A new federal rule will enable thousands of immigrants in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to obtain health care through the Affordable Care Act; a forthcoming CMS rule is expected to lower home-based care wait times and raise caregiver wages; the HHS Office for Civil Rights has finalized 2 rules that strengthen the ACA’s health care discrimination ban.
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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued letters to 10 companies to warn them that certain drug patents were improperly listed; the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) will begin testing ground beef for bird flu particles; rural Americans are more likely to die early from 1 of the 5 leading causes of death than those who live in urban areas.
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Makers of medical tests will have about 4 years to show the FDA that their new offerings deliver accurate results; after previously decreasing for 27 years, US tuberculosis (TB) cases increased every year since 2020; a US district judge rejected a challenge by Bristol Myers Squibb and Johnson & Johnson to the Medicare drug price negotiation program.
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Kaiser Permanente was hit by a data breach in mid-April, impacting 13.4 million health plan members; GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) sued Pfizer and BioNTech for allegedly infringing on its messenger RNA technology patents in the companies’ COVID-19 vaccines; the CDC announced the first-known HIV cases transmitted via cosmetic injections.
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What We’re Reading: FDA Approves UTI Antibiotic; Ozempic, Wegovy Price Investigation; US Births Fall
April 25th 2024The FDA recently approved an antibiotic for the treatment of urinary tract infections (UTIs) in women; a Senate committee recently launched an investigation into the prices of Novo Nordisk’s diabetes and weight loss drugs; US births fell last year, resuming a national slide after a previous increase during the pandemic.
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The Federal Trade Commission's (FTC's) vote to ban most employers from issuing and enforcing noncompete clauses could have varying impacts on the health care workforce; federal regulators vastly under-enforced antitrust laws in the hospital sector during the last 2 decades, resulting in increased health costs; the FDA recently found genetic evidence of the H5N1 bird flu virus in pasteurized commercially purchased milk.
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What We’re Reading: Abortion Privacy Rules; Alzheimer Drug Hurdles; Nursing Home Staffing Overhaul
April 23rd 2024New health privacy rules aim to protect patients and providers in an evolving abortion landscape; some physicians express concerns about efficacy, risks, and entrenched beliefs in treating Alzheimer disease; CMS addresses longstanding staffing deficits in nursing homes.
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Government agencies have created an online portal for the public to report potential anticompetitive practices in health care; there are changes coming to the “boxed warning” section for chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapies (CAR T) to highlight T-cell blood cancer risk; questions about the safety of obesity medications during pregnancy have arisen in women on them who previously struggled with fertility issues.
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Prices for care at hospital trauma centers vary across hospitals; drug shortages reached a record high during the first quarter of 2024; although 3 of the biggest makers of asthma inhalers pledged to cap out-of-pocket costs for some US patients at $35, these do not apply to daily inhalers used by the youngest kids with asthma.
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The Biden administration recently launched the Global Health Security Strategy, a new effort to combat the spread of infectious diseases; lawmakers zeroed in on the risks of massive consolidation in health care during the first congressional hearing on the Change Healthcare hack; the FDA recently announced the recall of a pair of heart devices linked to numerous deaths and injuries.
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The University of Utah Drug Information Service reports an unprecedented rise in shortages; cultural ethos and modern pressures contribute to sleep deprivation across the nation; rising death rates underscore the urgent need for expanded access to prevention and treatment measures
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What We’re Reading: Medicaid Coverage Unwinding; Subscription-Based Health Care; Measles Surging
April 12th 2024Nearly a quarter of adults disenrolled from Medicaid are now uninsured; a new bill in Alaska will allow primary care providers to offer care based on monthly fees; the CDC warns of a 17-fold increase in measles cases in the first quarter of 2024.
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What We’re Reading: Medicare Funding for SCD Gene Therapies; Long COVID Moonshot; Rise in Mpox Cases
April 11th 2024Funding proposal includes gene therapies for sickle cell disease (SCD); draft legislation aims to address long COVID challenges; efforts are underway to prevent a summer surge.
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What We’re Reading: Telehealth Debate; STD Rise Among Older Adults; PFAS Limits in Water
April 10th 2024Lawmakers are under pressure to decide the fate of COVID-era telehealth payment changes; the CDC reports an alarming increase in sexually transmitted disease (STD) cases among Americans 55 years and older; new regulations aim to reduce harmful exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals.”
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There is discrepancy between the FDA’s accelerated approval decisions and clinical benefits in cancer treatments; former President Donald Trump’s video statement avoids a clear stance on national abortion legislation; 40% of therapists say they will increase their fees this year.
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CMS finalizes policies to enhance consumer protections, promote competition, and expand access to care for Medicare Advantage (MA) and Medicare Part D; digital therapeutic Rejoyn receives FDA clearance for adults with major depressive disorder (MDD); study reveals minimal symptom reduction from nirmatrelvir–ritonavir (Paxlovid) in high-risk, fully vaccinated patients.
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The newest treatment approved for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) will be withdrawn from the market due to negative clinical trial results; former President Trump’s surgeon general is advocating for conservative states to support needle exchanges; new US hepatitis C infections dropped slightly in 2022 after more than a decade of steady increases.
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Antismoking groups sued the US government over the long-awaited menthol cigarette ban; the fill rate for Adderall and Vyvanse dropped more than 10% in 2 years despite soaring demand; the Biden administration has responded to offers from the manufacturers of drugs selected for Medicare pricing negotiations.
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