Stroke, Heart Attack Risks Rise For Any Marijuana Use: Study
February 28, 2024
Morning Briefing
Consuming marijuana via smoking, vaping, or edibles was linked to higher risks even if the person had no previous conditions and didn’t use tobacco, a new study found. Meanwhile, the FDA may roll out a new “healthy” logo to promote food products that really are healthy.
Analysts: Weight Loss Drugs Could Lift US Economy By A Trillion Dollars
February 28, 2024
Morning Briefing
Goldman Sachs analysts suggested in a report that because poor health hurts the economy, better health outcomes thanks to drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic could thus boost economic output. Separately, a new study shows Americans are doubtful the drugs can fix the obesity epidemic.
Family Applied For Exemption, But Insulin Pump Came With Huge Bill
February 28, 2024
Morning Briefing
Read recent pharmaceutical developments in KFF Health News’ Prescription Drug Watch roundup.
Viewpoints: More Research Needed To Know If Cannabis Is Actually Healthy; Where is The Measles Outrage?
February 28, 2024
Morning Briefing
Editorial writers tackle cannabis, measles, heart disease, and more.
Antitrust Regulators Say PBMs Have Failed To Disclose Requested Info
February 28, 2024
Morning Briefing
An inquiry by the FTC into the role of pharmacy benefit managers on prescription drug costs has been stymied so far as the companies involved have not produced requested documents, Stat reports. In related news, advocates for PBM reform continue to push for measures that look to be dropped from the government spending package.
UnitedHealth Under Antitrust Investigation By DOJ: Report
February 28, 2024
Morning Briefing
The Wall Street Journal reports that the Justice Department has opened an antitrust probe into health care giant United Health. Investigators have been questioning competitors about the the company’s doctor group acquisitions.
Florida Surgeon General Criticized Over Measles Outbreak Handling
February 28, 2024
Morning Briefing
Dr. Joseph Ladapo “politicizes public health and peddles risky freedom of choice rhetoric” said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Florida Democrat, criticizing the handling of the measles outbreak by her state’s surgeon general. Meanwhile, another case was reported at a Florida elementary school.
California Seized Record Fentanyl: More Than Enough To Kill Everyone On Earth
February 28, 2024
Morning Briefing
California confiscated a 62,000 pounds of fentanyl at its ports of entry in 2023 — “enough to potentially kill the global population nearly twice over,” Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said Tuesday — and up from 28,000 pounds seized the year before.
Indiana Ban On Gender Care For Trans Minors Can Take Effect: Ruling
February 28, 2024
Morning Briefing
A federal appeals court ruled that Indiana can indeed block young transgender people from accessing hormone and puberty blocker treatments, which form part of gender care, undoing a lower court decision that had blocked the law. Also in the news: pain and suffering jury award caps.
Morning Briefing for Wednesday, February 28, 2024
February 28, 2024
Morning Briefing
IVF, hearing aids, insulin costs, PBMs, fentanyl, antitrust investigations, measles, marijuana use, and more are in the news.
Senate Democrats Plan Speedy Action In Defense Of IVF Treatments
February 28, 2024
Morning Briefing
“I warned that red states would come for IVF — and now they have,” said Sen. Tammy Duckworth, a Democrat. The group is pushing Republican colleagues to not block a bill that would preserve access to IVF technology. Axios also reports that President Joe Biden’s next moves on IVF may be limited.
First Edition: Feb. 28, 2024
February 28, 2024
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Say That Again: Using Hearing Aids Can Be Frustrating for Older Adults, but Necessary
By Judith Graham
February 28, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Hearing loss is more than a nuisance. It also raises the risk of cognitive decline, dementia, falls, depression, and social isolation.
An Arm and a Leg: Wait, Is Insulin Cheaper Now?
By Dan Weissmann
February 28, 2024
Podcast
Did the price of insulin go down? It’s not quite that simple. On this episode of “An Arm and a Leg,” producer Emily Pisacreta explores recent changes to the cost of the diabetes medication.
California Lawsuit Spotlights Broad Legal Attack on Anti-Bias Training in Health Care
By Ronnie Cohen
February 28, 2024
KFF Health News Original
State laws requiring doctor training on how bias affects treatment violate teachers’ right to free speech, opponents say.
Health Industry Consolidation In The Spotlight In Change Healthcare Hack
February 27, 2024
Morning Briefing
A report in Stat says experts are concerned that health industry consolidation exposes more risks for cyberattacks, with Change Healthcare’s systems downed for many days. A ransomware gang is now suspected to be behind the attack, which has left some pharmacies unable to fill prescriptions.
$1 Billion Gift Covers All Tuition At Albert Einstein College Of Medicine
February 27, 2024
Morning Briefing
The gargantuan donation comes from Ruth Gottesman, a former faculty member and board chair. The Wall Street Journal notes that tuition fees alone at the college cost $60,000 a year. Also in the news, Steward Health Care, UnitedHealth, Elevance, Centene, VillageMD, and more.
Study Says 134,000 Cancer Diagnoses Were Missed In Early Covid Months
February 27, 2024
Morning Briefing
“There will undoubtedly — and unfortunately — be a subsequent rise in cancer mortality,” the authors said. Separately, a survey shows that over half of Americans don’t know that drinking increases risks of colon and rectal cancer.