World Health Organization’s World Health Statistics

News At A Glance

National Pfizer settles a lawsuit with the US over kickbacks– Reports released from the Department of Justice inspection indicated that Pfizer was working with a third-party charity company to cover the co-payments for patients who were already taking their drugs. In the meantime, Pfizer hiked the prices of those drugs. The company reached a $23.4 million settlement and entered into a five-year corporate integrity agreement with the Office of Inspector General.

Department of Homeland Security officials pushing for tighter regulations on United States Postal Service (USPS) to curb opioid mail shipments– With just 0.007 percent of all international packages inspected, one official believes that opioids are too easy to transport via mail. The Synthetics Trafficking and Overdose Prevention (STOP) Act of 2017 would require data collection of all international packages sent through the USPS in order to monitor suspicious activity, specifically of packages from China. Inspecting packages for fentanyl can be dangerous which is why the STOP Act could be useful in deterring injuries to investigators and narcotics-detecting canines.

Discussion over Johnson & Johnson’s “asbestos-containing” baby powder reignited– After several lawsuits and a $26 million court case for the plaintiff who argued that J&J’s failure to warn consumers about asbestos in their baby powder led to her mesothelioma, the court ruled that the company would not be required to issue warning labels on the bottles. The jurors believe that the company was cognizant of the presence of asbestos due to a 1969 company document which contained warnings about asbestos in talc from J&J doctors.

Many people who are underinsured for medications for chronic conditions look to the black market for cheaper drugs– Many who need insulin and inhalers are rationing their medicines because the drugs are too expensive and insurance companies are not covering the costs. Some are purchasing them from strangers on Facebook while others are trying alternative therapies such as fish antibiotics that are not FDA-approved.

May 30, 2018 | Issue 15

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Morbidity and

Mortality Weekly Reports (MMWR)

Researchers at the CDC found that 87 percent of military service members who were prescribed preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) were gay men. Through a survey, they found that 49 percent of military health care providers believe their knowledge of PrEP is poor and 29 percent have prescribed PrEP in the past. The findings present an opportunity to educate patients and providers and improve access to PrEP.

The WHO Director-General released his agenda during the Seventy-first World Health Assembly in Geneva with the goal to save 29 million lives in the

next five years and attain the following by 2030:

Healthcare

Maternal Mortality Goal

The maternal mortality rate worldwide was 216 per 100,000 live births in 2015.

Reduce the maternal mortality ratio to

70 per 100,000

Universal Health Coverage Goal

Half of the world does not have access to coverage of essential health benefits, and healthcare

spending caused poverty for 97 million people in 2010.

Provide coverage of basic health services for

100 percent (of the population)

Equitable Access to Drinking Water Goal

In 2015, 71 percent of the world’s population had access to safe drinking water.

Ensure access to safe and affordable drinking water for

100 percent (of the population)

California

Other States

Covered California will drop hospitals from its network if they fail to improve certain outcome measures– The focus will be on cutting down on cesarean sections, opioid prescriptions, and imaging for back pain diagnosis and treatment. Covered California’s Chief Medical Officer believes that hospital culture, as opposed to a person’s health, dictates the type of treatment that a patient will receive. While some organizations are in support of the measure on the basis that unnecessary procedures put patients at risk for worse health outcomes, others are concerned that setting blanket goals may put hospitals with low-income patient populations at risk for rationing care. Judge suspends End of Life Option Act– Confusion followed the ruling of a Riverside judge who declared the aid-in-dying law as unconstitutional. California’s AG filed for an emergency stay, but the Appeals court refused and suspended the Act instead. Kaiser Permanente and University of California- San Francisco Medical Center are among some of the hospitals who have declared that they will pause their programs in order to remain compliant. San Francisco to utilize Sprung shelters to alleviate city’s homelessness– Sprung shelters look like giant tents and contain 200 beds, social workers, and healthcare personnel to help clients heal and progress. While housing advocates support the Sprung shelters, they are concerned that the shelters will end up with an overflow of long-term residents if the housing prices do not go down because they will not be able to place people in housing. The mayor says these shelters, like the ones in San Diego, have already been successful in lowering the number of homeless individuals without measures to make housing affordable.Rate-setting bill fails to progress out of key committee– Assembly Bill 3087 (California Health Care Cost, Quality, and Equity Commission) was highly contentious with heavy opposition from health care providers. The bill’s author, Assemblyman Asha Kalra (D-San Jose), indicated the possibility of reintroducing the bill next year and was excited about the bill’s national spotlight that encouraged the need to find a solution to the increasing health costs.

Ohio Appeals Court rules in favor of placing warning signs for houses with lead hazards in Cleveland– The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland filed a lawsuit against the city for a toddler who was poisoned by high lead levels in the home. The city’s officials have confirmed failure to investigate multiple complaints by tenants. The court ordered the city to place warning signs in all homes known to have lead which tells renters that the home is currently “uninhabitable,” specifically for pregnant women and children. Connecticut issues warning to employers that discriminating against veterans discharged for reasons other than honorable are potentially breaking the law– Veterans who are discharged for insolence, suicide-attempts, or drug use find themselves being discriminated by employers as if they were dishonorably discharged (due to felony). Since minorities are more likely to be disciplined, these blanket policies are considered to be discriminatory. Moreover, mental health conditions, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, could be the underlying causes for such misconduct. One of Connecticut’s senators argued that the efforts should be focused on stopping the military from issuing such discharges rather than creating laws that work around them. Some veterans believe that the warnings will shed light on the issue. Attorney General’s (AG) report uncovers thousands of rape kits that have not been tested in Missouri– The majority of the untested kits (3,701) were from law enforcement agencies, and it is highly likely that the numbers are underestimated. The state’s AG applied for a federal grant to begin testing the kits and has endorsed a bill that would require health centers to report rape kits and set a 28-day time limit on law enforcement agencies to collect and test the kits. Geofencing enters the healthcare sector in some Pennsylvania, Texas, and California hospital settings– Geofencing is a technology that allows retailers to send phone advertisements to people within a “digital perimeter.” Law firms are utilizing this technology to send personal injury ads to people sitting in emergency rooms. The ads can then keep showing up on the person’s phone for months even if they are no longer present within the perimeter. Massachusetts banned a digital firm for utilizing geofencing, citing that it violated Massachusetts’s consumer protection act. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) does not apply to these ads, and some patients have expressed concern about the lack of privacy.

Minneapolis, Minnesota raises minimum age for buying tobacco to 21 years– Starting in October, Minnesotans will have to be at least 21 years old to buy tobacco products in Minneapolis. The city council passed this ordinance in order to protect its youth from the harmful effects of tobacco products such as electronic cigarettes.

Oral Health

Hunger as a Health

Issue

Mental/Behavioral

Health

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Newsbytes Relevant to Our Strategic Priorities

Bills Awaiting the Signature of the President

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.

Trickett Wendler, Frank Mongiellow, Jordan

McLinn, and Matthew Belina Right to Try Act of

2017

Congress passed Senate Bill 204 on May 22, 2018. The bill gives terminally ill patients the right to ask for medications that have passed phase one of the clinical trials but have not yet received FDA approval.

John S. McCain III, Daniel K. Akaka, and Samuel R. Johnson

VA Maintaining Internal Systems and Strengthening Integrated Outside Networks Act of 2018

Congress passed Senate Bill 2372 on May 23, 2018. The $52 million reform bill improves access to private physicians, extends the VA Choice program for one year, and strengthens the community care programs and VA workforce.

Congress passed Senate Bill 292 on May 22, 2018. The bill gives the National Institutes of Health authority to collect information about young children suffering from certain cancers with the least effective treatment in order to improve them.

Childhood Cancer Survivorship,

Treatment, Access, and Research Act of

2018

Over the counter benzocaine teething products are pulled by the Food and Drug Administration– The topical anesthetic, benzocaine, can be used to relieve oral pain for adults. Benzocaine is also used to relieve the pain from teething in infants. Now, the agency believes the benzocaine is associated with a blood condition known to cause death. Instead, they urge parents to massage gums or use firm teething rings while also calling for the cessation of marketing and selling the products for teething such as “Orajel for Teething Pain.”

World Hunger Day is May 28th– World Hunger Day was started in 2011 by the Hunger Project to raise awareness about chronic hunger throughout the world that affects more than 815 million people. The project’s goals are to encourage the development of sustainable solutions, promote human dignity, and foster self-reliance.

Some schools provide group therapy time for young children– Some schools throughout the US are following in the footsteps of schools in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom by providing a 12-week intensive training program called Resilience Builder Program. The group therapy provides a space, time, and other resources to students who are suffering from anxiety or trauma due to bullying, stress from home, or cognitive developmental issues. Parents are finding the programs helpful for their children’s self-esteem.

Update: Signed into law May 30, 2018