The FDA released a consumer alert on Friday stating the public should not use vaping products that contain THC, the primary psychoactive component of the cannabis plant.
Why it matters: Officials from the Centers for Disease Control say that THC vape products have been linked to a majority of patients with vaping-related lung injuries, which have caused 18 deaths as of Oct. 4. There are currently 1,080 confirmed and probable cases of the lung injury, per the CDC.
Oregon's governor announced a temporary, 180-day ban on all flavored electronic cigarette products on Friday.
The big picture: At least 18 people across the U.S. have died from a lung injury associated with vaping in 15 states, as of Oct. 4. Two of those deaths were in Oregon. Gov. Kate Brown said Oregon is dedicated to developing legislation to ban flavored vaping products permanently — while the Trump administration says it is planning to take similar action at the federal level.
A state appellate court blocked New York's ban on all flavored electronic cigarettes the first week of October, preventing New York from becoming the second state to put such a ban in place, the Wall Street Journal reports.
The big picture: The Food and Drug Administration announced last month that it was finalizing plans to pull all flavored e-cigarette cartridges from the market. Massachusetts currently has the harshest vaping ban in U.S.
The hospital industry isn't just consolidating among the titans. Deals are happening frequently at the local level, too.
Why it matters: Smaller hospital deals are just as important as large system mergers because local market power is paramount in health care — people usually get care close to where they live. A combined entity reduces competition, which could give it the upper hand in negotiations with commercial health insurers in its area.
What the White House billed yesterday as a high-profile counterpunch to “Medicare for All” turned out to be much less significant — a fairly normal, fairly vague policy statement with no real implications for 2020.
Between the lines: Trump is promoting Medicare Advantage over traditional Medicare, and that does matter for the program and the federal budget. But it’s not a new position and not one that has much to do with the broader debate over the American health care system.
