#20 • A Healthy Dose of Healthcare News • March 5, 2021
State legislative sessions are in full swing, and yet all eyes are fixed on the U.S. Capitol as the House COVID-19 Relief Bill passed the House with the exclusive support of Democrats and, with a few amendments, is likely to be passed by the Senate in the coming days.
In this edition, you will read about #20.1. the J&J vaccine, #20.2. the COVID-19 relief bill’s impact on healthcare, #20.3. a halt in the WHO investigation, #20.4. a public option bill in Colorado, #20.5. obesity and COVID-19 mortality, #20.6. the latest on Becerra, #20.7. Amazon and hospitals promoting home health, and #20.8. a doctor accused of murder by opioid prescription.
#20.1. FDA authorizes Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine (Politico)
The FDA granted Johnson & Johnson an emergency use authorization (EUA) for its vaccine against COVID-19. Of note, this is the first one-shot vaccine to be approved for use in the US, and it is also the first one not to rely on mRNA. Instead, it is a viral vector vaccine, which means that it contains a modified version of a different virus to bring instructions to cells. At 66%, its effectiveness is much lower than the Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines, but it has been demonstrated to work effectively to prevent hospitalization.
#20.2. Obamacare would get a big (and quiet) overhaul in the Covid relief bill (NBC News)
The COVID-19 relief bill contains something that could be termed Obamacare 2.0. It pressures states to expand Medicaid through sky-high federal reimbursement rates, makes families earning hundreds of thousands of dollars eligible for ACA subsidies, and after amendments, completely subsidized COBRA coverage, just to name a few items (more here and here). Critics are pointing out flaws in the bill regarding other issue areas, but we would all do well to weigh these healthcare-focused changes carefully, as they could fundamentally transform the nature of health insurance moving forward.
#20.3. WHO Investigators to Scrap Plans for Interim Report on Probe of Covid-19 Origins (Wall Street Journal)
(Behind paywall) A few weeks after the WHO investigators claimed that it was “extremely unlikely” that the novel coronavirus originated in a lab, the investigators decided not to publish a summary of their findings, even though they said they’d release it by late February. An international group of scientists signed an open letter calling for a full and transparent investigation of the origins of the virus; additionally, China is attempting to reverse the script by suggesting that the virus was imported into China through frozen foods.
#20.4. Opposition mounts to Democratic agenda in Colorado’s statehouse (Axios)
Colorado lawmakers introduced a bill to create a public option in Colorado starting in 2023. The mechanism for it involves a price ceiling: if health insurance companies cannot cover basic services and some “high-value services” at a given (low) price, then the state will offer such a plan to Coloradans. Now, all sorts of local actors are expressing opposition to the bill. This proposal is on the table at the same time as the public option bill (Medicare X) in Congress, and other states are likely to follow suit.
#20.5. Most virus deaths recorded in nations with high obesity levels: analysis (The Hill)
“No country where the average adult BMI is below 25 kg/m2 has a high COVID-19 mortality rate. No country where less than half the adults are experiencing overweight has a high COVID-19 mortality rate.” That’s the result of an investigation conducted by the World Obesity Fund. The WOF study adds to the evidence collected in the US that suggested that the risk of death was six times higher for obese patients once they developed the disease.
#20.6. Becerra Nomination Moves to Full Senate After Panel’s Split Vote (Bloomberg Law)
The Senate Finance Committee sent Xavier Becerra to the full Senate on party lines (14–14), where four hours of debate and a majority vote will need to take place before the final vote takes place. Republicans are urging the most moderate among themselves to vote against his confirmation, pointing out that beside his 100+ lawsuits against the Trump Administration and his relentless fight for abortion expansion, Becerra also has no health policy experience under his belt. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) may also vote against him. Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) implied that Neera Tanden’s demise was a distraction and that Becerra’s nomination was more concerning.
#20.7. Amazon Care, Intermountain, Ascension launch hospital-at-home healthcare alliance (Becker’s Hospital Review)
The tech giant, alongside the two hospitals and a swath of other providers, is launching “Moving Health Home” to spearhead policy change that would designate the home as a standard location for the delivery of care. “Amazon Care, launched in 2019 to provide telemedicine and in-person primary care services to its employees, and the other Moving Health Home founders cited tech advancements including telehealth, remote monitoring, digital therapeutics and medical records sharing as contributing factors in making home care equivalent to some services offered in facilities.”
#20.8. New York doctor charged with murder in 5 opioid deaths (CBS News)
One can dream of a world where a doc’s appointment can take place at Dunkin while sipping a cup of joe, but Dr. George Blatti didn’t do so out of a desire to revolutionize healthcare delivery. Dr. Blatti, who is 75, would see his patients in parking lots and abandoned Radio Shacks and prescribe them unduly high doses of opioids. He faces up to 25 years in jail for second-degree murder of patients between 2016 and 2018. He is also accused of putting six other patients’ lives at risk.
Funny comics are hard to come by these days, so I welcome your submissions!
Previous editions of A Healthy Dose of Healthcare News here.
