First Edition: Oct. 12, 2023 – KFF Health News

KFF Health News:
PrEP, A Key HIV Prevention Tool, Isn’t Reaching Black Women 

Alexis Perkins thought her OB-GYN’s office in Atlanta would be just the place to get a prescription for the type of drug that reduces a person’s risk of contracting HIV. But during a recent visit, the medical assistant who greeted her had not heard of the medicines known as preexposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, and she seemed uncomfortable discussing it, Perkins said. Her provider had heard of it but didn’t feel confident prescribing it. (Whitehead, 10/12)

KFF Health News:
House Panel To Hold Hearing On Erroneous Social Security Payments 

A House of Representatives panel has scheduled a hearing for next week on how the Social Security Administration has been clawing back payments it mistakenly made to beneficiaries. The announcement signals that members of Congress are focusing on the trauma many poor, retired, and disabled people have experienced from the government trying to reclaim safety-net payments — some in the tens of thousands of dollars — it says they shouldn’t have received. (Hilzenrath and Fleischer, 10/11)

KFF Health News:
California Bans Controversial ‘Excited Delirium’ Diagnosis

California is the first state to ban doctors and medical examiners from attributing deaths to the controversial diagnosis known as “excited delirium,” which a human rights activist hailed as a “watershed moment” that could make it harder for police to justify excessive force. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill Oct. 8 to prohibit coroners, medical examiners, physicians, or physician assistants from listing excited delirium on a person’s death certificate or in an autopsy report. Law enforcement won’t be allowed to use the term to describe a person’s behavior in any incident report, and testimony that refers to excited delirium won’t be allowed in civil court. The law takes effect in January. (Young, 10/12)

KFF Health News:
‘I’m So Burned Out’: Fighting To See A Specialist Amplified Pain For Riverside County Woman

Teresa Johnson can’t escape the pain. It’s as if she’s getting pierced by needles all over her body, all at once. At night, she sometimes jolts out of sleep thinking bedbugs are attacking her. But it’s just the unfailing pain — day in and day out. Johnson, 58, said her ordeal started in September 2022, when she went for a CT scan of her abdomen after a bout of covid-19. Though Johnson warned the lab she was allergic to iodine, she believes the lab tech used it in an injection, triggering an allergic reaction. She spent the next three weeks in the hospital, feeling as if her body was on fire. (Castle Work, 10/12)

Los Angeles Times:
It’s Time To Get Your COVID Shot, CDC Director Says. Like, Now

A month after officially recommending that everyone 6 months and older get an updated COVID-19 vaccination, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Mandy Cohen rolled up her sleeve Wednesday in Los Angeles for the latest shot. … “October is the right time to get vaccinated,” Cohen said. “As we get into late fall and winter … what we expect is to see more COVID circulation in November, December and January.” (Garcia, 10/11)

NBC News:
‘Waiting With Bated Breath’: Health Clinics Anxious For Covid Vaccines Weeks After Rollout

Weeks after the approval of updated Covid vaccines, community health centers across the country say they are still waiting on their doses to arrive. The delays are preventing many vulnerable adults and children from getting vaccinated ahead of a potential winter wave. Cahaba Medical Care, which has 26 community health clinics throughout Alabama, hasn’t received a single shipment of the new Covid vaccines since the rollout began in September, said Veronica Ford, a nursing manager at the center. (Lovelace Jr. and Bellamy, 10/12)

Los Angeles Times:
COVID-19 Vaccines Easier To Get In L.A. County

While COVID-19 vaccines have been in short supply in parts of Los Angeles County, that dearth is easing in some places, officials say. The L.A. County Department of Public Health says the updated COVID-19 vaccine is now available at all eight of its public health centers — in downtown L.A., Hollywood, Willowbrook, Monrovia, Pacoima, Pomona, Whittier and Lancaster. … For those who are eager to get the updated vaccine as soon as possible, “I hope people can take advantage of the places where there is ample vaccine available,” L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said. (Lin II, 10/11)

Military.com:
Troops Suing Defense Department Over Vaccine Mandate Reach $1.8 Million Settlement 

The Defense Department has been ordered to pay $1.8 million in legal fees as settlement for two lawsuits that challenged its requirement that all U.S. troops be vaccinated against COVID-19. A Florida U.S. District Court judge awarded the money last week to the firm representing the plaintiffs, Liberty Counsel. The cases, one involving several Navy SEALs, were filed by a total of 48 service members — the majority of whom were officers — representing all branches of the armed forces and components. (Kime, 10/10)

FiercePharma:
Novavax Taps Breakout Star Of TV Show For COVID Vaccine Campaign

Novavax is throwing marketing muscle behind its bid to capture a piece of the fall COVID-19 booster vaccine market. … Novavax has enlisted Nicole Ari Parker, a Black actor who The Washington Post called the breakout star of the “Sex and the City” sequel “And Just Like That …,” to front the campaign. (Taylor, 10/10)

The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer:
They’re Back: Cleveland Clinic To Return To Masking At Ohio Hospitals 

Patients at Cleveland Clinic hospitals may soon be seeing a little bit less of their doctors – their faces, that is. The hospital system has requested that caregivers and visitors on inpatient floors of its Ohio hospitals return to masking, beginning next week. (Kroen, 10/11)

Axios:
AI Tool Forecasts New COVID Variants

Harvard and University of Oxford researchers are harnessing AI to predict threatening new strains of COVID-19 and other viruses. The approach could prove more efficient than lab-based testing, because it doesn’t rely on people becoming infected or getting vaccinated to develop antibodies. (Bettelheim, 10/12)

CBS News:
Newly Approved RSV Vaccine In High Demand, Causes Supply Shortage Problems

A big complication right now is the cost – at nearly $500 a dose. While the shot is expected to be covered by most insurance plans, providers need to order the shot before knowing how much they’ll be reimbursed. That’s created a lot of frustration. “We’re angry. As pediatricians, we’re angry because it feels like we have an opportunity that may be missed,” Dr. Fitzpatrick said. This summer, the American Academy of Pediatrics urged federal leaders to provide support so the shots can be administered widely and equitably. (Stahl, 10/11)

CBS News:
RSV Antibody Shot For Babies Hits Obstacles In Rollout: “As Pediatricians, We’re Angry”

Dr. Lauren Fitzpatrick … says pediatricians were optimistic the drug could help reduce cases after a record year in 2022. “We thought that this was groundbreaking, that this could be our game-changer, that we could potentially really reduce the risk of patients being admitted for RSV,” she told CBS News. “I think there was our hopes, and then there was our reality,” “There was not an infrastructure in place to roll out this vaccine, or monoclonal antibodies, so even though we have families that are requesting it, we can’t meet their demands.” (Brand and Moniuszko, 10/11)

FiercePharma:
Widespread Use Of Pfizer’s Maternal RSV Shot Would Reduce Costs And Prevent Infant Hospitalizations: Study 

After a recent FDA approval and CDC recommendation, Pfizer’s Abyrsvo is the first maternal vaccine to protect babies from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Now, new research from the company suggests that widespread uptake of the shot could significantly reduce infant hospitalizations and save hundreds of millions of dollars in annual costs. Widespread uptake of the vaccine could slash annual hospitalizations in half, reduce emergency department visits by 31.8% and cut outpatient clinic visits by 32.2% among the 3.7 million U.S. babies that are less than one year old, according to projections shared by the drugmaker ahead of the annual IDWeek meeting. (Becker, 10/11)

Salt Lake Tribune:
Utah Published New Abortion Statistics. Here’s What They Tell Us.

In 2021, there were 3,129 abortions in Utah, 2,978 of which were provided to Utah residents. When asked the reason for terminating their pregnancy, with nine reasons to choose from, approximately half of people seeking an abortion told their doctor it was for socioeconomic reasons — they couldn’t afford to go through with giving birth and caring for a child. (Stern, 10/11)

AP:
Ohio Votes On Abortion Rights This Fall. Misinformation About The Proposal Is Spreading 

A ballot measure in Ohio that would guarantee access to abortion rights is fueling misleading claims about how the proposal could influence abortion care, gender-related health care and parental consent in the state. (Swenson and Fernando, 10/11)

New Jersey Monitor:
NJ Democrats Highlight Abortion On Campaign Trail As They Fight For Their Legislative Majorities 

With anti-abortion ballot measures failing in even the most conservative of states, New Jersey Democrats hope the issue will motivate voters here in November. (Nieto-Munoz, 10/9)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
GOP Transgender Youth Bills Are Scheduled For A Vote

The state Assembly is set to vote Thursday on bills that would ban gender-transition treatment for minors and prohibit transgender women and girls from competing on women’s sports teams, following party-line committee votes this week. … Republicans argued the bills would ensure competitiveness in women’s sports and prevent transgender individuals from regretting medical procedures. … Advocates representing the LGBTQ community testified that the proposals would harm transgender and nonbinary youth in Wisconsin and worsen the mental health challenges and stigma they face. (Opoien, 10/11)

The Hill:
North Carolina Family, Doctor Sue To Block State’s Gender-Affirming Health Care Ban

Two national LGBTQ rights groups, a North Carolina doctor and a family with a transgender child are challenging a new North Carolina law preventing transgender minors from receiving gender-affirming health care. The coalition argues in a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday that the law discriminates on the basis of gender identity and infringes on the right of parents to make medical decisions on behalf of their children. (Migdon, 10/11)

The Washington Post:
The First National Coming Out Day 35 Years Ago Took On Reagan And AIDS Stigma 

Today, National Coming Out Day is often seen as a mainstream, social-media-focused event, but its origins 35 years ago lie in a desperate push for more visibility as tens of thousands of people were dying in part because of government inaction. (Neus, 10/11)

Fox News:
Here Are The Best And Worst US States For Mental Health, As Revealed In A New Report

Where you live could have a lot to do with how you feel. A recent study from Soliant Health, a health care staffing and research company based in Atlanta, Georgia, has revealed this year’s best and worst U.S. states to live in for mental health. Drawing from national registries and agency data, the report weighed numerous factors that impact people’s mental health status across all 50 states. (Stabile, 10/11)

Stateline:
Insurers Often Shortchange Mental Health Care Coverage, Despite A Federal Law

The federal Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, enacted in 2008, doesn’t require insurance plans to offer mental health coverage — but if they do, the benefits must be equal with coverage for other health conditions. … But despite the federal law, many insurers continue to charge higher copayments for mental health care, limit the frequency of mental health treatment, or impose more restrictive prior authorization policies, according to The Kennedy Forum, a nonprofit that advocates for equal mental health coverage. (Hassanein, 10/11)

The New York Times:
FDA Issues Warning Over Misuse Of Ketamine Therapy 

The Food and Drug Administration issued an alert on Tuesday about the dangers of treating psychiatric disorders with compounded versions of ketamine, a powerful anesthetic that has become increasingly popular among those seeking alternative therapies for depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and other difficult-to-treat mental health problems. Compounded drugs are those that have been modified or tailored in a lab for the specific needs of an individual patient. (Jacobs, 10/11)

AP:
The Social Security Cost-Of-Living Adjustment Is Coming — But It Won’t Be As Big As This Year’s 

Looking ahead to retirement next spring, Karla Abbott finds comfort in the cost-of-living increase that millions of Social Security recipients get each year. But with consumer prices easing, the new boost will be far lower than this year’s 8.7%. Analysts estimate the adjustment for 2024 will be around 3.2%. (Hussein, 10/11)

Modern Healthcare:
Envision Healthcare Bankruptcy Reorganization Gets Court OK

Envision Healthcare plans to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy this month, the physician staffing company announced Wednesday. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas approved a reorganization plan for Envision Healthcare that will eliminate 70% of its funded debt. The for-profit company expects to finalize the transaction within weeks, according to a news release. (Hudson, 10/11)

Modern Healthcare:
Presbyterian Healthcare, UnityPoint Health Call Off Merger Plans

Presbyterian Healthcare Services and UnityPoint Health have ended their merger plans, the nonprofit health systems said Wednesday. Albuquerque, New Mexico-based Presbyterian and Des Moines, Iowa-based UnityPoint  had planned to form a roughly $11 billion system with 48 hospitals in Illinois, Iowa, New Mexico and Wisconsin. The organizations announced the signing of a letter of intent to merge on March 2 and a definitive agreement on March 30. (Kacik, 10/11)

Modern Healthcare:
Blue Cross Of Michigan, Vermont Complete Merger

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan has finalized its deal to acquire Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont, the companies announced Wednesday. The insurers will maintain separate headquarters, boards of directors and workforces and will continue to be led by the same executives under the non-cash deal. The combined entity will have 5.4 million members. (Berryman, 10/11)

WUSF:
BayCare Announces Plans To Replace St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital In Tampa 

BayCare has announced plans to build a new children’s hospital in Tampa by 2030. The nonprofit hospital system will replace St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital with a state-of-the-art facility on the same campus. The children’s hospital has seen its patient numbers grow over the past few years creating a “pivotal point for pediatrics,” according to Sarah Naumowich, president of St. Joseph’s Children’s and St. Joseph’s Women’s hospitals. (Bowman, 10/11)

Modern Healthcare:
Humana CEO Bruce Broussard To Step Down In 2024

Humana President and CEO Bruce Broussard will end his tenure at the health insurance company after 13 years, Humana announced Wednesday. Broussard will hand over the reins to Envision Healthcare President and CEO Jim Rechtin next year. Rechtin will assume the roles of president and chief operating officer on Jan. 8, then take over as CEO during the second half of 2024, according to a news release. After stepping down as chief executive, Broussard will be a strategic advisor to the company into 2025, the company said. Humana did not respond to an interview request. (Berryman, 10/11)

Stat:
Wellcome Trust Names Rottingen As Its New CEO

The Wellcome Trust — the world’s second largest private funder of biomedical research — announced on Wednesday that Norwegian scientist and public health official John-Arne Røttingen has been appointed its new CEO. (Joseph, 10/11)

Becker’s Hospital Review:
How Instacart Is Delivering The Next Healthcare Disruption

Grocery delivery company Instacart is expanding its number of partnerships with hospitals and health systems to incorporate medical expertise and benefits into their services, aiming to enhance patient access to nutritious food and promote a healthy lifestyle. Instacart launched its Instacart Health initiative in September 2022 and has since partnered with Boston Children’s Hospital; Orange, Calif.-based Alignment Healthcare; Mount Sinai Solutions; and Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente.  (Talaga, 10/11)

Reuters:
Pfizer To Pay $50 Mln To Settle Drug Wholesalers’ EpiPen Antitrust Claims

Pfizer has agreed to pay $50 million to settle claims by drug wholesalers that they overpaid for EpiPen allergy treatment devices as a result of anticompetitive tactics by the drugmaker. (Pierson, 10/11)

Reuters:
FDA Finds No Misconduct At Trial Sites For Pfizer’s Lyme Disease Shot, Care Access Says

The U.S. health regulator did not find any misconduct at clinical sites managed by Care Access for Pfizer and French partner Valneva’s trial of a Lyme disease vaccine candidate, the contract research firm said on Wednesday. Pfizer and Valneva said in February they will stop testing the vaccine in roughly half of U.S. patients in a late-stage study, due to a breach of clinical trial guidelines by a third-party contractor. (10/11)

Reuters:
GSK Settles Another California Lawsuit On Heartburn Drug Zantac

GSK on Wednesday said it agreed to settle another lawsuit in California alleging its discontinued heartburn drug Zantac caused cancer, as the British drugmaker sought to end costly litigation that has weighed on shares. The company, which has so far only settled cases in California, did not give the financial details of the settlement but said it was a “non-material” sum. (Mathews and Fick, 10/11)

Reuters:
Blood Tests Needed For Widespread Alzheimer’s Diagnosis On The Way

Blood tests for Alzheimer’s are needed to more widely diagnose the brain-wasting disease and understand its prevalence, but it will be another couple of years before they become an everyday tool, medical experts and company executives say. Blood testing is initially likely to be used to rule out Alzheimer’s, with positive results signaling the need for more advanced diagnostics. (Beasley, 10/11)

USA Today:
Animal Research Offers New Hope For People In Need Of Organ Transplant

A Massachusetts-based company announced Wednesday that it has kept a monkey alive for two years with a pig kidney, the longest an animal has survived with an organ from a different animal. The work marks another substantial step toward solving the human organ shortage by using animals as donors. … More than 100,000 Americans are waiting for a new organ, the vast majority for a kidney. … The findings could open the door to many more patients receiving a viable transplant. (Weintraub, 10/11)

USA Today:
‘Fentanyl Fighter’: Opvee Opioid Overdose Reversal Drug Lasts Longer

More than four months after the Food and Drug Administration approved the overdose reversal medication Opvee, the manufacturer, Indivior, has started shipping the life-saving drug to first responders and pharmacies. Opvee, a nasal spray version of the drug nalmefene, works by blocking opioid receptors in the brain to quickly reverse the effects of an overdose. The rescue medication is approved for people 12 and older and requires a prescription. (Alltucker, 10/12)

CBS News:
LA County Libraries To Offer Free Naloxone Clinics

Five Los Angeles County public libraries will host free naloxone clinics starting Wednesday at select locations made possible with a partnership with the County Department of Public Health and California Department of Health Care Services. The free clinics run through Nov. 9. The free doses of naloxone are available and do not require proof of identification, insurance or payment. Those receiving the doses need to complete watching a brief video training of how to administer the medication, and the video will be available on site. The doses are limited to one per customer while supplies last. (10/11)

News Service of Florida:
DeSantis Administration Fights Allegations Over Medicaid Redeterminations 

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration is trying to fend off a potential class-action lawsuit that alleges the state has not provided adequate information to Medicaid beneficiaries before dropping them from the health-care program. Attorneys for the state Agency for Health Care Administration and the Department of Children and Families on Friday filed court documents arguing that a federal judge should reject requests to issue a preliminary injunction and to make the lawsuit a class action. (Saunders, 10/10)

CBS News:
Metro Detroit Medical Spa Offers Free Health Services To Uninsured

A local medical spa is making healthcare more accessible for the uninsured. Now through the end of the year, the House of Contour in Southfield is offering free services, including lab work, vital sign monitoring, and vaginal PH checks. Volunteering with the City of Detroit over the summer sparked the idea for owner and registered nurse Stormie Anderson. “Everyone who would come to our booth to get their blood pressure checked, everybody’s blood pressure was high,” Anderson said. (Winfrey, 10/11)

Stat:
Kidney Disease Boosts Cardiac Arrest Risk For Hispanics, Latinos 

Chronic kidney disease was the strongest risk factor for sudden cardiac arrest among Hispanic and Latino adults in the first study to evaluate this population in the U.S. for risk factors of this major cause of death. (Nayak, 10/11)

The Hill:
Breast Cancer Rates Are Rising. But More Women Are Surviving, Too 

While rates continue to creep up year-on-year, particularly among younger women, evolutions in diagnostics and treatment mean breast cancer patients face far better prospects than ever before.  Rapid drug development, personalized screening recommendations, targeted therapies and new treatments like immunotherapies have all helped women diagnosed with early stage and even metastatic breast cancer. (Weixel and Manchester, 10/11)

The New York Times:
New A.I. Tool Diagnoses Brain Tumors On The Operating Table

Once their scalpels reach the edge of a brain tumor, surgeons are faced with an agonizing decision: cut away some healthy brain tissue to ensure the entire tumor is removed, or give the healthy tissue a wide berth and risk leaving some of the menacing cells behind. Now scientists in the Netherlands report using artificial intelligence to arm surgeons with knowledge about the tumor that may help them make that choice. (Mueller, 10/11)

Axios:
More Than 1.3M Assault Injuries Treated In Emergency Rooms In 2020

Assaults accounted for more than 1.3 million — or roughly 6% — of all injuries treated in emergency departments in 2020, according to new figures from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. The data, which doesn’t include sexual assaults, provides a snapshot of the burden violence-related injuries places on the health system. (Reed, 10/12)

The Washington Post:
How Much Sunshine Are You Getting? Now Your Watch Can Keep Track.

Your smartwatch tracks your steps and sleep. Now, the makers of the Apple Watch want to track your sunshine. Apple’s Time in Daylight feature uses the watch’s ambient light sensor, as well as its GPS and motion sensors, to detect whether a person is outside. Clouds, shade and even a long-sleeve shirt can affect results. The feature is available on Apple Watch Series 6 or later models. (Amenabar, 10/11)

The Washington Examiner:
Israel War: Israeli Health Minister Instructs Public Hospitals Not To Treat Hamas Members 

Israel’s health minister instructed the country’s public hospitals not to treat wounded members of Hamas. Israeli Health Minister Moshe Arbel urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to instruct all public hospitals to abide by the directive “immediately,” according to the Jewish News Syndicate. The reasoning behind the order was that hospitals should focus on treating Israeli civilians and Israeli Defense Forces soldiers. (Knox, 10/11)