Key Takeaways
• Cartoonist Scott Adams needs quick access to a new cancer treatment called Pluvicto.
• His healthcare provider, Kaiser of Northern California, approved the drug but hasn’t scheduled his...
Health Policy Appointments Stir Debate
President-elect Donald Trump's selection of key health policy administrators has stirred quite a discussion. Trump's choices, notably vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and TV superstar turned heart surgeon Mehmet Oz, to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for...
The Long Pause
It's been nearly a year since the Biden administration approved Florida to import lower-cost prescription medications from Canada. However, the program still hasn't seen the light of day. Notably, Florida became the first state to receive this clearance, a feat political figures across parties, including then-President-elect Donald...
Key Takeaways:
- The Denisovans are a new group of hominins discovered from a finger bone found in Siberia.
- Their genetic traces still exist in contemporary populations across Oceania, Asia, and indigenous American populations.
- Denisovans interbred with modern humans multiple times across different geographies and populations.
- Denisovan DNA contributed to...
Key Takeaways:
- The process for federal food recommendations is expected to extend into 2025.
- This means that Biden's team will miss the chance to set new guidelines before the Trump administration resumes.
- This situation is unusual, following similar close scenarios for updates in 2005 and 2020.
Federal Food Guidelines Revision...
Key Takeaways:
• Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a Stanford University health researcher, is appointed as the director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
• Together with RFK Jr, Bhattacharya is on a mission to upgrade NIH as the gold standard of medical research.
• Their team aims to address America's health issues...
Key Takeaways:
• The Biden administration is extending Medicare and Medicaid coverage for anti-obesity drugs.
• Previously, the coverage was limited to patients having diabetes or cardiovascular conditions related to obesity, or who were merely overweight.
• This is all part of a new proposal from the Department of Health and Human...
The Personal Mental Strain of US Elections
Recent elections in the United States have brought to light the considerable stress and mental strain many voters experience. Two weeks since the presidential election, voters across the country are still coming to terms with the outcome. One such voter is 60-year-old Bay...
Key takeaways:
- Dr. Mehmet Oz might still endorse health products even after his government assignment.
- Oz is tied to major health tech firms, raising conflict-of-interest issues.
- Known for endorsing pseudoscience, his supplement promotions have drawn criticism from medical experts.
- Despite the backlash, Oz continues endorsing the alternative medicine industry.
-...
Key Takeaways:
- No E.coli related cases have been reported yet in Florida due to baby carrots.
- Foodborne illnesses are anticipated to rise due to increased reliance on pre-packaged, cold-storage items.
- Listeria contamination is becoming increasingly prevalent in the food industry.
- Federal authorities are expanding their vigilance to prevent future...
Key Takeaways:
- Less than 20% of U.S. adults have received a COVID-19 vaccine.
- Just over a third (34.7%) of American adults have been vaccinated against influenza.
- Rates of vaccination for both diseases vary across states and territories.
- An alarming 60% of Americans are unlikely to get updated vaccines this...
Key Takeaways:
- The Biden administration proposes a rule for Medicare and Medicaid to cover popular weight loss drugs for obese Americans.
- The proposed new rule could cost taxpayers up to $35 billion over the next decade.
- The rule would immediately provoke a showdown with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a...
Key Takeaways:
- The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) presents a new rule proposal to cover weight-loss drugs under Medicare and Medicaid.
- The announcement by HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra may spark disagreement with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., set to become HHS secretary.
- The weight-loss drugs, Ozempic and Wegovy,...
Key Takeaways:
- HIV infections and related deaths decrease globally, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa.
- Preventative measures, such as the PrEP treatment, are effective tools.
- A new antiretroviral treatment called lenacapavir shows promise, with 100% prevention success rate but may not be affordable for everyone.
During the past decade, the world achieved...
Public Health: A Misunderstood Concept
Public health typically addresses the health of entire communities, focusing on aspects like the environment, nutrition, and safety. It is misunderstood largely due to its collective approach. However, the rising tension among President-elect Donald Trump’s appointees regarding the nation's public health system, in the midst...
Key Takeaways:
- Trump's nomination of Scott Bessent as Treasury Secretary points towards limits to Elon Musk's influence.
- Musk, despite financially supporting Trump's election, had objected to Bessent's nomination.
- Musk had advocated for Cantor Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick instead, who was later appointed Commerce Secretary.
- This change in the nomination...
Key Takeaways:
- Ling’er, a Chinese transgender woman, was awarded 60,000 yuan (approximately $8,300) for unconsensual electroshock therapy sessions.
- The hospital erroneously labeled her transgender status as an 'anxiety disorder and discordant sexual orientation.'
- She hopes her experience will pave the way for changes in the treatment of the LGBTQ+...
GEO Group Files Federal Lawsuit
GEO Group, a major private prison contractor from Florida, has legally challenged California over a state law allowing local public health inspections of immigration detention centers. The company argues California’s new law is unconstitutional since it treads on the federal government’s authority to manage these...
Key Takeaways:
* Arkansas became the first state to require some Medicaid recipients to work, volunteer, or get education in 2018.
* The policy led to 18,000 adults losing their coverage before it was halted in 2019.
* Under the Trump administration, 13 states received permission to impose work rules on some...
Key Takeaways:
- The opioid crisis continues to be a public health challenge, leading to the development of opioid-free anesthesia.
- Opioid-free surgery uses an array of technologies to target different pain receptors protecting patients from opioid dependence and side effects.
- Psychological factors significantly influence the perception of pain, indicating the...
Key Takeaways:
- An unidentified strain of avian flu was discovered in a sample of raw milk provided by the Fresno-based dairy Raw Farm LLC.
- Raw Farm LLC is also linked to previous outbreaks of foodborne illnesses, with several product recalls over the past two decades.
- Pasteurization is a key...
