Health Care and Insurance News Bulletin
December 23 – January 5, 2023
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.
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Kaiser Health News: Public Health Agencies Try To Restore Trust As They Fight Misinformation
As public health departments work on improving their message, the skepticism and mistrust often reserved for covid-19 vaccines now threaten other public health priorities, including flu shots and childhood vaccines.
ABC News: Difference Between Cardiac Arrest And Heart Attack After Damar Hamlin's Collapse
"This differentiation between cardiac arrest and heart attack is really important because they are two things that can both occur in the same person or be completely separate," Dr. Deepak Bhatt, an expert in cardiovascular medicine and director of Mount Sinai Heart in New York City, told ABC News.
Ars Technica: New Omicron Subvariant Surges To 40.5% As COVID Hospitalizations Rise
National hospitalization rates now rival those from the peak over this past summer driven by bygone omicron subvariants, federal data shows.
CNN: Sesame Joins The Major Food Allergens List, FDA Says
Sesame has joined the list of major food allergens defined by law, according to the US Food and Drug Administration. The change, which went into effect on January 1, comes as a result of the Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education and Research Act, or FASTER Act, which was signed into law in April 2021.
NBC News: What To Know About The New Weight Loss Drug Tirzepatide. Will It Be Affordable?
An Eli Lilly drug if approved for weight loss could become the best-selling drug of all time, but concerns are mounting about who will actually be able to afford it.
Politico: Health Care Lobbyists Are Bracing For Chair Bernie Sanders
Health care lobbyists representing insurers, drugmakers and a range of powerful industry interests are steeling themselves for a Senate chair immune to their usual charms — Bernie Sanders.
Reuters: Explainer: What Does The FDA's New Rule Mean For The Fight Over Abortion Pills?
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday finalized a rule allowing mifepristone, one of two drugs used in medication abortions, to be dispensed by retail pharmacies. The rule will make medication abortion, which accounts for more than half of U.S. abortions, more accessible in states where abortion remains legal, but its impact in states that have banned abortion will be limited.
The Hill: CDC Warns Of Future Surge In Diabetes Among Young Americans
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on [December 29th] warned a surge of diabetes among young Americans is on the horizon, saying diagnoses for the population are expected to soar in the coming decades.
NPR: The Strategic National Stockpile, The Nation's Huge Medicine Cabinet, Explained
It's true. There is a network of warehouses, each the size of several Walmart Supercenters, located in top-secret locations across the country. And while much about the stockpile remains a secret, it continues to play a vital role in the COVID pandemic.
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STATES IN THE NEWS
Iowa Public Radio: Nearly Half Of Iowa Drivers In Serious Crashes Had Drugs In System
A new study has found nearly half of Iowa drivers involved in a traffic crash tested positive for at least one drug. The study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration screened people involved in crashes for drugs at seven Level 1 trauma centers nationally, ranging from Massachusetts to California. The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics was one of the centers included.
Health News Florida: Survey: Perceived High Cost Of Insurance Keeps Floridians From Enrolling
Thousands of uninsured Floridians say the perceived high cost of health plans keep them from seeking coverage for themselves and their families, according to a survey from Florida Blue.
Las Vegas Review-Journal: New HCA Healthcare Executive Strives To Bring ‘World-Class Care Close To Home’
Jackie DeSouza-Van Blaricum began on Tuesday as president of HCA Healthcare Far West Division, with oversight of eight hospitals and multiple health care facilities throughout Las Vegas and California.
NBC Chicago: 9 New Illinois Laws That Could Impact Your Medical Bills In 2023
From state requirements for insurance companies to cover a wide range of services and procedures to prohibitions on insurers from imposing copayments on an opioid suppressant, here's a look at the new health-related statutes that can affect your money starting Jan. 1, 2023.
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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
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