On a flight from New York City to Tel Aviv, a flight attendant fell ill, and is now being hospitalized while in a coma from a measles-related complication, the New York Times reports per Eyal Basson, a spokesman for the Isreali Ministry of Health.
Details: It has not yet been confirmed whether the flight attendant had been vaccinated, but the woman's mother claimed she received recommended inoculations, per the New York Times. CNN reports that she has been in a coma for over 10 days. National health officials warned those who were aboard the March 26 El Al flight 002, recommending they visit medical professionals if fevers develop. In a letter, health officials also recommended all airline staff be immunized with 2 doses of the MMR vaccine.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) announced on Thursday that he will introduce new legislation in May to raise the federal minimum age to buy tobacco products from 18 to 21.
"For some time, I’ve been hearing from the parents who are seeing an unprecedented spike in vaping among their teenage children. In addition, we all know people who started smoking at a young age and who struggled to quit as adults. Unfortunately it’s reaching epidemic levels around the country."
60 medical professionals were indicted on Wednesday for issuing more than 350,000 illegal pain pill prescriptions, the Washington Post reports.
Details: The investigation used undercover informants and agents to infiltrate medical practices — including 31 doctors, 8 nurse practitioners, 7 pharmacists and 7 other medical professionals — in Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, Alabama and West Virginia. Those indicted reportedly exploited their licenses to sell opioids in exchange for money and sexual favors.
The first major study on the effectiveness of a workplace wellness program found that it had little impact on health outcomes, spending or utilization, according to a new Harvard study published in JAMA.
Details: It also didn't improve worker attendance or job performance over the 18 months of the study. It did, however, encourage employees to exercise more and improve their weight management.
Red states are getting creative as they look for new ways to limit the growth of Medicaid. But in the process those states are taking legal, political and practical risks that could ultimately leave them paying far more, to cover far fewer people.
Why it matters: Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program cover more than 72 million Americans, thanks in part to the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion. Rolling back the program is a high priority for the Trump administration, and it needs states' help to get there.
