Read today’s Kaiser Health News
In other news:
About Covid-19
COVID cases likely rising in half of states, CDC estimates: Cases of COVID-19 are now likely growing in 25 states, according to estimates published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday, as this year's summer wave of the virus appears to be getting underway.
The agency's modeling suggests that the uptick is in "many" Southeast, Southern and West Coast states, the CDC said in its weekly update.
About health insurance/insurers
CMS pitches 3.6% bump in Medicare physician pay rule: 8 things to know A really good summary of the announcement I cited in yesterday’s blog.
House GOP eyes deeper Medicaid, Medicare cuts in next budget bill: House Republicans have already begun work on a follow-up budget bill that seeks deeper cuts to Medicaid and new spending reductions in Medicare, Bloomberg reported July 14….
House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, told Bloomberg he sees the legislation — coming this fall — as an opportunity to secure Medicare spending cuts he unsuccessfully sought in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which was signed into law on July 4.
About pharma
Merck & Co. moves once-monthly HIV prevention pill into Phase III: Merck & Co. is diving into the next generation of HIV prevention with a once-a-month pill, entering late-stage trials just weeks after Gilead Sciences' long-acting injection won FDA approval. The move potentially sets up a nascent rivalry between different dosing approaches, with Merck's contender, MK-8527, potentially offering an alternative, non-injectable option for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).
About the public’s health
Obesity-Related Cancer Deaths More Than Triple In U.S.: Cancer deaths linked to obesity more than tripled in the U.S. during the past two decades, a new study says.
Deaths linked to the 13 types of obesity-related cancer rose to 13.5 deaths per million from 3.7 deaths per million between 1999 and 2020, researchers reported Sunday at the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in San Francisco.
What causes obesity? A major new study is upending common wisdom: “Our analyses suggest that increased energy intake has been roughly 10 times more important than declining total energy expenditure in driving the modern obesity crisis,” the study authors write.
In other words, we’re eating too much. We may also be eating the wrong kinds of foods, the study also suggests. In a sub-analysis of the diets of some of the groups from both highly and less-developed nations, the scientists found a strong correlation between the percentage of daily diets that consists of “ultra-processed foods” — which the study’s authors define as “industrial formulations of five or more ingredients” — and higher body-fat percentages.