Morning Briefing for Wednesday, March 29, 2023
March 29, 2023
Morning Briefing
Covid booster shots, high medical bills, Medicare costs, abortion access, gun violence, tobacco, and more are in today’s news.
Defense Secretary Says Senator’s Abortion-Related Blocks Could Hurt Military Readiness
March 29, 2023
Morning Briefing
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin testified Tuesday that blocked nominations for senior Pentagon personnel “makes us far less ready than we need to be.” Sen. Tommy Tuberville, a Republican from Alabama, says he will continue to block nominees until the abortion policy to cover travel costs for service members or their families is changed.
CDC Clarifies Covid Booster Policy, Recommending Single Bivalent Shot
March 29, 2023
Morning Briefing
The CDC says that it is only authorizing a single dose of the updated covid vaccine booster at this point in the pandemic, as the U.S. moves toward annual shot recommendations to keep up immunity.
First Edition: March 29, 2023
March 29, 2023
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
A Progress Check on Hospital Price Transparency
By Michelle Andrews
March 29, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Hospitals are facing mixed reviews regarding their efforts to comply with a federal requirement that they post information about prices related to nearly every health care service they provide.
GOP Lawmaker Calls for Tracking Homeless Spending, Working With Democrats on Mental Health
By Angela Hart
March 29, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Republican state Sen. Roger Niello wants to know whether taxpayers are getting their money’s worth before spending more. Yet the fiscal conservative from the suburbs of Sacramento sees opportunities for bipartisanship on mental health.
ER’s Error Lands a 4-Year-Old in Collections (For Care He Didn’t Receive)
By Daniel Chang
March 29, 2023
KFF Health News Original
A Florida woman tried to dispute an emergency room bill, but the hospital and collection agency refused to talk to her — because it was her child’s name on the bill, not hers.
Viewpoints: Why Is Everyone Sick?; Violence Against Medical Workers Is A Growing Problem
March 28, 2023
Morning Briefing
Editorial writers weigh in on these public health topics.
Morning Briefing for Tuesday, March 28, 2023
March 28, 2023
Morning Briefing
Medicaid expansion, the Nashville school shooting, covid research, abortion access, e-cigarettes, transgender care, and more are in the news.
Ohio Sues Pharmacy Benefit Managers, Labels Them ‘Modern Gangsters’
March 28, 2023
Morning Briefing
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, who accused PBMs of illegally driving up drug costs, said: “Insulin is just a symptom of the problem; PBMs are the disease.” Meanwhile, a New York family struggling to pay for a child’s insulin pump is the focus of a USA Today piece about diabetes care costs.
Study Shows Heart Health Benefits Of Losing Weight, Even With Regains
March 28, 2023
Morning Briefing
A fresh study shows that losing weight may help long-term heart health, even if some of the weight is gained back. A separate study links being an early bird sleep apnea sufferer with longer CPAP use. Other research demonstrates that high rent prices negatively impact renters’ mental health.
Indiana, Idaho Legislatures Pass Bans On Transgender Health Care For Youth
March 28, 2023
Morning Briefing
AP notes Idaho’s measures would bar medical professionals from prescribing hormones or puberty blockers to transgender or transitioning minors or those with gender dysphoria. A similar measure is under consideration in Texas, as well.
Juul Trial Begins: E-Cigarette Maker Accused Of Marketing To Minors
March 28, 2023
Morning Briefing
Minnesota sued Juul in 2019, AP notes, but it’s now seeking to force the e-cigarette maker and its former largest investor, Altria Group Inc., to pay for remedies for harms caused by addiction. Cholesterol drugs, breast cancer drugs, and more are also in the news.
Kansas High Court Affirms Abortion Access Still ‘Fundamental Right’
March 28, 2023
Morning Briefing
AP says that despite legislative efforts in the state to restrict abortion rights, Kansas’ highest court said that it remains a right under the state constitution. Separately, a case trying to overturn Georgia’s six-week abortion ban is in the state’s Supreme Court this week.
Covid Virus Can Alter Genomic Structure Of Cells, Study Finds
March 28, 2023
Morning Briefing
Researchers say the discovery could help explain the symptoms people infected with the virus experience, as well as some of the mysteries around long covid.
North Carolina Becomes 40th State To Expand Medicaid
March 28, 2023
Morning Briefing
After years of division in North Carolina over the expansion issue, Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, signed the bill Monday recently passed by the Republican-controlled legislature. The new law is expected to qualify an additional 600,000 residents for Medicaid, though it’s unclear when enrollment will begin due to a budget proviso.
GOP Dismisses More Gun Control Amid Anguish Of Another School Shooting
March 28, 2023
Morning Briefing
Senate Republicans have already “cast doubt” on hopes for tighter gun-control laws after a shooter killed six people Monday at a private Christian elementary school in Nashville. “I would say we’ve gone about as far as we can go,” said Sen. John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas. President Joe Biden, meanwhile, again pressed Congress for an assault weapons ban.
Mientras Colorado se recupera de otro tiroteo en una escuela, estudio muestra que uno de cada 4 adolescentes puede acceder a un arma fácilmente
By Markian Hawryluk
March 28, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Los datos de la investigación provienen del estudio Healthy Kids Colorado, una encuesta realizada cada dos años con una muestra aleatoria de 41,000 estudiantes de escuela media y secundaria.
First Edition: March 28, 2023
March 28, 2023
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.