FDA Allows First Over-The-Counter Continuous Glucose Monitor
March 6, 2024
Morning Briefing
Read recent pharmaceutical developments in KFF Health News’ Prescription Drug Watch roundup.
Morning Briefing for Wednesday, March 6, 2024
March 6, 2024
Morning Briefing
Stopping gun violence, drug prices, cyberhack fallout, private equity in health care, WIC, flu vaccines, covid, and more are in the news.
CMS To Assist Providers Squeezed By Ransomware Outage At Change
March 6, 2024
Morning Briefing
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced processing and financial steps to help hospitals, health systems, and pharmacies to navigate continued disruptions at UnitedHealth subsidiary Change Healthcare. The company’s network is still offline following a ransomware attack.
Federal Agencies Jointly Investigating Private Equity Health Investments
March 6, 2024
Morning Briefing
The Justice Department, Federal Trade Commission, and Health and Human Services Department launched the probe Tuesday, requesting information on the impact of investments and acquisitions by private equity or corporate-investor backed companies on health care businesses.
WIC Program Might Get Funding Boost As GOP Reels From IVF Controversy
March 6, 2024
Morning Briefing
The program for Women, Infants, and Children provides grocery benefits, breastfeeding support, and more. Meanwhile, Alabama lawmakers advanced bills Tuesday that would protect the IVF process.
San Francisco Voters Back Measure To Drug-Test Welfare Recipients
March 6, 2024
Morning Briefing
The public wants to see progress in tackling the city’s drug crisis, the San Francisco Chronicle says. Also in the news, two Uvalde law enforcement officials criticized for poor response to the school shooting won their GOP primaries.
First Edition: March 6, 2024
March 6, 2024
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Biden Is Right. The US Generally Pays Double That of Other Countries for Rx Drugs.
By Samantha Putterman, PolitiFact
March 6, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Research has consistently found that, overall, U.S. prescription drug prices are significantly higher, sometimes two to four times as high, compared with prices in other high-income industrialized countries. However, some market factors can obscure actual prices, making comparisons harder.
Why Even Public Health Experts Have Limited Insight Into Stopping Gun Violence in America
By Christine Spolar
Illustration by Oona Zenda
March 6, 2024
KFF Health News Original
After the 1996 Dickey Amendment halted federal spending on research into firearms risks, a small group of academics pressed on, with little money or political support, to document the nation’s growing gun violence problem and start to understand what can be done to curb the public health crisis.
Why Hospitals in Many States With Legal Abortion May Refuse To Perform Them
By Rachana Pradhan
March 5, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Many states that tout themselves as protectors of reproductive health care, including California, Michigan and Pennsylvania, have little-noticed laws on the books protecting hospitals that refuse to provide it. The laws shield at least some hospitals from liability for not providing care they object to on religious grounds, leaving little recourse for patients. The providers — many of them […]
Pennsylvania Care Home Shuts Down Abruptly In Staffing Crisis
March 5, 2024
Morning Briefing
Delayed paychecks drove Jefferson Hills Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center staff members to walk off the job last week, and the care home has now shut. Separately, Kaiser hospitals will lay off “dozens” in the Bay Area.
Calif. Lawmaker Proposes Longer Mental Hospital Stays For Violent Offenders
March 5, 2024
Morning Briefing
A California lawmaker released a bill that would allow the state to provide longer treatment to people with mental illness who commit violent crimes. Other state health news is reported from New York, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Illinois.
Deep Brain Stimulation Helps Find Four Disorders’ Sources
March 5, 2024
Morning Briefing
DBS helped scientists pinpoint dysfunctions in the brain contributing to Parkinson’s disease, dystonia, obsessive compulsive disorder, and Tourette’s syndrome. Also in the news: Lynch syndrome, diet and atrial fibrillation, more.
Viewpoints: Declaring Fetuses ‘People’ Threatens IVF; Ancient Greek Ideas Shouldn’t Impact Reproductive Laws
March 5, 2024
Morning Briefing
Editorial writers tackle hospital price disclosure, Florida’s measles outbreak, reproductive health care, and more.
White House To Announce Federal Health Care Costs Task Force
March 5, 2024
Morning Briefing
The Biden administration’s next “corporate greed” target is set to be the high cost of health care. Meanwhile, in the Medicare price negotiation process, all of the affected drugmakers are trying to bargain with counteroffers.
HHS Urged To Step In After Hack At Change Healthcare
March 5, 2024
Morning Briefing
The American Hospital Association and American Medical Association say federal help is needed as the cyberattack at Change Healthcare disrupts care. The AHA also blasted UnitedHealth’s financial help offer.
Opill Maker Starts Shipping First OTC Birth Control Pill In US
March 5, 2024
Morning Briefing
Perrigo says it’s started to send supplies of the pill to major retailers and pharmacies. One month’s supply costs about $20. Also in the news: using weight-loss drugs before pregnancy, IVF, and more.
Nebraska’s Highest Court To Hear Suits Against Abortion, Trans Care Bans
March 5, 2024
Morning Briefing
The Planned Parenthood of the Heartland v. Hilgers case will go before Nebraska’s Supreme Court today, challenging the 12-week abortion and minors’ gender care ban. Abortion and Super Tuesday is also in the news.
CDC Director Says Updated Covid Shots Will Come This Fall
March 5, 2024
Morning Briefing
Researchers will likely wait until May to pick which strains will be the target for this year’s covid shot. Meanwhile, some long covid patients plan a protest against the CDC’s new covid guidance.