roughly the U.S. life expectancy. The agency then sums the number of years lost across different causes of death. (Choi, 2/23)
Bloomberg: Video Game Addiction Recognized By World Health Organization
Arcadia Kim devoted her career to video games, until one hit her in the face. The incident happened several years ago when Kim, a former studio operating chief at Electronic Arts Inc., was trying to peel away her then 10-year-old son from a game of Minecraft. He threw the iPad at her in frustration. Kim, 48, said the experience inspired her to start a business in 2019 advising parents on forming healthy relationships between their kids and their screens. The work took on greater urgency this year when the World Health Organization began formally recognizing video game addiction as an illness for the first time. (McBride, 2/23)
Bloomberg: Extreme Wildfire Impacts To Rise Dramatically By 2100, UN Says
The United Nations for the first time has assessed the global risk of catastrophic wildfires, finding that as climate change accelerates more of the world will burn, with disastrous consequences for human health, the economy and biodiversity. “The heating of the planet is turning landscapes into tinderboxes, while more extreme weather means stronger, hotter, drier winds to fan the flames,” wrote the authors of the report, released on Wednesday by the UN Environment Programme and the nonprofit GRID-Arendal. “Too often, our response is tardy, costly, and after the fact, with many countries suffering from a chronic lack of investment in planning and prevention.” (Woody, 2/23)
The Washington Post: D.C. Traffic Deaths At 14-Year High With Low-Income Areas Hardest Hit
Lower-income neighborhoods in the District recorded eight times more traffic fatalities in recent years than the city’s wealthiest area, an analysis shows, as residents call for more enforcement and road improvements following the deadliest year on city streets in more than a decade. The 40 traffic fatalities in the nation’s capital last year were the most since 2007, fueled by what authorities say is a proliferation of unsafe driving during the coronavirus pandemic that reflects an alarming rise in traffic deaths nationwide. The toll has fallen disproportionately on the city’s two poorest wards, which contain less than one-quarter of Washington’s population but nearly half of its road deaths. (Lazo, Jayaraman and Moriarty, 2/23)
On childrens' health issues —
AP: Child Poverty Jumps One Month After Tax Credit Expires, Study Says
The number of children in America living in poverty jumped dramatically after just one month without the expanded child tax credit payments, according to a new study. Advocates fear the lapse in payments could unravel what they say were landmark achievements in poverty reduction. Columbia University’s Center on Poverty and Social Policy estimates 3.7 million more children were living in poverty by January — a 41% increase from December, when families received their last check. The federal aid started in July but ended after President Biden’s Build Back Better bill stalled in the sharply divided Congress. Payments of up to $300 per child were delivered directly to bank accounts on the 15th of each month, and last week marked the second missed deposit of the year. (Khalil, 2/23)
WUSF Public Media: Why Florida Children Have A High Risk Of Losing Medicaid Coverage After The Federal Emergency Ends
Children in Florida are some of the most at risk of losing health insurance when the federal government eventually lifts an emergency declaration associated with the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report that finds 6.7 million kids nationwide could be affected by the change. As part of the public health emergency first enacted during the Trump administration in 2020 and extended by the Biden administration, the federal government has been giving states a 6.2% boost in Medicaid funding to help cover more people due to job loss or other factors. That funding came with a continuous coverage requirement, barring states from kicking people off Medicaid even if their incomes improved and they would otherwise be ineligible. (Colombini, 2/23)
AP: Mississippi Reports 2nd Pediatric Flu Death This Season
Mississippi’s health department has reported this flu season’s second flu death of a child or teenager. The first was reported in December. Pediatric flu deaths have been steady, with a total of 24 reported over 14 seasons including the current one, Mississippi Department of Health spokeswoman Liz Sharlot said Wednesday. The state began requiring the reports for the 2008-2009 flu season. There were no pediatric flu deaths last season and the highest total ever was three, Sharlot said. The latest death was reported Tuesday on Twitter. (2/23)
