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Thursday, May 25, 2017
[Morning Rounds by Megan Thielking]
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Happy Thursday! Here's what I'm watching in the world of health and medicine this morning.
What to know about the big CBO estimate
The CBO score <http://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=9a6f2c1c93&e=4aad33fd68> is out — and it's giving Senate Democrats new ammunition in their fight against the AHCA and Senate Republicans a new consideration in their efforts to rewrite it. The nonpartisan budget office estimates that the repeal and replace measure passed by the House earlier this month would increase the number of people without health insurance by 14 million next year and by 23 million in 2026. It would cut the federal deficit by $119 billion over 10 years, which falls short of the $150 billion in projected savings with an earlier version of the AHCA. Experts at the CBO also say one-sixth of the population lives in areas where insurance markets would be unstable by 2020 under the measure.
Health care looms large in Montana special election
Montana residents are headed to the polls today for a special election for the state’s only seat in the House of Representatives — and health care has become a critical weapon in the race. It’s a surprisingly close race for a state which saw the last two Democrats running for that seat lose by 15 points or more. To gain an edge, Democratic candidate Rob Quist has taken Republican candidate Greg Gianforte to task over his support for the AHCA. One of Quist’s final campaign ads opens with the candidate asking whether voters know that “half of all Montanans have a preexisting condition.” Gianforte has hit back with an ad that throws up a photo of Quist and Nancy Pelosi and accuses Quist of supporting Pelosi’s goal of “government-run health care.”
How robotic rehab could — and couldn't — help patients
[https://gallery.mailchimp.com/f8609630ae206654824f897b6/images/05f8a55a-ad4d-4b47-a44c-5065be72f25b.gif]
A patient walks with a robotic exoskeleton. (wyss institute for biologically inspired engineering)
There’s a booming field of research into robot exoskeletons — wearable, motorized machines that can help limbs move — but scientists are still figuring out how patients interact with such devices. In a new study<http://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=2c0724eb06&e=4aad33fd68>, researchers measured how gait, or a person’s manner of walking, changed when a robotic exoskeleton applied force to a patient’s legs while walking on a treadmill.
Patients adjusted their walking habits in response to the robot changing the length of the step, but not to a change in the height of their step. The researchers suspect that might be due to how we adjust to balance problems — lifting the foot higher doesn’t threaten stability as much as stepping a foot further from the body’s center of mass does. That means patients might only therapeutically benefit from a robot exoskeleton if the robot interferes with their walking stability — something for designers of these machines to take into account, the scientists say.
Sponsor content by Destination Medical Center
Destination Medical Center is building America’s City for Health in Rochester, MN
In the middle of innovation, medicine, growth, and so much more, Destination Medical Center<http://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=8ae2354103&e=4aad33fd68> (DMC) is transforming Rochester, MN. DMC is a 20-year, $5.6 billion economic development plan set to bring talent, jobs, and investments to America’s City for Health. Together, DMC and Mayo Clinic are accelerating new advancements in life science research, medical technology, patient care, and education. DMC creates the opportunity for entrepreneurs and established businesses to be part of something big. Learn more<http://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=18ce95bd2d&e=4aad33fd68>.
Inside STAT<http://statnews.us11.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=6b9cc01c84&e=4aad33fd68>: Andy Slavitt hits the town hall trail
Andy Slavitt spent two years at the helm of the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services, the government agency that oversees Obamacare and provides health insurance for children, the elderly, the disabled, and low-income individuals. Now he’s on the road, hosting town halls about health policy. Slavitt decided that if GOP representatives weren’t going to talk about the bill with their constituents, he would do it for them. Between the town halls and his tweets, he’s become one of the strongest voices in the fight against the dismantling of the ACA. But can a wonk-turned-Obamacare evangelist can stir up enough public outrage to stop the Senate from undoing years of health reform? STAT’s Eric Boodman tagged along with Slavitt on a leg of his town hall tour — read the story here<http://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=d86f74a39a&e=4aad33fd68>.
An acronym battle: AARP takes on the AHCA
AARP is doubling down on its efforts to put a stop to the AHCA with a new ad campaign that takes aim at the so-called “age tax,” the health proposal’s provision that would allow insurers to charge older enrollees higher premiums. The TV spot features an older couple meeting with an accountant, who informs them that because they’re over 50, they’ll have to pony up much more money for health insurance. The ads will start airing this week in Alaska, Colorado, Nevada, and Arizona — all states home to Republican senators who might swing either way on the measure. The organization wants to see the Senate scrap the whole proposal and start on a new health care reform bill from scratch.
How microbes bloom in a brand-new hospital
Every hospital has its own, unique microbial community teeming with billions of bacteria living on patients and equipment and surfaces. Scientists now have a picture<http://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=b0741d8d2f&e=4aad33fd68> of how those bacteria come to populate a hospital. Researchers swabbed a sparkling new Chicago hospital for two months before it opened and continued to do so for the first year. They also regularly swabbed the hands, noses, armpits, and cell phones of people who were working or staying in the hospital.
They found that patients initially picked up bacteria that was already in the room, but over time, that reversed and the person's microbes populated the surroundings. They’re hopeful the strategy could be used in future studies to better understand how hospital-acquired infections happen.
FDA head testifies on his agency's spending
FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb is headed this morning to testify about the agency’s budget needs to a congressional committee. President Trump’s budget, released this week, calls for an $854 million cut in direct government funding for the FDA. The plan would balance out that cut with a bump of $1.3 billion in user fees, which are paid by drug and medical device makers applying for FDA approval. But experts say Trump’s proposal to raise those fees is likely dead in the water<http://statnews.us11.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=0eeb434f72&e=4aad33fd68> — meaning the FDA will still have a big gap in its budget. You can watch Gottlieb’s testimony here<http://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=5765fedb7f&e=4aad33fd68> starting at 10 a.m. ET.
An inside look at an analysis of Trump's syntax
Earlier this week, we published a story<http://statnews.us11.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=4cc7c1e9ea&e=4aad33fd68> from Sharon Begley about how Trump's syntax has shifted over the years — and what that might suggest. Now, she's got a look at how the story came to fruition. Read here<http://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=7f650e3725&e=4aad33fd68>.
What to read around the web today
§ Doctors once thought bananas cured celiac disease. They saved kids' lives — at a cost. NPR<http://statnews.us11.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=ea1401f509&e=4aad33fd68>
§ VA plans mental care for discharged vets, but at what cost? AP<http://statnews.us11.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=90f50d1fee&e=4aad33fd68>
More reads from STAT
§ Native Americans’ health <http://statnews.us11.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=7cc2363a9c&e=4aad33fd68> threatened by denial of Medicaid expansion.
§ ‘The clock is ticking’: WHO’s next chief faces sobering challenges<http://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=41afad1019&e=4aad33fd68>.
§ 8 ways Trump’s new budget might affect public health<http://statnews.us11.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=04592bb354&e=4aad33fd68>.
The latest from STAT Plus
§ While no one says ‘cure,’ the pipeline for ALS treatments<http://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=d37a91cbe0&e=4aad33fd68> looks more promising.
§ Lilly has a cow over a cheesy ad <http://statnews.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f8609630ae206654824f897b6&id=8ac62e389e&e=4aad33fd68> disparaging a growth hormone.
Thanks for reading! More tomorrow,
[Megan]
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