Medicare Could Save $245B Over A Decade If It Covered Obesity Drugs
August 3, 2023
Morning Briefing
Axios reports on a startling statistic from new research, showing how much taxpayer money could be saved over 10 years if Medicare covered weight-loss meds. Meanwhile, Stat reports that the popularity of the GLP-1 drugs has “alarmed” insurers, and patients are braced for them to halt coverage.
Study Links Delayed Medical Device Recalls To CEOs’ Share Holdings
August 3, 2023
Morning Briefing
A new study suggests the percentage of CEO stock ownership in a company correlates with the speed the company issues medical device recalls: perhaps unsurprisingly, more shares equals slower recalls. Also in the news: a shortage of Black Widow spider bite drugs, CVS is reducing expenses, and more.
Report: Telehealth Is Healthier For The Planet
August 3, 2023
Morning Briefing
The Wall Street Journal reminds us the health care industry causes about 5% of global greenhouse-gas emissions, with U.S. systems alone accounting for a quarter of that. Hence the focus on telehealth, which is said to be helping health systems lower their carbon footprint.
Parkinson’s Breakthrough Could Lead To Potential Treatment
August 3, 2023
Morning Briefing
A team at UConn Health has discovered a regulator compound that may help development of therapeutic compounds for the brain disease. Other news is on cancer research and non-opioid pain therapies.
Tydemy Birth Control Pills Recalled Over Concerns Of Lower Effectiveness
August 3, 2023
Morning Briefing
CBS News explains the recall of two lots of Lupin Pharmaceuticals’ combination hormone pills: Due to issues with some ingredients, the pills’ effectiveness could be lowered. No “adverse events” linked to the batches have yet been reported. Also in the news: AI ultrasound tech, and more.
Covid’s Summer Spike Is Driving Up Hospitalizations
August 3, 2023
Morning Briefing
The specter of covid is casting a shadow in the summer sun: The Hill reports on certain U.S. counties where hospitalizations from the virus have tripled, and CBS reports a 28% hospitalization rise in New Jersey. Also in the news: details on the next covid boosters, and don’t pick your nose! — it’s linked to catching covid.
For A Blip In Time, Uninsured Rate Hits All-Time Low
August 3, 2023
Morning Briefing
About 7.7% of Americans didn’t have insurance as of March, a CDC survey shows. But that number has almost certainly already grown as states have kicked nearly 4 million people off Medicaid this year, including many who are eligible for it.
Infectious-Disease Expert Jeanne Marrazzo To Succeed Fauci At NIH
August 3, 2023
Morning Briefing
News outlets cover federal officials’ choice of Jeanne M. Marrazzo, an infectious-disease expert at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, as the next director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Science reports her selection is being praised by researchers and AIDS activists.
First Edition: Aug. 3, 2023
August 3, 2023
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Doctors Sound Alarm About Child Nicotine Poisoning as Vapes Flood the US Market
By Liz Szabo
August 3, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Popular e-cigarettes lack packaging that stops kids from consuming the hazardous nicotine inside.
‘Conscience’ Bills Let Medical Providers Opt Out of Providing a Wide Range of Care
By Carly Graf
August 3, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Opponents of the wave of state legislation say the measures place health providers’ preferences over patients’ rights.
Antibiotic Resistance Is Becoming A Big Threat; Some Cancer Drugs Show Promise In Treating Lyme Disease
August 2, 2023
Morning Briefing
Read recent pharmaceutical developments in KFF Health News’ Prescription Drug Watch roundup.
Viewpoints: Black Lung Disease Is On The Rise In Appalachia; UK’s NHS Is Falling Apart
August 2, 2023
Morning Briefing
Editorial writers delve into black lung disease, the NHS, mental health and more.
A Third Of Rural Hospitals In Missouri At Risk Of Closing: Report
August 2, 2023
Morning Briefing
In a July report, the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform found that 19 of the 57 rural hospitals in the state have serious financial problems that put them at risk of closure. Also in the news: a huge site in Houston is set to become a biomanufacturing campus.
Artificial Intelligence Can Improve Breast Cancer Detection By 20%
August 2, 2023
Morning Briefing
Politico reports on the first randomized controlled trial to examine the use of AI in breast cancer screening. In other news, a study is looking into the high incidence of prostate and breast cancer among people with African ancestry. Also: peanut allergy in childhood, adult measles, and more.
Morning Briefing for Wednesday, August 2, 2023
August 2, 2023
Morning Briefing
Abortion law, deteriorating maternity care, covid shots, Medicare payments, Lacks family settlement, drug pricing, and more are in the news.
Report Says Intas Pharma Employees Violated Drugmaker Protocols
August 2, 2023
Morning Briefing
In response to an earlier inspection by the FDA of what Stat calls a “troubled plant,” a recent warning letter was sent alleging that Intas employees tried to destroy manufacturing documents and that an employee failed to report all test results on product samples. Also in the news: a birth control pill recall and more.
Labor Department Sues A UnitedHealth Group Over Claims Denials
August 2, 2023
Morning Briefing
The lawsuit alleges UnitedHealth’s UMR unit denied thousands of medical claims without reviewing them for medical necessity. Separately, employers are fighting for billing data that health insurers won’t reveal. Also in the news: rising prices at independent hospitals.