NPR: Pfizer Submits Favorable Initial Data To The FDA On Kids' COVID-19 Vaccine Trial
Pfizer and BioNTech are another step closer to seeking authorization for young children to receive the COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine, submitting data to the Food and Drug Administration that shows a "robust" antibody response and "favorable" safety outcomes in kids ages 5 to 11 who received the two-dose regimen in clinical trials. The companies plan to submit a formal request for emergency-use authorization of the vaccine for that age range "in the coming weeks," they said Tuesday. (Chappell, 9/28)

The New York Times: Pfizer And BioNTech Submit Data On Vaccine For Kids 5 To 11
Pfizer and BioNTech announced on Tuesday that they had submitted data to the Food and Drug Administration that the companies said showed their coronavirus vaccine is safe and effective in children ages 5 to 11. The companies said they would submit a formal request to regulators to allow a pediatric dose of their vaccine to be administered in the United States in the coming weeks. Similar requests will be filed with European regulators and in other countries. (LaFraniere, Bengali and Weiland, 9/28)

But the timing is still in question —

The Wall Street Journal: Pfizer’s Covid-19 Vaccine For Kids May Not Be FDA Authorized Before November 
Regulatory clearance of the Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech vaccine for young children may not come until November, according to a person familiar with the matter, after the companies said they won’t ask for the green light for a few weeks. The companies said Tuesday they provided U.S. health regulators with data from a recent study of their vaccine in children 5 to 11 years old. They said they would file an application asking the Food and Drug Administration to authorize use in the coming weeks, though they had previously targeted submitting the application as early as the end of September. (Hopkins and Armour, 9/28)

The Atlantic: Vaccine Data for Kids Under 5 Are Coming ‘Before the End of the Year’
The vaccine timeline for young kids is looking a little more solid. This morning, Pfizer submitted data to the FDA showing that its COVID-19 vaccine is effective and safe for children ages 5 to 11. And this afternoon, the company’s CEO, Albert Bourla, said that trial results for even younger kids, aged 2 to 4, will be available in a couple months’ time. “Before the end of the year,” he confirmed in an interview with Craig Melvin, the Today news anchor and MSNBC anchor, at The Atlantic Festival. Submission to the FDA will follow soon thereafter, Bourla said. (Zhang, 9/28)

Also —

Philadelphia Inquirer: COVID-19 Vaccine Eligibility For Kids 5-11 Could Help All, If Enough Families Get The Shots
More than 23,000 children in Pennsylvania contracted the coronavirus in the first three weeks of September, part of a national increase over the last month that has closed schools, worried parents, and heightened urgency for the authorization of vaccination for younger children. The expansion of vaccine eligibility to about 28 million U.S. kids appears closer than ever — expected within weeks, possibly before October’s end — and it could improve the pandemic outlook for everyone. (McCarthy and McDaniel, 9/28)

Axios: Axios-Ipsos Poll: Parents May Not Want Vaccine For Young Kids 
While the U.S. is inching toward expanding COVID-19 vaccines to kids younger than 11, many parents may not be eager to take advantage of them, according to the latest installment of the Axios/Ipsos Coronavirus Index. 44% of parents with kids between ages 5 and 11 said they are likely or somewhat likely to get their children vaccinated, compared with 42% who said they're unlikely to. 56% of parents with kids ages 12 to 17 said their kids were already vaccinated or likely to get the shot, while 41% said they were not likely to get the shot for their child. (Reed, 9/29)

And vaccines have proved effective in teens —

CIDRAP: COVID Vaccine Protection Stayed Strong In Teens During Delta, Data Show
Vaccine effectiveness (VE) for the two-dose Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine was up to 91.5% in Israeli teens 12 to 15 years old during the Delta (B1617.2) variant outbreak, according to a study published yesterday in Emerging Infectious Diseases. Israel made the Pfizer vaccine available for teens starting Jun 2, and by Aug 26, 46.1% of those who were eligible were partially vaccinated and 31.2% were fully vaccinated. To estimate VE, the researchers looked at those who received their second dose between Jul 1 and Jul 24, excluding those who had a history of COVID-19 infection. (9/28)

Stat: The Federal Covid-19 Response Will Continue If There’s A Shutdown, Mostly
The federal government’s efforts to address the Covid-19 pandemic will continue even if the government shuts down this week, a Biden administration official tells STAT — but key health agencies will still face major staff shortages. The Senate has until Thursday night to prevent a government shutdown, and things are not looking good: Late Monday, Republicans blocked a procedural vote as part of a standoff related to raising the government’s debt limit. (Florko, 9/28)

AP: Sign Of Progress, Biden Digs In To Strike Deal On $3.5T Plan
Pressure mounting but with signs of progress, President Joe Biden will hunker down at the White House to try to strike a deal and win over two holdout Democratic senators whose support is needed for his potentially historic $3.5 trillion government overhaul. With Republicans solidly opposed and no Democratic votes to spare, Biden canceled a Wednesday trip to Chicago that was to focus on COVID-19 vaccinations so he could dig in for another day of intense negotiations with lawmakers ahead of crucial votes. (Mascaro and Miller, 9/29)

Politico: Manchin, Sinema Leave Dems In Lurch As Biden Agenda Teeters 
Democrats wanted clarity Tuesday from Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema after back-to-back meetings with President Joe Biden. They didn’t get it. During a private meeting with the president, Sinema made clear she’s still not on board with the party’s $3.5 trillion social spending plan and is hesitant to engage on some specifics until the bipartisan infrastructure package passes the House, according to a person who spoke with her. (Levine and Everett, 9/28)

The Hill: Left Warns Pelosi They'll Take Down Biden Infrastructure Bill 
Liberals on Tuesday fired a shot across the bow at Democratic leaders by warning that a bipartisan infrastructure bill cannot pass the House as long as Senate centrists remain noncommittal on the larger social benefits package at the heart of President Biden's agenda. The threat is the latest challenge facing Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other party leaders, who have scheduled a Thursday vote on the Senate-passed $1.2 trillion public works proposal. The timeline reflects Pelosi's promise to moderate House Democrats, who have sought to divorce the bipartisan infrastructure bill from the larger and more divisive "family" benefits package. (Lillis and Wong, 9/28)

NBC News: 'Mutually Assured Destruction': House Liberals Dig In On Halting Infrastructure Bill
House progressives are digging in on their resistance to passing the infrastructure bill this week, repeating their threat to block the measure despite Speaker Nancy Pelosi's call to pass it quickly and tackle the social safety net package later. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., the chair of the progressive caucus, which boasts 95 House members, told NBC News that "nothing has changed" and more than half her caucus is prepared to vote down the infrastructure bill if it comes up before the larger tax-and-spending bill has passed the Senate. (Kapur, Caldwell and Haake, 9/28)

On the double threats of debt default and a government shutdown —

Politico: Democrats Back Off Debt Fight To Stop Shutdown 
The Senate is expected to vote as early as Wednesday on a revamped spending bill that would forestall a government shutdown at the end of the week after Democrats ditched action on the debt limit amid staunch Republican resistance. The standalone continuing resolution comes after Senate Republicans refused to fast-track a package on Tuesday that pairs government funding with suspension of the debt ceiling through the midterms next year. Several GOP senators have said they will support a bill to prevent a shutdown and deliver disaster aid to storm-battered states, as long as the package does not lift the cap on how much the government can borrow. (Emma and Levine, 9/28)

Politico: Biden Opposes Changing Senate Rules To Raise Debt Limit 
The White House said Tuesday that President Joe Biden opposes changing the filibuster to suspend or raise the debt ceiling, closing off a break-the-glass option to avoid financial calamity. White House press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed that Biden’s position on reforming the filibuster has not changed as Democrats search for options to deal with the approaching debt ceiling deadline amid persistent refusal from Senate Republicans to step in and help. Earlier in the day, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned congressional leaders that her department could run out of money by Oct. 18, triggering a disastrous default on the government’s debt that would cripple the entire U.S. economy. (Cadelago, 9/28)

The Hill: McConnell Blocks Schumer Attempt To Bypass Filibuster On Debt Hike
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) blocked an effort by Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) to bypass the 60-vote legislative filibuster on a debt ceiling hike. Schumer tried to get an agreement to set up a simple-majority vote on a bill to suspend the nation's borrowing limit, which would bypass the filibuster and let Democrats raise it without GOP support. (Carney, 9/28)

Fed Chief Janet Yellen warns of the consequences if a deal isn't met —

The New York Times: Yellen Warns Congress That Debt Limit Must By Raised By Oct. 18 
Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen warned lawmakers on Tuesday of “catastrophic” consequences if Congress failed to raise or suspend the statutory debt limit in less than three weeks, saying inaction could lead to a self-inflicted economic recession and a financial crisis. At a Senate Banking Committee hearing where she testified alongside the Federal Reserve chair, Jerome H. Powell, Ms. Yellen laid out in explicit terms what she expects to happen if Congress does not deal with the debt limit before Oct. 18, which the Treasury now believes is when the United States will actually face default. In her most public expression of alarm about the matter, she described the standoff within Congress as a self-inflicted wound of enormous proportions. (Rappeport, Cochrane and Smialek, 9/28)

The Hill: Yellen Chastises GOP As Debt Default Countdown Begins
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Senate Democrats on Tuesday blasted Republicans for refusing to back a bill that would raise the federal debt limit and allow the government to pay off expenses approved over more than a decade by Congress and presidents from both parties. Yellen urged Republicans to take responsibility for their role in adding trillions to the national debt and raise the federal borrowing limit to prevent an economic disaster after informing lawmakers that the U.S. is on track to default on Oct. 18, pinning a specific “X-date” for the first time since the debt ceiling was reimposed Aug. 1. (Lane, 9/28)

Stat: The Federal Covid-19 Response Will Continue If There’s A Shutdown, Mostly
The federal government’s efforts to address the Covid-19 pandemic will continue even if the government shuts down this week, a Biden administration official tells STAT — but key health agencies will still face major staff shortages. The Senate has until Thursday night to prevent a government shutdown, and things are not looking good: Late Monday, Republicans blocked a procedural vote as part of a standoff related to raising the government’s debt limit. (Florko, 9/28)

The Washington Post: Without Infrastructure Bill, Federal Highway Administration Will Shut Down
Thousands of Transportation Department employees have enjoyed protection from past government shutdowns, but if a $1 trillion infrastructure bill doesn’t pass the House and make it to President Biden’s desk by Thursday night, they face the prospect of being furloughed for the first time in more than a decade. It would also mean hundreds of millions of dollars to cover the cost of road-building projects would stop flowing from the federal government — potentially leaving states short on cash — while work on a small number of projects on federal land would grind to a halt. (Duncan, 9/28)

In other news from the Biden administration —

The Washington Post: FDA Delays Ruling On Safety Of Sunscreen Ingredients 
If sunscreen manufacturers, environmentalists, dermatologists and consumers were expecting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to take a position on the safety of chemical filters in sunscreen products by yesterday, they were likely disappointed. On Friday, the regulatory agency said that it needs more time and data before ruling whether the filters in question, compounds designed to protect users from UVA and UVB rays, are in fact safe.  Instead, the FDA released an announcement that closely mirrored its 2019 proposed rule, in which it deemed only 2 of 16 UV filters used in sunscreens (the minerals zinc oxide and titanium dioxide), as generally recognized as safe and effective (GRASE). Two of the organic chemical compounds — aminobenzoic acid (PABA) and trolamine salicylate — are proposed as not safe and eff­ective for sunscreen use. The other 12 remain under review and are sold under the definition of “Marketed Unapproved Drugs.” The agency also opened a 45-day period for public comment. (Mandell, 9/28)

The Washington Post: Eviction Filings Have Not Spiked After End Of Moratorium 
When the Supreme Court decided to strike down a federal ban on evictions in August, lawmakers and housing experts mentioned a slew of devastating metaphors — cliff, tsunami, tidal wave — to describe the national eviction crisis they saw coming. One month later, however, many of those same authorities find themselves wondering: Where is the cliff? In major metropolitan areas, the number of eviction filings has dropped or remained flat since the Supreme Court struck down the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention moratorium on Aug. 26, according to experts and data collected by the Eviction Lab at Princeton University. In cities around the country, including Cleveland, Memphis, Charleston and Indianapolis, eviction filings are well below their pre-pandemic levels. (Siegel and O'Connell, 9/28)

And on the mysterious symptoms experienced by U.S. diplomats —

The Wall Street Journal: Havana Syndrome Attacks Widen With CIA Officer’s Evacuation From Serbia 
The CIA evacuated an intelligence officer serving in Serbia in recent weeks who suffered serious injuries consistent with the neurological attacks known as Havana Syndrome, according to current and former U.S. officials. The incident in the Balkans, which hasn’t been previously reported, is the latest in what the officials describe as a steady expansion of attacks on American spies and diplomats posted overseas by unknown assailants using what government officials and scientists suspect is some sort of directed-energy source. (Strobel, 9/28)

Miami Herald: What To Know About Havana Syndrome, The Illness Affecting U.S. Diplomats, CIA, Staff
Symptoms include dizziness, tinnitus, visual problems, vertigo and cognitive difficulties. Some affected Americans said they heard a sound or felt some type of pressure or vibration. Doctors at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Miami, who first treated U.S. diplomats in Havana affected by the ailment, also found evidence of brain injury and damage to the inner ear’s vestibular system. (Marchante, 9/29)

The Wall Street Journal: Vaccine Mandate Takes Effect In New York With Healthcare Disruptions
Thousands of healthcare workers in New York lost their jobs Tuesday when a new vaccine mandate went into effect, forcing some nursing homes to stop admitting new patients and hospitals to warn of longer wait times. The state is serving as a test case of how similar requirements will play out across the U.S. Other states and the federal government are bracing for disruptions as vaccine requirements take effect in the coming weeks and months. (Vielkind, 9/28)

CNN: New York's Covid-19 Vaccine Mandate For Health Care Workers Leads To Suspension Of Hundreds Of Holdouts 
Hundreds of unvaccinated health care workers across New York were suspended Tuesday and could soon lose their jobs entirely as the state's Covid-19 vaccine mandate for health care workers went into effect overnight. As of Monday evening, 92% of hospital staff, 92% of nursing home staff, and 89% of adult care facility staff had at least one vaccine dose, Gov. Kathy Hochul's office said. The vaccination rates increased considerably over the last four weeks as the state crept closer to the vaccine deadline, Hochul said. (Moshtaghian, Ly and Levenson, 9/28)

The New York Times: Vaccine Mandate Leads Thousands Of New York Health Workers To Get Vaccinated
New York State’s pioneering effort to force health care workers to receive coronavirus vaccines appears to have pressured thousands of holdouts to receive last-minute shots, though hospitals and nursing homes continue to brace for potential staffing shortages should the mandate fall short, according to state and industry officials. As the vaccination mandate went into full effect on Monday, 92 percent of the state’s more than 650,000 hospital and nursing home workers had received at least one vaccine dose, state officials said. That was a significant increase from a week ago, when 82 percent of the state’s nursing home workers and at least 84 percent of hospital workers had received at least one dose. (Otterman and Goldstein, 9/28)

AP: Facing Deadline, More NY Healthcare Workers Vaccinate
Thousands of healthcare workers in New York faced with either getting the COVID-19 vaccine or losing their jobs received at least one dose as the statewide mandate neared, according to state figures released Tuesday. More than 650,000 workers at hospitals and nursing homes in the state had until Monday to get their first vaccine dose under the new requirement. (Hill, 9/28)

The New York Times: Fear Of Delta Is Motivating Americans To Get Shots More Than Mandates, Survey Finds 
The Delta variant of the coronavirus was the leading reason that people decided to get vaccinated against Covid-19 this summer and why most say they will get boosters when eligible, according to the latest monthly survey on vaccine attitudes by the Kaiser Family Foundation, released on Tuesday morning. But the survey indicated that nearly three-quarters of unvaccinated Americans view boosters very differently, saying that the need for them shows that the vaccines are not working. That divide suggests that while it may be relatively easy to persuade vaccinated people to line up for an additional shot, the need for boosters may complicate public health officials’ efforts to persuade the remaining unvaccinated people to get their initial one. (Hoffman, 9/29)

Green Bay Press-Gazette: Bellin Health Mandates COVID-19 Vaccinations For Employees, Affiliates
Bellin Health will join other health care institutions in Wisconsin and nationally that are requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for all employees and affiliates. Green Bay-based Bellin announced its decision this week, as vaccine deadline windows close for employees at Prevea Health, Aurora BayCare Medical Clinic and Marshfield Clinic Health System. Employees at Bellin Health must complete coronavirus vaccination by Nov. 15. Prevea employees must be fully vaccinated by Oct. 5, Aurora BayCare by Oct. 15 and Marshfield by Nov. 15. (Eilbert, 9/28)

AP: Federal Utility's Workers Have Until Nov. 22 For COVID Shots
A federal utility is requiring its workers to get fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Nov. 22. Tennessee Valley Authority spokesperson Jim Hopson says the nation’s largest public utility is working on developing the processes and procedures to implement the new requirement, including a secure system for employees to document their vaccination status. (9/29)

AP: WA Worker Vaccination Increases Ahead Of Mandate Deadline
As a crucial deadline for Gov. Jay Inslee’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate approaches, state data shows that vaccination numbers for Washington state workers subject to the requirement are about 20% higher than earlier this month. The Seattle Times reported that more than two-thirds of Washington workers have gotten their shots. By Oct. 4, most workers must show that they have gotten all their shots in order to be considered fully vaccinated by Oct. 18. (9/28)

NPR: United Airlines Says Almost All Its Workers Are Vaccinated; Some Others May Be Fired
United Airlines is touting the success of its COVID-19 vaccine mandate, saying that more than 99% of its U.S.-based employees have met the company's requirement to get vaccinated, or have applied for a religious or medical exemption. But the fewer than 600 United employees who did not get vaccinated by the airline's deadline of Sept. 27 now face termination. "This is a historic achievement for our airline and our employees as well as for the customers and communities we serve," United CEO Scott Kirby and president Brett Hart said in a memo to employees. "Our rationale for requiring the vaccine for all United's U.S.-based employees was simple — to keep our people safe — and the truth is this: everyone is safer when everyone is vaccinated, and vaccine requirements work." (Schaper, 9/28)

Los Angeles Times: L.A. Considers Sweeping Indoor COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate
Los Angeles leaders on Wednesday will consider a sweeping law requiring adult customers to show proof of full COVID-19 vaccination to enter a wide array of public places, including indoor restaurants, coffee shops, gyms, shopping centers, museums, movie theaters and hair and nail salons. The plan would be one of the strictest vaccine orders to date — and likely make demonstrating inoculation status part of the daily routine for hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Angelenos. (Money and Lin II, 9/28)

In updates on mask-wearing in schools —

AP: Federal Judge Overturns South Carolina School Mask Ban
A federal judge Tuesday suspended South Carolina from enforcing a rule that banned school districts from requiring masks for students. Parents of disabled children, helped by the American Civil Liberties Union, sued the state saying the ban discriminated against medically vulnerable students by keeping them out of public schools as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. (Collins, 9/29)

Dallas Morning News: North Texas Parents File Federal Lawsuit Against Districts For Not Requiring Masks During COVID-19
Several North Texas parents filed a federal class action lawsuit against their children’s school districts Tuesday, a plea for administrators to implement a mask mandate and enact other COVID-19 safety protocols. The lawsuit filed in the Western District of Texas names four districts as defendants: Frisco, Grapevine-Colleyville, Hurst-Euless-Bedford and Lago Vista in Travis County. The News reached out to the North Texas school districts late Tuesday and will update the story with their responses. (Addison, 9/28)

Los Angeles Times: 400,000 Plus Americans Have COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Shots
At least 400,000 people in the United States have received COVID-19 booster shots since the extra injections were authorized last week, the Biden administration said Tuesday. “Our planning and preparation on boosters have propelled a strong start,” said Jeff Zients, a White House COVID-19 response coordinator, told reporters during a livestreamed news conference. Zients said most of the 400,000 injections were administered over the weekend, and nearly 1 million people have scheduled appointments to get their third shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. The administration’s partnerships with states, long-term care facilities, doctors and pharmacies enabled it to “immediately” roll out boosters following last week’s approval of the shots by the federal government, Zients said. (Logan, 9/28)

Side effects from a third Pfizer shot are similar to the first and second —

Fox News: COVID-19 Vaccine Third Shot Side Effects On Par With Second Dose: CDC Study
Most additional doses of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine administered roughly six months after the primary series resulted in mild to moderate side effects, according to an analysis from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released Tuesday. The study was conducted when third-dose eligibility was limited to patients with moderate to severe immunocompromising conditions. The findings stemmed from data collected between Aug. 12 to Sept. 19 through v-safe, the CDC’s voluntary phone-based surveillance system, and included 22,191 registrants who reported receiving a third dose of the vaccine. (Rivas, 9/28)

Roll Call: COVID-19 Vaccine Data Show Low Risk From Third Shot As Cases Decline
The Biden administration’s COVID-19 booster shot campaign is off to a promising start, with about 1 million Americans signed up to receive a third Pfizer dose at pharmacies in the coming weeks, and adverse reactions to booster shots are rare, according to new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data released Tuesday. This week, virus cases, hospitalizations and deaths have decreased nationwide. Biden administration officials said the vaccine race equity gap is closing as white, Black and Hispanic people now have similar inoculation rates. Roughly 75 percent of the currently eligible U.S. population has received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to date, according to the CDC. (Cohen, 9/28)

Also —

NPR: For People Who Got The J&J Vaccine, Some Doctors Are Advising Boosters ASAP
"To me, the biggest policy question out there is the Johnson & Johnson [booster]," Dr. Helen Keipp Talbot at Vanderbilt University, who's a member of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, told the panel. "I worry we're getting distracted by the question of boosters of Pfizer when we have bigger and more important things to do in the pandemic." The Johnson & Johnson booster is a "bigger" issue, several panelists noted, because people who received that vaccine may need a booster more urgently than those who received the Pfizer or Moderna. About 15 million Americans got the Johnson & Johnson shot, and many are wondering what to do. (Doucleff, 9/28)

CIDRAP: Trump's COVID Vaccine Endorsement This Year Appears To Have Worked
A political support video earlier this year by former President Donald Trump swayed more Trump voters to consider COVID-19 vaccination than a video by an expert, according to a study published yesterday in PLOS One. On Mar 23, 387 Trump voters experienced one of three options prior to taking an online survey regarding the COVID-19 vaccine: a video of Trump taking pride in America's efforts to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, a scientific expert giving facts about the vaccine, or no video at all. All respondents were either unvaccinated (87.1%) or partially vaccinated (12.9%), with most under 50 years of age (71%), college educated (59% had bachelor's degrees or more), and White (83%). About 42% were in a household with $60,000 to $149,999 in income. (9/28)

USA Today: Vaccination Rates Among Pregnant People Low Despite Risk Of Hospitalization, Death
Vaccination rates among people who are pregnant have been low, despite evidence that vaccines can prevent the "severe risk of severe disease" posed to pregnant people from COVID-19. Only 18% of pregnant people have received a dose, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. While new data shows overall racial disparities in COVID-19 vaccinations are improving, federal numbers show pregnant Black people are the least vaccinated compared to those expecting in other races. Just 15% of Black pregnant people are fully vaccinated and only 13% have received at least one dose, according to the CDC. (Santucci, 9/29)

Axios: More Job Postings Require Proof Of Vaccination 
Job postings requiring employees to get vaccinated before applying are on the rise, and more and more firms say they'll terminate existing employees who refuse to get the jab. Corporate America is playing a key role in upping the U.S. vaccination rate. It'll get harder for those who are hesitant to avoid the shot as vaccination status becomes increasingly linked to livelihood. (Pandey, 9/29)

Reuters: Ford Asks U.S. Salaried Employees To Disclose COVID-19 Vaccination Status
Ford Motor Co on Tuesday became the second Detroit automaker to ask U.S. salaried employees to reveal their vaccination status against COVID-19 in a bid to comply with wider federal guidelines. Ford said salaried employees were required to submit their vaccination status against COVID-19 by Oct. 8 but the process was voluntary for its hourly employees represented by the United Auto Workers (UAW) union. (9/28)

In updates on vaccinations in the NBA —

AP: NBA Releases Protocols To Teams For Virus Safety This Season
The NBA released tentative health and safety protocols to its teams Tuesday, detailing how unvaccinated players will be tested far more often than their vaccinated colleagues and face a slew of other restrictions. Among the rules for unvaccinated players: They will not be able to eat in the same room with vaccinated teammates or staff, must have lockers as far away from vaccinated players as possible, and must stay masked and at least six feet away from all other attendees in any team meeting. (Reynolds, 9/28)

CBS News: LeBron James Says He Got The COVID Vaccine Despite Initial Skepticism: "I Felt Like It Was Best Suited For Not Only Me But My Family" 
LeBron James on Tuesday said he received the COVID-19 vaccine despite his initial skepticism. The Los Angeles Lakers star spoke with reporters on the Lakers' annual media day for the upcoming season, saying he and his family got the vaccine after he did his own research. "I think everyone has they own choice — to do what they feel is right for themselves and their family and things of that nature," he said. "I know that I was very (skeptical) about it all but after doing my research. I felt like it was best suited for not only me but for my family and my friends." (Jones, 9/28)

Also —

Philadelphia Inquirer: During WWII, Getting The Flu Vaccine Was Patriotic. Some No Longer View Science That Way
The world had lurched into a dark and uncertain winter. Americans were dying by the thousands, and the rhythms of everyday life seemed to carry only mournful notes of loss and deprivation. Even mundane things, like a trip to the grocery store, were different. Shelves were increasingly bare, and shoppers discovered ordinary staples were no longer easy to come by. Air and train travel virtually ceased. Hints of normalcy could still be found across Philadelphia in February 1943. Department stores, like Lit Bros. and Strawbridge & Clothier, tried to lure customers through their Market Street doors for furniture sales. A hiking club planned to meet on a Friday night in North Philly and trek to Belmont Mansion in Fairmount Park. The University of Pennsylvania’s basketball team had a 13-game winning streak end with a thud against Cornell. (Gambacorta, 9/29)

AP: COVID-Related Attacks Prompt Hospital To Issue Panic Buttons
Nurses and hundreds of other staff members will soon begin wearing panic buttons at a Missouri hospital where assaults on workers tripled after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Cox Medical Center Branson is using grant money to add buttons to identification badges worn by up to 400 employees who work in the emergency room and inpatient hospital rooms. Pushing the button will immediately alert hospital security, launching a tracking system that will send help to the endangered worker. The hospital hopes to have the system operational by the end of the year. (Salter, 9/28)

AP: Misinformation Leads To Animosity Toward Health Care Workers
A constant barrage of misinformation has Idaho health care workers facing increased animosity from some patients and community members, officials say. It’s gotten so bad in northern Idaho that some Kootenai Health employees are scared to go to the grocery store if they haven’t changed out of their scrubs, said hospital spokeswoman Caiti Bobbitt on Tuesday. Some doctors and nurses at the Coeur d’Alene hospital have been accused of killing patients by grieving family members who don’t believe COVID-19 is real, Bobbitt said. Others have been the subject of hurtful rumors spread by people angry about the pandemic. (Boone, 9/29)

Anchorage Daily News: Anchorage’s Public Health Manager Resigns As City Faces Worst COVID-19 Surge Of The Pandemic
Anchorage’s public health division manager has resigned, leaving the post temporarily empty as an ongoing COVID-19 surge triggers record-level infections and strains the city’s short-staffed hospitals. Christy Lawton resigned Monday from the position she’d held since February 2019, according to an Anchorage Health Department spokesperson. Municipal officials declined to provide any additional details, citing confidentiality concerns. Prior to coming to the municipality, Lawton had served as director of the state Office of Children’s Services from 2010 until 2018. (Hollander, 9/28)

Some states are seeing improvement —

Oklahoman: As COVID Cases Slow, Oklahoma Still Struggles With ICU Beds, Leaders Say
COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are coming down in Oklahoma after the state’s rapid, delta-variant fueled spike over the summer. On Tuesday, Oklahoma’s seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases reported was 1,690, down from a peak of just over 2,800 at the end of August. Hospitalizations, which had topped 1,500 in August, were still over 1,000 on Tuesday across the state. “I’m hopeful that our state will continue to see positive progress in our pandemic response,” Health Commissioner Dr. Lance Frye said in a statement Monday. “We are cautiously optimistic about this downward trend and are thankful for the hard work of Oklahomans across the state that got us here." (Branham, 9/29)

The Oregonian: Oregon’s COVID-19 Surge Receded. Will Those Declines Continue? 
A news conference meant to sum up the current state of the COVID-19 crisis in Oregon started out with a decidedly upbeat tone Tuesday -- with Gov. Kate Brown saying she had “promising news” about declining numbers of patients hospitalized and new daily infections identified. “The good news is that while we still have a long way to go, it appears things are slowly getting better,” Brown said. (Green, 9/28)

New Orleans Times-Picayune: The Delta Wave Has Crested, But Louisiana Remains In Dangerous Territory
After a record-breaking summer of COVID cases that stretched Louisiana hospitals to their breaking point, the delta wave has finally subsided in Louisiana. At the same time, the daily drumbeat of deaths has continued, and health experts warned that Louisiana needs to keep its guard up. “The good news is that we are going in the right direction -- that's clear,” said Dr. Joe Kanter, the Louisiana state health officer, at a press conference Tuesday. “The bad news … is there's just still a ton of COVID in Louisiana.” (Woodruff, 9/29)

Dallas Morning News: ‘Moving In The Correct Direction’: North Texas COVID-19 Hospitalizations Declining, Officials Say
Hospitalizations for COVID-19 are trending down across North Texas, health officials say. New admissions for coronavirus are declining in the four most populous North Texas counties, according to the latest forecast from UT Southwestern Medical Center. The number of hospitalizations in Dallas County is expected to fall steeply, to about 600 by mid-October. Currently, 765 people are hospitalized for COVID-19 in the county. Tarrant County hospitalizations, which have been higher than Dallas County’s recently, are predicted to drop to 800 by mid-October. Currently, 928 people are hospitalized for the disease in Tarrant County. (Prosser and Marfin, 9/28)

In other news about the spread of the coronavirus —

Indianapolis Star: Indiana Surpasses 15,000 COVID-19 Deaths
Indiana has surpassed 15,000 deaths from the COVID-19 virus, since the pandemic began more than a year and a half ago. The state reported an additional 89 deaths Tuesday, all of which occurred within the past week, bringing the total number of deaths to 15,069 since March of 2020. Given Indiana's population of 6.7 million, that means about one in every 445 Hoosiers has died from the coronavirus. For perspective, more people have died than live in Speedway (population 13,952) or Beech Grove (14,717). (Rudavsky, 9/28)

The Baltimore Sun: More Than 4,000 Maryland Public School Students Have Tested Positive For COVID And 16,500 Have Had To Quarantine Since Start Of School Year 
More than 4,000 Maryland public school students have tested positive for COVID in the first several weeks of school and another 16,500 have been quarantined because they came in close contact with someone who had COVID-19, according to data released by the Maryland State Department of Education Tuesday. The COVID cases and those students quarantined still represented a small portion of the more than 882,000 students enrolled in Maryland public schools, but it brought into sharp focus the large numbers of students who must learn from home during a school year that is still far from normal. (Bowie, 9/28)

AP: Arkansas Governor Allows State's COVID Emergency To End
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Tuesday said he’d allowed the state’s public health emergency for the coronavirus pandemic to end, saying he didn’t need any additional powers to respond to it. Hutchinson told reporters he didn’t seek an extension from the Legislature for the emergency, which expired on Monday. But Hutchinson cautioned that the state is still feeling the effects of COVID-19, which the Health Department on Tuesday said had claimed another 21 lives in the state. (9/28)

Detroit Free Press: Whitmer: Budget Pieces Nixing COVID-19 Powers Are Unconstitutional
Michigan lawmakers cannot use the state budget to threaten the funding of local health departments that institute local school mask rules or prevent the state from requiring employees be vaccinated against COVID-19, a spokesman for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said late Tuesday. The governor's office considers these and other pandemic portions of the $70 billion budget unconstitutional and therefore unenforceable, spokesman Bobby Leddy said hours before Whitmer is set to sign the overall budget into law. (Boucher, 9/29)

When it comes to possible covid treatments, there's the good —

Fox News: Steroid Nasal Sprays Reduce COVID-Related Poor Outcomes, Study Suggests
Regular use of steroid nasal sprays afforded COVID-19 patients protection against virus-related hospitalization, ICU admission and death, the Cleveland Clinic announced Tuesday. However, the findings don't suggest the sprays as a COVID-19 treatment and further findings are needed to confirm the results, the health system said. The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health and published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, stemmed from over 70,000 COVID-19 patients ages 18 and older at the Cleveland Clinic health system from April 2020 to March 2021. Of the group, 17.5% were hospitalized, 4.1% were admitted to the ICU and 2.6% died at the hospital. Just over 14% of patients were taking a steroid nasal spray, also known as intranasal corticosteroids (INCS), before infection. (Rivas, 9/28)

Reuters: COVID-19 Pill Developers Aim To Top Merck, Pfizer Efforts
As Merck & Co (MRK.N) and Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) prepare to report clinical trial results for experimental COVID-19 antiviral pills, rivals are lining up with what they hope will prove to be more potent and convenient oral treatments of their own. Enanta Pharmaceuticals (ENTA.O), Pardes Biosciences, Japan's Shionogi & Co Ltd (4507.T) and Novartis AG (NOVN.S) said they have designed antivirals that specifically target the coronavirus while aiming to avoid potential shortcomings such as the need for multiple pills per day or known safety issues. (Beasley, 9/28)

The bad —

Axios: Ivermectin Prescriptions Soar 
Prescriptions for Ivermectin soared more than 70% between 2019 and the beginning of 2021, according to insurance claim data compiled by Komodo Health. Ivermectin — which has some dermatological uses in humans but is mostly for veterinary purposes — has not been shown to be at all effective against COVID, yet its use has soared, fueled in part by rampant misinformation. (Reed, 9/29)

The Oregonian: Stop Inhaling Hydrogen Peroxide To ‘Treat’ COVID. Doctors Beg People Not To Follow This Dangerous And Ineffective Trend 
Medical experts are warning the public of a dangerous trend that has been spreading on social media where people are skipping intensive care units and instead treating COVID at home by inhaling hydrogen peroxide through the use of a nebulizer. Hydrogen peroxide is a mild antiseptic used topically on the skin to prevent infection on minor cuts and wounds. It is also used as a mouthwash to remove mucus or soothe minor mouth irritation. (Rodriguez, 9/28)

And the ugly —

Salt Lake Tribune: Utah Lawmaker Invites GOP Caucus To Reception With COVID-19 Vaccine Skeptic
A Utah House representative invited his entire GOP caucus to a Tuesday night reception featuring a presentation by a well-known COVID-19 vaccine skeptic who has promoted unproven drugs to treat coronavirus patients. A copy of the invitation sent by Rep. Mark Strong to his Republican colleagues states that Utah Open for Business, a group stridently opposed to vaccine mandates, would be hosting the event at a Sandy hotel. State lawmakers, businesspeople and a representative from the Utah Attorney General’s Office were expected to attend the reception to talk about “the federal mandate on businesses and surrounding issues,” the email stated. (Rodgers, 9/29)

Stat: Biogen, Eisai Seek Fast Approval For Second Alzheimer's Drug 
Biogen and its Japanese partner Eisai announced Monday evening the start of an application process that will seek a fast U.S. approval for an experimental treatment for Alzheimer’s disease — based on the same relaxed standard used last June to win a highly contested approval for Aduhelm. The two companies said a “rolling submission” to the Food and Drug Administration for the Alzheimer’s drug called lecanemab has been initiated and will likely be completed in the next several months. (Feuerstein, 9/28)

The Boston Globe: Mass General Brigham Won’t Offer Biogen’s New Alzheimer’s Drug
Mass General Brigham, the state’s largest health care provider, said Tuesday that it will not administer Biogen’s controversial new Alzheimer’s drug to patients, dealing another setback to the Cambridge company and its expensive treatment. The network, which includes the flagships Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, is the latest major US health care system to opt against offering monthly infusions of the drug, called Aduhelm, over concerns about its safety and effectiveness. The Cleveland Clinic, Mount Sinai Health System in New York, and Providence in Renton, Wash., made similar moves in July after weighing the risks and benefits of the medicine. But Mass General Brigham’s decision holds special significance because of its proximity to Biogen. (Saltzman, 9/28)

KHN: Alzheimer’s Drug Targets People With Mild Cognitive Impairment. What Does That Mean?
The approval of a controversial new drug for Alzheimer’s disease, Aduhelm, is shining a spotlight on mild cognitive impairment — problems with memory, attention, language or other cognitive tasks that exceed changes expected with normal aging. After initially indicating that Aduhelm could be prescribed to anyone with dementia, the Food and Drug Administration now specifies that the prescription drug be given to individuals with mild cognitive impairment or early-stage Alzheimer’s, the groups in which the medication was studied. (Graham, 9/29)

And research suggests a link between depression and dementia —

San Francisco Chronicle: Risk Of Dementia 73% Higher For People With These Symptoms In Early Adulthood, UCSF Study Says
Depression in young adulthood might increase risk for cognitive impairment in old age, a new UCSF study has found. The study — which used predictive models to determine depressive symptoms over a lifetime — found that the chances of cognitive impairment were 73% higher for those estimated to have elevated depressive symptoms in early adulthood, and 43% higher for those estimated to have elevated depressive symptoms in mid- and later life. (Echevarria, 9/28)

Stat: FDA Tells Drug Makers To Redo Studies Run By Two Contract Research Firms
In a rare move, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has notified an untold number of drug makers that some of their clinical trials must be repeated due to serious data problems at a pair of companies in India that run studies for the pharmaceutical industry. The action stems from inspections at two clinical research organizations — Synchron Research Services and Panexcell Clinical Lab — that were conducted in 2019. After running its own analyses, the agency found “significant instances of misconduct and violations of federal regulations, which resulted in the submission of invalid study data to FDA,” according to a Sept. 16 statement posted by the FDA. (Silverman, 9/28)

Bloomberg: U.K. Clinical Drug Trials Slow To Recover After Pandemic Hiatus
U.K. clinical trials for diseases other than Covid-19 fell significantly during the pandemic and are taking longer to recover than in some European countries, a blow to research on ailments such as cancer. Enrollment in trials in Britain fell more than 80% during the first wave of the crisis last year, according to research from the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry published Wednesday. The number of participants was still 15% lower this June than in June 2019, while in Spain and Italy enrollment rose by more than a third between those two periods. (Ring, 9/29)

In news about cannabis and marijuana —

CIDRAP: More Pregnant Women Turned To Cannabis In California Amid COVID-19 
Rates of cannabis use by women in early pregnancy shot up 25% early in the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a Kaiser Permanente study of more than 100,000 pregnancies in Northern California. The study, published yesterday in JAMA, analyzed routine urine tests for cannabis at the first (8-week) prenatal visit for 100,005 pregnancies of 95,412 women from Jan 1, 2019, to Dec 31, 2020. Positive test results were compared with those from the 15 months leading up to the pandemic. (Van Beusekom, 9/28)

The Hill: Former NBA Star Chris Webber Opening $175M Cannabis 'Compound' In Detroit 
Former NBA star Chris Webber announced he’s opening a multimillion-dollar cannabis "compound" in his native city of Detroit, the Detroit Free Press reported. The Webber Wellness Compound, which officially broke ground on Tuesday, will include marijuana operations and a training facility, a cultivation facility, a dispensary and a cannabis consumption lounge. (Oshin, 9/28)

Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi Medical Marijuana Regulations Concern Black Lawmakers
With Mississippi poised to pass medical marijuana into state law, some state lawmakers are concerned the proposed program may not give Black farmers a fair shake at the magnolia state's new supposed cash crop. "It's going to be difficult for Black farmers because of the investment it will take to get started," said state Sen. Barbara Blackmon, D-Canton. The Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus held hearings in the state Capitol Tuesday about the proposed medical marijuana program, centering the discussion about how it may impact people of color in the state. The caucus consists of most of Mississippi's elected Democrats, and while the political party holds little power in the Capitol, Black people account for nearly 38% of the state's population. (Sanderlin, 9/29)

In updates on the Theranos trial —

CNBC: Elizabeth Holmes's Defense Questions Ex-Theranos Lab Director's Credibility
In the first dramatic showdown at the Elizabeth Holmes’ trial, defense attorney Lance Wade aggressively questioned the company’s former lab director about his credibility. “Did you offer lab tests that you knew at the time were inaccurate or unreliable?” Wade asked Adam Rosendorff inside the courtroom on Thursday. “No, I ordered the laboratory to discontinue testing and I raised concerns to management,” Rosendorff replied. (Khorram, 9/28)

Modern Healthcare: Healthcare Leaders: 'Government Ought To Get Out Of The Way'
Healthcare leaders are increasingly skeptical the government can do anything to solve their industry's pervasive cost and access problems, and it's fueling calls that they go it alone, according to those who spoke at a Modern Healthcare event Tuesday. "My belief is looking to the government to actually fix something as complex as this won't work," said Dan Liljenquist, chief strategy officer for Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Healthcare. "We (the audience made up of healthcare C-suite leaders) know healthcare. How do we organize for a different future?" (Bannow, 9/28)

Modern Healthcare: Tower Health Restructures Amid Operating Losses
Tower Health plans to sell and close two of its seven acute-care hospitals as the Pennsylvania not-for-profit health system continues to lose money. The board approved a non-binding letter of intent to sell Chestnut Hill Hospital and more than a dozen urgent care centers to Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic, the Reading, Pennsylvania-based system announced Tuesday. Board members also signed off on closing Jennersville Hospital by the start of next year. Tower acquired five hospitals, including Chestnut and Jennersville, from Community Health System in 2017. The health system's operating income has waned since 2017, reporting operating losses since 2019. (Kacik, 9/28)

And in news about the insurance industry —

Modern Healthcare: Big Health Insurers Control Market In Nearly Three-Fourths Of The U.S., AMA Report Shows
Almost three-fourths of U.S. metropolitan areas lacked a competitive health insurance market in 2020, with shrinking options among payers harming patients and providers, the American Medical Association concluded in a study published Tuesday. Seventy-three percent of 384 metropolitan statistical markets were highly concentrated in 2020, up from 71% in 2014, the physicians' society reported in its 20th annual study of health insurance markets. In many cases, competition declined in areas dominated by just a few health insurers. Fifty-four percent of markets that were designated as highly concentrated in 2014 became even less competitive by 2020, and another 26% markets also reached highly concentrated levels, the report says. (9/28)

Georgia Health News: Weekend Deadline Looms As Wellstar, United Wrangle Over Contact 
For the second time in recent months, insurance giant UnitedHealthcare is mired in a contract squabble with a large Georgia health care system. And as before, the battle to hammer out an agreement that both sides can accept is coming down to the wire. About 80,000 of the insurer’s members would face being out of network – and paying higher costs for medical care – if a contract agreement isn’t reached with the 11-hospital Wellstar Health System by Sunday. (Miller, 9/28)

Modern Healthcare: Insurance Broker EHealth Names Fran Soistman CEO
Online insurance broker eHealth's new CEO will be Fran Soistman, the company announced Tuesday. Soistman will join eHealth's board of directors in addition to being chief executive as of Nov. 1. Current CEO Scott Flanders will retire after leading the company for five years and serving on the board for more than a decade. Flanders will act as a consultant to the company until the end of the year. (Devereaux, 9/28)

In other health care industry news —

Modern Healthcare: Amazon Looks To Ease Patient Communication For Hospital
Amazon Web Services will offer hospitals three new ways to make communicating with patients faster, easier and more efficient, according to a news release on Monday. Health systems will soon be able to automate outbound calls, texts and emails with patients via Amazon Connect without the need for third-party integrations with other systems. That could make it easier for health systems to send appointment reminders and market to consumers, the company said. "A large hospital healthcare network can send texts and emails to ask patients to confirm upcoming appointments, and then automatically call all patients that fail to respond," the news release said. (Brady, 9/28)

Modern Healthcare: Centene, Highmark And CareSource Join $75 Million Investment In Substance Use Disorder Business
Wayspring, a value-based care organization focused on substance use disorder, received $75 million in new funding from Valtrius, Centene and six other investors, the firm announced Tuesday. The company, formerly known as axialHealthcare, began partnering with health plans in 2020 to take on full financial risk for their substance use disorder populations in specific geographic areas in exchange for shared savings. Wayspring will use the new investments to expand its full-risk medical home model for substance use disorder in Arizona, Tennessee, and states in the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest, CEO Carter Paine said. (Brady, 9/28)

WLRN 91.3 FM: A $1 Billion Deal Brings New Player To South Florida Hospital Market 
There's a saying that business should not be personal. Dr. Ralph de la Torre ignored that adage. De la Torre is the founder, chairman and CEO of Steward Health Care. It is the newest player in the South Florida health care market. In August, the company closed on a $1.1 billion purchase of five hospitals in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. "It was personal. It's home for many of us," he said. (Hudson, 9/28)

New Orleans Times-Picayune: Administrator At Center Of LSU Health Controversy Charged 'Abusive' Expenses To Foundation
Keith Schroth, chief financial officer of the LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, in the late 2000s racked up thousands of dollars in “abusive” purchases he charged to LSU Health Foundation New Orleans before his superiors revoked his credit card and launched an investigation, the foundation’s former president and chairman both said. Though Schroth, then an LSU associate dean, was not a foundation employee, his access to a foundation credit card had the blessing of LSU Health Chancellor Larry Hollier, said Chad Leingang, foundation CEO and president from 2007-16. (Cranney, 9/28)

New Orleans Times-Picayune: Neurosurgeon Living In New Orleans Helps Woman Deliver Baby On Overseas Flight
Having spent a month in his native Turkey, Dr. Feridun Kubilay never imagined that delaying his flight home to New Orleans by a week would be a fateful decision. But then a voice crackled over the jet's loudspeaker, asking for any doctors on board to come to the front of the plane. Kubilay, 60, was the only one to respond, and ended up helping a woman who had managed to get on the flight despite being nine months pregnant deliver a baby boy. (Antonio Vargas, 9/28)

KHN: The Part Of The ‘Free Britney’ Saga That Could Happen To Anyone
When Britney Spears last went before a judge, in June, she bristled as she told of being forced into psychiatric care that cost her $60,000 a month. Though the pop star’s circumstances in a financial conservatorship are unusual, every year hundreds of thousands of other psychiatric patients also receive involuntary care, and many are stuck with the bill. Few have Spears’ resources to pay for it, which can have devastating consequences. To the frustration of those who study the issue, data on how many people are involuntarily hospitalized and how much they pay is sparse. (Magoon, 9/29)

The Hill: Federal Judge Blocks Part Of Arizona Abortion Ban Hours Before It Takes Effect
A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked a provision of Arizona’s new abortion ban hours before it was set to take effect, which would have prohibited abortions solely due to a diagnosis of a genetic abnormality or other fetal condition. In the order granting a partial preliminary injunction against the law, Judge Douglas L. Rayes for the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona wrote that because doctors are required to inform patients of this provision, those who wish “to terminate her pre-viability pregnancy because of a fetal genetic abnormality” may inevitably “conceal this information from or lie to her doctor, neither of which fosters trust or encourages open dialogue.”  (Castronuovo, 9/28)

AP: Key Part Of Arizona Genetic-Abnormality Abortion Law Blocked
A judge has blocked a key portion of a new Arizona law that would have let prosecutors bring felony charges against doctors who knowingly terminate pregnancies solely because the fetuses have a genetic abnormality such as Down syndrome. U.S. District Judge Douglas Rayes on Tuesday also threw out another provision that would have let prosecutors bring charges against anyone who helped raise money or pay for abortions done solely because of genetic abnormality. (9/29)

In other news about abortion and reproductive rights —

Houston Chronicle: Save Chick-Fil-A Case Has Strong Implications For Texas Abortion Ban
A case that’s before the Texas Supreme Court this fall could have strong implications for the future of the state’s newly adopted abortion ban, the most prohibitive in the nation. The suit relates to a 2019 law that, like the abortion law, was authored by state Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola. Known as the “Save Chick-fil-A” law, it allows anyone to sue when they believe a governmental entity has taken “adverse actions” against a person or company based on its support for a religious organization, as Republican lawmakers believed the city of San Antonio did when excluding the fast-food restaurant from its airport. (Goldenstein, 9/28)

Fox News: New Dem Group Aims To 'Put The Nail In The Coffin Of The Abortion Industry' 
Early next month, one day before the Women's March, an outspoken pro-life Democrat will launch a new organization dedicated to uniting feminists and progressives against abortion and pressuring the Democratic Party to oppose the killing of unborn babies. Terrisa Bukovinac, a self-identified Democrat liberal atheist who founded Pro-Life San Francisco and temporarily served as the president of Democrats for Life of America, is set to announce the name of her new organization at a launch event in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 1, featuring 20 young progressive activists. Bukovinac explained to Fox News, "The Democratic establishment is completely out of touch with their constituents on the issue of abortion." (O'Neil, 9/28)

AP: Abortion Rights Protesters Rally At Ohio Statehouse 
More than 100 abortion rights protesters have rallied inside the Ohio Statehouse and briefly entered the Senate chamber on Tuesday. The protesters chanted and carried signs, first outside the Statehouse, then in the Rotunda, then in the Senate. State troopers escorted the protesters from the Senate chamber, where lawmakers had just adjourned their Tuesday session. (Landers, 9/28)

Cincinnati Enquirer: What's The Future Of Abortion Access In Ohio If Roe V. Wade Is Overturned?
For years, Ohio's fight over abortion access has been waged in a predictable pattern.The state's GOP-controlled Legislature and Republican governor would enact an abortion restriction – everything from reducing the number of weeks the procedure is legal to adding hurdles for doctors who perform them. Then, abortion providers or their allies would sue and a federal judge would block the law before it takes effect. But a Mississippi case before the U.S. Supreme Court threatens to break that loop. The court's new conservative majority could overturn the landmark abortion decision Roe v. Wade, forcing states to decide when abortion is legal. (Balmert, 9/28)

Slate: Mississippi Claims Its Abortion Ban Will “Empower” Women
Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch wants to “empower” American women by abolishing their constitutional right to an abortion. In an interview Thursday with Eternal Word Television Network, the Republican attorney general explained that outlawing abortion will help women who are forced to birth children, giving them “a chance to really redirect their lives.” These women “have all these new and different opportunities” that did not exist when Roe came down in 1973, Fitch said. And so, according to Fitch, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the upcoming Supreme Court case that could overturn Roe v. Wade, will not be a tragedy but a blessing.*This argument crops up in Mississippi’s Dobbs brief, in which Fitch claimed that women simply do not need abortion access any longer. “Numerous laws enacted since Roe—addressing pregnancy discrimination, requiring leave time, assisting with childcare, and more—facilitate the ability of women to pursue both career success and a rich family life,” she wrote. It is shocking to hear this claim from Fitch, whose state refuses to enact laws that would grant basic protections and security to new and expectant mothers. (Allen and Stern, 9/27)

Axios: More Than Half Of U.S. Children Had Detectable Lead In Blood 
More than half of children under 6 years old in the U.S. had detectable lead levels in their blood, with exposures much higher from children in communities with pre-1950s housing or with public insurance or high poverty rates, a new study found. The study, published in the peer-reviewed JAMA Pediatrics on Monday, is the first known national analysis investigating the "association of lead exposure with individual- and community-level factors." (Fernandez, 9/28)

In other news about children's health —

Fox News: '5 Or More': Higher Fruit, Vegetable Servings Linked To Kids' Improved Mental Well-Being
Higher fruit and vegetable intake was linked with greater mental well-being scores among secondary schoolchildren, according to a new study based out of the U.K. "The relationship of diet and nutrition with mental health and well-being in either children or adults is not fully understood, although the relevance of diet quality to physical health in relation to non-communicable disease morbidity and mortality is well established," authors affiliated with Norwich Medical School wrote in the study published in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health. (Rivas, 9/28)

The New York Times: Transgender Youth Face Multiple Barriers To Health Care, Study Finds 
Piper, a 17-year-old transgender girl, says she knows she is fortunate. She lives just outside Atlanta, with a supportive family and two rescued leopard geckos, Saturn and Juno. Queer Med, a private gender clinic, is a short drive away; two years ago, she started a regimen of gender-affirming hormones there, after five months of asking — a comparatively short wait. The treatments have precipitated a monumental shift in Piper’s perception of herself. “I’m just more confident in my body,” she said. (Piper’s family members asked that she be identified by only her first name to protect their privacy.)Things are not perfect. Piper still sees a regular pediatrician for her other health needs, but staff members there still occasionally use the wrong pronouns or her former name. Her family’s new insurance plan is not accepted at Queer Med, so they must pay out of pocket for every visit — about $150 not including lab fees. (Imbler, 9/28)

In other public health news —

Axios: The Chicago Beaches Most Likely To Trigger Fecal Bacteria Warnings 
Fecal bacteria in Chicago beach water got bad enough to trigger safety warnings 16% of the time this summer. Beaches with the best and worst records stayed pretty steady compared to previous years, according to city data analyzed by Axios. (Eng, 9/28)

KCRW Features: As California Burns, America Breathes Toxic Smoke
Western wildfires pose a much broader threat to human health than to just those forced to evacuate the path of the blazes. Smoke from these fires, which have burned millions of acres in California alone, is choking vast swaths of the country, an analysis of federal satellite imagery by NPR’s California Newsroom and Stanford University’s Environmental Change and Human Outcomes Lab found. (Saldanha, Romero, Wells and Glantz, 9/28)

CNN: A Man Died From Rabies After Waking Up To A Bat In His Room. It's Illinois' First Human Case Of The Virus In Nearly 70 Years 
A man in northeastern Illinois died from rabies about a month after apparently being infected by a bat he found in his room, marking the first human case of the virus in the state since 1954, health officials said Tuesday. The man, who was in his 80s, woke up last month and found a bat on his neck in his Lake County, Illinois, home. After the bat tested positive for rabies, the man declined postexposure treatment, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) said in a news release. (Elamroussi, 9/29)

Bloomberg: Opioid Distributors To Pay $75 Million In Cherokee Accord
The three largest U.S. opioid distributors agreed to pay $75 million to the Cherokee Nation Native American tribe in Oklahoma to settle allegations that the companies helped fuel a public health crisis with their highly addictive painkillers. McKesson Corp., Cardinal Health Inc. and AmerisourceBergen Corp. on Tuesday announced the deal, which is the first opioid settlement with a tribal government. It is separate from a $26 billion proposal by the distributors and Johnson & Johnson to resolve thousands of suits by states and local governments over the medications. That deal has yet to be finalized. (Feeley, 9/28)

The candidates for Virginia governor held their final debate —

The Hill: Vaccines, Abortion, Trump Dominate Final Virginia Governor's Debate
Virginia gubernatorial candidates Terry McAuliffe (D) and Glenn Youngkin (R ) participated in a contentious final debate on Tuesday night, which was largely dominated by topics like abortion, vaccine mandates and former President Trump. McAuliffe continued his strategy of tying Youngkin to Trump, saying the Republican is “bought and paid for by the former president. (Manchester, 9/28)

In news from California —

Capital & Main: California COVID Worker Protection Program Expiring
September was always going to be a brutal month for California’s lower income labor force, much of which is still in recovery from COVID-related layoffs. Not only did federal pandemic unemployment assistance come to an end, but an important eviction moratorium in the state is set to expire as well. Understandably, both issues have commanded attention, if not redress. Just under the radar, though, another blow is about to be struck. And this time, the ability of workers to safeguard themselves against the virus itself may be compromised, even as they are finally beginning to hear their names called back to work. (Kreidler, 9/28)

The Mercury News: California Gov. Newsom Signs More Than Two-Dozen Housing Bills
Capping a year of ambitious promises and unprecedented funding for housing, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday signed more than two dozen bills that attempt to spur new development while also holding cities’ feet to the fire if they don’t approve more homes to address California’s housing shortage. Newsom, who repeatedly has said housing is among his top priorities, signed the 27 bills in the courtyard of Oakland’s Coliseum Connections — a 110-unit, half affordable, half market-rate apartment complex built in 2019. The new legislation follows a historic funding package that includes $10.3 billion for affordable housing and $12 billion for homelessness and is built on emergency housing programs that Newsom put in place during the pandemic. (Kendall, 9/28)

San Francisco Chronicle: S.F. Is Investing Millions In Overdose Response, But Deaths Keep Coming. Here's What The City Is Up Against
Joshua Weens was walking toward his mother’s home in the Tenderloin on a warm August afternoon when he saw a man splayed out on the ground. His skin was slightly purple and drool dripped down his cheek. A group of people hanging around the man near Golden Gate Avenue and Jones Street said he was just sleeping. But Weens was skeptical. He called 911, and the dispatcher suggested Narcan. A woman nearby had the overdose antidote on her and sprayed it up the man’s nose, but it didn’t help. The paramedics arrived a few minutes later, tried Narcan again, and then declared the man dead. (Thadani and Jung, 9/28)

In news from North Carolina, Florida and Washington, D.C. —

North Carolina Health News: Afghan Refugees In NC Face Challenging Health Care System 
Azita Razai has lived in Raleigh for the past 24 years, making a home with her husband, mother and three children Ali Razai, 22, Kauser Razai, 15, Sakina Razai, 7. Her journey to North Carolina from her native Afghanistan more than two decades ago included a stop in Pakistan before arriving in this country as a refugee. Like many of the refugees coming here today, she fled the Taliban in her home country. (Bokhari, 9/29)

WFSU: A Tallahassee Doctor Is Fighting The State Following A Marijuana Sting Operation
A physician who orders medical marijuana for patients is accusing state health officials of breaking the law to create fake records in a sting operation involving an investigator falsely posing as a military veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder. Joseph Dorn, who has practiced in Florida for nearly three decades, risks losing his medical license after the Department of Health filed a complaint alleging the Tallahassee-based physician violated medical-marijuana laws when ordering cannabis for “Patient O.G. ” and “Patient B.D.,” two undercover investigators with the state agency. (Kam, 9/28)

Axios: D.C. LGBTQ+ Shelter Faces Shutdown 
Casa Ruby, a non-profit that provides housing, health care, and social services to LGBTQ+ people in D.C., launched a GoFundMe after the city declined to renew funding for one of its youth shelter programs. In a letter sent to Casa Ruby on Sept. 24 that Axios reviewed, D.C.'s Department of Human Services wrote that the organization's grant agreement for $839,000 in funding for its 50-bed low-barrier shelter will not be extended for fiscal year 2022 and will end on Sept. 30. (Cirruzzo, 9/28)

The New York Times: W.H.O. Workers Abused Women On Mission In Congo, Inquiry Finds 
Doctors and other staff members working for the World Health Organization to render aid during an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo sexually abused or exploited women and girls there, a commission appointed by the head of the agency reported on Tuesday. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the agency’s director general, apologized directly to the victims — reported to number in the dozens — and promised to undertake “wholesale reform of policies and processes” to address exploitation and abuse in the organization. He said the agency was terminating the contracts of four people identified as perpetrators who were still employed with the agency and would refer allegations of rape to the authorities in Congo and in the home countries of those accused of misconduct. (Patel, 9/28)

In global news about the coronavirus —

Bloomberg: Deaths Of Women And Children Show Wider Impact Of Covid-19 Pandemic
Disruption to health systems in lower-income nations during the pandemic has caused an increase in deaths among women and children that’s more than double the toll from Covid-19, new research shows. The estimates highlight a crisis that’s threatening years of hard-fought progress in improving the health of women and children, according to the Global Financing Facility, launched in 2015 by the World Bank, United Nations and others. (Paton, 9/29)

Bloomberg: Why The Philippines Became The Worst Place To Be In Covid
The monthly snapshot -- which measures where the virus is being handled the most effectively with the least social and economic upheaval -- ranks 53 major economies on 12 datapoints related to virus containment, the economy and opening up. The Philippines’ drop to No. 53 reflects the challenges it’s facing from the onslaught of the delta variant, which has hit Southeast Asia particularly hard amid difficulties containing the more contagious strain and slow vaccination rollouts. The region, which recently had the worst outbreak in the world, populates the September Ranking’s lowest rungs, with Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam all in the bottom five. (9/29)

Axios: Vatican Orders All Employees To Get COVID Vaccine Or Weekly Testing 
The Vatican City State said Tuesday that it will require all employees to provide proof of vaccination or documentation of a recent negative COVID test, the Washington Post reports. Pope Francis, who was vaccinated in January, has campaigned for people to get the shots, calling it a moral duty. Some Catholics, however, have argued for exemptions on religious grounds. (Chen, 9/28)

Roll Call: Puerto Rico Governor Touts COVID-19 Success, Pushes For Medicaid Funds
Puerto Rico’s push for more federal Medicaid funding and its success in vaccinating residents were among the topics its governor discussed in a recent interview with CQ Roll Call. Unlike states, Puerto Rico receives capped Medicaid funding and is reimbursed at 76 percent of the health care program’s costs for the island territory’s residents. The continuing resolution would keep that rate, but without government action it would fall to 55 percent. A state in a similar situation would receive 83 cents on each dollar spent. (Raman, 9/29)

Bloomberg: Anti-Vaxxers Interrupt U.K. Case Calling For End To Kids Vaccine
Anti-vaccine activists interrupted a U.K. court hearing over the roll out of the coronavirus vaccine to under 18s, demanding that vaccines for kids should be stopped. Three unidentified men barged into the hearing at London’s Royal Courts of Justice shouting “there is going to be no more vaccines for kids.” One man said there was “ex-military here” and yelled that the court room would be “going to the gallows.” A woman and her children who have not been identified have asked for a judge-led review of the U.K. government’s decision to vaccinate 12-17 year-olds. The claimants are also asking for an injunction to stop the vaccination program until a ruling is handed down. (Gemmell, 9/28)

FiercePharma: Amid New Pricing Pressure, Lilly Cuts Cost Of Generic Insulin By Another 40%
With drugmakers facing renewed calls to lower the cost of prescription drugs, Eli Lilly has taken preemptive action, dropping the cost of its generic insulin by 40%. Starting next year, Lilly’s list price for Lispro Injection will be $82.42 for an individual vial and $159.12 for a five-pack of pens. The move prices Lispro 70% less than its branded counterpart, Humalog U-100, and returns the cost of insulin to 2008 levels, the company said. (Dunleavy, 9/28)

Reuters: Lilly To Cut Price Of Lispro Insulin Injection By 40% From Jan. 1 
Eli Lilly and Co (LLY.N) will lower the list price of its Insulin Lispro Injection in the United States by 40% from Jan. 1, the drugmaker said on Tuesday. The new list price will be 70% less than the Lispro injection's Humalog U-100 counterparts, Lilly said, reducing costs for those without insurance coverage and those that have not joined the company's affordability programs. (9/28)

Stat: Lilly Cuts Wholesale Price On Some Insulin, But Impact Is Likely To Be Limited
Eli Lilly (LLY) announced plans to lower the wholesale price of certain insulin products by an additional 40% in January 2022, the latest bid by a drug maker to combat criticism that the cost of these life-saving diabetes treatments are out of reach for too many patients. The move involves dropping the price of Insulin Lispro Injection in the U.S. to $82.41 for individual vials and $159.12 for a pack of five pens, which the company maintained will be 70% of the cost of Humalog U-100, a brand-name version of the product. The new wholesale price, which will lower the wholesale price for the product, will apply to all so-called authorized generic versions of Humalog that Lilly sells. (Silverman, 9/28)

Also —

Stat: Inflation And Rebates Tied To Drop In Wholesale Prices On Medicines
Amid continued political pressure on the pharmaceutical industry, a new analysis finds brand-name drug makers increased their wholesale prices by 4.4% in the second quarter of 2021. But when accounting for inflation, wholesale prices fell by 0.4%, compared with 3.6% in real price growth a year earlier. Meanwhile, after subtracting allowances such as rebates and discounts, net prices that health plans paid for medicines dropped by 1.4%, compared with a 1.8% decline in last year’s second quarter, according to SSR Health, a research firm that tracks the pharmaceutical industry. Drug makers, by the way, argue that net prices — not wholesale prices — are a more realistic way to gauge changes in pricing. (Silverman, 9/27)

Modern Healthcare: Coalition Seeks More Transparent Pharmacy Benefits Managers
Several national organizations have established the Coalition for PBM Reform, which seeks to alter the way pharmacy benefit managers operate to better serve patients, pharmacies and businesses. The group stems from a common concern among patient advocates, doctors, pharmacies and small business groups that spread pricing, patient steering, and other PBM practices restrict access to drugs and increase costs, said Douglas Hoey, CEO of the National Community Pharmacists Association, one of the participating groups. (Devereaux, 9/27)

Fierce Healthcare: GoodRx Launches Health Information Site With The Aim Of Being A Go-To Medical Resource 
Drug discount app GoodRx is expanding into health content to provide answers to the most Googled questions about personal health. The company launched GoodRx Health as an online health resource that provides research-based, accessible health information on common health topics like diabetes and heart disease, according to GoodRx executives. (Landi, 9/27)

Newsweek: Democrats Are On The Verge Of Blowing Their Drug Pricing Promise 
As Democrats in the House, Senate and White House negotiate the final contents of their Build Back Better plan, they're on the verge of blowing a once-in-a-generation opportunity to lower drug prices for families. And with it, their 2022 election prospects. Democrats across the country have campaigned on lowering the cost of prescription drugs for more than a decade. With good reason—Americans pay more for our prescription drugs than every other country in the world. And these high prices have had real, and sometimes deadly, consequences for too many people. (Caroline Behringer, 9/24)

Lacrosse Tribune: Congress Must Act Now To Lower Prescription Costs 
As an HIV-positive gay man who relies on healthcare and medications in order to survive, I’m excited about the prospect of Congress finally passing legislation that would lower drug prices. This legislation would require drug manufacturers to negotiate lower prices with Medicare and extend those lower prices to people with all types of insurance. This legislation — the Lower Drug Prices Now Act provisions in Build Back Better — would help lower drug costs for all of us. (Ben Wilson, 9/26)

The Washington Post: Let Medicare Negotiate Drug Prices
We represent a geographically diverse share of the American people — but in each of our districts, we hear a collective concern. The high cost of prescription drugs is hurting families — and it is long past time to bring those prices down. Pharmacists in our districts are telling us that they are seeing more patients walk away from the counter without their medication. They tell us they are hearing from families who say they have no choice but to ration insulin. And they report speaking with seniors who have considered traveling to Canada or Mexico to find cheaper options. (Reps. Colin Allred, Cindy Axne, Sharice Davids, Andy Kim and Abigail Spanberger, 9/23)

Reno Gazette Journal: Nevadans Of All Ages Need Lower Drug Prices
As a senior, I’m excited about the prospect of Congress finally passing legislation that would lower drug prices by requiring drug corporations to negotiate lower prices with Medicare. Like many other people my age, I struggle to afford prescriptions which seem to go up in prices year after year with no end in sight. My wife and I both need prescription drugs and it can become very expensive. My wife has medical conditions that make it hard for us to afford our prescriptions, and sometimes it can be hard to keep up with bill payments. Living on a fixed income, I worry constantly that I will not be able to afford the basic medicines I need to stay healthy enough to enjoy the years I have left with my friends and family. Living in a rural area, and being the sole breadwinner for my family, makes it even harder. (Damian Vicente, 9/27)

Times Of San Diego: Seniors Need Lower Drug Prices Now, And H.R. 3 Won't Stop Innovation
Here’s a simple fact: Many Californians are struggling to pay for their prescription drugs. This can mean going without their needed medicines, cutting pills in half, and even having to make the excruciating choice between paying rent or utility bills, buying food, and paying for life-saving prescriptions, whose prices continue to skyrocket. What’s worse, a recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll found that nearly half of those in fair or poor health find it difficult to afford their medications. These are the very patients who need these medications most.  (Joe Garbanzos, 9/24)

Chicago Tribune: As Unvaccinated COVID-19 Patients Overwhelm ERs, Hospitals Ration Care 
Dear “Personal Choicers,” As long as unvaccinated people provide a significant breeding ground for COVID-19 virus variants, medical care for those seriously ill with coronavirus will be diminished. Rationing hospital patient admissions has become urgently necessary because of depleted staff and limitations of space and equipment. (Diana C. Schramm, 9/28)

Newsweek: On Boosters, It's The White House Vs FDA Vs CDC Vs Fauci Vs 'The Science' 
In a virtually unprecedented move, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky announced at 1:00 a.m. last Friday that she was very broadly approving booster shots for people under 65 whose occupations may put them at heightened risk from the coronavirus. While the announcement aligned with a September 17 recommendation by experts at the FDA's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC), it directly contradicted a key CDC advisory panel, which had advised against approving boosters for people under 65. The panel in turn contradicted President Joe Biden. On August 18, he declared to all Americans, "Get a booster shot.... It will make you safer, and for longer. And it will help us end the pandemic faster." (David Gortler, 9/29)

The Baltimore Sun: To Boost Or Not To Boost, Is Not The Question
At first, nobody openly mentioned the B-words: breakthroughs and boosters. In the spring, the CDC encouraged, cajoled and, finally, pleaded with Americans to get the first COVID-19 vaccine available to them. Get your first shot. Don’t forget your second shot. (Michelle Deal-Zimmerman, 9/28)

Bloomberg: World Can Have Covid Boosters And Its First Doses, Too 
As the U.S. and other developed countries start rolling  out Covid-19 vaccine booster shots, many are expressing concern that this will slow down the global vaccination campaign — prolonging the pandemic and causing significant harm along the way. But there is a way to deliver boosters and speed up the next phase of vaccination at the same time. It’s the difference between pushing and pulling. (Scott Duke Kominers, 9/28)

The Washington Post: Covid Booster Shot Debate Shows Public Health Is About Values 
The controversy over how the Biden administration decided who should get coronavirus booster shots underscores an important but seldom discussed point: Public health is not only about science; it’s also about societal values. “Follow the science” is a noble-sounding mantra that’s insufficient to account for the complexity of health policy decisions. (Leana S. Wen, 9/28)

Los Angeles Times: Think Vaccine Mandates Are Controversial? What If Police Held You Down And Injected You? 
At the end of August, police in China’s Hunan province came to the home of Zhang Jianping. They questioned him about why he had not been vaccinated against COVID-19, and took him by car to a hospital. In a social media post that included photos and videos to back up his story, Zhang said he was very clear that he did not want to be immunized. “I am not informed. I do not consent,” he says he told the authorities. But they held down his arms and legs and forcibly injected him. (Nicholas Goldberg, 9/29)

NBC News: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Has No Time For NBA's Covid Vaccine Selfishness
NBA games don’t begin until Oct. 19, but an unhealthy number of the league’s players are already refusing to get a Covid-19 vaccination. And their refusal could sabotage the 2021-22 season. Surprisingly, a small minority of anti-vax players has convinced the players' union that a vaccine mandate during a pandemic should be a “non-starter” for the league. The league cannot give in to this demand. It must instead insist that players be vaccinated, just as it has with referees and other people who will be near the players, such as security guards, bus drivers and massage therapists. (Cecil Harris, 9/28)

USA Today: CDC Finds A Possible Link To Rare Bacteria That Sickened Texas Girl
Remember the 4-year-old Texas girl who was sickened with a mysterious, sometimes deadly, foreign bacteria not supposed to be in the United States? A clue to the possible source of what might have infected Lylah Baker and three others with the rare bacteria has emerged in a new report by investigators from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state health departments, which links a 2019 case of Burkholderia pseudomallei infection in Maryland to an item in the victim's home: (Jason Lalljee, 9/28)

The Washington Post: Before Letting Medicare Negotiate Drug Prices, Ask What We Might Miss Out On
Americans believe they’re being ripped off by pharmaceutical companies, and almost any policy that promises to lower drug prices polls extremely well, even among Republicans. So it’s somewhat surprising that Democrats are fighting internally over a proposal to let Medicare negotiate drug prices. (Megan McArdle, 9/28)

The Star Tribune: House Must Persevere On Drug Price Reform 
The United States spends trillions of dollars each year on prescription drugs — more than any other country in the world. Meanwhile, America's largest pharmaceutical companies are raking in record-breaking profits and spending millions of dollars in dark money against public officials who stand up to them. Consider insulin, for example. Over the past decade, the drug — which was discovered more than a century ago — has seen prices skyrocket by 197%. A bottle of Humalog, one of the most commonly used types of insulin, cost $21 in 1991. Today, the average list price for a vial of Humalog is over $300. Right now, Minnesotans with diabetes can spend anywhere from $1,200 to $20,000 annually on insulin, a medication they literally cannot afford to live without. (Angie Craig, 9/28)

Bloomberg: The FDA Needs To Act On E-Cigarettes And Vaping Products
The Food and Drug Administration needs a wake-up call. More than 3 million U.S. high-school students and another half a million middle-school students use e-cigarettes, many of which are loaded with so much nicotine they could not be legally sold in Canada, the U.K. or Europe. The addictive nature of these products makes them a menace to students’ health, and it’s clear that kids are being drawn in by a tactic the industry has long used to hook young smokers: sweet, flavored products, including menthol. (Michael R. Bloomberg, 9/29)

Newsweek: Black Patients Matter. Here's How To Help 
The sad fact is that disproportionate rates of unnecessary suffering and death occur within the Black community. African Americans were 2.8 times more likely than white Americans to be hospitalized due to COVID-19, and twice as likely to die from it. Some of this difference is attributed to factors beyond our control such as differences in vitamin D absorption. Living and working conditions also put many African Americans at greater risk for contracting COVID-19. We cannot absolve ourselves from all responsibility to help fix these issues. (Talya Miron-Shatz, 9/28)

The Washington Post: Ron DeSantis, GOP Reveal Antiabortion Hypocrisy 
To the surprise of no one in Florida, a Texas-style antiabortion bill landed in the Florida state legislature last week. The bill, like the Texas version, is designed to ban most abortions by inviting citizen-filed lawsuits against anyone who helps a woman undergo the procedure. Florida joins at least a half-dozen other Republican-led states now considering their own versions of the law, which bars abortions around six weeks of pregnancy — before many women are aware that they’re pregnant. What is striking about the Florida GOP’s latest attack on abortion rights — “fetal heartbeat” bills have been tried before — is how little interest these Republicans take in trying to prevent the unplanned pregnancies that lead to abortions. (Lizette Alvarez, 9/28)

Stat: Overdose Prevention Sites Can Save Lives And Promote Recovery 
The latest statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are simply staggering: there were more than 95,000 drug overdose deaths between February 2020 and February 2021, an all-time record. With thousands of Americans dying from preventable overdoses each year, it is clear that persistent, societal, and systemic failures are perpetuating pain and suffering among far too many people. Policymakers and public health officials must do more to prevent these deaths. (William F. Haning, III, 9/29)