The Washington Post: Sales Of Mint- And Fruit-Flavored E-Cigarette Pods To End By Early February 
The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday ordered companies to stop manufacturing, distributing and selling most cartridge-based e-cigarette flavors — including mint and fruity flavors — by early February, saying the crackdown is urgently needed to stem a surge in teen vaping. The deadline was announced as the Trump administration officially unveiled its long-debated vaping policy. (McGinley, 1/2)

Los Angeles Times: Softer Trump Vaping Ban Replaces Strict Ban On All Flavors
The new ban does not extend to refillable, tank-based vaping systems purchased in most vape shops, which users can fill with flavored e-liquid. It also excludes menthol-flavored cartridges. Together, the two exemptions represent a major retreat from an earlier White House plan to bar all flavors other than tobacco. The new policy will also leave Juul, the leading e-cigarette among teens, largely untouched. The company suspended nationwide sales of sweet flavors like mango and cucumber in October, then added mint to the list in November. It still sells menthol pods. (Baumgaertner, 1/2)

Politico: Trump's Dialed-Back Vaping Ban Angers Anti-Tobacco Groups
The plan delivers relief to free-market advocates and thousands of small vape shops and vape-makers who protested that a sweeping favor ban would shutter their businesses. The measure will largely affect big tobacco companies that make popular vaping pods, though Juul has already pulled many of its products off the shelf. The larger firms can weather the challenge as well as a costly application process with the Food and Drug Administration that is likely to thin out small players from the market over the next few years. (Owermohle, 1/2)

NPR: Trump Administration Cracks Down On Some Flavored Vaping Products
"We're striking a balance," Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said during a news conference, explaining that e-cigarettes need to remain an "off-ramp" for adults to transition away from combustible cigarettes, but they can't become an "on-ramp" for children to become addicted to nicotine. Azar stressed that all vape products are currently "illegal" because they are on the market despite not being cleared by the FDA. (Lupkin, 1/2)

Modern Healthcare: FDA To Enact Scaled-Back E-Cigarette Flavor Ban
HHS officials justified leaving menthol-flavored e-cigarette pods on the market by pointing to the 2019 Monitoring the Future survey, which showed less than 1% of frequent youth e-cigarette users surveyed in the 10th grade most often used the classic tobacco flavor, compared to 4.8% who preferred menthol. Mint was the most popular flavor at 52.1%. The survey was funded by a component of the National Institutes of Health. But former FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb raised concern that youth usage will pivot to menthol- and tobacco-flavored cartridges if more popular flavors are taken off the market. The FDA left the door open to further action if trends change after the ban is enacted. (Cohrs, 1/2)

The Wall Street Journal: FDA Bars Fruit, Mint Flavors In Vaping Cartridges But Makes Exemption For Vape Shops
E-cigarettes, most of them cartridge based, generate $6.4 billion in annual U.S. sales while tank vaping systems generate $2.6 billion, according to Wells Fargo. Cartridge-based vaporizers such as those made by Juul Labs Inc. are sold in gas stations and convenience stores as well as tobacco and vape shops. Tank-based systems and their accompanying nicotine liquids are sold primarily in vape shops, but are also available online and in some convenience stores. Major retail chains such as Walmart and Walgreens stopped selling all vaping products last year. (Maloney and Burton, 1/2)

The New York Times: With Partial Flavor Ban, Trump Splits The Difference On Vaping
Around the West Wing, polling data was circulated that had the imprimatur of one of Mr. Trump’s pollsters, John McLaughlin, showing that in battleground states, the president’s supporters opposed regulations against vaping. But the poll was commissioned by a vaping industry group, and ultimately, those resisting any crackdown, such as the president’s 2020 campaign manager, Brad Parscale, lost to the advisers who wanted to keep flavored e-cigarettes away from young people. (Goodnough, Haberman and Kaplan, 1/2)

Reuters: Trump Administration Restricts Some E-Cigarette Flavors
Representative Frank Pallone, the Democratic chair of the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee, which has launched probes into e-cigarette manufacturers, dismissed the impact of the ban. "A flavor ban that exempts menthol and vape shops is no ban at all," Pallone tweeted. (Kirkham, 1/2)

The Hill: Trump Administration Declares Ban On Mint, Fruit Flavored Vaping Products 
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the No. 2 Senate Democrat, called it a “positive step,” but also noted the policy has some “gaping holes.” Other Democrats panned the new policy. Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the top Democrat on the Senate Health Committee, said Trump broke his promise, and accused newly-appointed FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn of siding with Trump over science. (Weixel, 1/2)

The Associated Press: Trump's Plan To Curb Teen Vaping Exempts Some Flavors
Anti-tobacco advocates immediately condemned the decision to permit menthol and exempt tank-based vapes, accusing the administration of caving to industry pressure. “It’s disturbing to see the results of industry lobbying to undermine public health protections, especially the lives and health of our youth,” said American Lung Association President and CEO Harold Wimmer. The association and other health groups argue that teenagers who vape will simply shift to using menthol if it remains on the market. (Perrone, 1/2)

CNN: Vape Ban: Trump Administration Bans Most E-Cigarette Cartridge Flavors, But Not Menthol
"Today the Trump administration failed to take the strong action necessary to address the youth e-cigarette epidemic. The guidance could have been a meaningful victory for children's health and instead is a major missed opportunity that will still leave young people at risk for addiction," Dr. Sally Goza, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said in a statement Thursday. "Science shows us that flavors lure children in and this guidance will allow thousands of flavors -- like mango, grape, and green apple -- to stay on the market in vape shops across the country for use in refillable vaping devices. As a pediatrician, I know that children like flavored products. We give children flavored medicines because they taste better. But adding a flavor to a dangerous product like tobacco is a recipe for disaster." (Howard, 1/2)

USA Today: FDA Bans Mint- And Fruit-Flavored Vaping Products But Exempts Menthol And Tobacco
A federal court order requires all vaping products to file an authorization application by May 12 to continue marketing products. Companies that do not meet the deadline are subject to FDA enforcement action under the court order. "We are now 130 days away from the exact class of vaping products President Trump exempted from his ban – open tank systems – being banned because of the sky high costs associated with Obama-era rules the FDA is retroactively enforcing on vaping companies," Conley said. "President Trump will get the blame if America's vape shops are forced to close their doors in May." (Alltucker, 1/2)

CNBC: FDA Issues Ban On Some Flavored Vaping Products
The agency’s decision comes amid a rise in teen e-cigarette use and a deadly lung illness linked to vaping that has taken the lives of 55 people across 27 states. The Trump administration originally announced plans to ban flavored e-cigarettes in September, but has delayed issuing its final rule under intense lobbying from the tobacco and vaping industry. (Lovelace, 1/2)

Bloomberg: Some Vaping Flavors Banned As FDA Seeks To Curb Teen Use 
Separately, several states and cities moved to curb flavored vape products. Attempts to implement statewide bans in New York and Michigan were blocked in the courts, making Massachusetts the only state to enact such legislation. Despite pushback from small businesses, major cities including Los Angeles; San Francisco; New York; and St. Paul, Minnesota; were able to adopt their own flavor bans. (Porter, 1/2)

The Hill: Poll: Strong Majority Favors Banning Flavored Vaping Products 
A strong majority of voters say they have significant health concerns about vaping and support banning candy and fruit flavors, according to the latest Harvard CAPS/Harris poll. The survey found that 77 percent of voters say they have “significant” concerns about vaping, a figure that is nearly identical among Republicans, Democrats, independents, men and women. (Easley, 1/2)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Thousands Of Toddlers Have Ingested Vaping Liquids
Data from the nation's 55 poison control centers indicate that at least 1,892 children ages 5 or under were exposed to vaping liquids in 2018, in most cases by swallowing them. The consequences for a toddler-age child ingesting vaping liquids could be devastating or even fatal. (Avril, 1/2)

Georgia Health News: Report Slams Georgia Spending Against Tobacco As Inadequate
A recent report ranks Georgia No. 49 among the states and the District of Columbia on preventing kids from using tobacco products. The report, released by several public health organizations, measures states’ spending of tobacco settlement dollars on prevention, in fighting both tobacco use and the rise in e-cigarette use among kids. (Miller, 1/2)

KCUR: Missouri Vapers Are Unlikely To Pay More Sales Tax — And It's Costing The State Millions 
More and more young people are vaping, which has led states like Vermont and Illinois to tax vaping products. That’s unlikely to happen in Missouri. In 2014, Missouri lawmakers decided that vaping products and alternative nicotine products shouldn’t be taxed or regulated as tobacco products, part of a bill that banned selling vaping products to minors. While a couple of bills introduced for this year’s session deal with vaping, none add a tax and the governor hasn’t indicated support for a tax. Illinois, meanwhile, expects to get about $15 million in 2020 due to a new 14.5% tax. (Okeson-Haberman, 1/2)

The Washington Post: D.C. Council Weighs Banning Flavored E-Cigarettes And Menthol Cigarettes
Anti-tobacco advocates on Thursday urged the D.C. Council to add menthol cigarettes to its list of banned items as lawmakers consider prohibiting all flavored vaping products in the nation’s capital. The testimony came during a five-hour hearing on bills meant to rein in youth vaping and the rise of electronic cigarettes. But advocates also revived a decades-old fight over menthol cigarettes, a minty flavor disproportionately marketed to and used by African Americans. (Nirappil, 1/2)

Meanwhile —

The Associated Press: Smokers, Do Not Apply: U-Haul Won't Hire Some Nicotine Users
U-Haul has a New Year's resolution: Cut down on hiring people who smoke. The moving company said that it won't hire nicotine users in the 21 states where it is legal to do so, saying that it wants to ensure a “healthier workforce." The new policy will start Feb. 1, and won't apply to those hired before then. (1/2)

The Washington Post: More Than 200 Republican Members Of Congress Urge Supreme Court To Reconsider Roe V. Wade Abortion Rights Decision
More than 200 members of Congress — nearly all of them Republicans — on Thursday urged the Supreme Court to reconsider the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade abortion rights decision, prompting a wave of protests from Democrats and reproductive rights groups. The 207 lawmakers signaled their position in an amicus brief supporting a restrictive Louisiana abortion law that is expected to be reviewed by the Supreme Court on March 4. The 2014 law, which was stayed by the Supreme Court in February, would require doctors at abortion clinics to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals. (Sonmez, 1/2)

The New York Times: More Than 200 Republicans Urge Supreme Court To Weigh Overturning Roe V. Wade
Roughly 80 percent of the Republicans in Congress — 39 senators and 166 House members — and two centrist House Democrats signed the amicus, or “friend of the court,” brief in the case of June Medical Services L.L.C. v. Gee. They also asked the justices to consider overturning another landmark abortion ruling in the 1992 case Planned Parenthood v. Casey. “The court has exercised that judgment to overrule precedent in over 230 cases throughout its history,” the lawmakers wrote. “Forty-six years after Roe was decided, it remains a radically unsettled precedent: Two of the seven justices who originally joined the majority subsequently repudiated it in whole or in part, and virtually every abortion decision since has been closely divided.” (Stolberg, 1/2)

CNN: Abortion: Lawmakers Ask Supreme Court To 'Reconsider' Roe V. Wade
The Republican brief comes on the heels of nearly 200 congressional Democrats filing a brief last month defending Roe and Louisiana abortion providers. The Louisiana challenge is the first abortion-related case that will be heard since Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch took the bench. Supporters of reproductive freedom fear that the case will present the justices with a chance to chip away at abortion rights. (De Vogue and Kelly, 1/2)

CBS News: Republican Senators And Congressmen Ask Supreme Court To Consider Overturning Roe V. Wade
June Medical Services challenged a Louisiana law, passed in 2014 and currently not in effect, which required doctors performing abortions to have admitting privileges at a local hospital within 30 miles of the facility where the abortion is performed. If the law is allowed to be implemented, all of Louisiana's abortion clinics would close, as first reported in October by CBS News. (Segers, 1/2)

NBC News: Over 200 Members Of Congress Ask Supreme Court To 'Reconsider' Roe V. Wade
A federal district judge blocked the law in 2017. But in 2018, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld it, arguing that the law would not impose an "undue burden," which has been the high court's key legal test for challenges to abortion restrictions. The Supreme Court reimposed the stay in February to weigh its constitutionality, and it said Tuesday that it would hear the case on March 4. (Clark, 1/2)

Axios: 39 GOP Senators Sign Brief Asking Supreme Court To Revisit Roe V. Wade
Republican senators who did not sign include: Sens. Susan Collins (Maine), Lisa Murkowksi (Alaska), Dan Sullivan (Alaska), Martha McSally (Ariz.), Shelley Moore Capito (W. Va.), Cory Gardner (Colo.), Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.), Lamar Alexander (Tenn.), Lindsey Graham (S.C.), Josh Hawley (Mo.), David Perdue (Ga.), Rick Scott (Fla.) and Richard Shelby (Ala.). (Perano, 1/2)

Cleveland Plain Dealer: Ohio Congress Members Ask U.S. Supreme Court To Reconsider Roe V. Wade Case That Legalized Abortion
Nearly every Republican member of Congress from Ohio on Thursday signed on to a legal brief that urges the U.S. Supreme Court to use a Louisiana abortion case the court will hear in March to reconsider the historic Roe v. Wade case that set forth a “right to abortion," and to overrule it, “if appropriate.” (Eaton, 1/2)

The Hill: More Than 200 Lawmakers Urge Supreme Court To 'Reconsider' Roe V. Wade 
Two Democrats, Rep. Collin Peterson (Minn.) and Rep. Daniel Lipinski (Ill.), also signed onto the brief. Lipinski has come under fire for his anti-abortion stance, and is being targeted in his upcoming primary by a progressive Democrat. (Weixel, 1/2)

Vox: Republicans Call For Overturning Roe V. Wade In Supreme Court Filing
Abortion rights advocates sounded the alarm Thursday, warning that the legal battle over Roe is now in full swing. “The anti-choice movement is no longer trying to hide their real agenda,” said Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, in a statement. “They are gunning to end Roe, criminalize abortion and punish women. If it wasn’t clear why we fought like hell to stop [Supreme Court justice] Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation before, it should be crystal clear now.” (Burns, 1/2)

CNN: READ: Lawmakers' Filing To Supreme Court On Roe V Wade
Read the amicus brief here. (1/2)

In other abortion news —

The Washington Post: Poll: White Evangelicals Distinct On Abortion, LGBT Policy
White evangelical Protestants stand noticeably apart from other religious people on abortion restrictions and LGBT discrimination protections, two of the most politically divisive issues at play in the 2020 presidential election, according to a new poll. The findings point to an evangelical Protestant constituency that’s more firmly aligned with President Donald Trump’s agenda than other Americans of faith. White evangelicals were also more likely than members of other faiths to say religion should have at least some influence on policymaking. (Schor and Swanson, 1/2)

NPR: To Get An Abortion, Teens In 26 States Must Ask Parent Or Judge
The teenager was just 15, and recovering from a rape, when she realized she was pregnant. This young woman, whom NPR has agreed not to name, says she knew right away that she wanted to terminate the pregnancy. But like a lot of states, Massachusetts required — and still requires — minors to get a parent's consent before obtaining an abortion. (Bebinger, 1/2)

The Hill: Warren Unveils Plan To Help Disabled People
2020 White House hopeful Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Thursday released a plan aimed at helping disabled Americans, including measures on economic security, health care and criminal justice. The sprawling plan included changes to Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI), aspects of which "trap beneficiaries in poverty," according to Warren's campaign. (Frazin, 1/2)

Time: Warren Unveils Plan To Help People With Disabilities
“Though we have made significant progress for the 61 million Americans living with disabilities, we have a lot of ground left to cover,” Warren’s plan says. “People with disabilities are still fighting for economic security, equal opportunity, and inclusion – and they are not fighting alone. As President, I will work in partnership with the disability community to combat ableism.” (Abrams, 1/2)

Reuters: Warren Would End 'Subminimum' Wage In Plan To Aid Disabled U.S. Workers
Disabled adults are more than twice as likely to live in poverty as those without a disability and the unemployment rate among individuals with disabilities is more than twice the rate of others, Warren said. As a senator, Warren has asked the Labor Department to end a program allowing employers to seek waivers to pay disabled individuals less than the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, sometimes as little as 33 cents. Warren said on Thursday she would end the “shameful subminimum wage” and pass a law to help disabled workers transition to more competitive employment opportunities. (Becker, 1/2)

In other news —

The Associated Press: Parents Of Adult Children With Disabilities Fill Housing Gap
For caretakers, the inevitable question of where to place their children with disabilities when they are no longer around can be scary and overwhelming. But some are literally breaking new ground in finding an answer. Parents in Arizona, Wisconsin, Maryland and other states have become the architects of their children’s futures. One reason: Social media and online resources are inspiring parents to look beyond the status quo, said Desiree Kameka, director of the nonprofit Autism Housing Network, which maintains a list of U.S. residential opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It shows nearly 50 communities are being developed or are in the planning phase nationwide, including several that are parent-driven. (Tang, 1/3)

The Wall Street Journal: Drug Prices Climb By 5.8% On Average, Less Than Last Year
Pharmaceutical companies started 2020 by raising the prices of hundreds of drugs an average of 5.8%, according to a new analysis, a smaller increase than a year prior as the industry faces growing scrutiny from patients, lawmakers and health plans. Pfizer Inc. led the way, including increasing prices by over 9% on more than 40 products. The drug industry traditionally sets prices for its therapies at the start of the year and again in the middle of the year. (Hopkins, 1/2)

Stat: It's 'Business As Usual' As Many Drug Makers Boost Prices For The New Year 
For instance, Gilead Sciences (GILD) increased prices for several HIV pills by 4.8%, Biogen (BIIB) boosted its Tecfidera multiple sclerosis treatment by 6%, Eli Lilly (LLY) raised the cost of two diabetes medicines by 6%, and Pfizer (PFE) increased the list price of its Prevnar vaccine for pneumococcal disease by 7.3%. Notably, AbbVie (ABBV) boosted the price of its Humira rheumatoid arthritis treatment by 7.4%, and this comes after the company reached deals with several other drug makers to delay competition in the U.S. until 2023. (Silverman, 1/2)

Bloomberg: Drugmakers Hike 2020 Medicine Prices Despite Lawmakers’ Ire
Some key drugs, such as Merck & Co.’s top-selling cancer drug Keytruda, have yet to see higher prices, according to data compiled by Evercore ISI’s Umer Raffat. But last year’s price increases didn’t occur until a few days into the new year, the analyst said. Companies may be delaying some of those increases to later this month to escape early January scrutiny, Bernstein analyst Ronny Gal said in an email. While it’s too soon to tell, Gal expects price hikes may go up modestly from last year. So far, 85 drugmakers have reported with price increases on over 300 unique drugs, according to 3 Axis analysis. (Flanagan, 1/2)

Politico Pro: Pelosi Cites New Year's Drug Price Increases To Pressure GOP
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi today cited a wave of New Year's drug price increases in urging the Senate to take action on pharmaceutical costs. Drug companies increased the prices of at least 324 drugs by an average of 5.1 percent in the first few days of 2020, according to data compiled by GoodRx, a company that helps consumers find lower prices on medicines at pharmacies. (Karlin-Smith, 1/2)

CNN: Best And Worst Diets For 2020, Ranked By Experts
Who won the 2020 battle of the diets? For the third year in a row, the well-researched Mediterranean diet KO'd the competition to win gold in US News and World Report's 2020 ranking of best diets. The report, released Thursday, is now in its 10th year. (LaMotte, 1/2)

US News: How Can I Lose Weight? Best Diets: Improve Your Health 
U.S. News evaluated 35 of the most popular diets and identified the best. Find which top-rated diet is best for your health and fitness goals. (1/2)

In other food health news —

CNN: Intermittent Fasting: Benefits And Limitations
Abstaining from food for 16 to 18 hours a day could be key to treating a variety of health conditions -- even if you've got to train yourself to push past the hunger. A review of past animal and human studies in The New England Journal of Medicine suggests that intermittent fasting can reduce blood pressure, aid in weight loss and improve longevity. (Andrew, 1/2)

Stat: A Spate Of New Class-Action Lawsuits Threaten The CBD Industry 
Since the Food and Drug Administration can’t figure out whether supplements that contain cannabidiol, the marijuana-adjacent oil known as CBD, are legal, can a customer who thought they were buying a legal product demand their money back? A group of remorseful CBD users is suing to test that theory, and it’s going after the companies that put CBD on the map. (Florko, 1/3)

Kaiser Health News: ‘Grade A’ All-American Pot: The Next Big Export?
In a large warehouse, LivWell Enlightened Health feeds its cloned cannabis plants a custom blend of nutrients, sprays them with filtered water and pumps extra carbon dioxide into the air. LivWell releases three types of insects to clear the plants of unwanted pests without the use of toxic pesticides. Every part of the growing process is meticulously documented and evaluated to constantly refine the process. (Hawryluk, 1/3)

NPR: These Women's Health Taboos Are Overdue To Be Busted
As the decade changes and we consider the state of women's health in America, who better to turn to than the authors of five taboo-busting books from 2019 that took on issues that generations of women haven't been talking about, but need to. We asked these outspoken doctors and health advocates to give us their Top 7 messages to women for 2020. Here's what they said. (Vaughn, 1/2)

The Associated Press: Backlog Of Toxic Superfund Clean-Ups Grows Under Trump
The Trump administration has built up the biggest backlog of unfunded toxic Superfund clean-up projects in at least 15 years, nearly triple the number that were stalled for lack of money in the Obama era, according to 2019 figures quietly released by the Environmental Protection Agency over the winter holidays. The accumulation of Superfund projects that are ready to go except for money comes as the Trump administration routinely proposes funding cuts for Superfund and for the EPA in general. (Knickmeyer, Brown and White, 1/3)

Sacramento Bee: Mislabeling Causes Recall Of Clinical Depression Medication
One lot of clinical depression treatment Mirtazapine has been recalled because the tablets in the bottle might be twice as strong as the bottle’s label indicates. Aurobindo’s FDA-posted recall notice says the labels on lot No. 03119002A3, expiration 03/2022, say the 500-count bottles should have 7.5 mg tablets of the medicine also sold under the brand name Remeron. Problem is, the bottles might have 15 mg tablets. (Neal, 1/2)

The Wall Street Journal: Transit Systems Take On Role As Homeless Advocates
Jeffrey Knueppel’s skills include running trains, buses and subways, and helping people who are homeless find jobs and housing. The retired general manager of the Philadelphia region’s transit authority, like a growing number of transit officials around the country, increasingly assumed a social-welfare role in recent years as his agency struggled to cope with rising homelessness. The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority spent more than $1 million partnering with the city of Philadelphia to build an 11,000-square-foot homeless drop-in center at a busy subway station. (Berger, 1/2)

Axios: The U.S. Has 1.1 Million Fewer Kids Than At The Start Of The Decade
There are 1.1 million fewer children living in the U.S. today than there were at the start of the decade, according to an analysis of new Census data by the Brookings Institution's William Frey. The big picture: The adult population grew by 8.8% in the 2010s. in the three previous decades, the child population increased. The past decade marks a pivotal moment as the U.S. ages and, as a result, family life is transformed — especially because Americans are waiting longer to have children and having fewer of them. (Kight, 1/2)

Kansas City Star: Kansas Governor ‘Talking’ To Senate GOP Leader On Medicaid
Kansas’s Democratic governor and the Senate Republican leader are discussing Medicaid expansion ahead of the upcoming legislative session in hopes they can reach a deal clearing the way for the state to provide health coverage to tens of thousands of uninsured residents. Gov. Laura Kelly said in an interview with The Kansas City Star and The Wichita Eagle on Thursday that she is in talks with Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning, the Overland Park Republican who offered his own expansion plan this fall. Denning’s office later confirmed the discussions. (Shorman, 1/2)

San Antonio Express-News: Texas Leans On Lyft And Uber To Get Medicaid Patients To The Doctor
Each year, a lack of transportation keeps 3.6 million Americans from medical care. But under a new Texas law, some Medicaid patients will be able to take ride-hailing trips to the doctor’s office. Last summer, lawmakers relaxed regulations to shift funds for non-emergency transportation to ride-hailing companies such as Lyft and Uber. So far, only a handful of states are going this route. (Garcia, 1/2)

Meanwhile, CMS Administrator Seema Verma talks one-on-one with KHN —

Kaiser Health News: One-On-One With Trump’s Medicare And Medicaid Chief: Seema Verma
Seema Verma, administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, sat down for a rare one-on-one interview with Kaiser Health News senior correspondent Sarah Varney. They discussed her views on President Donald Trump’s plan for sustaining public health insurance programs, how the administration would respond if Obamacare is struck down by the courts in the future and her thoughts on how the latest “Medicare for All” proposals would affect innovation and access to care. (Varney, 1/3)

Kaiser Health News: Watch: Behind The Troubling Rise Of Uninsured American Kids
More than a million fewer children receive public health insurance now than in December 2017. In some cases, their parents acquired coverage at work. But researchers also see a troubling rise in uninsured children — and say the Trump administration’s policies are partially to blame. (Varney, 1/3)

NPR: Effort To Control Opioids In An ER Leaves Some Sickle Cell Patients In Pain
India Hardy has lived with pain since she was a toddler — from dull persistent aches to acute flare-ups that interrupt the flow of her normal life. The pain is from sickle cell disease, a group of genetic conditions that affect about 100,000 people in the U.S., many of them of African or Hispanic descent. Sitting in the afternoon heat on her mom's porch in Athens, Ga., Hardy remembers how a recent "crisis" derailed her normal morning routine. (Whitehead, 1/2)

Seattle Times: Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson Files Suit Against Opioid Manufacturer Johnson & Johnson 
Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson on Thursday continued his legal offensive against companies that have profited from opioids, announcing a new lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson and a subsidiary. The 78-page complaint, filed Thursday in King County Superior Court, asks that Johnson & Johnson pay the state the amount of money the company has made from selling opioids in Washington, in addition to civil penalties and damages. That precise dollar figure is unknown (it would surface during the discovery period of the lawsuit), but Ferguson said he’s confident it’s in the millions. (Blethen, 1/2)

The Associated Press: Washington State Sues Johnson & Johnson Over Opioid Crisis
“The human toll is staggering,” state Atty. Gen. Bob Ferguson said at a news conference. The lawsuit, which seeks civil penalties and damages, was filed in King County Superior Court. It says the company violated the state’s Consumer Protection Act, and was negligent and a public nuisance. (1/2)

CNN: Not Sure How To Get Rid Of Extra Opioids Or Antibiotics? The Pharmacy May Not Know, Either
When it comes to getting rid of prescription drugs, fewer than half of the pharmacies surveyed for a new study gave accurate guidance that met US Food and Drug Administration standards for disposing of unused opioids and antibiotics. Researchers from the University of California at San Francisco surveyed nearly 900 California pharmacies by phone over a two-month period in 2018 during the week and on weekends. For the study, published Monday in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers posed as parents with leftover opioids and antibiotics from a child's surgery. (Erdman, 12/31)

St. Louis Public Radio: SLU School Of Medicine Starts State's First Addiction Medicine Fellowship
St. Louis University is starting a program to train doctors to treat patients with addictions. The university’s school of medicine will operate the state’s first addiction medicine fellowship. Fellowship doctors will compete rotations at the city’s hospitals, clinics and community health centers. They'll also learn how to treat addiction in pregnant patients and newborns and receive training in telemedicine. (Fentem, 1/3)

MPR: St. Paul Police Report Sudden Spike In Overdoses Over Holiday
The city of St. Paul has seen a concerning spike in overdoses in the past week and police say uncovering the reason behind such a spike can be tricky. The first sign of trouble came last Friday, a couple of days after the Christmas holiday. (Moini, 1/3)

The CT Mirror: Congress Acts. Connecticut War On Opioids Continues.
Connecticut’s ad hoc network of opioid treatment and prevention services can expect about a $6 million increase from a recently approved federal funding bill that includes nearly $1.5 billion for State Opioid Response Grants, a relief to treatment specialists who feared last year that the Trump administration might be stepping back from the state grants. Officials said Thursday that the grant program, created in 2017 with strong bipartisan support in Congress, will continue with a $500 million increase over the $933 million allotted to states last year and allow the continuation in Connecticut of an evolving array of prevention, outreach, treatment and follow-up support. (Pazniokas, 1/2)

The New York Times: Texas Judge Rules That Hospital Can Take Baby Off Life Support
A Texas judge ruled on Thursday that a hospital’s plan to remove an 11-month-old girl from life support over her family’s objections could proceed, the latest twist in a case that has drawn notice from conservatives around the state. The child, Tinslee Lewis, was born prematurely and suffers from a rare heart defect and other health issues, according to Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth, where she had been treated for 11 months. Doctors there had done everything possible to save Tinslee’s life, but ultimately concluded that they could not do so, the hospital said in a statement. (Zraick, 1/2)

The Wall Street Journal: One-Year-Old Girl Can Be Removed From Life Support, Texas Court Rules
Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth told the family of 11-month-old Tinslee Lewis in October that it wouldn’t continue treating her because doctors believe she has no chance of recovery and is only suffering, according to a timeline provided by the hospital. Twenty other hospitals and pediatric cardiac specialists also agreed with Cook Children’s assessment and declined to treat Tinslee, according to the hospital. Tinslee’s family has fought to keep the baby alive with the help of Texas Right to Life, an antiabortion group, and said they plan to appeal Thursday’s ruling to another state court. (Findell, 1/2)

The Associated Press: Texas Judge: Hospital Can Remove Baby From Life Support
Doctors at the Fort Worth hospital had planned to remove Tinslee from life support Nov. 10 after invoking Texas’ “10-day rule,” which can be employed when a family disagrees with doctors who say life-sustaining treatment should be stopped. The law stipulates that if the hospital's ethics committee agrees with doctors, treatment can be withdrawn after 10 days if a new provider can’t be found to take the patient. (1/2)

Texas Tribune: Tinslee Lewis Can Be Removed From Life Support, Texas Judge Says
The hospital began talks in September with the Lewis family about transferring Tinslee to another hospital or ending care. Hospital staff previously argued that the baby is in pain and that "further medical intervention is not in Tinslee's best interest." Judge Sandee B. Marion issued the ruling Thursday to deny the request for an injunction filed by the family, which would have prevented the hospital from removing Tinslee from life support. Texas Right to Life, an anti-abortion group, issued a statement on behalf of Lewis' mother, Trinity Lewis. (Livingston, 1/2)

CNN: A Texas Judge Says Hospital Can Remove 11-Month-Old Tinslee Lewis Off Life Support Despite Her Family's Wishes
Tinslee was born with a rare heart defect called Ebstein's anomaly and suffers from chronic lung disease and severe chronic pulmonary hypertension. (Chavez, 1/2)

Texas Tribune: What You Need To Know About Texas’ New Surprise Medical Billing Law
A new Texas law that aims to protect patients from receiving surprise medical bills takes effect this week. Consumer advocates have praised the law as one of the most robust set of billing protections in the nation, though it only applies to about one-third of Texans with private health insurance. (Walters, 1/2)

The Star Tribune: Minnesota Hospitals Report More Flu Cases; School Outbreaks Dwindle 
Minnesota hospitals admitted 117 influenza patients last week, the highest weekly total for the season, according to a Minnesota Health Department flu update on Thursday. The department also revised the prior week’s tally upward, to 114, an adjustment that reflected reporting delays. So far, 505 people have been hospitalized for the flu, which is about the midrange for recent influenza seasons. (Howatt, 1/2)

New Hampshire Public Radio: N.H. Legislature’s 2020 PFAS Agenda Includes Bottled Water Testing Proposal
New Hampshire legislators this session will consider requiring bottled water brands in the state to be tested and labeled for toxic PFAS chemicals. The industrial compounds have been linked to health problems and can persist in the environment, but aren't subject to binding federal regulations. (Ropeik, 1/2)

The CT Mirror: State Can't Rely On Raising Hospital Taxes To Survive Next Recession
For good or ill, state officials relied on aggressive increases in hospital taxes to keep Connecticut’s finances in balance during an extremely sluggish recovery from the last recession. Between 2013 and this year, hospitals pumped more than $1 billion into the state’s coffers, funds that otherwise might be raised by income tax hikes, municipal aid reductions, program cuts or all of the above. But under this settlement, the state pledges to keep hospital taxes flat through 2026 — even though history suggests Connecticut and the nation are overdue for another economic downturn. (Phaneuf, 1/3)

St. Louis Post Dispatch: Payroll Delayed For St. Alexius Hospital Employees Following Bankruptcy Filing
St. Alexius Hospital, once again caught in bankruptcy proceedings, will be several days late in distributing payroll. The Chapter 11 bankruptcy case was filed this week in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and involves the small St. Louis hospital and its owner, Americore. James Irving, an attorney for the debtors in the case, said St. Alexius cannot make payments until it receives authorization from the court. He said he anticipates that St. Alexius will be able to make payroll following a hearing that is scheduled for Jan. 8. (Merrilees, 1/2)

The Advocate: Amedisys Acquires Competitor In Pennsylvania 
Amedisys, the Baton Rouge-based home health and hospice company, completed a previously announced deal to acquire Asana Hospice. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Asana Hospice, headquartered in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, has eight locations across five states, including Ohio, Missouri, Kansas and Texas. (Mosbrucker, 1/2)

The Baltimore Sun: Harbor Hospital Gets $500,000 Grant To Connect Bike, Pedestrian Paths In Anne Arundel County, Baltimore City 
MedStar Harbor Hospital announced Thursday that it has received a $500,000 grant to go toward connecting bicycle and pedestrian paths from Anne Arundel County into Baltimore city. In a news release, MedStar wrote that the $500,000 Maryland Anchor SEED funding grant “will provide 30 percent of the engineering design” to develop and connect a 3-mile bicycle and pedestrian path spanning from the BWI Trail in Anne Arundel County to the Gwynns Falls Trail in Baltimore. (Davis, 1/2)

Miami Herald: Miami VA Worker Investigated For Overtime Allegations
A supervisor with the Miami Veterans Affairs Healthcare System is being investigated over allegations of approving false overtime hours for an employee in exchange for sexual favors, a spokesperson confirmed Thursday. The investigation is being handled by the federal VA Office of Inspector General, according to the Miami VA Healthcare System’s public affairs officer Shane Suzuki, who referred all additional questions on the matter to that office. (Conark, 1/2)

Boston Globe: State’s First Cannabis Microbusiness Is A Family Affair
The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission has taken steps to encourage mom-and-pop businesses. But so far, most of the state’s licensed pot companies are those backed by large corporations or wealthy investors. Microbusinesses like Gibby’s say they can provide consumers with small-batch cannabis flower and products that are superior to pot from bigger operators — akin to the difference between craft beer and Budweiser. (Martin, 1/2)

St. Louis Public Radio: Illinois Sold More Than $3 Million In Legal Weed On First Sales Day
Illinois’ recreational cannabis dispensaries made around $3.2 million in sales on New Year’s Day, according to early estimates from a state agency overseeing the now-legal industry. Customers lined up at 20 dispensaries that were open across the state and made more than 77,000 thousand individual purchases of flower, edible, and concentrated liquid products, according to Illinois' Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. (Dunklau, 1/2)

KQED: SF, Inmates Reach Tentative Deal Over Jail Sewage Flooding
San Francisco city officials have reached a tentative agreement to settle a lawsuit with 217 inmates in the county jail where overflowing sewage leaked for more than a year after faulty plumbing burst in late 2016. At the time, hazmat crews evacuated some offices to install a trap device — further backing up sewage, officials said. The sewage began to spill out of toilets and pipes in the jail at the beginning of 2017, continuing until September 2018. (Garces and Chang, 1/2)

The Atlantic: What Caused The Opioid Epidemic?
In 2015, Jennifer Silva, a professor of sociology and anthropology at Bucknell University, began interviewing people in the coal region of northeastern Pennsylvania. She was working on a project, which would become the book We’re Still Here, about how poor and working-class Americans were affected by the collapse of the coal industry—the major job provider in the region. She was curious how the regional decline might have shaped her subjects’ politics. But she quickly noticed a startling trend alongside the growing unemployment: Her subjects and their families were struggling with opioid abuse. At community meetings, doctors and coroners would debate solutions to the problem. Should they be arresting people? Should they be creating support groups? She describes one desperate parent who asked whether Donald Trump’s proposed border wall would keep black tar heroin from getting to Pennsylvania. (Khazan, 1/2)

Wired: Mind Control For The Masses—No Implant Needed
When Sid Kouider showed up at Slush, the annual startup showcase in Helsinki, wearing an ascot cap and a device he claimed would usher in a new era of technological mind control, no one thought he was crazy. No, he was merely joining the long line of entrepreneurs (see: Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg) who believe that we will one day manage our machines with our thoughts. The quest to meld mind and machine dates back to at least the 1970s, when scientists began, in earnest, to drill into peoples’ skulls and implant the first brain-computer interfaces—electrodes that translate brain cell activity into data. (Pardes, 1/2)

The New York Times: Living As Myself, At Last
“I don’t believe that transgender people should be in the military.” In 2015, when I heard those words from my supervisor, I was a young technical sergeant in the United States Air Force, and a closeted transgender person. My boss, a master sergeant, went on to explain to me and a couple of other airmen in the office that transgender people had too many problems, that they had mental health issues, that there were too many logistical problems with dorms and open-bay showers and not being deployable. (Holder, 12/26)

Undark: Clogging The System: The Feud Over Flushable Wipes
In the basement of the Center for Urban Innovation at Ryerson University in Toronto, a lone toilet sits on a raised, tiled platform. Darko Joksimovic, an associate professor of civil engineering, drops a clean bathroom wipe into the bowl and flushes. It swims down a 66-foot pipeline that includes two 90-degree turns and clears it in one go. He then collects the soggy material and drops it into something called a slosh box. This clear tank agitates a gallon of water at a gentle 18 revolutions per minute for 30 minutes. When that’s done, Joksimovic rinses the wipe over a sieve with inch-wide holes for a minute. The material left on the sieve’s surface gets baked in an oven, and then weighed. (Peters, 12/23)

The Washington Post: Trump Backpedals On Vaping. Sad!
The Trump administration announced Thursday a ban on most flavored e-cigarette pods. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar declared that the plan “protects our kids without causing unnecessary disruption.” But more disruption of an unacceptable status quo is needed. The National Institutes of Health’s 2019 Monitoring the Future survey found last month that teenagers drink, abuse opioids and smoke tobacco less than in previous years. But a quarter of 12th-graders reported vaping nicotine in the previous month. Nearly 12 percent reported doing so daily. Nearly 10 percent say they vape because they are hooked. Even as traditional cigarette use is down, a new generation is becoming addicted to nicotine through vaping. (1/2)

The Wall Street Journal: Thank You For Not Vaping
The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday announced a ban on flavored e-cigarettes in an ostensible effort to thread the needle between preventing youth nicotine addiction and promoting adult tobacco cessation. But don’t think this will silence e-cigarette critics or make teens stop vaping. The FDA has been under relentless political pressure to restrict e-cigarette sales amid rising teen use. One of the biggest public-health achievements of the last decade has been the decline in teenage smoking. (1/2)

St. Louis Post Dispatch: More Kids Are Getting Hooked On Nicotine. It's Time For The Proper Regulations. 
The number of young people consuming nicotine products has skyrocketed to its highest total in 19 years. The nicotine-addiction industry is working overtime to get young people hooked as early as possible to ensure the long-term survival of this market. If it means trading young people’s health for a few extra dollars, greed wins the argument every time. (1/2)

USA Today: Vaping THC: Reporters Can't Ignore Cannabis, Mental Illness Links
I've covered things that injure, sicken and kill kids and adults for more than 30 years. From auto safety to medical errors, I've competed to break stories on the latest deadly defect or health policy change, most recently on electronic cigarettes. In late August, I added vaping-related lung illnesses to the beat. Last month, I added marijuana, psychosis and other mental illness. It's a pretty solitary place to be. (Jayne O'Donnell, 1/3)

The Wall Street Journal: How The GOP Can Win On Health Care
Democratic presidential candidates are repeating one of President Obama’s worst mistakes, one that arguably cost Democrats the 2010 midterms. Rather than focusing on bringing down medical costs—which are ever on the rise—Democrats are pushing policies that primarily aim to expand coverage and shift costs to taxpayers. (Bobby Jindal, 1/2)

The Wall Street Journal: Mayor Pete’s Stealth Health Mandate
As a slogan, Pete Buttigieg’s health plan looks straightforward: “Medicare for All Who Want It.” Rather than force every American into a government health system, PeteCare would offer a “public option.” Anyone who wants to could buy into the program. Everybody else, Mayor Pete seems to suggest, would be left alone. But about halfway through his 10-page plan comes an understated line: “Individuals with no coverage will be retroactively enrolled in the public option.” (1/2)

The Hill: Even In A Time Of Impeachment, Health Care Is On The Agenda 
As we begin 2020, the impeachment cloud continues to hang over Washington. The House vote and the president’s defiant response has dominated the headlines, and that won’t change in the new year with the prospect of a likely Senate trial in the next few weeks. The cloud of controversy threatens to keep members of Congress from working on many of the nation’s problems they were hired to solve. There is one issue, however, that lawmakers can’t avoid during this impeachment fight — health care. (J. Kevin A. McKechnie, 1/2)

The Washington Post: Here’s An Easy Way To Increase Access To High-Quality, Affordable Health Care 
Americans have witnessed fierce debates on health-care policy focused on various proposals, including Medicare-for-all. Whatever your take on such proposals, it’s important to remember that there are other ways to expand access to affordable health care. One promising idea — which wouldn’t cost taxpayers a dime and may actually save money — is to expand the role of highly trained nurse practitioners in providing primary care. (Lusine Poghosyan, 1/2)

Boston Globe: A Win For Lobbyists, Not Patients, In Spending Deal
In a victory for the health care industry lobbyists who leaned heavily on the Massachusetts delegation and others, Congress and President Trump agreed in December to a $1.4 trillion appropriations package that permanently repeals a medical device tax, a so-called “Cadillac” tax on high-end insurance plans, and a tax on health insurers — all of which were baked into President Obama’s 2010 law as a way to offset the costs of providing health care to millions more Americans. (1/3)

The New York Times: How To Be Healthy, In Just 48 Words
Daytime television talk shows, popular podcasts and diet books on the New York Times best-seller list would have you believe that being healthy is complicated. You need to eat the latest superfood, buy the perfect supplements or join the hippest fitness cult. These theories are particularly popular right now, as people commit to New Year’s resolutions. (Yoni Freedhoff, 1/3)

The New York Times: Why Are You Publicly Sharing Your Child’s DNA Information?
A few years ago, Angela Evans decided she wanted to test the DNA of her 10-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son. She was interested in knowing whether they had a mutation of the MTHFR gene, as she does. The mutation is linked to a number of disorders — women with the mutation may have a higher risk of having babies with defects like spina bifida — and Ms. Evans wanted to make life changes for her children based on the results.When doctors told her they didn’t think there was a medical need to test her children, she decided to use 23andMe, the direct-to-customer genetic testing company. (Nila Bala, 1/2)

Stat: CRISPR Babies Scientist He Jiankui Should Not Be Villainized 
To me, no matter how abhorrent one views the research, it represents a substantial step forward in human embryo editing. Now there is a clear path forward that anyone can follow when before it had been only a dream. He Jiankui’s work has been subjected to strong and sometimes vicious criticism. The big unknown is whether the children born from it will experience any harmful effects, though there is no evidence to lead us to suspect that they will. Even after He’s work was made public, the U.S. did not create any laws directly outlawing human embryo editing and implantation. The only thing standing in the way of doing this is gaining FDA approval for an investigational new drug application. Current federal funding guidelines prevent the FDA from approving such experimentation, but how long will it be until that changes? Most certainly less than 100 years. (Josiah Zayner, 1/2)

The Wall Street Journal: Warren Has A Plan For Your Drinking Water—But It’s Risky
Tap water may not appear on most politicians’ priority lists, but as you’ve probably heard by now, Elizabeth Warren has a plan for everything. Her campaign site describes her wish to “take action to protect our drinking water”—a praiseworthy commitment to a resource that is essential to America’s economy, health and everyday life. As usual, the devil’s in the details. Ms. Warren vows to prohibit the privatization of infrastructure for water treatment and delivery. (Seth M. Siegel, 1/2)

The Washington Post: How To Avoid The Traps That Produce Loneliness And Isolation
“Hell is other people,” wrote the French existentialist Jean-Paul Sartre in his 1944 play “No Exit.” Sartre was wrong. Hell is the lack of other people, and according to the health-insurance company Cigna, loneliness and social isolation are rampant in the United States today. About half of Americans report sometimes or always feeling alone, Cigna found in a 2018 study of more than 20,000 U.S. adults. Barely more than half say they have meaningful daily in-person social interactions. Studies by the Kaiser Family Foundation and AARP have also reported widespread American loneliness. (Arthur C. Brooks, 1/2)

Nashville Tennessean: Gun Violence Reaches Public Health Crisis Level In Tennessee
Gun violence in Tennessee is a public health crisis. Based on the most recent U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, we are 11th for firearm mortality, seventh for firearm homicide, and fourth for both youth gun death and gun homicides. According to data reported by The Tennessean, Tennessee is currently fifth in the nation for women murdered by men, most often with a firearm and almost always by a man they know. Tennessee has ranked in the top 10 states for women murdered by men for the last decade. (Beth Joslin Roth, 1/3)

Louisville Courier Journal: Census 2020: Urge Kentucky Lawmakers To Fund A Complete Count
Every 10 years, the census counts every person living in the United States, regardless of age, race, geographic location or citizenship status. Data from the census determines how hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funding are distributed throughout the country. Census data also helps state and local officials, community leaders and nonprofits identify needs for healthcare, education, housing, food security and other services.In Kentucky, an accurate census count doesn’t just determine how many federal dollars we bring back to the state, it has an enormous impact on the health of our commonwealth. (Emily Beauregard, 1/3)

Sacramento Bee: CA Doctors Should Treat Opioid Addiction Like A Disease 
Recognizing addiction as a disease that can be treated with medication and therapy would save lives, especially now that a potent and deadly opiate, fentanyl, is increasingly making its way into the illegal drug trade in California and the Western United States.Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid 50 to 100 times more powerful than morphine. It is phenomenally inexpensive, making it a drug of choice for dealers seeking to boost potency and reduce the cost of the illegal substances they are selling.Initially found on the East Coast, experts say a rise in overdoses in the Los Angeles region can be related to the increase in fentanyl in the illicit drugs used by a wide range of people, from those experiencing homelessness to students at the private University of Southern California. (Gilmore Chung, 12/26)

Seattle Times: Washington State Lawmakers Must Pass Assault-Weapons Ban
A disappointingly familiar routine has played out in Olympia three years running: Attorney General Bob Ferguson proposes an assault-weapons ban, for which bills are filed in the Senate and House. Then, after moving discussion of America’s horrifying series of mass shootings, the bills quietly disappear without a floor vote in either chamber. Enough is enough. (1/3)

San Francisco Chronicle: PG&E’s Wildfire Victims, Not Government Agencies, Should Be First In Line For Claims 
More than a year after the devastating Camp Fire, thousands of victims are still burned out of house and home. So why on earth are government agencies trying to take what’s been put aside for them to rebuild?Pacific Gas & Electric Company, the utility that’s been named responsible for igniting historically calamitous wildfires in 2017 and 2018, declared bankruptcy nearly a year ago. The process has been tumultuous, and one of the reasons why is the unusually large number of creditors seeking to be made whole in any company settlement. (1/3)