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☆ States with more abortion restrictions have higher maternal and infant mortality, report finds
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Doha Madani | Doha Madani Is A Senior Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News. Pronouns | She Her. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

New research released Wednesday adds to a growing body of evidence showing a link between more restrictive abortion policies and higher rates of maternal and infant mortality. According to the report, states that heavily restricted abortion access in 2020 had maternal death rates that were 62% higher than they were in states where abortion was more easily accessible. "Then, on top of all that, you're adding this variation in abortion services, reproductive health services, by states," Zephyrin said. Their report isn't the only one that has documented a correlation between abortion restrictions and higher maternal and infant mortality. And then you have these further restrictions on reproductive health care," Zephyrin said.

☆ DeSantis' latest anti-COVID-19 vaccine push puts him on a collision course with Trump over the pandemic
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Ron DeSantis intensified his attacks on the COVID-19 vaccines on Tuesday, in a move that positions the Republican governor to contrast his pandemic record with that of former President Donald Trump. It's not clear whether Trump will lean into his success on the COVID-19 vaccine through his Operation Warp Speed program. Then-President Donald Trump with then-Florida governor candidate Ron DeSantis at a July 2018 “Make America Great Again” rally in Tampa, Florida. For instance, the FDA and CDC have cleared the bivalent booster for those as young as 6 months of age depending on what COVID-19 vaccine a person has previously had. The committee will issue guidance about COVID vaccines and other healthcare matters.

DeSantis has made Covid-19 vaccine skepticism his calling card ahead of a potential run for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. The announcements Tuesday came at a roundtable focused on vaccines that DeSantis led. The risk of heart inflammation is far greater from Covid-19 than from vaccination. DeSantis last year moved to block cruise lines departing from Florida from requiring their customers to be vaccinated, and to block municipalities from imposing vaccine mandates. In June, DeSantis touted Florida’s status as the only state not to preorder vaccines for children younger than 5.

☆ Covid-19 boosters could keep thousands of kids out of hospitals, but uptake remains low
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Deidre Mcphillips | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

And if Covid-19 booster coverage reached 80% among school-age children by the end of the year, more than 50,000 hospitalizations could be averted. Preventing Covid-19 hospitalizations could help ease the strain on pediatric hospitals, which have been especially full for the past few weeks as the respiratory virus season – including flu, RSV and Covid-19 – sweeps the country earlier than usual. But more than 2,400 children were admitted to the hospital with Covid-19 last week – nearly three times higher than the week before, CDC data shows. And Covid-19 vaccination rates among children have long lagged behind those for adults. Just 32% of children ages 5 to 11 and 61% of those ages 12 to 17 have competed their initial series of Covid-19 vaccination, compared with 78% of adults.

☆ Pfizer/BioNTech say updated Covid-19 booster generates 'substantially higher' protection against Omicron subvariants than original vaccin
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Jen Christensen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Pfizer and BioNTech said Friday that the immune responses against Omicron BA.4/BA.5 subvariants were “substantially higher” in people who got its new bivalent booster compared with people who received the companies’ original Covid-19 vaccine. The bivalent booster that targets the original coronavirus strain and the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants became available in the US in early September. When someone gets any vaccine, it can take a few weeks to build up immunity and generate its full protection. The Omicron BA.5 subvariant had dominated US Covid-19 infections since July, but a mix of other Omicron subvariants have been gaining against it. So far, 26.3 million people age 5 and older in the United States have received updated Covid-19 boosters.

☆ Health insurance open enrollment: How to spot misleading marketing for insurance
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Bram Sable-Smith | Kaiser Health News | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

Health care sharing ministries are an alternative to health insurance in which members agree to share medical expenses. Nationwide, lawmakers and regulators are taking notice of how health care plans are sold. Rising health care prices can drive up the cost of regulated health plans, such as those that are compliant with the Affordable Care Act. For now, he suggests working with health care navigators, who help consumers enroll in plans through the official health insurance marketplace, healthcare.gov. She is on the market for health insurance again and plans to choose a company she’s heard of before.

The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday authorized updated Covid booster shots that target the omicron variant of the virus for young children. The decision will now go to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which could issue its final recommendation on the updated shots within hours. Only about 31% of children ages 5 to 11 have received two doses of any Covid vaccine, according to CDC data. Experts say it's important for people to receive the updated shots because the nation could face yet another potential wave of Covid infections this winter. The boosters are important because data has shown that any Covid vaccine greatly decreases the risk of severe outcomes from the virus, said O’Leary.

Flu cases are already rising in parts of the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The convergence of viruses is hitting health care systems as they're forced to reckon with staffing shortages that worsened during the pandemic. Staffing deficits mean there is little wiggle room to accommodate any additional surges of patients, whether they're sick with Covid, flu or other illness. But as the cold weather sets in and people increasingly gather indoors, Covid cases are expected to rise. The vast majority of Covid cases circulating now are an omicron subvariant, BA.5.

☆ Covid-19 boosters could prevent about 90,000 US deaths this winter, but only if more people get them, analysis suggests
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-05 | by ( Jacqueline Howard | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Covid-19 vaccinations could save thousands of lives and billions of dollars this winter. A new analysis suggests that if more people in the United States get their booster by the end of the year, about 90,000 Covid-19 deaths could be prevented this fall and winter. But if booster vaccinations continue at their current pace, the nation could see a peak of more than 1,000 Covid-19 deaths per day this winter, according to the study, published Wednesday by The Commonwealth Fund. There are now more than 400 daily Covid-19 deaths, on average, in the United States. Federal health officials have said that Americans may need to get a single updated Covid-19 vaccination every year.

☆ The Inflation Reduction Act aims to lower drug costs — but here’s how Big Pharma could get around it
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Berkeley-Lovelace-Jr.Jpg | Berkeley Lovelace Jr. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

The Inflation Reduction Act is set to lower drug prices for millions of people in the United States — but experts fear pharmaceutical companies could exploit loopholes in the bill, ultimately keeping prescription costs high for many. The tactics may ultimately threaten the law’s ability to lower drug costs for consumers. Higher prices for new drugsOther experts are concerned about how companies might abuse the inflation rebate rule in the health law. The provision, which takes effect next year, imposes a rebate on drug manufacturers that raise the prices of their medications faster than inflation. By releasing new drugs at higher prices, drug companies will be able to make up for any lost revenue that they would normally receive from steadily raising prices each year, she said.

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