- KFF Health News Original Stories 4
- Why Black and Hispanic Seniors Are Left With a Less Powerful Flu Vaccine
- $11M for North Carolina Work-Based Rehab Raises Concerns
- Doctors Trying to Prescribe Abortion Pills Across State Lines Stymied by Legislation
- The End of the Covid Emergency Could Mean a Huge Loss of Health Insurance
- Political Cartoon: 'New Virus Strain?'
- Covid-19 2
- White House Steps Up Efforts To Study Long Covid
- Nearly 3 In 4 US Covid Cases Now 'Stealth' Omicron BA.2
From KFF Health News - Latest Stories:
KFF Health News Original Stories
Why Black and Hispanic Seniors Are Left With a Less Powerful Flu Vaccine
Federal health officials haven’t taken a clear position on whether a high-dose influenza vaccine — on the market since 2010 — is the best choice for people 65 and older. Many in that group already opt for the costlier enhanced shot. Those who get the standard vaccine are disproportionately members of ethnic and racial minorities. (Arthur Allen, 4/6)
$11M for North Carolina Work-Based Rehab Raises Concerns
As overdoses surge and opioid settlement dollars flow, funding to North Carolina rehab foreshadows national discussion about the best approaches to treatment. (Aneri Pattani and Taylor Knopf, NC Health News, 4/6)
Doctors Trying to Prescribe Abortion Pills Across State Lines Stymied by Legislation
Some doctors are getting licensed in multiple states so they can use telemedicine and mail-order pharmacies to provide medication abortions to more women. At the same time, states are cracking down on telemedicine abortions, blunting the efforts of out-of-state doctors. (Rachel Bluth, 4/6)
The End of the Covid Emergency Could Mean a Huge Loss of Health Insurance
It is a perilous time to throw low- and middle-income Americans off the insurance cliff: A new omicron subvariant is spreading, and a program that provided coronavirus testing and covid-19 treatment at no cost to the uninsured has expired. (Elisabeth Rosenthal, 4/6)
Political Cartoon: 'New Virus Strain?'
KFF Health News provides a fresh take on health policy developments with "Political Cartoon: 'New Virus Strain?'" by Joel Pett.
Here's today's health policy haiku:
MANY NURSES FEEL LIKE THEY'RE 'SET UP TO FAIL'
Nurses are raging,
finally telling the truth —
treated bad too long.
- Catherine DeLorey
If you have a health policy haiku to share, please Contact Us and let us know if we can include your name. Haikus follow the format of 5-7-5 syllables. We give extra brownie points if you link back to an original story.
Opinions expressed in haikus and cartoons are solely the author's and do not reflect the opinions of KFF Health News or KFF.
Summaries Of The News:
The cancer-causing substance can still be found in car brakes and linings, gaskets and water treatment. Its use has never been completely banned.
Politico:
EPA Moves To Ban Asbestos After Decades Of Failures
EPA on Tuesday proposed banning nearly all remaining uses of asbestos, a material known to cause lung cancer when inhaled and that still lingers in millions of U.S. homes and schools. The proposal is a landmark moment in the decadeslong effort to end the use of asbestos, a naturally occurring fiber whose heat-resistant features made it a popular choice in products like insulation, drywall, pipe coatings, roofing shingles and vehicle brakes. (Guillen, 4/5)
AP:
EPA Rule Would Finally Ban Asbestos, Carcinogen Still In Use
While chlorine is a commonly used disinfectant in water treatment, there are only 10 chlor-alkali plants in the U.S. that still use asbestos diaphragms to produce chlorine and sodium hydroxide. The plants are mostly located in Louisiana and Texas. The use of asbestos diaphragms has been declining and now accounts for about one-third of the chlor-alkali production in the U.S., EPA said. The American Chemistry Council, a lobbying group for the chemical industry, slammed the EPA proposal, saying it could cause substantial harm to America’s drinking water supply by reducing the domestic supply of chlorine. (Daly, 4/5)
The Hill:
EPA Proposes Ban On Common Type Of Asbestos
Chrysotile asbestos, the most commonly used type of asbestos, is found in car brakes and linings, gaskets and other products. In 1989, the agency tried to ban asbestos, but that was largely overturned in a 1991 court decision. The agency said in a statement that its new decision would “rectify” that ruling. The rule also stands in contrast with a Trump-era rule on asbestos that sought to require federal approval for any manufacture or import of certain products that use asbestos. (Frazin, 4/5)
Biden, Obama Reunite At White House To Promote Affordable Care Act
President Joe Biden signed an executive order Tuesday that ordered agencies to expand coverage and lower costs. The Biden administration has also proposed a rule to close a subsidy loophole dubbed the "family glitch."
Roll Call:
Obama And Biden Reunite To Tout Signature Health Care Law
Former President Barack Obama returned to the White House on Tuesday for the first time since Jan. 20, 2017, to celebrate how his former vice president, now President Joe Biden, has been able to expand benefits under their signature health care law. Since Biden was inaugurated, Democrats have enjoyed a rare moment where the 2010 health care law is not a political football. The law was hotly contested throughout Obama’s presidency and Republicans spent much of then-President Donald Trump’s administration trying to roll back its protections as insurers left the markets and chaos reigned. (Cohen and Lesniewski, 4/5)
AP:
Obama's Back — For A Day — In White House Health Bill Push
With hugs, laughs and good-natured ribbing, Barack Obama on Tuesday returned to the White House for the first time in more than five years to savor the 12th anniversary of his signature health care law and give a boost to President Joe Biden’s efforts to expand it. The Affordable Care Act has survived repeated repeal attempts by Republicans. (Miller, Alonso-Zaldivar and Superville, 4/5)
Reuters:
Obama, Biden Reunite At White House To Tout Obamacare, New Provision
Obama jokingly referred to Biden as "vice president" before correcting himself, inspiring a salute from Biden, then offered broad praise of the Affordable Care Act, whose passage he described as a "high point" of his time in office. "If you can get millions of people health coverage and better protection, it is, to quote a famous American, a pretty ... big deal," Obama said to hoots of laughter from the crowd, referencing an off-color Biden remark picked up by a hot mic when the law was signed. (Bose and Mason, 4/5)
Quick Passage Of Covid Relief Bill Appears Remote
Republicans are using a Trump-era immigration policy to hold up a bill to provide $10 billion in covid aid. Getting the bill to President Joe Biden's desk before a two-week recess seems remote.
The Hill:
GOP Blocks Advancing COVID-19 Deal Amid Trump-Era Immigration Fight
Republicans on Tuesday blocked the Senate from advancing a $10 billion deal on coronavirus aid amid a stalemated fight over whether to attach a Trump-era immigration policy to the agreement. Absent a breakthrough, the stalemate would delay the coronavirus bill until after a two-week break that is expected to start by Friday. To pass the deal before that, they would need buy-in from all 100 senators. (Carney, 4/5)
Roll Call:
Odds Dimming For Quick Passage Of $10B Virus Aid Package
The week is still young. But prospects for getting a bipartisan supplemental aid package for pandemic response efforts to President Joe Biden's desk before a two-week recess seem increasingly remote. Without a deal on amendments Republicans want to offer, the Senate on Tuesday rejected a procedural motion needed to begin debate on the bill, which would provide $10 billion for the Department of Health and Human Services to buy more therapeutics, vaccines and testing supplies and prepare for future virus variants. (McPherson, Simon and Weiss, 4/5)
The Hill:
White House Official: It’s In ‘National Interest’ To Vaccinate World Against COVID-19
White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients on Tuesday said it’s in the U.S.’s “national interest” to vaccinate the world against COVID-19 to protect against potential new variants, days after senators dropped global funding from a coronavirus spending deal. “It is a real disappointment that there’s no global funding in this bill. This virus knows no borders, and it’s in our national interest to vaccinate the world and protect against possible new variants,” Zients said during a White House COVID-19 briefing. (Schnell, 4/5)
Also —
Bloomberg:
U.S. Owes Pfizer $5 Billion For Covid Pills, Half Of Proposed Aid Package
The Biden administration is on the hook to pay Pfizer Inc. nearly $5 billion for pills it’s already ordered to treat Covid-19, meaning as much as half of a scaled-back pandemic funding bill the Senate is debating is already spoken for, according to officials familiar with the matter. Senators announced a deal Monday to provide $10 billion in new Covid funding, far less than the White House has requested. The true purchasing power of the package will be even less because of commitments the government’s already made, the officials said. (Wingrove, 4/5)
Politico:
Congress Could Finally Pass A Covid Bill. They’ll Soon Have To Do It All Again.
The roughly $10 billion in pandemic aid the Senate is preparing to vote on after a weekslong impasse will keep the nation’s testing, treatment and vaccination programs afloat for only a couple months, lawmakers, Biden administration officials and public health experts warn. That tees up more bitter fights over Covid aid as early as this summer. (Ollstein and Banco, 4/5)
The Hill:
Burr Asks Biden Administration For Science Behind Title 42 Decision
Sen. Richard Burr (N.C.), the senior Republican on the Senate Health Committee, on Tuesday sent a letter to the Biden administration asking the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to reveal what science was used to justify lifting the Title 42 order limiting asylum claims at the U.S.-Mexico border. The administration has insisted the decision to rescind Title 42, the health order that has been used in expediting an estimated 1.7 million deportations, was based on science and not politics. (Bolton, 4/5)
White House Steps Up Efforts To Study Long Covid
Media outlets report on new plans from the Biden administration to battle long covid, including creating a new task force to coordinate research efforts across different federal agencies. Meanwhile, two new studies on the disease in France and China report its long-term symptoms persist over a year.
Stat:
Biden Administration Ramps Up Long Covid Research Efforts
The Biden administration on Tuesday announced plans to ramp up research into long Covid, following scathing criticism from patients and experts. The White House’s plan includes efforts to improve sluggish enrollment in a major study run by the National Institutes of Health and to create a new research task force to coordinate research into long Covid across federal agencies. Crucial questions about long Covid remain, including exactly how it will be defined, how prevalent it is among people who are infected with Covid-19, and who is most at risk. (Cohrs, 4/5)
Roll Call:
White House Broadens Initiative To Address Long COVID-19
The Biden administration on Tuesday unveiled a plan to increase awareness and response to the long-term effects of COVID-19, directing Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra to helm an interagency effort to coordinate research and support for long-term patients. The initiative builds on a series of steps taken by the administration, including the RECOVER Initiative, a wide-ranging, $1.15 billion National Institutes of Health study launched last year. The presidential memorandum directs HHS to coordinate a broad range of educational efforts aimed at boosting research, tracking and coverage of long COVID-19 patients. (Clason, 4/5)
The Washington Post:
Officials Unveil ‘Long Covid’ Research, Action Plan
The government will expand a nationwide network of long covid clinics being run through the Department of Veterans Affairs, with officials saying they are already providing new insights on how to care for long covid patients. Federal officials will also launch a new initiative, dubbed the “Health+ project,” to solicit feedback from people living with long covid and use it to shape practices at clinics nationwide. (Diamond and Sellers, 4/5)
Also —
CIDRAP:
Studies Find Long COVID Symptoms, Including Joint Pain, At 1 Year
Two new studies detail long COVID symptoms, with one from France showing that 85% of patients who had symptoms 2 months after illness onset still had them at 1 year and some symptoms worsened, and one from China revealing that 12% of patients reported rheumatic symptoms at 1-year follow-up. (4/5)
Nearly 3 In 4 US Covid Cases Now 'Stealth' Omicron BA.2
The dramatic rise of omicron covid subvariant BA.2 is seen in data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Separately, since GlaxoSmithKline's covid drug sotrovimab is known to be ineffective in treating this subvariant, the FDA has deauthorized its use.
CIDRAP:
BA.2 Now Behind 72% Of All US COVID-19 Cases
The subvariant of the Omicron strain—BA.2—now accounts for 72.2% of all COVID-19 cases in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "There is no evidence BA.2 results in more severe illness, and it is no more likely to evade immune protection," said Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH, during a White House press briefing. "But the subvariant is more transmissible." (Soucheray, 4/5)
AP:
US Pulls GSK's COVID Drug As Omicron Sibling Dominates Cases
GlaxoSmithKline’s IV drug for COVID-19 should no longer be used because it is likely ineffective against the omicron subvariant that now accounts for most U.S. cases, federal health regulators said Tuesday. The Food and Drug Administration announced that the company’s antibody drug sotrovimab is no longer authorized to treat patients in any U.S. state or territory. The decision was expected, because the FDA had repeatedly restricted the drug’s use in the Northeast and other regions as the BA.2 version of omicron became dominant. (Perrone, 4/5)
In other news about the spread of covid —
Bangor Daily News:
Nirav Shah: Wastewater Data Show COVID May Be On The Rise Again In Maine
Although COVID-19 cases have fallen from a pandemic-high reported in January 2022, there is some evidence that the virus may be on the rise again. Surveillance data show that there has been an increase in viral RNA in wastewater over the past 15 days, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Wastewater surveillance results showed uniform increases in viral levels across the state,” Nirav Shah, the director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention tweeted on Tuesday. “This is different from the episodic spikes we’ve seen before.” (Stockley, 4/5)
The Boston Globe:
Levels Of Coronavirus In Eastern Mass. Waste Water Still Rising
The levels of coronavirus detected in Eastern Massachusetts waste water continued to climb in recent days, as concerns persist that the arrival of the Omicron subvariant BA.2 could cause an increase in COVID-19 cases. The levels fell precipitously from heights reached early this year as the Omicron wave peaked, then bottomed out around the beginning of March. They have been rising gradually since, although they are still a small fraction of their peak, according to data from the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority. (Finucane and Huddle, 4/5)
Los Angeles Times:
L.A. Coronavirus Cases Rising, But Is It Another Wave?
Coronavirus cases have begun to rise in Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco counties, likely a result of the highly contagious Omicron subvariant BA.2, decreased use of masks and waning immunity. The increases are modest, and it’s unclear whether this is a brief hiccup, the beginning of a larger wave of cases or something in between. “I think that it’s possible we might see a modest uptick in the next few weeks due to the fact that we are reducing some of the restrictions, such as indoor mask use,” UCLA epidemiologist Dr. Robert Kim-Farley said. “But I do not anticipate that we would see a major surge at this stage, just because so many people are immune, due to natural infection or vaccination.” (Lin II, 4/5)
San Francisco Chronicle:
San Francisco Has Highest COVID Rate As California’s Decline In Cases Stalls
San Francisco now has the highest coronavirus infection rate of any county in California, followed closely by several other Bay Area counties where COVID-19 downward trends have stalled as the highly transmissible BA.2 subvariant extends its dominance. The Bay Area overall is reporting about 700 new cases a day across its nine counties, still reflecting its steep drop since the winter surge that saw a peak of more than 18,000 new daily cases. But the number remains much higher than the 200 reported during last year’s summer lull before the delta variant of the virus took hold. (Vaziri, 4/5)
Chicago Tribune:
Chicago's, Schools' COVID-19 Numbers Climb But ‘Nothing Alarming'
COVID-19 case numbers continue to rise in Chicago and in its public school system, but the city’s top doctor said there is “nothing alarming at this point.” “We are seeing an increase, but I’m thinking it’s going to be probably more like what we saw during alpha and during delta (variant waves), as opposed to this really out-of-control (surge) that we saw during omicron,” public health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said Tuesday during an online question-and-answer session. (Swartz, 4/5)
AP:
West Virginia Removes Dozens Of Deaths From COVID-19 Count
West Virginia has removed dozens of deaths from its official COVID-19 count after a review found nearly all of them were not related to the coronavirus, health officials said Tuesday. The Department of Health and Human Resources lowered its death count since the start of the pandemic from 6,839 to 6,716. (4/5)
Also —
AP:
Judge Grants Class-Action Status To COVID-Sickened Prisoners
A federal judge has certified a class-action lawsuit in Oregon over state leaders’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic inside its prisons. A group of adults in custody who contracted COVID-19 first sued the state in April 2020, alleging culpability by Gov. Kate Brown, Corrections Department Director Colette Peters and Health Authority Director Patrick Allen, among other state officials. The lawsuit acknowledges Corrections has taken some measures but argues they have not been enough. (4/5)
Philadelphia Inquirer:
Omicron Raised Nursing And Other Costs For Philadelphia Health Systems
The University of Pennsylvania Health System typically spends $9 million to $10 million a quarter on overtime, agency staff, and bonus pay encouraging workers to take extra shifts, a health system executive said this month. But those costs reached an astounding $49 million, a five-fold increase, in the last three months of 2021, capped by the onset of the omicron surge. “Our costs at the bedside have just gone up and they’re not going down,” the health system’s chief financial officer, Keith Kasper, told University of Pennsylvania trustees during a budget committee meeting March 3. He said the system has to adjust. (Brubaker, 4/1)
KHN:
The End Of The Covid Emergency Could Mean A Huge Loss Of Health Insurance
If there has been a silver lining to this terrible covid-19 pandemic, it is that the rate of Americans without health insurance dropped to a near-historic low, in response to various federal initiatives connected to the government-declared public health emergency. Now, as the pandemic’s acute phase seemingly draws to an end, millions of low-income and middle-income Americans are at risk of losing health insurance. The United States might see one of the steepest increases in the country’s uninsured rate in years. (Rosenthal, 4/6)
CDC Director Clear On Need For Booster Covid Shot
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said there is enough immunity in the U.S. population to provide some protection against the more contagious omicron BA.2 subvariant and clearly encouraged people over 50 to get a booster.
NBC News:
CDC Director Explains Who Needs 2nd Covid Vaccine Booster
The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provided more clarity on who should — or perhaps should not — consider getting a second Covid-19 booster vaccine, saying that a recent infection may in fact act as a "natural boost" in immunity. People who have had the two-dose mRNA vaccine series plus one booster don't need a second booster if they recently were infected with the omicron variant of the coronavirus, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told NBC News. (Edwards, 4/5)
The New York Times:
The C.D.C. Director Says She ‘Really Would Encourage’ Second Boosters For Older People And Many With Chronic Conditions
Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Tuesday that her agency “really would encourage people who are over 50 who have underlying medical conditions and those over the age of 65” to get a second booster shot. Her remarks at a White House briefing were her clearest statement to date on who should get what for most people amounts to a fourth shot against the coronavirus. (LaFraniere, 4/6)
CNBC:
CDC Director Says High Immunity In U.S. Population Provides Some Protection Against Omicron BA.2
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky on Tuesday said there is enough immunity in the U.S. population to provide some protection against the more contagious omicron BA.2 subvariant, which could help stave off another Covid wave that slams hospitals. “The high level of immunity in the population from vaccines, boosters and previous infection will provide some level of protection against BA.2,” Walensky said during a White House Covid briefing. White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said last month that infections might rise due to BA.2, but he doesn’t expect another surge. (Kimball, 4/5)
In related news about boosters —
NBC News:
Covid Boosters: FDA Advisers To Meet To Discuss What Shots We'll Need Next
Fewer than half of eligible adults have received that first booster shot, and some health experts question whether getting additional doses of the vaccines every few months to protect against mild illness is a practical public health strategy. The all-day meeting Wednesday of the agency’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee will try to answer these questions, or at least develop a framework for a long-term booster strategy, according to briefing documents released by the FDA before the meeting. (Lovelace Jr., 4/5)
The New York Times:
Israeli Study Says Second Booster Protects Against Omicron Infection But Wanes Fast
A second booster shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine provides additional short-term protection against Omicron infections and severe illness among older adults, according to a large new study from Israel. But the booster’s effectiveness against infection in particular wanes after just four weeks and almost disappears after eight weeks. Protection against severe illness did not ebb in the six weeks after the extra dose, but the follow-up period was too short to determine whether a second booster provided better long-term protection against severe disease than a single booster. (Anthes, 4/6)
Stat:
STAT-Harris Poll: Most Americans Would Get A Covid-19 Booster Shot If Recommended
As a Food and Drug Administration panel meets Wednesday to sort out the ongoing use of booster shots for Covid-19, a new survey by STAT and The Harris Poll finds six in 10 Americans have already decided they will get another booster if it’s recommended for them. Just under one-quarter of U.S. adults indicated they will only receive a second booster shot if a new variant arises or there is a surge in Covid-19 cases in their area, and 18% have no plans to get a booster at all, according to the survey, which polled 2,028 U.S. adults between March 25 and 27. (Silverman, 4/6)
Also —
Stat:
Defiant Redfield Blasts Former CDC Directors For Criticism During Covid-19
A defiant Robert Redfield teed off on other former directors of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday, lambasting the other onetime agency leaders for publicly criticizing his, and the Trump administration’s, response to the Covid-19 pandemic. “The one thing I’ve gained from three years in the Trump administration is every time that I go through an airport now, I trigger the metal detector because of all the shrapnel that’s in my back,” he said. “It was disappointing that some of my CDC director colleagues felt the necessity to publicly criticize me in the news.” (Facher, 4/5)
Oklahoma House Passes Strict Anti-Abortion Bill
Oklahoma's Republican governor has said he will sign any anti-abortion bill sent to him. This one makes it a felony to perform an abortion. Idaho and Iowa also ready anti-abortion measures.
Oklahoman:
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt To Decide On Bill To Make Abortion A Felony
As abortion rights groups rallied at the Oklahoma state Capitol on Tuesday, Republican House lawmakers gave final passage to legislation that would make performing an abortion a felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison or fines of up to $100,000. The GOP-backed bill that passed the Senate last year now goes to Gov. Kevin Stitt, who has vowed to sign all anti-abortion bills that come to his desk. Planned Parenthood Great Plains Interim President and CEO Emily Wales said Senate Bill 612 is "clearly unconstitutional." (Forman, 4/5)
NBC News:
Oklahoma Legislature Passes Bill To Make Performing Abortions A Felony
The state House passed a bill Tuesday that would make performing an abortion a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, has said he will sign any anti-abortion rights bill sent to him. If he signs this one, it will go into effect this summer. Another House bill, 4327, would allow private citizens to file lawsuits against doctors who perform abortions and would only allow a woman to have an abortion if her life were at stake. It now goes to the state Senate. (Rice, Barrett and Brooks, 4/5)
The Texas Tribune:
Oklahoma’s Total Abortion Ban Will Limit Texans’ Options Further
Once in place, the law would have major regional impacts. More Texans have sought abortions in Oklahoma than in any other state since a Texas law banning abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy went into effect Sept. 1. “Oklahoma is going from a state where we’ve been a haven for refugees who’ve needed support to a state that has chosen to make refugees of its own citizens,” said Emily Wales, the interim president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Plains, which operates clinics in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas and Missouri. (Klibanoff and Cai, 4/5)
In abortion news from Oregon, Iowa, Georgia, and elsewhere —
NPR:
Oregon Braces For Neighboring Idaho's Abortion Ban
In the wake of Idaho's recent ban on nearly all abortions, Oregon is investing millions in its abortion infrastructure as it prepares to receive an influx of patients seeking the procedure. Barring legal intervention, the Idaho law will take effect April 22 and allows family members of what the law called a "pre-born child" to sue abortion providers for carrying out the procedure after six weeks. Many women are unaware they are pregnant at this early stage. (Riddle, 4/6)
Des Moines Register:
Iowa Senate Votes To Fund Pregnancy Groups That Oppose Abortion
Iowa would spend $1 million on nonprofits that counsel pregnant women not to get abortions, under a bill passed Tuesday by the Iowa Senate. Senators voted 32-16 to pass the proposal, Senate File 2381. Every Republican voted in favor. They were joined by two Democrats, Sens. Tony Bisignano, D-Des Moines, and Kevin Kinney, D-Oxford. Every other Democrat voted no. The bill would create a "More Options for Maternal Support" program under the Iowa Department of Human Services, which would receive $1 million to contract with nonprofits that counsel pregnant women to choose adoption or other alternatives to abortion. (Gruber-Miller, 4/5)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Abortion, Gambling, Marijuana, Pay Raise Bills Fell Short At Georgia Capitol
In a late-night voting frenzy at the Georgia Capitol, some bills failed to cross the finish line on hot-button issues such as abortion, gambling and free speech. This year’s legislative session ended with many bills left on the cutting-room floor. While lawmakers approved many of their priorities for tax cuts, permit-less gun carrying and mental health, other measures will have to wait until next year. Here’s a look at several bills that fell short: Abortion pill restrictions. A proposal that would have banned women from receiving the abortion pill through the mail never came up for a final vote Monday in the state House. (Niesse and Salzer, 4/5)
The New York Times:
Abortion Pills, Once A Workaround, Are Now A Target
Last year, after Texas passed its strict abortion ban, surgical abortions in the state dropped by half. Many women found a workaround: pills. The week the law took effect, requests for medication abortion shot up to 138 a day from 11 a day at just one service that delivers the pills by mail. Anti-abortion lawmakers in the state were already on it. That same week, they passed another law making it a felony to provide abortion pills through the mail and requiring doctors to comply with new testing and reporting procedures to prescribe them. (Zernike, 4/6)
KHN:
Doctors Trying To Prescribe Abortion Pills Across State Lines Stymied By Legislation
Soon after Dr. Mai Fleming finished her medical residency in the San Francisco Bay Area, she got to work on her Texas medical license. The family medicine doctor had no intention of moving there but invested nine months to master Texas medical law, submit to background checks, get fingerprinted, and pay hundreds of dollars in licensing fees. It’s a process she has since completed for more than a dozen other states — most recently New Mexico, in February. (Bluth, 4/6)
Also —
The Washington Post:
Medical Waste Company Denies Giving Fetuses To Antiabortion Activists
Antiabortion activists said Tuesday they obtained five fetuses from a medical waste disposal driver who was outside a Washington abortion clinic, an assertion the waste disposal company denies. Plainclothes officers removed the fetuses from a Southeast apartment where one of the activists was staying. D.C. police are still working to determine how the fetuses were obtained and whether any laws were broken. (Boorstein, Hermann and Lang, 4/5)
AP:
Group Claims Fetuses In DC Home Proof Of Illegal Abortions
An anti-abortion group said Tuesday that the five fetuses found last week in a member’s home came from the medical waste being disposed by a Washington, D.C., abortion clinic. The group, known as the Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising, claimed it contacted the police to collect the fetuses in hopes that an autopsy would prove that the clinic was conducting federally illegal late-stage abortions. (Khalil, 4/5)
Hospital Held Accountable for Sexual Abuse
A California state court rules a hospital can be held responsible for sexual abuse of a patient by an employee. In other hospital industry news, the Health and Human Services Department wants to know how health care organizations implement security practices to protect patients' information.
San Francisco Chronicle:
Hospitals Can Be Held Responsible For Sexual Abuse By Employees, Appeals Court Rules
In a victory for abused hospital patients, a state appeals court ruled Tuesday that a hospital can be held responsible for sexual abuse by an employee, and that damage awards for pain and suffering by surviving victims who are 65 and older are not subject to California's $250,000 limit in medical malpractice cases. The Second District Court of Appeal in Ventura upheld a jury’s damage award of $6.75 million to two elderly patients at a psychiatric hospital in Ventura in a suit against the hospital and a mental health worker. The court said the worker was hired despite a history of sexual misconduct, and had sex with both women when he was left alone with them in their rooms. The hospital, the court said, allowed male mental health workers to be alone with female patients for 20 minutes a day, with the door open. (Egelko, 4/5)
AP:
Court: Hospitals Can Be Responsible For Abuse By Employees
A state appeals court said Tuesday that a Southern California hospital can be held responsible for sexual abuse by an employee, upholding a jury’s damage award of $6.75 million to two elderly patients who were abused at a psychiatric hospital. The Second District Court of Appeal also ruled that damage awards for pain and suffering by victims who are 65 and older are not subject to California’s $250,000 limit in medical malpractice cases. (4/6)
In other health care industry news —
Modern Healthcare:
HHS Requests Info On Cybersecurity Practices At Health Organizations
The Health and Human Services Department wants input on how healthcare organizations implement security practices for health information privacy as it considers future rules and guidance. A 30-question information request issued Tuesday also solicits feedback on how HHS should define "harm" that results from health privacy violations and how it should decide what types of incidents should result financial compensation to individuals whose information was compromised. HHS has to consider an organization's use of cybersecurity best practices for a year prior to a privacy failure when levying fines for Health Information Portability and Accountability Act violations, as required by a 2021 law. (Goldman, 4/5)
Stat:
More Than Half Of Data Used In Health Care AI Comes From The U.S., China
As medicine continues to test automated machine learning tools, many hope that low-cost support tools will help narrow care gaps in countries with constrained resources. But new research suggests it’s those countries that are least represented in the data being used to design and test most clinical AI — potentially making those gaps even wider. Researchers have shown that AI tools often fail to perform when used in real-world hospitals. It’s the problem of transferability: An algorithm trained on one patient population with a particular set of characteristics won’t necessarily work well on another. Those failures have motivated a growing call for clinical AI to be both trained and validated on diverse patient data, with representation across spectrums of sex, age, race, ethnicity, and more. (Palmer, 4/6)
Modern Healthcare:
Healthcare Not As 'Recession-Proof' As Expected, Analysts Say
Healthcare companies are at higher risk of defaulting on their loans than many other industries, according to a new report. The healthcare industry had the highest likelihood to default over the next year at a 4.4% median, first-quarter S&P Global Market Intelligence data comparing U.S. sectors show. That probability was up from 3.3% as of the end of last year, according to S&P's analysis, which is based on the volatility of share prices for public companies and country- and industry-related risks. (Kacik, 4/5)
Axios:
Medicare Advantage Insurers Get A Pay Bump
Private insurers who administer Medicare Advantage plans can expect a 5% average increase in federal payments next year — half a percentage point above what the Biden administration proposed in February. The pay bump in the controversial program marks a big win for insurers like UnitedHealth Group and Humana and doused speculation the administration would break with a trend of strong recent increases. The MA plans’ total expected revenue, factoring other changes, would rise 8.5% in 2023, compared to a 7.6% increase in 2022, per the announcement. (Bettelheim, 4/5)
Also —
Modern Healthcare:
Tivity Health Goes Private In $2 Billion Deal
Tivity Health, a Franklin, Tennessee-based consumer health company, announced it will be purchased by private equity firm Stone Point Capital for $2 billion. The transaction with Greenwich, Connecticut-based Stone Point, which is expected to close in the third quarter, will end more than 30 years as a publicly held company under various names. Stockholders of Tivity will receive $32.50 per share. Richard Ashworth will stay on as CEO and the company will also maintain its Tennessee headquarters. (Perna, 4/5)
Axios:
Buzzy Health Startup Olive Fails To Deliver On Lofty Promises
Olive is the buzzy startup whose purple “go save health care” busses dominate industry conferences. But its promises don't deliver, according to an Axios investigation that included interviews with 16 sources. Olive relies on rough estimations for its calculations, inflates its capabilities and, in many cases, generates only a fraction of the savings it pledges. Valued at $4 billion, Olive is the highest-profile startup in health care automation; a holy grail that promises to cut costs and direct more time toward patient care. (Brodwin, 4/5)
AP:
Mississippi Doctor Convicted Of Hospice Health Care Fraud
A federal jury has convicted a Mississippi doctor of referring and certifying patients to hospice care who were not terminally ill and didn’t know what sort of treatment they would be getting. Dr. Scott Nelson, of Cleveland, was found guilty on Monday of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Mississippi said in a news release Tuesday. (4/5)
Researchers Invent Way To Spot Signs Of Lyme Disease Sooner
In other news, about 28% of young American people aged 12 to 19 show signs of prediabetes; a science team has found microplastics in live human lung tissue for the first time; and a California startup is trying to convert pollutant gasses into a new kind of artificial meat.
The Boston Globe:
New Lyme Diagnostic Could Pinpoint Disease Earlier
The first signs of spring are propelling people to the outdoors. But as locals flee concerns of COVID-19, another disease lurks in the shadows: Lyme. With the tick-borne illness making its annual resurgence in the region, researchers from Tufts University School of Medicine say they have discovered a new way to identify the disease, looking at an antibody generated in response to the infection, that can help people receive more effective treatment. (Bartlett, 4/3)
In other public health news —
The Washington Post:
Over A Quarter Of 12-To-19-Year-Olds Have Prediabetes, Research Shows
U.S. residents on the cusp of developing Type 2 diabetes include about 28 percent of youths ages 12 to 19, according to research published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics. They have a condition known as prediabetes, which means that the level of sugar (glucose) in their blood is higher than normal, but not high enough to be diagnosed as having full-fledged diabetes. The researchers found that the percentage of youths with prediabetes has more than doubled in recent years, going from just under 12 percent in 1999 to 28 percent by 2018. (Searing, 4/5)
Press Association:
Scientists Discover Microplastics In Live Human Lungs For First Time
Scientists have discovered microplastics in live human lungs for the first time. Researchers from the University of Hull and Hull York Medical School also found microplastics in the deepest section of the lung, which was previously thought to be impossible due to how narrow the airways are. Microplastics have previously been found in human cadaver autopsy samples, but this is the first study to show them in lungs from live people. (Dickinson, 4/6)
CBS News:
The Newest Meatless Meat Is Made From Air
A California startup is doing its part to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions by creating a new kind of "meat" that's made from air. CBS News was given an exclusive sneak peak at a product that physicist Lisa Dyson says has the taste and texture of meat, but does not come from animals. It's created using a fermentation process, similar to making yogurt. But instead of using microbes that consume milk and sugar, it's made from microbes that eat oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide. (Evans, 4/5)
In news about health and race —
The Washington Post:
Fewer Patients Of Color Have Health-Care Providers Who Look Like Them
Only 22.2 percent of Black adults and 29.2 percent of Hispanic and Latino adults surveyed consider their usual health-care providers to share their race or ethnicity, and about a quarter of Hispanic and Latino respondents said their provider is of their same race or ethnicity and speaks to them using their preferred language. (Blakemore, 4/5)
KHN:
Why Black And Hispanic Seniors Are Left With A Less Powerful Flu Vaccine
At Whitman-Walker Health, Dr. David Fessler and his staff administer high-dose influenza vaccine to all HIV-positive and senior patients. Although the vaccine is roughly three times as expensive as standard flu vaccine, it seems to do a better job at protecting those with weakened immune systems — a major focus of the nonprofit’s Washington, D.C., clinics. At the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque, meanwhile, Dr. Melissa Martinez runs a drive-thru clinic providing 10,000 influenza vaccines each year for a community made up largely of Black and Hispanic residents. It’s open to all comers, and they all get the standard vaccine. (Allen, 4/6)
Study Shows Instagram Fails To Protect Prominent Women From Abuse
A report from the nonprofit Center for Countering Digital Hate says women "in the public eye" are being failed by Instagram, including the service not removing accounts aiming abuse at them.
Press Association:
Instagram 'Failing To Protect Women In The Public Eye From Misogynist Abuse'
Instagram is not doing enough to protect women in the public eye from misogynistic abuse online, a new report has claimed. A study by the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), which included input from several women in the public eye such as actor Amber Heard and broadcaster Rachel Riley, suggests that Instagram was failing to remove accounts that sent abuse to women, in violation of the site's rules. The report saw five prominent women give access to their direct messages (DMs) on Instagram to the online safety group, which claimed that it had found an "epidemic of misogynist abuse" that was being "ignored" by the platform as 90% of the offending accounts remained active after sending abusive content and being reported. (Landi, 4/6)
The Washington Post:
Some Women Shared The Messages They Get On Instagram. It’s Not Pretty
Women on Instagram are exposed to an “epidemic of misogynist abuse,” according to a new report. The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), a nonprofit focused on online hate and misinformation, worked with five high-profile women, including actor Amber Heard, to analyze more than 8,717 direct messages the women received. (Lorenz and Dwoskin, 4/6)
In other news about mental health —
AP:
Governor Highlights $50M Investment In Behavioral Health
Idaho Gov. Brad Little and other state officials on Tuesday highlighted one of the state’s largest-ever investments in behavioral health care. The Republican governor in a ceremonial event that included Idaho Supreme Court justices and lawmakers marked the $50 million approved by the Legislature in a series of appropriations bills this year that Little has already signed into law. (Ridler, 4/5)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Surgeon General Discusses Mental Health With Southern California High School Students
Dr. Vivek H. Murthy’s mission as surgeon general is to tell the American people about pressing health issues, but Monday afternoon at a YMCA in the San Diego neighborhood of Mountain View, he came to listen. About 25 students from Lincoln High School and Gompers Preparatory Academy met with Murthy at the Jackie Robinson YMCA, where they shared issues about their own mental health and told him how their lives had been affected by the pandemic. (Warth, 4/5)
The New York Times:
Can A.I.-Driven Voice Analysis Help Identify Mental Disorders?
Imagine a test as quick and easy as having your temperature taken or your blood pressure measured that could reliably identify an anxiety disorder or predict an impending depressive relapse. Health care providers have many tools to gauge a patient’s physical condition, yet no reliable biomarkers — objective indicators of medical states observed from outside the patient — for assessing mental health. (Williams, 4/5)
In related news about mental health and your job —
The Conversation:
Why It Makes Good Business Sense For Your Employer To Look After Your Mental Health
In any given year, about one in five people will experience a mental health problem or illness. Fortunately, many employers have gradually come to realise that supporting mental health in the workplace is an important part of their role. This makes sense not just for reasons of your own wellbeing as an employee. There is clear evidence, for example, that poor mental health in the form of depression and anxiety is linked to reduced productivity, and how well you are able to do your job. (4/5)
The Washington Post:
Hybrid Work For Many Is Messy And Exhausting
Workers say they are discovering new frustrations with hybrid work as they adapt to both virtual and in-person work. From keeping track of their belongings to having two functional workspaces and ensuring that their visits to the office coordinate with those of their colleagues, this model is rife with unexpected hurdles, they say. To be sure, workers say they prefer hybrid work over being in the office full time. (Abril, 4/5)
The Washington Post:
Caring For Aging Parents, Sick Spouses Is Keeping Millions Out Of Work
Courtney Russell loved her job managing a Charleston, S.C., candy store. But early in the pandemic when her husband’s cancer returned, she felt she had only one choice: to quit. Her husband, Doug Curtin, needed a bone-marrow transplant and months of chemotherapy. But hiring a home nurse, so she could keep working, seemed risky with rising coronavirus rates in early 2020. Two years later, the couple is getting by financially with help from family. (Bhattarai, 4/4)
New Hampshire Public Radio:
A National Study Finds Self-Perceived Social Status May Affect Latino Cardiovascular Health
New research, published by the Journal of the American Heart Association, examines the correlation between migration and behavior in Latinos, focusing on how a self-perceived sense of prestige and accomplishment impacts their health. Fifteen thousand Latino adults in the U.S. were participants in the first-of-its-kind study supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities. The adults in the study lived in San Diego, Chicago, New York, and Miami and ranged from 18 to 74 years old. (Lozada, 4/5)
Walgreens Faces Jury In Opioid Case
Other big pharmacy chains have settled in Florida, but Walgreens will face a jury over its opioid distribution. Other news is on opioids, and on pot distribution in the nation's capital.
AP:
Walgreens Goes To Trial In Florida Lawsuit On Opioids
Most of the defendants in Florida’s lawsuit over the opioid epidemic have settled for more than $870 million, according to the state attorney general. One remains: Walgreens Co. is not giving up. A jury has been seated in Pasco County, Florida, just north of Tampa, to hear the state’s case against Walgreens, a huge drug store chain with more than 9,000 outlets on streetcorners throughout the country. Opening statements are set for early next week. The Deerfield, Illinois-based company says it will not settle. (Anderson, 4/5)
AP:
US Drug Czar Testifies In WVa Lawsuit Against Opioid Makers
The new White House drug czar has testified that the opioid epidemic got so bad in drug-ravaged West Virginia that the state was having trouble finding foster parents to care for children. Dr. Rahul Gupta was one of the first witnesses whose video deposition was played at a bench trial Tuesday in which several pharmaceutical manufacturers are accused in a lawsuit of contributing to the crisis. (Raby, 4/5)
The Boston Globe:
At Healey’s Opioid Funding Announcement, Quincy Opposition To Long Island Bridge Remains
It was supposed to be a victory lap of sorts for Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey. And, to a certain extent, it was. But even at a Tuesday news conference where Healey, who is running for governor, highlighted $525 million in funds secured to fight the ongoing opioid epidemic, including $22 million for Boston, there were underlying points of division regarding the best approach to tackling the ongoing public health emergency, underscoring the political complexities of the problem. Specifically, among the local luminaries to accompany Healey on the Boston City Hall stage was Mayor Thomas P. Koch of Quincy — who, along with other officials from his city, has consistently and vehemently blocked Boston’s efforts to regain bridge access to Long Island, which once held the promise of being a key element in Boston’s approach to dealing with the crisis. (McDonald, 4/5)
AP:
US: Discrimination Based On Opioid Treatment Violates Law
A deepening opioid epidemic is prompting the U.S. Department of Justice to warn about discrimination against those who are prescribed medication to treat their addictions. In guidelines published Tuesday, the department’s Civil Rights Division said employers, health care providers, law enforcement agencies that operate jails and others are violating the Americans with Disabilities Act if they discriminate against people for taking prescription drugs to treat opioid use disorder. (4/5)
Also —
Port Clinton News Herald:
Ohio Could Soon Increase Penalties For Drug Dealing Near Treatment Sites
Ohio lawmakers are set to vote Wednesday afternoon on a bill that would toughen penalties for those who deal drugs near a site offering substance addiction treatment or to addicts undergoing treatment. The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Theresa Gavarone, R-Huron, is similar to current Ohio law where felony levels are increased for drug trafficking near schools or juveniles. In many cases, a fourth-degree felony would become a third-degree one. The goal is to fight the ongoing opioid crisis and other addictions by targeting the supplier, especially those who prey on recovering addicts, Gavarone has said. (Wu, 4/6)
The Washington Post:
D.C. Council Votes Down Bill Targeting Marijuana 'Gifting' Shops
The D.C. Council on Tuesday voted against imposing harsh penalties meant to put marijuana “gifting” shops out of business, with opponents of the bill saying they wanted more hearings on the issue. “Gifting” businesses have proliferated, with storefronts selling a product like a T-shirt or pencil that comes with a gift of marijuana — a practice that grew up in the District after recreational marijuana use and possession were legalized in 2014, while legal sales remain prohibited in the city by Congress. (Weil, 4/5)
Ohio, Texas Pushing Copycats Of Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' Bill
In what supporters call a "parental rights" move, Ohio lawmakers introduced House Bill 616 — similar to a new Florida law designed to stymie educators discussing gender issues with young children. Meanwhile, the Texas Tribune reports on pushback on Texas' plan to pass similar legislation.
The Columbus Dispatch:
Ohio GOP Proposes HB 616, Version Of Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' Bill
A version of the controversial Florida law restricting how teachers talk about sexual orientation and gender identity has been introduced in Ohio. Known as a parental rights bill by supporters and the "Don't Say Gay" law by opponents, Ohio's House Bill 616 would ban discussion on sexual orientation and gender identity until fourth grade in all public and most private schools. “The classroom is a place that seeks answers for our children without political activism,” Rep. Jean Schmidt, R-Loveland, said in a statement. “Parents deserve and should be provided a say in what is taught to their children in schools.” (Staver, 4/5)
The Texas Tribune:
Texas Educators, LGBTQ Advocates Criticize Push For “Don’t Say Gay” Bill
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s plan to pass a Texas bill limiting classroom discussions about LGBTQ people is being pitched by Republicans as a way to protect kids from hearing about adults’ “sex lives” at young ages. But education officials say Texas schools don’t have lessons about sex in kindergarten through third grade. And LGBTQ advocacy groups accuse Republicans pushing the potential legislation of an ulterior motive — silencing any acknowledgment, however informal, that LGBTQ people exist. (Beeferman, 4/6)
In other health news from across the U.S. —
Des Moines Register:
Iowa Legislature Passes Bill To Criminalize Elder Abuse
Iowa would strengthen penalties for abusing Iowans 60 or older and create a new criminal charge of financial exploitation under a bill now headed to Gov. Kim Reynolds' desk. The legislation, a top priority of the AARP and other agencies that represent older Iowans, would increase criminal penalties for assaults and thefts against Iowans 60 or older. It would also create a new criminal charge for "financial exploitation of an older individual" and would additionally create new criminal penalties for "elder abuse," a charge that includes emotional abuse, neglect, isolation and sexual exploitation of older Iowans. (Richardson and Gruber-Miller, 4/5)
AP:
Arkansas Health Secretary Resigning For Job With The CDC
Arkansas Health Secretary Dr. Jose Romero, who has led the state’s response to COVID-19 for most of the coronavirus pandemic, announced Tuesday he is resigning to take a job with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Romero said his resignation as the state’s top health official will take effect May 6, and a spokeswoman said he’ll become director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. Gov. Asa Hutchinson did not say who would replace Romero as the head of the state health department. (DeMillo, 4/5)
The Texas Tribune:
Over 100 Children Have Died In Texas’ Care Since 2020, Report Says
More than 100 children have died in Texas since 2020 while in the state’s child welfare system, including two who died from COVID-19 complications, according to a Texas Department of Family and Protective Services report provided to lawmakers Friday. Forty-four children died in 2020 and 38 in 2021 while they were in the state’s care, according to a DFPS report obtained by The Texas Tribune. The numbers are on par with those reported in previous years. Twenty-two children have died in the first three months of this year, or about half the number of deaths in each of the previous five years. (Oxner, 4/4)
KHN:
$11M For North Carolina Work-Based Rehab Raises Concerns
An addiction treatment facility, highly regarded by North Carolina lawmakers, sits in a residential neighborhood here and operates like a village in itself. Triangle Residential Options for Substance Abusers, better known as TROSA, hosts roughly 400 people a day on a campus with rows of housing units, cafeterias, a full gym, and a barbershop. The program, which began in 1994, is uniquely designed: Treatment, housing, and meals are free to participants. And TROSA doesn’t bill insurance. Instead, residents work for about two years in TROSA’s many businesses, including a moving company, thrift store, and lawn care service. Program leaders say the work helps residents overcome addiction and train for future jobs. Of those who graduate, 96% of individuals remain sober and 91% are employed a year later, the program’s latest report claims. (Pattani and Knopf, 4/6)
Women Of Reproductive Age Widely Failed By US Health System: Report
A new report from the Commonwealth Fund provides a deep dive into how American women are let down by the health system, including that they're more likely to die from preventable causes than women in other wealthy countries, and over three times more likely to die during pregnancy.
Axios:
American Women More Likely To Die From Preventable Causes
American women of reproductive age score worse on just about every major health metric compared to their peers in other wealthy countries. It's no secret that the maternal mortality rate in the U.S. is the highest among developed nations. But a new report from the Commonwealth Fund offers a higher resolution view of the role that cost plays as a barrier to care for women of reproductive age. "Maternal deaths and complications may be a bellwether for the U.S.’s wider failures with respect to women’s health and health care," the authors wrote. (Reed, 4/5)
Philadelphia Inquirer:
Women's Health Care In US Is Worse Than In Other High-Income Countries
The U.S. health-care system “consistently fails” to meet the basic needs of reproductive-age women, which may partly explain why women are more than three times as likely to die during pregnancy or shortly after childbirth in the United States compared with other high-income countries, according to new research from the Commonwealth Fund. The United States has among the highest maternal mortality rates of high-income countries — a well-documented trend that is even worse among people of color and has accelerated during the pandemic. But a new report by the Commonwealth Fund found that U.S. women of reproductive age also fare worse when it comes to their general health and ability to access care. (Gantz, 4/5)
In global covid news —
The Washington Post:
CDC Lowers Travel Warnings For Covid In Canada, Jamaica
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is no longer warning Americans to avoid travel to Canada because of the coronavirus. ... Other popular tourist destinations that the CDC lowered from Level 4 to Level 3 risks Monday include Antigua, Argentina, Belize, St. Lucia and Panama. (Sampson, 4/5)
Bloomberg:
UK Covid Cases Hit Peak On BA.2 Omicron, Waning Immunity: Study
Covid-19 infections in England reached their highest level in March since the pandemic began, driven by the omicron subvariant BA.2 and waning immunity among older adults, according to a new study. The overall Covid prevalence rate more than doubled last month from February when infection rates were falling from the omicron-led January peak, the React-1 study led by Imperial College London found. Since then the emergence of BA.2 -- a more-transmissible version of omicron- has accelerated new infections and become the dominant strain in England, accounting for about 90% of the samples that tested positive. (Gitau, 4/6)
In news about the world's food supply —
Politico:
‘We See The Storm Coming’: U.S. Struggles To Contain A Deepening Global Food Crisis
As Russian forces refocus the brunt of their military assault on Ukraine’s food-producing southeast, U.S. officials and lawmakers are struggling to help ward off a deepening crisis both inside Ukraine and for fragile economies around the world already reeling from climate disasters and Covid-19. Russia’s military is pushing further into Ukraine’s wheat fields, which could jeopardize millions of tons of grain set to be harvested in July — threatening sustained shortages in countries across Africa and the Middle East that rely on Ukraine as a major source of their grain and sunflower oil to feed millions of people. The crisis has also contributed to sky-rocketing grain prices, which has made it harder for humanitarian organizations like the United Nations’ World Food Program, to respond; the agency says it needs an additional $16 billion to feed a record 137 million people for the rest of the year. (Lee, 4/5)
Price of Blood Thinners Has Doubled
An analysis of list prices of commonly prescribed drugs by Patients for Affordable Drugs found large price increases. In other news, Douglas Melton, one of the leading stem cell researchers in the world, is leaving Harvard University to join Vertex Pharmaceuticals to work on diabetes treatments.
Axios:
Medicare Blockbusters List Prices Have More Than Doubled Since Launch
Two blood thinners that Medicare spent a collective $46 billion on between 2015 and 2020 have more than doubled their list prices since entering the market, according to a new analysis by Patients for Affordable Drugs. List prices don't reflect the rebates negotiated between drug manufacturers and payers, but they are often used to determine Medicare Part D cost sharing — meaning as prices go up, patients pay more out of pocket. (Owens, 4/6)
In other pharmaceutical and biotech news —
AP:
Minnesota Insulin Safety Net Funds $6M In Supplies In 2021
More than 1,100 Minnesota residents used the state’s insulin safety net program to secure over $6 million worth of the lifesaving drug last year, the Minnesota Board of Pharmacy and the MNsure health insurance exchange said Tuesday. Eligible residents in immediate need of assistance — those who have less than a seven-day supply of insulin and will likely face significant health consequences without it — can use the emergency program to get a 30-day supply right away at their pharmacy and pay no more than a $35 copay. (4/5)
Stat:
Troubles Mount For Cassava Sciences, As Enrollment Lags For Drug Studies
Cassava Sciences conceded Tuesday that only a relative handful of patients with Alzheimer’s have been enrolled in its late-stage clinical trials — a sign that ongoing investigations over the credibility of its experimental drug simufilam have made physicians and patients wary. On a company-sponsored webcast, Cassava CEO Remi Barbier said 60 patients have begun treatment across its two Phase 3 clinical trials. The studies, which randomize patients to receive either simufilam or a placebo, have been expected to enroll 1,750 patients. The studies opened in September and November of last year, respectively, so in roughly six months, Cassava has only managed to recruit 3% of the patients it needs to complete the Phase 3 program. (Feuerstein, 4/5)
Stat:
Bluebird, Gene Therapy Maker, To Lay Off Employees And Reduce Costs
Bluebird Bio is reducing expenses and laying off nearly a third of its employees to preserve cash ahead of two pivotal, gene therapy approval decisions expected later this year, the company said Tuesday. The restructuring, which aims to save $160 million over the next two years, comes one month after Bluebird warned investors there was “substantial doubt” about its ability to remain solvent beyond this year. Bluebird’s financial difficulties are the result of a prolonged pileup of clinical, business, and regulatory setbacks that have put at risk its ability to deliver potentially curative treatments to patients in the U.S. born with two rare diseases — the blood disorder beta-thalassemia and the pediatric brain disease cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy, or CALD. (Feuerstein, 4/5)
Crain's Detroit Business:
Blue Cross Blue Shield Of Michigan Offers DNA Testing For More Accurate Prescriptions
The Detroit-based insurer launched a precision medicine pilot program with 500 Medicare Advantage patients last month that uses pharmacogenomics, or genetic testing, to determine which medications will be successful based on genetic predisposition. The program provides a self-administered swab test to the patients and their physician uses the results to determine which medications will work for various common diagnoses including depression, high blood pressure, etc. Results will be delivered to the patient and their physician within three to five days of taking the test, said Julie Hessik, senior director of business development for OneOme, the third-party vendor that will be providing the tests and analysis. (Walsh, 4/5)
Stat:
Stem Cell Researcher Douglas Melton Leaves Harvard For Vertex
Douglas Melton, one of the leading stem cell researchers in the world, is leaving Harvard University to join Vertex Pharmaceuticals, where he says he will pursue his deeply personal, decades-long quest to create therapies for type 1 diabetes. Both his adult children have the disease, which affects the regulation of blood sugar and afflicts 1.9 million Americans. “Given my personal interest in type 1 diabetes, I’m convinced that I could be most effective at the company that’s leading the area,” Melton told STAT in an exclusive interview. (Herper, 4/5)
Fewer Antibiotics Better For Pneumonia In Kids, Study Suggests
Read about the biggest pharmaceutical developments and pricing stories from the past week in KHN's Prescription Drug Watch roundup.
CIDRAP:
Study Boosts Case For Shorter Antibiotic Course For Kids' Pneumonia
A new analysis of data from a randomized trial provides more evidence in support of shorter antibiotic courses for young children with non-severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). The study, published last week in mBio, analyzed throat swabs from children enrolled in the SCOUT-CAP (Short-Course Outpatient Therapy of Community Acquired Pneumonia) trial, a randomized clinical trial that found that a 5-day course of antibiotics for kids with non-severe CAP was superior to 10 days—the currently recommended duration for pediatric CAP. (Dall, 4/1)
In other news on antibiotics —
CIDRAP:
GARDP Announces New North American Branch
The Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP), based in Geneva, Switzerland, this week announced the formation of a new sister organization in the United States. GARDP and GARDP North America will work together on a common portfolio of projects that aim to accelerate the development and delivery of treatments for antibiotic-resistant infections caused by the priority pathogens identified by the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to a GARDP news release. (3/30)
Stat:
Pharma's Ambitious New Antibiotic Venture Fund Makes Its First Investments
One year after its splashy launch, the AMR Action Fund has made its first investments in a pair of fledgling biotech companies, a key step toward its goal of generating badly needed medicines to combat antibiotic resistance. The fund is providing an undisclosed portion of its $1 billion in initial backing — much of which comes from several of the world’s largest drug manufacturers — toward Venatorx Pharmaceuticals and Adaptive Phage Therapeutics. The two privately held companies are taking a different approach toward developing therapies that can fight drug-resistant infections. (Silverman, 4/4)
And more pharmaceutical industry news —
Mississippi Today:
Texts Reveal Influence Bryant Used To Help With Venture
During his last year as governor, Phil Bryant indulged NFL legend Brett Favre’s pleas for help with a pharmaceutical venture, which ended up receiving more than $2 million in allegedly stolen welfare funds from the Mississippi Department of Human Services during Bryant’s administration. This money was supposed to use to help the state’s most vulnerable residents. Text messages reveal the backchannel of influence Bryant used to elevate the company, Prevacus, outside the view of the public — and the payout that awaited him when he left office. (Wolfe, 4/4)
Stat:
Wyden Seeks Details On Merck Taxes As Part Of Probe Into Pharma Practices
The head of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee is seeking details from Merck about the taxes paid during a recent three-year period as part of an ongoing investigation into tax practices by multinational pharmaceutical companies and efforts made to avoid paying U.S. taxes. Earlier this year, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), who chairs the committee, began probing Bristol Myers Squibb over a deal in which the company used offshore subsidiaries allegedly to avoid paying up to $1.4 billion in U.S. taxes on prescription drug sales. And he previously accused AbbVie of shifting profits offshore and registering patents in low-tax jurisdictions to avoid paying U.S. corporate income taxes. (Silverman, 4/4)
Stat:
Mark Cuban's Drug Company Is Building A ‘Parallel Supply Chain’
Mark Cuban’s drug company started with an ambitious premise: to circumvent middlemen to offer cheaper costs to patients. To do so, the company has had to grapple with which parts of the supply chain to develop themselves, and which to outsource using unusually transparent contracts, Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company Founder and CEO Alex Oshmyansky said Thursday at STAT’s Breakthrough Science Summit. “We decided that the only way to really ensure that pricing for our products actually reaches the patient, the most important part at the end of the day, was to build essentially a parallel supply chain,” Oshmyansky said. (Cohrs, 4/1)
Modern Healthcare:
5 Things About The End Of The $15B Anthem-Cigna PBM Lawsuit
A six-year legal spat between Anthem and Cigna is over after a federal judge ruled that Cigna's Express Scripts does not owe Anthem $14.8 billion in alleged prescription drug overpayments. Anthem filed a lawsuit in March 2016 arguing that its contract with Express Scripts guaranteed the insurer competitive prices for prescription drugs. Express Scripts, which Cigna acquired in 2018, pointed back at Anthem, contending the insurer was supposed to produce a market analysis of drug prices that would be the basis for negotiations. In the end, that's how a federal court left it in a ruling issued Thursday. Judge Edgardo Ramos of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York partially dismissed Anthem's claims, declaring that the Express Scripts's only obligation is to negotiate based on data the insurer provides. (Tepper, 4/4)
Axios:
Fintech And Fertility Care Startup Raises $25M
Future Family, a startup combining fertility financing and care support, raised $25 million in Series B funding steered by Munich Re Ventures at a valuation of $80 million, the company's founder and CEO Claire Tomkins tells Axios exclusively. Investors have been flocking to fertility startups in recent months as the pandemic has helped boost awareness of gender-based inequities in care, funding and family planning. (Brodwin, 4/4)
Perspectives: High Prices Make Medications Unattainable; Cuban Cuts Out PBMs To Lower Costs
Read recent commentaries about drug-cost issues.
Colorado Sun:
Drugs Don’t Work If We Can’t Afford Them
I was troubled by the false choice presented in a recent opinion column from Sabrina Walker. Patients do not need to choose between lowering drug prices and protecting pharmaceutical innovation. The drug pricing reforms that are under consideration by the U.S. Senate will maintain the innovation we need at prices we can afford. (Kris Garcia, 4/2)
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Mark Cuban's Online Pharmacy Exposes The Real Sharks In The Pharmaceutical Industry
The White House and Senate Democrats are working to make sweeping reforms to our drug pricing system. Lowering the cost of prescriptions was a critical and widely supported objective of the now-dead Build Back Better bill, especially for Hispanic and Latino individuals. Disproportionately likely to be uninsured and suffer from chronic conditions that require medicine to treat, Hispanic Americans often face outsized difficulties affording their medications. Forty-two percent of Hispanics have reported not taking medications as prescribed due to the cost. Agreement on how to lower drug costs, however, is still elusive. (Dr. Yanira Cruz, 4/4)
Stat:
To Spend Less On Health Care, Invest More Into Medicines
The conventional wisdom that we need to reduce spending on prescription drugs is all wrong. In an ideal health care system, we’d spend more on drugs, not less. Rather than spending trillions of dollars on hospital infrastructure, moderately effective palliative treatments, and burdensome administrative processes, the U.S. could spend a smaller sum on powerful medicines that prevent, control, and even cure disease. (Jean-Fancois Formela and John Stanford, 4/5)
Stat:
Reimagining R&D Can Substantially Cut Drug Development Costs
In the course of our work advising biopharma companies, we are often asked how they can bring medicines to market more quickly and cost efficiently. It’s a timely question. It can take 10 to 15 years and cost between $2.6 billion and $6.7 billion — including the cost of capital and the cost of failure — to bring a successful medicine to market, depending on therapeutic area, treatment modality, and disease complexity. While the biopharma industry continues to innovate — look no further than its speedy response to Covid-19 — those costs and timelines are no longer sustainable. (Nicole Paraggio, Nicole van Poppel and Selen Karaca-Griffin, 4/6)
Different Takes: Why Do Some Believe Ivermectin Cures Covid?; Poverty Worsens Covid Outcome
Opinion writers examine these covid issues.
NBC News:
Ivermectin Myths Make Covid Vaccine And Test PSAs A Harder Sell
The rise of the ivermectin cult is one of the most nonsensical storylines — in a sea of nonsensical storylines — to emerge during the pandemic. Even now, as Covid begins to become a less dominant force in our lives, the ivermectin bunkum continues. There have been several recent large, well-done, clinical trials, including one published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday, that definitively show, according to one of the study’s authors, “there’s really no sign of any benefit.” (Timothy Caulfield, 4/5)
The Washington Post:
Hidden In Plain Sight: The Force Fueling America’s Covid Catastrophe
“Mapping the Intersections of Poverty, Race and Covid-19” presents the first comprehensive county-level picture of how poverty has shaped both the spread of covid-19 and its devastating impact on the United States. It shows that death rates in the highest-income group are half the death rates in the lowest-income group. And, when we focus on the covid waves after vaccines were made available, the disparities are even more striking: During last fall’s delta wave, death rates in the United States’ poorest counties were five times those in the nation’s wealthiest counties. (Rev. William J. Barber II and Rev. Liz Theoharis, 4/5)
The New York Times:
Covid Proved That The C.D.C. Is Broken. Michael Lewis Has Ideas For How To Fix It
Dr. Anthony Fauci has been the face of America’s Covid response and has been praised and vilified for his expertise. But who are all the other people who have worked behind the scenes at agencies like the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to guide America through the pandemic? This is a question Michael Lewis tackles in his book “The Premonition,” which was published in May 2021. He talks about how getting to know these public health experts gave him a completely different understanding of the country’s public health system — and the systemic challenges institutions like the C.D.C. face when pandemics and other crises strike. (Kara Swisher and Michael Lewis, 4/4)
Bloomberg:
In China's Covid Fight, Respect For Seniors Backfires
China’s strict Covid-zero policy is getting costlier by day. As the infectious omicron variant spreads, the government is resorting to widespread lockdowns. Shanghai, a city of 25 million people, is at a standstill, and cities accounting for a quarter of China’s gross domestic product are under some form of restrictions on movement, estimates Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (Shuli Ren, 4/5)
Viewpoints: School-Based Health Centers Improve Student Outcomes; PCPs Should Prescribe Methadone
Editorial writers weigh in on these public health issues.
Cincinnati Enquirer:
Expand School-Based Health Centers For Better Health, Educational Results
The COVID-19 pandemic has been disruptive and devastating for too many, including our school-aged children. Time will tell what long-term impacts the pandemic will have on our students, families and communities. This spring, as the governor and state legislature make decisions around investing additional federal COVID relief dollars, expanding the footprint of Ohio’s school-based health centers would be a smart use of these one-time funds. (James J. Berrens, 4/5)
Chicago Tribune:
Easier Access To Methadone Would Prevent More Deaths From The Opioid Crisis
We long ago lost the war on drugs. It’s time to make a tried-and-true change to methadone access for people who use opioids. I met a man I’ll call Mr. R on my hospital rounds. He had been hospitalized after being found unconscious at home. Decades of cigarette use meant he was on oxygen to prevent suffocation. Mr. R also had pain, emotional and physical, as a result of time he spent in the Army. Every day, Mr. R injected heroin to manage his pain. (Susan Calcaterra, 4/4)
Los Angeles Times:
Congress Says It's Liberalizing Pot Research Laws. What Pot Researchers Really Need Is Money
Despite some recent baby steps, the untangling of the federal government’s enduring and preposterous opposition to cannabis as a medicine or recreational substance is going to take a long, long time. Nevertheless, I was delighted to read that the Senate had recently passed a bipartisan legislation loosening rules about cannabis research, “Cannabidiol and Marihuana Research Expansion Act.” (The strange spelling has an unfortunate historical precedent.) (Robin Abcarian, 4/6)
The CT Mirror:
Aid In Dying Is The Wrong Answer To The Right Question
In its current format, I oppose SB 88, An Act Concerning Aid in Dying for Terminally Ill Patients because it does little to actually increase care and support the dying. Connecticut has an end-of-life problem where people with a terminal illness and prognosis of less than six months are currently not receiving the comfort care they need. I regularly speak with terminally ill people who request aid in dying. In so many cases their request is based on a lack of understanding of our healthcare system. Many people who request aid in dying from me do not even know palliative and hospice care exists. The pervasive misconception is that once people no longer want to be cured, our healthcare system will simply abandon them and “pull the plug.” However, whether you opt for curative care or comfort care, you will get medical care either way. We do not abandon you. (The Rev. Daniel Warriner, 4/6)
Red Bluff (California) Daily News:
Denying Elderly Pain Relief The Wrong Path
One nice thing about being a seasoned nurse is the fact that you have seen a whole lot of seasons. For me, I’ve been an RN since 1993. During my training and first few years in the profession, it was pounded into me that “pain is the fifth vital sign.” We were to ask a patient’s pain level every time we took a vital sign. For my job, I still have to do that. Not that it has any meaning anymore. We don’t treat pain the way we used to treat pain a mere 20 years ago. In my opinion, we did it better back then. (Allan Stellar, 4/4)
The Boston Globe:
Mississippi’s Mainstream Abortion Law
Sometime this spring, probably in late June, the US Supreme Court will hand down its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, an appeal testing the constitutionality of Mississippi’s 2018 law banning elective abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Upholding that ban would dramatically change America’s abortion rules. In Roe v. Wade and subsequent cases, the high court established an unfettered right to abortion until a fetus is “potentially able to live outside the mother’s womb,” which doesn’t occur until around weeks 22 or 23 of gestation. If Mississippi’s law is upheld, viability would lose the constitutional significance with which Roe invested it. States would no longer have to wait until a pregnancy is past the halfway mark before they could disallow abortion on demand. (Jeff Jacoby, 4/6)