AJMC Staff

Allegations call out restrictions on medically necessary care; CDC data highlight surge in COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations; failure to include additional Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) aid raises concerns over food access.

Additional COVID-19 tests can be ordered amid rising cases and insurance challenges; therapies targeting toxic proteins in Alzheimer disease spark renewed interest; new poll indicates 55% approval for legal abortion on any grounds.

Health officials said that at least 7 states reported high levels of illness, with cases also rising in other parts of the country; a group of Senate Democrats demanded answers about the shortage of nirsevimab, a new respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) drug; Pentagon officials told Congress that eliminating per- and polyfluorinated substances would undermine military readiness.

Governor Kathy Hochul proposed this week that New York become the first state to require health systems to implement cyber defenses; a new report from the World Health Organization and the CDC highlighted a staggering rise in measles cases and deaths in 2022; a study published this week claimed that more than a tenth of fecal immunochemical tests used for routine colorectal cancer screening could not be processed by labs.

The CDC has published updated recommendations for the postexposure prevention and treatment of Bacillus anthracis (anthrax) infection; the FDA has granted marketing approval to an at-home chlamydia and gonorrhea test; lawmakers and Veterans Affairs officials acknowledge the potential for psychedelic drugs to treat veterans’ mental health conditions and prevent suicide.

The centers for research are named for Anthony Greco, MD, and John Hainsworth, MD, who founded Sarah Cannon in 1993 as Tennessee Oncology physician researchers.

A class action lawsuit was filed against UnitedHealth Group and a subsidiary for allegedly using an algorithm to deny rehabilitation coverage for seriously ill patients; US and China officials are finalizing an agreement to crack down on fentanyl; a study published Tuesday projected global heat deaths to increase by 370% if no action is taken against global warming.

Up to 30 million individuals could lose Medicaid coverage; a new initiative demands increased focus on women's health issues; survey reports increased 5-year lung cancer survival rates from 2015 to 2019.

The weight loss drug semaglutide showed significant cardiovascular benefits; Texas and Florida are restricting the promotion of COVID-19 vaccines; some Ohio legislators are seeking to block courts from interpreting the state’s recently passed constitutional amendment that created a right to abortion.

A senator opposes the Biden drug price negotiation plan and proposes a new model to help manage weight loss drug costs; Black children are underdiagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) compared with their White peers; lawmakers and witnesses said that policy makers must balance innovation with potential harms when it comes to artificial intelligence (AI) in health care.

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A study suggests that human papillomavirus (HPV) screenings should be updated due to effective HPV vaccines; a new study shows that osimertinib (Tagrisso, AstraZeneca) reduced both the 5-year risk of recurrent cancer and the risk of death in patients with stage 1B to 3A lung cancer; a new smartphone-controlled technology could help those who suffer from migraines.

Medicare may cover full cost of preexposure prophylaxis drugs; rules aim to prevent excessive compensation in Medicare Advantage (MA) market; health officials advocate for widespread syphilis testing and intervention.

Artificial intelligence (AI) could help detect heart attack risk signs and prevent sudden cardiac death; Advocates demand the Biden administration finalize the proposed FDA ban on menthol cigarettes; Gun violence survivors and their families have many ongoing medical needs.

CDC plans to monitor over 30 pathogens in high-risk airports; a surge in ketamine prescriptions raises questions about safety and oversight; changes to come in Affordable Care Act (ACA) enrollment for 2023.

Many sleep experts want to permanently stay in the standard time zone; Medicare will cover mental health counselors and marriage and family therapists beginning in January; a new Minnesota law requires hospitals to check if patients are eligible for financial assistance before referring medical debt for collections.

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The American Cancer Society expanded eligibility for lung cancer screening; experts advised patients to do their research before choosing a plan from the Affordable Care Act’s insurance marketplaces; Republican-led states partnering with rideshare companies for medical appointment rides.

A panel of experts agreed that exa-cel, a sickle cell disease gene therapy, was safe enough for clinical use, setting the stage for a potential FDA approval; the United States saw an increase in infant mortality rates for the first time in more than 2 decades; the new antiburnout campaign from the CDC asks leaders to better support health care workers.

Democratic senators urge private insurers fully cover Opill, an OTC contraceptive pill; providers pursue lawsuit against Arizona's abortion rule; a quarter of US medical students contemplate leaving their studies.

Pharmacy workers embark on a multiday strike; Fathers are taking paid family leave to bond with their newborns; the FDA is set to evaluate a pioneering gene therapy for sickle cell disease (SCD).

The number of suicides among US military members and their families slightly decreased in 2022; Democratic lawmakers proposed legislation that would require employers to provide paid time off following a pregnancy loss; Pfizer and BioNTech’s flu–COVID-19 vaccine generated a strong immune response against strains of the viruses in an early- to mid-stage trial.

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The Biden administration requested $1.55 billion from Congress to help address the nationwide fentanyl crisis; the US Department of Agriculture reported that millions more Americans were food insecure in 2022; the Biden administration released an updated cybersecurity toolkit to help defend the US health care infrastructure against hackers.

Senators advocate for TRICARE to stock and cover the OTC birth control pill; double the amount of health care workers experienced workplace harassment in 2022 compared with 2018; a survey found that young adults in the United States experienced depression and anxiety twice as often as teenagers.

FluMist Quadrivalent could become the first self-administered flu vaccine in the United States; the American Society of Reproductive Medicine updates its definition of infertility to be more inclusive; the Environmental Protection Agency moves to ban the use of a cancer-causing chemical .

Medicare Advantage (MA) plans pose financial challenges for small rural hospitals; 2 bans proposed in Texas would prohibit transportation for abortion procedures; delays in reauthorizing US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) risk the program’s effectiveness and integrity.

Three US senators asked the Social Security Administration to respond to a report saying it reduced or suspended benefits for those who received COVID-19 relief payments; mifepristone, a drug taken to help manage miscarriages, remains widely unavailable to patients experiencing pregnancy loss; pharmaceutical companies are beginning trials to get weight-loss shots approved for patients with obesity 6 years and older.