Axios Vitals: A reset

Plus, why that next email might cost you | Wednesday, January 25, 2023

Open in app View in browser     Axios Vitals By Tina Reed · Jan 25, 2023 We're halfway through the work week, guys. Anyone have good weekend plans? Today's newsletter is 798 words or a 3-minute read.     1 big thing: FDA rethinks its strategy on future COVID vaccines Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios   An FDA advisory panel meeting tomorrow could start a reset of how the U.S. approaches its COVID-19 vaccine strategy. Driving the news: Agency officials have sent signs they want to move from the on-the-fly response that's, at times, left the public confused to an annual vaccination schedule that more closely mirrors flu vaccines. They will also consider the process for determining when it makes sense to update the vaccines against emerging variants, per an FDA briefing document. "It signals an idea of thinking for a longer-term horizon," Jason Schwartz, an associate professor at the Yale School of Public Health, who is not on the panel, told Axios. Yes, but: Experts on the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, or VRBPAC, have serious questions about the reboot — and whether they have sufficient data to support it. "I'd like to see some data on the effect of dosing interval, at least observational data," Eric Rubin, editor in chief of the New England Journal of Medicine and a committee member, told the New York Times. "And going forward, I'd like to see data collected to try to tell if we're doing the right thing." Previous recommendations may have been too broad and didn't sufficiently focus on on high-risk individuals, such as the elderly or those with pre-existing health conditions, committee member Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, told Axios. "I think by giving a blanket recommendation for everyone over six months of age, we diluted that message," Offit said. The big picture: CDC and FDA officials will present an update on the effectiveness and safety of the original and booster versions of the approved COVID vaccines. What to watch: A key question is whether the committee continues backing bivalent booster doses, which are based on the original COVID strain and a later variant — or if the shots should only match the latest strain in circulation. Go deeper.     2. A new way to look at health data A new dashboard aims to make it easier to look breast cancer deaths, insurance coverage disparities, COVID vulnerabilities and other health data by congressional district. Why it matters: The tool, launched today by NYU Grossman School of Medicine and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, connects data from sources such as the National Vital Statistics System and the American Community Survey to individual lawmakers' home turf. What they're saying: "Data can be used to hold leaders accountable," said Giridhar Mallya, a senior policy officer at RWJF. "We have 435 folks in the house that are making decisions or debating decisions everyday about how to use policy to improve the lives of people in our communities, but rarely can they say: 'What does this challenge look like in my district?'" Mallya said. For example, the dashboard breaks down how residents in districts in the 11 states that have not expanded Medicaid are twice as likely to be uninsured compared to those in expansion states. Residents of congressional districts in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas on average are more than three times as likely to be uninsured than those in congressional districts in New England, officials said.     3. That email might cost you Illustration: Gabriella Turrisi/Axios   More health providers are charging patients for responses to emailed queries, the New York Times reports. Why it matters: The charges are raising thorny questions about how providers get reimbursed for their time. Driving the news: A research letter published in JAMA Network earlier this month looked at what happened after CMS made a pandemic-era change to the rules around when doctors could charge for dispensing advice online. While it found patient messages jumped at least 50% during the pandemic, researchers found potential charges may have cut down on the traffic. Between the lines: Proponents say most doctors don't charge for answering patient emails, but that the time it takes to go through large volumes of messages, and the decision-making involved, could merit reimbursement. Patient advocates say that could create access and equity issues. Details: The charges can range anywhere from $3 for Medicare patients to as much $160 for the uninsured, the Associated Press reported. Hospitals including Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals and ProMedica, NorthShore University Health System, Northwestern Medicine and Lurie Children's Hospital, as well as UCSF Health all have charges for some email communications, Fierce Healthcare reported.     A message from Axios Your smarter start to 2023     Axios Pro covers every critical trend affecting your industry to help you better understand the future economic landscape while keeping you informed. Use code PRO2023 at checkout to get $200 off your subcription.     4. Quote du jour: Drug deals "[Amazon] has far from given up its ambitions in health care as it strives to serve an increasing number of consumers in the prescription drug market." — Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData, on Amazon's new Prime subscription service benefit, allowing members access to eligible prescriptions for $5 a month     5. Catch up quick Photo: Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images   👉 The CDC chief is shaking up the agency with new offices and leadership. (Bloomberg) 👀 Long COVID kept people out of work for months, insurance fund data shows. (Axios) 😳 The FDA is proposing lead limits in baby food products. (Axios)     A message from Axios Your smarter start to 2023     Axios Pro covers every critical trend affecting your industry to help you better understand the future economic landscape while keeping you informed. Use code PRO2023 at checkout to get $200 off your subcription.   Did someone forward this email? Subscribe here. Thanks for reading, and thanks to senior editor Adriel Bettelheim and senior copy editor Bryan McBournie for the edits. Your personal policy analyst is here. Track health care policy formation at every step of the process with Axios Pro. Talk to our sales team today.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. 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