If you鈥檝e been glued to your preferred weather service (as I have) over the past few days watching lumber toward the East Coast, you may have missed that it was a fairly huge news week for health. So, let鈥檚 get right to it!
President Donald Trump shocked and angered both allies and critics with accusations that the latest death toll from Hurricane Maria was inflated by the Democrats to make him look bad.
4 Takeaways On Puerto Rico鈥檚 Death Toll, In The Wake Of Trump鈥檚 Tweet Storm
For the first time since 2010, the decline in the uninsured rate stalled. Some blame the Trump administration鈥檚 whacks at the health law, but others say it鈥檚 just the marketplace leveling off.
The fact that Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) is using health care while campaigning in a deep-red state that loves Trump shows just how far politics has evolved on the issue. (Even though he鈥檚 certainly not mentioning 鈥淥bamacare鈥� by name.)
But a look at tweets on the topic shows it doesn鈥檛 matter to Russian trolls which way that popularity pendulum swings 鈥� they recognize the health law as a plank sure to sow discord and pit sides against each other.
Baltimore health commissioner Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency room physician with a reputation for fiercely taking on the Trump administration, has been tapped as Planned Parenthood鈥檚 next president. Wen brings firsthand experience with the organization as a child of a low-income family.
More than 4,300 beneficiaries in Arkansas were kicked off the state鈥檚 Medicaid rolls after failing to report their required work hours. Republican Gov. Asa聽Hutchinson focused on the 1,000 or so residents who have found employment under the new regulations, but critics were quick to point to the number as confirmation of their worst fears that the new fervor for work requirements will lead to a lot of Americans losing insurance.
A letter alleging a sexual misconduct incident in Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh鈥檚 past, which Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) has turned over to the FBI, is adding fuel to an already fiery battle on the Hill.
Meanwhile, accusations of bribery are coming out of Maine, where advocates have guaranteed $1 million in fundraising pledges to Republican Sen. Susan Collins鈥� 2020 opponent if she votes to confirm Kavanaugh.
A pharma exec鈥檚 defense that raising drug prices 400 percent was a 鈥渕oral requirement鈥� raised more than a few eyebrows. It was a bold claim in an era where most companies are trying to at least appear concerned about the topic.
Want to know how those pharmacy benefit managers (yup, the ones now getting lots of fingers pointed at them for the high cost of drugs) can pocket almost $200 for a bottle of pills that鈥檚 valued at $6? .
In the interest of making this 鈥渂reezy,鈥� here are some other big news stories from the week: Apple kills two birds with one stone with its new watch: convincing people they need to buy a low-selling product and edging into the health care industry; the number of immigrant teens being held by the government has ballooned; and lawmakers may perform what might be called, in this partisan landscape, a miracle and actually fund the government on time. (See, I was not exaggerating about the amount of news this week!)
In a story that you can鈥檛 make up: A member of the family that owns Purdue Pharma (the maker of OxyContin and subject of more than 1,000 lawsuits regarding its role in the opioid epidemic) has been awarded a patent for a treatment for opioid use disorder.
If all of that wasn鈥檛 enough for you, here are a few must-read miscellaneous stories from the week: Nearly two decades after Kendra Webdale was pushed to her death in the subway, the law named in her honor designed to shore up mental health systems is acting more like a band-aid than a cure; advocates are shifting gears on gun safety by going after bullets, which are largely unregulated; recent transparency controversies have some asking: Why do medical journals still take authors at their word?; and a look at the people behind suicide hotlines.
If you had a , at least take heart in the fact that it wasn鈥檛 just you.
Please have a safe weekend if you鈥檙e in Florence鈥檚 path!