KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: The FDA Goes After Nicotine

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The Food and drug administration this 7 days launched a crackdown on smoking and vaping — ordering the vaping device Juul to be taken off the marketplace and saying its intention to involve makers of cigarettes and other tobacco solutions to reduce the amount of money of nicotine in them.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court did not announce a ruling in a large-stakes abortion case, but it explained that private wellbeing insurers could limit the amount of kidney dialysis treatment they give, as a result forcing some patients on to Medicare.

This week’s panelists are Julie Rovner of KHN, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Well being and Politico, and Rachel Cohrs of Stat.

Amongst the takeaways from this week’s episode:

• The Food and drug administration has requested Juul to take out its e-cigarettes from the U.S. marketplace because the company’s software to the agency did not deliver sufficient information and facts for regulators to determine regardless of whether Juul presented a hazard to customers. The Food and drug administration said there have been worries about the possibility of some harmful chemical substances leaching from the Juul pods. Juul is predicted to appeal the Food and drug administration decision to the courts.
• Juul helped ignite an explosion in e-cigarette use when it arrived on the market, and officials initially considered it would assist smokers seeking to kick the cigarette pattern. But the industry’s use of flavored tobacco and aggressive marketing aided gasoline a extraordinary rise in use between teens and led to a regulatory crackdown.
• The Supreme Court docket this week ruled that companies may perhaps opt to make all dialysis remedy out of community in their workers’ health plans, a determination that would probable travel quite a few people to find Medicare coverage for their kidney complications. The conclusion was a disappointment for dialysis companies, who acquire a lot less in reimbursements from Medicare than they ordinarily get from personal insurance plan strategies.
• The selection leaves lots of details unresolved and further more lawful fights could be coming. Dialysis suppliers may possibly also flip to Congress to build rules that would prohibit companies from these moves.
• The Senate is very likely to take into account a bill proposed by Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) that seeks to reduce the expense of insulin. The invoice is regarded far more helpful to drugmakers than a further evaluate that handed the Residence this yr. The Senate bill seeks to get drugmakers to give insulin at the rate they been given from Medicare in 2021 by allowing them to bypass rebates and other highly-priced subsidies paid out to pharmacy reward professionals and coverage ideas. It would also limit out-of-pocket expenses for insured people to $35.
• As the Senate moves nearer to a vote on gun security legislation, other initiatives are underway to find a lot more funding for courses to help deal with psychological health troubles. Individuals endeavours could enable with campaigns to lessen suicides and domestic violence, which are also often tied to guns.
• The Household is launching initiatives to pass appropriations expenses, and the initial funding evaluate for the Office of Health and fitness and Human Services the moment once more does not include the so-called Hyde Modification, a extensive-standing plan named for the late Rep. Henry Hyde (R-Sick.) that bans federal money from being used for most abortions. Previously efforts by the Dwelling to jettison the Hyde Amendment did not clear the Senate.
• President Joe Biden has nominated Arati Prabhakar, previous head of the Defense Highly developed Investigation Initiatives Company (DARPA), to head the White Residence Workplace of Science and Technological innovation Policy. She would switch Eric Lander, who was pressured to resign soon after stories of personnel harassment.
• Prabhakar seems to be a noncontroversial selection and will come with a fantastic deal of administration encounter. Her tasks will probably include overseeing pandemic setting up, efforts to form a new biomedical investigate company identified as ARPA-H, and tactics to greatly enhance cancer avoidance.

Also this 7 days, Rovner interviews KHN’s Noam N. Levey about the new KHN-NPR venture on professional medical financial debt, known as “Diagnosis: Personal debt.”

Plus, for excess credit score, the panelists endorse their favorite health coverage tales of the week they believe you need to examine, too:

Julie Rovner: The AP’s “At Westminster Puppy Clearly show, New Target on Veterinarians’ Welfare,” by Jennifer Peltz

Joanne Kenen: Fern.org’s “Back Forty: How to Protect Farmworkers From Warmth-Associated Kidney Illness,” by Nancy Averett

Rachel Cohrs: The Markup’s “Facebook Is Getting Delicate Health care Information and facts From Healthcare facility Sites,” by Todd Feathers, Simon Fondrie-Teitler, Angie Waller, and Surya Mattu

To listen to all our podcasts, click listed here.

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KHN (Kaiser Overall health Information) is a countrywide newsroom that makes in-depth journalism about well being difficulties. Collectively with Plan Investigation and Polling, KHN is one particular of the 3 main operating courses at KFF (Kaiser Relatives Basis). KFF is an endowed nonprofit corporation providing data on well being concerns to the nation.

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