Morning Briefing for Monday, August 21, 2023
August 21, 2023
Morning Briefing
Medicaid enrollment, abortion law, mental toll of wildfires, malaria, corporal punishment, covid, and more are in the news.
Only 265 Approved So Far For Georgia’s Medicaid Plan With Work Requirements
August 21, 2023
Morning Briefing
Georgia’s Pathways Medicaid program — seen as a test case for work requirements — is off to a slow start since its July 1 launch, with just a few hundred approved for benefits. This comes at the same time that thousands are losing traditional Medicaid as states review enrollments, post-pandemic. News on Medicaid unwinding is also reported from Virginia, Missouri, Florida, and Wisconsin.
Nebraska Abortion Ban Faces Appeal; Issue Could Appear On 2024 Ballot
August 21, 2023
Morning Briefing
Planned Parenthood is appealing the dismissal of its lawsuit to the Nebraska Supreme Court. Meanwhile, a group called Protect Our Rights has filed paperwork in support of a ballot initiative to enshrine abortion rights in the state’s constitution. Other reproductive health news is reported from Florida and Alabama.
Pediatrician Group Calls For Ban On Corporal Punishment In All Schools
August 21, 2023
Morning Briefing
Updated policy released by the American Academy of Pediatrics calls for a ban on all striking or spanking of school children. Separately, new research shows that kids who experienced assault are more likely to develop mental illnesses.
Emotional Toll Of Maui Fire Coming Into Sharper Focus
August 21, 2023
Morning Briefing
Maui’s chief mental health administrator John Oliver is calling the Hawaiian blaze “the worst mental health disaster in our state’s modern history.” Special emphasis is being placed on school intervention as students begin to go back to class. Meanwhile, forensic specialists continue the grim task of identifying the victims.
Maryland Joins List Of States With Locally Acquired Malaria Case
August 21, 2023
Morning Briefing
Such cases are rare, NBC News reports. The patient, the latest in a string of such infections, hadn’t recently traveled outside the U.S. Meanwhile, in Florida, four new cases of locally acquired dengue fever were reported between July 30 and Aug. 5, bringing the state’s total to 10 this year.
Study Finds Risk Of High Blood Pressure From Covid Infections
August 21, 2023
Morning Briefing
A new study looked at data of U.S. covid patients who previously had no hypertension, finding those hospitalized with covid-19 were diagnosed with hypertension at twice the rate of those who were not. Also in the news: covid-blood clot links in cancer patients; U.S. covid rates tick up slowly; more.
Changing State Laws Push Up Patient Consults With Alternative Medical Staff
August 21, 2023
Morning Briefing
Media outlets explain how patients are increasingly meeting with physician assistants and nurse practitioners alongside traditional doctors as shifting state laws help hospitals deal with the ongoing physician shortage. Nurse strikes, pay for tribal health workers, and more are also reported.
Cyberattack Has Prolonged Impact On Hospital System In Several States
August 21, 2023
Morning Briefing
Prospect Medical Holdings is experiencing outages of key computer systems more than two weeks after a cyberattack. Among other news: Mayo Clinic is continuing its expansion; Axios says rural hospitals are experiencing a “squeeze” from Medicare Advantage; and more.
People Who Lost Sight In Single Eye Have Vision Restored In Stem Cell Trial
August 21, 2023
Morning Briefing
News outlets report on a breakthrough experiment in cultivated autologous limbal epithelial cell transplantation, which used stem cells from one eye to restore vision to the patient’s other eye which was damaged by chemical burns. Meanwhile, a sickle cell gene-editing treatment shows promise.
First Edition: Aug. 21, 2023
August 21, 2023
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Tribal Health Workers Aren’t Paid Like Their Peers. See Why Nevada Changed That.
By Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez
August 21, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Community health workers, who often help patients get to their appointments and pick up prescriptions for them, have increasingly been recognized as an integral part of treating chronic illnesses. But state-run Medicaid programs don’t always reimburse them equally, usually excluding those who work on tribal lands.
The CDC Works to Overhaul Lab Operations After Covid Test Flop
By Sam Whitehead
August 21, 2023
KFF Health News Original
In early 2020, U.S. public health labs received covid-19 tests from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that were flawed, as a result of poor design and contamination. Now the CDC is overhauling its lab operations, but efforts to be better prepared for future threats won’t be easy, observers say.
Estrategias comerciales de las grandes farmacéuticas dejan a estadounidenses sin poder comprar sus medicamentos
By Elisabeth Rosenthal
August 18, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Sin barreras, los precios de algunos medicamentos existentes se han disparado, incluso cuando han caído drásticamente en otros países. Los nuevos medicamentos tienen precios enormes, respaldados por el lobby y el marketing.
Longer Looks: Interesting Reads You Might Have Missed
August 18, 2023
Morning Briefing
Each week, KFF Health News finds longer stories for you to enjoy. This week’s selections include stories on past pandemics, neurological research, sunscreen, and more. Plus, The Washington Post discusses the Smithsonian’s collection of human remains.
Spanish Speakers Face Delays, Dropped Calls At Florida’s Medicaid Call Center
August 18, 2023
Morning Briefing
NBC News reports that an average Spanish-speaking caller had to wait nearly four times longer than an English-language caller to speak to a representative. The inefficiencies are keeping many people out of Medicaid, a report says. AP says nearly one in three states have been warned by federal Medicaid officials that their call center wait times are too long.
Colorado Medical Board Skirts An Outright Ban On Abortion ‘Reversal’
August 18, 2023
Morning Briefing
The medical board decided Thursday to state that Colorado doctors who prescribe the so-called abortion-reversal pill are operating outside of “generally accepted” practice, a move short of the ban Democrats sought, the Colorado Sun says. Other news concerns the military’s abortion policy, abortion pills, and more.
Blue Shield Says It Will Broaden Prescription Vendors, Rely Less On CVS
August 18, 2023
Morning Briefing
The insurance giant says the mix of vendors will include Amazon and Mark Cuban’s pharmacy company. CVS will still fill and manage prescriptions for Blue Shield members who need “specialty” drugs, the insurer said.
Weight-Loss Drugs In The US Cost Many Times The Price Paid Elsewhere
August 18, 2023
Morning Briefing
The Hill covers a KFF analysis that found the price hikes for drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy in the U.S. are sizable compared to other wealthy nations — the list price is 10 times less in some places. Among other news items: a look at Big Pharma’s high-price playbook, and news on HIV and its treatment.