CDC: Drug Overdose Deaths Drop By Record Amount Over Past Year
October 17, 2024
Morning Briefing
Provisional data from the CDC indicates a 15% drop from the prior 12-month period. Separately, accidental overdoses of fentanyl in San Francisco dropped to a four-year low in September.
Kansas, Idaho, And Missouri Taking Steps To Limit Mifepristone Access
October 17, 2024
Morning Briefing
In the legal filing, made in Texas, the states lay out their case for bringing back restrictions on the medication used in abortions, arguing that easing those restrictions “undermine state abortion laws and frustrate state law enforcement.”
Not Satisfied With ‘Concepts,’ Doctors Want Full Health Plan From Trump
October 17, 2024
Morning Briefing
Over 1,500 physicians from the Committee to Protect Health Care PAC, which has endorsed Democrat Kamala Harris for president, are calling on Republican Donald Trump to release a concrete health care policy plan before the election. Separately, some Republican operatives aren’t happy with doctors who are urging their patients to vote.
‘Big 3’ Medicare Advantage Insurer Algorithms Deny 1 in 4 Post-Acute Care Requests: Probe
October 17, 2024
Morning Briefing
A Senate investigation found the three largest Medicare Advantage insurers have been increasingly denying seniors claims since adopting AI and algorithms to help streamline the approval process, reaching a nearly 1 in 4 denial rate since 2022.
First Edition: Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024
October 17, 2024
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Patients Are Relying on Lyft, Uber To Travel Far Distances to Medical Care
By Michael Scaturro
October 17, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Uber and Lyft have become a critical part of the nation’s infrastructure for transporting ailing people from their homes — even in rural areas — to medical care sites in major cities such as Atlanta.
Víctimas del tiroteo del desfile del Super Bowl reconstruyen sus vidas, pero la violencia con armas de fuego sigue atormentándolas
By Peggy Lowe, KCUR Bram Sable-Smith
October 17, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Esa incesante oleada de violencia con armas de fuego —desde incidentes puntuales hasta tiroteos masivos— ha terminado aniquilando la sensación de seguridad de quienes sobreviven.
Super Bowl Rally Shooting Victims Pick Up Pieces, but Gun Violence Haunts Their Lives
By Peggy Lowe, KCUR Bram Sable-Smith
Updated November 14, 2024
Originally Published October 17, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Eight months after the Feb. 14 shooting, people wounded at the Kansas City Chiefs parade are wary of more gun violence. In this installment of “The Injured,” survivors of the shooting say they feel gun violence is inescapable and are desperately seeking a sense of safety.
Public Health Departments Face a Post-Covid Funding Crash
By Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez
October 16, 2024
KFF Health News Original
During the coronavirus pandemic, states received a rush of funding from the federal government to bolster their fight against the disease. In many cases, that cash flowed into state and local health departments, fueling a staffing surge to handle, among other things, contact tracing and vaccination efforts. But public health leaders quickly identified a familiar […]
Teen Mental Health Lawsuits Against Meta Allowed To Proceed, Judge Rules
October 16, 2024
Morning Briefing
A federal judge ruled Tuesday that the social media company Meta must face lawsuits brought against it by U.S. states, claiming the company’s addictive algorithms contribute to mental health problems in teens. Meanwhile, California’s Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, mandates menstrual health education for middle and high school students.
Court Appears Open To Fired Trucker Who Sued Over THC-Tainted Product
October 16, 2024
Morning Briefing
The driver claims Medical Marijuana Inc. injured his “business or property” under federal racketeering laws when it shipped the product to him, after he was assured it had none of the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis. Justices will hear arguments about VA disability claims today.
Report: UnitedHealth’s Tactics To Make Medicare Advantage Patients ‘Look As Sick As Possible On Paper’
October 16, 2024
Morning Briefing
The latest story in Stat’s investigation of UnitedHealth’s influence looks at the company’s strategy to enlist its doctors to pile moneymaking diagnoses onto patients covered by Medicare Advantage, using incentive tools like $10,000 bonuses and a doctor leaderboard. Other Medicare news is on low-cost drugs, value-based care, and more.
Epic’s AI Early-Warning Health Tool Found Lacking: Yale Study
October 16, 2024
Morning Briefing
In a study published Tuesday, researchers found that AI algorithms used to predict the decline of patients are largely untested and don’t always perform as well as expected. Included in this study was Epic Systems’ algorithm, used widely during the covid pandemic, which did not fare well.
Walgreens Has A Prescription For Its Struggling Drug Store Chain
October 16, 2024
Morning Briefing
The retailer joins CVS and Rite-Aid in closing stores and making other changes as it shores up its business model after a shift in customer habits.
Experts May Have Found A ‘Smoking Gun’ Underlying Long Covid
October 16, 2024
Morning Briefing
The Boston Globe reports on findings from researchers at Mass General Brigham who examined “reservoirs” of the covid virus that hide inside people after their acute infections have ended. Also in the news: the KP.3.1.1 variant, more dengue cases in Los Angeles County, an enoki mushroom recall, and more.
GLP-1 Drugs Linked With Lower Risk Of Suicidal Thoughts Among Juveniles
October 16, 2024
Morning Briefing
Researchers found that 1.4% of adolescents on weight loss medications had a suicide attempt or ideation, compared with 2.3% of children who weren’t taking the medicines. Separately, anxiety is found to be more likely in firstborn and only children.
Morning Briefing for Wednesday, October 16, 2024
October 16, 2024
Morning Briefing
Medical debt, birth control, IV fluid shortage, abortion law, long covid, Medicare Advantage plans, pharmacies closing, and more
Biden Invokes Wartime Powers To Speed Rebuilding Of IV Fluid Factory
October 16, 2024
Morning Briefing
The North Carolina factory, run by medical supplier Baxter, was badly damaged during Helene. Nearly two-thirds of U.S. IV supplies had relied on the plant’s production. Separately, the Pentagon is changing the discharge records for 820 veterans who had been dismissed from the military for their sexual orientation.
More At Stake Than The White House: Abortion Battles Come To A Head In Fight For State Supreme Courts, Senate
October 16, 2024
Morning Briefing
Senators from Pennsylvania and Texas jabbed and dodged their way through debates Tuesday. Plus: Why a district race in Tennessee could play a pivotal role for Democrats in the November election.
