What We’re Reading: Fund Rejection Worries Prevention Groups; Sanders Tries to Decrease Drug Prices; Growing Autism Prevalence

Tennessee’s Rejection of $8.8M Federal Dollars Panics HIV Prevention Groups

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee (R) rejected $8.8 in federal funding for HIV prevention and detection, reported The New York Times. Tennessee is the only state to reject this federal funding, with the governor planning to use $9 million in new state funding for HIV monitoring and prevention in July. Despite this, some organizations are worried that the state won’t offer them vital funding if they do not align with the governor’s conservative beliefs regarding transgender rights and abortion access.

Senator Sanders Pleads for Drug Price Decreases in Committee Hearing

In a hearing with the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, Senator Bernie Sanders used his new platform as chair of the committee to vehemently voice his beliefs on drug prices, according to Kaiser Health News. The committee has very little power over drug prices, which is under the jurisdiction of the Finance Committee that oversees Medicaid, Medicare, and the Affordable Care Act. This prompted a more aggressive approach from Sanders because of this limited power that ended with the senator pleading with Moderna’s CEO for a small concession on vaccine pricing, to which the CEO made no promises.

Rising Autism Rates, More Children of Color Being Diagnosed, Details New Data

A new study found that autism rates grew in the years Between 2018 and 2020, rates of autism grew from 1 in 44 children to 1 in 36 diagnosed, reported USA Today. The new data found that, for the first time, White children are less likely to carry the diagnosis than children of color. These years hold the most recent data for autism, with the increase being attributed to more children of color getting the help they need, said the chief science officer at autism advocacy group Autism Speaks. However, one of the authors on the study noted that it is unknown why autism prevalence is increasing and it should be considered a “major public health crisis.”