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Good morning, and happy August. I hope you’ve been enjoying the summer, because we’re rounding that last corner. The Senate, on its own way to August recess, made news relevant to scientists over the weekend. More matters of interest below.
Confusion in Nebraska as work requirements in effect
Over the weekend, an estimated 200 people in Nebraska lost health care coverage as the state completed its monthslong transition implementing Medicaid work requirements well before the rest of the country. But that number doesn’t tell the whole story: It’s unclear how many denials of new applications have already occurred, local advocates explained at a Friday press call, and more coverage losses are expected. On the call, Nebraskan health leaders lamented widespread confusion around the requirements, slow implementation processes, and a lack of transparency from the state. (The “200” estimate was shared by the state’s Medicaid director in an NPR interview. “It was news to me,” said Sarah Maresh of the advocacy group Nebraska Appleseed.)
“This timeline was not required, it was chosen,” said John Fredrickson, a state senator and health committee member. “Being the first in the nation to take health care away from working people — it’s not the badge of honor that the governor and his allies in the legislature think that it is.”
STAT’s Isabella Cueto wrote last week about some of the confusion that chronically ill people in Nebraska and around the country are facing regarding the work requirements. And on Thursday, a federal judge denied a request from 26 states to delay the 2027 implementation.
New York’s assisted-dying law proceeds
A federal court dismissed a lawsuit on Thursday that aimed to stop New York’s new medical aid in dying law from taking effect. Starting this Wednesday, terminally ill adults in the state will be able to get a prescription for medication that they can self-administer to end their life.
New York is the 14th state in the U.S. with a medical aid in dying law. Advocates who filed the lawsuit are concerned that people with disabilities will be steered toward or coerced into using this option. But U.S. District Judge Orelia Eleta Merchant concluded that the plaintiffs did not have standing for the challenge.
Others have different critiques: “The law assumes a clinical infrastructure that does not exist,” neurologist Busi Mombaur wrote in a First Opinion essay early this year. The American Medical Association opposes such legislation, but notes in its code of ethics that physicians who engage thoughtfully and legally in the practice will not be in violation
Getting fit for a heart transplant
For an athlete, the muscle lost in a single day of bed rest takes three days to gain back. For patients nearing heart failure, the results are similar, but the stakes are higher. At Banner–University Medical Center Phoenix, physicians noticed that hospitalized patients awaiting transplants were becoming weaker, jeopardizing their chances of getting a heart.
“The scientific literature says, the stronger you go for surgery, the better your outcome,” said Radha Gopalan, a transplant cardiologist at the hospital. “Based on that was born the idea of prehab.” In prehab, patients stuck at the hospital can use arm and leg bicycle machines in a gym to increase their heart rate and lung function. Gopalan spoke with STAT’s Elizabeth Cooney about the program’s early results for 45 patients. Read the conversation.
Should AI scribes be allowed in med school?
Proponents of artificial intelligence say that medical scribes are a helpful way to lower physician burnout and increase revenues. But what about for medical students, who haven’t yet built up their own traditional note-taking skills? Most medical programs are working it out in-house, with no clear guidance from the national organizations that govern medical training.
“The process of deliberately crafting the note forces us to use our brains to really wrestle with what’s happening,” said Jaideep Talwalkar, an associate dean at Yale School of Medicine. But others see the practice as more geared toward billing and insurance than patient care. Read more from STAT’s Lauren Chan on where things stand, and when we can expect better research to inform these decisions.
He delivered ALS diagnoses — then he received one
As a neurologist, Christopher Campos knew the signs of ALS when they started appearing within his own body. A weakness in his right hand spread to the left. Eventually, it spread to all four limbs. ALS leads to lost motor neuron function in the brain and spinal cord, ultimately affecting someone’s speaking, swallowing, breathing, and more.
“Losing the ability to speak and move has taught me how quickly society conflates physical dependence with diminished personhood,” Campos writes in a new First Opinion essay. Read more on what he’s learned on the other side of the conversation.
What we’re reading
- Senate measure would block Trump plan to politicize federal grants, for now, STAT
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Congo’s Ebola epidemic started at least four months before it was detected, Science
- FDA expert committee votes in favor of Replimune’s melanoma treatment, STAT
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Texas is banning several THC products. Find out what will still be legal on July 31, Texas Tribune
- We lead the Federation of State Medical Boards. Here’s what we think about licensing AI to practice medicine, STAT
- The newest federally recognized tribe wants better healthcare. It may be on its own, KFF Health News