Stat: Health And Science Are On The Ballot This Election. Here’s What We’re Watching
The midterm elections this year are centered on weighty topics: the economy looms large, as does the existential future of democracy. But there are plenty of health and science priorities on the ballot, too, as Tuesday’s votes will chart the course for the future of health care access, affordability, and public health writ large. (11/7)

The Boston Globe: Here Are The Many Ways Abortion Is On The Ballot Around The Country On Tuesday
Michigan’s amendment is one of the many ways abortion is on the ballot in elections across the country on Tuesday. The Supreme Court’s June decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and its nearly five-decade-old guarantee of a federal right to an abortion kicked the issue back to the states. It also made abortion a centerpiece of the midterm elections. The abortion rights landscape is now a patchwork of state laws that could be directly or indirectly changed by voters at the polls in the first major election since the decision. (Villa Huerta and Coan, 11/6)

ABC News: How Abortion Rights Advocates Say Midterm Elections Could Impact Access In Arizona
Arizona abortion rights advocates have been fielding confusing abortion laws in the state for months. Now, those advocates say the midterm elections are critical for determining access to abortion in the state. Abortion providers in Arizona have been living in "legal limbo" since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, abortion rights advocates say. (Guilfoil, 11/7)

Los Angeles Times: Democrats Rally In Long Beach For Abortion Rights Measure Prop. 1
California’s top Democrats rallied in Long Beach on Sunday morning to urge voters to support Proposition 1, a state constitutional amendment that would block the state from passing any measures restricting access to abortion or contraception. (Rainey, 11/6)

Politico: ‘Republicans Abandoned Me’: Meet The Dobbs Voters Of Michigan 
In one state, the fight over abortion rights has made Election Day particularly unpredictable: Michigan, which has both a high-stakes abortion rights referendum and a governor’s race where abortion has become central. POLITICO spoke to nine voters in the state who have been energized by the issue to vote or engage in politics in a wholly new way. Some of them have switched parties; some are engaging in serious activism for the first time; some are casting their first ever ballots. (Ollstein, 11/4)

KHN: Election Canvassers Want Latinos To Know Voting Is Good For Their Health
Jonathan Flores spent a sunny Saturday in late October knocking on the doors of registered voters in this predominantly Latino working-class town in southeastern Los Angeles County. Most people weren’t home or didn’t come to the door. Some of those who did expressed strong opinions about Joe Biden and Donald Trump and took an interest in abortion rights and clean-air initiatives on the California ballot for the Nov. 8 election. One young man gave Flores the brush-off, saying he doubted his vote would be counted. Like the other canvassers sent out that day by AltaMed Health Services Corp., a large chain of community clinics, Flores sported a black baseball cap and a T-shirt emblazoned with “My Vote. My Health.” Underneath, it read the same in Spanish, “Mi Voto. Mi Salud.” His mission was to urge residents to cast their ballots, even if they had never voted, so they could be fairly represented in city hall, Sacramento, and beyond. (Wolfson, 11/7)

AP: AG: Disposing Embryos Outside Uterus Not Against Tenn. Law
Tennessee’s strict abortion ban does not apply to the disposal of fertilized human embryos that haven’t been transferred to a uterus, according to a recent state attorney general opinion. The determination is among the first issued by an attorney general that provides insight on how laws heavily restricting abortion affect those seeking in vitro fertilization, or IVF, since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion. (Kruesi, 11/4)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin Doctors Want To Join Challenge Of State's 1849 Abortion Law
Three physicians are seeking to intervene in a lawsuit filed this summer by Attorney General Josh Kaul and Gov. Tony Evers that challenges the legal standing of Wisconsin's 173-year-old abortion ban. Pines Bach, a Madison-based law firm, filed a motion Thursday on behalf of the physicians, all of whom routinely treat pregnant patients. (Van Egeren, 11/4)

Oklahoman: Bans Didn't Stop Oklahomans Seeking Abortions, New Research Shows
In the wake of Oklahoma’s abortion bans and the overturning of Roe v. Wade, legal abortions had essentially ceased across the state by June. At the same time, new research shows that online requests for medication abortion increased significantly in Oklahoma and other states that had banned abortion after the Dobbs decision, which overturned the landmark Supreme Court decision that had protected access to abortion for nearly 50 years. (Branham, 11/5)

KHN: Post-‘Roe,’ Contraceptive Failures Carry Bigger Stakes 
Birth control options have improved over the decades. Oral contraceptives are now safer, with fewer side effects. Intrauterine devices can prevent pregnancy 99.6% of the time. But no prescription drug or medical device works flawlessly, and people’s use of contraception is inexact. “No one walks into my office and says, ‘I plan on missing a pill,’” said obstetrician-gynecologist Dr. Mitchell Creinin. (Varney, 11/7)

AP: Medicare Enrollees Warned About Deceptive Marketing Schemes
Mailers designed to look like official government forms. Buses sporting scam pitches for Medicare websites. TV commercials featuring celebrities who encourage people to sign up for Medicare plans that do not always include their current doctors. With Medicare’s open enrollment underway through Dec. 7, health experts are warning older adults about an uptick in misleading marketing tactics that might lead some to sign up for Medicare Advantage plans that do not cover their regular doctors or prescriptions and drive up out-of-pocket costs. (Seitz, 11/5)

The New York Times: Medicare Advantage Or Just Medicare?
The sales pitches show up in your mailbox and inbox, in robocalls and texts. Ads target you on radio and television and social media. Touting Medicare Advantage plans, these campaigns promise low premiums and all kinds of extra benefits. And they work. The proportion of eligible Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans, funded with federal dollars but offered through private insurance companies, has hit 48 percent. By next year, a majority of beneficiaries will probably be Advantage plan enrollees. (Span, 11/5)

In other Medicare and Medicaid news —

Axios: New Medicare Dental Benefits Give Democrats A Small Reason To Smile
Democrats won a consolation prize this week when Medicare administrators added limited dental benefits to next year's coverage, nodding to a priority that got axed in negotiations over the Inflation Reduction Act. (Owens, 11/4)

Modern Healthcare: Medicaid Plans Scrap, Revise Tools With Racial Biases, Survey Shows
A majority of Medicaid managed care organizations have modified or abandoned algorithms, policies or models they determined to be racially biased, according to survey results the Institute for Medicaid Innovation released Friday. (Hartnett, 11/4)

Missouri Independent: Missouri Medicaid Application Wait Times Average 41 Days
Average wait times for Missouri Medicaid applicants fell in September below the federally-allowed maximum for the first time in nearly a year. According to Missouri’s Department of Social Services’ most recent publicly-available data, the state took 41 days on average to process a Medicaid application in September for the eligibility group which includes low-income children, pregnant people, families and adults. (Bates, 11/5)

KHN: Supreme Court To Hear Nursing Home Case That Could Affect Millions 
When Susie Talevski sued the agency that managed her elderly father’s care before he died, she hoped to get justice for her family. She did not expect the case would grow into a national bellwether. A ruling against her could strip millions of vulnerable Americans of their power to hold states accountable when they do not receive benefits allowed by law. “This case has taken on, really, a life of its own way beyond what I could have foreseen,” said Talevski, a resident of Valparaiso, Indiana. (Yousry, 11/7)

In related news about ACA open enrollment —

KHN: Journalists Cut Through The Noise, From Open Enrollment To Magic Mushrooms
KHN chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner helped listeners navigate open enrollment season for Affordable Care Act marketplace plans on Maine Public Radio’s “Maine Calling” on Nov. 1. ... KHN correspondent Aneri Pattani joined a conversation about the 988 suicide prevention hotline on Apple Podcasts’ “Committable” on Nov. 1. (11/5)

The Boston Globe: Eight-Hour Waiting Times. Patients Leaving Before Being Seen. Mass. Hospital Emergency Departments Are Beyond The Brink
The emergency department at Massachusetts General Hospital was so backed up one Friday night last month that Janet Cook waited for nearly eight hours in a wheelchair in a crowded hallway before an inpatient bed opened up. That was after the 69-year-old Norfolk resident had writhed in pain for almost two hours before receiving medication. (Lazar, 11/5)

Modern Healthcare: RSV Wave Has Children's Hospitals In 'Crisis Mode'
Children’s hospitals are being pushed to the brink as they confront a surging respiratory disease outbreak in addition to rising COVID-19 cases and a mental health epidemic. It's a multifaceted threat that may recur without policy fixes. (Hudson and Kacik, 11/4)

Becker's Hospital Review: At Hospital Where Nurse Called 911, 'Zero Candidates Interviewing' For ED Roles, Says President
After staffing issues prompted a nurse at Silverdale, Wash.-based St. Michael Medical Center to call 911 on her own emergency department, representatives for the hospital are speaking publicly about staffing in that department and other issues related to the facility, the Kitsap Sun reported Nov. 3.  (Gooch, 11/4)

In related news —

Becker's Hospital Review: Patients Hospitalwide More Likely To Die When ED Is Overcrowded: Study
Emergency department crowding affects death rates hospitalwide, according to a recent study from University Park, Pa.-based Penn State and the University of California San Francisco. Researchers examined more than 5 million discharge records from California hospitals between October 2015 and December 2017, according to a Nov. 4 article on Penn State's website. They compared these with the number of people in the hospitals' emergency departments to complete their analysis, which was published in the journal Health Sciences Research. (Kayser, 11/4)

Flu and RSV are wreaking havoc —

AP: US Flu Season Off To A Fast Start As Other Viruses Spread
The U.S. flu season is off to an unusually fast start, adding to an autumn mix of viruses that have been filling hospitals and doctor waiting rooms. Reports of flu are already high in 17 states, and the hospitalization rate hasn’t been this high this early since the 2009 swine flu pandemic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So far, there have been an estimated 730 flu deaths, including at least two children. The winter flu season usually flu ramps up in December or January. (Stobbe and Babwin, 11/4)

CIDRAP: CDC Warns About Early Spike In Respiratory Viruses 
Jose Romero, MD, who directs the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said mitigation steps have eased after 2 years of COVID-19 impacts that limited social interactions, and many young children are now being exposed to a host of respiratory viruses for the first time. He also warned that COVID-19 hasn't disappeared, with a rate that has now leveled off after decreasing the last few months. (Schnirring, 11/4)

The Washington Post: As Covid, Flu And RSV Cases Collide, CDC Warms Of A Tough Winter Ahead 
While new coronavirus cases have leveled off in recent weeks, federal health officials warned Friday they are confronting elevated levels of other viruses that are roaring back as pre-pandemic life returns and many Americans, particularly children, lack immunity. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an advisory about respiratory viruses to thousands of health-care providers in an attempt to bolster testing, treatment and vaccination. (Nirappil, 11/4)

AP: Flu Forces Alabama School District To Go Virtual For A Week 
An Alabama school district is switching to virtual classes [this] week because of rising flu cases among students and teachers. Marshall County school officials have put in-person classes on hold and asked students to log in for remote learning Monday through Thursday. (Guntersville, 11/6)

CBS News/AP: Amy Schumer Reveals Son Is "Better" After Being Hospitalized With RSV
Comedian Amy Schumer revealed Sunday that her young son was hospitalized this past week with respiratory syncytial virus, also known as RSV. She described the experience as the "hardest week of my life." (11/6)

Bloomberg: Pfizer’s Paxlovid Antiviral Lowered Long-Covid Risk In Study
Taking the oral medication within five days of testing positive for a SARS-CoV-2 infection was linked to a 26% lower risk of lingering post-viral complications, researchers with the Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care System said in the study. That equates to 2.3 fewer cases of long Covid within three months of infection for every 100 patients treated, according to the findings released Saturday on the medRxiv server ahead of publication in a peer-reviewed journal. (Gale, 11/6)

The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer: Is Long COVID Just Another Form Of Chronic Fatigue? 
As scientists struggle to unpack the mystery of long COVID, it’s hard to ignore that the majority of those who suffer from it share a common symptom - debilitating fatigue. Researchers estimate that as many as 85% of those with long COVID experience a crippling fatigue that renders them unable to work or manage even simple daily tasks. (Kroen, 11/6)

In other news about covid treatments —

CIDRAP: Oral Zinc Cuts Risk Of Death, ICU Stay Nearly 40% In COVID-19 Patients
Tunisian COVID-19 patients given oral zinc twice daily had a nearly 40% lower rate of death and intensive care unit (ICU) admission, as well as shorter hospital stays and time to symptom resolution, concludes a randomized controlled trial published today in Clinical Infectious Diseases. ... Zinc has a key role in regulating the immune system, the authors noted. "Zinc should be considered for the treatment of patients with COVID-19," they wrote. (11/4)

CBS News: Man Who Had COVID For 411 Days Finally Cured With Regeneron Cocktail Given To Trump
A man in Britain who was infected with COVID-19 for 411 days was finally cured after receiving the same cocktail of drugs given to former President Donald Trump, doctors in London said. His is one of the longest-know cases of COVID in the world, after another patient who was infected for 505 days, according to the team at the London hospital that treated him. (Ott, 11/4)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: CDC: Wide Gap In How Blacks, Hispanics Were Treated For COVID-19
Dramatically fewer Black and Hispanic adult outpatients were given the leading antiviral medication for COVID-19 than White and non-Hispanics -- even as medical professionals knew they were less likely to get equivalent treatment because of long-pervasive racial and ethnic disparities. (Anteau, 11/7)

Also —

CIDRAP: Study Shows Moderate, Severe COVID Diminishes Quality Of Life 1 Year Later
In a new study in BMC Medicine, Dutch researchers report that, 12 months after illness onset, people with initially moderate to severe COVID-19 still had impaired health-related quality of life (HRQL), but the same was not true for mild COVID-19. (11/4)

The Boston Globe: Man Who Was First In Line For A Custom CRISPR Therapy Dies
A man with muscular dystrophy who was first in line to receive an experimental gene editing therapy tailor made to treat the cause of his rare form of the disease has died. The creation of the first-of-its-kind therapy for Terry Horgan, 27, was helmed by the Boston and Connecticut based nonprofit Cure Rare Disease — founded and led by Terry’s older brother, Richard Horgan. (Cross, 11/4)

AP: Death In US Gene Therapy Study Sparks Search For Answers 
The lone volunteer in a unique study involving a gene-editing technique has died, and those behind the trial are now trying to figure out what killed him. Terry Horgan, a 27-year-old who had Duchenne muscular dystrophy, died last month, according to Cure Rare Disease, a Connecticut-based nonprofit founded by his brother, Rich, to try and save him from the fatal condition. Although little is known about how he died, his death occurred during one of the first studies to test a gene editing treatment built for one person. (Ungar, 11/4)

More on gene therapy —

The Boston Globe: Duke, MIT, And Stanford Scientists Create RNA Technology That Could Improve Genetic Therapies
Scientists from Duke, MIT, and Stanford have independently devised a molecular trick that could help make genetic therapies safer and more effective. The technology, which was disclosed in three separate papers published recently, could help ensure that treatments based on DNA or RNA are only activated once they reach the right part of the body. (Cross, 11/6)

In other pharmaceutical news —

NPR: Statins 'Vastly Superior' To Supplements To Cut Heart Attack Risk, Study Finds
"What we found was that rosuvastatin lowered LDL cholesterol by almost 38% and that was vastly superior to placebo and any of the six supplements studied in the trial," study author Luke Laffin, M.D. of the Cleveland Clinic's Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute told NPR. He says this level of reduction is enough to lower the risk of heart attacks and strokes. The findings are published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. (Aubrey, 11/6)

The Wall Street Journal: Walgreens Unit Close To Roughly $9 Billion Deal With Summit Health 
A unit of Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. WBA 3.72%increase; green up pointing triangle is nearing a deal to combine with a big owner of medical practices and urgent-care centers in a transaction worth roughly $9 billion including debt, according to people familiar with the matter, the latest in a string of acquisitions by big consumer-focused companies aiming to delve deeper into medical care. (Cooper, 11/6)

Stat: Supreme Court Agrees To Review A Closely Watched Patent Case
In a boost for Amgen, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a case in which the company argued a federal appeals court incorrectly determined its patent claims on a cholesterol medication are invalid. (Silverman, 11/4)

Stat: A 'Blank Check': Bill To Boost Antibiotic Development Blasted As A 'Flawed' Giveaway To Pharma 
Amid mounting concern over antibiotic resistance, a coalition of academics and advocacy groups is urging Congress not to pass legislation to reward drug companies for developing new treatments, because they argue the bill fails to require acceptable clinical trial standards and is tantamount to a giveaway to the pharmaceutical industry. (Silverman, 11/4)

Becker's Hospital Review: Kaiser Permanente Reports $1.5B Q3 Loss
Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and their subsidiaries reported a net loss of $1.5 billion for the quarter ending Sept. 30, according to a Nov. 4 financial report. The company posted total operating revenues of $24.3 billion and total operating expenses of $24.3 billion for the quarter. Total operating revenues of $23.2 billion and total operating expenses of $23.1 billion for the same period in 2021. (Tucker, 11/4)

AP: Negotiations Collapse Between Mississippi Medical Facilities
A financially-troubled Mississippi hospital announced Friday that negotiations with a medical campus planning to take over the hospital had collapsed. Just hours after revealing its plan to lay off up to 80 employees, the Greenwood Leflore Hospital said that the University of Mississippi Medical Center was no longer interested in completing a deal to take over the hospital. The breakdown in talks increases the risk of the hospital’s closure and threatens to decrease health care access in the state’s impoverished delta region. (11/4)

Stat: Microsoft AI Tool Creates Data-Sharing Divide In Hospitals
The artificial intelligence system is a dream for many doctors: It records their conversations with patients and automatically transcribes the notes into their computer systems. No need to bring a laptop to every patient visit, or spend hours afterward on documentation. But the product, sold by Nuance Communications and its parent, Microsoft, comes with strings attached: To improve its accuracy, health systems sworn to protect privacy must share patients’ most sensitive data with companies trying to develop their next blockbuster product. (Ross, 11/7)

The New York Times: Florida Restricts Doctors From Providing Gender Treatments To Minors
Florida has effectively banned medications and surgery for new adolescent patients seeking gender transitions after an unprecedented vote by the state’s medical board. ... The board voted 6-3 (with five others not present) on Friday to adopt a new standard of care that forbids doctors to prescribe puberty blockers and hormones, or perform surgeries, until transgender patients are 18. Exceptions will be allowed for children who are already receiving the treatments. The Florida Board of Osteopathic Medicine also voted to restrict care for new patients on Friday, but allowed an exception for children enrolled in clinical studies. Doctors who flout the rules risk losing their medical licenses. (Ghorayshi, 11/4)

In other health news from across the U.S. —

WFSU: Florida's Attorney General Launches The One Pill Can Kill Website To Combat Fentanyl
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody has launched the One Pill Can Kill website with resources about the dangers of fentanyl. More and more, she says the opioid is being hidden in drugs like marijuana and cocaine, unbeknownst to the user. (Jordan, 11/4)

AP: West Virginia's Opioid Crisis Transcends Partisan Politics 
Dr. Frank Annie sees desperation in his hospital, where 30- and 40-year-olds come in with organ failure after injecting opioids with dirty needles. Joe Solomon finds it in the faces of those who line up in the church gyms and parking lots where he passes out overdose reversal drugs. Sheena Griffith encounters it on the streets she navigates with a car packed with HIV test kits and disinfectant for sanitizing syringes. Annie is a Republican, Solomon a Democrat and Griffith an independent. All three are running for city council in the capital city of battle-scarred West Virginia, where the devastating toll of the opioid crisis transcends party politics. (Willingham, 11/6)

AP: Maine Clarifies Limits On Medical Marijuana Providers 
Maine delivered an October surprise to medical marijuana providers with guidance limiting the sale of pre-rolled marijuana and liquid concentrates by treating them like tobacco. The Maine Office of Cannabis Policy released guidance on Oct. 7 that effectively bans medical marijuana caregivers without a storefront from providing those products altogether while medical marijuana dispensaries and stores must treat them like tobacco products with an age limit of 21. Previously, those could be provided to people 18 and older with a medical marijuana card. (Sharp, 11/4)

Stateline: States Struggle To Curb Fake Emotional Support Animals
Numerous websites promise to qualify any pet as an emotional support animal that the sites claim can go nearly anywhere — inside restaurants and stores, into “no pets” apartments and throughout college dorms. The easily obtained certificates are making it tough for states to crack down on fake support animals without running afoul of federal fair housing or anti-discrimination laws. (Povich, 11/4)

NBC News: Highly Processed Foods Are Linked To Early Death, Study Finds
A study published Monday in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine estimated that in 2019, the deaths of around 57,000 Brazilian people between the ages of 30 and 69 were attributable to the consumption of ultra-processed food. That amounts to more than 10% of annual premature deaths in Brazil among that age group. (Bendix, 11/7)

Fox News: Non-Stick Pans Could Release Millions Of Microplastic Particles In Possible 'Health Concern,' Study Says 
Non-stick pots could be releasing millions of tiny plastic particles as users are cooking or washing. (Musto, 11/5)

NPR: National Park Service Asks Visitors Stop Licking Toxic Toads
The toad, also known as the Colorado river toad, is about seven inches in size and carries a weak, low-pitched ribbit sound. But the creature is far from harmless. Sonoran desert toads secrete a potent toxin that can make people sick if they touch it or get the poison in their mouth, according to the National Park Service. (Kim, 11/6)

NBC News: FDA Advises Parents Not To Use Infant Head Shaping Pillows
Parents should not use infant head shaping pillows to change a baby’s head shape or symmetry, the Food and Drug Administration advised on Thursday. (Lenthang, 11/4)

In monkeypox updates —

CIDRAP: Household Contact, Sex Among Risk Factors In Monkeypox Cases In Kids, Teens
In a study today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, researchers detail 83 confirmed monkeypox cases among US children and teens, noting household contact in younger kids and sex in teens as the major risk factors.... Among the teens, 89% were boys, and 66% were presumed to contract the virus during MSM sexual contact. Only 16 girls were confirmed to have contracted the virus. (Soucheray, 11/4)

And the pope demands an end to female genital mutilation —

AP: Pope Calls Female Genital Mutilation A Crime That Must Stop
Pope Francis called female genital mutilation a “crime” on Sunday and said the fight for women’s rights, equality and opportunity must continue for the good of society. “How is it that today in the world we cannot stop the tragedy of infibulation of young girls?” he asked, referring to the ritual cutting of a girls’ external genitalia. “This is terrible that today there is a practice that humanity isn’t able to stop. It’s a crime. It’s a criminal act!” (Winfield, 11/6)

USA Today: COVID Testing Failures Show US Needs To Rethink Pandemic Response
When the first U.S. case of monkeypox infection was detected in May, the Massachusetts State Public Health Laboratory had a test already in place. The assay was developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention years before in anticipation of such an outbreak and distributed to members of the Laboratory Response Network, a group of governmental public health labs prepared for high-priority public health emergencies. (Scott J. Becker, 11/5)

The New York Times: I Write About Post-Roe America Every Day. It’s Worse Than You Think.
This past summer, after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. W‌ade, I started publishing a daily newsletter tracking abortion news, ‌following everything from state bans to stories of women denied vital health care. After months of writing about abortion, it’s clear that stripping this right from half of Americans has had a swift, damaging and pervasive impact. (Jessica Valenti, 11/5)

Scientific American: How Medical Systems Can Help People Vote 
Hospitals and community health centers are cornerstones of our communities. (Ilan Shapiro, Shweta Namjoshi and Olivia S. Morris, 11/6)

Los Angeles Times: Say What? Public Health Leaders Must Improve Their Messaging On The Pandemic
Heading into the third winter since COVID-19 emerged in the U.S., public health leaders have an abundance of information about the deadly virus. How it spreads and how to stop it. What they haven’t yet figured out is how to communicate this information effectively. (11/6)

Stat: My Decision To Leave Medicine Hooked Me Back In 
The morning was crisp and still dark as I sat in my car in the hospital lot, summoning the will to open the door and leave for my shift in the emergency department. Like many frontline providers in early 2021, I felt pancaked by the two pandemic surges — emotionally and morally. (Jay Baruch, 11/7)