• District of Columbia: Last week, the Biden administration proposed a rule that would require health insurers to cover over-the-counter birth control and other FDA-approved contraceptives without cost-sharing. Currently, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) only requires most health insurers to cover one drug per category of contraception, which can make it difficult for people to access a specific birth control. If finalized, the new policy would be the largest expansion to insurance coverage of birth control since the ACA was passed in 2012. "The Biden-Harris administration is issuing this proposed rule at a time when reproductive rights are under attack, and Republican elected officials remain committed to repealing the Affordable Care Act," a fact sheet said. However, the proposed rule, which is subject to a 60-day comment period, likely will not be finalized by the end of Biden's term and could be overturned under a future president. (Goldman, Axios, 10/21)
• Illinois: According to CDC, an E. coli outbreak in McDonald's Quarter Pounders has been linked to 75 illnesses, including 22 hospitalizations, and one death. Cases of E. Coli have been reported in 13 states, with most illnesses in Colorado and Nebraska. Some symptoms of E. Coli include severe stomach cramps, diarrhea, and vomiting. E. coli can also lead to serious kidney problems, which can cause kidney failure or death. "This is a fast-moving outbreak investigation. Most sick people are reporting eating Quarter Pounder hamburgers from McDonald's and investigators are working quickly to confirm which food ingredient is contaminated," CDC said. "McDonald's has pulled ingredients for these burgers, and they won't be available for sale in some states." According to CDC, slivered onions, which are primarily used on Quarter Pounders and not other menu items, are a "likely source of contamination." In response to the outbreak, McDonald's is temporarily removing the Quarter Pounder in restaurants in the areas affected by the outbreak. Several other fast-food chains, including Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and KFC, are also no longer serving fresh onions "out of an abundance of caution," said a spokeperson from the restaurants' parent company, Yum Brands. (Rosenbluth, New York Times, 10/22; Tyko, Axios, 10/22; Sun, Washington Post, 10/25)
• Illinois: During the pandemic, around 130,000 cancer cases went undiagnosed due to a lack of routine health visits and screenings, according to a new study published in JAMA Network Open. For the study, researchers developed a mathematical model to estimate how many cancer diagnoses were expected in a given year, then compared them to the number of observed diagnoses in the National Cancer Institute's SEER database. According to the researchers, there was a distinct gap between the number of expected and observed cases in 2020, but diagnoses recovered to around pre-pandemic levels in 2021. Currently, health experts say there's not enough information to understand what happened to the roughly 130,000 missing cancer cases that occurred in 2020. Todd Burus, a data scientist and Ph.D. student at the University of Kentucky who wasn't part of the study, said it will likely be years before it's clear what happened to those undiagnosed cases, but monitoring the data could help the healthcare system better adapt to future challenges. (Chen, STAT, 10/14)

A Thanksgiving meal can be a great time for everyone — unless everyone ends up with food poisoning. Writing for U.S. News & World Report, Joan Salge Blake, a clinical nutrition professor at Boston University, outlines five common food safety mistakes you should avoid for your Thanksgiving meal.