What We're Reading: Medicaid Fraud Settlement; Heart Failure in Young Adults; FDA Investigates Sunscreen

Federal Prosecutors Reach $17 Million Settlement in Medicaid Fraud Case

Federal prosecutors have reached a $17 million settlement with the healthcare company Acadia, which was accused of Medicaid fraud in West Virginia, Associated Press reported. United States Attorney Mike Stuart said the healthcare fraud settlement was the largest in state history and that the company's subsidiary, CRC Health, billed Medicaid for $8.5 million in elevated costs for blood and urine tests that weren’t performed at its drug treatment centers.

Heart Failure—Related Deaths Surge in Young Adults

Rates of heart failure—related deaths among individuals 35 to 64 years old are on the rise, according to CNN. The findings appeared in a research paper published in Journal of the American College of Cardiology yesterday. The paper has suggested the cause of rising heart failure deaths could be related to increasing rates of obesity and diabetes.

FDA Asks Sunscreen Manufacturers to Study the Safety of Chemicals in Their Products

The FDA has asked sunscreen manufacturers to evaluate the safety of their products’ ingredients after a study by the agency published in JAMA found that several chemicals used in the products may be absorbed into the bloodstream upon use, The Hill reported. FDA researchers found users of sunscreens with the active ingredients ecamsule, octocrylene, avobenzone, or oxybenzone absorbed levels of the chemicals high enough to raise concern for additional safety testing. The levels of the absorbed chemicals in some circumstances were 40 times higher than the levels that would fit under the safety threshold.