RURAL HEALTH NEWS TAILORED TO YOU
Each month, KFF Health News’ Rural Dispatch newsletter covers health issues in places where accessing care can be more challenging. Check out our Montana, Colorado, and Georgia newsletters, too. Sign up here!
In This Edition:
- KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES
- 1. RFK Jr.’s Vaccine Panel Expected To Recommend Delaying Hepatitis B Shot for Children
- 2. An HIV Outbreak in Maine Shows the Risk of Trump’s Crackdown on Homelessness and Drug Use
- 3. Political Cartoon: ‘Credit Card – STAT!’
- PUBLIC HEALTH
- 8. Tyson Foods Announces It Will Remove Corn Syrup From Foods By End Of Year
- 9. Twice-Yearly Time Changes Can Harm Your Health, Study Says
- EDITORIALS AND OPINIONS
- 10. Viewpoints: RFK Jr. Wants To Remake Rural Health Care; Preventable Deaths Will Follow Anti-Vaccine Rhetoric
From KFF Health News:
KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES
1. RFK Jr.’s Vaccine Panel Expected To Recommend Delaying Hepatitis B Shot for Children
A federal vaccine panel, recently reshaped by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is expected to vote on delaying the hepatitis B shot for newborns. Pediatricians warn that could open the door to a comeback for a disease virtually eradicated among U.S. children. (Jackie Fortiér, 9/16)
2. An HIV Outbreak in Maine Shows the Risk of Trump’s Crackdown on Homelessness and Drug Use
Public health experts and advocates say the outbreak has been fueled by a confluence of local factors, including the sweeping of a homeless encampment and shuttering of a sterile-syringe program. But those issues may not remain local for long. The Trump administration is leading efforts to promote similar tactics nationwide. (Aneri Pattani, 9/16)
3. Political Cartoon: ‘Credit Card – STAT!’
KFF Health News provides a fresh take on health policy developments with “Political Cartoon: ‘Credit Card – STAT!'” by Bill Whitehead.
Here’s today’s health policy haiku:
THERE’S THE RUB
Research is the way
to prevention, cures, and health.
Stopping research kills.
– Marge Kilkelly
If you have a health policy haiku to share, please Contact Usand let us know if we can include your name. Haikus follow the format of 5-7-5 syllables. We give extra brownie points if you link back to an original story.
Opinions expressed in haikus and cartoons are solely the author’s and do not reflect the opinions of KFF Health News or KFF.
Summaries Of The News:
4. RFK Jr. Adds 5 ACIP Panelists, Including Skeptics Of Vaccines, Covid Protocol
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices this week will meet and vote on chickenpox, covid-19, and hepatitis B shots. Former CDC officials expect the panel will vote against recommending hep B shots for newborns. Plus, ousted CDC Director Susan Monarez preps for a Senate hearing.
CNN: Five New Members Named To Influential CDC Vaccine Advisory Committee Days Ahead Of Key Meeting
Five new members have been named to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory committee, the US Department of Health and Human Services said Monday, just days ahead of a key meeting about vaccines for Covid-19 and other diseases. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been preparing to appoint as many as seven new members for the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which is tasked with reviewing the latest science on vaccines and then making recommendations to the CDC on how they should be used. (Dillinger and Goodman, 9/15)
AP: Kennedy’s Vaccine Committee To Vote Chickenpox, COVID-19, Hepatitis B Shots
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s new vaccine advisory committee meets this week, with votes expected on whether to change recommendations on shots against COVID-19, hepatitis B and chickenpox. The exact questions to be voted on Thursday and Friday in Atlanta are unclear. Officials at the Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond to questions seeking details to a newly posted agenda, although the department announced five additional appointments to the committee Monday. (Stobbe, 9/16)
KFF Health News: RFK Jr.’s Vaccine Panel Expected To Recommend Delaying Hepatitis B Shot For Children
A key federal vaccine advisory panel whose members were recently replaced by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is expected to vote to recommend delaying until age 4 the hepatitis B vaccine that’s currently given to newborns, according to two former senior Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials. “There is going to likely be a discussion about hepatitis B vaccine, very specifically trying to dislodge the birth dose of hepatitis B vaccine and to push it later in life,” said Demetre Daskalakis, former director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. (Fortiér, 9/16)
NBC News: RFK Jr. Vows To ‘Fix’ The ‘Broken’ Federal Vaccine Court
Although members of Congress have tried to pass legislation several times to give the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, or VICP, more resources — including the ability to hire more special masters, who act as judges — the efforts have never succeeded. Because Congress created the VICP, only Congress has the authority to update or eliminate it, Reiss said. Yet the health secretary wields significant power over the program. And he has big plans. (Szabo, 9/15)
Tampa Bay Times: Banning MRNA COVID Vaccine Is ‘The Goal,’ Florida Surgeon General Says
Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo says he does not want mRNA COVID-19 vaccines to be available in Florida. In a podcast interview published Sunday, Ladapo was asked about the state’s announcement this month that officials intended to end all vaccine mandates. He said the controversy over the announcement was overblown because vaccines would continue to be available to those who want them — with one potential exception. (Wilson, 9/15)
On former CDC Director Susan Monarez —
Bloomberg: Fired CDC Head Will Say RFK Jr. Put Politics Over Policy
Susan Monarez will offer new details on her ouster as head of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at a congressional hearing, including that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. directed that all policy and personnel decisions would have to be cleared by the agency’s political staff. Monarez — who was fired just weeks into the job as CDC director — is set to testify in front of the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee on Wednesday. (Muller and Cohrs Zhang, 9/15)
More on childhood vaccination, measles, and flu —
NBC News: Data Investigation: Childhood Vaccination Rates Are Backsliding Across The U.S.
For more than a half-century, vaccines have had remarkable success eradicating the most lethal and devastating childhood infectious diseases, saving millions of lives and ushering in a relative golden era of global public health. But now, America is dangerously backsliding. The vast majority of counties across the United States are experiencing declining rates of childhood vaccination and have been for years, according to an NBC News data investigation, the most comprehensive analysis of vaccinations and school exemptions to date. (Edwards, Kane, Gosk, Fattah and Murphy, 9/15)
CIDRAP: Parental Support For School Vaccine Mandates Remains High In US
The overwhelming majority of American adults—70%—support school mandates or requirements for the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, according to a new poll from the Annenberg Public Policy Center. This percentage is higher than even 2 years ago and contradicts recent messaging from US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Soucheray, 9/15)
MedPage Today: Have Measles Vaccination Questions? CDC Has Answers
Falling vaccination rates among U.S. children may make local outbreaks of highly contagious measles cases increasingly common — and that’s bringing parents into clinicians’ offices with plenty of questions about vaccines. In an online seminar for clinicians Thursday, CDC officials delivered evidence-based answers to many of those questions. (Rudd, 9/15)
CIDRAP: US Data Highlight Severity Of 2024-25 Flu Season
The 2024-25 flu season was the highest severity flu season in more than a decade, according to an analysis of US data published last week in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. (Dall, 9/15)
5. Applications Now Open For HHS’ Rural Health Transformation Program
States have until Nov. 5 to apply for the $50 billion included in the sweeping tax bill, which also cut $960 billion in Medicaid funding. The program was established to maintain access to services, but hospitals and providers worry it will not be enough.
Modern Healthcare: Rural Health Transformation Program Applications Open
The Health and Human Services Department has opened applications for $50 billion rural healthcare funding included in the sweeping tax law President Donald Trump enacted in July. States will have through Nov. 5 to apply for the Rural Health Transformation Program, and CMS will announce funding levels for states by the end of the year. States should identify specific rural health challenges and possible solutions, according to an HHS news release. (Early, 9/15)
U.S. News & World Report: Will The $50 Billion Rural Health Fund Be Enough To Offset Medicaid Cuts?
Rural health providers are skeptical that federal Medicaid cuts will be offset by a $50 billion fund – the implementation of which is already off to a rocky start. (Mathur-Ashton, 9/15)
Axios: New Clinic Closings Reignite Fears About Rural Care
A string of recent rural health clinic closures is threatening to further reduce access to care in outlying areas as health systems brace for cuts in the in the Republican budget law and grapple with inflation and workforce issues. The big picture: Rural health cutbacks already are a fact of life. But some of the latest closures are in anticipation of the nearly $1 trillion reduction in federal Medicaid spending that will in large part hit starting in 2027. (Goldman, 9/15)
On Affordable Care Act subsidies —
Politico: Senate Republicans Ready Obamacare Rescue
A group of GOP senators are working on legislation to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies with policy changes designed to win over conservatives, according to four people granted anonymity to disclose private discussions. This group has gotten “technical assistance” from the Senate Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over the subsidies, according to two of the sources. The Obamacare subsidies are set to expire at the end of this year. (Guggenheim and Carney, 9/15)
AP: Shutdown Talk Heats Up As Democrats Insist On Stopping Health Care Cuts
A deadline looming, Congress charged Monday toward a federal government shutdown as Republicans brush back Democratic demands to save health care funding from cutbacks, while Democrats are flexing a newfound willingness to play hardball, even if it means closing offices and services. Republican leaders are ready to call the Democrats’ bluff, possibly as soon as this week, with a test vote before the end-of-the-month deadline to keep government running. (Freking and Mascaro, 9/15)
6. More Than Half Of All Health Workers Plan To Switch Jobs In Next Year
A survey also shows that 40% will be looking for opportunities outside of their current organizations. Nearly half of respondents cited inadequate compensation, burnout, and a lack of career advancement opportunities as reasons to make a change.
Becker’s Hospital Review: 55% Of Healthcare Workers Plan To Change Roles Within 1 Year: Survey
More than half of U.S. healthcare workers plan to change roles in the next year, according to a recent survey from Strategic Education. Fifty-five percent of respondents said they plan to search for job openings, interview for new positions or switch roles within a year — either within their current organization (38%) or externally (40%). (Kuchno, 9/15)
More health industry news —
Bloomberg: Memorial Sloan Kettering To Cut Hundreds Of Jobs As Costs Surge
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center is planning to cut less than 2% of its workforce as it faces a budget deficit of more than $200 million for the upcoming year. The New York City-based hospital group will eliminate positions over the next two months and has already closed some open job postings in a bid to lower expenses, according to an email sent to MSK employees Monday that was viewed by Bloomberg News. The message didn’t specify which departments would be subject to cuts. MSK employed 21,175 people as of last year. (Brown, 9/15)
Modern Healthcare: Revenue Cycle Services Take On Insurer AI, Administrative Costs
Hospitals and health systems are looking to revenue cycle management companies to help them level the playing field with insurers. Payers have been increasingly using artificial intelligence to speed up their processes, particularly with prior authorization and denials. Meanwhile, most providers handle revenue management functions internally and are behind on adopting AI and other technologies, leaving them outmatched and scrambling to keep up. (DeSilva, 9/15)
San Francisco Chronicle: Why UCSF Doctor Says Easing New CT Radiation Rule Would Be A ‘Setback’
Federal regulators may soon roll back a rule that requires hospitals to track and report the amount of radiation they use in CT scans — but not if the UCSF radiologist who created a key measure in the rule, which is meant to incentivize lower radiation doses, has anything to say about it. Dr. Rebecca Smith-Bindman, who for years has studied the link between CT scans and cancer risk, is leading a campaign urging the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the federal agency that regulates hospitals, to keep the requirement in place. (Ho, 9/15)
In pharma and tech updates —
Modern Healthcare: Labcorp Acquires BioReference Health Assets For Up To $225M
Labcorp has completed its acquisition of BioReference Health’s oncology diagnostic testing assets for up to $225 million. The independent laboratory company paid $192.5 million at closing and and could pay up to $32.5 million more in an earn-out tied to the assets’ performance, according to a Monday news release. (DeSilva, 9/15)
Stat: Sarepta’s Elevidys Faces Accuracy Questions On Its Measurements
The summer has been filled with debates about the safety of Elevidys, Sarepta’s gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Four prominent researchers are now raising a fundamental question about its efficacy: How much gene does the gene therapy actually deliver? In principle, the question should be settled. Since its first trial in 2017, Sarepta has taken muscle biopsies from participants and measured how much microdystrophin— a mini version of the gene broken in Duchenne — is present. (The gene has to be miniaturized to fit inside the virus that delivers it to cells.) (Mast, 9/16)
The Wall Street Journal: Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy Helps Suppress Thoughts About Food, Study Suggests
Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy weight-loss drug helps patients stop thinking about food, according to a new study. According to results of the study, which were presented at a medical conference in Austria, patients taking Wegovy for weight-loss experienced a substantial drop in so-called “food noise”—unwanted and intrusive thoughts about food—alongside improvements in their mental well-being and lifestyle. (Chopping, 9/16)
Modern Healthcare: Boston Scientific’s Endotak Reliance Recall Prompts FDA Alert
The Food and Drug Administration issued an alert regarding Boston Scientific’s updated recall correction for its Endotak Reliance defibrillation leads. The leads with expanded polytetrafluoroethylene-coated coils can develop calcium buildup around the coils, which may stop the device from delivering enough shock during cardiac arrest. The issue is associated with 386 serious injuries and 16 deaths as of July 24, according to the company. (Dubinsky, 9/15)
7. Not Yet A Decade Since Pulse, Parkland Shootings, Florida OKs Open Gun Carry
As of Sept. 25, Florida will become the last red state to allow people to visibly carry firearms in public places. Florida is home to some of the worst mass shootings in the U.S., including the Pulse nightclub attack in 2016 that left 49 people dead and the Parkland school shooting in 2018 that left 17 dead. More recently, a shooting at Florida State University in April left two dead.
The New York Times: Florida Says Ban On Openly Carrying Guns Is Invalid After Court Ruling
Members of law enforcement in Florida should no longer arrest or prosecute people for openly carrying firearms in public places, the state attorney general, James Uthmeier, said on Monday, citing a state appeals court ruling last week that found a decades-old ban to be unconstitutional. Mr. Uthmeier’s legal interpretation effectively allows open carry in Florida, which had been the last remaining Republican-led state to ban the practice. “Open carry is the law of the state,” Mr. Uthmeier, a Republican, wrote on X on Monday. (Mazzei, 9/15)
More health news from Florida and other states —
WUSF: Federal Authorities Charge 12 More In Florida Nursing Diploma Fraud
The arrests were part of a second phase of an investigation. In 2023, 25 people were charged in connection with a similar scheme involving three other Florida schools. Federal prosecutors in South Florida have charged 12 additional people in a scheme to sell fake nursing diplomas and transcripts to individuals seeking RN and LPN/VN licensure. (Mayer, 9/15)
North Carolina Health News: NC Turns To Mobile Clinics To Expand Substance Use Treatment
In 2024, more than 3,000 North Carolinians are estimated to have died from opioid overdose. Since 2000, more than 41,500 people have died from overdoses. Even as the overdose death rate slowed slightly in the past year, state health officials are still looking for ways to expand access to medications for opioid use disorder. (Crumpler, 9/16)
AP: New York’s Ban On Addictive Social Media Feeds For Kids Takes Shape
New York’s attorney general on Monday proposed regulations for its crackdown on addictive social media feeds for children, including rules for verifying a user’s age. The Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) for Kids Act, passed last year, prohibits social media companies from showing feeds personalized by algorithms to users under 18 unless they have a parent’s consent. Instead, feeds on apps like TikTok and Instagram would be limited to posts from accounts young users follow. (Thompson, 9/16)
AP: Abortion Advocates Raise Alarm About Social Platforms Removing Posts In Apparent Overreach
Clinics, advocacy groups and individuals who share abortion-related content online say they are seeing informational posts being taken down even if the posts don’t clearly violate the platforms’ policies. The groups, in Latin America and the United States, are denouncing what they see as censorship even in places where abortion is legal. Companies like Meta claim their policies have not changed, and experts attribute the takedowns to over-enforcement at a time when social media platforms are reducing spending on content moderation in favor of artificial intelligence systems that struggle with context, nuance and gray areas. (Ortutay, 9/15)
Health threats in Nebraska, Virginia, Missouri, and elsewhere —
CIDRAP: USDA Confirms First H5N1 Avian Flu Detection In Nebraska Dairy Cows
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) today announced the first detection H5N1 avian flu in Nebraska dairy cattle, following an initial detection from pre-movement milk sampling. Genetic analysis reveals that the virus belongs to the 2.3.4.4b clade and the B3.13 genotype seen in other dairy herds. APHIS said it is working with the Nebraska Department of Agriculture to conduct an additional on-farm investigation and gather more samples and data to more fully understand the detection