Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
From KFF Health News - Latest Stories:
KFF Health News Original Stories
A Sales Tax on Doctor Visits and Medicine? In Missouri, Some Worry
A ballot measure to eliminate Missouri’s income tax would give the state legislature broad authority to levy new sales taxes to replace the lost revenue. Critics say that could mean adding a sales tax on medical services or prescription medicines. Those types of taxes are unusual, but not unheard of, in the U.S.
Readers Share Personal Insights on Deadly Denials and Pregnancy Centers
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Here's today's health policy haiku:
TRUST THE EXPERTS
Misinformation.
— Natalie Bardin
Outdated philosophy.
What about science?
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Summaries Of The News:
Capitol Watch
CDC Director Nominee Pledges To Defend Science During Confirmation Hearing
Fierce Healthcare: 'I Will Never Betray The Science': CDC Nominee To Lawmakers
Erica Schwartz, M.D., the latest nominee to lead the beleaguered Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), told lawmakers on Wednesday that she was committed to scientific integrity and transparency to restore trust in the country's top public health agency. "As CDC director, my sacred responsibility is to provide the American people with public health guidance that is clear, honest and evidence-based. I will never betray the science," Schwartz said during a confirmation hearing with the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. (Landi, 7/15)
The Hill: Blanche Pledges To End Mail-Order Abortion Medication Under Trump Admin
Acting attorney general Todd Blanche pledged on Wednesday to take action to stop abortion medication from being available through the mail. Blanche committed to Republican senators he would prioritize taking action on mifepristone if confirmed but declined to go into specifics. He said the Trump administration opposes a Biden-era policy that allowed the abortion pill mifepristone to be sent through the mail, and suggested the Department of Justice could review it. (Weixel, 7/15)
CIDRAP: ‘Why Would You Repeat The Damn Lies?’ Cassidy Asks Health Security Nominee About Vaccines
Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican and chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, appeared exasperated, at times even livid, during today's confirmation hearing for Sean Kaufman, MPH. Kaufman, a senior adviser in global affairs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), an agency with the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). (Boden, 7/15)
Politico: The GOP Senators Trump Disrespected Are Now Interrogating His Nominees
President Donald Trump’s decision this spring to oust longtime and well-liked senators of his own party is making life difficult for the Trump nominees who still need their votes. Trump has relied on the near-unanimous support of Republican senators to get his nominees through since he returned to the White House last year. Two defeated senators, John Cornyn and Bill Cassidy, along with Thom Tillis, who’s retiring after policy disagreements with Trump, showed that their loyalty to the president isn’t what it used to be on Wednesday as they gave Trump nominees a grilling at Judiciary and Health Committee hearings. (Zeller, 7/15)
In other news from Capitol Hill —
Roll Call: Bipartisan Bill To Eliminate Hepatitis C Unveiled In House
A bipartisan pair of House members is introducing legislation aimed at treating millions of Americans of a deadly-but-curable liver disease, the culmination of a yearslong push from public health advocates. (Hellmann, 7/15)
Politico: The Military Benefits Bill That’s Tearing The Veterans Community Apart
A sweeping veterans benefits measure pitched by Republicans as a boon for tens of thousands of veterans has instead become a divisive wedge for the normally tight-knit military advocacy community — and split the GOP caucus. The fight over the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act, expected to be on the House floor Thursday, threatens to complicate future work on military and veterans reforms, which are frequently viewed as non-controversial political crusades for lawmakers. (Shane III and Lee Hill, 7/15)
Military.com: House Bill Renames VA Clinic In Memory Of Army Veteran, NFL Player Pat Tillman
House lawmakers on Wednesday passed bipartisan legislation to rename the VA outpatient clinic in San Jose the Corporal Patrick D. Tillman VA Clinic. The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.) and co-led by Rep. Ken Calvert (D-Calif.), was co-sponsored by every member of the California Congressional delegation. Companion legislation has been introduced in the Senate by Democrat Adam Schiff. (Mordowanec, 7/15)
AP: America Already Tried Permanent Daylight Saving Time. It Lasted Less Than A Year. Could It Work Now?
It’s an idea whose time, as it were, may have come — again. The twice-yearly changing of the clocks in the United States could be a thing of the past if legislation currently in Congress that calls for permanent daylight time makes it through. But even as annoying as some find the back-and-forth of the time shift in the spring and the fall, that doesn’t necessarily mean sticking to one would go over well. America has tried it before, most recently in the 1970s, and it didn’t last. (Hajela, 7/16)
Also —
Stat: Graham’s Death From Aortic Dissection Raises Questions About Preventing The Rare Disorder
Sen. Lindsey Graham’s death Saturday at age 71 following an aortic dissection has focused attention on the life-threatening condition. Details about his diagnosis and treatment are not available while a final death certificate is pending, but experts agree on both how serious it is and how suddenly it erupts after a long prelude. (Cooney, 7/15)
Outbreaks and Health Threats
Hazardous Air And High Temps Blanket Stretch Of US, Prompting Health Alerts
AP: Wildfire Smoke Engulfs Swaths Of The US Midwest And Northeast
Thousands of visitors were told to evacuate a remote Minnesota wilderness area accessible only by boat as wildfires send dangerously heavy smoke over the U.S. Midwest and Northeast this week. More than 100 wildfires are burning in Canada, where a train crew in northern Ontario filmed themselves surrounded by flames before being safely evacuated. Winds are carrying the smoke southeast. (Pineda and Ganun, 7/15)
In related news about heat and sleep —
Bloomberg: Hotter Nights Linked To 56 Hours Of Lost Sleep Per Year, Climate Central Reports
Climate change is contributing to higher nighttime temperatures that are causing people to lose an average of almost 56 hours of sleep a year and threatening health, according to a new study. An analysis of 1,338 major cities estimated that residents in Saudi Arabia, Oman and the United Arab Emirates were worst impacted, with people in those locations losing between 55 and 87 hours of sleep a year between 2020 and 2025 because of warmer nights, said the report published Wednesday by the US-based nonprofit research group Climate Central. (Usmani, 7/15)
On the cyclosporiasis outbreak —
The Washington Post: How Much Did CDC Cuts Really Impact This Cyclosporiasis Outbreak?
The CDC last year reduced its surveillance for cyclospora and several other pathogens in a program that tracks longer-term disease trends. The program, known as FoodNet, was scaled back because funding for food safety has not been maintained over the last several years (even before Robert F. Kennedy Jr. became health secretary and cuts from the U.S. DOGE Service), said Dan Jernigan, former director of CDC’s Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, which includes foodborne outbreaks. That program is not designed for real-time outbreak detection or response, and the Trump administration cuts would have little impact on the current situation, said Jernigan, one of three top CDC officials who quit last year over Kennedy’s policies. (Sun, 7/15)
USA Today: Are Locally-Grown Fruits And Vegetables Safer? Experts Explain
While a nationwide surge in cyclosporiasis cases has many concerned about eating certain produce, experts say locally grown fruits and vegetables – like those sold at farmers markets –may be a safer option. (Khan, 7/16)
CBS News: NYC Man Spent Weeks Suffering From Cyclosporiasis: 'My Body Would Not Allow Me To Eat Food'
When he began experiencing symptoms back in May, Chase Strangio thought he had a stomach virus, but as the days progressed, he didn't see any improvements. "My body would not allow me to eat food, and it even reached the point where drinking water was challenging," he said, "and I was having a lot of pain." No one in Strangio's family got sick, but many friends he had lunch with a week prior did. "The common ingredient we were able to discern was either a lettuce or a cilantro," he said. (DeAngelis, 7/15)
On tuberculosis, measles, and childhood vaccines —
The Colorado Sun: GEO Group Blocking Tuberculosis Investigation At Aurora ICE Facility
The private company that operates the immigration detention facility in Aurora is blocking investigation into the possible spread of tuberculosis there, an Adams County health official stated in a court document earlier this month. Now, a new report is raising questions about how much the highly contagious disease has spread in the facility, even as the standoff with the public health department continues. (Ingold, 7/15)
ABC News: Measles Cases In 2026 Are Set To Surpass Last Year's Total. Here's Why
The number of reported measles cases in the United States this year is soon set to surpass the total reported for all of last year. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows the U.S. has reported 2,231 cases as of July 9, which is just 58 shy of the 2,289 cases reported for the entirety of 2025. Previously, the 2025 total was the highest number of cases seen in more than 30 years, and some public health specialists believe the U.S. is on track to lose the elimination status it earned in 2000. (Kekatos, 7/16)
The Baltimore Sun: Five Cases Of Measles Confirmed At Westminster Hospital
Five cases of measles have been confirmed in Maryland residents, according to the Maryland Department of Health. Officials are warning anyone who visited the Carroll Hospital Center emergency department waiting room in Westminster on July 13 between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. may have been exposed. All five cases were in people who recently traveled together to a location in the U.S. that has an active measles outbreak. (Byrne, 7/15)
CIDRAP: Slight Gains Made In Global Childhood Vaccination Rates, Says New Report
Despite vaccine hesitancy spreading worldwide, the number of children receiving the diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTP) vaccine has slightly increased, according to the World Health Organization (WHO)-United Nation Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Estimates of National Immunization Coverage published today. DTP immunization rates often show how successful a country is at providing routine childhood vaccines. Almost 116 million infants (90%) globally received one dose of DTP, and 110 million babies (85%) were fully vaccinated with three shots. (Holohan, 7/15)
The latest on the Ebola outbreak —
Reuters: Uganda To Discharge Last Ebola Patient, Spokesperson Says
Uganda is due to discharge its last Ebola patient on Thursday, triggering a 42-day countdown that could see the country declared free of the virus, a spokesperson for the government said. The wider outbreak, which the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a public health emergency in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in May, has caused 2,011 confirmed cases of infection and 754 confirmed deaths in the DRC as of Wednesday, according to data from the government. (7/16)
Administration News
Testosterone Testing Added To Service Members' Annual Checkups
NBC News: U.S. Military Will Test Service Members’ Testosterone Levels, Pete Hegseth Says
The U.S. military will begin testing the testosterone levels of some service members and recommending hormone therapy if needed, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday. The new policy comes amid a larger push by the Trump administration to promote and expand public access to testosterone replacement therapies. (Brand and Gains, 7/15)
The Washington Post: MAHA Activists Thought Trump Would Limit Pesticides. His EPA Has Green-Lit More.
South Dakota farmer Jonathan Lundgren was perplexed last month while he was in the Oval Office. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Lundgren recalled, indicated that an hours-old Supreme Court ruling that limits lawsuits over a popular weed killer’s possible health impacts was a win for farmers. Regenerative farmers like Lundgren view the active ingredient in the pesticide Roundup, glyphosate, as a harmful chemical that helped inspire the Make America Healthy Again movement. Tens of thousands of plaintiffs have alleged it causes non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which Roundup’s manufacturer, Bayer, denies. (Roubein, 7/16)
Becker's Hospital Review: CMS Proposes Ban On Third-Party Remote Patient Monitoring: 6 Notes
CMS is proposing a Medicare payment ban for remote patient monitoring services delivered by third-party vendors. Here are six things to know: 1. The proposed rule, released July 14 as part of the 2027 physician fee schedule, would allow payment for remote physiologic monitoring and remote therapeutic monitoring only when clinical staff employed by the billing practice furnish the services, not contracted third-party companies. Staff would not need to be on-site, but the billing relationship would have to run through the practice itself. (Bruce, 7/15)
On prescription drug prices —
NPR: TrumpRx Only Offers Some Brand-Name Drugs For Sale To Consumers
A centerpiece of President Trump's push to make prescription medicines more affordable is a government website for drug discounts that carries his own name. TrumpRx, launched in February, now boasts 92 deals on brand-name prescription drugs made by pharmaceutical companies that announced highly publicized agreements with the Trump administration. But nearly six months since the website's launch, those deals on TrumpRx represent fewer than 12% of the more than 800 brand-name drugs made by the participating pharmaceutical companies. (Lupkin, 7/16)
KFF Health News: KFF Health News’ ‘Letters To The Editor’: Readers Share Personal Insights On Deadly Denials And Pregnancy Centers
KFF Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories. ... I read your article in The Washington Post about the woman whose Humana policy required prior authorization for a drug she’d been taking (Bill of the Month: “She Struggled To Get a Lifesaving Drug Even After Insurers Vowed To Help,” June 29). My husband, Kenney, had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. On June 7, he fatally shot himself after a COPD exacerbation event. (7/16)
KFF Health News: Listen To The Latest ‘KFF Health News Minute’
Sam Whitehead reads the week’s news: Some health plans are pocketing their enrollees’ drug discounts, while many Affordable Care Act insurers want to raise rates by double digits next year. (7/16)
Health Industry
Elevance Exiting Underperforming DC Medicaid Market; Other Departures To Come
Healthcare Dive: Elevance Shuts Down D.C. Medicaid Business, Eyes Additional Exits After Passable Q2
Elevance Health is shrinking its Medicaid business, worried about future profits in the beleaguered safety-net insurance program. The insurer is leaving Washington, D.C.’s Medicaid market this summer, and plans to exit additional Medicaid markets over the next 18 months, executives said during a call to discuss Elevance’s second quarter financial results Wednesday morning. (Parduhn, 7/15)
Healthcare Dive: Judge Tosses Another No Surprises Lawsuit Against HaloMD
It's the third recent legal victory in No Surprises lawsuits for billings intermediary HaloMD, which has also had suits dismissed in California and Texas. (Olsen, 7/15)
Modern Healthcare: HCA Healthcare's ACA Losses Signal Deeper Strain For Hospitals
Health systems already were bracing for substantial losses as people exited Affordable Care Act exchange programs, and HCA Healthcare’s disclosure Tuesday suggests the financial toll across the industry could be worse than expected. HCA said Tuesday it took a $400 million hit to pretax earnings in the second quarter, including $75 million carried over from the first quarter, as patients lost exchange health insurance. (Hudson, 7/15)
More healthcare industry updates —
Becker's Hospital Review: Hacking Group Says It Won't Target Hospitals
A cybercriminal group calling itself The Syndicate claims it breached Israeli fintech firm Nayax and stole more than 1 billion payment card records, while telling DataBreaches.net it steers clear of attacking hospitals. Asked whether it refrains from hacking certain sectors, the group said in the July 15 story: “We don’t target hospitals or critical infrastructure, anything that directly endangers lives.” It said its focus is financial services, technology and retail companies with significant capital, and that it also avoids Commonwealth of Independent States countries. (Bruce, 7/15)
Fierce Healthcare: Amazon Pharmacy, ENavvi Collab On Real-Time Prescription Info
Amazon Pharmacy is collaborating with digital prescription platform eNAvvi to provide clinicians with real-time medication information and delivery options through its e-prescribing workflow. The partnership allows providers to see current pricing and stock for prescriptions, including cash pricing versus estimated insurance copays, and shows how quickly medications will reach patients, the companies said. The goal of the partnership is to support medication adherence and increase access for patients, especially for those in “pharmacy deserts.” (Gleeson, 7/15)
Cardinal News: LewisGale Adds Simulation Lab For Nurses And Clinicians
LewisGale Regional Health System celebrated the opening of its new clinical simulation center last week with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The 5,700-square-foot HCA Healthcare Center for Clinical Advancement in Roanoke allows nurses and other health care professionals to practice patient care in realistic hospital rooms using high-fidelity mannequins that simulate medical emergencies and a range of illnesses. (Schabacker, 7/16)
Modern Healthcare: Vanderbilt Health Hires Dr. David Miller As CEO
Dr. David Miller has been named as the next president and CEO of Vanderbilt Health, effective Jan. 1. Miller is CEO of Ann Arbor-headquartered Michigan Medicine and executive vice president for medical affairs for the University of Michigan. He will also become the dean of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, the organization said Wednesday. (DeSilva, 7/15)
San Francisco Chronicle: UCSF Doctors And Nurses Protest ER ‘Boarding Crisis’
UCSF nurses and doctors protested Wednesday morning outside the UC regents meeting in San Francisco over what they say are inadequate staffing levels leading to a “boarding crisis” at UCSF’s Parnassus emergency department. Several dozen members of two unions representing UCSF healthcare workers — the California Nurses Association and the Committee of Interns and Residents/SEIU — gathered at 8 a.m. at the UCSF Rutter Center in Mission Bay, where the regents were scheduled to hold the second day of their two-day bimonthly meeting, organizers said. Supporting the protest were members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the university’s largest workers union, and University Professional & Technical Employees, a union representing UC’s technical workers. (Ho, 7/15)
State Watch
'We Are Panicking': Medicaid Crackdown In Minnesota Has Upended Care For People With Disabilities
Politico: Fraud Investigations Are Crumbling This State’s Medicaid System
Looking across her farm in rural Minnesota, Heather Wright takes stock of what she’s lost. Six months ago, she had a herd of 60 cattle and a full staff on her farm providing therapy for children with autism. Those cows have since been sold off, along with company cars, and several employees have left for steadier jobs at a convenience store. Losses like Wright’s are happening all across Minnesota, where the Trump administration’s sweeping crackdown on Medicaid fraud is upending the finances of thousands of health care providers that depend on the government program to stay afloat. (Chu and King, 7/15)
More health news from across the U.S. —
The Baltimore Sun: Eastern Shore Pharmacy Asks Worcester County For Help
For 27 years, Snow Hill Pharmacy helped fill a gap in a town with no other drugstore. Now, owner Jeff Sherr says the business is trying not to become another small-town service that goes away. (Davis, 7/15)
KFF Health News: A Sales Tax On Doctor Visits And Medicine? In Missouri, Some Worry
Missouri healthcare advocate Leslie Ortbals and her husband want to start a family, but she worries they can’t afford it. The 27-year-old said she takes 10 medications daily to manage multiple chronic illnesses. Now she worries the cost of those drugs could rise — not because of price increases, but because of a tax system revamp put on the ballot by the state’s Republican-dominated legislature and backed by the Republican governor. (Sable-Smith, 7/16)
Verite News: Advocates, Elected Officials Call For Statewide Siren System After 14 Tornadoes Touch Down Near New Orleans
New Orleans officials joined a coalition of community-based organizations to call for the installation of emergency siren systems across the state weeks after 14 tornadoes touched down in the greater New Orleans area from Tropical Storm Arthur. The coalition, Louisiana Grassroots United, also asked for more tornado education as research suggests Tornado Alley — historically stretching across the Great Plains region — has shifted farther eastward than it has historically to now include Louisiana. The advocates and elected officials said while residents understand hurricanes, there’s a gap in knowledge when it comes to tornado safety. (Parker, 7/15)
North Carolina Health News: Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Research Gains Traction With NC Lawmakers
Ben Ingraham wanted to be a doctor. He planned to attend medical school after serving as a U.S. Navy corpsman, but his time in the military was unexpectedly cut short. A traumatic brain injury and a leg injury forced him to medically retire. (Crawford, 7/16)
The New York Times: The Epicenter Of Drug Deaths In America Is Shifting West
For years, the opioid supply in Arizona was dominated by little blue pills pressed and stamped to look like 30 milligram oxycodone tablets, often called “blues.” But two years ago, that began to change. Now the market is mostly powdered fentanyl, and drug deaths are rising. In Phoenix, this shift in the illicit drug supply has combined with heat, meth and homelessness to create an emerging crisis of overdose deaths in America’s fifth-largest city. (Katz, 7/15)
AP: YouTube Appeals Jury Verdict In Social Media Addiction Lawsuit
YouTube has appealed the verdict of a landmark social media addiction lawsuit in Los Angeles, seeking to challenge the jury’s determination that the company designed its platform to hook young users without concern for their well-being. Lawyers representing YouTube filed a notice of appeal Monday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, less than a week after Meta, which was also a defendant in the case, filed its own notice of appeal. The lawyers are expected to provide their arguments related to the appeal in later court filings. (Huamani, 7/15)
AP: Carbon Monoxide Suspected In 3 Deaths In Ford Explorer In Toledo, Ohio
The presence of carbon monoxide was confirmed in a parked vehicle in Toledo, Ohio, where five people were found unresponsive and three of them died Wednesday in what an official described as an accident. The Ford Explorer had pulled over with a flat tire into a parking lot, and the victims were discovered shortly after 11 a.m., Toledo Fire Chief Allison Armstrong said. ... Ford Explorers were part of a previous six-year investigation by the federal government into exhaust odors in passenger cabins. (Raby, 7/15)
Lifestyle and Health
FDA Approves Lipfendra, A Daily Pill To Lower Cholesterol That Outperforms Statins
The New York Times: The F.D.A. Approves A New Pill To Slash Cholesterol Levels
The Food and Drug Administration approved a daily pill on Thursday that can lower cholesterol levels far below what can be achieved with statins, the cheap cholesterol-reducing pills. The drug, enlicitide, whose brand name is Lipfendra, is made by the pharmaceutical company Merck. Clinical trials have shown that it can bring levels of LDL — the dangerous type of cholesterol — down to 50 or 60 or even lower. Adults not taking cholesterol-lowering drugs usually have levels above 100. It works by inhibiting a protein known as PCSK9. (Kolata, 7/16)
More health and wellness news —
Stat: New Study Untangles How Epstein-Barr Virus Triggers Immune Response In MS
In a new study published in Science Translational Medicine on Wednesday, researchers say they have uncovered how Epstein-Barr virus launches immune responses that lead to the inflammation and nervous system damage seen in people with multiple sclerosis. (Chen, 7/15)
MedPage Today: Study Offers Reassurance To Women Considering Epidural During Labor
Epidural analgesia in labor was not linked to adverse neonatal neurological outcomes, a Scottish cohort study found. An analysis of nearly half a million deliveries found no association between epidural analgesia in labor and neonatal neurological morbidity ..., reported Rachel Kearns, MBChB, MD, of Glasgow Royal Infirmary in Scotland, and colleagues. (Robertson, 7/15)
MedPage Today: Astronauts Obtain First X-Rays In Space
It was feasible to take x-rays in space, potentially improving diagnostic capabilities for crew health, according to a small prospective study. Using a portable radiography system, three crew members on the 3.5-day Fram2 polar orbital flight were able to take diagnostic-quality x-rays, the first human radiographs in space, reported Sheyna Gifford, MD, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and colleagues. (Bassett, 7/15)
In celebrity news —
AP: Sam Neill Died From Pneumonia, His Agent Says
Actor Sam Neill died from pneumonia and will be honored at a private family memorial at his New Zealand farm later, his agent told The Associated Press on Thursday. Neill’s family had earlier announced the actor known for “Jurassic Park,” “The Piano” and other films died Monday in Sydney. (Graham-McLay, 7/16)
Health Policy Research
Research Roundup: The Latest Science, Discoveries, And Breakthroughs
MedPage Today: PAM Inhibitor Approved For HR-Positive Breast Cancer
The FDA approved the kinase inhibitor gedatolisib (Revtorpyk) for treating hormone receptor (HR)-positive/HER2-negative breast cancer in patients whose disease has progressed on endocrine therapy in the metastatic setting. (Bassett, 7/14)
CIDRAP: More Babies Having Uncontrolled Bleeding Tied To Reduced Vitamin K Shots At Birth
Bleeding episodes among infants of 6 months of age or younger in Sweden doubled from 2003 through 2021. This concerning trend seems driven by more Swedish parents declining vitamin K shots for their newborns, according to an analysis of 2 million infants published today in JAMA Pediatrics. (Boden, 7/14)
CIDRAP: Taking Painkillers Before Flu Shot Doesn’t Lower Its Effectiveness, Study Finds
A study in the Journal of Infectious Diseases found that taking NSAIDs or acetaminophen in the 24 hours before receiving a flu shot did not reduce the vaccine’s effectiveness or change people’s immune response. Common over-the-counter NSAIDs include ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and naproxen sodium (Aleve). (Holohan, 7/13)
CIDRAP: Paper Highlights How Nagging Flu Symptoms Can Linger For Weeks
Influenza is often thought of as a miserable, short-lived illness. But a new study suggests that while the most severe symptoms may fade within days, many people experience lingering effects for up to a month after infection. (Bergeson, 7/13)
CIDRAP: Asthma, Chronic Kidney Disease And Other High-Risk Conditions Increase The Risk For Severe RSV Illness
Adults are more likely to experience severe infections from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) if they have certain high-risk conditions (HRCs), particularly asthma, congenital immunodeficiency, chronic kidney disease, or an organ transplant, or are taking immunosuppressive medications. (Boden, 7/10)
Editorials And Opinions
Viewpoints: Cyclosporiasis Outbreak Is Evidence Of System Failure; Hunger Can Trigger A Psychiatric Emergency
USA Today Network via Reuters Connect: The Part Of The Cyclosporiasis Outbreak No One Is Talking About
Every summer now, it seems, we get the same headline: a cluster of cyclosporiasis cases traced to fresh produce, a recall, a brief wave of concern and then silence until next year. The news coverage almost always frames this as a food safety story – contaminated basil, bad lettuce, a supplier that slipped through the cracks. I want to offer a different diagnosis, because I've watched this exact pattern before, in a very different disease, and I recognize it immediately. (Dr. Tyler B. Evans, 7/16)
Stat: Medicaid And SNAP Cuts Are Exacerbating The Intertwined Problems Of Hunger And Mental Illness
The patient had come in for suicidal ideation. When I asked about his eating habits beforehand and access to food — routine for a psychiatric nutrition consult — he told me he’d lost his SNAP eligibility a few weeks earlier. (Cole Hanson, 7/16)
The Atlantic: You Don’t Need To Vote For Socialists To Get Universal Health Care
The trump administration is implementing the most sweeping rollback of social spending in American history. Millions of Americans are being thrown off Medicaid. The president and his Republican allies in Congress refused to extend enhanced subsidies for people buying individual health insurance on Affordable Care Act exchanges, which Democrats have warned since last year will cause millions more to lose coverage while health-insurance premiums spike for those still enrolled. Last week, as Democrats predicted, insurers on the exchanges announced premium increases averaging 14 percent, coming atop a 20 percent hike the previous year. (Jonathan Chait, 7/15)
The Hill: Cheaper Medicines Exist — Middlemen Are Keeping Them Out Of Reach
All too often, Americans go to the pharmacy and are stunned by what they’re asked to pay. The question is simple: “Isn’t there a cheaper option?” Frequently, there is. But patients aren’t making the final call and neither are their doctors. (Robert Zirkelbach, 7/15)
The Washington Post: I Smoked Cannabis For Nearly 20 Years. Here’s What I Wish I Knew At 13.
What I know now about cannabis, especially what it does to a teenager’s brain, I learned the hard way. When the Trump administration moved to reclassify marijuana from Schedule I — a designation that includes heroin and PCP — to Schedule III, alongside less addictive drugs, I applauded the decision. After all, I’d been arguing that case since high school. But now, months after medical cannabis was rescheduled, and with a formal Drug Enforcement Administration hearing on broader rescheduling underway, I’ve been digging into the research, and I’ve been forced to rethink everything I thought I knew. Here’s what I wish I’d realized at 13. (Monica Romano, 7/14)