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| Presented By Humana |
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| Axios Vitals |
| By Tina Reed · Aug 30, 2022 |
| Happy Tuesday, Vitals readers. Today's newsletter is 1,011 words or a 4-minute read. Situational awareness: President Biden will travel to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, today to tout gun violence legislation. - This speech was rescheduled from last month because the president was diagnosed with COVID.
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| 1 big thing: Monkeypox messaging at issue as outbreak enters new phase |
 Data: CDC, U.S. Census; Chart: Erin Davis/Axios Visuals Monkeypox cases may be slowing in the U.S., but the perils of communicating who is most at-risk and getting those people the resources they need is still challenging public health officials and providers, Axios' Arielle Dreher writes. Why it matters: Monkeypox infections are seen primarily among men who have sex with men, but emphasizing that transmission route risks stigmatizing gay and bisexual men. State of play: After three months of rising caseloads, the global outbreak may be peaking amid evidence that gay and bisexual men are curbing risky sexual behavior and more people are getting vaccinated, the Washington Post reported, citing its own tracking over seven days. Messaging about the risk is becoming even more critical as the virus spreads to smaller outlying communities and vaccine supplies tighten. - "There's a concern that people getting vaccines may not be the ones most at-risk," Anna Person, a physician at the Vanderbilt Comprehensive Care Clinic, which serves HIV patients, told Axios.
Between the lines: A key point of contention is whether to classify monkeypox as a sexually transmitted infection, like HIV, or herpes, which also have multiple modes of transmission. - It's important to understand how infections are transmitted sexually to understand disease spread and prevent transmission whenever possible, wrote Northwestern University professor Steven Thrasher in Scientific American.
- But that STI categorization could downplay how monkeypox can be transmitted through other types of close contact and risks stigmatizing sex between men, other experts say.
The bottom line: Whether or not cases keep falling largely depends on the ability of providers to get vaccines out to those who need them most, and raising awareness in communities at risk. Related: Biden admin strikes $11 million deal to fund monkeypox vaccine production |
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| 2. FTC sues data broker |
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| Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios |
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| The Federal Trade Commission is suing an adtech company for selling geolocation information from mobile devices used to track individuals' movements near sensitive locations like reproductive health clinics, Axios' Ashley Gold reports. Driving the news: The FTC voted 4-1 to authorize the suit in an Idaho federal court against data broker Kochava for selling location data from hundreds of millions of phones that also showed when users were in the vicinity of domestic violence shelters and addiction recovery centers. - "Where consumers seek out health care, receive counseling or celebrate their faith is private information that shouldn't be sold to the highest bidder," Samuel Levine, director of the FTC's bureau of consumer protection, said in a release.
Our thought bubble: It's the latest example of how technology has become a central force in how abortion is both accessed, as well how abortion laws could potentially be enforced. |
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| 3. Study: Costlier MA plans aren't always better |
| Higher-cost Medicare Advantage plans don't always result in higher quality, according to a study published in JAMA Health Forum. Why it matters: The private market for Medicare plans may become more popular than traditional Medicare among seniors this year. Zoom in: Researchers at Rand analyzed more than 700 Medicare Advantage plans between 2016 and 2017 against 15 different quality measures. - Quality varied substantially within each premium cost tier studied, Rand experts said.
- People enrolled in the two higher-premium plan tiers reported similar or slightly better experiences on average than enrollees in the lower-premium categories. For example, they were more likely to receive annual flu shots.
Yes, but: People enrolled in lower-tiered plans received better care on average for osteoporosis than those in higher-premium plans. What they're saying: "Given that many high- and low-quality plans were found in each of the premium tiers we studied, the premium cost is a poor proxy for assessing the quality of a Medicare Advantage plan," said lead author Amelia Haviland, a professor of statistics and public policy at Carnegie Mellon University and adjunct statistician at Rand. - Seniors should look at metrics, such as the government's star ratings, she said.
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| A message from Humana |
| Medicare Advantage: Better care, better savings |
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| Eligible members don't have to choose between better health outcomes and savings. Here's why: Medicare Advantage members benefit from 43% lower avoidable hospitalizations and save nearly $2,000 every year compared to those who choose fee-for-service Medicare. Learn more. |
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| 4. Global health facility hygiene problem |
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| Photo: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images |
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| Half of the health care facilities around the world lack basic hygiene services like water and soap, Axios' Oriana Gonzalez writes about a new WHO and UNICEF report released Tuesday. Why it matters: Poor hygiene conditions put the approximately 3.85 billion people who depend on the facilities at greater risk of disease and infection, WHO and UNICEF said. - The report says that unsanitary environments and health workers play a "significant" role in pathogen transmission and could prolong health crises, like the COVID-19 pandemic.
What they're saying: "Hygiene facilities and practices in health care settings are non-negotiable. Their improvement is essential to pandemic recovery, prevention and preparedness," said Maria Neira, director of WHO's Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health. - Hospitals and clinics without safe water and basic hygiene are "a potential death trap for pregnant mothers, newborns, and children," said Kelly Ann Naylor, a UNICEF director overseeing risk reduction. She noted around 670,000 newborns lose their lives to sepsis each year.
By the numbers: Only 51% of health care centers had hygiene facilities at points of care and hand washing facilities. - 11% of health care facilities globally — which serve around 688 million people — don't have any hygiene services.
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| 5. Digital period tracking's dark future |
 Reproduced from Rock Health; Chart: Axios Visuals Almost one-third of menstruating respondents used at least one digital tool to track their periods and/or fertility, Axios' Erin Brodwin writes about a Rock Health report on digital period tracking. Why it matters: The personal right to privacy was embedded in Roe v. Wade, and its reversal is already threatening those protections — including when it comes to the use of digital products that track fertility and ovulation, the Rock Health analysts note. Read the rest of this story from Axios Health Tech Pro. |
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| 6. Catch up quick |
| 🤒 Paid sick leave is associated with lower mortality rates among U.S. workers. (The Hill) 💊 A study of 6,000 people found a diabetes drug cut the number of deaths and medical emergencies associated with heart failure, Brigham and Women's researchers say. (Boston Globe) 👉 New laws in New York and California are seeking to make National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Care centers available to Medicaid and ACA exchange enrollees. (Modern Healthcare) |
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| A message from Humana |
| Members can save on quality care with Medicare Advantage |
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| Medicare Advantage can provide better health outcomes and lower costs. The proof: Members have a 43% lower rate of avoidable hospitalizations and savings of nearly $2,000 a year compared to those who choose fee-for-service Medicare. Learn more. |
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| 🪗 1 fun thing: The trailer for the movie "Weird: The Al Yankovic Story" made waves yesterday in part for its depiction of Madonna. In honor of that, this one goes out to all you Vitals readers out there who are surgeons. |
 | | Why stop here? Let's go Pro. | | |
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