Axios Vitals: Hard times for girls

Plus, GOP ramps up its vaccine probe | Tuesday, February 14, 2023

Open in app View in browser   Presented By Better Medicare Alliance   Axios Vitals By Adriel Bettelheim · Feb 14, 2023 Happy Valentine's Day, Vitals gang. And no, it wouldn't be complete without a dollop of health policy sweet nothings (h/t Matt Motta). Today's newsletter is 963 words or a 3½-minute read.     1 big thing: Teen girls bear worst of mental health crisis Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios   The teen mental health crisis is worsening by almost any measure. But it's affecting girls almost twice as much as boys, Axios' Sabrina Moreno writes. The big picture: A pronounced gender gap in who is experiencing suicidal thoughts, sexual assault and persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness points to the need for more tailored interventions and support. But schools — the de facto frontline responders — may not be equipped to provide it. Driving the news: A CDC report released Monday found teenage girls are in the midst of the worst mental health decline in a decade, with nearly a third reporting they've seriously considered taking their lives. Where it stands: While parents and legislators are increasingly recognizing the responsibility schools have in addressing mental health concerns, districts are hard-pressed to keep counseling, screenings, teletherapy and other services that have been sustained with federal COVID relief dollars. "It's costing them their very lives," said Tara Wallace, a child trauma therapist in Topeka, Kansas, a state ranked second-to-last in the U.S. for youth mental health by Mental Health America. Past studies have suggested girls tend to dwell on their negative emotions as a coping mechanism and are more likely than boys to be perfectionists to the point of burnout and intense self-critique. Early intervention can help, if schools have resources to teach coping skills, train teachers how to understand and identify mental health and addiction and have on-site school counselors or psychologists, experts say. Go deeper. Editor's note: If you or someone you know needs support now, call or text 988 or chat with someone at 988lifeline.org. En Español.     2. GOP tees up vaccine probe Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios   Congress is venturing into potentially explosive territory with the first House GOP-led investigation into COVID vaccines, Axios' Andrew Solender and Victoria Knight report. Why it matters: The coming probe marks a sharp turn from last year's Democrat-led investigation, which focused on "political interference" in the Trump administration's pandemic response. The big picture: The Oversight Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic has been given a broad writ to investigate a wide array of topics, from the virus' origins to federal COVID restrictions to the pandemic's economic impact. But with far-right members like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) eager to flex their new committee power, expect vaccines to play a starring role. What to watch: Greene told Axios she wants to hold hearings with people who experienced side effects and look at VAERS reports — a public database of unverified reports of post-vaccination health effects often seized on by anti-vaccine groups. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa), a physician, said she expects the panel's hearings will "shed light on the FDA approval process, the potential for side effects, and ultimately the success rate and safety of the vaccine." The other side: "There's no doubt that vaccines work," Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.), the ranking member on the panel, told Axios. Share this story.     3. Red state AGs back scrapping abortion pill Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios   Conservative-led states are now on record backing a nationwide injunction on the use of a key drug used in medication abortions, Axios' Oriana Gonzalez writes. Driving the news: 22 Republican state attorneys general filed a brief Monday in a case brought by an anti-abortion group, asking a U.S. District Court in Amarillo, Texas, to block the FDA's 2000 approval of mifepristone — a move that abortion advocates say would effectively result on a national ban. Since abortion pills can be mailed and accessed online, they can circumvent state restrictions on the procedure. The pills are deemed safe and effective by major medical groups. Details: The Republican brief says that the FDA "has acted to establish a nationwide regime of on-demand abortion ... in defiance of federal and state laws protecting life, health, and safety." The intrigue: While the AGs argue that mifepristone's approval harms the citizens of the states that they represent, an injunction would cover even those states that protect abortion access. It's the most sweeping policy Republicans have taken on abortion since Roe was overturned, after previously distancing themselves from the issue and deferring to states. Read more.     A message from Better Medicare Alliance Proposed Medicare Advantage cuts would hurt 30 million seniors     30 million seniors rely on Medicare Advantage for high-quality care at a lower cost. Now, the administration is proposing deep cuts, meaning higher premiums and fewer benefits. With inflation so high, seniors can't afford higher health care costs. Protect 30 million seniors and stop the cuts.     4. CMS seeks more nursing home transparency Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios   A new CMS rule would require nursing homes to disclose more details about their ownership, including whether private equity or real estate investment trusts have a stake in the facilities or companies providing services onsite, Axios' Arielle Dreher writes. Why it matters: Biden administration health officials who announced the effort on Monday cited research showing residents in nursing homes acquired by private equity were 11.1% more likely to have a preventable emergency department visit and 8.7% more likely to experience a preventable hospitalization. Details: Nursing homes receiving funding from Medicare or Medicaid would have to provide more information about their ownership when they enroll or revalidate in the program, or when a facility changes hands. Facilities that do not comply will be subject to penalties, HHS officials said, including potentially not being paid from the programs. Context: The majority of nursing homes in the country are owned by for-profit companies, and a 2020 study found that of the more than 11,000 nursing homes they studied, nearly 5% were owned by private equity firms. Some researchers expect these ownership trends to continue with U.S. spending on nursing home care projected to grow to $240 billion by 2025, per a National Bureau of Economic Research white paper. As we reported last September, a federal database for disclosing nursing home ownership was found to have incomplete information that could obscure whether a private equity firm controls a facility.     5. Catch up quick 🩺 Doctors are disappearing from emergency rooms as hospitals look to cut costs. (KHN). 🚑 Patients still have no protection against surprise ambulance bills, and there's no solution in sight. (STAT). 💉 The U.S. is buying more doses of Novavax's COVID vaccine before purchases shift to the private market. (Biopharma Dive). 👀 Equatorial Guinea confirmed an outbreak of deadly Marburg virus. (Axios).     A message from Better Medicare Alliance Why the proposed cuts to Medicare Advantage will hurt seniors     The proposed cuts to Medicare Advantage are unprecedented and will drive up premiums and cut benefits for seniors at a time of high inflation. Now isn't the time for cuts. The administration must protect the stability of this vital program, which 30 million seniors rely on every day. See why.   Got a news tip? Hit reply to this email. Did someone forward this email? Subscribe here. Thanks for reading, and thanks to 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. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. 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