Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
KFF Health News:End Of Pandemic Internet Subsidies Threatens A Health Care Lifeline For Rural America
Myrna Broncho realized just how necessary an internet connection can be after she broke her leg. In fall 2021, the 69-year-old climbed a ladder to the top of a shed in her pasture. The roof that protects her horses and cows needed to be fixed. So, drill in hand, she pushed down. That’s when she slipped. (Tribble, 6/5)
KFF Health News:Health Worker For A Nonprofit? The New Ban On Noncompete Contracts May Not Help You
Many physicians and nurses are happy about the Federal Trade Commission’s new rule banning the use of noncompete agreements in employment contracts. But they are disappointed that it may not protect those who work for nonprofit hospitals and health care facilities, which provide most of the nation’s care and employ the largest number of medical professionals. (Meyer, 6/5)
KFF Health News:California Becomes Latest State To Try Capping Health Care Spending
California’s Office of Health Care Affordability faces a herculean task in its plan to slow runaway health care spending. The goal of the agency, established in 2022, is to make care more affordable and accessible while improving health outcomes, especially for the most disadvantaged state residents. That will require a sustained wrestling match with a sprawling, often dysfunctional health system and powerful industry players who have lots of experience fighting one another and the state. (Wolfson, 6/5)
KFF Health News:Watch: Anthony Fauci Defends Feds’ Covid Response, Calling Lawmakers' Accusations ‘Preposterous’
At a June 3 congressional hearing that underscored the nation's deep political divide over the coronavirus pandemic response, the longtime National Institutes of Health official addressed the agency’s controversies head-on. (Norman, 6/4)
KFF Health News:Listen To The Latest 'KFF Health News Minute'
“Health Minute” brings original health care and health policy reporting from the KFF Health News newsroom to the airwaves each week. (6/4)
CNN:FDA Advisers Vote Against First MDMA Therapy To Treat PTSD
A federal advisory committee on Tuesday voted overwhelmingly against of the use of MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. The novel treatment has the potential to transform a field with significant need, but the committee had concerns about the integrity of the particular trials up for review. After hearing presentations from the US Food and Drug Administration, treatment sponsor Lykos Therapeutics and members of the public, the independent committee voted on recommendations to be made to the FDA. (McPhillips, 6/4)
Politico:The Psychedelic Medicine Revolution Just Took A Big Loss
In a statement after the advisory committee votes, Lykos CEO Amy Emerson said the firm was disappointed but “committed to continuing to collaborate with the FDA with their ongoing review.” She added that Lykos would work with the FDA to answer questions raised at the committee meeting. She said Lykos was in ongoing discussions with the FDA about a risk evaluation and mitigation strategy program that would seek to reduce the chance of adverse events stemming from its treatment. (Schumaker, 6/4)
Stat:Take Antibiotics After Sex, CDC Recommends For Certain Risk Groups
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finalized its guidelines for post-exposure prophylaxis against bacterial sexually transmitted infections on Tuesday. For groups at higher risk of contracting syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea, the agency now recommends taking doxycycline, an antibiotic, within 72 hours of having sex. Doxycycline has been used to prevent malaria infection both before and after exposure, but this is the first time the antibiotic has been used prophylactically against STIs. (Merelli, 6/4)
San Francisco Chronicle:Teens With Strong Family, Community Ties Less Likely To Have Sex Young
In one of the first studies to examine the link between children’s sexual behavior and their social connections at home, school and neighborhoods, a new study led by a UCSF pediatrician has found that teenagers who have closer relationships with their family and neighbors are less likely to start having sex at a young age.The findings could ... potentially reduce the risks associated with having sex at a young age, such as sexually transmitted infections, unplanned pregnancies and depression.(Ho, 6/4)
Stat:Senators Tussle Over Abortion Against The Backdrop Of A Presidential Campaign
Nearly two years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, U.S. senators on Tuesday tussled over how the end to national abortion protections has played out across the country. There was little mistaking the fact that the debate was occurring in an election year. (Owermohle, 6/4)
The Washington Post:As Supreme Court Weighs Abortion Pill Case, Three States Wait In The Wings
If the Supreme Court rules the anti-abortion doctors challenging mifepristone don’t have legal standing, three states could try to quickly revive the challenge. (Marimow and Kitchener, 6/4)
North Carolina Health News:Q&A: How U.S. Compares To Global Abortion Landscape
Since the Dobbs decision in June 2022, nearly half of states in the United States — including North Carolina — have curtailed access to abortion by implementing increased restrictions. The significant rollback in abortion legality throughout much of the country puts the United States in sharp contrast to the global trend of loosening abortion laws and increasing protections for abortion rights. (Crumpler, 6/5)
The Washington Post:Conservative Attacks On Birth Control Could Threaten Access
Republican lawmakers in Missouri blocked a bill to widen access to birth-control pills by falsely claiming they induce abortions. An antiabortion group in Louisiana killed legislation to enshrine a right to birth control by inaccurately equating emergency contraception with abortion drugs. An Idaho think tank focused on “biblical activism” is pushing state legislators to ban access to emergency contraception and intrauterine devices (IUDs) by mislabeling them as “abortifacients.” Since the Supreme Court overturned the right to abortion two years ago, far-right conservatives have been trying to curtail birth-control access by sowing misinformation about how various methods work to prevent pregnancy, even as Republican leaders scramble to reassure voters they have no intention of restricting the right to contraception, which polls show the vast majority of Americans favor. (Weber, 6/5)
Modern Healthcare:340B Drug Discount Program Could See Congressional Reforms
Congress needs to fix the 340B drug discount program, health system leaders told members of a House subcommittee Tuesday. But lawmakers will have to tread carefully to avoid harming some of the organizations that depend on the program the most, the witnesses said. (McAuliff, 6/4)
NPR:Why Fat Joe Advocates For Hospital Price Transparency
Rapper Fat Joe says, "Millions of people are getting robbed." In a public service announcement by Power to the Patients, he adds that it's "not by the guys you might think. But by hospital and insurance company executives. They crooks." That's why the Bronx-born rapper is urging officials in Washington, D.C., for price transparency in health care. (Guevara, Bearne and Martínez, 6/5)
Stateline:As Mpox Cases Rise, Experts Urge Complete, 2-Part Vaccinations
The number of U.S. mpox cases has more than doubled compared with last year, and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been urging clinicians across states to encourage vaccinations for those at risk. As of May 25, the nation had seen a roughly 150% increase in cases of the disease formerly known as monkeypox — from 434 at that time last year to 1,089 this year, according to the CDC. About a third of the cases are in New York state, New York City (which the CDC reports separately), New Jersey and Pennsylvania. (Hassanein, 6/4)
CBS News:Michigan Officials Urge Postponing Field Trips To Dairy, Poultry Farms Amid Bird Flu
Michigan officials are recommending that residents refrain from visiting dairy and poultry farms after two human cases of bird flu were detectedin the state. In a memorandum on Tuesday, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services advises schools, child care providers, camps and Out of School Time Program operators to postpone field trips until further notice. (Booth-Singleton, 6/4)
Stat:The Most Pressing Bird Flu Mysteries Scientists Want Answered
Ten weeks after government scientists discovered that H5N1 bird flu was sickening dairy cattle in the United States, many of the mysteries surrounding what is happening on affected farms remain just that. Widespread reluctance on the part of farmers to allow scientists — government or otherwise — onto their premises to study spread of the virus among infected cows has created a frustrating lack of understanding of the dynamics of this outbreak. U.S. Department of Agriculture incentives aimed at getting farmers to test their cows and take preventive measures to protect both animals and farmworkers do not seem to have solved the impasse, even as the outbreak has affected 82 herds in nine states. (Branswell, 6/5)
CIDRAP:Placing COVID Patients In Skilled Nursing Facilities Led To Increased Cases, Deaths, Study Finds
Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, some states allowed COVID-19 patients to be discharged from hospitals to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), and even offered financial incentives to SNFs to take in patients to deal with hospital bed shortages.... Now a study in JAMA Internal Medicine shows this practice led to preventable COVID-19 cases in the SNFs and increased death rates. Furthermore, SNFs that reported staff and personal protective equipment (PPE) shortages saw bigger increases in COVID-19 morbidity and mortality. (Soucheray, 6/4)
Modern Healthcare:SCAN Wins Medicare Advantage Star Ratings Lawsuit Against CMS
SCAN Health Plan has prevailed in a widely watched federal lawsuit brought last year against theCenters for Medicare and Medicaid Services that alleged regulators did not appropriatelycalculate the insurer's Medicare Advantage star rating. Judge Carl J. Nichols, of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, on Monday sided with SCAN and wrote that regulators violated the Administrative Procedure Act when calculating the company’s star ratings scores last year. (Tepper, 6/4)
Reuters:Verdict For Sutter Health In Antitrust Case Overturned On Appeal
A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday revived a $411 million antitrust class action accusing California health system Sutter Health of engaging in anticompetitive behavior that artificially drove up insurance premiums, overturning a verdict against the plaintiffs and ordering a new trial. A 2-1 panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that the San Francisco jury that delivered a verdict in favor of Sutter in March 2022 was given improper instructions and prevented from hearing relevant evidence. (Pierson, 6/4)
Modern Healthcare:Change Healthcare Data Breach May Prompt Lawsuit From AMA
The American Medical Association said it is considering filing a class action lawsuit against UnitedHealth Group and its Optum and Change Healthcare subsidiaries following the latter's data breach in February.The organization said Optum and Change Healthcare, which processed about 50% of all medical claims as of March, allegedly received unjust enrichment by continuing to collect premiums while the breach caused cash flow issues and care interruptions for many providers across the country. (DeSilva, 6/4)
Modern Healthcare:Ascension Cyberattack: EHRs Expected To Be Restored June 14
Ascension said Tuesday it expects to restore electronic health records by June 14, a little more than a month after the nonprofit system reported a cyberattack. Ascension has already restored health records in Florida and Alabama, plus the Austin market, according to a Tuesday news release. Clinicians will be able to access health records as before, the release said. (Hudson, 6/4)
Modern Healthcare:Cerebral Founder Kyle Robertson, Zealthy Named In DOJ Complaint
The Justice Department, through a referral by the Federal Trade Commission, filed an amended complaint on Friday that takes aim at Cerebral co-founder Kyle Robertson’s latest telehealth venture. The DOJ initially filed a complaint and announced a settlement with Cerebral, a digital mental health company, in April. The complaint alleged Cerebral and former CEO Robertson disclosed consumers' sensitive personal health information, which violates the FTC Act. (Perna, 6/4)
Modern Healthcare:Steward Health’s Bankruptcy Timeline, Financing Approved By Judge
Steward Health Care can now offer incentives to potential lenders during the system's bankruptcy process. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez granted an emergency motion Monday that allows Stewardto offer a commitment fee up to $6.75 million, or 3% of requested funds, to a third-party lender and up to $750,000 to reimburse one or more lenders for expenses they incur during due diligence, with a $250,000 cap per lender.(Hudson, 6/4)
Modern Healthcare:Behavioral Health Needs Strain Nursing Homes, Hospital Discharges
Challenges providing care for nursing home patients with mental health and behavioral health issues are adding todischarge bottlenecksfor hospitals, and the demand for such care has led some facilities to set up specialized units with additional staff just for those patients. Older adults are suffering from higher rates of mental health and behavioral health problems, which can complicate their recovery from surgery or illness. (Eastabrook, 6/4)
AP:Need A Pharmacy? Finding Access Depends On The States And Neighborhoods You Live In
Opening stores used to mean everything to pharmacy chains. CVS Health once boasted of opening or buying more than 2,900 locations in a five-year period. Now it’s shuttering hundreds, while Walgreens, Rite Aid and independent drugstores also pull back. An industry that saw waves of store growth before the COVID-19 pandemic faces headwinds like falling prescription reimbursem*nt, persistent theft and changing shopping habits. But as drugstores right-size their physical footprint, experts say they can leave behind communities that have come to depend on them as trusted sources of care and advice — both of which can be hard to find in many urban and rural areas. (Murphy and Pananjady, 6/3)
AP:Rural Pharmacies Fill A Health Care Gap In The US. Owners Say It's Getting Harder To Stay Open
Basin Pharmacy fills more than prescriptions in rural northern Wyoming. It’s also the key health care access point for the town of about 1,300 people and the surrounding area. It sells catheters, colostomy supplies and diabetic testing strips. The storage room contains things that people rely on to survive, such as a dozen boxes of food for patients who must eat through tubes. The pharmacy fills prescriptions in bulk for the county jail, state retirement center and youth group homes. Some patients come from Jackson, five hours away by car, for the specialized services. (Shastri, 6/4)
AP:In Cities Across The US, Black And Latino Neighborhoods Have Less Access To Pharmacies
Parts of the north side of Montgomery are defined by what it has lost: restaurants, grocery stores and a convenient pharmacy, the latter of which closed five years ago. People who still live in the historically Black neighborhood of Newtown, like Sharon Harris, are frustrated. She goes to a different location of the same pharmacy chain, which is four miles from her home. “You have to come back sometimes,” she said, “and then they wait so long to fill the prescription.” (Hunter, 6/4)
CBS News:For The First Time In 50 Years, Colorado Lawmakers Approve Funding For Sickle Cell Anemia
Despite efforts to improve health equity in Colorado, racial disparities persist. That's especially true for those living with sickle cell anemia, which primarily affects African Americans. Now, for the first time in 50 years, the state legislature has passed a law to support those impacted by sickle cell, including Meishelle Woods. She began to cry as she talked about how much the law meant to her: "I'm just so happy. It's a step towards helping the patients." (Boyd, 6/4)
Houston Chronicle:Harris County May Seek New Company For 911 Diversion Program
Harris County officials on Tuesday began making new plans to extend a program that sends social workers instead of sheriff’s deputies to some non-violent 911 calls, an effort that was cast in doubt last week due to questions about the contractor running the program. (McGuinness, 6/4)
Health News Florida, WUSF:A Nurse-Run Clinic At Port Tampa Bay Touts Itself As The First Of Its Kind
The USF College of Nursing Port of Tampa Seafarers Center Clinic opened last month to serve maritime workers, including international workers aboard cargo and cruise ships. A new clinic at Port Tampa Bay is being touted as the first nurse-managed clinic in the world at a port. The University of South Florida's College of Nursing will provide primary health services to Port Tampa Bay’s maritime community, as well as international workers aboard cargo and cruise ships. (Miller, 6/4)
The New York Times:Transplanted Pig Kidney Is Removed From Patient
Surgeons removed the kidney of a genetically engineered pig from a critically ill patient last week after the organ was damaged by inadequate blood flow related to a heart pump that the woman had also received, according to officials at NYU Langone Transplant Institute. The patient, Lisa Pisano, 54, who is still hospitalized, went back on kidney dialysis after the pig’s organ was removed. She lived with the transplanted organ for 47 days, Dr. Robert Montgomery, director of the institute, said. The kidney showed no signs of organ rejection. (Rabin, 6/4)
NBC News:Adding Stem Cells To A Kidney Transplant Could Get Patients Off Anti-Rejection Drugs, Trial Finds
A novel approach to organ transplantation allowed patients to wean off anti-rejection drugs after two years, according to the results of a phase 3 clinical trial presented Monday. The drugs, called immunosuppressants, are an essential part of any transplant recipient’s life: They help ensure that the immune system doesn’t attack the donated organ as a “foreign” object, leading to rejection. In doing so, however, they come with a host of toxic side effects, including harming the donated organ and increasing the recipient’s risk of infection and cancer. (Syal and Herzberg, 6/4)
CIDRAP:1 In 4 US Adults Mistakenly Believe MMR Vaccine Causes Autism, Survey Reveals
Despite no evidence that the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine causes autism, a quarter of US adults still think it does, and the false belief is fueling rising measles cases amid falling vaccination rates, finds a survey by the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC)."The persistent false belief that the MMR vaccine causes autism continues to be problematic, especially in light of the recent increase in measles cases," APPC Director Kathleen Hall Jamieson, PhD, said in a centerpress release. "Our studies on vaccination consistently show that the belief that the MMR vaccine causes autism is associated not simply with reluctance to take the measles vaccine but with vaccine hesitancy in general." (Van Beusekom, 6/4)
CBS News:Michigan Company Recalling Ground Black Pepper Distributed Nationwide Due To Salmonella Risk
A Michigan company is recalling its ground black pepper product that was distributed throughout the U.S. because it could be contaminated with salmonella, health officials announced.UBC Food Distributors in Dearborn is recalling a ground black pepper product under the Baraka brand name. The product comes in 7-ounce plastic containers with an expiration date of January 2026, and it was distributed to retail stores nationwide. (Powers, 6/4)
