Longer Looks: Interesting Reads You Might Have Missed
February 17, 2023
Morning Briefing
Each week, KHN finds longer stories for you to enjoy. This week’s selections include stories on the Marburg virus, coronavirus, the Great Epizootic, psychedelics, and more.
Federal Medical Experts Will Help At Ohio Train Toxic Incident Scene
February 17, 2023
Morning Briefing
Health-monitoring concerns and wild speculation as to the environmental and health impacts of the train derailment in Ohio are in the news. Also: Florida kids losing Medicaid coverage, norovirus outbreaks, a paid sick leave mandate in Minnesota, and more.
Survey: Doctors Don’t Yet Trust Biosimilars
February 17, 2023
Morning Briefing
A survey reported in FiercePharma shows while more biosimilars are hitting the U.S. market, some doctors are hesitant to trust the lower-cost drugs the same way they trust the originals. Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration has called the Philips respiratory machine recall “most serious.”
Scientists Narrow In On Genes Linked To Obesity Complications
February 17, 2023
Morning Briefing
“Hundreds” of genes are thought to be linked with obesity, Stat says, but a new study show progress is being made in linking specific genes to downstream obesity complications like diabetes. Wider side effects from long covid, mixed results for Moderna’s flu vaccine, and more are also in the news.
Animal Tranquilizer Xylazine Found In San Francisco Overdose Deaths
February 17, 2023
Morning Briefing
Xylazine, commonly known as “tranq,” was detected in the bodies of four people who died of drug overdoses in San Francisco recently. In other public health news: avian flu, the lack of vegetables in the diet of American children, and the obituary of a doctor who championed children’s health in Harlem.
Viewpoints: American Kids Are Struggling With Mental Health. Here’s How We Can Help
February 17, 2023
Morning Briefing
Editorial writers discuss the mental health of our youth, patient safety and ending the covid emergency.
Kentucky Supreme Court Won’t Halt Abortion Bans During Litigation
February 17, 2023
Morning Briefing
Kentucky Supreme Court justices Thursday sent challenges to the state’s abortion trigger law and six-week ban back down to lower courts for further consideration of constitutional issues, and refused the request by providers to lift the measures while the case plays out in court.
Biden’s Doctor Deems Him ‘Fit For Duty’ With No New Health Issues
February 17, 2023
Morning Briefing
Following President Joe Biden’s annual physical Thursday, his personal physician wrote that Biden is “a healthy, vigorous, 80-year-old male who is fit to successfully execute duties of the presidency.” Biden’s health has been under scrutiny in the spotlight of the upcoming 2024 presidential election.
Morning Briefing for Friday, February 17, 2023
February 17, 2023
Morning Briefing
Biden’s health checkup, abortion laws, covid, health worker shortages, mental health, and more are in the news. Plus, your weekend reads.
Sen. Fetterman Admitted To Hospital For Depression Treatment
February 17, 2023
Morning Briefing
His chief of staff said John Fetterman checked himself in for inpatient treatment of clinical depression Thursday. The Pennsylvania senator has previously experienced depression, but it has worsened during Fetterman’s recovery from a stroke. Meanwhile, actor Bruce Willis has been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia.
Senate Panel Launches Push To Tackle Alarming Shortage Of Health Workers
February 17, 2023
Morning Briefing
The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions held a hearing Thursday on the health personnel crisis that worsened during the covid pandemic. Among the measures discussed, panel chairman Bernie Sanders called for expanded medical school access.
Research Finds Catching Covid Offers Protection Like Vaccines Do
February 17, 2023
Morning Briefing
“Natural immunity” from a covid infection provides strong, lasting protection against severe outcomes, new research says — on a par with two doses of an mRNA vaccine. Separately, a study showed that for adults hospitalized with omicron, the death rate is 1.5 times that of influenza A or B.
First Edition: February 17, 2023
February 17, 2023
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
California Requires Hospitals to Turn to a Patient’s Next of Kin, Closing a Longtime Loophole
By Mark Kreidler
February 17, 2023
KFF Health News Original
A state law establishes a list of representatives who can make medical decisions for patients unable to convey their wishes. California is late to making the change; 45 other states and the District of Columbia already have next-of-kin laws.
After Staying Away During Pandemic, Doctors Return to Lobby Congress
By Phil Galewitz
February 17, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Hundreds of physicians came to Washington this week to lobby Congress about their “recovery plan” for physicians, which includes a Medicare pay boost and an end to some frustrating insurance company requirements.
Amid Dire Suicide Rates in Montana, Governor Expands Student Mental Health Screening
By Keely Larson
February 17, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte announced a $2.1 million grant using federal aid after state lawmakers rejected a bill that would have essentially addressed the same needs of young people at risk of suicide.
Mark Cuban Has Been Taking On the Drug Industry. But Which One?
By Darius Tahir
February 17, 2023
KFF Health News Original
The billionaire entrepreneur and NBA team owner is making waves with his new drug company. But his generics aren’t always the lowest-priced deal.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': The Kids Are Not OK
February 16, 2023
Podcast
A new survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds that teenagers, particularly girls, are reporting all-time high rates of violence and profound mental distress. Meanwhile, both sides in the abortion debate are anxiously waiting for a district court decision in Texas that could effectively revoke the FDA’s 22-year-old approval of the abortion pill mifepristone. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, and Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico join KHN’s chief Washington correspondent, Julie Rovner, to discuss these issues and more.
Research Roundup: Antibiotics; Breast Cancer; Diabetes; Asthma
February 16, 2023
Morning Briefing
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
Residents Search For Reassurance After Ohio Toxic Train Derailment
February 16, 2023
Morning Briefing
Hundreds of residents in East Palestine, Ohio, met with officials Wednesday to express worries and seek answers in the aftermath of the train derailment and subsequent toxic chemical problem. Staff members from railroad operator Norfolk Southern didn’t show up. Train length and plastic chemical safety are in the media spotlight.