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U.S. life expectancy increased for the first time in two years, according to a new report by the CDC. The report, released Thursday, marks a notable reversal: People born in the U.S. in 2022 can expect to live 77.5 years, an increase from 76.4 in 2021. Life expectancy had dropped in 2020 and 2021, which experts have said was driven by Covid-19 deaths and drug overdoses. The 2021 life expectancy report — a decline from 77 years to 76.4 years — marked the lowest U.S. life expectancy since 1996. (Cirruzzo, 3/21)

The U.S. recorded 107,941 drug overdose deaths in 2022, according to a new federal report — a total that marks an all-time record but also shows signs that the country’s overdose rate may finally be leveling off after years of steady increase. (Facher, 3/21)

A new study projects that global fertility rates, which have been declining in all countries since 1950, will continue to plummet through the end of the century, resulting in a profound demographic shift. (Cheng, 3/20)

Search for birth control on TikTok or Instagram and a cascade of misleading videos vilifying hormonal contraception appear: Young women blaming their weight gain on the pill. Right-wing commentators claiming that some birth control can lead to infertility. Testimonials complaining of depression and anxiety. Instead, many social media influencers recommend “natural” alternatives, such as timing sex to menstrual cycles — a less effective birth-control method that doctors warn could result in unwanted pregnancies in a country where abortion is now banned or restricted in nearly half the states. (Weber and Malhi, 3/21)

By law, the agency must claw back overpaid benefits, but SSA's policies had sparked outrage and concern after some Social Security recipients reported surprise bills that demanded payment within 30 days. Sometimes the bills mounted into the tens of thousands of dollars. If they couldn't immediately pay the bill, the agency could dock their entire monthly Social Security payment, leaving some people financially destitute, as reported by "60 Minutes," �鶹Ů�� Health News and other media outlets. In a statement issued Wednesday, Social Security Commissioner Martin O'Malley said the agency will cease "the heavy-handed practice of intercepting 100% of an overpaid beneficiary's monthly Social Security benefit." (Picchi, 3/20)

President Joe Biden is touting his health care policy record with the help of some special guests: former President Barack Obama and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The Biden campaign is launching a week of events in eight battleground states ahead of the Affordable Care Act anniversary as the president vies for his second term in the White House. Obama and Pelosi, D-Calif., will join the president on a national organizing call Saturday to mobilize supporters around protecting the ACA. (Looker, 3/20)

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said he was leaning toward a 15-week national ban on abortion but supports exceptions for rape, incest and saving the life of the mother because "you have to win elections." (Chiacu and Oliphant, 3/20)

A bill designed to help counter depression, burnout and suicide among healthcare providers cleared a key hurdle Wednesday, passing unanimously out of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Reauthorization Act of 2024 updates and extends for five years an earlier version of the law. It funds grants for healthcare organizations and associations to run programs aimed at improving workers' mental health amid staff shortages and ongoing fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. (McAuliff, 3/20)

Preventive care or healthcare innovation legislation promising decadeslong savings benefits may soon get fairer appraisals from Congress’ nonpartisan scorekeeper. Tuesday, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would allow lawmakers to request the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to generate budgetary savings estimates of prospective preventive healthcare legislation over a 30-year window as opposed to the current 10-year scoring window. (Muoio, 3/20)

House Republicans asked a government watchdog to investigate federal officials’ oversight of mental health funding, citing documents showing that more than $3.8 billion intended for emergency coronavirus response and for a 988 suicide and crisis hotline remained unspent as of late last year. (Diamond, 3/20)

Senators are launching an investigation of national security threats posed by high-risk biological research amid intensifying concern over U.S.-China biotech competition and lingering questions about COVID's origins. The probe by the top lawmakers on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee could help fuel a push for new restrictions on Chinese contract research firms like WuXi AppTec that critics say are tied to Beijing and pose a security risk. (Bettelheim, 3/21)

Congressional leaders are one step closer to closing out a particularly chaotic government funding season, releasing a massive, $1.2 trillion spending package early Thursday morning that they aim to pass through both chambers by week’s end. Lawmakers are again racing against a partial government shutdown that would hit just after midnight Saturday morning, after a fight over border-related funding delayed legislative text. The new package leaders unveiled overnight would boost budgets for the military through the end of September, while keeping funding for most non-defense agencies about even with current spending levels. (Emma and Scholtes, 3/21)

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) says he will hold up a $1 trillion “minibus” spending package that needs to pass by the end of the day Friday to avoid triggering a partial government shutdown. “I will hold it up primarily because we’re bankrupt, and it’s a terrible idea to keep spending money at this rate,” Paul told The Hill on Wednesday. (Bolton, 3/20)

Two influential House panels questioned the administration’s top health official Wednesday during hearings on the White House’s fiscal 2025 budget proposal for the Health and Human Services Department, even as Congress races to avoid a partial government shutdown involving this year’s HHS funding. (Raman and Clason, 3/20)

As more states create dedicated boards to cap the costs of medicines, some drugmakers and their allies are pushing back with a controversial tactic — lobbying for legislation to set exemptions for so-called orphan drugs, which are used to combat rare diseases that afflict relatively small groups of patients. (Silverman, 3/21)

Medicare will likely choose the obesity drug semaglutide for price negotiation “within the next few years,” according to a new analysis from nonpartisan congressional budget experts. That could curb the cost of legislation requiring Medicare to cover obesity drugs, which would increase the chances of Congress actually passing such a bill. (Wilkerson, 3/20)

Americans are flocking to drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Zepbound, drawn by the prospect of rapid weight loss. But a monthly cost that can exceed $1,000 and scant insurance coverage mean users drop off the treatments almost as quickly as they get on. A group of companies sees this as an opportunity. Targeting current and former users of the medications, they’re offering telehealth checkups, lifestyle coaching, access to community support groups, exercise advice and other features—all with the aim of keeping the pounds off once the treatment has ended. (Denham, 3/21)

�鶹Ů�� Health News: Biden Said Medicare Drug Price Negotiations Cut The Deficit By $160B. That's Years Away

President Joe Biden has been making his case for reelection to voters by telling them he is good for their pocketbooks, including at the pharmacy counter. During his State of the Union address, Biden said legislation he signed gave Medicare the power to negotiate lower prescription drug prices. (Sherman, 3/21)

Baltimore is taking Eli Lilly and other pharmaceutical giants to court, accusing them of artificially inflating the cost of insulin and other diabetes medications. Mayor Brandon Scott, a Democrat, and the Baltimore City Council filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court of Maryland against Eli Lilly and 17 other companies, including CVS and drug maker Novo Nordisk. They are requesting a jury trial. (Roberts, 3/20)

British pharmaceutical giant GSK said on Wednesday it would cap out-of-pocket costs for all its inhaled asthma and chronic lung disease medicines at $35 per month for eligible patients in the United States, following similar moves by two of its rivals. GSK said the decision will take effect by Jan. 1, 2025. (3/20)

Many health care providers struggling to get paid after the hack of a UnitedHealth Group subsidiary are still trying to figure out if their cyberattack insurance will help cover their losses. (Reed, 3/21)

UnitedHealth Group said on Wednesday its unit Change Healthcare's cloud-based services for handling medical claims were completely rebuilt and restored, about a month after a cybersecurity attack on the subsidiary crippled healthcare in the United States. Amazon's cloud services for two of Change Healthcare's applications were restored from backups and cleared by their cybersecurity partners, the insurer said. (3/20)

A federal effort to promote health equity will redistribute billions of dollars in Medicare Advantage Star Ratings bonus payments among health insurance companies. Beginning in 2027, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will reward Medicare Advantage plans that demonstrate progress addressing health disparities. At the same time, the agency scrapped a bonus policy that benefited insurers that sustained high overall quality ratings over time. (Tepper, 3/20)

Discovery Ltd., South Africa’s biggest health insurance provider, is in talks with US peers to bring its flagship wellness program known as Vitality to their market. While Discovery has long had a relationship with John Hancock Life Insurance Co. to offer Vitality to its customers in the US, it’s now looking to deepen its foothold in the lucrative market, Chief Executive Officer Adrian Gore said in an interview with Bloomberg Television. (Changole, 3/21)

Workforce challenges remain the top worry of hospital CEOs, according to a survey by the American College of Healthcare Executives. A shortage of technicians and nurses and burnout among non-physician workers were the most pressing issues related to staffing, according to the group's survey of 241 CEOs at community hospitals last fall. The survey asked participants to rank hospital industry challenges on an 11-point scale in terms of how pressing they were. (DeSilva, 3/20)

Black patients at large health systems may be less likely than white patients to get responses from doctors to emailed questions, a new JAMA Network Open study suggests. (Goldman, 3/21)

Johns Hopkins Hospital and Johns Hopkins University plan to divert the small amount of medical waste that they send to an incinerator in South Baltimore, after state environmental officials flagged continuing pollution violations at the facility. (Condon, 3/20)

A type of bacteria that causes dental plaque may be behind a treatment-resistant form of colorectal cancer, a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature found. The particular bacterium, which appears to shield tumor cells from cancer-fighting drugs, was found in 50% of the tumors tested in the study. The discovery, experts say, could pave the way for new treatments and possibly new methods of screening. (Sullivan, 3/20)

Nearly 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's disease. That's an increase of about 200,000 cases of the mind-robbing disease from last year. The new report highlights the significant burden caregivers face. It says taking care of someone with Alzheimer's amounts to a full-time job, filled with frustrations, heartache and stress. (Stahl and Nau, 3/20)

Amid the impending start of March Madness, college basketball fans across the country may happily forgo a few days of work or house chores to instead park themselves in front of the nearest screen airing the NCAA tournament. But for those men savvy enough to schedule vasectomy procedures timed to a good TV lineup, they have a valid excuse: "Don't like that I'm lazing about while watching hours and hours of basketball? Sorry, doctor's orders." (Lagatta, 3/21)

�鶹Ů�� Health News: Telehealth Sites Promise Cure For ‘Male Menopause’ Despite FDA Ban On Off-Label Ads

Online stores sprang up during the covid-19 pandemic’s telehealth boom touting testosterone as a cure-all for men’s age-related illnesses — despite FDA rules issued years ago restricting such “low testosterone” advertising. In ads on Google, Facebook, and elsewhere, testosterone telemedicine websites may promise a quick fix for sluggishness and low libido in men. But evidence for that is lacking, physicians said. (Scaturro, 3/21)

A long-awaited federal ban on menthol cigarettes and cigars remains in limbo, after the White House delayed finalizing a proposed rule until at least this month. In states like California and Massachusetts where such restrictions already exist, tobacco companies are launching new menthol-like products to try to sidestep regulations. These new "non-menthol" tobacco products mimic traditional menthols; they contain a different chemical additive with a similar cooling effect, and often come branded and packaged, much like their menthol predecessors. (Noguchi, 3/21)

The shorter and milder winters, warming oceans, altered precipitation patterns, and extreme weather of climate change are fueling the spread of infectious diseases, experts warn today in JAMA. Infectious-disease physicians from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the University of California Davis (UCD) noted that the past decade saw 9 of the 10 warmest years on record, along with severe heat, droughts, wildfires, floods, and hurricanes. (Van Beusekom, 3/20)

Numbers are continuing to climb when it comes to a bacterial outbreak that Santa Cruz County public health officials have been battling for weeks. As of Monday, there were 37 confirmed cases of shigellosis in the county, primarily in the North County region among individuals experiencing homelessness, county Health Officer Lisa Hernandez told the Sentinel. That is an increase of 10 overall cases since late February. (Hattis, 3/20)

Because widespread measles outbreaks have been rare, most Americans, including doctors, may not recognize the vibrant red rash that accompanies respiratory symptoms in a measles infection. They may have forgotten the impact of the disease on individuals and communities. “Most of our local health department folks have never seen a measles outbreak,” said Dr. Christine Hahn, state epidemiologist of Idaho, which contained a small cluster of cases last year. (Mandavilli, 3/20)

Yesterday in Emerging Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) researchers described the cases of eight US children who died of acute hepatitis of unknown cause—half of whom tested positive for adenovirus—from October 2021 to June 2023. (Van Beusekom, 3/20)

�鶹Ů�� Health News: Rapid Rise In Syphilis Hits Native Americans Hardest

From her base in Gallup, New Mexico, Melissa Wyaco supervises about two dozen public health nurses who crisscross the sprawling Navajo Nation searching for patients who have tested positive for or been exposed to a disease once nearly eradicated in the U.S.: syphilis. Infection rates in this region of the Southwest — the 27,000-square-mile reservation encompasses parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah — are among the nation’s highest. (Nowell, 3/21)

The World Health Organization (WHO) said today in an outbreak notice that 13 countries in Africa have reported confirmed or probable yellow fever cases since the start of 2023. It urged countries to increase surveillance because of the potential for onward transmission through travel and the presence of mosquitoes in neighboring countries that are capable of spreading the disease. (Schnirring, 3/20)

Elon Musk’s Neuralink introduced the first patient to receive its brain-computer implant, a 29-year-old diving-accident victim who showed during a livestream that he can now move a computer cursor using the device. ... Moving a computer cursor isn’t a big technical leap for brain-computer interfaces. An older brain chip first implanted in a human in 2004 also helped a paralyzed person move a cursor with only their thoughts. But the older chip must be attached to a device on the outside of the brain to transmit data, requiring wires protruding through the skin. Another notable feature of Neuralink’s presentation was that Noland Arbaugh was multitasking: playing chess while speaking about his experience getting the implant. Prior demonstrations of brain-computer interfaces have required dedicated attention to a particular task. (Winkler and Corse, 3/20)

Scientists have long known that pulse oximeters are less accurate when used for people with dark skin tones – and now, a new report offers some insight into just how much more inaccurate these fingertip clamps can be. (Howard, 3/20)

Scientists in a prominent cancer lab at Columbia University have now had four studies retracted and a stern note added to a fifth accusing it of “severe abuse of the scientific publishing system,” the latest fallout from research misconduct allegations recently leveled against several leading cancer scientists. A scientific sleuth in Britain last year uncovered discrepancies in data published by the Columbia lab, including the reuse of photos and other images across different papers. (Mueller, 3/20)

The military found more than 1 in 4 essential medicines are at "very high risk" because of their reliance on Chinese ingredients or their unknown origins. (Millman, 3/20)

Johnson & Johnson has accused a long-standing employee of taking thousands of confidential files about commercial strategies as he left for a similar job at Pfizer, according to lawsuit filed in a federal court in New Jersey. (Silverman, 3/20)

Proposition 1, the mental health bond championed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, finally secured enough votes to pass Wednesday. The Associated Press called the race more than two weeks after polls closed, a sign of how surprisingly close the race was. The latest vote totals show the measure winning 50.2% to 49.8%, enough of a margin to ensure its passage. Under Proposition 1, California will use $6.4 billion in bond funding to build housing and residential treatment facilities for people with mental illness and will divert more of the state’s mental health funding to intensive treatment. (Bollag, 3/20)

When Hunter Morgan bought an optometry practice in Southern California three years ago, one of the first things he did was start seeing patients who use Medicaid — the government-funded health insurance program for low-income people. The previous owners had not accepted patients on Medicaid, which covers roughly a third of California’s 39 million residents. But Morgan felt he had a responsibility to serve people in need. (Beam, 3/21)

Workers with San Francisco's Human Services Agency are demanding change. Their union, SEIU 1021, say the agency is so short staffed, it's making it difficult for them to do their jobs. They say challenges will become even greater if they have to implement a new drug screening law. On Wednesday, more than a hundred workers rallied for better working conditions, including Alejandra Calveron. "They keep moving me from department to department to help different areas of need because we don't have enough staff," Calveron regarding the current issues. (Hari, 3/20)

A company operating 10 nursing homes in and around the Bay Area has settled a lawsuit by local county prosecutors and the State of California alleging it neglected vulnerable patients’ medical care and hygiene needs and exposed them to physical and sexual assaults. Under the settlement, Mariner Health Care, ... agreed to pay up to $15.5 million if it fails to abide by terms related to patient safety and staffing levels. (Baron, 3/20)

Alabama state lawmakers on Wednesday advanced legislation that would prohibit classroom discussions or instruction related to gender identity or sexual orientation in public schools through 12th grade, expanding the existing law that extends through 5th grade. The House Education Policy Committee advanced the legislation, which now heads to the Alabama House of Representatives for a full vote. (Fortinsky, 3/20)

An ugly legal battle between OASIS and AHF —involving a quarter-million dollars in federal funding for HIV medical care — is affecting hundreds of low-income patients in Northwest Florida. (Strickland, 3/20)

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has signed a multimillion-dollar measure to send state money to tribes and Indigenous people in the state who die from opioid overdoses at disproportionately high rates in Washington. It was one of seven fentanyl-related bills Inslee signed Tuesday while on the Tulalip Indian Reservation, KING-TV reported. (3/20)

Illinois schools will now more easily be able to get life-saving asthma inhalers to keep on-hand in case a student is struggling to breathe. The Illinois Department of Public Health announced Wednesday that Director Dr. Sameer Vohra has signed a standing order allowing Illinois schools to more easily obtain asthma inhalers that can be administered to anyone on-site who is experiencing respiratory distress. The medication can only be administered by school personnel who’ve gone through training. (Schencker, 3/20)

At least 70 million Americans get their water from a system where toxic PFAS "forever chemicals" were found at levels that require reporting to the Environmental Protection Agency. That's according to new data the EPA released in its ongoing 5-year review of water systems across the nation. The number will almost certainly grow as new reports are released every three months. (Fast, Garzella, and Pyun, 3/21)

Adding the note "claim your dose" to texted reminders to get the latest COVID-19 booster increased uptake more than if the nudge just told patients the bivalent booster was available, researchers from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) report. (Van Beusekom, 3/19)

 A large European study published in Heart suggests that COVID-19 vaccines reduce the risk of heart failure and blood clots in veins or arteries for at least 6 months after SARS-CoV-2 infection. University of Oxford investigators conducted a staggered cohort study using the electronic health records of 10.2 million vaccinated and 10.4 million unvaccinated COVID-naïve people based on national COVID-19 vaccination campaigns in the United Kingdom, Spain, and Estonia from January to July 2021. (VanBeusekom, 3/15)

A new analysis of data in Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses finds that the incidence of COVID-19 hospitalization is more than double among patients with any psychiatric disorder compared to adults with no psychiatric disorder. The longitudinal study is based on electronic health records collected from four health systems and research centers in Indiana, Oregon, Texas, and Utah that partner with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (Soucheray, 3/18)

A new analysis of surveillance data from Europe shows "substantial interactions" between age, sex, and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). In a study published yesterday in PLOS Medicine, a team of researchers from the United Kingdom analyzed data on bloodstream infections (BSIs) collected from nearly one million patients in 29 European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) countries over 5 years. They found that the prevalence of resistance varied by bacteria and antibiotic by the age and sex of the patient, with distinct patterns in resistance prevalence by age observed across Europe for different bacteria. (Dall, 3/15)

Chemotherapy has long been a cornerstone of treatment when it comes to fighting cancer. Although it has proven efficacy in fighting the disease, its toll on patients both mentally and physically remains profound. While the physical effects of treatment often subside, the mental strain can persist long after. (Dr. Robert Den, 3/21)

As a measles outbreak tears though Florida, the state’s surgeon general, Joseph Ladapo, is openly rejecting long-proven public health practices. He is not urging vaccination against this preventable, highly contagious, dangerous disease, and he advises parents to decide whether to keep unvaccinated kids at home. This is just the latest episode in a COVID-era pattern of peddling medical misinformation and unevidenced positions. (David Robert Grimes, /19)

More than two years after safety concerns at a major infant formula manufacturing plant sparked a nationwide shortage, two Democratic lawmakers are introducing a bill aimed at creating a more competitive, stable market for this essential product. (Alyssa Rosenberg, 3/20)

Right now in Iowa, abortion is legal until about 20 weeks with very limited exceptions, including not just the life but also the health of the mother. If the six-week abortion ban being considered again by the Iowa Supreme Court goes into effect, I'm not sure what we're going to do. (Sarah Fleming, 3/21)

From the special’s outset, Oprah made the story about GLP-1 receptor agonists — Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro — a retelling of her own struggle with weight. Of course the public noticed last year when a remarkably thin Oprah emerged on red carpets. There was rampant speculation that she was on Ozempic. While Oprah never names which brand of GLP-1 she is taking, she confirmed again in this show that she is on a weight-loss drug. (Tressie McMillan Cottom, 3/20)