General
December 13 news: Medicaid work requirements, vaping deaths, new FDA commissioner
The Washington Post — Senate confirms oncologist Stephen Hahn as FDA commissioner
Stephen Hahn, an oncologist and top official at MD Anderson Cancer Center, was confirmed Thursday as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. The Senate vote was 72 to 18.
Associated Press – More Americans are dying at home rather than in hospitals
For the first time since the early 1900s, more Americans are dying at home rather than in hospitals, a trend that reflects more hospice care and progress toward the kind of end that most people say they want. Death in nursing homes has also declined.
The Hill – Woman sues for sex discrimination after being denied morning-after pill
A Minnesota woman is reportedly suing two pharmacies, claiming sex discrimination, after she said she was denied a "morning-after" pill.
The New York Times – South Carolina is the 10th state to impose Medicaid work requirements
Although the courts have so far blocked President Trump’s attempts to impose work requirements on Medicaid recipients, his administration announced on Thursday that it would allow a 10th state, South Carolina, to condition Medicaid eligibility for many poor adults on proving that they work or engage in other activities, like volunteering.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed has promised to tackle her city’s homelessness crisis, a situation involving drug abuse and mental illness that is compounded by the city’s high housing costs.
Associated Press — Vaping illness death count surpasses 50 in US
The 52 deaths in 26 states are among the 2,409 hospitalized cases that have been reported across the nation this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
The Washington Post – FDA warns company over ad that leaves out information on risk of overdose
The Food and Drug Administration says an ad for Vivitrol, a long-acting anti-addiction medication, does not warn users that they are more vulnerable to a “potentially fatal” overdose if they resume opioid use after the medication wears off.
