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Health Care and Insurance News Bulletin

November 11 – November 22, 2022

The purpose of this bulletin is to compile a handful of articles relating to health care coverage in the United States that are most pertinent to LIUNA and its health and welfare funds. We hope you find this biweekly bulletin helpful and informative.

Fierce Healthcare: UnitedHealthcare, AARP Team Up To Lower The Cost Of Hearing Aids
UnitedHealthcare and AARP are teaming up on a new program to reduce the cost of prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids.

ABC News: FDA Approves 1st Drug To Delay Onset Of Type 1 Diabetes
Tzield was approved to delay the onset of stage 3 type 1 diabetes in adults and children ages 8 and up who currently have stage 2 type 1 diabetes. The medication is thought to slow down the body's attack on its own insulin-producing cells and thus give people more time before they become dependent on pharmaceutical insulin.

CNN: Study Suggests That HDL Or 'Good' Cholesterol Is Less Beneficial Than Previously Thought, Especially For Black Adults
High-density lipoprotein, or HDL, cholesterol – often referred to as the “good” cholesterol – may not be as useful in predicting the risk of heart disease and protecting against it as previously thought, according to new researched funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Insider: Why Kids Are Getting Sick With RSV, Flu, And Flooding ERs
Doctors, nurses, and epidemiologists say there are several things at play contributing to the big viral soup — and they are wary of dismissing it with any one simple explanation, like "immunity debt."

NBC News: OTC Naloxone: FDA Opens Door To Make Opioid Overdose Antidote Easier To Access
The Food and Drug Administration is pushing for drugmakers to apply for over-the-counter approval for naloxone, the opioid overdose antidote.

Kaiser Health News: The Player-Coaches of Addiction Recovery Work Without Boundaries
States, tribes, and local governments are figuring out how best to spend billions of dollars from an opioid lawsuit settlement. One option they’re considering is funding peer support specialists, who guide people recovering from addiction as they do it themselves.

Axios: Hospitals Are Struggling To Discharge Patients Due To Staffing Shortages
Health worker shortages are keeping hospitals from discharging patients for post-acute care and prompting pleas to Congress for per diem Medicare payments to cover the longer stays.

AP: Walmart Offers To Pay $3.1 Billion To Settle Opioid Lawsuits
Retail giant Walmart on Tuesday become the latest major player in the drug industry to announce a plan to settle lawsuits filed by state and local governments over the toll of powerful prescription opioids sold at its pharmacies with state and local governments across the U.S.

CBS News: Doctors Urge COVID-19 And Flu Vaccines Ahead Of Holidays, As Flu Cases Surge
As hospitals and emergency rooms fill up amid a surge of flu cases, doctors are warning people to get vaccinated for that and COVID-19, especially ahead of the holiday season.

Reuters: U.S. COVID Public Health Emergency To Stay In Place
The United States will keep in place the public health emergency status of the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing millions of Americans to still receive free tests, vaccines and treatments, two Biden administration officials said on Friday.

NPR: Omicron Variants BQ.1 And BQ.1.1 Now Dominant In U.S.
Two new omicron subvariants have become dominant in the United States, raising fears they could fuel yet another surge of COVID-19 infections, according to estimates released Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

STATES IN THE NEWS

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Southern Nevada Health District Unveils Needle-Exchange Vending Machine
A vending machine dispensing free kits aimed at reducing the risk of HIV and hepatitis C and at treating opioid overdose was unveiled Monday at the headquarters of the Southern Nevada Health District.

North Carolina Health News: More Than 2 Million Medicare Enrollees Face Crucial Choices
With a Dec. 7 deadline approaching, North Carolinians older than 65 are dealing with choices for 2023 between health insurance coverage under traditional Medicare or for one of 150 options on a growing list of privately run Medicare Advantage plans statewide.

Oregon Capital Chronicle: Oregon Will Be The First State To Make Affordable Health Care A Constitutional Right
Oregon will be the first state in the nation to enshrine the right to affordable health care in its constitution. Ballot Measure 111 narrowly passed, with nearly 50.7% of voters in favor and 49.3% of voters opposed

Anchorage Daily News: Anchorage Police Plan To Start Carrying Overdose-Reversing Drug
Starting next year, the Anchorage Police Department plans to equip officers with naloxone, a drug that can quickly reverse the effects of an opioid overdose that might otherwise be fatal.

The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer: Some Electronic Messages To Cleveland Clinic Healthcare Providers Could Cost $50
Sending an electronic message to a Cleveland Clinic physician could cost as much as $50 per message, due to a change in procedures announced Monday.

News Service of Florida: Feds Push Back On Florida's Claim That FDA 'Dragged Its Feet' On Canada Drug Imports
The Biden administration [last] week asked a judge to reject allegations that the Food and Drug Administration has “dragged its feet” on a Florida proposal to import prescription drugs from Canada and has not properly complied with a public records request.

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Lisa M. Sabitoni, Esq.
Executive Director
Laborers' Health & Safety Fund of North America
905 16th Street, NW, 2nd Floor
Washington, DC 20006