 Health Care |
Health Care |
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Hospital admissions jump, but COVID tracking more difficult |
Nearly everyone lately seems to be getting infected with COVID-19 or knows someone who has. But without the comprehensive tracking data available in the public health emergency, it's hard to tell exactly how bad the situation is. |
Hospital admissions went up by 20 percent last week. Since federal and state daily and weekly case rates are no longer available, this metric is the best measure currently available for tracking community levels. About half of the counties in the U.S. — mostly in the West — appear to have low admission rates, while 8 percent are considered high. Apart from hospital data, we also have wastewater surveillance. This measure suggests most surveillance sites are reporting higher virus levels, though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has noted that sites began monitoring at different times, making this information relative to a specific location. "We have wastewater data and we have hospitalization data, and then we have just lots of anecdotes," William Schaffner, professor in the division of infectious diseases at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, told The Hill. "My colleagues across the country, as I speak with them on conference calls, are all experiencing pretty much the same thing." Schaffner said he and his colleagues are seeing mostly vulnerable and older people being admitted to the hospital. Despite the apparent rise in cases, the infectious diseases expert stops short of calling the current increase a surge. "I'm reluctant to call it a surge, because we have used that term last season and the season before when we really had very large increases that stressed hospital systems severely," said Schaffner. "We're having a substantial seasonal increase. I don't think we've reached the levels that we had last year." The latest federal data suggests hospital admissions are slowing down and emergency department visits due to coronavirus are dropping. Read more at TheHill.com. |
Welcome to The Hill's Health Care newsletter, we're Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health. |
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Lawmakers will need to vote by Friday on a stopgap measure to keep the government funded in order to avert a shutdown. The proposed "laddered" continuing resolution (CR) would extend funding for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) until March 1, and until March 8 for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
It would enact some health extenders and punt others, continue funding for community health centers at current levels, and delay scheduled cuts to certain Medicaid hospitals with high volumes of uninsured patients. Some items it wouldn't address: - Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act
- The anti-opioid SUPPORT Act
- The PEPFAR program for HIV/AIDS prevention.
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How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond: |
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Virginia is warning travelers that they may have been exposed to measles earlier this month at the two airports in the Washington, D.C., area. The Virginia Public Health Department said it was notified of confirmed cases of measles at Dulles International Airport on Jan. 3 and Ronald Reagan National Airport on Jan. 4. The department issued a warning to travelers who were near the international arrivals area of the … |
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Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra will be joining with Democratic lawmakers to launch a reproductive health care series this week to highlight efforts by the administration to ensure access to reproductive and contraceptive care. The health care series will start in D.C. on Wednesday, with Becerra hosting Democratic female Congress members for a discussion on HHS’s work, The Hill can exclusively … |
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Women's health around the world is "no better" than it was at the height of the pandemic, according to a recently released survey. "Across key health measures, women are no better off today than they were in the first year of the survey, which was conducted at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic," the 2024 Hologic Global Women's Health Index report states. "In some cases, their health is worse. Billions of women have physical … |
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Upcoming news themes and events we're watching: |
- A House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on Wednesday will look at the health and economic impacts of the Biden administration's border policies
- The Senate HELP Committee will hold a hearing Thursday about long COVID
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Branch out with a different read from The Hill: |
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Austin is released from hospital after complications from prostate cancer surgery he kept secret |
WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was released from the hospital on Monday, after spending two weeks there to treat complications from surgery for prostate cancer he kept secret from senior Biden administration leaders and staff for weeks. Austin will be working from home as he recovers, and his doctors said he "progressed … | |
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Local and state headlines on health care: |
- The ACA enrollment period ends Tuesday, and Florida again leads the nation in sign-ups (Health News Florida)
- Code violations found at Lancaster General Hospital during Pennsylvania Department of Health investigation (WGAL)
- Texas Medical Board asked to issue guidance on state abortion laws (The Texas Tribune)
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Health news we've flagged from other outlets: |
- Medicare patients on pricey drugs are saving big this year (Wall Street Journal)
- The new NIH director is walking a tightrope on Biden's drug pricing vision (Stat)
- Trump official who OK'd drugs from Canada chairs company behind Florida's import plan (KFF Health News)
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Most read stories on The Hill right now: |
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Former President Trump mocked former President Carter on Monday during his Iowa caucus victory speech, appearing to take a dig at Carter in the wake … Read more |
| New York’s top court has dismissed former President Trump’s appeal of a gag order imposed in his civil fraud trial, which came to a close … Read more |
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You're all caught up. See you tomorrow! |
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