No Link Found Between Wegovy, Ozempic, And Increased Suicidal Thoughts
January 5, 2024
Morning Briefing
Instead, a new large study finds a lower risk of new and recurrent suicidal thoughts in patients taking semaglutide, the active ingredient in popular weight-loss drugs Wegovy and Ozempic. News outlets also report on the drugs’ impact on the insurance and pharmaceutical landscape.
Study: Nearly 17,000 Deaths Linked To Hydroxycholoroquine During Early Covid
January 5, 2024
Morning Briefing
A new analysis attributes the excess deaths in six countries to the anti-malarial drug, with 12,000 of those deaths in the U.S. At that time in the covid pandemic, then-President Donald Trump said of the unproven treatment: “What do you have to lose? Take it.”
1 Child Dead, 5 Injured In Iowa School Shooting; Motive Remains Unclear
January 5, 2024
Morning Briefing
The shooting occurred Thursday at a Perry, Iowa, high school. The 17-year-old shooter, Dylan Butler, was armed with two firearms. Butler’s motives are reportedly unknown at this point, but social media debate has arisen over the possibility that he was bullied.
After Years Of Delay, Golden Gate Bridge’s Suicide Nets Are Finished
January 5, 2024
Morning Briefing
The 1.7-mile-long bridge now has a continuous physical barrier as part of an effort to reduce suicide attempts made from the iconic structure. Meanwhile, in Texas, a $50 million mental health treatment center is approved, and Houston schools brace for the loss of covid mental health funding.
New Hampshire Republicans Block Permanent Medicaid Expansion Law
January 5, 2024
Morning Briefing
The now-rejected legislation would have permanently continued coverage for nearly 57,000 low-income residents. Meanwhile, in Maryland, Medicaid expansions have now included more gender-affirming care options. A glimmer of hope is also seen for Medicaid expansion in Georgia.
Elevance To Buy Infusion Service Provider Paragon Healthcare
January 5, 2024
Morning Briefing
Axios reports that Elevance Health has struck a $1 billion deal to by Paragon Healthcare, a company that specializes in infusible and injectable therapies. Other health industry news reports on lawsuits, ambulance workers, hacking, and more.
Morning Briefing for Friday, January 5, 2024
January 5, 2024
Morning Briefing
Importing drugs from Canada, weight-loss medications, Medicaid, covid, gun deaths, and more are in the news. Plus, your weekend reads.
FDA Will Allow Florida To Import Medications From Canada: Report
January 5, 2024
Morning Briefing
It’s a major policy shift and overrides fierce objections from the pharmaceutical industry, The New York Times reported. In other news, Axios reports that, ironically, generic drug shortages across the country are partly being driven by prices that may be too low.
First Edition: Jan. 5, 2024
January 5, 2024
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
States Begin Tapping Medicaid Dollars to Combat Gun Violence
By Samantha Young
January 5, 2024
KFF Health News Original
The Biden administration is allowing states to use money from the insurance program for low-income and disabled residents to pay for gun violence prevention. California and six other states have approved such spending, with more expected to follow.
Listen to ‘Tradeoffs’: How the Loss of a Rural Hospital Compounds the Collapse of Care
January 5, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Six years ago, the hospital in Fort Scott, Kansas, shuttered, leaving residents in the small community without a cornerstone health care institution. In the years since, despite new programs meant to save small hospitals, dozens of other communities have watched theirs close.
Older Americans Say They Feel Trapped in Medicare Advantage Plans
By Sarah Jane Tribble
January 5, 2024
KFF Health News Original
As enrollment in private Medicare Advantage plans grows, so do concerns about how well the insurance works, including from those who say they have become trapped in the private plans as their health declines.
Los médicos son tan vulnerables a la adicción como cualquier persona
By Bernard J. Wolfson
January 4, 2024
KFF Health News Original
El alcohol es una droga muy común entre los médicos, pero su fácil acceso a los analgésicos es también un riesgo particular.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': New Year, Same Abortion Debate
January 4, 2024
Podcast
Some Supreme Court justices were wrong if they assumed overturning “Roe v. Wade” would settle the abortion issue before the high court. At least two cases are awaiting consideration, and more are in the legal pipeline. Meanwhile, Congress once again has only days until the next temporary spending bill runs out, with no budget deal in sight. Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Victoria Knight of Axios join KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Sandro Galea, dean of the Boston University School of Public Health, about how public health can regain public trust.
Most People Dropped in Medicaid ‘Unwinding’ Never Tried to Renew Coverage, Utah Finds
By Phil Galewitz
January 4, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Medicaid officials in Utah conducted a survey to answer a burning question in health policy: What happened to people dropped from the program in the post-pandemic “unwinding”?
‘Forever Chemicals’ Contaminate America’s Freshwater Fish
By Hannah Norman
January 4, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Gone fishing? Depending on the lake, your catch may not be safe to eat. A group of chemicals collectively known as PFAS are found in hundreds of consumer goods, including dental floss, rain jackets and nonstick cookware. Over decades, these chemicals have spewed from manufacturing plants and landfills into local ecosystems, polluting surface water and […]
Research Roundup: Brain Tumors; UTIs In Children; Human Sexuality
January 4, 2024
Morning Briefing
Each week, KFF Health News compiles a selection of health policy studies and briefs.
Citing Debunked Risks, Florida’s Top Health Official Says MRNA Covid Shots Should Stop
January 4, 2024
Morning Briefing
Scientists have debunked a claim that using mRNA-based vaccines could harm a patient’s DNA, but that hasn’t stopped Florida’s Surgeon General Joseph A. Ladapo from issuing a new state bulletin calling for a halt of the shots. News outlets, meanwhile, chronicle the ongoing covid surge.
Being Hospitalized For Covid Cost You More As The Pandemic Went On: Study
January 4, 2024
Morning Briefing
New research shows that even though vaccines and new treatments arrived throughout the course of the pandemic, and variants changed the virus’ risks, the cost of hospital treatment for covid in the U.S. rose by 26% from 2020 to 2022. Also in the news: BrightSpring Health, health care hacking, and more.