Perspectives: Ketamine Can Be Both Safe And Dangerous
December 20, 2023
Morning Briefing
Read recent commentaries about pharmaceutical issues.
Viewpoints: Medicaid Unwinding Is Having Grave Effects; FDA Should Be Trusted As Medical Experts
December 20, 2023
Morning Briefing
Editorial writers tackle Medicaid unwinding, Mifepristone, alcohol use, and more.
Morning Briefing for Wednesday, December 20, 2023
December 20, 2023
Morning Briefing
Medicare, covid vaccines, reproductive rights, mental health, rheumatoid arthritis, autism, homelessness, and more are in the news.
Medicare To Bolster Mental Health Services With New Types Of Providers
December 20, 2023
Morning Briefing
Starting Jan. 1, as many as 400,000 marriage and family therapists as well as mental health counselors will be qualified to get Medicare payment for their services. Medicare wants enough to sign up in order to increase mental health care access among aging Americans. Other Medicare news is on hospital prices and hospice payments.
Global Vaccine Program COVAX Will End Dec. 31; Gave Out Nearly 2B Doses
December 20, 2023
Morning Briefing
The program is estimated to have averted at least 2.7 million deaths, the World Health Organization said Tuesday. In other covid news, subvariant JN.1 is on the move, and fast.
California Will Allow Cities To Turn Wastewater Into Drinking Water
December 20, 2023
Morning Briefing
Nothing will change overnight because most projects are years away from completion, the San Francisco Chronicle noted. But the “toilet to tap” process faces hurdles in getting the public to accept it. Water officials noted that the water, which will be given extra treatment, will likely be “better quality water than (many other) drinking water systems are pulling in now.”
Ohio Woman Who Miscarried Charged With Felony, Her Lawyer Says
December 20, 2023
Morning Briefing
Brittany Watts has been charged with felony abuse of a corpse, according to court records filed in Ohio’s Trumbull County. Watts miscarried, passing a nonviable fetus in her home toilet, in a case that’s getting national attention. Other state abortion news comes from Texas, Florida, and elsewhere.
Florida Nursing Student Numbers Rise, But Qualified Applicants Drop: Report
December 20, 2023
Morning Briefing
A health care education crisis in the making is showing up in a report into students enrolling in nursing programs in Florida. Though more are enrolling, colleges and universities are noting a drop in qualified applicants. Also in the news: layoffs at Kaiser Permanente; artificial intelligence in health care; and more.
LA County Pauses Its Plan To Expand Criteria For Forced Medical Detention
December 20, 2023
Morning Briefing
The push to allow more people to be detained against their will by police, crisis teams, and mental health providers is being paused for a confounding reason: The size of the ongoing public crises means that if Senate Bill 43 is implemented, the influx of patients could swamp providers.
First Edition: Dec. 20, 2023
December 20, 2023
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
‘I Am Just Waiting to Die’: Social Security Clawbacks Drive Some Into Homelessness
By Fred Clasen-Kelly
December 20, 2023
KFF Health News Original
The Social Security Administration is reclaiming billions of dollars in alleged overpayments from some of the nation’s poorest and most vulnerable, leaving some people homeless or struggling to stay in housing, beneficiaries and advocates say.
A New Test Could Save Arthritis Patients Time, Money, and Pain. But Will It Be Used?
By Arthur Allen
December 20, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Stories of chronic pain, drug-hopping, and insurance meddling are all too common among patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Precision medicine offers new hope.
The Market for Biosimilars Is Funky. The Industry Thinks PBMs Are To Blame
By Arthur Allen
December 19, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Over the past year there’s been movement to rein in the three big PBMs, which face little regulation though they help set drug prices and drug choices for 80 percent of Americans and their doctors. The House voted Dec. 11, 320-71, for legislation that would require the PBMs to change some of the ways they […]
Another Person Has Died In Cantaloupe Salmonella Outbreak, CDC Warns
December 19, 2023
Morning Briefing
The outbreak of over 300 cases of salmonella has been linked to tainted cantaloupe, with four fatalities. Meanwhile, food inspectors looking into applesauce pouches linked to child poisonings found contaminated cinnamon had lead levels 2,000 times higher than proposed limits.
White House Unveils Effort To Stop ‘Corporate Profiteers’ In Health Care
December 19, 2023
Morning Briefing
The Justice Department, Federal Trade Commission, and Health and Human Services Department will add officials to probe price-gouging in the health care industry. Meanwhile, a new Gallup analysis shows that Americans’ dissatisfaction with almost every part of the health system has grown.
Snap Closure Of Largest Nursing Home In St. Louis Forces Out Residents
December 19, 2023
Morning Briefing
Northview Village Nursing Home, the largest skilled nursing home in the city, closed abruptly after workers were told they may not be paid and walked out of the facility. About 170 residents were forced to find other care. Also in the news: California’s sober living homes; AI in hospice care decisions; and more.
‘High’ Covid Levels In US Fueled In Part By Omicron Subvariant JN.1
December 19, 2023
Morning Briefing
CDC data on infections and wastewater analysis indicate that much of the nation is already at “high” or “very high” covid levels just before the height of the holiday season. The fastest growing variant is JN.1, which could be responsible for half of cases by the end of the month.
Vice President To Go On National Tour In 2024 To Support Abortion Rights
December 19, 2023
Morning Briefing
Vice President Kamala Harris’ “Fight for Reproductive Freedoms” tour will begin in Wisconsin on the 51st anniversary date of the original Roe v. Wade legal decision. Meanwhile, in Kentucky a woman who was suing for her abortion rights withdrew the case after learning her embryo no longer had cardiac activity.
Apple Stops Selling Some Smartwatches In Health Sensor Patent Fight
December 19, 2023
Morning Briefing
News outlets cover the surprising news that Apple’s latest smartwatches, launched only in September, will be withdrawn from sale temporarily. The tech giant is embroiled in a legal battle with a smaller company that patented pulse oximeter tech it says Apple is using in the watches.
Study: It’s Official — More US Kids Are Obese
December 19, 2023
Morning Briefing
A new study defeats some earlier hopes that kids in government food programs were bucking a trend in obesity rates. The data says no: severe obesity is actually becoming more common in U.S. children. Meanwhile, other research underlines the brain’s role in obesity.