Good morning, there was a lot information yesterday, I barely obtained an opportunity to take a look at my Spotify Wrapped knowledge. What’s your prime tune for the 12 months? Mine was “Sinner” by The Final Dinner Occasion. Anyway, the information was fairly severe, so let’s get into it.
UnitedHealthCare CEO killed in NYC
The well being care world is reeling from the information that Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealth Group’s insurance coverage division, was shot and killed in a focused assault in Manhattan yesterday. Thompson, 50, was strolling alone to the corporate’s investor convention round 6:45 a.m. when he was shot within the again and leg, the New York Police Division mentioned in a press convention.
Reached by telephone Wednesday morning, Thompson’s sister-in-law, Maria Reveiz, described him as an exquisite particular person and laborious employee. “We’re shocked and heartbroken over this mindless homicide,” Reveiz mentioned. “We, like the remainder of the world, came upon on-line, which is shameful.”
Learn extra in two STAT tales: On what we all know in regards to the taking pictures and on how his household and colleagues have reacted to the information.
The Supreme Courtroom’s conservatives appear cautious to intervene on trans well being bans
Conservative Supreme Courtroom justices appeared skeptical yesterday when contemplating arguments that they need to intervene in Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming take care of minors. The court docket heard arguments in U.S. v. Skrmetti that the state’s ban discriminates in opposition to transgender youth and denies them equal protections. How the court docket guidelines on the case may have main implications for trans individuals of all ages, in addition to for a way a lot freedom states have to control well being care extra broadly in areas like reproductive well being.
“Why isn’t it greatest to depart it to the democratic course of?” Justice Brett Kavanaugh requested the Biden administration’s lawyer. U.S. Solicitor Basic Elizabeth Prelogar and ACLU lawyer Chase Strangio mentioned the court docket doesn’t have to make a sweeping constitutional ruling, however slightly a slim opinion that will instruct decrease courts to demand extra proof from states instituting most of these bans.
My colleague Sarah Owermohle and I wrote in regards to the arguments. Sarah was on the bottom exterior the Supreme Courtroom, the place she instructed me supporters of gender-affirming take care of youth have been blasting Unhealthy Bunny similtaneously their opponents have been bumping “God Bless the USA.” Learn extra.
In the meantime, the U.Ok. is banning junk meals adverts
Beginning subsequent fall, kids within the U.Ok. received’t be uncovered to tv ads for junk meals below a brand new regulation finalized this week. (That’s, so long as these children go to mattress earlier than 9 pm, when the adverts are allowed to roll once more.)
The rule is a part of the federal government’s efforts to curb weight problems and cut back publicity to meals which are excessive in fats, sugar, and salt. Among the meals that rely as junk are apparent: Comfortable drinks, quick meals, sugary breakfast cereals, and baked items. However, demonstrating the complexity of packaged and ultra-processed meals, others are much less so, like granola, instantaneous porridge, and oatmeal. Notably, “whole eating regimen substitute merchandise” and meal substitute merchandise with an permitted well being declare are exempt.
Leptin’s final probability?
30 years in the past, researchers sparked hope within the subject of weight problems remedies with the invention of leptin — a hormone that regulates physique fats. Scientists on the time hoped its identification would spark a slew of weight reduction remedies, however its preliminary promise by no means panned out.
Yesterday, a bunch of researchers revealed a paper in partnership with Novo Nordisk that they noticed as “Leptin’s final probability.” They discovered {that a} molecule that might activate each GLP-1 receptors and leptin receptors was simpler in triggering weight reduction in mice than a molecule mimicking both particular person receptor. The neurons they focused have been additionally present in rhesus macaques, which have extra related nervous methods to people.
Exterior researchers have been skeptical the invention will result in new human remedies within the brief time period, however the neurons focused within the examine could possibly be an attention-grabbing therapeutic goal sooner or later. Learn extra from STAT’s Anil Oza.
2024 units a brand new file for well being knowledge breaches
Did you get a scary letter within the mail this 12 months saying your well being care knowledge might need been compromised? You’re removed from alone. In 2024, the dimensions of huge well being knowledge breaches reported to the Division of Well being and Human Providers hit an all-time excessive, impacting as many as 172 million people — greater than half the inhabitants of america.
Nearly all of that whole got here from the large breach of Change Healthcare that started in February, which is estimated to have impacted 100 million individuals. However the elements that contributed to the Change cyberattack — poor safety practices, hackers’ shifting methods, and rising consolidation within the well being care system — proceed to drive up the variety of total well being care breaches. STAT’s Katie Palmer breaks it down.
What we’re studying
‘I don’t need to return’: When Ozempic insurance coverage protection runs out, Bloomberg
Most rural hospitals have closed their maternity wards, examine finds, New York Instances
Talks over massive end-of-year well being bundle warmth up in Congress, STAT
Nursing properties fell behind on vaccinating sufferers for Covid, KFF Well being Information
U.S. Patent Workplace pulls controversial rule to curb pharma patent abuse, STAT
