Source: Children’s Health Defense

Pa. Requires Health Insurance Providers to Cover COVID-19 and Other Vaccines

Pennsylvania Capital-Star reported:

Health insurers in Pennsylvania will be required to cover COVID-19 and other vaccinations through 2026. All accident and health insurance policy issuers in the commonwealth will have to cover vaccinations “without cost-sharing and the imposition of other administrative barriers”, under a notice issued Friday by the Pennsylvania Insurance Department.

That means Pennsylvanians can receive the COVID-19 vaccinations without copays, deductibles, or other costs, when administered by an in-network provider and without insurers requiring extra steps that make it harder for people to get vaccinated. It also allows pharmacists to follow guidance from a number of trusted medical organizations when giving vaccines.

It also encourages insurers that handle employer-funded health plans, which are not directly regulated by the commonwealth, to ensure that access to vaccines remains consistent for their insured. The directive comes in response to changes at the Centers for Disease Control that could make obtaining the vaccine more difficult across the country.

RFK Jr. Is Reviewing Baby Formula Rules for the First Time in 30 Years. What’s at Stake.

The Washington Post reported:

In the seven months since U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that the Food and Drug Administration would review infant formula ingredients and nutrition for the first time in nearly 30 years, hundreds have submitted public comments demanding more rigorous testing for heavy metals and contaminants and urging that any assessment be based on science.

The initiative, dubbed “Operation Stork Speed,” has unleashed comments from parents who have expressed concerns about the sugar content in formula and complained about the seed oils used to deliver essential fatty acids to infants. The plan is tied to a growing movement in nutrition and chronic disease prevention called the Make America Healthy Again Movement, which has pushed the administration to take a harder line on processed ingredients.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said in May that the aim of “Operation Stork Speed” was to “ensure the safety, reliability, and nutritional adequacy of infant formula for American families.” But it comes as many parents are expressing their anxieties on social media, trading tips on how to buy European baby formulas online and discussing how to make their own at home.

RFK Jr. To Unveil New Guidance Encouraging More Saturated Fats

NewsNation reported:

U.S. dietary guidelines could soon undergo another overhaul under the Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” initiative, and the proposal has already drawn criticism. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is set to unveil new guidance encouraging the consumption of more foods previously considered unhealthy, including those high in saturated fats.

Kennedy has argued Americans need more trans and saturated fats, not less, saying foods like butter, cheese, milk and red meat have been unfairly demonized for decades. The updated guidance could be released as soon as this month.

“New dietary guidelines that are common sense, that stress the need to eat saturated fats of dairy, of good meat, of fresh meat and vegetables …  when we release those, it will give everybody the rationale for driving it into our schools,” Kennedy said.

Top FDA Official Responds to Critics, Says Agency Not Stalling Approval of Good Drugs

The Epoch Times reported:

One of the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) top officials said in a new video that he is not blocking drugs that are supported by evidence of safety and efficacy, responding to critics who have said he is responsible for a low number of drug approvals.

“We’re actually trying to ease and guide successful products to market. That is our goal,” Dr. Vinay Prasad said in a video released by the FDA on Oct. 20. “We are not a wall. We’re actually a conduit to bring successful products faster to patients who need it.”

Prasad is the FDA’s chief medical and scientific officer as well as the director of the agency’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, which handles applications for vaccines and certain drugs.

First on CNN: City Health Officials Urge Vaccination, Criticize Federal Government Messaging

CNN reported:

The Big Cities Health Coalition is the latest group to take a strong public stand in support of vaccination as a direct response to concerns that the federal government is limiting access and raising doubts. “We are united behind a simple message: get vaccinated,” the group wrote in a statement that was published Monday. It was signed by two dozen public health leaders from some of the nation’s largest cities, in both Democrat- and Republican-led states.

Vaccination has saved millions of lives, they wrote, but falling vaccination rates across the country have led to more frequent outbreaks of devastating diseases such as measles and polio. They also referenced the “rapidly approaching” respiratory virus season, which brings a heavy wave of COVID-19 and flu infections.

“We are deeply troubled by the repeated false claims about vaccines from too many federal officials, which have contributed directly to these trends,” the public health leaders wrote. “We are equally concerned about recent changes to the recommended childhood and adult immunization schedules that unnecessarily limit access to vaccines.”