Coronavirus
Biden’s Orphaned AstraZeneca Stockpile Rises to 20 Million Doses
Josh Wingrove, Bloomberg
The U.S. stockpile of the controversial AstraZeneca Plc coronavirus vaccine has grown to more than 20 million doses, according to people familiar with the matter, even as the shot looks increasingly unlikely to factor into President Joe Biden’s domestic vaccination campaign.
Vaccinated Mothers Are Trying to Give Babies Antibodies via Breast Milk
Heather Murphy, The New York Times
Multiple studies show that there are antibodies in a vaccinated mother’s milk. This has led some women to try to restart breastfeeding and others to share milk with friends’ children.
Supporters tout anti-parasite drug as covid-19 treatment, but skeptics call it the ‘new hydroxychloroquine’
Laurie McGinley, The Washington Post
An NIH trial may settle debate over ivermectin; officials warn people not to take animal formulation of the drug.
Scientists hunt for antiviral drugs to fight COVID-19
Alison Snyder, Axios
Antiviral drugs can be a key pandemic-fighting tool, but so far there’s only one approved in the U.S. for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
Has the Era of Overzealous Cleaning Finally Come to an End?
Emily Anthes, The New York Times
This week, the C.D.C. acknowledged what scientists have been saying for months: The risk of catching the coronavirus from surfaces is low.
Bipartisan lawmakers urge Biden to send more vaccines to Michigan amid spike
Peter Sullivan, The Hill
A bipartisan pair of lawmakers representing Michigan wrote to President Biden on Thursday urging him to increase the vaccine allocation for the state amid a surge in cases.
Online Scammers Have a New Offer for You: Vaccine Cards
Sheera Frenkel, The New York Times
Hundreds of sellers are offering false and stolen vaccine cards, as businesses and states weigh proof of vaccinations for getting people back to work and play.
Scientists work toward an elusive dream: a simple pill to treat Covid-19
Damian Garde, Stat News
The world has vaccines that can prevent most cases of Covid-19. Now what it needs is a Tamiflu for SARS-CoV-2.
Kati Kariko Helped Shield the World From the Coronavirus
Gina Kolata, The New York Times
Collaborating with devoted colleagues, Dr. Kariko laid the groundwork for the mRNA vaccines turning the tide of the pandemic.
Fauci Thanks US Health Workers for Sacrifices but Admits PPE Shortages Drove Up Death Toll
Jessica Glenza, Kaiser Health News/The Guardian
Dr. Anthony Fauci thanked America’s health care workers, who “every single day put themselves at risk” during the pandemic, even as he acknowledged that PPE shortages had contributed to the deaths of more than 3,600 of them.
Military vaccinations slow abroad, and the Pentagon points to a Johnson & Johnson factory error.
Jennifer Steinhauer, The New York Times
The contamination of as many as 15 million doses of Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine has hobbled the military’s ability to vaccinate its overseas troops and their families, Defense Department officials said on Thursday.
Payers
Cigna and Oscar expand their small business partnership
Nona Tepper, Modern Healthcare
Cigna Corp. and Oscar Health have expanded their small-group offering in California, and analysts called the low-stakes partnership a PR stunt intended to distract from the startup’s poor performance in the public markets.
States Watch Arkansas Navigate Medicaid Overhaul
Chelsea Cirruzzo, U.S. News & World Report
Arkansas is not yet ready to drop its legal challenges for Medicaid work requirements but is looking to recreate its system.
There are some snags in free COBRA health insurance for unemployed. Here’s what you need to know
Annie Nova, CNBC
The rules in the $1.9 trillion relief bill passed in March seemed straightforward enough: The government would pay for people’s COBRA premiums for six months beginning on April 1
MACPAC wants to cut Medicaid spending on high-cost specialty drugs
Michael Brady, Modern Healthcare
The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission is poised to recommend changes to how Medicaid pays for high-cost specialty drugs.
Providers
Maryland Breaks Ground With New Hospital Debt-Collection Measure
Alex Ruoff, Bloomberg Law
Maryland is poised to become the first state to require hospitals to report publicly on debt-collection lawsuits they file against their patients and to curtail wage garnishments for some who don’t pay their medical bills.
CommonSpirit inks deal with women’s health startup Tia on primary care network
Rebecca Pifer, Healthcare Dive
Concierge primary care startup Tia is partnering with nonprofit health system CommonSpirit to build a series of women’s health clinics connecting inpatient and outpatient care.
Urgent Care Network to Pay $22 Million Over Billing Credentials
Christopher Brown, Bloomberg Law
The largest urgent care provider network in South Carolina will pay $22.5 million to settle a whistleblower’s allegations it improperly billed Medicare and other federal health-care programs for services provided by physicians who didn’t have billing credentials with those programs, the Department of Justice said.
Pharma, Biotech and Devices
Drugs for autoimmune disorders account for growing part of pharmacy spend: Prime Therapeutics
Paige Minemyer, Fierce Healthcare
Drugs for inflammatory autoimmune conditions account for a growing chunk of pharmacy spend, according to new data from Prime Therapeutics.
Health Technology
A new wave of digital weight loss companies are raking in millions in funding by relying on decades-old psychology principles, experts say
Patricia Kelly Yeo, Insider
Now, a new wave of direct-to-consumer digital weight loss companies think they can win users and get more Americans to lose weight. Although they each have different approaches, experts told Insider they largely use the same behavioral psychology principles that have been used for decades, only delivered via mobile apps.
Digital pharmacy startup Thirty Madison taps former Lilly exec as president
Erin Brodwin, Stat News
After nearly three decades working at two of the world’s pharmaceutical giants, Michelle Carnahan is going digital.
Opinions, Editorials and Perspectives
Medicaid’s Denial of Lifesaving Treatments
Douglas Holtz-Eakin (President, American Action Forum) and Kenneth E. Thorpe (Robert W. Woodruff Professor and Chair, Department of Health Policy & Management in the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University)
What we’re beginning to see right now in budget-crunched Medicaid programs around the country are proposals to restrict patient access to breakthrough, lifesaving medications under the assumption that they are driving up state Medicaid costs.
Research Reports
Healthcare Merger & Acquisition Activity Report: Q1 2021
Anu Singh, Kaufman Hall
The quarter’s activity includes a major combination of for-profit operators and a significant realignment of hospital ownership in the upper Midwest, which collectively result in a noteworthy number of 72 hospital facilities being transacted in Q1 2021.
General
US suicides dropped last year, defying pandemic expectations
Mike Stobbe, The Associated Press
The number of U.S. suicides fell nearly 6% last year amid the coronavirus pandemic — the largest annual decline in at least four decades, according to preliminary government data.
She Can’t Sue Her Doctor Over Her Baby’s Death. When She Spoke Out, She Was Silenced Again.
Carol Marbin Miller and Daniel Chang, Miami Herald/ProPublica
Ruth Jacques, distraught over the fatal injuries her son suffered during childbirth, couldn’t sue her doctor because of an obscure Florida state law. When she protested at his office, she was told to cease and desist.
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