Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
NYC Wipes Out $135M In Medical Debt, Easing Burden For 75,000 Residents
New York City has canceled nearly $135 million in medical debt for more than 75,000 residents, Mayor Eric Adams said Wednesday. Eliminating medical debt was one of the key commitments Adams laid out in his State of the City address last year. (Giella, 10/23)
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) said the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) denied his state’s appeal for federal disaster relief for flooding in May. Moore, in a Thursday release, called the move “deeply frustrating” and said it “leaves Marylanders on their own.” (Rego, 10/23)
A study by a national news organization has found that levels of so-called "forever chemicals" in area public water supplies are several times over the recommended limits. The report by USA Today shows levels of PFAS in most regional municipal water systems are several times the limits that have been recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency. (Newborn, 10/24)
Florida’s rural hospitals are navigating an increasingly uncertain financial landscape, and DeSoto Memorial Hospital in Arcadia is a clear example, according to Florida Hospital Association CEO and president Mary Mayhew. (Mayer, 10/23)
Attorneys for Ruben Torres Maldonado, a 40-year-old Portage Park man detained by federal immigration agents last Saturday while his 16-year-old daughter, Ofelia, is undergoing cancer treatment, petitioned the court for him to be freed as his deportation case works its way through the system. (Pratt, 10/23)
The Kane County Health Department has launched an education campaign meant to help residents access “clear, trustworthy information” about respiratory illnesses and vaccines, according to a news release from the county. (10/23)
Three women become choked up as they deliver news in a video posted to social media. “We did it, everybody,” says Leslie Manookian, the woman in the middle. She is a driving force in a campaign that has chipped away at the foundations of modern public health in Idaho. The group had just gotten lawmakers to pass what she called the first true “medical freedom” bill in the nation. “It’s literally landmark,” Manookian said. “It is changing everything.” (Dutton, 10/23)
Wawa has issued a recall for its strawberry lemonade, strawberry lowfat milk and whole milk pints from Maryland and other states due to “potential foreign object contamination,” according to the Food and Drug Administration. The drinks being recalled were sold in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. (Pryce, 10/23)
