Axios

A federal judge on Wednesday signed off on a $626 million settlement for people who were exposed to lead-contaminated water in Flint, Michigan.

Driving the news: The terms will see nearly 80% of the settlement go to children who were younger than 18 when they were first exposed to the contaminated water.

Health insurance provided by employers this year cost an average of $22,200 for families and $7,700 for individuals, a 4% increase from a year ago, according to new survey data from the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Why it matters: While many people lost their jobs and health insurance during the pandemic, most companies didn't rock the boat heading into 2021. But even a relatively modest increase in the already high costs of job-based insurance means workers and families continue to pay a lot more for their health care.

More than 900,000 children aged 5–11 will have received their first coronavirus vaccine dose by the end of Wednesday, according to the White House.

Driving the news: The CDC approved a two-dose series of Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine for children 5–11 on Nov. 2, with some kids receiving their first dose the following day. First lady Jill Biden on Monday kicked off a "nationwide effort" to get more young children vaccinated.

The Biden administration is set to announce today that it has brokered a deal to get more doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine into conflict zones around the world, a senior White House official tells Axios.

Why it matters: Getting the rest of the world vaccinated will save lives — and reduce the chances of more new variants.

More U.S. veterans died in 2020 than in previous years, but the increase was less than among the general population during the pandemic, according to a new study published in The Lancet Regional Health.

Why it matters: Veterans tend to have higher risks of severe health outcomes from COVID-19 due to their age, and other conditions like hypertension, diabetes and obesity.

Fumio Kishida was re-elected as Japan's prime minister Wednesday in a parliamentary session after his ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) won a majority in the House of Representatives election, per AP.

Why it matters: The 261 seats the LDP won in the 465-member lower house at the Oct. 31 election puts Kishida in a more powerful position, as he prepares to protect Japan from a potential COVID-19 resurgence while trying to revive the world's third-largest economy and working with the U.S. and other allies to address security threats.

The Green Bay Packers were fined $300,000 and players Aaron Rodgers and Allen Lazard were each hit with $14,650 in penalties following an NFL review, the league announced Tuesday night.

Why it matters: The fines were issued for violations of the league and NFL Players Association COVID-19 protocols.

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona on Monday said that there "should be no need for remote or hybrid learning" given recent advances in vaccinations and treatment against the coronavirus.

Why it matters: Cardona's remarks on CBS' "Face the Nation" reflect the Biden administration's trust in the current measures implemented nationwide to mitigate the risk of students contracting the virus.

Pfizer and BioNTech said Tuesday that they have asked the Food and Drug Administration to expand authorization of their COVID-19 vaccine booster to include anyone 18 and older.

Why it matters: If the FDA agrees, it could significantly increase the number of people eligible for a booster.

The Oklahoma Supreme Court on Tuesday overturned a district judge's $465 million opioid verdict against Johnson & Johnson, saying that the drugmaker did not violate the state's public nuisance law.

Catch up quick: A district judge had previously ruled that J&J had violated the law because the company created a public nuisance by falsely promoting its opioids as safe and necessary. Oklahoma's high court, in a 5-1 vote, said that interpretation is wrong.

The Department of Justice is investigating Oak Street Health, the newly public chain of physician clinics that focuses on Medicare patients, over possible violations of the False Claims Act, the company disclosed in a quarterly filing.

Why it matters: Oak Street Health is one of the fastest-growing primary care groups, especially for people over 65.

• The DOJ requested documents tied to Oak Street Health's "relationships with third-party marketing agents" and "free transportation" provided to its patients, according to the filing.

Hospitals are charging private health insurers "considerable markups" on highly used outpatient drugs like Remicade, Neulasta and Keytruda, according to a new study in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Why it matters: Depending on the drug, insurers are paying hospitals several times what Medicare pays, and that ultimately flows through to workers' insurance premiums.

The Biden administration will buy 1.4 million additional courses of a pill developed by Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics to prevent or treat COVID-19, a purchase worth around $1 billion, the companies announced Tuesday.

Why it matters: The U.S. has now committed to acquiring about 3.1 million courses of molnupiravir for $2.2 billion after the drug receives an emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration.

For airlines, one of the biggest remaining pieces of the recovery puzzle just fell into place — the ban that had killed most international travel lifted on Monday.

State of play: Stocks backing the U.S. airlines that most actively serve international markets — American, Delta and United — have surged by 13%-16% since President Biden signed the order on Oct. 25.

Most Americans — including more than two-thirds of Republicans — give their local schools good marks for balancing public health and safety with other priorities, according to the latest installment of the Axios/Ipsos Coronavirus Index.

The big picture: Other findings from our national survey suggest Americans are less worried about COVID risks and largely feel the Delta variant is behind them. That's a potential path to redemption for President Biden after months of sinking approval numbers.

Americans are increasingly likely to believe returning to normal life is only a low to moderate risk as Delta cases plummet, according to the latest installment of the Axios/Ipsos Coronavirus Index.

What they're saying: "Delta's over in the popular imagination," said Ipsos pollster and senior vice president Chris Jackson.

San Diego-based Cue Health, which went public in September and is best known for providing COVID-19 tests to Google, the Defense Department and the NBA, is now debuting a consumer version of its product, available for purchase on Nov. 15.

Why it matters: With experts predicting that the virus will be with us for at least a few years in some form, at-home testing is likely to become a growing need for many people.

Organ donation success rates for people of color, especially for Black Americans, vary widely across the U.S. compared to white people, even in neighboring cities, according to an analysis of recently released 2019 CMS data.

Why it matters: Fewer Black donors correlates to fewer Black recipients, which has led to more Black dying on the organ transplant waitlist.

Health insurance companies that are licensed by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association face steep financial penalties from that organization if they merge with a competitor that doesn't sell BCBS insurance.

Why it matters: Blue Cross Blue Shield is one of the most recognizable health insurance names in the country, and the powerful association behind that brand wants to keep its dominance in local markets.

Two former Oklahoma police officers who used Tasers over 50 times on an unarmed man who later died have been convicted of second-degree murder, the New York Times reported Monday.

Why it matters: The death of Jared Lakey, 28, from a heart attack following his July 2019 arrest brought to the fore the issue of police using stun guns, with advocates arguing they're safer than firearms and critics saying they've contributed to "many fatalities," the NYT notes.

United Airlines can uphold its COVID-19 vaccine mandate that places on unpaid leave employees who have been granted a medical or religious exemption, a federal judge ruled Monday, per Reuters.

Details: U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman noted in his ruling in Fort Worth, Texas, that it was a human resources matter and that no airline staff member was required to get the vaccine, according to Reuters.

Over 25,000 tons of pandemic-related plastic waste pollute the global ocean, according to a study published in the journal PNAS on Monday.

Why it matters: Plastic waste poses a major threat to marine life and ecosystems. COVID-19 only increased the demand for single-use plastic, "intensifying pressure on this already out-of-control problem," the researchers write.

When Republicans successfully captured voters by leaning into critical race theory as an education issue, it reminded the new president of NARAL how the GOP has "scared" Democratic candidates out of talking about abortion rights in past campaigns.

What they're saying: "The right-wing misinformation machine is getting more sophisticated," Mini Timmaraju told Axios. "What we saw in Virginia — it’s very similar to the tactics used to scare candidates from talking about abortion."