Latest Morning Briefing Stories
Opinion writers weigh in on these health care cost issues and other health topics, as well.
Media outlets report on news from Mississippi, Florida, California, Missouri, North Carolina, Utah, New Hampshire, Indiana, Wisconsin and Georgia.
“If you had kids suddenly dying at these rates from a new disease or infection, there would be a huge outcry. But most people don’t even know this is happening,” said Lisa M. Horowitz, a pediatric psychologist at NIH.
Stat News talked to eight experts about which interventions would be most helpful for the brain-wasting disease that has no cure. While, the U.S. has tripled spending on the disease since 2015, there’s been little effort to manage spending or research priorities. Other public health news looks at the call for flu shots, banished unvaccinated students, autism, concussions, safe playgrounds, seniors’ falls, baby food, “brain tingles,” and arthritis, as well.
The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission, which was set up to investigate the high school shooting in Parkland, also found that Florida ranks near the bottom among states in per capita spending on mental health at about $36 annually per resident.
CMS warned state Medicaid programs in 2015 that they may be violating federal law by restricting access to hepatitis C medicines, but restrictions are still in place for many states. Other Medicaid news comes out of California, Tennessee and Michigan.
Some Health Experts Urge Congress To Take Action On E-Cigarettes, But Others Warn It Could Backfire
The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s health subcommittee heard from public health experts about legislation that would try to address the vaping crisis in teens. While multiple experts spoke in favor of such efforts, others warned that it could be devastating to adults trying to quit traditional cigarettes. In other news on the issue: the death toll climbs in the lung-illness outbreak, researchers continue to search for causes, and more.
Some progressives have been unsatisfied with the House Democrats’ long-awaited proposal to address high drug costs. Despite the changes to the plan in an effort to entice the reluctant lawmakers, some Democratic representatives are still expressing doubts that it does not go far enough.
According to former VA Secretary David Shulkin’s new book, obtained by The Associated Press, President Donald Trump suggested using an executive order to “begin to close the VAs.” Shulkin responded that it was a legislative issue, and according to the book Trump then asked if they could declare a national emergency.
AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson Corporation, along with Johnson & Johnson and Teva, are in talks to settle before the massive nationwide opioid case goes to court on Monday. Cities and counties want more information about how the money will be distributed and whether it will be directed to relief measures or end up in general funds for state legislatures.
Rep. Elijah Cummings Dies At 68 Due To Complications From Longstanding Health Challenges
Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), who has been in politics for decades, used his seat to highlight the struggles and needs of the inner-city residents he represented.
Editorial writers focus on policies impacting rising health care costs.
Media outlets report on news from Florida, Missouri, Virginia, Maryland, Georgia, California, Pennsylvania, and Washington.
Federal Judge Vacates Obama-Era Rule Banning Discrimination Against Transgender Patients
Judge Reed O’Connor for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas is the same federal judge who last year ruled that the entire 2010 health care law was invalid. The decision is likely to be appealed, as O’Connor also ruled that the American Civil Liberties Union and River City Gender Alliance could intervene in the case.
Gregory Rodriguez is one of the lucky ones, he tells The New York Times. Twenty-nine people, mostly young males, have died from vaping. Other news reports on declining national sales, as well as efforts underway in Michigan, Oregon, Ohio and Missouri to regulate or ban sales.
Amid All The Buzzy Health Trends, What’s A Scam And What’s Worth Paying Attention To?
The New York Times looks at trends like CBD oil and turmeric to break down the claims, the benefits, and the harm of trying them out (which sometimes is none!). In other public health news: magic mushrooms, DNA, aging, exercise and cancer, and more.
Indian Health Service hospitals have severely struggled with providing their Native American patients any kind of quality care. Now, those patients want to run their own system. But the task will likely prove daunting.
The debate took place in Ohio, a state that’s been hit hard by the opioid epidemic. The candidates were asked about their stance on the issue ahead of a nationwide trial that is set to kick off in the state next week.
A Kansas Judge With No Law Degree Holds The Futures Of City Residents With Medical Debt In His Hands
In the midst of a soaring crisis over health care costs, the debt collection court in Coffeyville, Kansas is emblematic of a larger problem that’s been getting national attention. Providers, like hospitals, are suing some of the sickest clients, who are losing everything they own because they needed care. In other industry and insurance news: stocks, Amazon employees’ coverage, antitrust suits, and more.
McKesson, AmerisourceBergen, and Cardinal Health would collectively pay $18 billion over 18 years. Johnson & Johnson is also involved in the deal negotiations and could contribute additional money. The distributors are among the companies slated to go to trial Monday in federal court in Cleveland in the cases of two Ohio counties that have been chosen to serve as a bellwether for the broader litigation.
