White House Opens Permanent Pandemic Preparedness Office
July 24, 2023
Morning Briefing
The Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy launched on Friday with retired Major General Paul Friedrichs at the helm. The new effort will take over the federal response to covid and mpox and look ahead to future health crises.
Drug Supply Chain Mostly Safe As Tornado-Hit Pfizer Plant Is Assessed
July 24, 2023
Morning Briefing
News outlets report that despite concerns over possible disruption to national and global supply chains caused by a tornado impact in North Carolina, the impact on a Pfizer plant that sustained damage was mostly to warehousing, not drug manufacturing facilities. Some drugs are affected but efforts to return production to full speed are already underway.
First Edition: July 24, 2023
July 24, 2023
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
FDA Head Robert Califf Battles Misinformation — Sometimes With Fuzzy Facts
By Darius Tahir
July 24, 2023
KFF Health News Original
FDA Commissioner Robert Califf has called misinformation one of the deadliest killers in the United States. As the FDA tries to fight that scourge, it sometimes stumbles.
Everything Old Is New Again? The Latest Round of Health Policy Proposals Reprises Existing Ideas
By Julie Appleby
July 24, 2023
KFF Health News Original
House Republican legislation promises more health insurance options but fewer protections, even as the Biden administration seeks to rein in short-term plans, which were expanded in the Trump era.
Journalists Discuss Abortion Lawsuits and the Pros and Cons of Health Care Sharing Plans
July 22, 2023
KFF Health News Original
KFF Health News and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
Giant Health System Almost Saved a Community Hospital. Now, It Wants to ‘Extract Every Dollar.’
By Bernard J. Wolfson and Melissa Montalvo, The Fresno Bee
July 21, 2023
KFF Health News Original
A bankruptcy judge will soon decide whether a Central Valley hospital needs to liquidate to repay its creditors. Its largest creditor, St. Agnes Medical Center, is the very entity that backed out of purchasing the Madera Community Hospital last December.
Un sistema de salud gigante casi salvó a un hospital de Madera. Ahora quiere “sacarle cada dólar”
By Bernard J. Wolfson and Melissa Montalvo, The Fresno Bee
July 21, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Problemas como el de Madera son comunes en otros hospitales pequeños con situaciones financieras precarias en California, y en todo el país.
Viewpoints: The Worst Extreme Heat Is Yet To Come; Why Is Mental Health Care So Hard To Access?
July 21, 2023
Morning Briefing
Editorial writers delve into extreme heat, mental health care, medical debt, AI in medicine, and more.
Longer Looks: Interesting Reads You Might Have Missed
July 21, 2023
Morning Briefing
Each week, KFF Health News finds longer stories for you to enjoy. This week’s selections include an astonishing video of a patient singing during “fun” brain surgery, how tech developments may help deaf people, an experiment in drug decriminalization, and more.
Trans Patients Are Impacted As Drug Shortage Hits Hormone Therapy
July 21, 2023
Morning Briefing
The ongoing drug supply crunch is impacting another set of patients: transgender people who take hormones as part of gender-affirming care. Also in the news, a federal judge blocked an anti-trans sports bill in Arizona, and how gender dysphoria is a protected disability in some states.
Researchers Link Chronic Constipation With Cognitive Decline
July 21, 2023
Morning Briefing
A study finds that defecation frequency may impact cognitive function. Also in the news, the benefits of maternal strep B vaccines, health care disruptions linked to preventable hospital admissions, and goals of building a real-life “bionic” person.
Morning Briefing for Friday, July 21, 2023
July 21, 2023
Morning Briefing
Injuries from extreme heat, Medicaid unwinding, abortion law, PBMs, drug shortages, sport supplements, and more are in thew news.
PBM Oversight Act Introduced By Sens. Carper And Grassley
July 21, 2023
Morning Briefing
The bipartisan bill would provide the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services with oversight powers for pharmacy benefit managers. Sen. Bernie Sanders, meanwhile, is in a NIH nominee standoff with the White House over drug pricing.
FDA Approves Emergent BioSolution’s Anthrax Vaccine For Adults
July 21, 2023
Morning Briefing
The drug, Cyfendus, was authorized for use following suspected or confirmed anthrax exposure. The FDA also approved Daiichi Sankyo’s blood cancer drug. In other industry news, J&J’s finances look healthy, Philip Morris’ health care push stumbles, private equity’s impact on health costs, and more.
Study Finds Some Sports Supplements Contain Prohibited Drugs
July 21, 2023
Morning Briefing
A study makes startling reading for people who consume sports supplements: as well as possibly having misleading labels, some include drugs prohibited by the FDA. Energy drink “ambassadors,” and how football headers are linked to memory issues are among other public health news.
Congress Works On Preparedness, Pollutants, And Global Health Security Bills
July 21, 2023
Morning Briefing
In health policy action on Capitol Hill: a bipartisan pandemic preparedness bill advances; lawmakers try to tackle plastic pellet and PFAS pollution; and Senate appropriators approve additional money for global health security and fentanyl-related measures.
White House Asks Businesses To Extend Insurance Sign Up For Employees Who Lose Medicaid
July 21, 2023
Morning Briefing
The Biden administration’s letter Thursday asked employers and insurers to extend the usual 60-day window to July 31, 2024 for workers who are losing Medicaid due to redeterminations. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden is urged by consumer groups to do more to tackle medical debt.
Missouri Supreme Court Rules Against AG On Abortion Rights Ballot Measure
July 21, 2023
Morning Briefing
The justices ruled that Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey overstepped his authority by trying to inflate the projected cost of a ballot measure to restore abortion rights. Estimates say the measure has no cost to the state. Other abortion news is from Florida, Texas, Iowa, and elsewhere.
Drug Shortages Could Be Intensified By Tornado Damage At Pfizer Factory
July 21, 2023
Morning Briefing
News outlets report experts’ worries about the ongoing medical supplies across the country and world: Pfizer’s North Carolina factory damaged this week makes lots of the company’s sterile injectable medicines. Also in the news: wildfire smoke and air quality.