About Covid-19
FDA to okay second omicron-targeting booster for some, officials say “Federal regulators have decided to authorize a second omicron-specific coronavirus vaccine booster shot for people who are at least 65 or have weak immune systems — an effort to provide additional protection to high-risk individuals, according to several officials familiar with the plan.
The Food and Drug Administration is expected to announce the step in the next few weeks, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to move quickly to endorse it, said the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss internal discussions.”
Coronavirus variant XBB.1.16 spotted in 18 US states “The new SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant XBB.1.16 has spurred increased hospitalizations and deaths in some countries. In the U.S., the dominant variant is still XBB.1.5, but health officials say other variants are on the rise.”
About health insurance/insurers
Changes in Marketplace Premiums and Insurer Participation, 2022-2023 “KEY TAKEAWAYS
We find that premiums increased by 3.4% nationally between 2022 and 2023, following several years of small declines. The increase is largely due to the strong economic growth and inflationary pressures; increases were dampened by the anticipated extension of Inflation Reduction Act premium subsidies and their effect on risk pools.
The wide variation in premiums across states remains and is largely explained by the amount of competition and the presence of Medicaid insurers. For example, areas with large numbers of insurers tended to have lower premiums and areas with more limited competition such as rural areas and small states had higher premiums.
We also found an increase in insurer participation among large commercial insurers who have reentered marketplaces in large numbers. There has also been an increase in participation by provider sponsored insurers.”
About hospitals and healthcare systems
Most hospital websites routinely transfer patient data via tracking tools “Nearly all (98.6%) hospital websites leverage third-party tracking code that routinely transfers patient data to large technology companies, social media giants, advertising firms, and data brokers, in likely violation of federal privacy laws…”
Trustee Compensation And Charity Care Provision In US Nonprofit Hospitals “In 2019 more than one-third of US nonprofit hospitals compensated their trustees. These hospitals provided less charity care than nonprofit hospitals that did not compensate their trustees. We found that trustee compensation was negatively associated with hospitals’ charity care provision and that it may affect the self-selection of trustees and their fulfillment of their fiduciary duties.”
States Step In as Telehealth and Clinic Patients Get Blindsided by Hospital Fees “Millions of Americans are … blindsided by hospital bills for doctor appointments that didn’t require setting foot inside a hospital. Hospitals argue that facility fees are needed to pay for staff and overhead expenses, particularly when hospitals don’t employ their own physicians. But consumer advocates say there’s no reason hospitals should charge more than independent clinics for the same services…
At least eight states agree such charges are questionable. They have implemented limits on facility fees or are moving to clamp down on the charges. Among them are Connecticut, which already limits facility fees, and Colorado, where lawmakers are considering a similar measure. Together, the initiatives could signal a wave of restrictions similar to the movement that led to a federal law to ban surprise bills, which took effect last year…
Research suggests that when hospitals acquire physician practices and hire those doctors, the physicians’ professional fees go up and, with the addition of facility fees, the total cost of care to the patient increases, as well.”
Comment: As I have written before, these fees need to be eliminated.
About pharma
J&J opens its wallet with whopping $8.9B talc settlement offer “The drugmaker on Tuesday said it’s offering $8.9 billion over 25 years to resolve all lawsuits claiming that the company’s talc-containing baby powders caused cancer. The deal proposal comes after years of litigation and a high profile, $2 billion verdict which J&J unsuccessfully appealed all the way to the Supreme Court.”
About the public’s health
Social Security trust funds depletion date moves one year earlier to 2034, Treasury says “KEY POINTS
Social Security’s combined funds that pay retirement, disability and family benefits will be able to pay scheduled benefits until 2034, according to the program’s annual trustees report released on Friday.
At that time, the program will be able to pay 80% of scheduled benefits.
The new projection date is one year earlier than the forecast from last year, prompting retirement advocates to call on Congress to fix both Social Security and Medicare.”
White House rolls out new cancer initiative to help implement ‘Moonshot’ “Federal health officials on Monday outlined a new framework aimed at helping to implement the White House ‘Cancer Moonshot’ initiative.
One of the main goals of the Moonshot initiative is to reduce cancer mortality by at least 50 percent over the next 25 years. To accomplish that, the new National Cancer Plan includes eight distinct goals to prevent cancer, reduce mortality and maximize quality of life for people living with it.
The recommendations in the plan are written as broad aspirational statements and include pursuing new vaccines to prevent cancers, eliminating tobacco exposure and maximizing equitable access to proven treatments.”
EU recommendations for 2023-2024 seasonal flu vaccine composition A reminder of how early the composition is set.
About healthcare personnel
More state lawmakers push to end 'exorbitant' contract labor prices “A growing number of state legislators want to prevent staffing agencies from gouging health systems that use temporary workers.”
So far, eleven states have introduced such legislation.