Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
From KFF Health News - Latest Stories:
KFF Health News Original Stories
Better Treatments Buoy Multiple-Myeloma Patients, Bound by Research Cuts and Racial Disparities
Although racial disparities in the diagnosis and treatment of multiple myeloma remain, Black survivors of multiple myeloma say the latest developments in treatment give them hope even as federal research cuts create a grim forecast for cancer research.
A Bite, a Bill, and a Bureaucratic Chill in Winning Halloween Haikus
This yearâs most spirited Halloween haikus were inspired by tick migration, Medicaid work requirements, and rising copays.
At The Hollow in Florida, the âMedical Freedomâ Movement Finds Its Base Camp
Floridaâs surgeon general, spiritual healers, and Trump allies push their cures in a swampy outpost of anti-government absolutism and mystical belief.
What the Health? From KFF Health News: Happy Open Enrollment Eve!
A standoff in Congress is keeping much of the government shut down as open enrollment begins in most states for Affordable Care Act plans. Democrats are demanding Republicans agree to extend ACA tax credits, but there has been little negotiating â even as customers are learning what theyâll pay for coverage next year. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is telling states they canât pass their own laws to keep medical debt off consumersâ credit reports. Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post, Maya Goldman of Axios, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KFF Health Newsâ Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more.
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Summaries Of The News:
Spending And Fiscal Battles
Many States â But Not All â Step Up To Help SNAP Beneficiaries Amid Deadline
Bloomberg: Food Aid For Millions At Risk As Senators Leave For Long Weekend
Senators failed this week to resolve a standoff over funding food aid during the government shutdown and plan to head home Thursday for a long weekend, leaving millions of low-income Americans struggling to purchase groceries starting Saturday. Nov. 1 will mark the first-ever lapse in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and make as many as 42 million food stamp recipients a casualty in the month-long clash over funding the government. (Wasson and Dennis, 10/30)
CNN: Food Banks, Nonprofits Face A âPerfect Stormâ Of Surging Demand As Shutdown Drags On
Demand has doubled at a Washington, DC, food bank over the past few weeks, while another in Texas has been forced to dip into emergency hurricane reserve funds to meet demand. Meanwhile, a Florida charity is giving out 300,000 meals per day but, an official there says, âstill itâs not enough.â (Williams, Blackburn, Culpepper, Schiciano, Condon and Kirsch, 10/30)
The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer: DeWine Announces $25 Million To Help Ohio Families Amid SNAP Shutdown Threat
Ohio is stepping in to help families who could soon lose access to federal food benefits as the government shutdown enters its second month with no deal in sight. Gov. Mike DeWine, Senate President Rob McColley, and House Speaker Matt Huffman on Thursday announced a $25 million plan to blunt the impact if the federal shutdown continues into November. (Staver, 10/30)
Chicago Tribune: Pritzker Directs $20 Million To Food Banks Ahead Of SNAP Freeze
As nearly 2 million Illinois residents prepare to lose federal food assistance Saturday amid the government shutdown, Gov. JB Pritzker signed an executive order Thursday directing $20 million toward food banks across the state. (Lourgos and Gorner, 10/30)
Colorado Public Radio: State Lawmakers Approve $10 Million To Bolster Colorado Food Banks As SNAP Benefits Dry UpÂ
The Colorado legislatureâs Joint Budget Committee on Thursday unanimously approved spending $10 million from the stateâs reserves to shore up food banks and food assistance programs while SNAP benefits are suspended due to the government shutdown. But nonpartisan staff emphasized to lawmakers that Colorado does not have the financial resources to cover peopleâs lost benefits. (Birkeland, 10/30)
Iowa Public Radio: Reynolds Pledges Funding To Assist Food Banks After SNAP Funding ExpiresÂ
The state will match cash donations to Iowa's six regional food banks starting Nov. 3 to help make up for the absence of funding for people who receive federal food assistance. (Gerlock, Sostaric and Brummer, 10/30)
The CT Mirror: CT Lawmakers: Lamont Must Do More To Replace Vanishing Food Aid
An unexpected bipartisan consensus that Gov. Ned Lamontâs initial response to the suspension of the SNAP federal food program is inadequate is nudging the governor toward tapping Connecticutâs massive rainy day fund for greater relief. (Phaneuf, 10/31)
LiveNOW From FOX: Which States Will Not Provide SNAP Benefits Amid Shutdown?Â
As of Thursday, several states have not taken action to protect SNAP benefits, including Alabama, Texas, Kansas and Florida. In Nebraska, the state Department of Health and Human Services announced it would pause SNAP benefits starting Friday. It said it is "actively coordinating with food banks, nonprofit partners, and community organizations," and listed area food banks for those seeking help. (Miller, 10/30)
The Texas Tribune: Texas Dodges Addressing Looming SNAP Pause
With the federal government at a standstill and some red states offering up money for food assistance, Gov. Greg Abbott faces pressure to authorize the release of emergency state funding â a move he has done before â to offset the looming federal suspension of SNAP benefits this weekend for 3.5 million low-income Texans. (Langford, Simpson and Byman, 10/30)
Also â
Newsweek: Judge In SNAP Case Tells Trump Admin To âStretch That Emergency Moneyâ
A federal judge in Boston signaled Thursday that she may order the Trump administration to pay food assistance benefits to tens of millions of Americans who are at risk of not getting their November payments because of the government shutdown. (Higham, 10/31)
More on the ACA and open enrollment â
The Hill: Trump Urges Democrats To Tackle ACA Premiums Hike
President Trump late Thursday once again slammed ObamaCare, demanding that Democrats âdo somethingâ ahead of an imminent spike in Affordable Care Act (ACA) premiums amid the federal funding impasse. âAs I have said for years, OBAMACARE IS A DISASTER! Rates are going through the roof for really bad healthcare!!! Do something Democrats!!!â the president wrote in a Truth Social post. His comment comes as the government shutdown nears the one-month mark. Senate Democrats have refused to pass a stopgap bill unless their Republican counterparts agree to extend ACA subsidies that will expire at the end of the year. (Fields, 10/30)Â
Politico: Democrats Plot Messaging Blitz Ahead Of Obamacare Hikes
In Wisconsin, Democrats are launching nearly 400 canvassing events this weekend focused on health care. A major liberal advocacy group, Protect Our Care, will push a six-figure digital campaign. Top Democratic governors, including Kentuckyâs Andy Beshear and Laura Kelly of Kansas, are holding press calls to âto slam D.C. Republicans for causing Americansâ health care premiums to skyrocket.â (Crampton, 10/31)
KFF Health News: KFF Health Newsâ âWhat The Health?â: Happy Open Enrollment Eve!Â
Open enrollment for 2026 Affordable Care Act insurance plans starts in most states Nov. 1, with no resolution in Congress about whether to continue more generous premium tax credits expanded under President Joe Biden or let them expire at the end of this year. It is unclear whether the backlash from millions of enrollees seeing skyrocketing premiums will move Democrats or Republicans to back away from entrenched positions that are keeping most of the federal government shut down. (Rovner, 10/30)
Public Health
Kennedy Softens Warning On Tylenol; Study Ties Covid In Pregnancy, Autism
The Hill: Kennedy: No Sufficient Evidence For Tylenol-Autism Link
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said there is not âsufficientâ evidence that Tylenol causes autism, softening warnings he and President Trump have repeatedly made to discourage the medicineâs use by pregnant women and young children. During a press conference Wednesday, Kennedy reiterated that pregnant women should use Tylenol only when âabsolutely necessary.â âWeâve all said from the beginning that the causative association between Tylenol given in pregnancy âŠÂ is not sufficient to say it definitely caused autism, but it is very suggestive,â Kennedy said. (Weixel, 10/30)
The Washington Post: Covid In Pregnancy Tied To Autism, Developmental Issues, Study Says
Children born to mothers infected with covid-19 during pregnancy faced a higher risk of autism, along with other neurological differences such as delays in speech and motor development, according to a study published Thursday. The analysis of more than 18,100 births in Massachusetts, published in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology, is among the largest studies to date examining children born to women who contracted the virus starting in the early months of the pandemic through some of 2021, before vaccines were widely available. (Ovalle and Cha, 10/30)
The latest on the surgeon general nominee â
CNN: Confirmation Hearing Delayed For Trumpâs Surgeon General Nominee As She Goes Into Labor With Her First ChildÂ
The Senate hearing for President Donald Trumpâs nominee for surgeon general, Dr. Casey Means, is postponed as the nominee goes into labor with her first child, according to a Senate Health, Education Labor and Pension Committee spokesperson and a person familiar with Means. (Owermohle, 10/30)
The New York Times: R.F.K. Jr. Adviser Calley Means Has Left The White House
Calley Means, an influential adviser to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the brother of President Trumpâs nominee for surgeon general, quietly departed the White House at the end of his term as a special government employee about a month ago, he said in an interview on Wednesday night. For much of the last six months, Mr. Means has acted as the health secretaryâs right hand, coordinating a major presidential commission report on what it described as the dire state of childrenâs health and sparring on television and online with vaccine scientists and doctors who objected to Mr. Kennedyâs campaign to remake American medicine. (Mueller, 10/30)
On vaccine skepticism â
KFF Health News: At The Hollow In Florida, The âMedical Freedomâ Movement Finds Its Base Camp
MAGA and MAHA are happily married in Florida, and nowhere more at home than in Sarasota County, where on a humid October night a crowd of several hundred gathered to honor state Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, his wife, and an unlicensed Canadian radiologist who treats cancer with horse paste. (Allen, 10/31)
Undark: Inside The Marketplace For Vaccine Medical Exemptions
Maybe a client hears about them in the comment section of the Facebook group âMedical Exemption Accepted,â or on the r/unvaccinated forum on Reddit. Maybe itâs through an interview posted on the video-sharing platform Rumble. Or maybe itâs the targeted advertisements on Google: âWe do medical exemptions.â Cassandra Clerkin, a mother in upstate New York, first got in touch with Frontline Health Advocates near the start of the 2024-2025 school year, after hearing they had doctors who would write exemptions from school immunization requirements. (Schulson, 10/31)
State Watch
HHS Drafts Plan To Effectively End Trans Care For Youths Nationwide
NPR: Transgender Youth Health Care Would Be Nearly Banned Everywhere Under New Rules
Access to gender-affirming care for transgender youth will be dramatically restricted by the Trump administration under new proposals by the Department of Health and Human Services. NPR has obtained the draft text of a proposed rule that would prohibit federal Medicaid reimbursement for medical care provided to transgender patients younger than age 18. It also prohibits reimbursement through the Children's Health Insurance Program or CHIP for patients under age 19. (Simmons-Duffin, 10/30)
More health news from across the U.S. â
ABC News: Maine Abortion Clinics To End Primary Care Services After Being Denied Medicaid Funding
One of Maine's largest abortion care providers is ending primary care services on Friday after a court ruled that the Trump administration is not required to restore Medicaid funding. Maine Family Planning -- the largest network of sexual and reproductive health care clinics in the state -- is ending primary care services at three clinics in Ellsworth, Houlton and Presque Isle, affecting about 800 patients. (Kekatos, 10/30)
ProPublica: Red States To Be Hit Hard By Trump Disability Eligibility Rules
Itâs never been easy to qualify for Social Security disability benefits. Christopher Tincher knows this firsthand. Tincher began his working life in a coal mine in Aflex, Kentucky, as a teenager in the 1980s. As mines across the region shuttered, he turned to scraping grills at a Hardeeâs, then cleaning office buildings at night, then stocking shelves and changing tires at a Walmart in Arkansas. Later, he was hired by a nearby townâs wastewater department. Often, he had to wade into sewage to fix equipment and clean out feces, needles and tampons entering the treatment facility. (Hager, 10/31)
The New York Times: In Utah, Trumpâs Vision For Homelessness Begins To Take ShapeÂ
State officials promise large-scale involuntary addiction and mental health treatment at Salt Lake Cityâs edge. Critics see âa prison, or a warehouse.â (Barry and DeParle, 10/29)
Stat: Health Care Politics: Governors Races A Test Run For The MidtermsÂ
Health care has become a central issue in the much-watched governorsâ races that will be decided next week â and the results could redirect the partiesâ midterm strategies or sway their approaches to federal health policy. (Payne, 10/31)
Did White House properly contain asbestos during East Wing demolition? â
The Washington Post: Senators, Advocates Demand Explanation On Asbestos Risks From East Wing
Democratic senators and public health advocates are demanding that the White House and its contractors prove their rapid demolition of the East Wing last week did not expose workers and passersby to asbestos, a construction material that has been linked to cancer and lung disease. White House officials have said work to abate hazardous materials at the site was performed last month but have so far not provided documentation of what contractors did to mitigate risks associated with the material, which was widely used in building projects at the time of the East Wingâs 1902 construction and 1942 renovation. (Diamond and George, 10/30)
Pharmaceuticals
FDA's Block Of Mifepristone Access Is Unlawful, Federal Judge Rules
AP: Federal Judge Rules FDA Unlawfully Restricted Mifepristone Access
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration violated the law by imposing restrictions on accessing mifepristone, a medication for abortions and miscarriage management, a federal judge in Hawaii ruled Thursday. A lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union argues the FDA continues to overly restrict access to a safe medication without scientific justification. ACLU lawyers asked the judge to find that the FDA violated the law but didnât seek an immediate elimination of the restrictions, which currently include special certification for prescribers and pharmacies and requiring patients to review a counseling form. (Sinco Kelleher, 10/30)
Updates on the 340B program and drug tariffs â
Modern Healthcare: 340B Rebate Pilot To Include Some Drugs From Abbvie, Merck: HRSAÂ
The Trump administration Thursday released a slate of pharmaceuticals to be included in its 340B Drug Pricing Program rebate pilot. Under 340B, safety-net providers pay 25%-50% less for prescription medications. The program will test allowing drugmakers to pay rebates after purchase to qualifying providers, rather than discounting prices upfront. It will begin Jan. 1 and run for at least a year. (Early, 10/30)
Bloomberg: Cigna Plan To End Drug Rebates Sparks Worst Selloff Since 2008
Cigna Groupâs pledge to upend the way medicine is priced spooked Wall Street after the company warned the move would hurt profits in the next two years. The companyâs shares closed down 17% Thursday, their worst one-day drop since 2008, after Cigna executives warned of the margin pressure during an otherwise routine earnings call. Itâs evidence that the companyâs plan to eliminate many drug rebates â opaque payments that fueled years of attacks on Cigna and its peers â will hit its bottom line. (Tozzi, 10/30)
Roll Call: Senators Have Outline For Drug Price Program, But Vote Is ElusiveÂ
Lawmakers impatient with the lack of progress on a key health care issue â the long-debated need for changes to whatâs known as the 340B drug pricing program â say they are closing in on legislation aimed at what they say are abuses in the program. (Hellmann, 10/30)
Bloomberg: Antibiotics Must Cost More Than M&Ms, Sandoz Tells Governments
Drugmaker Sandoz Group AG called on European governments to protect local antibiotics manufacturing from a flood of cheaper Chinese products resulting from US tariffs. The Swiss company said the price of the key ingredient in penicillin â a lifesaving product for bacterial infections like pneumonia â has roughly halved lately as Chinese suppliers turn from the US to Europe, putting pressure on its business. (Doenecke, 10/30)
In other pharma and biotech news â
Stat: Eli Lillyâs Weight Loss, Diabetes Drug Tops Keytruda As Worldâs Best-Selling Medicine
Merck, which has claimed bragging rights as the maker of the worldâs best-selling drug, Keytruda, since 2023, has officially been surpassed by Eli Lilly. Lillyâs tirzepatide, marketed as Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes and Zepbound for obesity, saw $10.1 billion in sales in the third quarter, the pharma giant said Thursday, bringing year-to-date sales of the product to $24.8 billion. (Chen, 10/30)
The Wall Street Journal: The Day Pharmaâs Weight-Loss Gold Rush Intensified
Weight-loss drugs are propelling a new gold rush for the pharmaceutical industry. On Thursday, Eli Lilly delivered a surge in quarterly revenue thanks to its medicines, while Novo Nordisk, the other big player in the market, took the unusual step of lobbing an unsolicited multibillion-dollar bid for a weight-loss-drug startup that had agreed to sell to Pfizer. (Loftus, 10/30)
MedPage Today: Expert Warns Of Irreparable Damage To Biotech Industry Unless Congress Acts
Gutting funding for key health agencies and terminating thousands of workers does nothing to ensure the future of the biotech industry, experts and Democratic lawmakers argued during a Senate health committee hearing on Wednesday. Sen. Bill Cassidy, MD (R-La.), chair of the committee, applauded medical innovations of the last few decades including vaccines against measles; treatments for obesity, Alzheimer's, melanoma, and other conditions; cures for hepatitis C; tests to detect diseases faster; and other interventions to improve patient outcomes. (Firth, 10/30)
Stat: Insiders: Vinay Prasad 'Wreaking Havoc' At FDA After Return From ExileÂ
A slow-boiling feud between Vinay Prasad and his staff at the Food and Drug Administration is threatening the future of the center that regulates the nationâs vaccines, biological products, and blood supply. (Lawrence, 10/31)
Also â
North Carolina Health News: UNC Street Drug Scientist Awarded A âGeniusâ GrantÂ
At a time when the nationâs drug supply has become increasingly unpredictable, Nabarun Dasgupta uses what he calls âscience in serviceâ to bring some clarity to the chaos. Dasgupta has spent two decades using data to tell the story behind street drugs and their hidden dangers. He documents how people use those substances as a way of reducing the harm done by them. (Knopf, 10/31)
AP: FDA Reports Recall Of Blood Pressure Medication Containing A Potential Carcinogen
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says drug makers have recalled more than a half-million bottles of the blood pressure medication prazosin hydrochloride over concerns it may include a cancer-causing chemical. New Jersey-based Teva Pharmaceuticals USA and drugs distributor Amerisource Health Services issued voluntary nationwide recalls earlier this month of more than 580,000 bottles of various strengths of prazosine capsules, according to the FDA. (10/31)
Health Industry
Insurers Blame Hospitals' Use Of AI, 'Aggressive' Coding For Price Spikes
Stat: Insurers Say Theyâll Deploy More AI To Combat âAggressiveâ Coding By Hospitals
Health insurance companies are fighting fire with fire as they combat rising medical costs they say are being driven up, in part, by artificial intelligence. Large private insurers have continued to call out purportedly overzealous coding and billing as a source of ballooning health care costs. In particular, some have blamed the use of AI tools for some of the surge in claims from health care providers that have cut into their profits. (Palmer, 10/31)
More health industry news â
Montana Free Press: Nurses, Doctor Sue Montana Recovery Program In Class-Action Lawsuit
A group of Montana doctors and nurses is suing the national company that runs a rigorous, often mandatory monitoring program for health care providers grappling with addiction. The case is the latest instance of public criticism about how the state-mandated program for more than 60,000 medical licensees operates. (Silvers, 10/30)
Newsweek: New Orleans Nurses Announce Three-Day Strike In November
Nurses at University Medical Center New Orleans (UMCNO) announced Thursday that they will hold a three-day strike in November over staff retention concerns amid ongoing contract negotiations. This is the fifth time nurses at this hospital have gone on strike since contract negotiations began. Rose Cutropia, a nurse in the post-anesthesia care unit, told Newsweek that recruitment and retention are critical because UMCNO is the only Level 1 trauma center in the region. (Giella, 10/30)
Mississippi Today: Mississippi Opens Long-Term Pediatric Medical Center For Youth With Complex Medical Conditions
Mississippiâs first skilled pediatric medical center celebrated its opening Tuesday with a ribbon cutting in Jackson. The Alyce G. Clarke Center for Medically Fragile Children will provide long-term care for patients younger than 19 years old with complex medical conditions and training for othersâ families to care for them at home. It is a part of Childrenâs of Mississippi, the pediatric arm of the University of Mississippi Medical Center. (Dilworth, 10/30)
The New York Times: Marthe Gautier, 96, Dies; Had Key Role In Down Syndrome BreakthroughÂ
Dr. Marthe Gautier, a physician and researcher who had a major role in identifying the cause of Down syndrome but whose achievement was undermined when a male colleague took credit for her work, died on April 30, 2022. She was 96. (Grady, 10/30)
KFF Health News: A Bite, A Bill, And A Bureaucratic Chill In Winning Halloween Haikus
Nearly 100 health care-themed haikus crept into our inbox this Halloween. See the winning poems and top runners-up from KFF Health Newsâ seventh annual Halloween haiku contest, illustrated by Oona Zenda. The judgesâ favorites were inspired by tick migration, Medicaid work requirements, and rising copays. (10/31)
On race and health care â
Word In Black: Why Do We Believe Organ Donation Conspiracies?Â
Organs arenât âharvestedâ or âkept on ice.â But countering mistrust and misinformation in the Black community isnât easy. (Durham, 10/29)
Word In Black: Heâs A Legendary Transplant Surgeon. At 88, His Work Isnât DoneÂ
Dr. Clive O. Callender fought racism in medicine and built a movement that saved thousands of Black lives. (Durham, 10/22)
The CT Mirror: How One CT Clinic Is Addressing Racial Disparities In Maternal Care
Monique Rainford has built a decades-long career as an obstetrician. But, for the last ten years, sheâs been grappling with how the traditional health system sheâs been a part of has failed to adequately serve Black mothers and babies. (Golvala, 10/30)
KFF Health News: Better Treatments Buoy Multiple-Myeloma Patients, Bound By Research Cuts And Racial Disparities
For more than a year, Diane Hunter, now 72, had been experiencing vague symptoms â pain in her spine and hips, nausea, exhaustion, thirst, and frequent urination. Her primary care physician had ruled out diabetes before finally chalking up her ailments to getting older. But months of intense back pain eventually landed her in the emergency room, where a doctor suggested that Hunter might have multiple myeloma. Hunterâs first question was, âWhat is that?â (Newsome, 10/31)
Outbreaks and Health Threats
Telltale Signs Of Bird Flu Infection Aren't Always Evident, Review Finds
CIDRAP: Review: Human H5N1 Avian Flu Cases Can Be Asymptomatic, And The Virus Likely Spreads Among People
Asymptomatic human avian influenza A(H5N1) infections occur, and person-to-person transmission is likely in some settings, reveals a scoping review by US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) researchers. The study, published yesterday in JAMA Network Open, involved a search for studies on confirmed highly pathogenic H5N1 infection published through August 25, 2025. (Van Beusekom, 10/30)
CIDRAP: Avian Flu Detected In House Mice In Washington State
Six house mice in Grant County, Washington, have been identified as having avian influenza, a mammal detection that is likely linked to increased avian influenza among wild birds in the same county. According to an update from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), the mice were collected on October 15. (Soucheray, 10/30)
More people have died from a suspected listeria outbreak â
CNN: More Illnesses, Deaths Reported In Listeria Outbreak Tied To Recalled Pasta Salads, Meals Sold NationwideÂ
Two additional deaths have been reported in a listeria outbreak thatâs been linked with recalled ready-to-eat pasta salads and prepared meals sold at major grocery chains including Trader Joeâs, Sprouts Farmers Market, Kroger and Walmart, health officials said Thursday. (Koda, 10/31)
On the spread of measles and covid â
CIDRAP: Suspected Measles Case-Patient Refuses Testing In Salt Lake County
Southern Utah has become the epicenter of measles activity in the United States in the past 2 months, but so far, Salt Lake County has not reported any infections. But a new probable case reported by the Salt Lake County Health Department changes that. Officials said a Salt Lake County resident is likely the areaâs first case of measles but is refusing to submit to confirmatory testing. (Soucheray, 10/30)
CIDRAP: CIDRAP And CEPI Launch Resources To Track Development Of Coronavirus Vaccines
Today the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP, which publishes CIDRAP News), in partnership with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), launched a new digital home for the Coronavirus Vaccines R&D Roadmap (CVR) Initiative with expanded features for researchers, investors, policymakers, and the public. (Wappes, 10/30)
CIDRAP: Serious Mental Illness Tied To Increased Risk Of Long COVID
Adults with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or recurrent major depressive disorderâespecially those who are older, Black or Hispanic, have chronic conditions, have public health insurance, or were hospitalized during infectionâare at elevated risk for long COVID, according to an analysis published yesterday in JAMA Network Open. (Van Beusekom, 10/30)
Also â
AP: People Who Died At Colorado Dairy Were Exposed To A Toxic Gas, Coroner's Report Says
Six people who died at a Colorado dairy farm this summer were exposed to hydrogen sulfide gas, authorities said Thursday. The Weld County coronerâs office drew its conclusions from autopsies and toxicology tests. The deaths of five men and a teenager on Aug. 20 sent shockwaves through the rural communities in and around Keenesburg, 35 miles (55 kilometers) northeast of Denver, where emergency responders entered a confined space to recover the bodies. Authorities had immediately expressed concern that the deaths were linked to harmful gases. (Lee and Govindarao, 10/31)
Weekend Reading
Longer Looks: Interesting Reads You Might Have Missed
The New York Times: DNA Identifies 2 Bacterial Killers That Stalked Napoleonâs ArmyÂ
Genetic material pulled from 13 teeth found in a grave in Lithuania revealed infectious diseases that felled the French emperorâs troops as they withdrew from Russia. (Kolata, 10/24)
Stat: Miriam Meradâs 20-Year Quest To Understand One Cell Is Starting To Rewrite The Rules Of Cancer Immunotherapy
Miriam Meradâs fascination with macrophages began when she looked into the lungs of a cancer patient sheâd just lost during her residency. He developed a rare allergy to the chemotherapy, and died rapidly. The case still haunts her. âWhen you have a patient dying of a treatment that you gave, you never forget that,â she said. âItâs very present.â (Chen, 10/28)
Undark: How Memories Might Be Used To Help Heal The Brain
As a new Ph.D. student in 2011, Steve Ramirez and his mentor performed a groundbreaking experiment in the field of memory manipulation. They placed a mouse in a small distinctive box and administered a mild electrical shock to its feet. When the rodent was placed in the box a second time, it froze up â anticipating another shock. From there, the young neuroscientists placed the mouse in a different box, one where nothing bad had happened. (Talpos, 10/29)
The New York Times: Inside The Poisonous Smoke Killing Wildfire Fighters At Young AgesÂ
Across the country, wildfire fighters work for weeks at a time in poisonous smoke. The government says they are protected. We tested the air at one fire to find out why they are still dying. (Dreier and Murray, 10/28)
The New York Times: Diphtheria, A Once Vanquished Killer Of Children, Is Resurgent
A Somali hospital ward packed with gasping children shows how war, climate and mistrust of vaccines is fueling the diseaseâs return. (Nolen, 10/27)
Editorials And Opinions
Viewpoints: Our Leaders Failed Us By Cutting Medicare Telehealth Coverage; Will Help For Chronic Pain Go Next?
San Francisco Chronicle: Medicare No Longer Covers Telehealth Visits
This month, I received a distressing call from a nurse at my neurologistâs office informing me that, thanks to inaction by Congress and President Donald Trump, I could no longer meet with my doctors using telehealth. This came as a shock. Though I regularly keep up with the news, I saw no mention that so many patients had suddenly been denied the coverage that allows them to see a doctor virtually. (Susan Graham, 10/29)
Stat: Medicare Coverage Of Important Pain Procedures May EndÂ
The 1 in 5 Americans suffering from chronic pain may soon lose access to evidence-based interventions that have existed for decades. (Tricia Pendergrast, 10/31)
Chicago Tribune: The Human Cost Of Congress' Inaction On Health Care
President Donald Trump and the Republicans in Congress have a decision to make: They can step up to protect millions of people, providing the security and dignity that comes from being cared for when sick or injured, or they can keep holding our health care hostage and leave a body count. (Thomas Fisher, 10/30)
Stat: How A $20 European Eye Drop Became $800-A-Month MieboÂ
A monthâs supply of Miebo, Bausch & Lombâs prescription dry eye drug, costs $800 or more in the U.S. before insurance. But the same drug â sold as EvoTears â has been available over-the-counter (OTC) in Europe since 2015 for about $20. I ordered it online from an overseas pharmacy for $32 including shipping, and it was delivered in a week. (David Maris, 10/31)
The Washington Post: The Unexpected Benefits Of Moving To A Long-Term Care Facility
Moving to a nursing home or assisted-living facility doesnât have to feel like a loss. (Leana S. Wen, 10/30)