The number of school shootings with casualties in the U.S. hit a new record in the 2021-22 school year and more than doubled from the previous school year, according to recent data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Why it matters: This is now the second consecutive school year in which the U.S. broke this record.
A renewed effort is underway in Congress to get the government to cover more infertility treatments for veterans and active duty service members.
Driving the news: U.S. Sen. Patty Murray and Rep. Rick Larsen, Democrats from Washington state, are reintroducing a measure Thursday that would require the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense to expand their coverage for treatments like in vitro fertilization.
Colonoscopies can cost up to nearly 60% more when performed in a hospital compared to an ambulatory surgery center, according to a new analysis from a Blue Cross Blue Shield Association subsidiary.
Why it matters: The report draws on claims data for 133 million Blues members from 2017 through 2022 and underscores insurers' arguments for site-neutral policies that pay the same for some services, regardless of the setting.
There are stark regional differences in the use of xylazine, a powerful veterinary sedative increasingly mixed with illicit fentanyl that can cause skin-rotting wounds, according to a new report from the drug testing lab Millennium Health.
Why it matters: Fatal overdoses involving xylazine, also known as "tranq" or "zombie drug," have skyrocketed in recent years, worsening the nation's drug crisis. And a patchy surveillance system scattered across local and state governments makes it difficult to track xylazine's spread in real time.
The legal challenges to President Biden's drug price negotiation law could be on a collision course with the 2024 election.
Why it matters: Should the Medicare negotiation program survive its first courtroom showdown tomorrow, analysts say drug companies challenging the law could still have several chances to stop the program before next year's election — which could undercut Biden's ability to campaign on his victory over Big Pharma.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) told CBS News Wednesday criminalizing women for having abortions "will not happen in Florida," where he signed into law legislation banning the procedure after six weeks earlier this year.
Driving the news: "We have no criminal penalties, the penalties are for the physician," the Republican presidential candidate said when challenged during the interview on the legislation that's pending due to litigation.
Parts of New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's emergency health order suspending the right to carry guns in public in the state's largest metro area was temporarily blocked by a federal judge in Albuquerque on Wednesday.
Driving the news: U.S. District Court Judge David Urias said in his decision that the 30-day suspension in Albuquerque and the surrounding Bernalillo County contravened a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that said it's a constitutional right to carry a weapon in public for self-defense purposes.
Florida's Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo cautioned against COVID boosters for people younger than 65 Wednesday.
Why it matters: The DeSantis administration said Florida is the first state in the country to recommend against boosters for under-65s. The recommendation contradicts CDC guidance that calls for "everyone 6 months and older" to receive the new boosters ahead of the winter virus season.
Nearly 60% of ground ambulance rides were out of network in 2022, according to an analysis provided first to Axios by FAIR Health.
Why it matters: Patients can't really shop around for an ambulance ride, but they're getting smacked with major medical bills because their emergency transportation is outside of their insurers' network.
Plenty of legal precedent already allows Medicare to determine what it will pay for health care goods and services, the Department of Justice argued this week in defense of new Medicare drug price negotiations.
Why it matters: The filing, in response to Merck's lawsuit, indicates how the government will defend the program's constitutionality against a wave of similar challenges.
The effort to get Americans updated COVID-19 shots this fall will be the first major vaccination campaign without the federal government guaranteeing their availability at no cost.
Why it matters: A new federal program and other community efforts will continue providing free vaccines for uninsured people, but experts say it won't be as easy for them to access the shots.
The expected spike in poverty — particularly child poverty — between 2021 and 2022 shows the impact of letting major pandemic-era safety net program expansions expire, a policy experiment with no precedent in the U.S.
Why it matters: The pandemic programs were enacted as temporary measures. But their expiration still stings for the Americans who experienced an economic boost only to lose it — and there's more to come.
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