About the public’s health
FDA greenlights its first coronavirus antibody blood test for the point of care: “The FDA has authorized its first COVID-19 antibody test designed to be used on-site at the point of care—such as within doctors' offices, urgent care centers and emergency rooms—as opposed to having samples shipped and tested within a central laboratory.
The fingerstick blood test, which operates using only a lined strip similar to a pregnancy test, is designed to provide results for two types of coronavirus antibodies within 15 minutes.”
Young adults account for more COVID-19 cases than any other age group, CDC says: “While older Americans were the ones disproportionately affected early in the pandemic, young adults aged 20 to 29 now account for 20 percent of all cases.
The findings suggest that young people are not as immune to the virus as some previously thought, and that young adults are contributing to the community spread of the virus, including to people at high risk for more severe illness.”
NOWHERE TO GO: MATERNITY CARE DESERTS ACROSS THE U.S. 2020 REPORT: From the March of Dimes: “Today, 7 million women of childbearing age live in counties without access or with limited accessto maternity care. These women are giving birth to more than 500,000 babies a year and this is putting them at risk of serious health complications.”
U.S. records over 7 million COVID-19 cases as Midwest outbreak surges:”The number of novel coronavirus cases in the United States topped 7 million - more than 20% of the world’s total - as Midwest states reported spikes in COVID-19 infections in September, according to a Reuters tally.”
CDC will distribute $200 million for COVID-19 vaccine preparations: “The money will be sent through CDC's existing immunization cooperative agreement and will help support 64 jurisdictions as they plan and implement COVID-19 vaccination services, HHS said.
The amount each jurisdiction receives is determined based on the size of the population there.”
Trump says White House may overrule FDA plans for stricter COVID-19 vaccine standards:”US President Donald Trump indicated that the White House could block plans by the FDA to release tougher standards for granting emergency-use authorisation (EUA) of eventual COVID-19 vaccines, claiming that such a move by the agency appears politically motivated.”
Black women with breast cancer experience delayed, longer treatment than whites: “Our study found that Black women experienced delays in both treatment initiation and duration more often than white women. Even among women with low socioeconomic status, we still saw fewer delays among white women, underscoring the disparate experience of Black women, who appear to experience unique barriers…”
Trends in Cardiovascular Disease Prevalence by Income Level in the United States: “This study found substantial and increasing disparities in CVD prevalence between the richest and poorest participants in the NHANES from 1999 to 2016, with lower CVD rate reported among the highest-resources group. Additional research into the dynamics of income inequality and health outcomes as well as policy and public health efforts to mitigate this inequality are needed.”
About pharma
Trump approves final plan to import drugs from Canada ‘for a fraction of the price’: “The final plan clears the way for Florida and other states to implement a program bringing medications across the border despite the strong objections of drugmakers and the Canadian government.
Florida, the biggest swing state in the presidential election, is one of six states to pass laws seeking federal approval to import drugs. Trump’s announcement came the same day counties in Florida began sending out vote-by-mail ballots.”
FDA updates benzodiazepine boxed warning: ”The new information, to be added to an updated boxed warning and to prescribing information for all benzodiazepine medicines, will provide a uniform method of describing the risks of misuse or abuse, as well as risks of addiction and the potential for withdrawal symptoms ‘consistently across all the medicines in the class,’ according to FDA.”
About health insurance
Trump signs U.S. healthcare executive orders that may have little impact: The President signed two executive orders, neither of which has the force of law. The first “guarantees” insurance companies cannot discriminate on the basis of pre-existing conditions. The ACA, which the administration is trying to repeal, does legally guarantee that right. The other order says Congress should work to solve the problem of surprise bills, something on which it has already been working.
Trump Administration Announces Historically Low Medicare Advantage Premiums and New Payment Model to Make Insulin Affordable Again for Seniors: “The Medicare Advantage average monthly plan premium is expected to decrease 11 percent to $21.00 (estimated) in 2021 from an average of $23.63 in 2020. Since 2017, the average monthly Medicare Advantage premium has decreased by an estimated 34.2 percent. This is the lowest that the average monthly premium for a Medicare Advantage plan has been since 2007.”
Catastrophic Health Expenditures Across Insurance Types and Incomes Before and After the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: “ACA implementation was associated with 2 million fewer US adults with catastrophic expenditures each year. Financial protection improved for the lowest income quartile, which was one of the ACA’s principal aims. However, improvements were not observed in higher income quartiles or among the privately insured, who represent an increasing share of those experiencing catastrophic expenditures. Among individuals in the poorest quartile, the privately insured are the most vulnerable, with one-third experiencing catastrophic spending annually. These findings help to explain why so many US residents, including those with insurance, continue to worry about their ability to afford needed care.”
2020 Scorecard on State Health System Performance: The Commonwealth Fund’s three major conclusions:
”Insurance coverage gains associated with the Affordable Care Act (ACA) have stalled, and affordability and out-of-pocket costs are worsening.
Increased prices for health care services are a major driver of overall spending growth, and this has led to higher costs for consumers in commercial plans.
Premature deaths from treatable conditions and deaths from suicide, alcohol, and drug overdose continue to impact life expectancy.”
The top state was, again, Hawaii. Read the report for more details.
About healthcare quality
As hospitals look to prevent infections, a chorus of researchers make a case for copper surfaces: “As hospitals across the country hunt for ways to reduce the spread of pathogens to patients, a growing chorus of researchers is arguing that a simple swap might help: replace stainless steel surfaces with copper.”
About hospitals and health systems
100 of the largest hospitals and health systems in America | 2020: A list FYI.
16 hospitals planning upgrades, expansions: Amazing that institutions are still building.