Morning Briefing for Wednesday, February 7, 2024
February 7, 2024
Morning Briefing
Medicaid ‘unwinding,’ PBMs and drug prices, mental health care, guns, violence against nurses, covid, RSV vaccines, and more are in the news.
Census Bureau Halts Planned Changes To Disability Survey Questions
February 7, 2024
Morning Briefing
The Census Bureau has reconsidered its plan for now to change the questions it uses in the annual American Community Survey to gather information related to disabilities. The agency received thousands of comments, many of which cited concerns that the policy shift would undercount people with sight, hearing, mobility, or other functional disabilities.
House Panel Advances Bill To Restrict PBMs To Charging Flat Service Fees
February 7, 2024
Morning Briefing
The bipartisan measure on pharmacy benefit manager reforms would also ban spread pricing — a common PBM practice of charging insurers more than they pay pharmacies.
Federal Court Rejects Free Speech Argument Against Covid Mask-Wearing
February 7, 2024
Morning Briefing
A federal appeals court said Monday that refusing to wear a covid mask was not protected as free speech under the First Amendment, in a case where New Jersey residents had challenged mask-wearing rules at school board meetings. Also: Paxlovid costs; rising covid rates; and more.
Michigan School Shooter’s Mother Found Guilty Of Manslaughter
February 7, 2024
Morning Briefing
Jennifer Crumbley has been found guilty for her responsibilities related to securing the weapon and the mental state of her son, who killed four students in an Oxford, Michigan, high school in 2021. Also: the White House is readying a push for gun violence prevention.
Colorado avanza con proyectos para conectar a trabajadores agrícolas con servicios de salud mental
By Vignesh Ramachandran
February 7, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Los proyectos de ley en consideración abordarían la creciente necesidad de tratar los problemas de salud mental en áreas rurales, que se han visto exacerbados por los impactos de la pandemia y el cambio climático.
Cerca de 10 millones ya perdieron Medicaid, y todavía faltan meses de purga
By Phil Galewitz
February 7, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Medicaid y el Programa de Seguro de Salud Infantil crecieron hasta alcanzar un récord de 94 millones de inscritos durante la pandemia.
First Edition: Feb. 7, 2024
February 7, 2024
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Colorado Moves to Connect Agricultural Workers With Mental Health Resources
By Vignesh Ramachandran
February 7, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Advocates say two bills under consideration could help migrant communities but that more needs to be done.
Halfway Through ‘Unwinding,’ Medicaid Enrollment Is Down About 10 Million
By Phil Galewitz
February 7, 2024
KFF Health News Original
While more Medicaid beneficiaries have been purged in the span of a year than ever before, enrollment is on track to settle at pre-pandemic levels.
Halfway Through ‘Unwinding,’ Medicaid Enrollment Is Down About 10 Million
By Phil Galewitz
February 6, 2024
KFF Health News Original
We’re halfway through the Medicaid “unwinding,” in which states are dropping people from the government health insurance program for the first time since the pandemic began. Millions of people have been dumped from the rolls since April, often for procedural issues like failing to respond to notices or return paperwork. But at the same time, […]
Pharmacies Finding It Hard To Recruit Next Generation Of Pharmacists
February 6, 2024
Morning Briefing
“We have got to evolve this to get people excited to get back in the industry,” Rick Gates, chief pharmacy officer at Walgreens, told Axios. Separately, an analysis of injector pen patents for several widely used diabetes drugs (including Ozempic) found more than half have improperly listed patents.
Viewpoints: An Economist Is Changing The Organ Transplant Process; Can We Fix Inadequate Mental Health Care?
February 6, 2024
Morning Briefing
Editorial writers examine organ transplants, mental health care, abortion care, and more.
Studies Document Health Impact Of Police Violence On Black Americans
February 6, 2024
Morning Briefing
One study reports a pattern of sleep disturbances among Black people after a police-involved killing. Separate research finds racial disparities in injuries that occurred when Tasers and similar weapons were used by police to incapacitate people.
Hospitals Are In Peril Left And Right
February 6, 2024
Morning Briefing
News outlets report on the dire state many hospitals find themselves in. In North Carolina, Mission Hospital has been warned by CMS that it’s in “immediate jeopardy” over care deficiencies. In Western Wisconsin, two hospitals and 19 clinics will close soon. Other facilities’ woes are also in the news.
Publisher Retracts Studies On Abortion Pill As Supreme Court Case Looms
February 6, 2024
Morning Briefing
Three studies, including two on potential harms of mifepristone, were retracted by their publisher over a complaint of misleading data and that authors had affiliations with pro-life organizations. Meanwhile, Florida’s Supreme Court will hear a case Wednesday about whether the abortion ballot measure language meets state rules.
Florida Sues To Allow It To Kick Kids Off Public Health Insurance
February 6, 2024
Morning Briefing
The lawsuit challenges federal requirements that states let children remain eligible for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program for 12 months before reviewing their status. Separately, groups pushing for health care equity are gathering petitions for expanding Medicaid in Florida.
Some Republicans Don’t Want US To Join WHO Pandemic Treaty
February 6, 2024
Morning Briefing
Conservative House members are pushing back against the U.S. signing a global accord aimed at fighting future pandemic threats, arguing that American tax dollars could be used for other purposes.
Experts: Don’t Forget, Measles Is Actually Dangerous
February 6, 2024
Morning Briefing
NBC News warns that anti-vaccine activists are downplaying the dangers of measles, even though it’s a highly contagious disease. For every 1,000 measles cases, 200 kids may go to hospital and one to three may die. Meanwhile, a study found that eliminating non-medical exemptions drove up school vaccine uptake.
CMS To Tighten Rule For Organ Donations Earmarked For Research
February 6, 2024
Morning Briefing
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is responding to complaints that organ procurement organizations are collecting human pancreases to meet federal benchmarks but are not ultimately being used for research.