Trending News Today: Texas Officials Struggle to Provide Access to Prescription Drugs in Hurricane Harvey Aftermath

A new CDC report indicates that 500,000 fewer Americans were uninsured during the first 3 months of 2017 compared with the same period in 2016, according to The New York Times. However, this decrease was not found to be statistically significant, which suggests that progress to lower the uninsured rate has been limited. The study showed that 8.8% of the population was uninsured from January to March 2017 compared with 16% when the Affordable Care Act was passed in 2010, according to the article. It is unclear how a repeal of the health law would affect insurance gains.

The FDA has been cracking down on stem cell clinics that have been administering unapproved products to sick patients, The New York Times reported. Some of the clinics targeted by the FDA have allegedly been performing liposuction, harvesting stem cells, and injecting the cells back into the patients, according to the NY Times. Another clinic was found to have injected cancer patients with the smallpox vaccine combined with stem cells derived from their fat.

Health departments in Texas are attempting to help individuals with their medical needs after Hurricane Harvey, including securing access to prescription drugs, NPR reported. The Texas Department of State Health Services recommends avoiding floodwater as much as possible due to potential household or industrial chemical contamination, though it may not be feasible. Additionally, the state has started filling requests for tetanus vaccinations to prevent serious illness, according to the article.