Chicago PD Measles Outbreak; Affordable Care Hearing Starts; New Apple Health Apps

by Michael DePeau-Wilson, Enterprise & Investigative Writer, MedPage Today June 6, 2023

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A notice at a Chicago police district indicated a possible measles outbreak, though the city's public health department said this was unlikely. (CBS News)

A federal appeals court will hear arguments today about whether to lift a pause on a decision halting the Affordable Care Act's requirement that employers fully cover the cost of specified preventive health care services. (The Hill)

Merck filed suit against the U.S. government, seeking an injunction of the drug price negotiation program contained in the Inflation Reduction Act. (Reuters)

Women who took an oral form of estrogen-only hormone therapy had an increased risk of hypertension compared to those who took either transdermal or vaginal estrogen, a cohort study showed. (Hypertension)

Medicare plans to name Christina Ritter, PhD, a longtime CMS staffer, to temporarily head its efforts to implement drug pricing policies established in the Inflation Reduction Act. (STAT)

Two former U.S. Secretaries of HHS, Alex Azar and Kathleen Sebelius, called for immigration policy changes to address the nation's severe nursing shortage. (TIME)

The FDA approved ferric carboxymaltose injection (Injectafer) to treat iron deficiency in adult patients with heart failure, Daiichi Sankyo said.

The agency also approved a new indication for letermovir (Prevymis) for prophylaxis of cytomegalovirus disease in high-risk adult kidney transplant recipients, according to Merck.

Lack of transparency from the hospital industry may prevent a proposed national patient safety board from accomplishing what the National Transportation Safety Board model has done for the transportation industry. (KFF Health News)

Screening newborns through genomic sequencing revealed unknown cancer risks in the infants' parents. (American Journal of Human Genetics)

New Zealand will limit sales of disposable vaping products near schools. (Reuters)

Osteopathic physicians are filling the healthcare void in rural communities across the U.S. (NPR)

Novavax said its protein-based COVID-19 vaccine will likely protect against other variants. (Reuters)

Wildfires across the U.S. and Canada may severely affect the health of millions of people, prompting several states to issue air quality alerts. (ABC News)

Apple announced new vision care and mental health features for its latest updates to the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. (Fierce Healthcare)

The debt limit deal will reportedly allow the U.S. government to recoup more than $27 billion in unspent COVID-19 relief funds. (Healthcare Dive)

Michael DePeau-Wilson is a reporter on MedPage Today's enterprise & investigative team. He covers psychiatry, long covid, and infectious diseases, among other relevant U.S. clinical news. Follow