Morning Briefing for Friday, August 23, 2024
August 23, 2024
Morning Briefing
Covid shots, Harris’ speech, reproductive health, hospital closure, wiping out medical debt, mpox, and more. Plus, your weekend reads.
After False Advertising Accusation, EpicGenetics Halts 2 Blood Test Sales
August 23, 2024
Morning Briefing
Also in the news, gene-editing startup Tome Biosciences; insights into near-death experiences from psychedelics; the cost of Eisai and Biogen’s Alzheimer’s drug Leqembi; and more.
Updated Covid Vaccines Will Be Here In Days. Will People Line Up?
August 23, 2024
Morning Briefing
The FDA on Thursday gave the green light for Pfizer and Moderna’s updated shots, which target a strain of omicron called KP.2. It’s unclear whether the shots will help with this summer’s covid wave because it takes about two weeks after vaccination for an immune response to kick in.
Arkansas Supreme Court Ruling Keeps Abortion Initiative Off The Ballot
August 23, 2024
Morning Briefing
The state’s Supreme Court justices decided 4-3 to uphold Republican Secretary of State John Thurston’s rejection of a ballot measure — saying that paperwork was not submitted on time — that would have put the question of expanding abortion access before voters this November.
Accepting Nomination, Kamala Harris Hammers Abortion Bans, Project 2025
August 23, 2024
Morning Briefing
The Democratic nominee for president did not mince words when discussing Republicans’ restrictions on women’s health care: “Simply put, they are out of their minds.” Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, in an interview before Harris’ speech, again said he has “no idea” what Project 2025 is.
Steward Asks Pennsylvania To Pony Up $1.5M To Keep Sharon Hospital Open
August 23, 2024
Morning Briefing
State officials are considering the request even as a judge has determined that it’s OK for the bankrupt hospital operator to close two other facilities in Ohio. Also in the news, Evolent Health, Mission Hospital, the Veterans Administration, and more.
Deal Wipes Out $366M In Medical Debt For 193,000 Southerners
August 23, 2024
Morning Briefing
The debt-canceling agreement involves patients of Ochsner Health’s hospitals and clinics in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Other news from around the nation comes from Florida, Texas, California, New Jersey, Missouri, and Iowa.
First Edition: Friday, Aug. 23, 2024
August 23, 2024
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Disability Rights Activist Pushes Government To Let Him Participate in Society
By Tony Leys
August 23, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Garret Frey won a U.S. Supreme Court case as a teenager who needed assistance to attend high school. Now, he’s gained concessions under Iowa’s Medicaid program to help him live at home instead of in a care facility.
Trump Drastically Inflates Annual Fentanyl Death Numbers
By Jacob Gardenswartz
August 23, 2024
KFF Health News Original
The former president’s claim of 300,000 annual opioid deaths contradicts government statistics.
Project 2025 Would Recast HHS as the Federal Department of Life
By Stephanie Armour
August 22, 2024
KFF Health News Original
It has become a rhetorical theme for Democrats working to hold on to the White House: Allies of former president Donald Trump, they say, want to infuse conservative ideals into how the federal government does business. That vision is outlined in the Project 2025 “Mandate for Leadership,” a 900-page blueprint produced by the conservative Heritage Foundation and other conservative organizations […]
Concerns Over Alzheimer’s Drug Risk For People With Down Syndrome
August 22, 2024
Morning Briefing
Among the worries: a possible brain bleed risk from lecanemab in certain people. Other news is on harnessing Zika virus as a therapy to destroy certain cancers; temperature tracking of mail-ordered drugs; and more.
60% Of Supermarket Baby Foods Packed With Sugar, Salt: Study
August 22, 2024
Morning Briefing
CNN reports on the new study, which found that 60% of 651 foods marketed for children fell short of the recommended World Health Organization nutritional guidelines. Also in health and wellness news: Pear Therapeutics, Yamacraw Village, author Rick Steves, and more.
First Case Of Mpox Detected In Wayne County, Michigan, Since 2022
August 22, 2024
Morning Briefing
Officials state the public risk is low but suggest people who might be at risk get vaccinated. Meanwhile, a suspected case of mpox on a cargo ship turns out to be chicken pox.
California County To Buy Troubled Private Hospital To Preserve Care
August 22, 2024
Morning Briefing
The Regional Medical Center had been slated for major cutbacks, but Santa Clara County has stepped in and reached a tentative purchase agreement with its owner. Separately, California lawmakers are considering whether to block private equity health deals.
Morning Briefing for Thursday, August 22, 2024
August 22, 2024
Morning Briefing
KFF Health News will host a full day of panels at the 2024 Texas Tribune Festival in Austin, Texas, on Sept. 6. Check out the program and buy tickets here .
HIV-Positive Citizens May Join Military, Judge Rules, Citing ‘Irrational’ Policy
August 22, 2024
Morning Briefing
Meanwhile, the Health Resources and Services Administration is setting aside $1.4 billion to help low-income Americans pay for HIV/AIDS treatment.
Walz Accepts VP Nomination As Dems Champion Health Care Freedom
August 22, 2024
Morning Briefing
“When we Democrats talk about freedom, we mean the freedom to make a better life for yourself and the people that you love,” Tim Walz said Wednesday at the Democratic National Convention. In a surprise appearance, Oprah Winfrey — who said she votes as an independent — declared that without reproductive choice, “There is no American dream.”
