Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R) has joined Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's (R) lawsuit to block President Biden and the Department of Defense from enforcing a vaccine mandate for the National Guard, his office announced Thursday.
Why it matters: The lawsuit argues that when national guardsmen are serving the state, the federal government does not have authority over them.
The presence of certain autoantibodies or high amounts of coronavirus RNA in the blood could be indicators a patient has a higher chance of developing long COVID, according to a new study in the journal Cell.
Other factors include a person having Type 2 diabetes or the reactivation of the Epstein-Barr virus.
The White House said Thursday that a record 14.5 million Americans have signed up for health insurance through Obamacare marketplaces since Nov. 1, including more than 10 million enrollments through HealthCare.gov.
Why it matters: Last year's stimulus bill contained substantial investments in the program, including increased subsidies for people who don't receive health insurance from an employer or through Medicare or Medicaid.
The number of Medicare accountable care organizations — groups of hospitals and doctors who care for specific groups of Medicare patients — has flat-lined since 2018, new data from the federal government shows.
Why it matters: The Affordable Care Act created ACOs with the intent of both improving quality of care for patients and cutting costs, and then sharing savings with those care providers.
But industry interest stagnated after Medicare cracked down on models that made it too easy for providers to collect money.
New COVID infections are declining in the U.S. — a sign that the Omicron wave has likely peaked.
Yes, but: Deaths are rising, and the U.S. still has a lot of COVID — a reminder that even this milder variant is still a very real threat to unvaccinated Americans.
In recent months, subscription health care service businesses have attracted significant attention from venture capitalists, according to a recent PitchBook report.
Why it matters: Venture capitalists have been pouring money into subscription startups, including Crossover Health, Tia Clinic and Oak Street Health. Like One Medical and Forward, these companies promise to save users under the assumption that their models will save on downstream medical costs by connecting patients to more consistent care.
Asian American and Pacific Islander groups, led by Tongan Americans, wrote to President Biden Wednesday to urge his administration to ramp up aid assistance to Tonga and follow through on climate action to address root causes.
The big picture: The call came as British and Australian navy ships arrived in Tonga to deliver aid without making contact with anyone on the coronavirus-free Pacific Island nation that's been devastated by the deadly Jan. 15 volcanic eruption and tsunami.
The U.S. Navy announced Wednesday it has discharged 45 service members for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine, including 23 active-duty sailors.
Why it matters: This is the first time the Navy has announced that it's kicked out sailors for not getting inoculated against the coronavirus since the military's Nov. 28 vaccine mandate expired, per the Navy Times.
Spotify on Wednesday confirmed it will remove Neil Young's music from its platform, after the singer demanded that the streaming giant take it down in response to vaccine misinformation being spread by Joe Rogan, a popular podcaster on the platform.
Why it matters: Young is the first high-profile artist to boycott Spotify because of content moderation issues.
The Biden administration said that by the end of Wednesday it will have sent 400 million COVID vaccine doses worldwide.
Why it matters: It's a major milestone, though it's a fraction of the 1.2 billion doses the U.S. has promised to donate to help prevent more deaths and reduce the risk of new COVID variants.
Amid a nationwide nursing shortage and burnout crisis, tech companies say they could be part of the solution by allowing nurses to essentially join the gig economy.
Why it matters: Demand is accelerating for tools that help hospitals more efficiently fill shifts, while also offering an exhausted workforce more flexibility.
