Morning Consult Health: Biden Expects Final FDA Approval for COVID-19 Vaccines by October
 

Health

Essential health care industry news & intel to start your day.
July 22, 2021
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Democrats’ Push to Fill Medicaid Coverage Gap Would Be a Boon to For-Profit Payers

Two groups stand to benefit if congressional Democrats enact a health insurance option for low-income people in the 12 states that have resisted Medicaid expansion: The roughly 2.2 million people who fall in the so-called coverage gap, and for-profit health insurers.

 

That’s because either policy option Democrats are mulling could end up funneling more people into private plans. Katherine Hempstead, whose research focuses on insurance markets, tells us to keep an eye on the commercial payers expanding their offerings in Georgia, Florida, North Carolina and Texas, where most people live who would gain coverage under Medicaid expansion. Read more here.

 

Top Stories

  • President Joe Biden said during a CNN town hall that he expects U.S. regulators will grant final approval to a COVID-19 vaccine sometime between August and October, and that he thinks children under the age of 12 will be allowed to get vaccinated on an emergency basis “soon.” During the event, Biden fielded questions about the delta variant and low vaccination rates in parts of the country. (The New York Times)
  • China rejected the World Health Organization’s calls for another investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, with Zeng Yixin, the vice minister of China’s National Health Commission, saying during a news conference that “it is impossible for us to accept” a probe that includes a deeper look into the theory that the virus may have spilled from a Chinese lab. (The Associated Press)
  • Senate Republicans blocked an effort to begin debate on the bipartisan infrastructure deal, pushing back the timeline for both that plan and Democrats’ $3.5 trillion domestic policy plan, though negotiators expect to come to a final agreement on the infrastructure bill by early next week. To help pay for the bipartisan bill, lawmakers are considering repealing or further delaying a Trump-era proposal to rein in rebates that pharmacy-benefit managers pay to drug companies and health insurers. (The Wall Street Journal)
  • The American Hospital Association, which represents nearly 5,000 facilities, said it supports mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for health care workers that take into account “local factors and circumstances.” AHA is the largest of the health care groups that have endorsed vaccine requirements in recent days, and its statement comes as health workers clash with their employers over mandates. (The Washington Post)
 

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What Else You Need to Know

Coronavirus
 

White House officials debate masking push as covid infections spike

Annie Linskey et al., The Washington Post

Top White House aides and Biden administration officials are debating whether they should urge vaccinated Americans to wear masks in more settings as the delta variant causes spikes in coronavirus infections across the country, according to six people familiar with the discussions.

 

Growing number of Republicans urge vaccinations amid delta surge

Marianna Sotomayor et al., The Washington Post

A growing number of top Republicans are urging GOP supporters to get vaccinated as the delta coronavirus variant surges across the United States, marking a notable shift away from the anti-vaccine conspiracy theorizing that has gripped much of the party in opposition to the Biden administration’s efforts to combat the virus.

 

Biden’s vaccine misinformation road not taken

Alexandra S. Levine, Politico

President Joe Biden didn’t heed pleas from activists and congressional Democrats last year that he put a dedicated czar or task force in charge of countering falsehoods about Covid vaccines — despite warnings that conspiracy theories about public health were creating “tragic consequences.”

 

Delta variant sweeps through states that dialed back health powers

Alice Miranda Ollstein and Dan Goldberg, Politico

The Delta strain of the coronavirus is racing across the country, driving a surge of new cases and hospitalizations. But local and state officials this time have fewer options to slow the spread.

 

New York City requires health workers to be vaccinated or get tested weekly

Maria Caspani, Reuters

As part of a nationwide response to the threat posed by the more contagious Delta coronavirus variant, New York City will require COVID-19 vaccinations or weekly tests for workers at city-run hospitals and clinics.

 

Olympics Virus Cases Raise Tricky Questions About Testing

Emily Anthes and Alexandra E. Petri, The New York Times

Frequent screening of healthy, vaccinated people will pick up even the mildest infections. How much testing is too much?

 

A Covid adviser to the Pentagon, Max Rose, departs and reflects on his role.

Jennifer Steinhauer, The New York Times

Outside of its attempt to vaccinate millions of service members, their families and others affiliated with the department, the military helped set up various mass vaccination sites around the United States, led by the National Guard, to vaccinate some 20 million civilians.

 

You got a coronavirus vaccine. But you still became infected. How did that happen?

Ben Guarino, The Washington Post

Within the past week, positive coronavirus test results were delivered to at least three New York Yankees players, an Olympic gymnast alternate, multiple state lawmakers from Texas, a White House official and a staffer in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office.

 

Vaccine IP-Waiver Talks Are ‘Moving Slowly,’ WTO Chief Says

Bryce Baschuk, Bloomberg Law

A World Trade Organization negotiation aimed at securing an intellectual-property waiver for Covid-19 vaccines is “moving slowly at this time, as members try to reconcile differing views and approaches,” WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala says during a meeting with vaccine manufacturers.

 

CDC advisory group meets to review data on extra shots for immune-compromised

Erika Edwards, NBC News

A panel of independent advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will meet Thursday to discuss whether some patients may need an additional dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.

 

Two doses of Pfizer, AstraZeneca shots effective against Delta variant, study finds

Alistair Smout, Reuters

Two doses of Pfizer or AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine are nearly as effective against the highly transmissible Delta coronavirus variant as they are against the previously dominant Alpha variant, a study published on Wednesday showed.

 

We’re Zeroing In On the ‘Holy Grail’ of COVID-19 Immunity

Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic

There’s no good way of measuring whether your vaccine worked—yet.

 

More than 1.5 million children have lost a caregiver to the pandemic, a study says.

Dan Levin, The New York Times

An estimated 1.5 million children worldwide lost a mother, father or other caregiving relative in the first 14 months of the pandemic, according to a new study. More than a million lost primary caregivers.

 
General
 

Sharp Rise in Drug Overdose Deaths Fuels House Bipartisanship

Allie Reed and Jacquie Lee, Bloomberg Law

Punitive “hook ‘em and book ‘em” policies to combat drug addiction are ineffective at stopping substance use and overdose deaths, lawmakers on a powerful House panel concurred as five bills targeting the issue sped through on unanimous votes.

 

Federal judge blocks Arkansas ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth

Justine Coleman, The Hill

A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked the Arkansas law that bans gender-affirming care for transgender youth as part of the state’s legal battle with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

 

Why a U.S. Lawmaker Wants to Talk About Pregnancy Loss

Chelsea Cirruzzo, U.S. News & World Report

New legislation from U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley aims to increase support for people who suffer a miscarriage or similar loss.

 
Payers
 

Anthem’s Medical Care Costs Rise As Pandemic Disruptions Ease

John Tozzi, Bloomberg Law

Health insurer Anthem Inc. said medical costs in the second quarter exceeded baseline levels, a sign that Covid’s dampening of regular health-care usage may be fading.

 

Anthem still determining what to do with Aduhelm

Bob Herman, Axios

Anthem is “going to continue to evaluate” the data around Aduhelm, the controversial Alzheimer’s drug, before making final insurance coverage decisions, CEO Gail Boudreaux told investors Wednesday.

 
Providers
 

Hospital systems to Congress: “Enough is enough” on gun violence

Marisa Fernandez, Axios

More than a dozen CEOs of major health systems sent a letter to Congressional leaders Wednesday calling for support of President Biden’s proposal to fund $5 billion in hospital and community-based gun violence intervention programs.

 

Biden’s outpatient pay rule could have mixed impact on provider competition

Michael Brady, Modern Healthcare

The Biden administration caught the healthcare industry’s attention with its plan to slap hospitals with fines of up to $2 million for violating price transparency rules.

 

Radiation therapy ‘under attack’ from CMS cuts, professional body warns

Nick Paul Taylor, Healthcare Dive

Patient access to radiation therapy is “under attack” from incoming Medicare payment cuts, the group representing healthcare professionals working in the space alleged this week.

 

Meet The Immigrant Entrepreneurs Who Raised $350 Million To Rethink U.S. Primary Care

Katie Jennings, Forbes

Carbon Health cofounders Eren Bali and Caesar Djavaherian expect the company could go public as soon as next year.

 
Pharma, Biotech and Devices
 

J&J, Distributors Reach Settlement With States Over Opioids

Jef Feeley and Chris Dolmetsch, Bloomberg

Drug maker Johnson & Johnson and three opioid distributors have agreed to pay $26 billion to settle thousands of government lawsuits blaming them for helping create a public-health crisis tied to their mishandling of the painkillers.

 

Pharma pushes back on Congress’ flirtation with delaying rebate rule to help pay for infrastructure

Robert King, Fierce Healthcare

The pharmaceutical industry is trying to halt a bipartisan effort to delay a controversial rebate rule to pay for an infrastructure package.

 

Roche in talks with FDA on Alzheimer’s candidate, says CEO

Michael Shields, Reuters

Swiss drugmaker Roche is discussing its potential treatment for Alzheimer’s disease with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as clinical trials proceed, Chief Executive Severin Schwan told reporters on Thursday.

 
Health Technology
 

Happify to release prescription app to treat depression under loosened FDA rules

Mario Aguilar, Stat News

Leveraging Food and Drug Administration regulations loosened during the pandemic, Happify Health, which is best known for its consumer wellness app, will launch new prescription-only software to treat depression.

 

Merck taps Evidation to use apps, wearables to detect early stages of Alzheimer’s

Heather Landi, Fierce Healthcare

Merck has tapped Evidation to explore whether data collected from smartphone apps and wearables can help to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease early.

 
Opinions, Editorials and Perspectives
 

CDC guidance on masking needs to change — now

Jerome Adams, The Washington Post

I was among those who initially thought that the revised guidance might encourage more people to get vaccinated. But things have not worked out as I and other public health experts had hoped.

 
Morning Consult