The Wall Street Journal: Biden Unveils New Covid-19 Strategy For Next Phase Of Response
Moving the United States beyond the Covid-19 pandemic will require vigilance for new variants, measures to prevent businesses and schools from shutting down, and continued global vaccine donations, according to a blueprint released Wednesday by the Biden administration. The plan underscores the administration’s shifting focus from responding to the pandemic crisis to a new normal that focuses on managing the disease. But the road map, the result of weeks of work with advisers, state leaders and public health experts, relies heavily on Congress approving billions of dollars in new Covid-19 relief funding. (Armour and Abbott, 3/2)

AP: New Biden Pandemic Plan: Closer To Normal For The Nation
The 90-page National COVID-19 Preparedness Plan spells out initiatives and investments to continue to drive down serious illness and deaths from the virus, while preparing for potential new variants and providing employers and schools the resources to remain open. “We know how to keep our businesses and our schools open with the tools that we have at our disposal,” said White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients. (Miller, 3/2)

The New York Times: Biden’s New Covid Plan: Preparing For New Variants And Avoiding Shutdowns 
The plan, meant to help the United States transition to what some are calling a “new normal,” has four main goals: protecting against and treating Covid-19; preparing for new variants; avoiding shutdowns; and fighting the virus abroad. But there is a big hitch: Much of the plan requires funding from Congress. The administration recently told congressional officials it could need as much as $30 billion to sustain the pandemic response. One outside adviser to the White House, Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, said in an interview that the United States needed to spend much more — on the order of $100 billion over the next year, and billions more after that — to be fully prepared. (Stolberg, 3/2)

CBS News: White House Lays Out New COVID Plan, Will Begin Stockpiling Tests And Pills 
For example, expanding the nation's Strategic National Stockpile to now include at-home tests, antiviral pills, and masks for children as the White House envisions, would mark a significant – and expensive – shift for a federal cache once focused on buying up emergency reserves for hospitals and first responders. Supplies in the stockpile had surged thanks in part to previous rounds of pandemic relief money, enabling the federal plan to distribute some 400 million free N95 respirators in the wake of the Omicron wave earlier this year. But officials say ramping up the stockpile to address another wave of the virus in the general population would require significant purchases and planning far beyond its current levels. (Tin, 3/2)

San Francisco Chronicle: Biden’s Push To ‘Test To Treat’ COVID On The Spot Already Under Way In Bay Area
A central part of President Biden’s new COVID strategy — the so-called “test to treat” initiative to enable pharmacies, long-term care facilities and community health centers to test patients and give out antiviral pills on the spot if they test positive — is already underway at many Bay Area health care providers. Doctors and pharmacists have essentially been operating this way for the last few months, since pills first became available, local clinics and long-term care facilities say. However, their ability to do so has been limited by scarce supply of pills, particularly the Pfizer drug Paxlovid, and the very short window of time between symptom onset and when patients must start taking the drug. So Biden’s “test to treat” plan would ostensibly expand these operations, which are still relatively small, to more locations and improve access to the medication for more people. (Ho, 3/2)

But Biden's plan hinges on congressional funding —

The Washington Post: Republicans Signal They May Oppose New Covid Aid Unless White House Accounts For Existing Spending 
Three dozen Republican senators told the White House on Wednesday that they may be unwilling to approve new coronavirus aid until they first learn how much money the U.S. government has already spent. The early warning arrived in a letter led by Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), just days after the Biden administration asked Congress to approve $30 billion to boost public health as part of a still-forming deal to fund the government and stave off a shutdown at the end of next week. (Romm, 3/2)

Stat: Why Formally Ending The Pandemic Is Going To Be A Huge Headache
President Biden made it clear this week he wants to transition toward a new phase of the Covid-19 pandemic — one where people are “moving forward safely, back to more normal routines,” as he said this week. But formally ending the pandemic is going to be a major headache. The next chapter of the U.S. Covid-19 response will center on how the Biden administration chooses to unwind the tangle of temporary policies put in place to help the country address the virus — with millions of people’s health insurance coverage and billions of dollars at stake. (Cohrs, 3/3)

In related news about "Build Back Better" —

Politico: Dems Agonize Over Manchin's Wish List: Taxes, Prescription Drugs, Climate Cash 
Joe Manchin is once again setting the agenda for Democrats and says he’s willing to make a deal. They’re listening — cautiously. Hours after President Joe Biden laid out what he hoped to salvage from Democrats’ defunct “Build Back Better” social spending plan, Joe Manchin quickly assembled a counteroffer. It might amount to deja vu for Democrats, many of whom still feel burned from last year’s debacle, yet many in the party are willing to entertain any shot they have to unify while they still have control of Congress. (Everett and Wu, 3/2)

AP: Biden Plan Would Tackle Chronic Gaps In Mental Health Care 
President Joe Biden’s new plan to expand mental health and drug abuse treatment would pour hundreds of millions of dollars into suicide prevention, mental health services for youth, and community clinics providing 24/7 access to people in crisis. Unveiled as part of his State of the Union speech, Biden’s plan seeks to shrink America’s chronic gap in care between diseases of the body and those of the mind. Health insurance plans would have to cover three mental health visits a year at no added cost to patients. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 3/3)

NPR: Biden's Mental Health Plan Has Potential, Experts Say, If Congress Acts
On Tuesday, the White House also released a fact sheet that lays out details of the administration's strategy. It seeks to address a mental health crisis that has been years in the making but was only worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. The plan focuses on ways to strengthen system capacity and connect people who need help to a continuum of care. It includes measures to expand the mental health care workforce, efforts to establish a crisis-care response system to support the launch of the 988 crisis line in July, a focus on children's mental health and proposals to push insurance companies to improve their coverage of behavioral health care. (Chatterjee and Wroth, 3/2)

USA Today: Biden Administration Kicks Off Nationwide Tour Addressing Mental Health Challenges From COVID Pandemic
The Biden administration announced Wednesday a nationwide tour to address mental health challenges exacerbated by the pandemic, another sign the U.S. may have reached what the president said in his his State of the Union Address “a new moment in the fight against COVID-19.” The “National Tour to Strengthen Mental Health,” led by Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, aims to hear directly from Americans about the behavioral health challenges they’re facing and engage with local leaders to strengthen services. (Rodriguez, 3/2)

In related news about mental health —

AP: States Launch Probe Into TikTok's Effect On Kids' Health 
State attorneys general have launched a nationwide investigation into TikTok and its possible harmful effects on young users’ mental health, widening government scrutiny of the wildly popular video platform. The investigation was announced Wednesday by a number of states led by California, Florida, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, Tennessee and Vermont. (Gordon, 3/3)

Bloomberg: Pandemic’s Hidden Harm: Anxiety, Depression Rates Rose 25% In Covid's First Year
Rates of anxiety and depression rose by about 25% worldwide in the first year of Covid-19, another indication of the widespread harm on mental health inflicted by the pandemic. Young people were at the greatest increased risk of suicide and self-harm, and women bore the brunt of the emotional and psychological burden, according to a report from the World Health Organization. People with chronic conditions such as asthma or cancer were also more likely to develop symptoms of mental disorders during the outbreak. (Gretler, 3/2)

North Carolina Health News: NC On Track To Roll Out 9-8-8 Mental Health Crisis Hotline 
In July, there will be a new universal phone number — 9-8-8 — for people across the United States to call when they or someone around them experiences a mental health crisis. The idea is that it’s short, easy to remember and the same everywhere. Right now, most everyone knows to call 9-1-1 in an emergency. But law enforcement and emergency responders are not always equipped to help someone who is in mental health distress or having a psychotic episode or thinking about suicide. (Knopf, 3/3)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Bill To Expand Georgia’s Mental Health Services Clears First Hurdle In Legislature
A legislative panel Wednesday approved a plan to expand mental health services in Georgia. House Bill 1013 would require insurance companies to cover mental health care the same way they cover physical health, establish state grants for outpatient treatment and take other steps to improve care. House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, called it “just the beginning of what I expect will be a multiyear conversation” about mental health. “This is not a partisan issue,” Ralston told the House Health and Human Services Committee, which approved the measure. “This is not a geographic issue. This is not an income issue.” (Wickert, 3/2)

Georgia Health News: After Ralston Makes Rare Pitch, House Panel OKs Mental Health Bill 
"I think it’s the most important [topic] we will take up this year.” With that remark, Georgia House Speaker David Ralston, in a rare appearance at a legislative committee hearing, set out the stakes Wednesday for passage of the mental health parity bill that he has sponsored. “The No. 1 state for business in this nation cannot and will not be among the worst for mental health care and access and quality,’’ said Ralston, a Blue Ridge Republican. Later, the House Health and Human Services Committee, meeting for the third time on the proposal, passed House Bill 1013 unanimously. (Miller, 3/2)

Oklahoman: Oklahoma Bill To Study Mental Health Effects Of 'Shrooms' Advances
Bipartisan support is mounting for legislation that would add an unusual new tool to combat the state's mental health crisis by seeking to legalize research of psychedelic substances. The bill, authored by Rep. Daniel Pae, R-Lawton, would allow for the state's universities and research institutions to begin studying psilocybin and psilocin, the chemicals in "magic mushrooms" that produce a psychedelic state. It is an attempt to build on and become involved in ongoing research that has shown positive results in psychedelics helping with mental health issues ranging from addiction to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). (Gore, 3/2)

AP: House To Vote On Bill To Help Veterans Exposed To Burn Pits 
The House is poised to pass legislation that would dramatically boost health care services and disability benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan. The bill set for a vote Thursday has the backing of the nation’s major veterans groups and underscores the continued cost of war years after the fighting has stopped. If passed into law, it would increase spending by more than $300 billion over the next decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office. (Freking, 3/3)

Houston Chronicle: President Joe Biden Is Coming To Texas To Push For Veterans Benefits
President Joe Biden will travel to Texas next week for a stop in Fort Worth where the White House says he will “discuss upholding our sacred obligation to veterans. ”The White House did not provide any further details in an announcement on Wednesday. The trip comes after Biden used part of his State of the Union speech on Tuesday to call on Congress to pass a law expanding benefits for veterans with health problems from exposures to toxic burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan. Biden also announced his administration was expanding eligibility to veterans suffering from nine respiratory cancers. (Wermund, 3/2)

And more on burn pits —

The Week: Jon Stewart Says Veterans Exposed To Toxic Burn Pits Finally 'Were Seen' During Biden's State Of The Union
Comedian Jon Stewart expressed hope on Wednesday that there will be progress on helping veterans exposed to toxic burn pits after the issue was mentioned during President Biden's State of the Union. During his State of the Union address, Biden discussed the dangers troops in Iraq and Afghanistan face, including "breathing in toxic smoke from burn pits," and he suggested this may have been the reason his son, Beau Biden, died from brain cancer. Stewart has pushed for Congress to help veterans exposed to toxic burn pits, delving into the issue during the first episode of his Apple show The Problem with Jon Stewart. (Morrow, 3/2)

KESQ: President Biden's Focus On Burn Pits In State Of The Union Address Hits Home In Coachella Valley
Burn pits are large piles of toxic debris burned on military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan with jet fuel. They're known to cause certain types of cancer in veterans that lead to painful deaths. Four years ago, we took an in-depth look at the drastic, long-term effects burn pits have on veterans here in the valley. Jennifer Kepner, a local veteran from Cathedral City, died at the age of 39 from pancreatic cancer caused by exposure to burn pits. We spoke to her back in 2017 about the hardships she faced after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. (White and Campos, 3/2)

Fox News: Burn Pit Advocate Invited To Biden's State Of The Union Address Speaks Out On Veteran Health Care Reform Push
The widow of Sgt. First Class Heath Robinson, a veteran who succumbed to a rare and deadly cancer after his exposure to burn pits, recalls her reaction when President Biden invited her to Tuesday night’s State of the Union address. "Surprised, to say the least," Danielle Robinson told Fox News about the invitation she received earlier this week. "I am a physical therapist and was in the middle of working with one of my dear patients with balance exercises when my front desk staff told me I needed to go answer some calls on my cellphone. "Little did I know that in 24 hours, I would be sitting with Dr. Jill Biden at the State of the Union address. Still does not feel real." (Chiaramonte, 3/2)

KATV: Arkansas Veteran Sustains Severe Lung Damage From Burn Pits While Deployed In Afghanistan
Legislation to add extended healthcare benefits to American veterans who were exposed to toxic burn pits overseas has hit the House floor, which could impact hundreds of thousands of veterans like Sheridan resident Derrick Raynor. At just 20 years old, Raynor made the decision to serve his country in the U.S. Army. Soon after his training he was deployed to Afghanistan in December 2010 having no idea what he was flying into. "When I first got there, it was like 135 degrees over there," he said. "The smell as soon as you got off the C-130, it smacks you in the face." That smell he later found out were toxic chemicals due to a massive burn pit on base. He explained, "So all of the poop and human waste as trash and stuff went into this big lake and then they're burning that. That's burning 24/7, so that means you're breathing that stuff in every day." (Rose, 3/3)

And more on Biden's plans for paid sick leave and nursing homes —

Axios: Paid Sick Leave Makes A Comeback In New Biden Plan
The Biden administration included paid sick leave provisions as part of its new COVID-19 preparedness plan, which calls for a raft of measures meant to manage the U.S. through its new "post-pandemic" era. The emergency sick leave provisions passed in 2020 at the outset of the pandemic expired that year and weren't renewed— despite protests from worker advocates and at least one study that showed the policy reduced the spread of the virus. The administration said Wednesday that it will work with Congress to provide paid sick leave to people who need to miss work due to COVID-19 or to care for a loved one who has the virus. (Peck, 3/2)

CNBC: Biden Pushes For Paid Family Leave In State Of The Union Address
President Joe Biden called for passing a new federal paid family and medical leave policy in his State of the Union Address Tuesday night. However, the timing of when such a law could be put in place is still up in the air. The policy is part of Democrats’ sweeping social spending plan, Build Back Better, that has stalled on Capitol Hill. The party had aimed to pass the legislation through a simple majority. But opposition from some leaders, particularly Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V., has dimmed its prospects. If paid family and medical leave were to go forward, it would bring the U.S. in line with most other developed nations that already have paid leave policies. (Konish, 3/2)

Modern Healthcare: Patient Advocates, Nursing Home Leaders Clash Over Biden's Industry Reforms
Nursing home resident advocates and those in charge of the facilities are at odds over industry reforms President Joe Biden announced Tuesday during the State of the Union address. While both groups agree changes need to be made, they part ways over what needs to be done and how that should be accomplished. During the State of the Union, Biden announced plans to improve conditions at nursing homes by setting minimum staffing requirements, addressing overcrowding, cutting back on the overuse of antipsychotic medications and increasing inspections and enforcement. (Christ, 3/2)

The Washington Post: Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings To Begin March 21
Confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson will begin on March 21, the Senate Judiciary Committee announced Wednesday, a timetable that could put President Biden’s first pick for the nation’s most influential court on track to be confirmed by mid-April. The announcement came as Jackson, a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, began her gantlet of one-on-one meetings with key senators as she plunged into the labyrinthine confirmation process, which will include dozens of personal sit-downs and four days of public hearings. (Kim, 3/2)

The New York Times: Judge Jackson Begins Making Her Own Case For High Court Seat 
Judge Jackson, 51, has been confirmed by the Senate three times before. The last time was in June, when the 53-to-44 vote confirming her to the influential U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit included three Republicans in support. Yet the votes of even those Republicans are not assured this time around. Once routine, strong bipartisan support for a Supreme Court nominee has become a thing of the past. Changing that dynamic will require Judge Jackson, the first Black woman ever nominated to the court, and Democrats to mount a persuasive case that she is highly qualified and merits a court seat even if Republicans see her as too liberal. (Hulse, 3/2)

In other Supreme Court news —

Vox: A New Supreme Court Case Endangers The New Deal, The Great Society, And Obamacare 
The Supreme Court announced on Monday that it would hear four cases challenging the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), a 1978 law enacted to prevent states from breaking up American Indian families and removing American Indian children from their indigenous cultures. The four cases will likely be consolidated under the name Haaland v. Brackeen. But the most alarming of these four cases is Texas v. Haaland, because that case targets a provision of the Constitution that is the foundation of much of the federal government’s power. (Millhiser, 3/2)

AP: Florida GOP's 15-Week Abortion Ban Nears Final Passage
Republicans in the Florida Senate on Wednesday advanced a proposal to ban abortions after 15 weeks, rejecting Democratic attempts to soften its restrictions and add exceptions for rape, incest or trafficking. The bill, which has already been approved by the GOP-controlled House, is now set for a final vote in the Senate after Republicans dismissed a slew of amendments from Democrats. (Izaguirre, 3/3)

AP: Oklahoma Panel Passes Texas-Style Anti-Abortion Measure
A House committee in Oklahoma on Wednesday approved an abortion ban that would implement an enforcement mechanism similar to a new Texas law considered to be the nation’s most restrictive abortion law in decades. The House Public Health Committee passed the measure by a party-line vote and sent it to the full House, where it’s likely to pass. (3/2)

AP: WVa Senate Passes Bill To Ban Abortions Based On Disability 
The West Virginia Senate passed a bill Wednesday that would ban abortions based solely on a prenatal diagnosis of a disability, including Down syndrome. The bill, approved on a 28-5 vote, makes exceptions for medical emergencies or if a fetus would not survive outside of the womb. It now goes to the House of Delegates. (Raby, 3/3)

AP: South Dakota Lawmakers Pass Restrictive Abortion Pill Laws
The South Dakota Legislature on Wednesday passed a proposal from Gov. Kristi Noem that aims to make the state one of the hardest places in the U.S. to get abortion pills, though it won’t actually be enacted unless the state prevails in a federal court battle. Every Senate Republican voted to pass the bill, sending it to Noem’s desk on a 32-2 vote. However, the bill contains language that stipulates most of it won’t take effect unless the state convinces a federal judge to lift a preliminary injunction against a similar rule Noem attempted to enact last year. (Groves, 3/2)

Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio Abortion: Judge Blocks Early Enforcement Of Hurdles For Clinics
A Hamilton County judge blocked the Ohio Department of Health from revoking credentials that allow Southwest Ohio's two abortion clinics to operate. Without an approved exception to state law, Mount Auburn's Planned Parenthood of Southwest Ohio and Dayton's Women's Med cannot perform surgical abortions. The clinics are two of six that perform the procedure in Ohio and the only ones in Southwest Ohio. Ohio law requires abortion clinics to partner with local, private hospitals in case of emergencies. If a hospital won't agree, clinics can obtain an exception, called a variance, by partnering with several local doctors. (Balmert, 3/2)

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Nevada Initiative Seeks Requirement For Parental Notification Of Abortion For Minors
A Nevada PAC launched an effort last month to build support for an initiative that would require doctors to notify parents when a minor plans to have an abortion. If Protect Our Girls, a PAC supported by Nevada Right to Life, receives the roughly 140,000 signatures it needs, the Legislature will have to consider amending state law to require parental notification of abortion for minors. If lawmakers reject the measure, the language will go directly to voters in 2024. (Apgar, 3/2)

And in abortion news from Kentucky —

Louisville Courier Journal: Abortion Bill Clears Kentucky House After Hours Of Impassioned Debate
One lawmaker, Rep. Tina Bojanowski, D-Louisville, tearfully described her two miscarriages and wondered whether House Bill 3, the omnibus abortion bill, would have required her to report them or seek professional disposal of the remains. Rep. Attica Scott, D-Louisville, predicted HB 3 would give "a new platform to anti-abortion extremists" who already regularly harass and intimidate abortion providers who would be required to be listed on a state website. And Rep. Joni Jenkins, D-Louisville and House minority leader, said the bill likely would have unintended consequences in further restricting abortions for women and girls who are sometimes in dire circumstances. (Yetter, 3/2)

Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky Lawmaker Invokes Holocaust, Jewish Women Sex Life In Speech
Kentucky Rep. Danny Bentley made comments about Jewish women and the Holocaust during a debate Wednesday over anti-abortion legislation, quickly drawing condemnation from several members of the Jewish community who raised serious concerns with what he said. Bentley, a Republican and pharmacist from Russell, later apologized for his comments Wednesday night, saying he "meant absolutely no harm." As state representatives debated an omnibus anti-abortion bill Wednesday afternoon, Bentley spoke about the medication abortions the legislation would restrict and invoked Jews and the Holocaust as he made claims about the origins of one such medication, which members of the Jewish community quickly denounced as both false and antisemitic. (Watkins and Sonka, 3/2)

CNBC: Late-Enrollment Fees Hit Some Medicare Beneficiaries. A Congressional Bill Would Warn People Of Those Charges Before They Happen
A recently introduced bill in Congress has its sights set on preventing a cost that some new Medicare beneficiaries face: late-enrollment penalties. The bipartisan measure, introduced in the Senate, would require the federal government to provide individuals with information about Medicare enrollment rules before they reach the Medicare-eligible age of 65. While many beneficiaries are automatically enrolled at that point because they are on Social Security, that’s not the case for everyone. (O'Brien, 3/2)

In more Medicare news —

CNBC: Biden Renews Call To Let Medicare Negotiate Drug Prices
President Joe Biden apparently hasn’t given up on a proposal aimed at reducing prescription drug prices, especially for retirees. In his State of the Union address Tuesday night, Biden called for capping insulin prices at $35 a month for all Americans, as well as allowing Medicare to negotiate prices with drug manufacturers — something that currently isn’t permitted. “I know we have great disagreements on this floor with this — let’s let Medicare negotiate the price of prescription drugs,” Biden said in his speech to congressional lawmakers. (O'Brien, 3/2)

KHN: Biden Pledges Better Nursing Home Care, But He Likely Won’t Fast-Track It 
President Joe Biden’s top Medicare official suggested Wednesday that forthcoming rules to bolster nursing home staffing won’t be issued under a4 mechanism, known as interim final rules, that would allow regulations to take effect more or less immediately. “While we want to move swiftly, we want to get comments from stakeholders,” Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, administrator of the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, said in an interview about the overhaul Biden promised during his State of the Union address. (Pradhan and Meyer, 3/3)

Modern Healthcare: CMS To Reweigh MIPS Data For Some Physicians Amid Pandemic
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is giving physician groups participating in its Merit-based Incentive Payment System more time to apply for an extreme and uncontrollable circumstance waiver so that 2021 quality data has less of a chance of negatively impacting their payments. Physician groups, virtual groups and alternative payment model entities can apply for a waiver until March 31, and if granted, will have their data re-weighted to account for COVID-19 impacts. In addition, if physician groups didn't submit data, they will not receive a penalty. The previous deadline was on Dec. 31, 2021, but the American Medical Association and others argued that physician groups needed an extension. (Gillespie, 3/1)

Modern Healthcare: Cigna Amps Up Direct Contracting Participation After Program Revamp
A Cigna subsidiary is the latest company to bank on the recently rebranded Direct Contracting program, the company announced on Wednesday. The insurer's value-based care consultancy, CareAllies, is participating in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' Global and Professional Direct Contracting model, a payment plan that allows private payers and providers to take on risk for traditional Medicare enrollees. Regulators replaced GPDC last week with a more equity-focused and provider-led Accountable Care Organization program, after facing strong pushback from provider groups and progressive Democrats, who argued that the previous design favored private equity and Medicare Advantage companies. (Tepper, 3/2)

KHN: Seeking To Shift Costs To Medicare, More Employers Move Retirees To Advantage Plans
As a parting gesture to a pandemic-ravaged city, former New York Mayor Bill de Blasio hoped to provide the city with a gift that would keep on giving: new health insurance for 250,000 city retirees partly funded by the federal government. Although he promised better benefits and no change in health care providers, he said the city would save $600 million a year. Over the past decade, an increasing number of employers have taken a similar deal, using the government’s Medicare Advantage program as an alternative to their existing retiree health plan and traditional Medicare coverage. Employers and insurers negotiate behind closed doors to design a private Medicare Advantage plan available only to retirees from that employer. Then, just as it does for private individuals choosing a Medicare Advantage plan, the federal government pays the insurer a set amount for each person in the plan. (Jaffe, 3/3)

In Medicaid news —

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Lengthy Wait Times For Medicaid Applicants In Missouri Could Ease In Coming Weeks 
The head of Missouri’s health insurance program for low-income adults and families said long waiting times for applicants could begin to ease within weeks. Todd Richardson, a former speaker of the Missouri House who now runs the MO HealthNet program, said a combination of factors has led to a backlog of applications taking as many as 70 days to process. But, he said, “I think we will see improvement in the coming weeks.” Richardson’s comments came during a Senate hearing on the state budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1. (Erickson, 3/2)

Georgia Health News: Programs For People With Disabilities Still Await Funding 
Matthew Southern, 35, who has intellectual and developmental disabilities, is able to stay out of an institution because health aides paid through a Medicaid program assist him and his roommate with ordinary tasks. But amid a worker shortage worsened by the pandemic, Southern’s father, Dan, has had to step in to fill in gaps in his son’s care by volunteering at their Lilburn home, 45 minutes away from his own home in Kennesaw, a northwestern Atlanta suburb. He blames the low pay across the industry. “No one wants to work for $12 an hour,” Dan Southern said. “People can work at Burger King and make more money.” (Miller, 3/2)

Miami Herald: Florida Ending ‘Critical Care’ Fund For Public Hospitals 
Some of the state hospitals that serve the poorest and sickest patients are likely to see millions in cuts, the Florida senator in charge of crafting the state’s health care budget said Wednesday. Hospitals that take on the largest number of Medicaid patients have for years received hundreds of millions in extra taxpayer funding. For instance, in 2021, the state distributed $309 million to support 28 of those facilities as part of what hospital administrators call the “critical care fund.” Some of the biggest beneficiaries have included Jackson Memorial Hospital, two Broward Health facilities, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg and Tampa General. (Wilson, 3/2)

Bloomberg: Covid Omicron Strain 40% Deadlier Than Seasonal Flu, Study Finds
The omicron strain of Covid-19 is at least 40% more lethal than seasonal flu, according Japanese scientists, underscoring the potential danger of lifting pandemic curbs too quickly and underestimating the virus’s ongoing health risks. The case fatality rate of omicron in Japan, based on cumulative excess deaths and the number of infections since January, was about 0.13%, according to an analysis by scientists who advise the country’s health minister. While that is significantly lower than the 4.25% case fatality rate from earlier in the outbreak, it’s still higher than the 0.006% to 0.09% seen with seasonal flu, they said. (Matsuyama, 3/3)

In other news about the spread of covid —

Los Angeles Times: Disparities Leave Parts Of L.A. County Hit Hard By COVID-19
Two years into the pandemic, wealth, poverty and race still dramatically affect the toll the coronavirus takes on people, with Latino and Black communities in L.A. County continuing to be significantly harder hit than wealthier white ones. Data analyzed by Los Angeles County public health officials showed disturbing inequities in the disproportionate toll COVID-19 was causing for Black and Latino residents, as well as people living in poorer neighborhoods. The findings underscore how much poorer and largely Black and Latino neighborhoods of L.A. County could suffer should the improvement in pandemic trends suddenly reverse as mask mandates ease, or the need for quick action comes if a new variant emerges. (Lin II and Money, 3/2)

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Health District Investigating ‘Data Discrepancy’ With CDC
The Southern Nevada Health District is looking into a data discrepancy that shows Clark County in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s “high” transmission tier, a health official said Wednesday. CDC data showed the county in the highest transmission tier on Tuesday because it had a case rate over 100 per 100,000 people. That number soared to over 200, but Cassius Lockett, director of disease surveillance and control for the health district, said at a Wednesday briefing that officials believe the CDC’s numbers are incorrect. “We are currently investigating the data discrepancy that shows that community transmission is high on the CDC website,” he said. “We have reached out to our state partners and we have reached out to CDC to explore this further.” (Dylan, 3/2)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin Reports More Than 12,000 Confirmed COVID-19 Deaths
As COVID-19 continues to recede in Wisconsin, the state recorded its 12,000 death due to the virus, another grim reminder of the toll the two-year pandemic has taken. The state Department of Health Services reported 12,012 confirmed COVID-19 deaths Wednesday and another 1,386 are considered probable. Deaths are considered "probable" by health officials when the person who died was believed to have COVID-19 because of their symptoms or a listing on their death certificate, but there was no record of a positive test. (Bentley, 3/2)

CIDRAP: Survival After In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest 35% Lower In COVID-19 Patients 
Adult COVID-19 patients who had an in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) were 35% less likely to receive potentially life-saving defibrillation without delay and survive to hospital release, according to a study today in JAMA Network Open. University of Iowa at Iowa City researchers led the study of 24,915 patients with IHCA from 286 US hospitals, of whom 5,916 (23.7%) had COVID-19, from March to December 2020. (Van Beusekom, 3/2)

AP: Missouri Bill Would Allow Hospital Visitors During Pandemics
Missouri hospitals and nursing homes would have to allow visitors, even during a pandemic, under a bill advanced Wednesday in the Republican-led state House. Lawmakers gave the measure initial approval in a voice vote, meaning it needs another vote to move to the GOP-led Senate. (Ballentine, 3/3)

AP: Washington Residents Can Order More Free COVID-19 Tests 
Washington state is expanding its program to distribute free COVID-19 tests throughout the state. The Seattle Times reported that officials with the state Department of Health said that starting Wednesday, sayyescovidhometest.org — the site that allows people to order free tests to be delivered to their homes — will allow up to two orders per household every month while supplies last. (3/2)

Also —

CNN: A Highly Changed Coronavirus Variant Was Found In Deer After Nearly A Year In Hiding, Researchers Suggest 
An Omicron-like variant of the virus that causes Covid-19 -- one that appears to be highly divergent from circulating strains and sticks out on a long branch of the virus' family tree -- has been discovered in a population of white-tailed deer in Ontario, Canada, according to a new study. The same strain has also been found in a person from the same area who had confirmed contact with deer. The researchers who first characterized what they are calling the Ontario WTD clade say it's difficult to determine how this lineage evolved because it seems to have gone along unnoticed and unsampled in the background of the pandemic for almost a year. They speculate that it spilled over from humans to deer and then back to at least one human. (Goodman, 3/2)

The New York Times: How The Coronavirus Steals The Sense Of Smell 
Few of Covid-19’s peculiarities have piqued as much interest as anosmia, the abrupt loss of smell that has become a well-known hallmark of the disease. Covid patients lose this sense even without a stuffy nose; the loss can make food taste like cardboard and coffee smell noxious, occasionally persisting after other symptoms have resolved. Scientists are now beginning to unravel the biological mechanisms, which have been something of a mystery: The neurons that detect odors lack the receptors that the coronavirus uses to enter cells, prompting a long debate about whether they can be infected at all. (Rabin, 3/2)

The Washington Post: Va. Sen. Tim Kaine Still Has Long Covid Symptoms, Introduces Bill To Research The Phenomenon 
Sen. Tim Kaine got covid-19 in the spring of 2020, and nearly two years later he still has mild symptoms. “I tell people it feels like all my nerves have had like five cups of coffee,” Kaine said Wednesday of his “24/7” tingling sensation, just after introducing legislation intended to expand understanding of long covid. (Flynn, 3/2)

Axios: Long COVID Patients Struggle To Get Assistance
Millions of Americans suffering from fatigue, nervous system disorders and other long-term health effects of COVID aren't getting public assistance to offset rising medical costs and lost income, an NBC News investigation found. Taxpayer-funded unemployment insurance and long-term disability insurance aren't options for most Americans with long COVID, who may be too sick to work but not ready to quit the workforce. (Bettelheim, 3/2)

CIDRAP: Study: 59% Of Long-COVID Patients Had Nerve Damage
A retrospective study of 17 COVID-19 survivors with lingering symptoms reveals that 10 (59%) had nerve damage, which the researchers said could have been triggered by potentially treatable infection-related immune dysfunction. In the study, published yesterday in Neurology: Neuroimmunology & Neuroinflammation, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers analyzed data from long COVID patients with no history of neuropathy or risks of neuropathy who were referred for evaluation of peripheral neuropathy, meaning nerve damage not involving the brain or spinal cord. (3/2)

In news about covid treatments —

Bloomberg: Merck’s Covid Antiviral Gets WHO Backing for High-Risk Patients
Merck & Co.’s Covid-19 antiviral pill was endorsed by a World Health Organization panel for patients in the early stages of disease who face high risk of hospitalization. The WHO panel of international experts, which looked at data from six randomized clinical trials involving more than 4,000 patients, found a moderate certainty that Merck’s molnupiravir reduces the risk of hospital admission and recovery time. The effect on mortality wasn’t so clear. The decision was published Thursday in the BMJ medical journal. (Fourcade, 3/2)

AP: EXPLAINER: Why Pfizer Needs Time To Make COVID-19 Treatment
The U.S. government distributes Paxlovid, the first pill authorized to treat the coronavirus. White House coronavirus response coordinator Jeff Zients said Wednesday that the government will have 1 million treatment courses available this month. He expects that to more than double in April. Pfizer Chief Global Supply Officer Mike McDermott says there is “an ample amount” of Paxlovid available for high-risk patients who need it. (Murphy, 3/2)

In updates on the vaccine rollout —

Southern California News Group: California Nears 75% Vaccination Rate Against Coronavirus, But Stubborn Gaps Remain
She was just 17, had her driver’s license and was loving her first job at Selma’s Pizza in Ladera Ranch. Kennedy Stonum, a junior at San Juan Hills High School, was in perfect health and spurned COVID-19 vaccines on the theory that, if she was ever infected, it would be a mild case. It was not. Stonum fell ill in January. Her infection erupted into a series of rare complications. On Feb. 11, she died. “Like most teenagers, she felt indestructible,” Kennedy Stonum’s father, attorney Lee Stonum, told CBSLA. “What happened to Kennedy was exceedingly unlikely and very, very rare. And none of that matters to me now.” (Sforza, 3/2)

KHN: To Be One In A Million: ‘Who Thinks It’s Going To Be You?’ 
Monica Melkonian wanted the Johnson & Johnson covid vaccine. It was only one shot and then she would be protected against the virus. So she was thrilled when the vaccination clinic at the Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center on April 7 had her first choice. But on April 13, Melkonian started experiencing headaches, a sharp pain behind her left eye. That same day federal health officials announced a pause in the use of the J&J vaccine after learning that six people had developed a rare blood-clotting disorder following their shots. (Hawryluk, 3/3)

Politico: DeSantis Called A ‘Bully’ After He Scolds Students For Wearing Masks 
Democrats labeled Gov. Ron DeSantis a “bully” after video surfaced of him curtly asking a group of students to take off their masks before a press conference in Tampa. “You do not have to wear those masks,” DeSantis told the students as he took the podium at the University of South Florida on Wednesday. “Please take them off. Honestly, it’s not doing anything. We’ve got to stop with this Covid theater. So, if you want to wear it, fine — but this is ridiculous.” (Atterbury, 3/2)

AP: New Orleans Ending Mask Mandate; Vaccine Mandate Ending Soon 
New Orleans is lifting its indoor mask mandate now that the annual Carnival season, which draws large crowds to city streets and packs bars and restaurants, is over, the city health director said Wednesday. Dr. Jennifer Avegno said the mask mandate ends Thursday at 6 a.m. She added that another COVID-19 mitigation measure — a requirement that customers show proof of vaccination or a recent negative test for entry into bars, restaurants or other venues — will end March 21, if hospitalization rates remain stable. (McGill, 3/2)

AP: Maine To Rescind School Mask Recommendation On March 9 
Maine’s state government said Wednesday it is rescinding a recommendation for universal masking in schools and child care facilities. The Maine Department of Health and Human Services and Maine Department of Education said they are considering mask use optional in those settings starting March 9. The final say will rest at the local level, as local school boards have authority about mask requirements in the state’s school districts. (Whittle, 3/2)

The New York Times: As New York Students Shed Masks, Elation Mixes With Trepidation
Just before classes began on Wednesday morning, Jordan Goldberg, a fifth grader at Guggenheim Elementary School on Long Island, strode through the doors and stopped short. “This doesn’t feel normal!” he said, clutching his bare, unmasked chin. For the first time since schools reopened during the pandemic, Jordan and many other public school students across the state entered homerooms, gymnasiums and class without masks. (Nir, 3/2)

The Atlantic: How Masks Get In The Way Of Speech Therapy
Americans have been arguing about pandemic restrictions for two years, and the debate is particularly fraught among parents of small children, for good reasons. While measures such as masking and isolation mean temporary discomfort or inconvenience for most people, their consequences for still-developing young children are more mysterious, and possibly more significant and lasting. Children with speech or language disorders offer perhaps the clearest example of these murky trade-offs. Pandemic restrictions vary by state, county, and school district, but I spoke with parents in California, New York, Massachusetts, Washington, New Jersey, Iowa, and Maryland who said their children’s speech therapy has been disrupted—first by the loss of in-person therapy and then by masking requirements, in places that have them. (Murray, 3/2)

In other mandate news —

Bay Area News Group: San Jose Eases Booster Mandate Afte 750 Employees Fail To Comply
With more than 750 employees choosing to ignore San Jose’s new mandate requiring them to get a booster shot, city leaders have decided to soften the policy. Instead of facing up to a week of unpaid leave, officials announced Wednesday that the city’s hundreds of holdouts will only be subject to a 1-day suspension equivalent to the number of hours an employee typically works in a day. City leaders also no longer intend to impose more aggressive discipline against employees, such as longer unpaid suspensions or termination, for failing to take steps to come into compliance with the order. However, they left it open to be revisited in the event of substantial changes to the COVID-19 pandemic or if more boosters become available and are considered necessary. (Angst, 3/2)

San Francisco Chronicle: Google Will Require Bay Area Office Workers To Return In April After Repeated Delays
Google is requiring workers in the Bay Area and other U.S. regions to return to the office part-time on April 4. The mandatory return date, originally slated for last fall, was repeatedly delayed by coronavirus variants and surges in cases. With cases dropping and masks mandates ending in California, around 30% of Bay Area workers have already returned and the company recently restored signature perks like shuttle buses and free food. (Li, 3/2)

Also —

Crain's New York Business: New York City Left Most Pandemic Price-Gouging Complaints Uninvestigated, Audit Finds
New York City Comptroller Brad Lander found the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection failed to adequately investigate price-gouging complaints during the pandemic. The comptroller said DCWP achieved some progress with the complaints it investigated. Some of the most egregious violations the agency uncovered included sellers pricing an 8-ounce bottle of hand sanitizer for $28, a 10-pack of masks for $300 and a single N95 mask for $20, and that most of the price-gouging complaints came from Black and Latino neighborhoods hit hardest by the pandemic. (Sim, 3/2)

The Baltimore Sun: Threats And Retaliation Against Maryland Public Health Workers Are Aired During Hearing In Annapolis
Public health workers from different corners of Maryland told state lawmakers Tuesday that they felt threatened by residents and undermined, and even retaliated against, by leadership at the state health department during the past two years of the coronavirus pandemic. Lawmakers sought the stories from the state employees — a whistleblower from the health department headquarters and two county health officers — who normally go about their duties in relative anonymity. But they found themselves in more public roles and sometimes at odds with residents and parents, local council people and the very people at the state whose policies on masking, vaccinations or school closures they were seeking to interpret and implement. (Cohn, 3/2)

NPR: More Black Americans Are Now Dying From Drug Overdoses Than Whites
When the first phase of the opioid epidemic was cresting in 2010, driven largely by prescription pain medications, white Americans were dying of fatal drug overdoses at rates twice that of Black Americans. In the decade that followed, drug deaths surged again. But this time Black communities faced the brunt of the carnage. "Overdose rates have been growing fastest among Black communities," says Joseph Friedman, an addiction researcher at UCLA. "For the first time we see them overtaking the overdose rate among white individuals." (Mann, 3/2)

In updates on the opioid crisis —

AP: Judge Gives More Time For Purdue Pharma Settlement Talks
Members of the Sackler family who own OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma will get protection from lawsuits for another three weeks, a judge said Wednesday, buying more time to work out a settlement of thousands of legal claims against the company over the toll of opioids. The protections had been set to expire Thursday, but U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Drain said in a hearing that they’d remain in place through March 23. (Mulvihill and Seewer, 3/2)

AP: Upstate NY Jail Sued Over Access To Addiction Treatment
A northern New York county is being accused in federal court of needlessly forcing people at its jail into harmful withdrawals by banning a medical treatment for opioid addiction. The New York Civil Liberties Union filed a class action lawsuit Tuesday against Jefferson County. The advocacy group said operators of the county jail largely ban methadone and buprenorphine, despite clear evidence that the medicines can effectively treat what specialists call opioid use disorder. (Hill, 3/2)

KHN: Calls To Overhaul Methadone Distribution Intensify, But Clinics Resist
Patients who take methadone, a synthetic narcotic used to treat opioid addiction, must jump through more hoops than perhaps any other patient group in the U.S. due to rules dating back five decades. Proponents for easing the rules say the pandemic has shown certain constraints serve more as barriers to care than protections. And consensus is growing among clinicians, patients, and regulators that it’s time for change. ... Now officials at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration are considering permanent changes to federal methadone rules. A National Academy of Medicine workshop on methadone regulations on March 3 and 4 may signal an inflection point. (Hawryluk, 3/3)

In more news about health and race —

NBC News: Diagnosis Used In High-Profile Police Deaths Has No Medical Basis, Physicians Group Says
A physicians group released a report Wednesday saying an increasingly common diagnosis at the center of some high-profile police deaths has no medical or psychiatric basis. The 95-page report, released by the nonprofit group Physicians for Human Rights, calls on Congress to investigate the diagnosis of “excited delirium” and urges professional organizations that have accepted the term to clarify that it is not “a valid medical diagnosis and cannot be a cause of death.” (Stelloh, 3/2)

In other public health news —

CBS News: At Least Eight Additional Babies Sickened By Recalled Formula, Lawyer Says 
Powdered baby formula may be linked to at least five infant illnesses, including possibly two deaths, the Food and Drug Administration warned earlier this week. But there may be more cases than have been reported, CBS News has learned. (Battiste, 3/2)

CBS News: Fitbit Recalls Nearly 2 Million Ionic Smartwatches Due To Burn Hazard 
Fitbit is recalling about 1.7 million Ionic smartwatches sold globally because the fitness product's lithium-ion battery can overheat, posing a burn hazard, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced on Wednesday. (Gibson, 3/2)

NBC News: A Lavender Spray Was Supposed To Freshen Homes. Instead, It Killed Two People
On July 12, a 5-year-old boy in Georgia arrived at an emergency department following several days of sickness. He'd been vomiting, was weak and had a sore throat. His heart rate was unusually fast. His fever spiked to more than 102 degrees. Doctors admitted the child to the hospital to keep an eye on him and help keep him properly hydrated. That night, his breathing became labored, and he tested positive for Covid-19.Doctors immediately started a typical treatment for the infection, including steroids and an antiviral drug called remdesivir. He did not get better. Within four days of hospitalization, he died. (Edwards, 3/2)

The 19th: Demi Burnett, ‘The Bachelor’ And Autism: Haley Moss On What It All Means
“The Bachelor” alum and fan favorite Demi Burnett announced via her Instagram account last week that she is autistic. “There is a huge stigma when it comes to autism,” Burnett, 27, wrote on Instagram. “I encourage you to be open minded and accepting.” Autism has major diagnostic disparities when it comes to gender. Women are typically diagnosed much later than men. Boys are four times more likely to be diagnosed with autism than girls. While some researchers believe this disparity may be a result of biological differences, others point to bias in testing and ways that autistic women might present their disability differently. (Luterman, 3/2)

Stat: Roche And Genentech Launch Ambitious New Study Of Alzheimer's Drug
Partners Roche and Genentech are studying whether their investigational treatment for Alzheimer’s disease can prevent memory loss for patients who are yet to show symptoms, embarking on a four-year clinical trial without waiting for data from key ongoing studies. The new trial will test whether the partners’ treatment, gantenerumab, can prevent the development of Alzheimer’s for patients who have disease-related plaques called amyloid in their brains but no evidence of cognitive or functional decline. (Garde, 3/3)

In other pharmaceutical and biotech news —

Boston Globe: Vesalius Therapeutics Launches To Create Treatments For Common Diseases
Flagship Pioneering, the Cambridge, Mass., life sciences investment firm that helped found Moderna over a decade ago, has unveiled a new company backed with $75 million to develop drugs for common conditions such as autoimmune disorders, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease. The startup, Vesalius Therapeutics, was founded at Flagship in 2019 on the premise that many common diseases remain underserved by drug companies. Biotech companies in particular often focus on developing therapies for rare genetic diseases, where a well-understood root cause of a condition provides a clear path for drug development. (Cross, 3/2)

KHN: HIV Preventive Care Is Supposed To Be Free In The US. So, Why Are Some Patients Still Paying? 
Anthony Cantu, 31, counsels patients at a San Antonio health clinic about a daily pill shown to prevent HIV infection. Last summer, he started taking the medication himself, an approach called preexposure prophylaxis, better known as PrEP. The regimen requires laboratory tests every three months to ensure the powerful drug does not harm his kidneys and that he remains HIV-free. But after his insurance company, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, billed him hundreds of dollars for his PrEP lab test and a related doctor’s visit, Cantu panicked, fearing an avalanche of bills every few months for years to come. (Varney, 3/3)

Stat: 3 Burning Questions Created By The Big CRISPR Patent Ruling 
On Monday, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office ruled that CRISPR patents key to developing human therapies belong to the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, and not the home institutions of Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier — the two scientists who won the Nobel Prize for creating the revolutionary genome-editing technology. After a bitter seven-year battle between the Broad and Doudna and Charpentier’s side, known as the CVC group, the patent judges finally issued a definitive opinion on who invented the “guide RNA” molecule that allows the genome editor to work in eukaryotic cells. They determined that it was Feng Zhang, of the Broad, who first “reduced to practice” this process, which is a critical step for developing medicines to treat human diseases, the most lucrative application of CRISPR technology. (Molteni, 3/2)

Stat: Organoids Reveal The Tipping Point When Kidney Damage Turns Irreversible
Chronic kidney disease is a serious medical problem that changes the lives of about 13% of the world’s population. Some kidney damage is reversible; kidney cells can marshal their repair mechanisms to heal harm caused by high blood pressure, diabetes, or harsh medications like chemotherapy. But some damage can become permanent, limiting people’s lives as their kidneys lose their ability to filter blood and remove the body’s waste products. Just where the tipping point sits between injury that is fixable and damage that’s beyond repair hasn’t been clear. (Cooney, 3/2)

Modern Healthcare: Telehealth Referrals Boost Demand For Medical Office Space
Health systems have pared down their office space for their administrative teams as more back-office employees work from home. But the long-term impact on clinical real estate has been less definitive as providers figure out how much telehealth can safely substitute in-person care. (Kacik, 3/2)

In other health care industry news —

Salt Lake Tribune: U Of U Hospital Is Catching Up On 500 Surgeries. Now It’s Bringing In The Military To Help
With a backlog of about 500 surgeries that were delayed during the coronavirus pandemic, University of Utah Hospital is bringing in a U.S. Navy medical team to help catch up. “We’re going to be able to open hospital beds that have been closed because of staffing,” said Dr. Michael Good, hospital CEO. “We’re certainly not back to normal, but we’re trying to shift and get headed in that direction. Our colleagues from the Navy help us accelerate that pivot, that transition.” The Navy has deployed about 20 medical staffers, including physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, and administrators, Good said. (Alberty, 3/2)

Modern Healthcare: Judge Denies Clover Health's Bid To Dismiss Investors' Lawsuit
Clover Health will have to face investors who say the insuretech misled them ahead going public two years ago, a federal court ruled Monday. The plaintiffs allege that the insuretech didn't disclose it was under investigation by the Justice Department and misled them about its operations. Clover Health declined to comment on the litigation. Judge Aleta Trauger of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee rejected Clover Health's motion to dismiss the case, writing in her opinion that the plaintiffs have met the standard to allow the case to proceed. (Devereaux, 3/2)

Georgia Health News: The Piedmont Powerhouse: Health System’s Expansion Reaches Augusta 
Piedmont Healthcare has added Augusta to its expanding hospital footprint. The Atlanta-based nonprofit system now contains 19 hospitals, with the announcement Tuesday that it has taken over University Health Care System, which includes University Hospital in Augusta. Other hospitals in the agreement are smaller facilities: University Hospital Summerville and University Hospital McDuffie. The two systems had announced in May that they had signed a letter of intent to seek an affiliation. (Miller, 3/1)

Houston Chronicle: Memorial Hermann, Blue Cross Blue Shield Terminate Contract, Forcing Estimated 100K Patients Out Of Network
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas and Memorial Hermann health system terminated their contracts after they failed to agree on its terms, forcing more than 100,000 Memorial Hermann patients to find care elsewhere or pay significantly more. The state’s biggest insurer and the region’s biggest health system were unable to resolve their differences on the status of independent physicians affiliated with Memorial Hermann before the contract expired Tuesday. Blue Cross Blue Shield wants the doctors to contract directly with the insurer rather than through Memorial Hermann, which negotiated rates for nearly 3,000 independent doctors in its system. (Carballo, 3/1)

The Texas Tribune: Texas Can’t Investigate Family Of Trans Teen As Feds Move To Shield Others 
A state judge blocked Texas' child protection agency from investigating the parents of a transgender teenager who received gender-affirming medical care, citing the "irreparable injury" they would likely suffer. District Judge Amy Clark Meachum's ruling does not stop the agency from opening investigations into other families in similar situations. But she will consider issuing a statewide injunction blocking such investigations into all parents of trans children on March 11. And U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said his agency is looking into tools that would shield transgender Texans from the state's attempts to hinder access to gender-affirming care. (Klibanoff and Park, 3/2)

Politico: ‘Government Overreach At Its Worst’: Biden Slams Texas Transgender Investigations
President Joe Biden’s administration condemned a Texas effort to investigate the use of gender-affirming procedures on children Wednesday, in a move that promised to intensify the state’s fall election between Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and former Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke. The interjection from Biden and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services arrived hours after a Texas judge temporarily blocked Abbott’s administration from an investigation into the family of a 16-year-old transgender girl but did not stop the practice statewide. (Perez Jr., 3/2)

In related news about transgender health care —

AP: Alabama Bill Seeks To Ban Hormone Treatments For Trans Youth 
Alabama lawmakers on Wednesday advanced legislation that would make it a crime for doctors to give transgender minors puberty-blockers, hormones or surgeries to help affirm their gender identity. The bill is one of several such measures being proposed in statehouses across the country. (Chandler, 3/2)

Detroit Free Press: Nessel: Michigan Law Bans Discrimination Based On Sexual Orientation
Michigan businesses must not be allowed to refuse service to clients simply because customers may be lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer, argued Attorney General Dana Nessel on Wednesday before the state Supreme Court. But opponents said there's no legal basis for the court to determine the law bans this discrimination, arguing that such a ruling would amount to judicial activism that would circumvent the power and authority of the Legislature. The debate underscores what could be a foundational case in Michigan: whether the state's Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, passed in 1976, bans discrimination based on sexual orientation. (Boucher, 3/2)

Axios: Culture War Around Care For Transgender Kids Heats Up
The confrontation over gender-affirming care for transgender youth hit a boil this week as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott doubled down on his call for state officials to investigate "transition care" for minors as "child abuse." Even as Abbott's team called the issue a political "winner," major medical groups including the American Academy of Pediatrics condemned the stance, saying it trampled on the doctor-patient relationship and injected politics into medical care. (Reed, 3/3)

In other news from across the U.S. —

Columbus Dispatch: Ohio Medical Marijuana: House OKs Bill Adding Autism To Conditions
Ohioans with autism would be able to use medical marijuana under a bill passed by the Ohio House Wednesday. House Bill 60 would add autism spectrum disorder to the list of qualifying conditions under Ohio's medical cannabis program. Proponents contend it would open another door for people with autism, some of whom told lawmakers that they struggle with traditional medication prescribed by doctors. The bill passed the House with a bipartisan 73-13 vote. The bill now goes to the Ohio Senate for consideration. (Bemiller, 3/2)

Indianapolis Star: Indiana Hospitals To Track Inequities After Dr. Susan Moore's Death
In an ongoing effort to narrow the health disparities gap, Indiana’s five major hospital systems are collaborating to create a dashboard that will track how patients of different racial backgrounds are treated. The hospital systems' laser focus on racism as a public health crisis came in the wake of the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests and a highly publicized incident in which a Black doctor named Susan Moore alleged racist treatment at a Carmel hospital a few weeks before she died of COVID-19 at a different hospital. (Rudavsky, 3/2) 

Los Angeles Times: Pandemic And Homelessness Rank Among Top Issues For L.A. County Latinos, New Survey Says
The COVID-19 pandemic, homelessness and the economy are top of mind for Latinos in Los Angeles County, according to a new survey commissioned by the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at Cal State Los Angeles and the California Community Foundation. The survey of 1,500 county residents— voters and nonvoters— offers a snapshot of a key and often misunderstood demographic as the mayoral race in Los Angeles picks up speed. Latinos make up about a third of registered voters in both L.A. County and L.A. city. (Reyes-Velarde, 3/2)

Oklahoman: Oklahoma Education Committee Approves Book Ban Bill For Public Schools
A Senate committee advanced a bill Tuesday that would force school libraries to remove “controversial” books if a parent complains, even as one senator who supported the bill acknowledged it created a “slippery slope.” Sen. Rob Standridge, R-Norman, authored Senate Bill 1142 that would ban books from school libraries that focus on "the study of sex, sexual lifestyles, or sexual activity." If a parent submits a written complaint about a book that meets that criteria a librarian would have 30 days to remove it or risk being fired. Parents also would be able to seek legal penalties of $10,000 per day from districts that don’t comply with the removal request. (Felder and Martinez-Keel, 3/2)

Axios: Ukraine's Medical Needs Grow Dire
Kids too sick to leave Okhmatdyt Children's Hospital in Kyiv have been sheltering in beds and on mattresses in the hospital basement this week amid growing fears it could be hit by a Russian airstrike. It's a stark reminder that many civilians in need of care can't comply with evacuation orders and leave amid the increasingly desperate situation. "What is happening now in Ukraine is a humanitarian catastrophe caused by the war," Volodymyr Zhovnyakh, the Okhmatdyt Children's Hospital director, told the Wall Street Journal. (Reed, 3/2)

USA Today: WHO: COVID 'Much More Likely' To Spread In Ukraine Due To Invasion
The World Health Organization said on Wednesday the ongoing invasion of Russian forces in Ukraine will allow COVID-19 to spread easily across the country, concerning health officials that the situation will result in many cases going undetected as attacks are made on healthcare facilities. "You disrupt society like this and literally millions of people on the move, then infectious diseases will exploit that," Mike Ryan, director of the World Health Organization’s Health Emergencies Program, said during a media briefing. "(People are) highly susceptible to the impacts of, first of all, of being infected themselves, and it's much more likely that disease will spread," Ryan added. (Mendoza, 3/2)

NPR: 1 Million Refugees Have Fled Ukraine Since The Start Of The War
The United Nations says 1 million refugees have fled across the borders of Ukraine since Russian forces invaded a week ago. "In just seven days we have witnessed the exodus of one million refugees from Ukraine to neighbouring countries," U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi wrote in a tweet on Wednesday. The new total of refugees from Ukraine amounts to a little more than 2% of the country's total population of 44 million. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), around half of the refugees are in Poland, with Hungary, Moldova and Slovakia being the other top destinations, while others have fled to various other European countries. (Socolovsky and Franklin, 3/2)

Reuters: Drugmakers, Device Companies Say Sanctions May Hinder Medical Supplies To Russia 
Western drugmakers and medical device companies warn their plans to keep selling products to Russia may be complicated by economic sanctions targeting the country and its major banks in punishment over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. Sanctions levied by the United States, Britain, Europe and Canada against Russia do not apply to medicine and medical equipment, and the industry has a responsibility under international humanitarian law to continue supplying these products, industry trade groups, policy experts and company officials said. (Guarascio, Erman and Jacobsen, 3/3)

In other global covid news —

AP: COVID Cases, Deaths Continue To Fall Globally, WHO Reports
The number of new coronavirus cases reported globally dropped by 16% last week, marking a month-long decline in COVID-19 infections, according to figures from the World Health Organization. In its weekly report on the pandemic issued late Tuesday, the U.N. health agency also said that deaths fell by 10%, continuing a drop in fatalities first seen last week. WHO said there were more than 10 million new cases and about 60,000 deaths globally. The Western Pacific was the only region where COVID-19 increased, with about a third more infections than the previous week. Deaths rose by 22% in the Western Pacific and about 4% in the Middle East, while declining everywhere else. (3/2)

The New York Times: As Cases Skyrocket, New Zealand Finally Faces Its Covid Reckoning
For much of the past two years, Covid-19 was a phantom presence in New Zealand, a plague experienced mostly through news reports from faraway lands. Now, suddenly, it has become a highly personal threat. New Zealand is being walloped by a major outbreak of the Omicron variant, with the virus spreading at what may be the fastest rate in the world. On Thursday, the country reported 23,194 new cases, a once unthinkable number in a small island nation of about five million people where the record daily case count before the current wave was in the low hundreds. (McKenzie, 3/3)

AP: Why Are COVID Vaccination Rates Still Low In Some Countries? 
Why are COVID-19 vaccination rates still low in some countries? Limited supplies remain a problem, but experts say other challenges now include unpredictable deliveries, weak health care systems and vaccine hesitancy. Most countries with low vaccination rates are in Africa. As of late February, 13 countries in Africa have fully vaccinated less than 5% of their populations, according to Phionah Atuhebwe, an officer for the World Health Organization’s regional office for Africa. Other countries with extremely low vaccination rates include Yemen, Syria, Haiti and Papua New Guinea. (Milko, 3/3)

ScienceDaily: Why Multiple Myeloma Returns: State-Of-The-Art Protein Analyses Reveal New Treatment Target For Bone Marrow Cancer
Multiple myeloma, the most common type of bone marrow cancer in Germany, almost always returns, even after initial treatment success. In the majority of cases, the reasons behind this treatment resistance (e.g., genetic mutations) and the subsequent return of the disease, remain unknown. According to new research, it is the increased production of a specific protein which diminishes the cancer's sensitivity to treatment. (Charite - Universitatsmedizin Berlin, 3/1)

ScienceDaily: The Role Of Lipids In The Development Of Alzheimer’s Disease 
Neurons in the brain coexist with and rely on many other cell types to function properly. Astrocytes, which take their name from their star shape, ensure the survival of neurons by feeding and detoxifying them with the help of a multifunctional protein, APOE. One of three forms of this protein, APOE4, significantly increases the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, but the mechanisms at play are unknown. (Universite de Geneve, 3/1)

CIDRAP: Dementia Patients Died At Higher Rates During Pandemic
Medicare beneficiaries with Alzheimer's disease or other types of dementia—particularly nursing home residents and racial minorities—died at higher rates than others during the COVID-19 pandemic, finds a large study published yesterday in JAMA Neurology. (Van Beusekom, 3/1)

ScienceDaily: Harmless Or Deadly? New Study Examines Evolution Of E. Coli Bacteria
Genetic material from E. coli bacteria in farm animals could be contributing to the evolution of deadly pandemic strains of E. coli in humans, new research shows. (University of Technology Sydney, 3/1)

The Lancet: The Impact Of Remote Home Monitoring Of People With COVID-19 Using Pulse Oximetry 
Remote home monitoring of people testing positive for COVID-19 using pulse oximetry was implemented across England during the Winter of 2020/21 to identify falling blood oxygen saturation levels at an early stage. This was hypothesised to enable earlier hospital admission, reduce the need for intensive care and improve survival. This study is an evaluation of the clinical effectiveness of the pre-hospital monitoring programme, COVID oximetry @home (CO@h). (Sherlaw-Johnson, et al, 3/1)

ScienceDaily: Study Could Help To Defend Humans And Crops From Yeast Infection 
Clues to the mechanism of yeast infections, which present risks to both humans and crops, have been identified in new research. (University of Strathclyde, 3/1)

ScienceDaily: Machine Learning Improves Human Speech Recognition 
Hearing loss is a rapidly growing area of scientific research as the number of baby boomers dealing with hearing loss continues to increase as they age. (American Institute Of Physics, 3/1)

ScienceDaily: Diminished Activation Of Specific Prefrontal Brain Region May Directly Contribute To Binge Eating In Bulimia Nervosa
New research has revealed a key neural mechanism underlying the feeling of being unable to stop eating, the most salient aspect of binge episodes in eating disorders like bulimia nervosa. (The Mount Sinai Hospital/Mount Sinai School Of Medicine, 2/28)

Bloomberg: Biden's Covid-19 Promises Aren't All Scientifically Possible Yet 
Covid-19 has been pushed off front pages by falling case counts and other news stories, though the pandemic’s threat hasn’t really changed — we’re just in the trough of the last wave. Nonetheless, it was strange to hear President Joe Biden talk in his State of the Union address as if the pandemic were just another item on a laundry list of issues from the inflation to infrastructure. (Faye Flam, 3/2)

The Washington Post: Biden’s State Of The Union Was A Visual Representation Of His New Pandemic Plan 
One day after President Biden’s State of the Union address, his administration released a 96-page plan to address the covid-19 pandemic. To understand the essence of the plan, one needs only to consider the setting for Biden’s speech. (Leana S. Wen, 3/2)

USA Today: COVID-19 Restrictions: Yale Students Frustrated With The University
When COVID-19 sent Yale students home in March 2020, I was determined to make the most of it. I kept in touch with my college friends over Zoom. I discovered the game of CATAN and played it online religiously with buddies from high school. My club tennis team even made a chain of videos, whereby everyone would “receive” a tennis ball from the previous video and then hit it to the person in the next video. While nothing could come close to the in-person college experience, I was doing my best to make it work. (Jack Barker, 3/3)

Chicago Tribune: Illinois Thanks You, Dr. Ngozi Ezike 
It became clear long ago that the COVID-19 crisis that has upended all our lives would have no easily defined end. But there’s no disputing the symbolic weight of the Feb. 28 end of the Illinois mask mandate put in place by Gov. J.B. Pritzker. Illinoisans are free to keep wearing a face-covering, of course, but this still feels like a big step toward what passes at normalcy, or as close as we can get given the other shattering problems in the world. Thus Dr. Ngozi Ezike, the state’s Department of Public Health director, has chosen an apt moment to make her exit. In resigning, the state’s top doctor said she now wants to focus on her four kids and her husband, loved ones whom she said have made many sacrifices over the past two years as Ezike led the state’s all-consuming counterattack on COVID-19. (3/2)

Also —

Stat: No One Should Have To Turn To An Underground Market For Affordable Insulin
I am part of an underground market for drugs that looks a lot different from what you might imagine. It’s a network of Facebook groups and mutual aid organizations plus donors on Twitter that provide insulin and other supplies to people with diabetes. The outrageous cost of insulin puts this life-sustaining medicine out of reach for many people, not just for those without insurance or people who are temporarily down on their luck. It also includes people with diabetes like me who are employed and have health insurance but who simply can’t afford to pay hundreds of dollars for an extra vial of insulin. (Alina Bills, 3/3)

The Washington Post: Biden’s State Of The Union Health-Care Proposals Are Worthy, But Not Enough
In his first State of the Union address, President Biden touted the temporary expanded subsidies for people receiving insurance via the Affordable Care Act. He reminded everyone that Americans pay more than people in any other country for prescription drugs, and demanded, once again, that Congress pass legislation allowing Medicare to negotiate their cost. Introducing a boy with Type 1 diabetes, he declared that Americans should have to pay no more than $35 a month for insulin. “Drug companies will still do very well,” he said. (Helaine Olen, 3/2)

Stat: Inappropriate March-In Actions Endanger Public-Private Partnerships 
For decades, partnerships among government-funded academic institutions and private companies in the United States have led to the discovery and development of innovative medicines that are improving, extending, and saving lives. My company’s treatment for advanced prostate cancer, Xtandi (enzalutamide), which emerged from a public-private collaboration, is an example of how this system works to benefit patients. Yet despite the clear health benefits and broad availability of Xtandi, some individuals and organizations want to use it as a test case for disrupting the technology transfer and medical innovation ecosystem that is the pathway to the treatments of tomorrow. (Mark Reisenauer, 3/3)