In This Edition:
From KFF Health News:
Summaries Of The News:
Administration News
5. To Weed Out Fraud, CMS Orders All States To Undergo Medicaid Audit
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has requested that each state verify the legitimacy of Medicaid providers. Administrator Mehmet Oz said the Trump administration is prepared to take a more aggressive approach to states that don't take the audit seriously.
AP: Dr. Oz Announces A Medicaid Audit In All 50 States The Trump administration will require all 50 states to explain their plans to revalidate some of their Medicaid providers in a national escalation of anti-fraud efforts that have so far largely focused on specific states, Dr. Mehmet Oz said Tuesday. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Administrator said during a Politico health care summit that his agency plans to ask states to “own” the problem of health care fraud this week with requests for states to share their strategies within 30 days. (Swenson, 4/21)
On the high cost of prescription drugs —
Stat: Insurers Refuse To Join Medicare Pilot Offering Weight Loss Drugs To Seniors At Steep Discount The Trump administration had planned for insurers to provide cheap weight loss drugs to seniors through a Medicare pilot program. Insurers said no, so the government will instead cover the drugs outside of the Medicare Part D drug benefit. (Wilkerson, 4/21)
Politico: Top Drug Lobbyist Calls Trump’s Efforts To Codify His Drug Pricing Deals 'The Wrong Policy Prescription' The top lobbyist for the pharmaceutical industry cautioned against President Donald Trump’s push to codify his most-favored-nation deals into law as the “wrong policy prescription,” but said he has “identified a real issue” in scrutiny of drug prices in the U.S. Even as he criticized codifying the high-profile agreements with 16 large drugmakers that Trump touts as a health care success, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America CEO Stephen Ubl praised the administration’s efforts to convince other nations to increase what they pay for medicines. (Lim, 4/21)
More news about the Trump administration —
The New York Times: U.S. Sends Plane To Cuba To Get Child In Transgender Custody Case The F.B.I. believed the child was kidnapped by a transgender parent to potentially undergo gender transition surgery, according to court filings. (Ferré-Sadurnà and Robles, 4/21)
CalMatters: California Blocks Trump From Withholding Homelessness Funds California for now has prevented the Trump administration from changing priorities in homelessness funding to favor temporary shelters rather than long-term housing. (Kendall, 4/21)
NPR: Trump Administration Delays Rule Aimed At Improving Disability Access In Schools Public colleges, K-12 schools, local governments and other public institutions will have an extra year to make their digital materials fully accessible for people with disabilities, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Many institutions had been racing, for at least two years, toward a deadline that was originally set for this Friday to comply with new federal accessibility guidelines updating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). It was a day disability rights advocates had been eagerly awaiting. (Mehta, 4/22)
Axios: Trump Ally Goes After Hospital Financing Washington's anti-hospital animus is gaining momentum with new calls to crack down on federal financing of hospitals coming from a think tank with close ties to the Trump administration. (Owens, 4/22)
MedPage Today: Navy Recruits Doctors By Appealing To Administrative Frustrations The Navy is appealing to doctors who are frustrated with the administrative side of practicing medicine, running a month-long marketing campaign to recruit top talent. The campaign ads target young doctors ages 26 to 32, as well as nurses and dentists, across four major cities: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and San Diego. (Fiore, 4/21)
The New York Times: A Year After U.S.A.I.D.’s Death, Fired Workers Find Few Jobs And Much Loss People have plowed through savings, cashed out retirement funds and moved in with relatives. Former U.S.A.I.D. workers estimate that less than half have found full-time work. (Bumiller and Sullivan, 4/21)
How the Iran war is affecting medical supplies —
Reuters: World's Top Condom Maker Karex To Raise Prices Sharply As Iran War Strains Supply Chain The world’s top condom producer, Malaysia’s Karex Bhd, plans to raise prices by 20% to 30% and possibly further if supply chain disruptions drag on due to the Iran war, its chief executive has said. Karex is also seeing a surge in condom demand as rising freight costs and shipping delays have left many of its customers with lower stockpiles than usual, CEO Goh Miah Kiat told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday. Karex produces more than 5 billion condoms annually and is a supplier to leading brands like Durex and Trojan. (Latiff, 4/21)
Bloomberg: Reckitt’s Sales Weighed Down By Cold Drugs, Iran War Fallout Reckitt Benckiser Group Plc reported weaker-than-expected sales on sluggish demand for its cold medicines in the US and as the conflict in the Middle East hit supplies in the region. Sales of its top brands including Strepsils lozenges and Dettol cleaning products rose 1.3% in the first quarter, Reckitt said Wednesday, short of the 2.8% expected by analysts. (Deutsch, 4/22)
Vaccines
6. US Military Halts Flu Shot Mandate In Place Since The 1950s
Service members still have the option to receive the vaccine, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said. Plus, news outlets unpack testimony from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who returns to Capitol Hill again today.
Military Times: Military's Flu Vaccine Requirement Discarded ‘Effective Immediately,’ Hegseth Says The U.S. military will no longer require service members to get an annual flu shot according to a post Tuesday by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on the social media platform X. “The War Department is once again restoring freedom to our Joint Force,” the secretary wrote. The flu vaccine has been required annually for U.S. military personnel since the 1950s. (Kime, 4/21)
Congressional hearings continue for RFK Jr. —
NPR: RFK Jr. Continues A Capitol Hill Hearing Blitz On Wednesday, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. finishes up his blitz of hearings at two consequential Senate committees: Finance and HELP, which stands for Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. (Simmons-Duffin, 4/22)
The Hill: HHS Secretary Kennedy Denies White House Pressure On Vaccines Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told Congress on Tuesday that he has not faced pressure from the White House to scale back his vaccine skepticism, even as a top Trump health adviser recognized “ongoing conversations about where to prioritize.” The denial contradicts a mounting body of reporting from sources inside the Trump administration who say the White House is keeping Kennedy on a tighter leash ahead of the midterm elections as a way of courting moderate voters. (Choi, 4/21)
MedPage Today: Kennedy Tangles With Lawmakers Over Vitamin K Shots, Vaccines For Newborns Rep. Lori Trahan (D-Mass.) during a House hearing on Tuesday expressed her frustration with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., noting that he "managed to give a 'Go Gators' from the witness table, but not a 'Go [vitamin] K shot.'" (Frieden, 4/21)
The Hill: RFK Jr. Clashes With Rep. Troy Carter Over Past Animal Encounters Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. snapped at Rep. Troy Carter (D-La.) on Tuesday after the lawmaker said he wished Kennedy would spend “less time talking about whale heads, bear heads and raccoon parts.” The exchange came as Carter’s time for questioning wound down during a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing on the Department of Health and Human Services’ fiscal year 2027 budget. (Brams, 4/21)
AP: Sen. Bill Cassidy Faces Tough Task When He Questions RFK Jr. In Hearings Bill Cassidy’s roles as a lawmaker, a doctor and a political candidate will collide on Wednesday as he questions Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in two high-stakes Senate hearings. The Louisiana Republican chairs one of the Senate committees that oversees Kennedy’s department and sits on another, giving him two chances to interrogate the secretary about his plans for an agency responsible for public health programs and research. As a doctor, Cassidy has clashed with Kennedy’s anti-vaccine ideas even though he provided crucial support for the health secretary’s nomination last year. (Swenson, 4/22)
More on the CDC director, surgeon general, and MAHA —
The New York Times: RFK Jr. Refused To Commit To Backing New CDC Director On Vaccines Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Tuesday refused to commit to supporting the vaccine recommendations of President Trump’s nominee to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The nominee, Dr. Erica Schwartz, has publicly supported immunizations and drawn applause from mainstream public health leaders. “If Dr. Schwartz is confirmed, will you commit on the record today to implement whatever vaccine guidance she issues without interference?” Representative Raul Ruiz, Democrat of California, asked Mr. Kennedy during a tense hearing on Capitol Hill, the secretary’s fourth congressional hearing since last Thursday. (Jewett and Gay Stolberg, 4/21)
Politico: Trump’s Surgeon General Pick Faces Mounting GOP Opposition A new wave of attacks from conservatives is further imperiling President Donald Trump’s pick for surgeon general — and testing the power of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again campaign to combat chronic disease. Casey Means’ nomination was already stalled in the Senate over concerns she’s insufficiently supportive of vaccines, and now Republican factions from anti-abortion activists to anti-drug warriors are starting to pile on. (Friedman and Ollstein, 4/21)
Stat: Better-For-You Foods: MAHA Influence Showing Up In Grocery Aisle Vani Hari has 2.3 million followers on Instagram, and about as many ideas for healthy food swaps. An entrepreneur and influential food activist in the Make America Healthy Again movement, Hari gives regular shout-outs to substitutes for snacks that contain corn syrup, seed oils, and other ingredients on health-conscious Americans’ blacklist. (Todd, 4/22)
Fox News: Steak 'n Shake Aligns With MAHA, Creates Chief Officer Role For Healthier Fast Food Steak 'n Shake has tapped its first-ever chief MAHA officer, marking a new step in the fast-food chain's push toward what it describes as healthier, more transparent ingredients. Michael Boes will take on the new executive role, which is "dedicated to advancing nutritional integrity, ingredient transparency and the healthiness of our products," the Indianapolis-based company announced Tuesday on social media. The move aligns with the brand's broader embrace of Health and Human Services Secretary (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement. (Bardolf, 4/21)
More on vaccines —
The Washington Post: Moderna Launches MRNA Bird Flu Vaccine Trial After HHS Cancels Funding Moderna is launching a large-scale clinical trial of a shot to combat bird flu in humans after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s department had canceled hundreds of millions of dollars in funding previously committed to aid in vaccine development. The company is developing the vaccine using messenger RNA (mRNA), which is the technology used in the most commonly administered coronavirus vaccines and was hailed during President Donald Trump’s first term as a major medical achievement. It has since come under intense scrutiny from Kennedy and other conservatives, and the Department of Health and Human Services last year announced a winding down of investments in 22 mRNA vaccine development projects. (Roubein, 4/22)
CIDRAP: US States Took Divergent Actions In Absence Of Federal COVID Vaccine Guidance Last Respiratory Virus Season The lack of updated federal vaccine recommendations early in the 2025-26 US respiratory virus season—and a statement in May 2025 by the Health and Human Services secretary advising against COVID vaccines for children and pregnant women—created uncertainty for states with vaccine regulations based on federal guidance, leading most to strengthen and/or weaken COVID-19 vaccine access, with long-term implications for future vaccine policy, according to a research letter published yesterday in JAMA. (Van Beusekom, 4/21)
Pharmaceuticals
7. Adolescent Cannabis Use Linked To Slower Cognitive Development
Researchers at the University of California San Diego, relying on toxicological testing instead of self-reporting among participants, found that the pace of progress wasn't as pronounced for children confirmed to have used marijuana.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Marijuana Study Affirms Drug’s Negative Effect On Youth A new UC San Diego study strengthens the growing body of evidence that marijuana use impacts adolescent brain development. Researchers observed slower gains in cognitive tests that measured memory, focus and thinking speed among middle and high school-age kids who used cannabis when compared to those who abstained. (Sisson, 4/21)
On smoking and vaping —
The New York Times: Proposed Lifetime Smoking Ban To Become Law In Britain Britain aims to raise a “smoke-free generation” by permanently banning the sale or supply of tobacco and vape products to anyone born in 2009 or after, with a bill that was approved by Parliament on Tuesday. The bill applies to people currently 17 years old or younger and aims to keep them from ever picking up the habit in their lifetime. The proposal is expected to soon go into law after the final formality of approval by King Charles III. (Livni, 4/21)
In other pharmaceutical news —
AP: Purdue Pharma's Sentence Date Is Postponed A Week To Let Opioid Victims Attend A judge on Tuesday delayed the criminal sentencing of OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma in order to allow victims to attend the court proceeding in person. U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo originally planned to hand down the sentence Tuesday during a court hearing conducted only by videoconferencing. But she said she changed her mind after seeing some victims of the opioid crisis protesting outside her courthouse in Newark, New Jersey. She said they should be allowed to attend in person, too, and moved the hearing to next Tuesday. (Mulvihill, 4/22)
MedPage Today: FDA Approves New Standalone Combo Pill For HIV The FDA approved islatravir-doravirine (Idvynso) as a standalone, single-tablet regimen for treating HIV in virologically suppressed adults, Merck announced on Tuesday. Approval stipulates use of the oral combination in patients with HIV-1 who are virologically suppressed on stable antiretroviral therapy (ART), have no history of virologic treatment failure, and have no known substitutions associated with doravirine resistance. Co-administration with other ART medications is not recommended. (Rudd, 4/21)
Stat: Roche Set To Take Its MS Drug To Regulators, But Safety Questions Loom The Swiss drugmaker Roche on Tuesday presented the latest data for its experimental multiple sclerosis drug, setting the stage for the company to seek approval for a medicine that it believes can cut relapse rates and slow the progressive disability the disease causes. (Joseph, 4/21)
Stat: Kyverna Therapeutics Therapy Improves Mobility In Stiff Person Syndrome Patients A one-time, personalized cell therapy from Kyverna Therapeutics improved mobility and reduced disabilities in patients with stiff person syndrome, a rare, neurological autoimmune disorder, according to study results presented Tuesday. (Feuerstein, 4/21)
Axios: Amazon One Medical Launches National GLP-1 Weight-Loss Program Amazon's One Medical is rolling out a national GLP-1 program as demand for weight-loss drugs surges, the company announced Tuesday. The boom in drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy is reshaping obesity care — but also exposing gaps in how patients are treated. (Tyko, 4/21)
Environmental Health
8. Report: Air Pollution Endangers 46% Of US Youth
According to an annual report from the American Lung Association, nearly half of American children live in areas that receive a failing grade on air pollution levels. The report also found that communities of color are disproportionately affected.
The Guardian: Nearly Half Of US Children Are Breathing Dangerous Levels Of Air Pollution, Report Warns Nearly half of children in the United States are breathing dangerous levels of air pollution, according to a new report, as experts warned Donald Trump’s expansive rollback of protections will make the situation worse. The 27th annual air quality report from the American Lung Association (ALA) released on Wednesday evaluates pollution across the country by grading levels of ground-level ozone – also known as smog – as well as year-round and short-term spikes in particle pollution, commonly referred to as soot. The report analyzed quality-assured data collected between 2022 and 2024. It found that 33.5 million children in the US – 46% of those under 18 – live in areas that received a failing grade for at least one measure of air pollution. The report also found that 7 million children, or 10% of all children in the US, live in communities that failed all three measures. (Yang, 4/22)
In other environmental health news —
The Washington Post: As Climate Change Worsens Wildfires, Smoke Exposure May Raise Cancer Risk Extended exposure to wildfire smoke may increase the risk of several types of cancer, according to a study presented Tuesday at an American Association for Cancer Research meeting. The research, not yet peer-reviewed, found that people who were exposed to higher levels of wildfire smoke over the previous three years were at increased risk of lung, colorectal, breast, bladder and blood cancers. The study was based on a long-term database following more than 91,000 people. (Johnson and Noll, 4/21)
ABC News: Climate Extremes May Quietly Be Pushing Heart Disease Rates Higher: Study Heatwaves, cold snaps and heavy rain do more than disrupt your day. They can quietly raise your risk of heart disease, according to a new report in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. "Broadly, we found that extreme heat and extreme cold were associated with a higher city-level cardiovascular disease burden across 157 Chinese cities from 2015 to 2020," Linjiang Wei, one of the primary authors of the study and a PhD-level researcher at Xiamen University, told ABC News. (Still, 4/21)
Inside Climate News: Testing Finds Toxic Metals Where Tesla Discharges Wastewater After Texas regulators said Tesla’s lithium refinery near Corpus Christi wasn’t violating its permits by discharging what local officials reported as black wastewater into a drainage ditch, independent water testing there this month found two toxic metals and other contaminants. (Martin, 4/21)
Yale Environment 360: A More Troubling Picture Of Sea Level Rise Comes Into View Sea levels are much higher than we thought. Real-world oceans are making a mockery of flood-risk forecasts based on crude global modeling. And to make matters worse, coastal lands almost everywhere are subsiding faster than anyone realized — often many times faster than the seas are rising. These findings come from two major new studies that are reshaping our understanding of the threats posed by rising tides and sinking land and underlining the imminent risk of inundation facing tens of millions of people in some of the world’s largest megacities, say researchers not involved in the studies. (Pearce, 4/22)
CBS News: This University Of Pennsylvania Lab Is Working On New Ways To Detect Microplastics The Trump administration is taking aim at microplastics, calling them a "human health threat." The tiny fragments are found in the air, water, food and even clothing. In Philadelphia, the University of Pennsylvania has a microplastics lab that's working on creating new detection methods and ways to clean up the potential toxins. An estimated 33 billion pounds of plastic pollute oceans every year, eventually breaking down into tiny fragments. But it's not just in the ocean, scientists have discovered that microplastics are now ubiquitous. (Stahl, 4/21)
Health Industry
9. KP Proposes Its First New San Francisco Hospital In Over 70 Years
The hospital would replace Kaiser Permanente's current medical center. It would be the health care giant’s third all-electric hospital, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
San Francisco Chronicle: Kaiser Permanente Proposes Major New Hospital In San Francisco Kaiser Permanente has proposed building a major new hospital in San Francisco that, if approved, would replace its current medical center and be the health care giant’s first new hospital in the city in more than 70 years. If the project gains city and state approval, it would convert the existing Kaiser San Francisco Medical Center at 2425 Geary Blvd. in the Anza Vista neighborhood to medical office buildings and build a new hospital across the street, at Geary and Divisadero Street, by 2033. (Ho, 4/21)
Also from California —
KFF Health News: California Lawmakers Seek Protections For Patients In ICE Custody California lawmakers alarmed by the treatment of people brought to hospitals by federal immigration agents want to strengthen protections for detained patients receiving care at medical facilities, including by making it easier for their families and attorneys to find them. Two bills moving through the state Senate seek to prevent immigration enforcement officers from isolating patients from their loved ones and interfering with their ability to get legal help. Analyses for both bills cite reporting by KFF Health News that found family members and attorneys have faced extreme difficulty locating and supporting patients hospitalized while in immigration custody. (Boyd-Barrett, 4/22)
More health care industry developments —
CBS News: Hennepin Healthcare Placed On 'Red Alert' By National Nurses' Union Amid Federal Funding Cuts National Nurses United, the nation's largest nurses' union, placed Hennepin Healthcare in Minneapolis on "red alert" status, warning that the hospital is at risk of closing. The union issued the warning amid federal health care cuts that it says threaten more than 600 nonprofit and community hospitals nationwide. HCMC is among those most at risk, the union said. (4/21)
The Texas Tribune: The Dells Become UT Austin’s First $1B Donor With $750 million in new investments announced Tuesday, Michael and Susan Dell have become the University of Texas at Austin’s first $1 billion donors. The latest investment will establish the UT Dell Campus for Advanced Research and the UT Dell Medical Center. (Simpson, 4/21)
Modern Healthcare: Virtual Nursing Expands At OSF HealthCare, AdventHealth And Sentara Virtual nursing is moving from the desk to the bedside as health systems embrace it as a way to control costs, retain nurses and improve patient care. Hospitals faced with burned-out registered nurses and a worsening staff shortage are expanding its use into areas like peer support for nurses and patient education. While the technology, and its adoption, continues to develop, early research shows mixed results on its effectiveness. (DeSilva, 4/21)
MedPage Today: As 'The Pitt' Spotlights Physician Mental Health, Advocates Push Breen Act Funding As medical organizations, lawmakers, advocates -- and even the lead actor from "The Pitt" -- laud the reauthorization of the Lorna Breen Act through fiscal year 2030, they're also urging millions of dollars to boost funding for its programs. The legislation, named for the late emergency medicine physician Lorna Breen, MD, focuses on mental health infrastructure for physicians and other healthcare professionals. Breen was just 49 years old when she died by suicide early in the pandemic after treating COVID-19 patients and contracting the disease herself. (Henderson, 4/21)
The New York Times: A $440,000 Breast Reduction: How Doctors Cashed In On The No Surprises Act And Arbitration Dr. Norman Rowe, a plastic surgeon with offices in New York and Florida, advertises on his website that breast reduction surgery usually costs between $15,000 and $25,000. But these days, his practice sometimes earns $440,000 for the procedure. Dr. Rowe has taken full advantage of a new arbitration system, part of a major consumer protection law Congress passed in 2020 with bipartisan majorities. The No Surprises Act was designed to eliminate surprise medical bills, for patients who showed up in the emergency room and were treated by a doctor who didn’t take their insurance. (Kliff and Sanger-Katz, 4/22)
KFF Health News: They’re In Remission, But Their Medical Bills Aren’t: Cancer Survivors Navigate Soaring Costs Nearly four years after doctors declared Marielle Santos McLeod free of colon cancer, she has yet to feel liberated from the burden of medical expenses. McLeod, who lives near Charleston, South Carolina, is still paying off chemotherapy bills that followed her 2017 diagnosis. She also now faces an onslaught of out-of-pocket costs for follow-up monitoring and care, including regular visits to a pulmonologist and allergist. (Rayasam, 4/22)
KFF Health News: Listen To The Latest 'KFF Health News Minute' Katheryn Houghton reads the week’s news: Many Americans say it’s hard to pay for the dentist, but putting off care also has its costs. Plus, for some patients, Medicare will start covering GLP-1 drugs for weight loss this year. (4/21)
State Watch
10. Louisiana Man Charged In Connection To Mass Slaying Of 8 Kids
Two days after the shooting in Shreveport, Charles Ford was charged with possessing a firearm as a felon and making false statements to authorities. Prosecutors accused Ford of providing the firearm used in the shootings.
The New York Times: Man Is Charged With Providing Gun To Louisiana Shooter A Louisiana man was arrested on Tuesday and accused of providing the firearm that a gunman used to kill eight children and critically wound two adults over the weekend. The man, Charles Ford of Shreveport, La., where the mass shooting occurred, was charged with possessing a firearm as a felon and making a false statement to a federal agent when asked about a weapon used to commit the shootings. (Morales, 4/21)
More on gun violence and mental health —
The New York Times: College Where Charlie Kirk Was Killed Cancels Speech Utah Valley University was thrilled that Sharon McMahon, a best-selling author, would speak at its graduation. And then her old posts resurfaced. (Peters, 4/22)
Health news from California —
Los Angeles Times: Becerra Sees Momentum, Money And Movement In The Polls In Governor's Race Until recently, the former U.S. Health and Human Services secretary had been mired in the single digits in polling to replace termed-out Gov. Gavin Newsom and lead the nation’s most populous state. Now, in addition to new endorsements, Becerra has jumped nine points in a recent state Democratic Party poll, tying with billionaire Tom Steyer at 13%. (Mehta, 4/21)
Los Angeles Times: Woman Bitten Three Times By Snake Is Third Californian To Die From Snakebite This Year A woman died this month after being bitten by a snake three times as she was taking a walk on rural property in the unincorporated Mendocino County community of Redwood Valley, officials say. The 78-year-old Northern California woman is the third person to die in California during an erratic snake season. On average, five people die nationwide from venomous snakebites annually, according to federal health officials. (Garcia, 4/21)
Los Angeles Times: Alleged Bullying Left 12-Year-Old Dead. Could LAUSD Have Prevented It? The death of Khimberly Zavaleta Chuquipa, 12, has led some, including her family, to question whether L.A. Unified could have — or should have — done more to protect her from campus bullies. (Harter, 4/21)
In other health news from across the U.S. —
CBS News: Lyme Disease Cases In Michigan Jump To Nearly 3,400 In 2025, Compared To Under 2,300 In Prior 3 Years Michigan residents are increasingly at risk for acquiring Lyme disease, data from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services shows. The latest Michigan Disease Surveillance System report, which includes data from the most recent four weeks in addition to previous annual data, states there were 21 Lyme disease cases in the most recently reported week, with a total of 72 in the most recent four weeks and 246 so far this year. But winter is the off-season in Michigan for black-legged ticks, which are most active from March to November. (Wethington, 4/21)
CBS News: Twin Cities Nonprofit That Helps Adults With Serious Mental Illness Facing Funding Shortfall One by one, stories shaped by hardship and resilience are taking the stage at the History Theatre in St. Paul. But for the people sharing them, this is not just a performance. "These are real stories," said Richard Whitman, a longtime member of Vail Communities. "I've been with Vail 19 years… In December, it'll be 20." (Lunemann, 4/21)
The Hill: Gov. Tim Walz Urges Focus On Universal Healthcare For Next Democratic President Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) advised the next Democratic president to focus on passing universal healthcare, a policy measure that has been hotly debated within the party in recent years. “We have to figure out, once we move in a progressive way, once we see a Barack Obama win, once we see a Congress win, it has to be about not holding power for the sake of holding power, it has to be about passing things,” Walz said on MS NOW’s “The Weeknight.” (Suter, 4/21)
The Boston Globe: DOGE Broke Something At The VA. Massachusetts Veterans Are Paying The Price. Many veterans say an exodus of medical staff has resulted in longer waits for treatment and has forced them to go outside the VA for care. (Serres and Jung, 4/21)
North Carolina Health News: NC Dentists Push For Higher Medicaid Payments To Tackle Access Crisis Kristen Jarrell, an Alexander County resident and licensed foster parent in Wilkes County, has had a dickens of a time trying to find a dentist for children in her care. In North Carolina, one of the requirements for a child entering foster care is a health and emotional trauma screening that includes an oral health assessment. For any needs identified, the state Department of Health and Human Services requires follow-up care and monitoring. (Blythe, 4/22)
KFF Health News: Montana Moves Ahead With Doula Pay But Warns Medicaid Cuts Still May Come Montana officials said they are moving forward with plans to allow Medicaid to pay doulas, reversing a previous statement that budget problems had prompted them to pause the effort to reimburse the birth workers. But officials warned that all optional Medicaid services are still under review as the state health department looks for cuts to offset a shortfall driven by higher-than-expected Medicaid costs. (Houghton, 4/22)
Editorials And Opinions
11. Viewpoints: RFK Jr. Misrepresents FDA Melanoma Drug Rejection; Trump Team Taking Steps To End Title X
Opinion writers delve into these public health issues.
The Wall Street Journal: Oncologists Vs. The FDA And RFK Jr. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. doesn’t like our criticism of the Food and Drug Administration’s rejection of Replimune’s life-saving drug for metastatic melanoma. But the Health and Human Services Secretary’s statements at a House hearing last Thursday were as bewildering as the FDA rejection. (4/21)
The New York Times: The Trump Administration Is Coming After Birth Control Access In A Terrifying New Way The new Title X guidance from the Trump administration mentions contraception only once. (Jill Filipovic, 4/20)
The Boston Globe: The GOP's New Target — Birth Control And Title X The latest assault on Title X is also about abortion — one of the recently proposed changes is to cut off all funding to Planned Parenthood. But what’s more striking is the direct attack on birth control, something socially conservative politicians and activists have long been circumspect about undertaking. Not anymore. (Mary Ziegler, 4/22)
Stat: Space Travel Is Tough On The Immune System In the aftermath of the successful Artemis II mission, NASA is moving forward with the next steps of its plans to establish a base on the moon. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, crews will be operating at the lunar base within the next decade with an even more ambitious long-term goal: Mars. Human health in the space environment will be an important factor in these efforts. Among the concerns NASA should consider is the potential impacts of immunology and infectious disease. (Scott E. Solomon, 4/22)
Stat: Happy 75th Birthday To The CDC’s ‘Disease Detective’ Program The phone rings on the evening of Feb. 28, 2020. “We need you to deploy to Seattle. Meet your team at Roybal tomorrow and additional details will be provided.” For weeks, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had been tracking the spread of the novel coronavirus closely. (Eric J. Chow, Ariella Perry Dale and Matthew Donahue, 4/22)
Comments
Post a Comment