What We’re Reading: Medicare Premium Cuts; FDA Investigates Hepatitis A Outbreak; Esophageal Cancer Cases

Medicare Premiums to Be Cut in 2023

Medicare recipients will see a reduction in premium costs in 2023, although the amount has not yet been announced, the Associated Press reported. According to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, these cuts are partly due to overestimated costs of covering the expensive and controversial Alzheimer disease drug aducanumab (Aduhelm). Shortly after the drug’s FDA approval, Medicare Part B premiums increased by $22 a month to a total of $170.10 per month in 2022. This announcement follows the news of Biogen cutting the cost of the drug in half, with CMS arguing that the resulting cost savings could be passed to beneficiaries.

Hepatitis A Outbreak Possibly Linked to Strawberries

The FDA and other agencies are investigating a hepatitis A outbreak in the United States and Canada that may be linked to organic strawberries sold under the brands FreshKampo and HEB, NPR reported. This investigation follows 17 reported US cases in California, Minnesota, and North Dakota, and 10 cases in Canada reported in Alberta and Saskatchewan. According to the FDA, these brands are sold at a number of major retailers, including Walmart, Trader Joe’s, Aldi, Kroger, and Safeway, and the strawberries potentially linked to the cases were purchased between March 5 and April 25. The FDA urged anyone who purchased and consumed these strawberries and is not vaccinated against hepatitis A to consult with their doctor.

Potential Rise in Esophageal Cancer Cases Among Middle-Aged Americans

According to estimates by the American Cancer Society (ACS), approximately 20,640 American adults will be diagnosed with esophageal cancer in 2022, The Washington Post reported. The ACS noted that esophageal cancer has mainly been detected in older adults and men and that diagnosis rates have been relatively steady in the recent past, but cancer cases may now be increasing among middle-aged individuals. Data from around 5 million individuals suggest that esophageal cancer diagnosis rates nearly doubled between 2012 and 2019 among adults aged 46 to 64 years. The ACS also saw an approximately 50% increase of prevalence of Barrett esophagus in this age group during that time frame. Factors that may increase esophageal cancer risk include smoking, drinking alcohol, obesity, and gastrointestinal reflux disease.