Viewpoints: Here’s How To Combat Vaccine Hesitancy; We Continue To See Negative Consequences Of Ending Roe
June 14, 2024
Morning Briefing
Editorial writers tackle vaccine hesitancy, reproductive rights, and rural health care.
Bird Flu Outbreak In Dairy Cows Might Be Tough To Curb, USDA Reports Hint
June 14, 2024
Morning Briefing
Agriculture Department documents note that even on farms that didn’t take in outside cattle, herds were contracting the virus and that it was likely a result of movement of workers and shared equipment. Meanwhile, a global health expert denounced the U.S. response to the outbreaks, saying it is “shocking to watch the ineptitude.”
Pentagon Ran Effort To Smear Chinese Covid Shots In Philippines: Reuters
June 14, 2024
Morning Briefing
A Reuters investigation revealed a previously unreported story about a secret U.S. military effort to attack perceived rising Chinese influence in the Philippines during the pandemic. The operation sowed doubt about safety and efficacy of Chinese-made covid shots and also attacked face mask quality and test kits.
Chronically Understaffed US Hospitals Saw More Covid Deaths, Data Indicate
June 14, 2024
Morning Briefing
Covid survival likelihood was found to be related to hospitals’ pre-pandemic investment in nursing services. Separately, a nurses union representing staff at LA’s Riverside Community Hospital was fined $6 million for a strike that happened at the start of the covid pandemic in 2020.
Employee Mistake Caused Ascension Cyberattack
June 14, 2024
Morning Briefing
The simple mistake — accidentally downloading a file with malicious code inside — likely enabled criminals to access hospital system files that contained personal information, Ascension says. In other news: Heat shutters a Chicago ER, hospital-at-home services expand, and more.
Telehealth Execs Charged In Alleged Scheme To Bilk Pharmacies, Insurers
June 14, 2024
Morning Briefing
Done Global’s founder and head doctor are accused of targeting patients seeking stimulants and “deceptive” advertising, the Justice Department alleges. As a result of the charges, patients in need of ADHD drugs and other stimulants might find those medications hard to come by.
FDA To Covid Vaccine Makers: Target KP.2 Strain In Next Fall’s Shot
June 14, 2024
Morning Briefing
The FDA is advising the makers of covid vaccines that they should update the next round of shots to target KP.2, a strain of JN.1 which was last winter’s dominant variant. Related news is on nasal covid vaccines and shot efficacy.
Morning Briefing for Friday, June 14, 2024
June 14, 2024
Morning Briefing
Abortion pill and IVF access, Medicare Advantage plan ratings, bird flu, covid vaccines, hospital staffing, and more. Plus, weekend reads.
Abortion Pill Ruling Raises Stakes For Election: Do We Want Access Or Not?
June 14, 2024
Morning Briefing
The next president would hold sway over federal agencies with the authority to restrict access to mifepristone. Both sides of the abortion issue are gearing up for future fights.
House Adds Measure To Defense Bill That Would Overturn Abortion Policy
June 14, 2024
Morning Briefing
House Republicans pushed through an addition to the National Defense Authorization Act that would reverse Pentagon policy ensuring abortion access to troops and their families. The move threatens bipartisan support for the overall legislation and risks passage.
Senate Republicans Block Bill To Protect IVF Access Nationwide
June 14, 2024
Morning Briefing
Senate Democrats’ proposed measure failed Thursday in a 48-47 vote. The bill would have provided federal protections for in vitro fertilization access and required insurance coverage for federal employees.
Feds Will Redo This Year’s Medicare Advantage Quality Ratings
June 14, 2024
Morning Briefing
The decision, announced late Thursday, comes in the wake of two court rulings that faulted the agency’s ratings, The Wall Street Journal reported. Also: Legionella bacteria are detected at CMS headquarters near Baltimore.
First Edition: June 14, 2024
June 14, 2024
Morning Briefing
Here are today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Indiana Weighs Hospital Monopoly as Officials Elsewhere Scrutinize Similar Deals
By Samantha Liss
June 14, 2024
KFF Health News Original
If Indiana officials approve a proposed hospital merger in western Indiana in the coming months, the state will have its first hospital monopoly created by a “Certificate of Public Advantage.” Other such deals have resulted in government reports documenting diminished care in Tennessee and North Carolina.
California Lawmakers Preserve Aid to Older, Disabled Immigrants
By Vanessa G. Sánchez
June 14, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Lawmakers passed a budget that rejected Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal to save nearly $95 million by eliminating in-home support services for qualifying older, blind, and disabled immigrants lacking legal residency. Advocates say Newsom’s plan would have cost more in the long run. Newsom has not indicated whether he’ll veto.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': SCOTUS Rejects Abortion Pill Challenge — For Now
June 13, 2024
Podcast
The Supreme Court has dismissed a challenge to the FDA’s approval of the abortion pill mifepristone, ruling unanimously that the anti-abortion doctor group that filed the suit lacked standing. But abortion opponents are expected to pursue other strategies to ban or restrict the medication. Meanwhile, the Biden administration moves to stop the inclusion of medical debt on individual credit reports, and former President Donald Trump tries to claim credit for $35 insulin. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Rachana Pradhan of KFF Health News, and Emmarie Huetteman of KFF Health News join KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF president and CEO Drew Altman about KFF’s new “Health Policy 101” primer.
Supreme Court Upholds Access To Abortion Pill
June 13, 2024
Morning Briefing
The Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Thursday that a group of anti-abortion doctors and activists lacked standing to challenge the FDA’s more than 20-year-old approval of mifepristone, a drug used in medication abortions.
Viewpoints: More Dairy Workers Must Use PPE Against H5N1 Threat; Congress Can Open IVF Accessibility
June 13, 2024
Morning Briefing
Editorial writers discuss H5N1, ‘Right To IVF’, Dr. Fauci, and more.
In Wake Of Change Healthcare Hack, Ransomware Incidents Escalated
June 13, 2024
Morning Briefing
Meanwhile, Ascension said it thinks a recent cyberattack might have compromised patient health information. That attack was enabled by an employee downloading a “malicious file,” the company said. UPMC, Washington Health, Sutter Health, and more are also in the news.
Michigan Insurer Will Curtail Coverage Of Weight Loss Drugs
June 13, 2024
Morning Briefing
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan will drop coverage of GLP-1 obesity drugs like Wegovy from many of its plans, affecting some 10,000 people. The reason: cost. In other news, a research project at the University of California, Berkeley, into the visual effects of psilocybin will include human subjects.