Highlighted Reports & Studies of the Week

November 20, 2019 | Issue 85

Healthcare

News At A Glance

National

Trump administration proposes hospital price transparency rule? In a new proposed rule that is set to go into effect in 2021, the administration will require hospitals to display the negotiated prices within an insurer's network, the prices that hospitals pay for out-ofnetwork insurances, and the amount that hospitals are willing to accept for treatment that is paid in cash. Hospital and insurance company groups are preparing to fight the rules in court.

Apple bans vaping-related applications from its stores? The company has already removed hundreds of such apps and will ban future apps from the market. Many of the apps include games and controls that allow users to change the lighting and heating of vape pens. In other news, the president has stalled the efforts of his health secretary to ban flavored vaping products. In other Apple news, the company recently launched an app that allows users to voluntarily share their health data with medical research studies.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) panel of advisers recommends expanding the use of prescription-strength fish oil? Currently, the drug known as Vascepa is used to treat patients with high levels of triglycerides. The panel has advised the drug to be expanded to patients with lower fat levels but are still at risk of heart conditions. This expansion could open up a billion-dollar market for the company that manufactures Vascepa. In other news, the FDA warned Dollar Tree not to import unadulterated over-the-counter drugs such as acne treatment pads. The company has been given 15 working days to respond to the warning.

The Supreme Court denies firearm company's repeal of lawsuit brought by Sandy Hook families? The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting occurred in 2012 when a young adult used an AR-15style rifle to kill 20 children and 6 adults. In 2014, the victims' families sued the firearm maker for creating a military-style weapon and "knowingly marketing it for assaults against people." The Connecticut Supreme Court ruled that the families could proceed with the lawsuit and now the Supreme Court has denied the appeal of the firearm makers.

American Medical Association (AMA) encourages medical schools to incorporate more healthcare economics classes? Specifically, the AMA is pushing for classes that would lead to a deeper understanding of cost and financing in the healthcare delivery models.

Highlighted Reports & Studies of the Week

1. Report by Dig Deep and the US Water Alliance finds that Native Americans have the most trouble finding safe, accessible water compared to other races.

2. Report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities finds that the decision not to expand Medicaid in Florida and Texas was associated with the death of 2,776 Floridians and 2,920 Texans, respectively.

3. Report by the United Hospital Fund and Boston Consulting Group finds that West Virginia has the highest rate of youth affected by the opioid epidemic (54 per 1,000 children affected) while California has the least (20 per 1,000 children).

4. Study from the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics finds that 98 percent of toddlers between 12 months and 23 months have a diet that consists of added sugars, of which black toddlers eat the most (8 teaspoons/day) and Asian toddlers eat the least (3.7 teaspoons/day).

5. Study from Vaccine finds that the World Mercury Project (led by Robert Kennedy Jr.) and Stop Mandatory Vaccination were responsible for 54 percent of the antivaccine advertisements on Facebook.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Updates

1. A 2017 survey indicates that 91 percent of men and 92.1 percent of women demonstrate an understanding of the health given by their healthcare providers.

2. Cigarette smoking by US adults is at an all-time low with 13.7 percent of people reporting that they smoked cigarettes in 2018.

California

Two mass shootings occurred in California in the last seven days? On Thursday, November 14, 2019, a high schooler opened fire with a semiautomatic pistol at a Santa Clarita high school and murdered two students. On Sunday, November 17, 2019, gunmen killed four men at a residence in Fresno, California, with semiautomatic pistols. Police believe it was gang-related.

State of California sues Juul Labs for "systematic" and "wildly successful" campaign targeting teenagers? In the lawsuit, the state claims that Juul Labs online sales age verification system was defective and that the company did not go far enough in preventing the sale of e-cigarettes to underage customers. The lawsuit used internal evidence along with evidence gathered by Reuters. The suit comes after the governor passed an executive order allocating $20 million to a public awareness campaign against e-cigarette use among teenagers.

University of Southern California experiences multiple student deaths in the last three months? Three students died by suicide, one was hit by a car while walking on a freeway, and others died of unknown causes. Last year, there were six student deaths on campus. While not all of the recent deaths were attributed to suicide, school administrators are informing students of the mental health resources available to them. Moreover, the administrators are seeking to conduct a community event to connect the campus community with healthcare professionals.

The Association for Accessible Medicines (AAM) files lawsuit against California for anti-"pay-fordelay" law? AAM is a trade group for generic drug makers that is suing the state of California for passing a bill that prohibits brand drug manufacturers from paying other companies to delay the release of their drugs for the purpose of settling patent litigation cases.

Other States

University of Central Florida's new partnership with HCA Healthcare over Advent Health and Orlando Health results in 40% loss of student training sites? The initial partnership among University of Central Florida, Advent Health, and Orlando Health allowed third-year medical school students to complete clerkships at the two large healthcare centers. The University recently chose HCA Healthcare as a new partner for teaching. Since the split, students' evaluation scores of their clerkship at HCA Healthcare have been lower than their clerkship evaluations scores at the other two health systems.

Illinois governor signs bill mandating the coverage of medically-necessary epinephrine injectors for people 18 years and younger? Insurance companies will now be required to cover these injectors, making Illinois the first state to pass such a bill. The bill will go into effect on January 1, 2020. Epinephrine injectors provide a delivery mechanism for epinephrine that is used during an anaphylactic attack, and they expire every six months. Between 2007 and 2016, the cost of the EpiPen jumped from $57 to $500, and many parents have been unable to afford lifesaving drugs due to this price increase.

Gerontology Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston releases report highlighting Massachusetts as the leading state for "elder economic insecurity" for elders living alone? The report finds that Massachusetts has the largest share of single adults over the age of 65 (60 percent) who do not have enough income to cover the cost of living. Approximately 10 million seniors across the country are economically insecure and 300,000 of them are in the state of Massachusetts. To learn more about food insecurity among seniors, please read our issue brief.

Legislators in Colorado reveal finalized public option proposal? The proposal states that Colorado will set the hospital prices for those covered by public option using a new formula that would discern between hospitals in urban vs. rural areas, independent hospitals vs. hospitals within a health system, and hospitals that serve lowerincome vs. higher-income people. The proposal mandates that all hospitals participate in this program but there is no repercussion stated for what happens if a hospital decides not to participate. Finally, insurance companies that want to participate in the individual markets must also provide choices in the public option. Aside from Colorado, Washington is the only other state to have introduced a public option proposal.

Michigan to begin medication-assisted treatment in prison? One in five prison inmates have an opioid addiction and prisoners with an opioid addiction are 40 to 120 times more likely to die of an overdose within the first 14 days of being released. Through this new program, prisoners will have access to methadone, naltrexone, and buprenorphine in order to help reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms.

Healthcare-Related Polls

22.9%

Percentage of adults who reported not being able to

pay for a prescribed medication this year because of high cost according to a poll by Gallup and West Health. In January, the polling was at 18.9 percent.

30%

Percentage of parents who responded that they only worry about their children's health if

they think it is an emergency situation according to a poll by Nemours Children's

Health System.

36%

Percentage of respondents in Iowa who reported that they

support Medicare for All according to a CNN-Des Moines Register-Mediacom poll. Public option had the support of 34 percent. The respondents were registered

as Democrats.

Newsbytes Relevant to Our Strategic Priorities

To bring focus to our work, the Institute for Health Policy and Leadership has identified three strategic priorities: oral health, mental health and hunger as a health issue. This segment highlights news articles relevant to these priorities.

Oral Health

Hunger as a Health

Issue

Mental/ Behavioral

Health

Florida dentists, hygienists, students, and legislators introduce SB152 to license dental therapists? Dental therapists are mid-level practitioners who perform procedures such as temporary crown placement, extraction of teeth, and filling of cavities under the supervision of a dentist. Florida legislators have introduced similar bills in the past, but they have not been successful. Advocates of dental therapists say it will expand access to rural communities. Some opponents are concerned that it could eliminate jobs for dentists and hygienists.

George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences to launch Center for Culinary Medicine? Public health, nursing, and medical students will have the option to take a curriculum that centers around basic and clinical sciences about evidence-based nutritional and dietary goals for patients' health. The curriculum known as "Health Meets Food Curriculum" will be used at over 50 academic medical centers all over the world.

ProPublica Illinois and the Chicago Tribune launch investigation into school seclusion rooms? While the state of Illinois permits the use of placing students in a separate space if they pose a safety threat to themselves or others, there were over 12,000 occurrences in which students were placed in seclusion rooms without any safety reason in the 2017-18 school year. Disability advocates are speaking out, citing that seclusion has no therapeutic value and that there are better alternatives. Most students experiencing this punishment have a disability.

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