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What We’re Reading: Abortion Ban Exception Debate; Monkeypox Could Be Eliminated in Europe; Lower Mortality Risk for Tea Drinkers
House members in South Carolina will debate a total ban on abortions with no exceptions for rape or incest; the World Health Organization claimed that the monkeypox outbreak could be eliminated in Europe, citing slowing case counts; a study found that drinking black tea was associated with lower mortality risk.
Abortion Ban to Be Debated in South Carolina House
The Associated Press reports that a debate on a total ban on abortion without exceptions for rape or incest is planned to take place on Tuesday in the South Carolina House of Representatives. The state had passed a law banning abortion after 6 weeks of pregnancy, but the South Carolina Supreme Court had suspended it earlier this month due to a Planned Parenthood lawsuit claiming that the ban was an invasion of privacy, leaving the South Carolina abortion ban at 20 weeks. According to a Republican House member, 20 Republicans would not vote for the total ban of abortion if the exceptions are allowed, which would be enough for the rejection of the bill.
Monkeypox Cases Slowing, Could Be Eliminated in Europe
According to Reuters, World Health Organization (WHO) officials have claimed that it is possible to eliminate the monkeypox outbreak in Europe, as cases slow in some European countries. France, Germany, Portugal, Spain, and Britain have seen a week-over-week decline in cases despite vaccine scarcity. The cases have mostly slowed due to earlier detection, which has allowed patients to isolate sooner. An official for WHO also said that people are becoming more informed about the disease, including those in at-risk groups, which has helped slow the spread.
Black Tea Associated With Lower Risk of Mortality
A study published in Annals of Internal Medicine has found that drinking a glass or 2 of black tea every day could lower the risk of mortality, as those who consumed 1 to 2 glasses of tea had between a 9% and 13% lower mortality risk. This result was found to be the same regardless of what was put into the tea, whether it be milk or sugar, and the temperature of the tea. The study was conducted over 10 years and used the UK Biobank to study men and women aged 40 to 69 years who reported that they drank tea. However, the study did not establish a causative relationship.
Urticaria Diagnosis Challenged by Overlapping Pruritic Skin Conditions
April 23rd 2025Urticaria is complicated to diagnose by its symptomatic overlap with other skin conditions and the frequent misclassification in literature of distinct pathologies like vasculitic urticaria and bullous pemphigus.
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New Research Challenges Assumptions About Hospital-Physician Integration, Medicare Patient Mix
April 22nd 2025On this episode of Managed Care Cast, Brady Post, PhD, lead author of a study published in the April 2025 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care®, challenges the claim that hospital-employed physicians serve a more complex patient mix.
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Personalized Care Key as Tirzepatide Use Expands Rapidly
April 15th 2025Using commercial insurance claims data and the US launch of tirzepatide as their dividing point, John Ostrominski, MD, Harvard Medical School, and his team studied trends in the use of both glucose-lowering and weight-lowering medications, comparing outcomes between adults with and without type 2 diabetes.
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ACOs’ Focus on Rooting Out Fraud Aligns With CMS Vision Under Oz
April 23rd 2025Accountable care organizations (ACOs) are increasingly playing the role of data sleuths as they identify and report trends of anomalous billing in hopes of salvaging their shared savings. This mission dovetails with that of CMS, which under the new administration plans to prioritize rooting out fraud, waste, and abuse.
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