Poisonous Yellow Oleander Found In Alternative Weight-Loss Drugs
September 15, 2023
Morning Briefing
Tests in a lab in Oregon showed that in nine out of 10 diet pills and health food products, what was labeled as Tejocote root was yellow oleander, which is poisonous and sometimes deadly. Some products have been withdrawn, but the FDA has warned that other, similarly-labeled ones remain on sale.
House Disarray Before Recess Ups Chances Of Disruptive Shutdown
September 15, 2023
Morning Briefing
The federal government will shut down if lawmakers do not reach a spending deal by Sept. 30 — an outcome that would have a big impact on health programs. Yet House members made little progress in the 3 days before their fall recess that were dominated by chaos surrounding leadership and the Biden impeachment inquiry.
Drug Companies, Walgreens Sued Over Cold Meds That Didn’t Work
September 15, 2023
Morning Briefing
A flurry of lawsuits were filed this week after an FDA panel concluded the ingredient phenylephrine was essentially ineffective. Meanwhile, the FDA says it will seek public opinion before deciding whether to remove the ingredient from store shelves.
Planned Parenthood To Resume Abortion Services In Wisconsin
September 15, 2023
Morning Briefing
Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin plans to again offer abortions at clinics in Milwaukee and Madison by next week after a judge ruled that an 1849 law didn’t apply to abortion. The reproductive health organization is also challenging an abortion ban in South Carolina.
Morning Briefing for Friday, September 15, 2023
September 15, 2023
Morning Briefing
Social Security overpayments, nursing home staffing, looming shutdown, decongestant, ER wait times, opioids, and more are in the news.
First Edition: Sept. 15, 2023
September 15, 2023
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Social Security Overpays Billions to People, Many on Disability. Then It Demands the Money Back.
By David Hilzenrath and Jodie Fleischer, Cox Media Group
September 15, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Beneficiaries in five states described what happened when they received letters calling on them to return overpayments that can reach tens of thousands of dollars or more.
A New Covid Booster Is Here. Will Those at Greatest Risk Get It?
By Amy Maxmen
September 15, 2023
KFF Health News Original
The CDC says everyone over 6 months old should get the new covid booster. But the emergency response mechanisms that supported earlier vaccine campaigns are gone. As one expert wonders: How to get boosters to people beyond Democrats, college graduates, and those with high incomes?
Rural Nursing Home Supporters Fear Proposed Staffing Standards Will Trigger More Closures
By Tony Leys
September 15, 2023
KFF Health News Original
The Biden administration says a recently proposed minimum staffing standard would help ensure quality care, but nursing home leaders predict many rural facilities would struggle to meet it.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Underinsured Is the New Uninsured
September 14, 2023
Podcast
The percentage of working-age adults with health insurance went up and the uninsured rate dropped last year, the U.S. Census Bureau reported this week. There isn’t much suspense about which way the uninsured rate is now trending, as states continue efforts to strip ineligible beneficiaries from their Medicaid rolls. But is the focus on the uninsured obscuring the struggles of the underinsured? Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico join KFF Health News’ Emmarie Huetteman to discuss these issues and more.
Muchos estados todavía no financian la exitosa línea 988 para crisis de salud mental
By Christina Saint Louis
September 14, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Según un análisis de KFF de datos de la línea de Prevención del Suicidio y Crisis, desde el verano pasado el 988 recibió casi 5 millones de contactos, incluyendo llamadas, textos y mensajes de chat.
Research Roundup: Alzheimer’s; Cancer; Covid; Gain Of Function
September 14, 2023
Morning Briefing
Each week, KFF Health News compiles a selection of health policy studies and briefs.
Viewpoints: One Opioid Treatment Not As Safe As Previously Thought; Doctors Are Not OK
September 14, 2023
Morning Briefing
Editorial writers delve into a opioid misuse treatment, doctors’ mental health, “medical assistance in dying,” and more.
Rollout Of Electronic Health Records At VA Won’t Restart Until Next Summer
September 14, 2023
Morning Briefing
Problems beset the rollout over “patient health and safety and frustration among users,” Military.com explains. But it’s now going to take longer than expected to restart the process. Also: NBC News reports on a survey showing how common anti-Asian racism is in medicine; plus pharmaceutical industry news.
After 2 Deaths, A Desperate Effort In India To Stop Outbreak Of Nipah Virus
September 14, 2023
Morning Briefing
Nipah virus is a “rare and often deadly disease,” CNN notes, and India Today reports it can be transmitted from animals to humans. Reuters explains how experts have spread out across the southern state of Kerala to collect samples from bats and fruit trees in an effort to track the virus.
Fear Of Getting Pregnant Post-Roe Makes Some Plan To Forgo Kids
September 14, 2023
Morning Briefing
The end of Roe v. Wade is having a “chilling effect on pregnancy,” with a new survey showing how poor or unavailable medical care is dramatically impacting people’s life choices. Other reproductive health news is on Planned Parenthood layoffs, Republican plans to fund so-called “crisis pregnancy centers,” and more.
Fentanyl-Stimulant Mix Leading To New Phase In Overdose Crisis
September 14, 2023
Morning Briefing
The proportion of overdoses linked to a mix of fentanyl and a stimulant has risen over fiftyfold from 2010 to 2021, NBC News reports, driving a “fourth wave” of the overdose epidemic. Axios, meanwhile, covers dramatic regional differences in the illicit use of xylazine mixed with fentanyl.
Rubio Bill Targets ‘Gender Ideology’ In Hospitals, Agencies Across The States
September 14, 2023
Morning Briefing
Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, 52, finds modern ideas about gender identity so “deeply disturbing” that he worries they’ve begun to “infiltrate” the U.S. health care system. His new bill would ban government agencies and hospitals with federal funding from enforcing “radical gender ideology.”
HHS And Regeneron Strike Deal That Limits Price On Anti-Covid Drug
September 14, 2023
Morning Briefing
Stat reports that the deal clause is the first time the Biden administration has directly used its leverage to challenge drugmakers’ list prices. Other drug pricing news relates to Medicare, insulin caps, and tuberculosis.