Health News Roundup: Medicare-for-all might not cause surge in hospital use; Summer may be prime time for first highs

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Federal court blocks Arkansas from enforcing recently passed 18-week abortion ban

A federal judge temporarily blocked Arkansas from enforcing a recently passed ban on abortion for women who are more than 18 weeks pregnant, just minutes before the new law was to take effect on Wednesday. U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker granted a temporary restraining order through Aug. 6, blocking the state from enforcing that ban and other restrictions that abortion-rights advocates said would have sharply reduced the number of medical doctors allowed to perform the abortions in the state.

Senators announce bipartisan proposal to lower drug prices

The top Republican and Democrat on the U.S. Senate Finance Committee announced a proposal to lower prescription drug prices on Tuesday that could save $100 billion in costs to government healthcare programs, and said the committee would vote on the legislation on Thursday. The committee's chairman, Senator Chuck Grassley, and its leading Democrat, Senator Ron Wyden, said in a statement they had been working on the bipartisan plan to "address the broken prescription drug supply chain" for six months.

Allergan recalls textured breast implants worldwide

Allergan Plc said on Wednesday it was recalling its Biocell textured breast implants and tissue expanders across markets, citing concerns over a rare form of cancer, after the U.S. health agency asked the drugmaker to pull the products. The Food And Drug Administration found the use of these breast implants was tied to increased risk of a rare type of cancer known as breast-implant associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL).

Macron gambles on cultural shift with bill allowing IVF for lesbians

The French government on Wednesday sent to parliament draft legislation that would allow in-vitro fertilization (IVF) for lesbian couples and single women, honoring a long-standing campaign pledge but risking a backlash from conservative voters. The bioethics bill, which would also allow women to freeze their eggs for reasons other than medical to enhance their chances of having children, is the first major societal reform by centrist President Emmanuel Macron. It was delayed while anti-government "yellow vest" protests roiled the country.Only six years ago, former President Francois Hollande's legislation allowing gay marriage faced strong opposition in a country where the influence of the Catholic Church was thought to have been in decline.

Summer may be prime time for first highs

American teens and adults may be more likely to try illegal or recreational drugs for the first time over the summer than at other times of year, a new study suggests. Overall, 31% of youth and adults who use cannabis tried the drug for the first time during the summer months, the study found. Summer was also the starting season of choice for 28% of cocaine users, 34% of LSD users, and 30% of people who used ecstasy, also called MDMA or Molly.

World Bank readies $300 million to cover half of new Ebola response

The World Bank Group is readying a $300 million package of grants and credits to support the fight against the deadly Ebola virus in Democratic Republic of Congo, it said on Wednesday. It said the funding would meet about half the needs of a new Ebola response plan that is due to be agreed by the Congolese government and an international consortium next week. Previously the World Health Organization had said the response would need "hundreds of millions" of dollars for the rest of this year.

Relaxed UK salt policy tied to more heart disease, cancers

Declines in salt consumption in England have slowed since a 2011 shift in government policy gave greater freedom to the food industry to set and monitor targets for curbing salt intake, a new study suggests. As a result, researchers estimate that more Britons have developed heart disease or gastric cancer than would have been the case under the stricter old policy.

Medicare-for-all might not cause surge in hospital use

Medicare-for-all and other versions of universal coverage being proposed for the U.S. by several presidential hopefuls wouldn't necessarily lead more people to seek hospital care, a new analysis suggests. Critics of Medicare-for-all have raised concerns that it might lead to a surge in use of inpatient services, because people with comprehensive health insurance tend to use more hospital care than people with bare-bones benefits, researchers note in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Letterbox campaign helps Afghans cope with silent war of mental health

Hundreds of Afghans, weary of war and unsure of the future, have joined a letter-writing campaign to share their feelings with the powerful few who will decide on peace with the Taliban and, with it, the fate of their country. The letters from different parts of Afghanistan express a tangled mix of confusion, resignation and fear.

Home health care aides often face verbal abuse from clients

For many home healthcare aides, verbal abuse from clients or clients' family is a real problem, a U.S. study suggests. Caregivers who reported verbal abuse were also more likely to report physical abuse, researchers found.