• An advisory panel to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declined to make a recommendation about whether Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine should continue to be used in the United States, with expert advisers saying they need more time and data to determine whether the shot is linked to rare blood-clotting issues. The delay means the pause in J&J’s vaccine rollout could last at least another seven to 10 days. (The New York Times)
• The Biden administration moved to roll back a Trump-era restriction that blocked federal family planning funding to groups that provided or referred patients for abortions. The Biden administration said about a quarter of the Title X program’s providers left because of the restrictions, which took effect in 2019, and the new proposed rule would largely return it to its pre-Trump operations. (Politico)
• Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. plans to spend more than $15 billion to buy PPD Inc., which provides lab services and runs clinical trials testing experimental drugs for pharmaceutical companies, according to people familiar with the deal, which could be finalized as soon as this week. It would be the second major acquisition this year in the contract-research industry, following Icon PLC’s $12 billion purchase of PRA Health Sciences Inc. (The Wall Street Journal)
• Merck & Co. will launch a late-stage trial testing an experimental antiviral drug among COVID-19 patients who are at risk of poor outcomes but have not been hospitalized, in what could become the first pill for COVID-19 targeting high-risk patients. The company also said it will no longer try to use the drug, called molnupiravir, in hospitalized patients. (Reuters)

2021 Medical Loss Ratio Rebates

Kaiser Family Foundation

States fret pause in J&J vaccine could drive up hesitancy

Rachel Roubein and Dan Goldberg, Politico

The Biden administration remains adamant that sticking with the science will boost public confidence in the vaccine rollout.

Underserved communities bear brunt of paused Johnson & Johnson rollout

Isaac Stanley-Becker, The Washington Post

Because the single-shot option is favored for transient and hard-to-reach populations, the pause’s most immediate cost was exacted on those with the fewest other options.

Ex-FDA Chief Sees ‘Struggle’ To Vaccinate More Than Half U.S. Population

Steve Inskeep, NPR News

A former head of the Food and Drug Administration also has doubts about reaching herd immunity, the point at which the virus can no longer spread easily through the population.

Americans will likely have to navigate a maze of vaccine “passports”

Ashley Gold and Caitlin Owens, Axios

Many private businesses and some states are plowing ahead with methods of verifying that people have been vaccinated, despite conservative resistance to “vaccine passports.”

A Tiny Number of People Will Be Hospitalized Despite Being Vaccinated. We Have to Learn Why.

Caroline Chen, ProPublica

Experts say we should investigate “breakthrough infections” to look out for variants and understand who’s vulnerable. In many cases, that’s not happening. Crucial pieces of the puzzle are being tossed in the trash.

What the Coronavirus Variants Mean for Testing

Emily Anthes, The New York Times

Most tests should be able to detect the variants of concern, but test developers and health officials must remain vigilant, scientists say.

CDC: Vacant middle seats on airplanes can reduce COVID-19 spread by up to 57%

Orion Rummler, Axios

While all major U.S. airlines are requiring passengers to wear face masks, the study finds that masking and social distancing combined are more protective than either by itself.

Moderna’s CEO shares his strategy to develop a ‘world-changing’ single vaccine that protects against COVID-19, the flu, and other respiratory illnesses

Andrew Dunn, Insider

“I believe this vaccine will transform the world in terms of hospitalization,” Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel told Insider.

U.S. could have 300 million extra vaccine doses by end of July, raising concerns over hoarding

Adam Taylor, The Washington Post

The United States is on track to have gathered an oversupply of hundreds of millions of coronavirus vaccine doses by as soon as July, even while many countries in the developing world will have to wait years to vaccinate a majority of their population, according to a report released Thursday by the Duke Global Health Innovation Center.

Overdose Deaths Have Surged During the Pandemic, C.D.C. Data Shows

Abby Goodnough, The New York Times

The latest numbers surpass even the yearly tolls during the height of the opioid epidemic and mark a reversal of progress against addiction in recent years.

U.S. Suicides Declined Over All in 2020 but May Have Risen Among People of Color

Roni Caryn Rabin, The New York Times

Despite dire predictions, the number of suicides fell by 5 percent over all. Still, smaller studies suggested the trends were much worse among nonwhite Americans.

Coding to Hide Health Prices from Web Searches Is Barred by Regulators

Anna Wilde Mathews and Tom McGinty, The Wall Street Journal

Under new federal requirements, both hospitals and insurers must reveal long-confidential pricing data, including the rates that insurers pay for services.

Employers Must Find, Tell Laid-Off Workers of Health Subsidies

Sara Hansard, Bloomberg Law

Employers have little time to waste in identifying and notifying laid-off employees who qualify for free health-care coverage under the American Rescue Plan signed into law last month by President Joe Biden.

Final Rule on Hospital Reclassification Clears White House Review

Fawn Johnson, Bloomberg Law

A Medicare rule that makes changes to how hospitals can reclassify themselves to receive higher government payments cleared the White House Tuesday, and it can now be published at any time.

5 Health Care Jobs on the Rise

Kerry Hannon, The New York Times

Economists at the Labor Department project that from 2019 to 2029 employment in health care in the United States will grow 15 percent, much faster than the average for all occupations, adding about 2.4 million new jobs during that span.

Change Healthcare Sued Over $8 Billion Deal With UnitedHealth

Mike Leonard, Bloomberg Law

A pension fund sued Change Healthcare Inc. in Delaware, the same day as an investor vote approving its $8 billion sale to UnitedHealth Group Inc., seeking to investigate whether its board and backers at Blackstone Group LP pushed the deal to maximize side payments for themselves.

Anthem, Blackstone, digital health startup K Health launch joint venture to curb costs

Rebecca Pifer, Healthcare Dive

Anthem, digital health startup K Health and Blackstone Growth are launching a joint venture focused on leveraging technology to better triage patient care and lower healthcare costs.

Glucose monitors revolutionized diabetes care. Now digital health startups want to bring them to the masses

Katie Palmer, Stat News

For the 1.6 million people in America living with type 1 diabetes, a continuous glucose monitor can be a lifesaver.

Loosen Telehealth Restrictions, Employers Urge Congress

Sara Hansard, Bloomberg Law

Congress should allow medical providers to offer telehealth services across state lines and allow those services to be covered without requiring that annual deductibles be met, a group representing large employers plans to tell a congressional subcommittee Thursday.

Senate Needs to Take Nursing Home Field Advantage

Lisa Grabert (Research Professor, Marquette University), Morning Consult

Over 172,000 COVID deaths (more than one-third) are linked to nursing homes. It is clear that our health system needs to do more for America’s seniors.