FDA Clears First-Ever Oral Device To Battle Sleep Apnea
November 30, 2023
Morning Briefing
The device is made by Vivos Therapeutics and is designed to help with severe obstructive sleep apnea, and is an alternative to devices made by companies like Philips. Also in the news: Pharmavite LLC; Generation Bio; obesity drugs and BMI; and more.
BJC Healthcare And Saint Luke’s Health System Reach Merger Agreement
November 30, 2023
Morning Briefing
St. Louis-based BJC Healthcare and Kansas City, Mo.-based Saint Luke’s Health System have reached a definitive agreement to merge their 28 hospitals. Meanwhile, critics argue that HCA’s efforts to cut costs endangered Appalachian patients.
Medicaid Expansion Arrives In North Carolina For Hundreds Of Thousands
November 30, 2023
Morning Briefing
Also in the news: California Gov. Gavin Newsom promises to crack down on the deadly street drug called “tranq”; Missouri lawmakers are set to push for new charges for fentanyl dealers; overdose deaths in New Hampshire overwhelm MEs; and more.
Soldiers At Fort Carson Blocked From Seeking Health Care Before 9 AM
November 30, 2023
Morning Briefing
The restriction, put in place to cement a time frame for physical training, applies to “medical, dental, behavioral health, and other types of appointments.” Once officer who spoke on condition of anonymity said, “This is just going to create problems, not solve them.”
Report Highlights Health, Safety Risks Faced By Gen Z, Millennial Women
November 30, 2023
Morning Briefing
A new analysis from the Population Reference Bureau compared how women in their 20s and 30s fared across generations, and ABC News notes that results show younger generations face heightened risks for physical well-being and safety for a variety of reasons.
Research Roundup: Strep; Pneumonia; Education; Covid
November 30, 2023
Morning Briefing
Each week, KFF Health News compiles a selection of health policy studies and briefs.
Morning Briefing for Thursday, November 30, 2023
November 30, 2023
Morning Briefing
Medicare Advantage, a possible Cigna-Humana merger, covid wastewater tracking, Medicaid expansion, women’s health, and more are in the news.
Cigna, Humana In Talks For Mega Merger That Could Shake Up Market
November 30, 2023
Morning Briefing
Insurance giants Cigna and Human are in discussions to merge, sources told The Wall Street Journal. If a deal proceeds, it would likely be reviewed by the federal government, which has previously blocked proposed insurance mergers. If approved, though, the move would create a new insurance giant in the marketplace.
Next FDA Deputy Commissioner: Namandjé Bumpus To Replace Janet Woodcock
November 30, 2023
Morning Briefing
The FDA’s chief scientist, Namandjé Bumpus, will succeed Janet Woodcock as the agency’s principal deputy commissioner. Bumpus, who will be the first Black woman in the job, will prioritize reorganizing the agency’s Human Foods Program and improving inspections of facilities that make drugs and medical devices, and process food products.
CDC Launches New Covid Wastewater Tracking Dashboard
November 30, 2023
Morning Briefing
CIDRAP reminds us that tracking covid infections via wastewater analysis is one of the early indicators of rising covid activity in an area. Meanwhile, a new round of covid infections and deaths at a New Jersey nursing facility has halted admissions and illustrates covid’s ongoing threat.
First Edition: Nov. 30, 2023
November 30, 2023
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
FTC Chief Gears Up for a Showdown With Private Equity
By Harris Meyer
November 30, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Lina Khan, chair of the FTC, says a recent lawsuit is meant to chill the consolidation of medical groups that results in higher prices for consumers. But it may be too late to curb price hikes.
Uncle Sam Wants You … to Help Stop Insurers’ Bogus Medicare Advantage Sales Tactics
By Susan Jaffe
November 30, 2023
KFF Health News Original
The Biden administration wants to crack down on deceptive or misleading Medicare Advantage and drug plan sales tactics. It’s counting on beneficiaries to help catch offenders.
An Arm and a Leg: To Get Health Insurance, This Couple Made a Movie
By Dan Weissmann
November 30, 2023
Podcast
On this episode of “An Arm and a Leg,” hear how a couple wrote and directed a short film, starring one of them — just to maintain health insurance through the actors union.
Medicare Advantage Increasingly Popular With Seniors — But Not Hospitals and Doctors
By Julie Appleby
November 29, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Some hospitals and physician groups are rejecting Medicare Advantage plans over payment rates and coverage restrictions, causing turmoil for patients.
El daño colateral de la crisis de Medicaid: miles están perdiendo beneficios de alimentos
By Katheryn Houghton and Rachana Pradhan and Samantha Liss
November 29, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Las familias de bajos ingresos que necesitan servicios como ayuda alimentaria y dinero en efectivo, se ven afectadas por la carrera burocrática para determinar si decenas de millones de personas aún califican para Medicaid.
Hospitals and Doctors Are Fed up With Medicare Advantage
By Julie Appleby
November 29, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Medicare Advantage plans are pretty popular with both lawmakers and ordinary Americans — they now enroll about 31 million people, representing just over half of everyone in Medicare, by KFF’s count. But among doctors and hospitals, it’s a different story. Across the country, provider grumbling about claim denials and onerous preapproval requirements by Advantage plans […]
Bristol Myers Squibb Warned Over Drug Prices; FDA Has New Concerns Over Philips Sleep Apnea Machines
November 29, 2023
Morning Briefing
Read recent pharmaceutical developments in KFF Health News’ Prescription Drug Watch roundup.
Viewpoints: Calling PTSD A Disorder Is Affecting Its Treatment; How Long Should One Stay In Hospice Care?
November 29, 2023
Morning Briefing
Editorial writers tackle PTSD, hospice care, total abortion bans and racism in health care.