- KFF Health News Original Stories 5
- A Striking Gap Between Deaths of Black and White Babies Plagues the South
- A More Aggressive FTC Is Starting to Target Drug Mergers and Industry Middlemen
- Are US Prescription Drug Prices 10 Times Those of Other Nations? Only Sometimes
- Young People Are Having Less Sex Than Their Parents Did at Their Age. Researchers Explore Why.
- Journalists Unpack Facility School Closures and Federal Investment in Crisis Hotlines
From KFF Health News - Latest Stories:
KFF Health News Original Stories
A Striking Gap Between Deaths of Black and White Babies Plagues the South
Infant mortality rates across the South are by far the worst in the U.S. A look at South Carolina — where multimillion-dollar programs aimed at improving rates over the past 10 years have failed to move the needle — drives home the challenge of finding solutions, especially in rural communities. (Lauren Sausser, 5/22)
A More Aggressive FTC Is Starting to Target Drug Mergers and Industry Middlemen
Industry analysts are skeptical that Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan can win her first fight against a drug industry merger. It will be reviewed by a judge appointed by then-President Donald Trump. (Arthur Allen, 5/22)
Are US Prescription Drug Prices 10 Times Those of Other Nations? Only Sometimes
Sen. Bernie Sanders’ broad statement that some U.S. drug prices are 10 times those of other nations doesn’t paint the full picture. Studies we examined generally found that U.S. prices were two to four times those in other countries, not 10. (Michelle Andrews, 5/19)
Young People Are Having Less Sex Than Their Parents Did at Their Age. Researchers Explore Why.
The percentage of young adults not having sex was rising even before covid made dating harder. Data and research suggest economic precarity, technology, and the warping effects of porn on sexual attitudes may play a role. (Phillip Reese, 5/22)
Journalists Unpack Facility School Closures and Federal Investment in Crisis Hotlines
KFF Health News and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances. (5/20)
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Summaries Of The News:
Biden Hints At 14th Amendment Debt Limit Strategy
President Joe Biden says he believes the 14th Amendment could be used to raise the debt ceiling but that the delay caused by legal challenges will lead to a default anyway. In other news, former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said that drug price caps in the Inflation Reduction Act are exacerbating drug shortages. Gottlieb serves as a director of Pfizer.
The Hill:
Biden Says He Thinks He Has Authority To Use 14th Amendment On Debt Ceiling
President Biden on Sunday said he believes he has the authority to use the 14th Amendment to unilaterally address the debt ceiling, but he acknowledged potential legal challenges could still lead the nation to default if he went that route. “I’m looking at the 14th Amendment as to whether or not we have the authority — I think we have the authority,” Biden told reporters at a press conference in Hiroshima, Japan. (Samuels, 5/21)
The Hill:
McCarthy Says Biden Call On Debt Limit ‘Productive,’ Leaders To Meet Monday
Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said on Sunday that a call he had with President Biden about the debt limit and looming default earlier in the day was “productive” and that the pair will meet in-person on Monday upon the president’s return from Japan. “I believe it was a productive phone call,” McCarthy told reporters, noting that Biden had spoken to him from Air Force One. (Mueller, 5/21)
NPR:
These Are The People Who Will Be Impacted By A U.S. Debt Default
Veterans, seniors and government employees: These are just some of the people who stand to be impacted if Congress fails to raise the debt ceiling. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warns that without additional borrowing authority, the U.S. could run short of cash to pay its bills as early as June 1. ... It would also be felt very directly by ordinary people. (Horsley, 5/22)
On drug prices —
The Hill:
Drug Price Caps In Inflation Reduction Act Exacerbating Shortages, Gottlieb Says
Former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said on Sunday that drug price caps in the Inflation Reduction Act are exacerbating drug shortages. “The features under the Inflation Reduction Act will exacerbate this problem, because it’ll prevent these generic manufacturers from being able to take price increases,” Gottlieb, who now serves on the board of Pfizer, told CBS’ “Face the Nation.” (Shapero, 5/21)
KFF Health News:
Are US Prescription Drug Prices 10 Times Those Of Other Nations? Only Sometimes
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), whether in Congress or as a presidential candidate, has always taken strong positions against the high cost of prescription drugs. Since becoming the chair of the influential Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee this year, he’s made lowering drug costs a top priority. It’s therefore not surprising that the senator would, during a recent Sunday morning TV interview, rail against high drug prices in the United States and compare what Americans pay with what people in other countries must fork over. (Andrews, 5/19)
In other health care news from the Biden administration —
AP:
Death Of 8-Year-Old Girl In Border Patrol Custody Highlights Challenges Providing Medical Care
The recent deaths of an 8-year-old Panamanian girl and 17-year-old boy from Honduras who were under U.S. government supervision have again raised questions about how prepared authorities are to handle medical emergencies suffered by migrants arriving in the U.S., especially as agencies struggle with massive overcrowding at facilities along the southern border. (Spagat, 5/22)
Fallout From NC Abortion Ban Will Reverberate In Southeast
The AP looks at why a former Democrat who ran on a pro-choice platform voted with Republicans in North Carolina to ban abortions at 12 weeks. Abortion developments from Texas, Wisconsin, and Nebraska are also in the news. And Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis tries to avoid the abortion issue before an anti-abortion group.
AP:
How One North Carolina Lawmaker's Defection From The Democratic Party Upended Abortion Protections
Mere weeks before North Carolina’s GOP-controlled legislature enacted a 12-week abortion limit over the Democratic governor’s opposition this week, state Republican lawmakers appeared just one vote shy of an override. But one House Democrat — formerly a strong advocate for women’s reproductive rights — unexpectedly switched to the GOP and then voted to squash Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of the bill to limit abortion access. The switch by Charlotte-area Rep. Tricia Cotham gave Republicans veto-proof margins in both the House and Senate, upending the state’s fragile power balance and perhaps opening the floodgates to a new wave of conservative policies. (Schoenbaum, 5/19)
NBC News:
North Carolina Abortion Law Makes It Hard To Travel For An Abortion In The South
As lawmakers in North and South Carolina work to impose new restrictions on abortion, options for women seeking to end a pregnancy in the South are diminishing quickly. In North Carolina, a ban on abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy goes into effect on July 1. Gov. Roy Cooper had vetoed the legislation, but the state's Republican-led Assembly voted Tuesday to override that veto. (Bendix, 5/20)
Politico:
North Carolina Governor Slams State GOP For Overturning His Veto Of Their 12-Week Abortion Ban
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper slammed Republicans in the general assembly for overturning his veto of their newly restrictive 12-week abortion law last week — and suggested the GOP could end up paying for it at the ballot box in 2024. “It’s amazing how they’ve ignored the will of the people here,” the Democratic governor told Jonathan Capehart on MSNBC’s “The Saturday Show.” “Most North Carolinians do not want right-wing politicians in the exam room with women and their doctors. But Republicans are controlled by their right wing.” (Svirnovskiy, 5/20)
Abortion updates from Nebraska, Wisconsin, and Texas —
Axios:
Nebraska Set To Restrict Abortions, Gender-Affirming Care For Minors
Nebraska lawmakers on Friday approved a bill to ban abortion at 12 weeks of pregnancy and restrict gender-affirming care for trans minors. The bill, which is likely the first to combine restrictions on abortion and gender-affirming care, heads to the desk of Gov. Jim Pillen (R) for his signature. (Gonzalez, 5/19)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Senator Decries Move To Block Bill Loosening Wisconsin Abortion Law
The Republican author of a bill that would overhaul the state's abortion law says a Senate leader is "squashing debate" on a bill she and a group of GOP lawmakers introduced this spring that would allow doctors to provide abortions to victims of rape and incest — a policy change most Wisconsin residents support. (Beck, 5/19)
The Texas Tribune:
Senate Passes Bill Targeting DAs Who Won’t Take Abortion, Election Cases
The Texas Senate passed a bill Friday that would allow locally elected prosecutors who choose not to enforce certain laws to be removed for misconduct. The bill is part of a larger effort by Republicans to rein in “rogue” district attorneys in Texas’ large, left-leaning counties who have said they do not intend to prosecute abortion cases and, in some cases, have adopted policies about prosecuting low-level theft and drug offenses. (McCullough and Klibanoff, 5/19)
In related election news —
The Washington Post:
Antiabortion Groups Push 2024 GOP Candidates To Embrace National Ban
Leaders of the antiabortion movement gathered in Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago office last week to head off what they viewed as a potential crisis. The former president’s reelection campaign had recently said that abortion restrictions “should be decided at the state level.” Days later, his rival, former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley, delivered a speech arguing against federal abortion limits that did not have enough votes to pass both chambers of Congress. (Scherer and Dawsey, 5/18)
The Washington Post:
Republicans Deploy New Playbook For Abortion Bans
Immediately after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Republican lawmakers were quick to embrace so-called “trigger” bans designed to take effect as soon as the decision was released, while others rushed to pass additional restrictions that would halt the procedure in their states, sometimes backing proposals that did not include exceptions for rape or incest. Now, almost a year later, lawmakers in some Republican-led states have started coalescing behind bans that allow most abortions to continue — a reaction, some Republicans say, to the sustained political backlash to abortion restrictions that has been mounting since the landmark decision in June. (Roubein, Kitchener and Itkowitz, 5/20)
Politico:
DeSantis Largely Avoids Abortion At Anti-Abortion Group’s Gala
If ever there was a time and place for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to preach the gospel of his new six-week abortion ban, headlining the annual gala of the Florida Family Policy Council on Saturday night would have seemed to be it. But DeSantis made little mention of the topic during his remarks before nearly 800 people attending the conservative organization’s event, relegating it to about two minutes of a roughly 40-minute address. (Goldenberg and Wilder, 5/20)
WHO Urges Greater Preparation For Next Pandemic
The World Health Organization also is starting a network to map the genetic code of disease-causing organisms. Other news is on bird flu and hospitals dropping mask mandates for covid.
Reuters:
Don't Delay Reforms To Prepare For Next Pandemic - WHO Chief
The head of the World Health Organization on Monday urged countries to carry out the reforms needed to prepare for the next pandemic and honor a previous commitment to boost financing for the U.N. health agency. Speaking at the WHO's annual health assembly weeks after ending the global emergency status for the COVID-19 pandemic, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said it was time to advance negotiations on preventing the next one. (5/22)
Bloomberg:
WHO Starts Global Network To Analyze Genetic Code Of Viruses
The World Health Organization is starting a global network to help protect people from the threats of infectious disease through pathogen genomics. The International Pathogen Surveillance Network, based on technology used to map out the genetic code of disease-causing organisms, will connect countries and regions, while improving systems for collecting and analyzing samples, the WHO said in a statement Saturday. (Maedler, 5/20)
Reuters:
Animal Health Body Backs Bird Flu Vaccination To Avoid Pandemic
Governments should consider vaccinating poultry against bird flu, which has killed hundreds of millions of birds and infected mammals worldwide, to prevent the virus from turning into a new pandemic, the head of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) said. The severity of the current outbreak of avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, and the economic and personal damage it has caused, has led governments to reconsider vaccinating poultry. However, some, like the United States, remain reluctant mainly because of the trade curbs this would entail. (De La Hamaide, 5/21)
NBC News:
If Bird Flu Spreads To People, Existing Vaccines May Be Inadequate
Wild birds and poultry flocks alike continue to drop dead from the highly pathogenic bird flu that began spreading globally in 2020. Almost 59 million commercial birds have already been culled in the United States. It’s the broadest outbreak of this type of avian flu, known as H5N1, since it was first identified in China in 1996. (Bendix, 5/21)
In news about covid —
CIDRAP:
Almost Two Thirds Of Recipients Of A COVID Vaccine Incentive Say It Didn't Sway Them
Among 136 US survey respondents who reported receiving an incentive to get vaccinated against COVID-19, 64% said they would have done so anyway, according to a study published today in JAMA Network Open. (Van Beusekom, 5/19)
The Wall Street Journal:
Face Mask Mandates Fall Away Among Many Hospitals, Doctors
Hospitals and clinics across the U.S.—some of the last bastions requiring masks and Covid-19 tests—are ending the mandates. ... The changes have sparked pushback from some doctors and infectious-disease specialists, who say keeping the precautions would protect elderly patients with chronic conditions, people with weakened immune systems and others who are vulnerable to infection, especially if new variants emerge. (Evans, 5/21)
Bacteria-Tainted Eye Drops Linked To 4 Deaths
Also in pharmaceutical news: An antibiotic used to treat tuberculosis works on leprosy; a new therapy for fragile skin; an altered epigenome reduces cholesterol; a preeclampsia test; and more.
USA Today:
Recalled Eye Drops Linked To Bacteria Tied To Four Deaths, CDC Says
Four people have now died in a multistate outbreak of a drug-resistant bacteria strain tied to recalled eye drops, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC and the Food and Drug Administration in February warned patients and clinicians to stop using EzriCare or Delsam Pharma’s Artificial Tears products after one death from an infection and reactions in dozens of patients, some who experienced permanent eye loss. (Snider, 5/20)
In other pharmaceutical industry news —
CIDRAP:
Tuberculosis Drug Shows Protective Effect Against Leprosy
The results of a randomized controlled trial in China suggest that an antibiotic used for tuberculosis treatment can protect household contacts from leprosy, researchers reported yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine. (Dall, 5/19)
Stat:
FDA Approves First Therapy For Devastating Skin Condition
The Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved the first treatment for a devastating condition that causes the skin to be so fragile that even a touch can cause it to splinter, bringing another gene therapy onto the market. The therapy, known as Vyjuvek and made by Krystal Biotech, will soon be available for patients with dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, a genetic disease that causes painful blisters and persistent wounds. (Joseph, 5/19)
Stat:
Drug In Early Trial Appears To Reduce Harmful Protein Buildup In Heart
An early-stage drug for a heart disease called ATTR-CM showed potential to reverse disease progression, opening up a new way of attacking the condition as existing drugs have been designed to only slow or stall the disease. In a small Phase 1 trial, the drug, a monoclonal antibody named NI006, appeared to reduce harmful protein buildup in the heart based on imaging, according to the study, published Saturday in the New England Journal of Medicine. (Chen, 5/20)
Stat:
CRISPR Epigenome Editing Cuts Cholesterol In Monkeys
A defanged form of CRISPR, which doesn’t slice or nick DNA, but rather alters the epigenome — the layers of chemical coding that sit on top of DNA and control the activity of genes — has aced its first substantive test. When researchers used CRISPR “epigenome editing” to dial down a cholesterol-associated gene in monkeys, the animals’ blood levels of heart-disease-causing LDL, or “bad” cholesterol, plummeted by more than 50%, Jennifer Kwon, senior scientist at Tune Therapeutics, announced on Friday at the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy meeting in Los Angeles. (Molteni, 5/19)
Reuters:
Thermo Fisher's Test To Detect Pregnancy-Related Complication Gets FDA Nod
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc's test, the first of its kind in the country, to detect women with risk of severe preeclampsia, the company said on Friday. Preeclampsia is a leading cause of mortality in pregnant women globally, where they could experience high blood pressure after 20 weeks of pregnancy and during the postpartum period. (5/19)
Stat:
FDA Advisers Vote Against Approving Intercept’s NASH Drug
A panel of expert advisers to the Food and Drug Administration voted Friday against approving Intercept Pharmaceuticals’ investigational treatment for NASH, a prevalent liver disease with no available medicines. (Garde, 5/19)
Also —
KFF Health News:
A More Aggressive FTC Is Starting To Target Drug Mergers And Industry Middlemen
Under the leadership of an aggressive opponent of anti-competitive business practices, the Federal Trade Commission is moving against drug companies and industry middlemen as part of the Biden administration’s push for lower drug prices at the pharmacy counter. On May 16, the FTC sued to block the merger of drugmakers Amgen and Horizon Therapeutics, saying the tangled web of drug industry deal-making would enable Amgen to leverage the monopoly power of two top Horizon drugs that have no rivals. (Allen, 5/22)
Stat:
New Study Highlights Transparency Concerns Over Clinical Trials
Amid increased concerns over a lack of transparency in clinical trials, a new study found that one in five primary endpoints were changed after a late-stage study had begun, and 70% of the trials examined did not include information about primary endpoint changes in articles published in medical journals. (Silverman, 5/19)
Obesity Drug Shows Heart Benefit
A small study says Wegovy helped reduce the risk of heart disease. (Another larger study is in the works.) And The Atlantic examines the potential use of Ozempic as an anti-addiction drug. And NBC News reports that weight-loss drugs also leads to muscle loss.
Reuters:
Obesity Drug Brings Heart Health Benefit Alongside Weight Loss, Study Says
Taking Novo Nordisk’s (NOVOb.CO) new obesity drug may help reduce the risk of heart disease as well as boosting weight loss, according to new research from the United States. After a year of taking semaglutide, marketed as Wegovy, patients’ risk of suffering from conditions like a heart attack or a stroke over the next ten years dropped to 6.3% from 7.6% when measured by a commonly used calculator, researchers at the Mayo Clinic found. (Rigby, 5/19)
The Atlantic:
Could Ozempic Also Be An Anti-Addiction Drug?
All her life, Victoria Rutledge thought of herself as someone with an addictive personality. Her first addiction was alcohol. After she got sober in her early 30s, she replaced drinking with food and shopping, which she thought about constantly. She would spend $500 on organic groceries, only to have them go bad in her fridge. “I couldn’t stop from going to that extreme,” she told me. When she ran errands at Target, she would impulsively throw extra things—candles, makeup, skin-care products—into her cart. (Zhang, 5/19)
NBC News:
Weight Loss Drugs Can Lead To Muscle Loss, Too. Is That A Bad Thing?
Weight loss drugs have soared in popularity in the past year, helping some lose dramatic amounts of weight — but not all that weight is fat. Some of that is actually lean mass, which is everything in the body that isn’t fat, including your bones, organs and, importantly, muscle. (Sullivan, 5/20)
Stat:
Novo Pauses Ads For Weight Loss Drug Wegovy Amid Demand
Novo Nordisk is pausing ads for its obesity drug Wegovy as it struggles to keep up with surging demand, the latest hurdle in its rollout of the weight loss drug. “To avoid stimulating further demand for this medicine, we’re pausing some key Wegovy promotional efforts,” the Danish drugmaker said in an emailed statement. (Chen, 5/19)
Canadian Wildfires Drive Down Air Quality For Millions In US
A large portion of the U.S. has been experiencing low air quality, presenting unhealthy situations for people with heart and lung conditions, due to wildfire smoke blowing south. Meanwhile, Denver ranked among the worst cities in the world for air quality.
ABC News:
Large Areas Of US Experiencing Poor Air Quality Due To Canadian Wildfires
Several regions in the U.S. are suffering from poor air quality as the smoke from the wildfires burning in Canada make its way south. A large portion of the of the U.S. has been seeing smoky skies for days, presenting unhealthy conditions for residents with heart or lung conditions, officials said. (Jacobo, 5/21)
More on air quality —
The Hill:
World’s Worst Air Quality: This US City Ranked In The Top 5
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment says moderate to heavy wildfire smoke will be possible across much of the state on Friday. According to the air quality rating on Friday evening, Denver ranked in the top five for worst air quality in the world. That’s according to IQAir’s Air Quality and Pollution City Ranking, which is updated hourly, the air pollution advocacy organization explains. It’s important to note that while Denver currently is among the top 5 for unhealthy air, it will likely drop back down once the aforementioned smoke disappears. As of Friday evening, Denver placed fourth on the list. Earlier in the day, it was ranked third. (Bitler and Falcon, 5/21)
Capital & Main:
Colorado’s Big Push On Electric Vehicles Gets Boost From Federal Funds, But It’s Got A Long Way To Go: 'I Am Sure Our Family Would Be Healthier Without The Bad Air'
Dale Turnacliff was diagnosed with asthma in 2004 after he moved to Erie, Colorado. He had spent several years in Southern California’s Inland Empire, which these days is full of warehouses and logistics operations, before he decided to surround his family with a more natural landscape. Erie is a rural town of about 30,000 residents about 45 minutes north of Denver. It offers wide-open views of the Rocky Mountains and is just small enough so that you can see the stars when the city lights dim at night. But the town also has a long history of fracking and oil extraction, something Turnacliff, 44, wasn’t aware of when his family resettled in the area. (Davis, 5/19)
On ticks and mosquitoes —
CBS News:
First Powassan Virus Death Reported In Maine In 2023 Officials Confirm
The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday they found the tick-borne illness in an adult resident from Sagadahoc County. Robert J. Weymouth, 58, of Portland, was identified as the person who died after complications with the virus, according to a local obituary. He developed neurological symptoms and died in the hospital after becoming infected, likely in the state, according to the Maine CDC. (Brito, 5/19)
The Washington Post:
Dengue Too High In Puerto Rico, Other U.S. Territories, CDC Says
Dengue, a virus transmitted by infected mosquitoes that causes illness in about 1 in 4 infected people, can lead to symptoms ranging from mild fever to shock or death. In an article this month in JAMA, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers in Puerto Rico say the virus must be better controlled in U.S. territories. Outbreaks have occurred in some states in the past, with the most recent in Florida, Hawaii and Texas. People visiting areas where dengue is common — including some Pacific islands and Central and South America — can also pick up the illness. But the majority of cases in the United States are acquired in U.S. territories. (Blakemore, 5/21)
On water contamination —
Military.Com:
Patients Still Haven't Returned To Texas Medical Barracks Battling Legionella
Eight months after detecting Legionella, a medical barracks at Joint Base San Antonio is still shuttered to residents and employees. The barracks detected the bacteria, which can cause a severe type of pneumonia called Legionnaires' disease, in its water this past September, forcing 100 residents and 50 employees in the building to relocate across the installation as officials have examined the situation. (Novelly, 5/19)
Military.com:
These Marines Drank Camp Lejeune’s Poison. The Road To Justice Is Long
Joan Palumbo wasn’t told the danger she was in when she stepped under the showerhead in her bathroom in Jacksonville, North Carolina. She wasn’t told about the toxins mixing into her daughter’s food every time she blended formula with water from the kitchen sink. Or that cooking her own food in that same water would eventually lead to her death. Palumbo didn’t know that beginning in 1953 toxic chemicals had begun seeping through the ground into two of the eight water treatment plants on Camp Lejeune, the Marine Corps base near Jacksonville where she and her husband, Fred, lived in the Tarawa Terrace neighborhood. (Bataglia, 5/21)
On landfills and climate change —
Stat:
The Battle Over The Brookhaven Landfill On Long Island
The area of North Bellport on Long Island sits in the shadows of a massive landfill. This predominantly Black and Latino neighborhood also has the lowest life expectancy on Long Island, as well as the second-highest rates of asthma. Environmental activists do not think this is a coincidence, and for decades they have waged a battle to shut down the Brookhaven Landfill, which they believe is making their community sick. (St. Fleur, 5/22)
The Washington Post:
Why Climate Change Is Costing You Precious Hours Of Sleep
Humans are already losing shut-eye in warm environments, especially at the beginning of the night. Models predict a solid sleep will further decrease as temperatures rise, especially in lower-income and elderly communities. (Patel, 5/21)
FTC Warns Consumer Biometric, Health Data Must Be Better Protected
Federal Trade Commission has privacy concerns over consumer data for facial recognition and how information from health apps is treated. Penn Medicine, a women's health research facility in Ohio, and the Kinsey Institute in Indiana are also in heath industry news.
Axios:
FTC Signals Tougher Rules For Health Companies' Use Of Data
The Federal Trade Commission issued a warning Thursday about companies' use of consumers’ biometric information such as facial recognition technology, saying it raises "significant consumer privacy and data security concerns." The warning comes as a growing number of companies amass data based on individuals' physiological features which could be used to infer consumers' health or other personal information. (Reed, 5/19)
Modern Healthcare:
FTC Seeks Health Breach Notification Rule Clarity For Apps
The Federal Trade Commission wants to make changes to the Health Breach Notification Rule to make clear the protections extend to users of digital health apps. While the agency has considered health trackers, apps and other direct-to-consumer companies subject to the rule, proposed changes would codify that digital health companies handling medical information would be treated in many of the same ways as providers. (Turner, 5/19)
In other health care industry news —
Philadelphia Inquirer:
Penn Medicine Is Opening A Crisis Response Center At HUP Cedar In West Philly
Penn Medicine is opening a mental health crisis response center at the former Mercy Philadelphia Hospital at South 54th Street and Cedar Avenue in West Philadelphia, replacing one that closed there in March 2020, the health system announced Friday. (Brubaker and Gutman, 5/19)
Columbus Dispatch:
Ohio State To Open A $15 Million Women's Health Research Center
A new $15 million research center focused on making women's health more equitable is coming to Ohio State University. Sarah “Sally” Ross Soter and the Soter Kay Foundation pledged the gift to Ohio State's College of Medicine to establish the Sarah Ross Soter Women’s Health Research Program, according to a university news release. The funding will create "a multidisciplinary translational research hub that discovers new therapies to prevent and treat diseases that disproportionately affect women," according to the university. (Hendrix, 5/21)
AP:
Kinsey Institute Experts Study Sex, Gender As Misconceptions Block State Dollars
Unfounded claims about Indiana University’s sex research institute, its founder and child sex abuse have been so persistent over the years that when the Legislature prohibited the institute from using state dollars, one lawmaker hailed the move as “long overdue.” The decision, largely symbolic, does not halt the Kinsey Institute’s work, ranging from studies on sexual assault prevention to contraception use among women. But researchers tell The Associated Press the Republican-dominated Legislature’s February decision is based on an enduring, fundamental misunderstanding of their work — a false narrative that they, despite efforts to correct such misinformation, cannot shake. (Rodgers, 5/21)
On artificial intelligence —
Modern Healthcare:
GPT-4 In Healthcare Grows With Cleveland Clinic, Baptist Health
Two longtime friends are spearheading the use of generative artificial intelligence at health systems nearly 900 miles apart. Cleveland Clinic’s chief information officer Matthew Kull and Jacksonville, Florida-based Baptist Health’s chief digital and information officer Aaron Miri are working with Microsoft to brainstorm administrative and clinical functions for GPT-4 at their organizations. Microsoft invested $10 billion in OpenAI, which developed GPT-4 and ChatGPT, in January. (Perna, 5/19)
Stat:
Making Sense Of AI Research In Medicine, In One Slide
Scientific journals have become something of a Mad Libs game for GPT: Artificial intelligence can now detect _____, or speedily tell the difference between _____ and _____. But which of these studies are actually important? How can clinicians sort them out from one another? At a recent AI conference, Atman Health chief medical officer and Brigham and Women’s associate physician Rahul Deo boiled the issue down in a single slide: the riskiest, most impactful studies draw far less attention these days than the rest of the research. (Trang, 5/22)
Fox News:
AI-Powered ‘Lifesaving Radio’ Helps Surgeons Operate With Greater Efficiency And Accuracy
Music has long been shown to enhance athletic performance, whether that performance is on an NFL field or a treadmill at the gym. And now, with the help of artificial intelligence, music is helping surgeons achieve better results in the operating room. Backed by scientific studies, NextMed Health — in collaboration with the data science company Klick Health — has created the world’s first AI-based health care radio station called Lifesaving Radio. (Rudy, 5/22)
Also —
The Wall Street Journal:
The Healthcare Plan Most People Should Buy—And Why They Don’t
Every fall, during open-enrollment period, over 100 million families can choose a health plan. Anyone who receives health insurance through their employer, Medicare, Veterans Affairs, the exchanges—including members of Congress, CEOs, teachers—is invited to participate in this national ritual. The decision, which has enormous implications for our health and finances, is horrendously complex. And we are universally terrible at it. (Chandra, 5/21)
Connecticut Tries To Lower Drunk-Driving Limit
The state wants to drop the level to 0.05% from 0.08%. In other health care news from across the country: Minnesota inches closer to legalizing recreational pot; New Hampshire aims to end "ER boarding"; and more.
Connecticut Public:
CT Bill To Lower Legal BAC Limit To .05% Faces Long Odds, Backers Say
State and federal officials on Thursday joined Connecticut lawmakers, road safety advocates and families of those killed by drunk drivers at the state Capitol in Hartford in support of a bill to lower the legal limit for driving while intoxicated. Senate Bill 1082 would lower the legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) for drivers from 0.08% to 0.05%, bringing Connecticut in line with dozens of countries around the world as well as the state of Utah, which adopted such a law in 2018. (Polansky, 5/19)
AP:
Minnesota Bill Legalizing Recreational Pot Passes Senate, Heads To Governor's Desk
Senators in Minnesota passed a bill Saturday that would allow recreational marijuana use by people over the age of 21 and make it the 23rd state to legalize the substance for adults. The measure has already been approved by the House and now goes to Democratic Gov. Tim Walz, who has pledged to sign it into law. ... Under the measure it would become legal by Aug. 1 to possess, use and grow marijuana at home. Retail sales at dispensaries would probably be at least a year away. (Ahmed, 5/20)
New Hampshire Public Radio:
NH Announces Plan To End ‘ER Boarding’ Of Psychiatric Patients In Next 2 Years
The state health department on Friday announced plans to stop holding psychiatric patients in hospital emergency departments by 2025 — two days after a federal judge said the practice must end by May 2024. In a news release, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services outlined a series of planned expansions to community-based services, inpatient psychiatric treatment and transitional housing options. Officials said those investments will fully eliminate the waitlist for inpatient psychiatric care over the next two years. (Cuno-Booth, 5/19)
The Baltimore Sun:
‘A Long Time Coming’: Four Years After Its Creation, Maryland Drug Affordability Board Drafts Plan
Maryland’s first-in-the-nation Prescription Drug Affordability Board is meeting Monday to review its first draft of a plan to determine which drugs to subject to cost reviews and to start figuring out how to set upper payment limits on specific drugs for state and local governments. It’s been four years since state lawmakers voted to create the board, and if all goes according to plan, it will approve a final draft of its cost review plan in July and have another plan for setting payment caps later this summer or fall, said Andrew York, the board’s executive director. (Roberts, 5/20)
Las Vegas Review-Journal:
Committee Deadline Claims Several Bills
Scores of bills, including legislation legalizing physician assisted suicide and a bill capping certain prescription drug prices, advanced ahead of Friday’s second house committee passage deadline. Senate Bill 239, legislation that would give terminally ill patients over the age of 18 with less than six months to live the ability to end their lives with lethal drugs prescribed by a medical practitioner, was just one of several bills that survived the deadline. (Avery, 5/19)
AP:
More States Are Requiring Patients To Give Consent For Medical Students Performing Pelvic Exams
A new batch of states are looking to legislate the level of informed consent when it comes to medical students performing pelvic exams for educational purposes on unconscious patients. At least 20 states already have consent laws for this practice. Montana’s governor signed a bill in April, Missouri has legislation that needs the governor’s signature to become law and Ohio lawmakers are also considering it. (Hendrickson and Bedayn, 5/20)
KFF Health News:
Journalists Unpack Facility School Closures And Federal Investment In Crisis Hotlines
KFF Health News Colorado correspondent Rae Ellen Bichell discussed Colorado facility schools on Rocky Mountain Community Radio on May 12. ... KFF Health News former senior editor Andy Miller discussed lead contamination in an affluent Atlanta neighborhood on WUGA’s “The Georgia Health Report” on May 12. (5/20)
Texas AG Targets Hospitals Providing Gender-Transition Care
Other news about the issue concerns a private Florida fund to help transgender people and an Illinois politician who says all-gender bathrooms will cause violence.
Houston Chronicle:
Ken Paxton Launches Investigation Into Trans Care At TCH
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Friday that he will investigate Texas Children’s Hospital to find out whether they are “unlawfully” providing gender transition care. The announcement comes two weeks after Paxton said he would investigate Dell Children’s Medical Center in Austin for the same reason. Doctors who treated transgender adolescents at Dell Children’s left the hospital the following week, and patients and their families began hearing that their appointments were canceled, according to media reports. (Gill, 5/19)
The Texas Tribune:
Doctors Depart Hospital After Texas AG Investigates Gender-Affirming Care
Patients who were receiving gender-affirming care at Dell Children’s are scrambling to find new providers, with many looking outside Texas. But gender-affirming care was only a small part of what this clinic provided, patients say. The doctors were renowned for their treatment of eating disorders and mental health issues, which are skyrocketing among adolescents. They also treated a wide range of menstrual disorders and helped families navigate adolescence for young people with developmental disabilities. (Klibanoff, 5/22)
On trans health care in Florida, Missouri, and Illinois —
WMFE:
Florida Fund Will Help Transgender People Pay To Get Gender-Affirming Care Out Of State
LGBTQ advocates in Florida have started a fund that will help transgender people get gender-affirming care in other states. The Central Florida Emergency Trans Care Fund was launched by the LGBT+ Center in Orlando and the Contigo Fund. Under new laws, minors can’t get gender-affirming care in Florida, and adult patients can’t use Medicaid to pay for it. Contigo Fund director Joél Junior Morales said the goal is to help transgender people get care in other states. (Prieur, 5/22)
Missouri Independent:
Transgender Missourians Say This Legislative Session Made Them 'Refugees' In Their Own State
Linda, Pat and their 15-year-old son Alex describe themselves as refugees of Missouri. Alex, which is a pseudonym to protect his privacy, is transgender. He’s lived his entire life in Missouri, and though his family imagined him leaving state for college, they truly believed Missouri would always be home. (Hanshaw, 5/21)
The Washington Post:
Ill. Lawmaker: All-Gender Bathrooms Will ‘Cause Violence From Dads Like Me’
A bill that would allow Illinois businesses to build bathrooms that are open to all genders moved closer to passing last week. Still, a comment by a Republican state senator during debates Thursday is being condemned by politicians and activist groups. On the Senate floor that day, state Sen. Neil Anderson claimed that mixed-gender, multiple-occupancy restrooms would inspire physical altercations, saying that he himself could be driven to violence if “a guy” walked into the same bathroom as his 10-year-old daughter. (Melnick, 5/22)
Also —
AP:
Many Transgender Health Bills Came From A Handful Of Far-Right Interest Groups, AP Finds
At least 17 states have enacted laws restricting or banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors, though judges have temporarily blocked their enforcement in some, including Arkansas. An Associated Press analysis found that often those bills sprang not from grassroots or constituent demand, but from the pens of a handful of conservative interest groups. Many of the proposals, as introduced or passed, are identical or very similar to some model legislation, the AP found. Those ready-made bills have been used in statehouses for decades, often with criticisms of carpetbagging by out-of-state interests. In the case of restrictions on gender-affirming care for youths, they allow a handful of far-right groups to spread a false narrative based on distorted science, critics say. (McMillan, Harjai and Kruesi, 5/20)
AP:
Meet The Influential New Player On Transgender Health Bills
A nonprofit that describes itself as a collection of doctors and others uniting to “protect healthcare from a radical, divisive, and discriminatory ideology” has become a significant presence in statehouses. Do No Harm got its start in early 2022 by focusing its criticisms of diversity initiatives in medicine before branching out to transgender health. And despite a nonprofit tax status that limited its involvement in legislation, it created an initiative to restrict gender-affirming care for youths, offered a model bill that an AP analysis found has been used in at least three states, and has sent people to testify in statehouses. (McMillan and Kruesi, 5/20)
After FDA Change, Tech Brands Restyle Hearing Aids As Lifestyle Products
Axios reports on the "hipper" status of hearing aids after the FDA changed its rules to allow over-the-counter sales. In other news, Black women are finding shortages when looking for Black sperm donors; and the striking gap between deaths in Black and white babies in the South.
Axios:
Hearing Aids Gain Hipper Reputation As "Lifestyle" Products After Going OTC
Consumer electronics giants like Sony and Bose have staked out a piece of the new market for over-the-counter hearing aids, disrupting a $10 billion segment that's been dominated by niche audiology companies. An FDA rule finalized seven months ago created easier-to-access options for the 30 million people in the U.S. suffering from hearing loss — and is making devices that once carried a stigma more of modern lifestyle convenience. (Reed, 5/19)
On race and health —
USA Today:
Black Women Find Shortage When Looking For Black Sperm Donors
When Mardochée Julien-West and her wife decided to become moms through in vitro fertilization, they knew they definitely wanted Black babies. They just didn’t know how hard that would be. Julien-West remembers first looking donors at a cryobank in 2020. When she and her wife Yevette filtered the search for Black men, their options dwindled from hundreds of choices to only two. (Lee Myers and Triggs, 5/21)
KFF Health News:
A Striking Gap Between Deaths Of Black And White Babies Plagues The South
Years before the Bamberg County Hospital closed in 2012, and the next-closest hospital in neighboring Barnwell shut its doors in 2016, those facilities had stopped delivering babies. These days, there’s not even an ultrasound machine in this rural county 60 miles south of Columbia, much less an obstetrician. Pregnant women here are left with few options for care. (Sausser, 5/22)
In other health and wellness news —
Fox News:
Reports Reveal The Risk For Strokes Is On The Rise In Young Adults
May is National Stroke Awareness Month, and along with education on strokes, doctors are looking for answers to why strokes are happening in younger patients. The American Stroke Association reports more strokes in adults under 50. One Houston doctor says he isn’t sure exactly why this is happening, but thinks our changes in lifestyles could be an answer. Daniel Gainer had a stroke at just 29 years old. "This was my first real health problem, and out of nowhere it just happened" Daniel Gainer. (Addison, 5/20)
KFF Health News:
Young People Are Having Less Sex Than Their Parents Did At Their Age. Researchers Explore Why
Young adults aren’t behaving the way their parents did: They’re not drinking as much, they’re facing more mental health challenges, and they’re living with their parents longer. On top of that, computer games and social media have become a sort of stand-in for physical relationships. All that means young Californians aren’t having as much sex. (Reese, 5/22)
The New York Times:
Moving Is A Monumental Task For Many Older Americans. These Organizers Can Help
Senior move managers may spend weeks or months helping seniors and their families sort through belongings, pack and move into a new home. (span, 5/20)
Editorial writers discuss these public health topics.
Bloomberg:
Immigration Can Help Solve The Nursing Shortage
The US nursing workforce is shedding workers. About 100,000 nurses quit or retired during the pandemic, while another 800,000 have signaled an “intent to leave” by 2027. And yet, the country is failing to tap an available group of qualified health-care workers: immigrants. (5/19)
The Washington Post:
Florida Abortion Law Consequences Shown In Baby Milo's Tragic Story
Baby Milo’s grandfather thought he might have hiccups. Instead, the newborn was gasping for air. Born without kidneys and his lungs underdeveloped, Milo Evan Dorbert lived for all of 99 minutes. The cause of death was Potter syndrome, discovered at 23 weeks of pregnancy. The cause of unnecessary suffering, for Milo and his family, was a Florida law that doctors said prevented them from terminating the pregnancy, even though it was clear the condition would be fatal. (Ruth Marcus, 5/19)
The Philadelphia Inquirer:
Long Waits For Psychiatric Help Put Teens At Risk
Adolescent depression and suicidality have quickly become the “bread and butter” of pediatrics. Teens without signs of depression or suicidal thoughts or attempts are so rare in our well-visit clinic that they are memorable. I can’t recall a single shift in our emergency room without multiple listings of “intentional overdose” or “behavioral/mental health problem” on the patient tracking board. (Rose Bayer, 5/19)
Scientific American:
Having Their Fallopian Tubes Removed Will Spare A Large Number Of Women From Ovarian Cancer
By the time someone has symptoms of ovarian cancer, it is usually in an advanced state. Treatment is extraordinarily difficult, and, sadly, most people will die. One in 78 women will develop ovarian cancer, and more than 230,000 women in the U.S. are currently affected. (Joseph V. Sakran, Kara Long Roche and Rebecca Stone, 5/21)
The New York Times:
Not Every Pandemic Needs Someone To Blame
Three years ago, as I stood at the bedside of my first patient with the coronavirus, I struggled to understand why someone relatively young and healthy had become so sick. The unknown of the virus was frightening enough — to think that severe illness could strike at random was untenable. Even in my personal protective equipment, I held my breath, suddenly aware of my own vulnerability. The air itself felt dangerous. (Daniela J. Lamas, 5/21)
Scientific American:
It's OK Not To Breastfeed
To reinforce that “breast is best” for babies and that formula feeding is inferior, in 2022, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) affirmed its decades-long stance in favor of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF), meaning nothing but breastmilk, arguing for this in the first six months and calling breastfeeding and human milk “normative” and “a public health imperative.” (Kavin Senapathy, 5/21)
Stat:
'Screen And Refer' Systems Are Hurting Patients
I once saw a patient who came to the emergency room with injuries that were clearly related to domestic violence. Instead of offering a compassionate ear and a blanket to cover her exposed body after an assault, her intake nurse rushed through a checklist intended to screen her for social needs. While facing the computer screen, the nurse asked the patient a series of sensitive questions, including one about whether she had experienced domestic violence. The patient, feeling put off by the nurse’s impersonal manner, denied having ever experienced any abuse. (Sanjay Basu, 5/22)