New Covid Shots Should Be Priced At ‘Reasonable Rate,’ Becerra Demands
July 14, 2023
Morning Briefing
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra told makers of updated covid shots to limit prices for the drugs come the fall. Becerra warned that gouging would violate the trust of the U.S. public. He also said the shots are expected by late September.
Health Program Reauthorization Bill Introduced, Amid Stalled Negotiations
July 14, 2023
Morning Briefing
The Hill and Politico report efforts by Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Republican and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, to reauthorize funding for a number of health programs, including community health centers. Cassidy’s negotiations with Sen. Bernie Sanders on the issue are reportedly stalled.
House Amends Defense Bill To Require Abortion Policies To Be Rolled Back
July 14, 2023
Morning Briefing
The House voted 221-213 Thursday night to approve an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that would reverse Biden administration rules that reimburse service members or their dependents who must travel for abortion services. Republican lawmakers also added language that prohibits military funding of transition surgeries and hormone treatments for transgender people.
Dangerous Temperatures To Hit South, With Heat Already Killing People
July 14, 2023
Morning Briefing
Media outlets report on the heat dome hitting California, Arizona and elsewhere, as Maryland reports its first heat-related death of the year. And NOAA confirms that June was the hottest for 174 years of records.
WHO Classifies Sweetener Aspartame As Possible Carcinogen; FDA Disagrees
July 14, 2023
Morning Briefing
The declaration from the World Health Organization had been expected. The matter is complex however, with news outlets stressing that the risk appears to be very low, and linked to high levels of consumption of aspartame. The FDA is reported as disagreeing with the new classification.
First Birth Control Pill Authorized For Over-The-Counter Sale In US
July 14, 2023
Morning Briefing
The FDA authorized Thursday that HRA Pharma’s Opill, a daily progestin-only oral contraceptive, can be purchased without a prescription, making the birth control pill easier to obtain.
First Edition: July 14, 2023
July 14, 2023
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
How a Combination of Covid Lawsuits and Media Coverage Keeps Misinformation Churning
By Darius Tahir
July 14, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Even as the covid-19 pandemic wanes, litigation — whether about vaccines, masks, or a range of other public health policies made during the pandemic — isn’t about to end.
A Plan to Cut Montana’s Medicaid Waiting List Was Met With Bipartisan Cheers. Then a Veto.
By Mike Dennison
July 14, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte’s veto disappointed and bewildered those seeking to address low-income residents’ long wait for assisted living or in-home care.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': The Long Road to Reining In Short-Term Plans
July 13, 2023
Podcast
President Biden made good on a campaign promise this week with a proposal that would limit short-term health insurance plans that boast low premiums but also few benefits. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court’s decision to outlaw affirmative action programs could set back efforts to diversify the nation’s medical workforce. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Amy Goldstein of the Washington Post, and Rachel Cohrs of Stat News join KFF Health News’ chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Bram Sable-Smith, who reported the latest KFF Health News-NPR “Bill of the Month” about how a hospital couldn’t track down a patient, but a debt collector could.
Research Roundup: Blood Sugar; Alzheimer’s; Covid
July 13, 2023
Morning Briefing
Each week, KFF Health News compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
Decades After Push For A-Bomb, Health Aftereffects ‘Haunt’ St. Louis
July 13, 2023
Morning Briefing
The report from AP examines the pervasive and lasting effects on the St. Louis region many decades after Mallinckrodt Chemical Works processed uranium in an effort to develop nuclear weapons during World War II. Other health news from around the country comes from Ohio, Nevada, Georgia, Texas, Arizona, Arkansas, North Carolina, and New Hampshire.
EU Expanding Investigation Into Risks From Taking Weight Loss Drugs
July 13, 2023
Morning Briefing
The European Medicines Agency is expanding its examination of drugs like Ozempic, and it is now evaluating about 150 reports of possible cases of self-injury and suicidal thoughts among patients. Also in the news, hospitals billing for online queries, a huge EU fine for Illumina, and more
AI Researchers Say Google’s Med-PaLM Product Not Ready For Patients
July 13, 2023
Morning Briefing
Even as CNBC reports that an AI-driven revolution in health care is imminent, a report in Bloomberg says that one artificial intelligence product from a leading tech name isn’t ready for patients.
Morning Briefing for Thursday, July 13, 2023
July 13, 2023
Morning Briefing
Lead exposure to kids, extreme heat warnings, maternal health, flu, abortion law, AI in health care, drug prices, and more are in the news.
Report Found Soaring Maternal Health Complications In Massachusetts
July 13, 2023
Morning Briefing
AP and the Boston Globe shine a spotlight on the concerning findings from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health showing a doubling of severe maternal health complications from 2011 to 2020, with Black women and women with disabilities suffering most. Other maternal health issues are also in the news.
Warnings That Surging H5N1 Bird Flu Could Lead To Human Infections
July 13, 2023
Morning Briefing
News outlets cover warnings from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, World Health Organization, and World Organization for Animal Health that outbreaks of H5N1 avian flu could mean the virus will infect people more easily. Separately, flu is rising in the Southern Hemisphere.
Chamber Of Commerce Joins Efforts To Halt Medicare Drug Price Negotiations
July 13, 2023
Morning Briefing
The latest legal challenge to the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation program comes from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which filed a motion in federal court Wednesday for a preliminary injunction to block implementation. In other news, a House panel advances four bills related to drug costs.
Lawsuit Quickly Challenges Iowa’s Strict New Abortion Ban
July 13, 2023
Morning Briefing
Abortion providers and the ACLU have already filed a lawsuit seeking to block Iowa’s new six-week abortion ban after it was passed in a special session Tuesday. A hearing is scheduled for Friday, before the governor signs the bill. Meanwhile, data show most Americans support abortion access.