People Who Lost Sight In Single Eye Have Vision Restored In Stem Cell Trial
August 21, 2023
Morning Briefing
News outlets report on a breakthrough experiment in cultivated autologous limbal epithelial cell transplantation, which used stem cells from one eye to restore vision to the patient’s other eye which was damaged by chemical burns. Meanwhile, a sickle cell gene-editing treatment shows promise.
First Edition: Aug. 21, 2023
August 21, 2023
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Tribal Health Workers Aren’t Paid Like Their Peers. See Why Nevada Changed That.
By Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez
August 21, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Community health workers, who often help patients get to their appointments and pick up prescriptions for them, have increasingly been recognized as an integral part of treating chronic illnesses. But state-run Medicaid programs don’t always reimburse them equally, usually excluding those who work on tribal lands.
The CDC Works to Overhaul Lab Operations After Covid Test Flop
By Sam Whitehead
August 21, 2023
KFF Health News Original
In early 2020, U.S. public health labs received covid-19 tests from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that were flawed, as a result of poor design and contamination. Now the CDC is overhauling its lab operations, but efforts to be better prepared for future threats won’t be easy, observers say.
Estrategias comerciales de las grandes farmacéuticas dejan a estadounidenses sin poder comprar sus medicamentos
By Elisabeth Rosenthal
August 18, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Sin barreras, los precios de algunos medicamentos existentes se han disparado, incluso cuando han caído drásticamente en otros países. Los nuevos medicamentos tienen precios enormes, respaldados por el lobby y el marketing.
Longer Looks: Interesting Reads You Might Have Missed
August 18, 2023
Morning Briefing
Each week, KFF Health News finds longer stories for you to enjoy. This week’s selections include stories on past pandemics, neurological research, sunscreen, and more. Plus, The Washington Post discusses the Smithsonian’s collection of human remains.
Spanish Speakers Face Delays, Dropped Calls At Florida’s Medicaid Call Center
August 18, 2023
Morning Briefing
NBC News reports that an average Spanish-speaking caller had to wait nearly four times longer than an English-language caller to speak to a representative. The inefficiencies are keeping many people out of Medicaid, a report says. AP says nearly one in three states have been warned by federal Medicaid officials that their call center wait times are too long.
Colorado Medical Board Skirts An Outright Ban On Abortion ‘Reversal’
August 18, 2023
Morning Briefing
The medical board decided Thursday to state that Colorado doctors who prescribe the so-called abortion-reversal pill are operating outside of “generally accepted” practice, a move short of the ban Democrats sought, the Colorado Sun says. Other news concerns the military’s abortion policy, abortion pills, and more.
Blue Shield Says It Will Broaden Prescription Vendors, Rely Less On CVS
August 18, 2023
Morning Briefing
The insurance giant says the mix of vendors will include Amazon and Mark Cuban’s pharmacy company. CVS will still fill and manage prescriptions for Blue Shield members who need “specialty” drugs, the insurer said.
Weight-Loss Drugs In The US Cost Many Times The Price Paid Elsewhere
August 18, 2023
Morning Briefing
The Hill covers a KFF analysis that found the price hikes for drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy in the U.S. are sizable compared to other wealthy nations — the list price is 10 times less in some places. Among other news items: a look at Big Pharma’s high-price playbook, and news on HIV and its treatment.
Oregon Passes Law Mandating Hospital Nurse-To-Patient Ratios
August 18, 2023
Morning Briefing
Modern Healthcare says that Oregon is the fourth state to enact such a law, but some medical systems are opposed to the measure, saying it doesn’t address fundamental issues leading to short staffing. Also in the news: medical marijuana in Alabama; mental health in California; and more.
Alcohol, Pot, Hallucinogen Use Among Middle-Aged Adults At All-Time High
August 18, 2023
Morning Briefing
The study noted that binge drinking had spiked to the “highest prevalence … ever recorded” for those ages 35-50. Separately, a survey found that the share of Americans older than 65 who have used marijuana leaped from 11% in 2009 to 32% in 2019.
Analysis Throws Cold Water On Health Claims Of Blue Light-Blocking Glasses
August 18, 2023
Morning Briefing
A meta-analysis of 17 different studies found that despite claims that blue light-blocking glasses can protect wearer’s eyes, boost alertness, or improve sleep, they probably don’t do much at all, NBC News reports. Separately, the source of a norovirus outbreak that sickened hundreds has been identified.
Upcoming Covid Vaccine Rollout Already Has A Hiccup
August 18, 2023
Morning Briefing
The CDC has confirmed that people without health insurance won’t immediately be able to get free covid shots at pharmacies like CVS or Walgreens when the next-generation vaccines are unveiled in a few weeks. Meanwhile, both Moderna and Pfizer reported that their new shots are effective against the “Eris” subvariant currently circulating in the U.S.
First Edition: Aug. 18, 2023
August 18, 2023
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
A New Medicare Proposal Would Cover Training for Family Caregivers
By Judith Graham
August 18, 2023
KFF Health News Original
The federal government is proposing having Medicare pay professionals to train family caregivers how to perform tasks like bathing and dressing their loved ones, and properly use medical equipment.
A Peek at Big Pharma’s Playbook That Leaves Many Americans Unable to Afford Their Drugs
By Elisabeth Rosenthal
August 18, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Brand-name drug prices in the U.S. — more than three times the price in other developed countries — are related neither to the amount of research and development required to bring them to market nor their therapeutic value, recent research shows. Have drugmakers overplayed their hand?
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Abortion Pill’s Legal Limbo Continues
August 17, 2023
Podcast
A federal appeals court issued a split decision on whether the abortion pill mifepristone should remain on the market — rejecting a lower court’s decision to effectively cancel the drug’s FDA approval in 2000, while ordering the rollback of more recent rules that made the drug easier to obtain. Nothing changes immediately, however, as the Supreme Court blocked the lower court’s ruling in the spring. It will be up to the high court to determine whether the pill remains available in the U.S. and under which conditions. Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Shefali Luthra of The 19th join KFF Health News’ chief Washington correspondent, Julie Rovner, to discuss these issues and more. Plus, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week they think you should read, too.