TheVoiceOfJoyce The latest news from KFF Morning News and there’s lots to report! There are challenges to the old protocols for breast and prostate cancer, however, the FDA is challenging them? I’d need more data to determine FDA concerns validity. The prices of Healthcare keep increasing and it’s not Hospital Costs driving the increases, it’s the insurance companies and pharmaceutical middlemen. Costs will increase after the Midterms, once Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill kicks in! Be aware, we need candidates with solid proposals for Healthcare cost reduction. I’ve just signed onto a New York Health Act proposal, that will provide Universal Healthcare for all New Yorkers. There’s more specific information in the newsletter. Especially on Medicaid work rules, they’re not enforceable or easily managed. This was known to be an administrative nightmare to cut back on Medicaid users. Fact, 85% of folks on Medicaid work!

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KFF Health News for the latest headlines

Morning Briefing 

In This Edition:

From KFF Health News:

KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES1. Saving Lives by Changing Lives: The Next Frontier in Suicide Prevention Someone in America dies by suicide every 11 minutes. It’s a tragic and entrenched problem. A new approach to prevention shifts the focus from stopping harm in moments of crisis to upstream policies that give people reasons to live. (Aneri Pattani, 4/29)

2. Trump’s Medicaid Work Mandate Debuting in Nebraska to Much Dismay On May 1, the state will become the first to require people on the government health program to fulfill a work requirement or lose their coverage under a new rule that was a key part of congressional Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act. (Phil Galewitz, 4/29)

3. Listen to the Latest ‘KFF Health News Minute’ The “KFF Health News Minute” brings original health care and health policy reporting from our newsroom to the airwaves each week. (4/28)

Here’s today’s health policy haiku:

THE RURAL DILEMMA

A rural problem:
Dialysis in danger.
Access is crucial.

– Anonymous

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:

OPIOID CRISIS4. Purdue Pharma Sentenced In OxyContin ‘Crime Scheme,’ Will Dissolve 

The last step necessary to clear the way to a settlement was delivered via a criminal sentence Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo, resolving thousands of lawsuits, AP reports. As part of the deal, Purdue will cease to exist and will be replaced by a new company, Knoa Pharma, with the aim of combating the opioid crisis.

AP: OxyContin Maker Purdue Pharma Is Sentenced, Set To Dissolve OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma is set to be dissolved and replaced by a company focused on the public good by the week’s end, as a massive legal settlement resolving thousands of lawsuits takes effect. A federal judge on Tuesday delivered a criminal sentence to the company to resolve a U.S. Department of Justice probe — a last necessary step to clear the way for the settlement. U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo made her decision after listening to hours of impact statements from people who lost loved ones or struggled with addiction themselves and requested she reject the negotiated sentence. (Mulvihill, 4/29)

More news about addiction —

NPR: RFK Jr. Wants To Treat Addiction On Farms, Without Medication During a combative Senate hearing last week, Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, a Democrat from Maryland, leaned forward and asked U.S. Health Secretary Robert Kennedy about his vision for a national system of “wellness farms.” “You said every black kid can be reparented on a wellness farm, can you admit that you said that?” Alsobrooks said, describing the concept as “dangerous” and “irresponsible.” (Mann, 4/29)

In other pharmaceutical developments —

The Wall Street Journal: FDA Turns To AI To Speed Up Clinical Trials The U.S. Food and Drug Administration seeks to accelerate clinical trials of new medicines by using artificial intelligence to streamline the laborious process of collecting and submitting study data. Typically, medical centers involved in clinical trials pull study data from electronic-health records and enter them manually into a data-capture system. Then, the drug company developing the medicine reviews the data and submits them to the FDA. (Gormley, 4/28)

MedPage Today: FDA Claims ‘Manipulated’ Data Led To Drug’s Approval, Proposes Withdrawal The FDA said that “manipulated” data supported the approval of avacopan (Tavneos) for anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis, and the agency is proposing to withdraw the drug’s marketing approval. In a Monday letter to Amgen, which now holds avacopan’s rights, the agency’s top drug regulator said that new information came to light showing avacopan lacks “substantial evidence of effectiveness,” and that developer ChemoCentryx’s new drug application (NDA) contained “untrue statements of material facts” — both legal bases for pulling a drug. (Ingram, 4/28)

Stat: AIDS Group Sues Trump Administration Over Gilead Agreement  An AIDS activist group filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for failing to disclose a research and development agreement that was at the heart of a settlement between the U.S. government and Gilead Sciences over patents for HIV prevention. (Silverman, 4/28)

Bloomberg: Boehringer Obesity Shot Prompts 16.6% Weight Loss In Trial Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH said patients using its experimental obesity shot lost 16.6% of their body weight in a large study, disappointing hopes it could outperform Eli Lilly & Co.’s market leader Zepbound. Patients in the trial shed the weight after 76 weeks of treatment with survodutide, compared with 3.2% weight loss for those given a placebo, Boehringer said Tuesday. Key details are still to be reported on side effects, patient dropouts, liver benefit and how much of the weight loss was from fat, which will help determine how competitive the drug can be. (Wind and Kresge, 4/28)

Bloomberg: Canada Approves First Generic Ozempic, Opening Door To Cheaper Diabetes Drugs Canada has approved its first generic versions of Novo Nordisk A/S’s Ozempic, paving the way for cheaper access to the popular diabetes drugs. On Tuesday, Health Canada assigned drug identification numbers to semaglutide injections made by India-based Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd., according to its drug product database. Semaglutide is the main ingredient in Ozempic, and Novo’s protection against generics expired in Canada on Jan. 4. Dr. Reddy’s did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Kresge, Shin, and Heinzl, 4/28)

CAPITOL WATCH5. GOP Points Finger At Hospitals For Skyrocketing Healthcare Costs 

But NBC News reports that hospital CEOs pushed back during the House hearing Tuesday, saying high costs were a product of factors including low reimbursement rates and their obligation to treat sicker and sometimes uninsured patients. Meanwhile, a Gallup poll finds a record 55% of Americans report that their financial situation is worsening.

The Hill: GOP Blames Hospitals For Soaring Healthcare Expenses House Republicans during a Tuesday hearing blamed hospital and health systems for high health costs, excoriating a group of CEOs for exorbitant benefits packages, large profit margins and mergers. “Our communities are better off with hospitals in them, but large health systems have taken advantage of that reality,” Ways and Means Committee chairman Jason Smith (R-Mo.) said. “Simply put, hospitals are charging an insane amount for care.” Hospitals are one of the primary drivers of increased health spending, accounting for about 31 percent of all health care costs, according to the most recent federal data. Smith noted that hospital prices have skyrocketed 300 percent in just over two decades. (Weixel, 4/28)

NBC News: Hospital CEOs Defend Charging Patients More At Facilities The hospital CEOs pushed back, saying the higher fees are because hospitals are often reimbursed below the cost of providing the care, particularly by government programs like Medicare and Medicaid. They also said the higher prices reflect the higher quality of their care, the cost of treating sicker patients and a federal requirement for hospitals to care for all patients, regardless of their ability to pay. Privately owned clinics and facilities can generally have the right to choose what patients they see and can demand payment up front. “We’re the only participants in the healthcare value chain that have that obligation,” said Michael Waldrum, the CEO of North Carolina-based hospital system ECU Health. “Doctors, nurses, insurance companies, drug companies do not.” (Lovelace Jr., 4/28)

In related news about affordability and health insurance —

CBS News: Over Half Of Americans Say Their Finances Are Worsening, Gallup Poll Finds A record 55% of Americans say their financial situation is worsening, with many expressing anxiety about covering monthly bills and making minimum credit card payments, according to a new Gallup poll. That percentage is the highest Gallup has recorded since it began asking Americans about their finances in 2001, showing consumers are less optimistic than they were during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and the Great Recession in 2008. The survey is based on interviews with 1,001 adults conducted April 1-15, Gallup said. (Picchi, 4/28)

KFF Health News: Trump’s Medicaid Work Mandate Debuting In Nebraska To Much Dismay Schmeeka Simpson of Omaha works as a patient navigator for the American Civil Liberties Union and an administrative assistant at Nebraskans for Peace, plus picks up shifts at a Dunkin’ shop. Still, even with three jobs, she worries about losing her health coverage when Nebraska, on May 1, becomes the first state to require certain Medicaid enrollees to work, train, or go to school under a rule mandated by congressional Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act. (Galewitz, 4/29)

More news from Capitol Hill —

Politico: Barney Frank, Entering Hospice Care, Embarks On A Final Act: Taking On The Left  Former Rep. Barney Frank, a liberal icon who was a key architect of the landmark Wall Street regulations Democrats enacted in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, has entered hospice care at his home in Maine. And as one of his last acts, he is preparing to release a book repudiating his party’s left flank. A champion of liberal causes during his 32 years representing Massachusetts in the House, Frank says progressive Democrats have “embraced an agenda that goes beyond what’s politically acceptable.” (Goodman, 4/28)

Politico: Dem Pollster Says Party Should Do More To Sell Health Care Message Battleground-state voters across the political spectrum say the cost of their health care has skyrocketed this year. They’re avoiding the doctor because they can’t afford the out-of-pocket expenses. They feel forced to choose between paying their insurance or their rent — and they’re choosing rent. It’s everything Democrats warned would happen when Republicans cut Medicaid and let Obamacare subsidies lapse last year. But those same voters aren’t pinning the blame on Republicans alone. (Kashinsky, 4/28)

NOTUS: Correspondents’ Dinner Shooting Brought Back ‘Bad Memories’ For Scalise  House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Metairie, heard the gunshots at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. He saw waitstaff duck for cover and Secret Service agents rush towards President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance. “Some bad memories started coming back,” Scalise told NOTUS. Scalise survived an assassination attempt while at a practice for the Congressional Baseball Game in 2017. A gunman opened fire and struck Scalise, nearly killing him and leading to a lengthy recovery. (Gorman, 4/28)

MENTAL HEALTH6. Federal Advisory Panel Recommends Changing Definition Of ‘Profound Autism’ 

Despite pushback from some members, the reconstituted Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee also recommended the establishment of safety measures to protect people who wander from their caregivers and to encourage Medicaid to set guidelines for diagnosis and possible health risks, Stat reported.

Stat: In First Meeting, Federal Autism Committee Focuses On ‘Profound Autism’  The federal autism advisory committee met for the first time since [President Donald] Trump took office, months after health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired most of the committee’s scientific experts and replaced them with activists and advocates who more closely align with his controversial views on the link between autism, vaccines, and environmental factors. (Broderick, 4/28)

In other news about mental health care —

The Texas Tribune: Texas Wants More Medical Oversight Of Ketamine Treatment The Texas Medical Board is proposing tighter regulations around ketamine, a popular fast-acting sedative used to treat mental illness, including more physician oversight during administration of the drug and banning in-home use of it. (Simpson, 4/28)

CBS News: Chicago Invests $16.2 Million To Expand Mental Health Services, Launch Street Psychology Pilot Program The Chicago Department of Public Health announced a new street psychiatry pilot program and expanded mental health safety net thanks to an investment of over $16 million. The city’s Mental Health Equity Initiative partner network, which launched in 2020, has enrolled more than 173,000 new clients between 2020 and 2025. Now it will launch its next phase, the Healthy Chicago Mental Health Collective, the city said. (Tenenbaum, 4/28)

KFF Health News: Saving Lives By Changing Lives: The Next Frontier In Suicide Prevention Someone in America dies by suicide every 11 minutes. It’s that common. But not normal. Humans have evolved over centuries to survive. So when people try to kill themselves, something has gone wrong. Typically, the assumption is that something happened in the person’s mind — a mental illness. But in recent decades, there’s been a growing movement to ask a different question: What went wrong in the world around that person? (Pattani, 4/29)

The New York Times: Could At-Home Brain Stimulation Reduce Psychiatry’s Reliance On S.S.R.I.s? The first question Sophie Davies had was: Will it affect my memory? In the three weeks since giving birth, Ms. Davies had been in a downward spiral. She checked herself into the mother-and-baby unit of her hospital in East Anglia, England, where doctors ratcheted up the dose of Prozac she took to manage her obsessive-compulsive disorder. But every morning she woke up in tears, and every time she looked at her baby boy, she felt hollow with guilt. “I’m never going to be able to be a mom,” she recalled thinking, “or if I am, I’m not going to be able to be a good one.” (Gross, 4/28)

MedicalXpress: A New Algorithm Can Spot Who May Be Headed For Self-Harm Before Warning Signs Become Obvious Researchers at the University of Hong Kong have developed a new model that was found to predict the risk that individuals with depression will harm themselves with good accuracy. This model, introduced in a paper published in Molecular Psychiatry, could help to devise more effective and personalized depression treatment plans. (Fadelli, 4/27)

HealthDay: The Secret To Surviving ‘Perfect Mom’ Posts On Social Media Scrolling through picture-perfect motherhood posts online can take a serious toll on moms’ mental health, a new study shows. “It’s very problematic, because social media really idealizes motherhood,” said study author Ciera Kirkpatrick, assistant professor of advertising and public relations at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. “There’s a strong relationship between shame and postpartum depression.” (4/28)

If you need help —

Dial 988 for 24/7 support from the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It’s free and confidential.

CANCER RESEARCH7. FDA Panel To Decide Whether New Breast, Prostate Cancer Drugs Are Worth The Risks 

FDA staff have expressed concerns about the use of camizestrant to treat metastatic breast cancer and capivasertib for patients with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer. The Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee will vote on these two drug applications Thursday.

MedPage Today: FDA Staff Raises Concerns On Two Cancer Drug Applications For the first time since last July the FDA’s Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) will meet on Thursday to evaluate two cancer drugs after FDA staff voiced concerns about benefit-risk assessments, despite positive trial results. (Bassett, 4/28)

More about cancer research —

The Baltimore Sun: New Research Suggests Skipping This Vitamin If You Have Cancer Vitamins are supposedly good for you, but some might also be good for cancer, Swiss researchers at the University of Lausanne found. Cancer cells have a weakness. They depend on the protein glutamine to produce the energy needed to divide and grow. The Swiss researchers found that cancer cells can escape this weakness with the help of Vitamin B7, or biotin. Without biotin, a protein produced mainly in muscle tissue, cancer cells lose that flexibility and stop growing. (Hille, 4/28)

The Baltimore Sun: Hidden Master Switch Driving Skin Cancer Growth Exposed Tumors need two things to thrive: a good blood supply and a way to keep the immune system at bay. Scientists have discovered the protein that helps skin cancer achieve both, and proved that disabling it shrinks tumors and reactivates the immune system. (Hille, 4/28)

HealthDay: Pooled Umbilical Cord Blood Improves Stem Cell Transplant Success A new way of using umbilical cord blood — by pooling blood from multiple donors — could make it easier to receive a stem cell transplant for leukemia, a new study says. Nearly everyone in a small group of patients who received these pooled transplants survived at least one year without severe signs of rejection, researchers reported April 27 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. (Thompson, 4/29)

The Wall Street Journal: Married Adults Are Less Likely To Get Cancer Than Singles, Study Suggests Marriage is linked to a lower risk of developing cancer, recent research found. A study of more than 4 million cancer cases in the U.S. found that cancer rates were about 68% higher among men who have never married compared with those who have. For never-married women, the relationship was even more pronounced, with cancer rates roughly 83% higher, according to research published recently in the journal Cancer Research Communications. (Woodward, 4/29)

MedPage Today: Lung Cancer Screening Rates In Eligible Adults Remain Low, Uneven Lung cancer screening uptake with low-dose CT increased from 2022 to 2024, but remains low, according to a cross-sectional study. Across the U.S., 24.49% of survey respondents who met U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) eligibility criteria were up to date on their lung cancer screening in 2024 — an increase in prevalence of 6 percentage points since 2022, with significant increases across most subgroups and no declines, reported Todd Burus, PhD, of the University of Kentucky in Lexington, and colleagues. (Bassett, 4/28)

San Francisco Chronicle: Her Cancer ‘Nightmare’ At 29 Reflects Trend Driving New UCSF Clinic Megan McNair was 29 and had just given birth to her second child in July when she learned she had Stage 4 colon cancer. Doctors initially told her she had five years to live. “My first thought was, ‘I’m dead. This is it,’” said McNair, who is from Alameda and now lives in Pollock Pines, about an hour outside Tahoe. “I just prayed for my health.” (Ho, 4/28)

Also —

Modern Healthcare: Radiotherapy Expands Beyond Cancer To Osteoarthritis Treatment Radiotherapy is best known as a cancer treatment, but a growing number of health systems and cancer centers are using it for a very different kind of disease. Osteoarthritis and other non-cancerous musculoskeletal conditions are increasingly being treated with radiation, opening up a new revenue stream for providers. About 33 million adults in the U.S. have osteoarthritis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Dubinsky, 4/28)

PUBLIC HEALTH8. CDC Reports Drug-Resistant Salmonella Cases Linked To Backyard Poultry 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, roughly a dozen of the 34 people who became ill are younger than 5. Also in the news: consequences of covid screening; a report on deaths related to hepatitis B and C; the dangers of chatbots and bioterrorism; and more.

The Hill: CDC Warns Of Drug-Resistant Salmonella Cases In 13 States The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning of more than two dozen cases of possibly drug-resistant salmonella cases across 13 states. In an update last week, the CDC said all 34 people — several of whom are children— have the same strain of salmonella, which has been linked to backyard poultry. To make matters more difficult, the CDC says an analysis of all 34 patients showed the strain may be resistant to the antibiotic fosfomycin. Samples from eight of those patients showed there could be resistance to other antibiotics commonly used in salmonella infections. (Bink, 4/28)

On covid and hepatitis —

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