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Good morning. We appreciate your company during these slow days of August. Here’s a roundup of today’s top stories.
Two people have died in cyclospora outbreak
Health officials in Michigan announced yesterday that two individuals have died due to the cyclospora outbreak in the state. These deaths are the first in the U.S. attributed to this parasite, according to the AP.
While cyclosporiasis is seldom fatal, both victims had pre-existing health conditions that might have been worsened by the intestinal disease and dehydration from the parasite, as reported by the state health department. These individuals fell ill before the recall of the affected iceberg lettuce.
Eli Lilly will allow more special retatrutide access
Six weeks after STAT’s Lizzy Lawrence highlighted Eli Lilly’s special access for a 79-year-old patient to retatrutide, an unapproved obesity drug, the company has confirmed that additional patients can now apply for early access. Several clinicians had sought expanded access for their patients, but many had not received definitive responses from the company.
The announcement followed inquiries from Lizzy Lawrence and Elaine Chen regarding the confusion over a potential compassionate use program for the drug. More details are available on the current status of this issue.
Trans federal employees sue over revoked coverage
Yesterday, federal employees and their families filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, challenging the prohibition of insurance coverage for gender-affirming care. The class-action lawsuit claims that the mandate, introduced this year, creates significant barriers to essential care and has compelled some individuals to leave government jobs. Before pursuing the lawsuit, employees had filed administrative claims with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, accounting for the midyear delay.
The affected insurance programs, Federal Employees Health Benefits and Postal Service Health Benefits, provide coverage to millions, including an estimated 39,400 trans individuals. Gender-affirming care has been covered under these programs since 2015, following the Obama administration’s lifting of a previous ban. However, since rejoining office, the Trump administration has sought to limit access to this care once more. A federal rule prohibiting Medicare and Medicaid from covering trans care could be finalized as early as this month, prompting further lawsuits.
Why it’s so hard to study involuntary treatment
In 1999, New York state empowered judges to order outpatient psychiatric treatment for individuals with a history of serious mental illness, hospitalizations, or violence linked to mental illness. Over the years, this form of involuntary treatment has become more prevalent, but the evidence supporting its effectiveness is unclear.
A new report attempts to clarify the issue amidst ongoing debate and Trump administration backing. However, it’s a complex matter. Bevin Croft, one of the authors, noted, “We can only measure certain outcomes. We can’t measure the impact of being picked up by the cops. We can’t measure with quantitative data the impact on a person’s self-esteem, or a person’s relationships, or a person’s motivation to get a job or get on with their lives when they’re under a court order.”
The report’s findings have divided experts, including the state officials who commissioned it. Read more from STAT’s O. Rose Broderick on the different perspectives.
$5.4 million
The estimated societal cost of the 2025 measles outbreak in New Mexico, which involved 100 confirmed cases and one death, is $5.4 million. According to an economic analysis published yesterday in Annals of Internal Medicine, the cost includes public health response, direct medical expenses, and productivity losses. Public health response accounted for the largest portion of the costs at $3.2 million, with $2.1 million of that allocated to vaccination labor, supplies, and doses.
As measles spreads even more this year, we can expect the societal costs to rise further.
Kennedy and Oz try to myth-bust Medicaid cuts
At a recent press event, health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dismissed claims that the Trump administration is cutting Medicaid, labeling them as a “myth people believe.” However, as STAT’s Chelsea Cirruzzo explains, the reality is more nuanced.
Policy analyst Amber Bellazaire commented, “What’s challenging is that [the One Big Beautiful Bill] set in motion various policy changes that affect state Medicaid programs and not all at once.” These changes are expected to significantly impact Medicaid enrollment and eligibility, according to expert analysis. Further information is available on what lies ahead.
What we’re reading
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The campaign to force genital exams on girl athletes, The Cut
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Running on empty: Can a red HIV outreach van outlast federal cuts? The 19th
- California Supreme Court sides with Gilead in ‘duty’ to innovate case, STAT
- Kill the ticks, The Atlantic
- Opinion: How Josée became one of the 7.9% of Québécois who die by assisted suicide, STAT
