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.
Henrietta Lacks’ Family Settles Over Research Use Of Her Cancer Cells
August 2, 2023
Morning Briefing
The cells, known as HeLa, had “remarkable properties” allowing endless reproduction for medical research purposes, NPR explains, but they were taken without Henrietta Lacks’ consent in 1950s. The settlement was reached with her family on what would have been her 103rd birthday.
Pfizer Says Refreshed Covid Shots Could Be Authorized This Month
August 2, 2023
Morning Briefing
The drugmaker’s CEO Albert Bourla revealed he thinks the FDA could authorize updated covid boosters by the end of the month during an investor call. Separately, CNN reports that vaccines for flu and RSV are being rolled out to major pharmacy chains ahead of the fall respiratory virus season.
Inpatient Hospitals Will Get Bigger Pay Bump From Medicare Than Expected
August 2, 2023
Morning Briefing
In April, CMS proposed a 2.8% boost in reimbursements for fiscal 2024. But the agency said Tuesday that it would be 3.1% net increase. In other news, the Blackfeet Tribe of Montana has declared a public health state of emergency over a Medicaid scam.
Access To Maternity Care In US Getting Worse, Especially For Black Women
August 2, 2023
Morning Briefing
Two new reports from March of Dimes and Milken Institute detail the deteriorating quality of care for pregnant women, which is particularly concerning as abortion access is cut off in many states.
Indiana Clinics Halt Abortion Services, File Last-Ditch Appeal To State Ban
August 2, 2023
Morning Briefing
Indiana’s law — that’s on pause again — bans all surgical abortions at any point in the pregnancy, with limited exceptions for health risks for the mother or in cases or rape or incest. The state’s six abortion clinics stopped offering services yesterday.
First Edition: Aug. 2, 2023
August 2, 2023
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
The Real Costs of the New Alzheimer’s Drug, Most of Which Will Fall to Taxpayers
By Arthur Allen
August 2, 2023
KFF Health News Original
The annual cost of lecanemab treatment quadruples if the expense of brain scans to monitor for bleeds and other associated care is factored in. The full financial toll likely puts it beyond reach for low-income seniors at risk of Alzheimer’s, experts say.
Repeating History: California County Plugs Budget Gap With Opioid Settlement Cash
By Aneri Pattani
August 2, 2023
KFF Health News Original
State attorneys general vowed that opioid settlement funds — unlike the tobacco settlement of the 1990s — would go toward tackling the underlying crisis. But in Mendocino County, officials have found a way to use some of its share to help fill a budget shortfall — a throwback to what agreement architects hoped to avoid.
Mujeres negras sopesan riesgos emergentes de alisadores para el cabello “adictivos”
By Ronnie Cohen
August 1, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Los alisadores pueden contener carcinógenos, como agentes liberadores de formaldehído, ftalatos y otros compuestos que alteran el sistema endócrino, según estudios de los Institutos Nacionales de Salud.
Viewpoints: Heat Waves Are Wreaking Havoc On Human Health; Long Covid Patients Feel Forgotten
August 1, 2023
Morning Briefing
Editorial writers discuss heat waves, long covid, superbugs and more.
Federal Appeals Court Rules Kentucky Can Enforce Minors’ Gender Care Ban
August 1, 2023
Morning Briefing
AP reports on the decision from the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati, which it calls “not unexpected” since the same court ruled a similar way earlier this month on a case in Tennessee. Meanwhile, a story in Stat covers how primary care doctors are learning about trans health.
Marijuana Addiction Often Met With Skepticism; Doctors Discourage Vaping
August 1, 2023
Morning Briefing
The Washington Post shines a spotlight on how marijuana addiction is sometimes met with “derision,” amid unclear science over benefits, harms. Meanwhile, ABC News says doctors are discouraging vaping as data mounts over health impacts, even when used as an anti-smoking tool.
Worries Over New Apellis Eye Drug Linked To Blindness In 5 People
August 1, 2023
Morning Briefing
Stat says that even though five elderly people were blinded in one eye after receiving injections of the newly-approved treatment, the cause remains unknown. In other news: CVS will cut 5,000 jobs to reduce costs, interest in a new cancer-detecting blood test, and more.