The Washington Post: After Chaotic Week, House Heads Home With Government Shutdown On Horizon
House lawmakers left town Thursday after a dramatic three-day workweek that saw them launch a divisive impeachment inquiry and calls for the removal of Speaker Kevin McCarthy from his position, as they made little movement toward averting a government shutdown. Republicans also weren’t able to move forward a traditionally noncontroversial defense spending bill, stymied by deep divisions in the party despite a shared goal of approving 12 individual appropriations bills. (Sotomayor, Caldwell, Wang and Alemany, 9/14)

Military.Com: Odds Of Shutdown And Missed Paychecks For Troops Grow Amid Chaos In The House
The threat of a government shutdown -- and the missed paychecks it would mean for service members -- is growing after a chaotic week in the House that saw lawmakers unable to even take up a bill that would fund the Pentagon. The House had been scheduled to vote this week on the fiscal 2024 defense appropriations bill. But members of the far-right Freedom Caucus and other staunch conservatives threatened to oppose a procedural motion on the bill because of demands unrelated to its content, prompting House Republican leadership to scuttle the planned vote. (Kheel, 9/14)

KFF Health News and Cox Media Group: Social Security Overpays Billions To People, Many On Disability. Then It Asks For The Money Back
Justina Worrell, 47, works part time as a kitchen helper in an Ohio nursing home. She has cerebral palsy, an intellectual disability, and a cardiac condition that required she get an artificial heart valve at age 20. A year ago, she was earning $862 a month and receiving about $1,065 in monthly Social Security disability benefits when a letter arrived from the federal government. The Social Security Administration had been overpaying her, the letter said, and wanted money back. Within 30 days, it said, she should mail the government a check or money order. For $60,175.90. (Hilzenrath and Fleischer, 9/15)

More updates from Capitol Hill —

Roll Call: Sanders, Marshall Reach Deal On Health Programs, But Challenges Remain
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Chairman Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., announced Thursday that he has reached a deal with Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., to reauthorize and increase funding for several key health programs, but it’s unclear how much Republican support the agreement will have. (Hellmann and Clason, 9/14)

The Hill: GOP Faces Pressure To Reauthorize Key HIV Initiative Held Up By Anti-Abortion Republican 
Pressure is mounting on the GOP-majority House to pass a reauthorization of the U.S.’s long-term global HIV initiative, but the lawmaker holding up the legislation is showing no signs of moving.  Former President George W. Bush, who launched the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in 2003, called on Congress to pass a five-year reauthorization in an op-ed published by The Washington Post this week, saying it would become a source of national shame if the program’s authorization was allowed to expire. (Choi, 9/14)

Axios: Sanders' Primary Care Plan Draws Fire
A Bernie Sanders-led plan to fortify primary care and the health care workforce is drawing swift opposition from hospitals — and stirring dissent on the Senate HELP Committee he chairs. (Sullivan, 9/15)

On Medicare —

AP: Americans Overwhelmingly Support Medicare Drug Negotiations, But Biden Sees Little Political Boost 
President Joe Biden is trumpeting Medicare’s new powers to negotiate directly with drugmakers on the cost of prescription medications — but a new poll shows that any immediate political boost that Biden gets for enacting the overwhelmingly popular policy may be limited. Three-quarters of Americans, or 76%, favor allowing the federal health care program for the elderly to negotiate prices for certain prescription drugs. That includes strong majorities of Democrats (86%) and Republicans (66%), according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. About one in five Americans are neutral on the issue, while 6% outright oppose it. (Kim and Sanders, 9/15)

Stat: Medicare Demurs On Monitoring How Rebates Affect Part D Spending
The U.S. government should monitor the effect that rebates have on Medicare Part D plans and whether these discounts ultimately discourage some people from enrolling in the prescription drug program, according to a new report by a federal watchdog. (Silverman, 9/14)

Reuters: J&J, P&G, Walgreens Sued After FDA Panel Ruling On Cold Medicine Decongestant
Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble and Walgreens are among several companies accused in lawsuits of deceiving consumers about cold medicines containing an ingredient that a unanimous U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel declared ineffective. Proposed class actions were filed on Wednesday and Thursday, after the panel reviewed several studies and concluded this week that the ingredient phenylephrine marketed as a decongestant was essentially no better than a placebo. (Stempel, 9/14)

Reuters: US FDA To Seek Public Opinion Before Banning Popular Cough Syrup Ingredient
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Thursday it would seek public opinion before finalizing its decision to remove a decongestant widely used in cough syrups from the agency's list of ingredients for over-the-counter (OTC) use. The FDA's clarification follows a unanimous vote by its panel of outside experts on Tuesday against the effectiveness of oral OTC medicines made with phenylephrine, an ingredient widely used in cold and cough syrups. (9/14)

On the FDA's struggle with drug shortages —

Roll Call: Partisan Divide On Drug Shortages Unresolved After Hearing
Democrats and Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee appear no closer to resolving differences around prescription drug shortages after a legislative hearing in the Health Subcommittee on Thursday. The debate is entangled in a stalled reauthorization of a pandemic and emergency preparedness law that expires Sept. 30. (Clason, 9/14)

Stat: House Panel Takes First Step Toward Fixing Drug Shortages
A House subcommittee took a first step Thursday toward legislation to fix drug shortages at hospitals. Don’t expect a new law soon, though. Asked if he expects the House to pass a bill on the subject this year, Energy and Commerce health subcommittee Chair Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) said drug shortages are an emergency, “but the proposals that have been offered aren’t going to fix it by tomorrow or the next day.” (Wilkerson, 9/14)

Roll Call: After Infant Formula Crisis, Lawmakers Look To Donor Milk
An infant formula shortage last year that left store shelves empty and parents panicked spurred lawmakers to scramble for solutions. One year later, some think they’ve found one: Donor breast milk. On Thursday, a bipartisan group of lawmakers led by Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., will introduce a bill that aims to increase access to pasteurized donor milk for infants and push the FDA to regulate the practice. (Cohen, 9/14)

On drug patents —

Stat: FTC Warns Drugmakers Over Improper Patent Filings
The Federal Trade Commission warned pharmaceutical companies they could face legal action if they improperly list patents for brand-name medicines in a Food and Drug Administration registry, the latest effort by the federal government to scrutinize patent moves by drugmakers. (Silverman, 9/14)

USA Today: Planned Parenthood Of Wisconsin Abortions Resume, After Judge's Ruling
Wisconsin's largest provider of abortions announced Thursday it was resuming services after a judge signaled in July she did not believe the state's abortion law actually bans consensual procedures like those performed at Planned Parenthood. The move comes after abortions have been unavailable in Wisconsin for more than a year after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortions in the U.S. for 50 years before it was struck down in 2022. (Beck and Opoien, 9/14)

AP: Planned Parenthood Sues To Expand South Carolina Abortion Access Under Strict New Ban
Abortion providers urged South Carolina’s highest court on Thursday to lengthen the narrow window when a pregnancy can be legally terminated under the state’s strict new ban. The conservative state’s all-male Supreme Court last month upheld a so-called “fetal heartbeat” law commonly understood to restrict access after about six weeks of pregnancy, which is before most women know they’re pregnant. (Pollard, 9/14)

Idaho Capital Sun: Judge May Rule Soon On Whether Idaho’s ‘Abortion Trafficking’ Law Can Be Enforced
U.S. Magistrate Judge Debora K. Grasham is expected to decide in the coming weeks whether to grant a request to temporarily bar Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador from enforcing the state’s so-called “abortion trafficking” law as a lawsuit over its constitutionality proceeds in federal court. Grasham heard the case in district court in Boise on Thursday afternoon. (Moseley-Morris, 9/14)

NBC News: Nevada Abortion-Rights Groups Seek State Constitutional Amendment
Reproductive rights advocates are trying to put the question of abortion access on the 2024 ballot in the battleground state of Nevada. On Thursday, a coalition including Planned Parenthood, NARAL Pro-Choice Nevada and the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada filed a petition with the secretary of state’s office to secure a ballot question about enshrining abortion protections in the state constitution. A copy of the proposed amendment was first shared with NBC News. (Korecki, 9/14)

The Guardian: DeSantis Contradicts Own Abortion Law To Claim Woman Will Not Be Criminalized
Ron DeSantis has contradicted the wording of the six-week abortion ban that he himself signed into law in April, insisting that women who terminate their pregnancies will not be criminalized under the prohibition. The Florida governor and Republican White House hopeful told CBS Evening News that women would not be liable for fines and imprisonment under the ban. Only doctors who perform abortions would be targeted. (Pilkington, 9/14)

The Washington Post: New Abortion Chatbot Can Help Find Healthcare, Even In States With Bans 
For abortion seekers, deciding whom to trust is important. Now there’s an online chatbot that purports to help. Starting this week, an abortion bot called Charley from the team behind major abortion organizations Planned Parenthood, IneedanA and Plan C is rolling out across the United States — even in states with abortion bans — to help people find accessible health care. Users answer a series of questions such as the date of their last period, their Zip code and the type of procedure they’re looking for. Along the way, the bot points them toward vetted clinics, telehealth providers or support resources. (Hunter, 9/15)

In other reproductive health news —

Military.com: Lawmakers Reintroduce Bill To Expand Fertility Services To Service Members, Veterans 
Senate and House Democrats are trying again to expand fertility treatments for active-duty personnel and veterans whose military-related disabilities render them unable to conceive without help. Sen. Patty Murray and Rep. Rick Larsen, both Democrats from Washington state, along with Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., plan to introduce bills in their chambers Thursday that would cover in vitro fertilization, cryopreservation of eggs and sperm, and other health treatments for military family and veteran beneficiaries. (Kime, 9/14)

Bloomberg: Artificial Wombs That Could Help Premature Babies Will Meet FDA Scrutiny
The first artificial womb capable of gestating a human baby will get one step closer to reality next week — a key scientific milestone that could offer hope for the thousands of extremely premature babies born in the US each year. The artificial placentas are fluid-filled pods intended to help struggling prematurely born infants develop much like they would in the prenatal environment. Next week, Food and Drug Administration officials will weigh in on the safety and efficacy of the devices, as well as ethical considerations for the first-in-human studies. Part of it will be held behind closed doors, to protect trade secrets. (Rutherford, 9/14)

CBS News: Looking For The New COVID Vaccine Booster? Here's Where To Get The Shot
Reformulated vaccine is already available at some pharmacies and will be more widely accessible starting next week. (Cerullo, 9/14)

North Carolina Health News: Get The New COVID Booster, Public Health Officials Say
We’ve lived with COVID-19 for three and a half years now, and just when it seems like we’re close to declaring checkmate, the SARS-CoV-2 virus shows its uncanny ability to survive. This coronavirus is a master at evolving, throwing variant after variant at us. (Blythe, 9/15)

KFF Health News: A New Covid Booster Is Here. Will Those At Greatest Risk Get It? 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends new covid-19 booster vaccines for all — but many who need them most won’t get them. About 75% of people in the United States appear to have skipped last year’s bivalent booster, and nothing suggests uptake will be better this time around. “Urging people to get boosters has really only worked for Democrats, college graduates, and people making over $90,000 a year,” said Gregg Gonsalves, an epidemiologist at Yale University. “Those are the same people who will get this booster because it’s not like we’re doing anything differently to confront the inequities in place.” (Maxmen, 9/15)

In other pandemic news —

Reuters: US CDC Expects 'Tripledemic' Hospitalizations To Remain High This Year Vs Pre-Pandemic Levels 
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Thursday it expects the total number of hospitalizations from COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus infections and flu this year to be similar to last year, higher than pre-pandemic levels. The government health agency also said it expects flu and RSV infections to increase over the fall and winter seasons. (9/14)

USA Today: Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Was Tested On More Than 4 Rats | Fact Check
A Sept. 12 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) shows a screenshot of a post on X, formerly Twitter, about a newly approved COVID-19 vaccine. “The new FDA-approved COVID shots were tested on four rats,” reads part of the post. "Yes, four rats. Four. Rats." ... The post misinterprets a study that involved 44 rats, not four. And it was published in 2021, long before the latest version of the vaccine was developed. (McCreary, 9/14)

CIDRAP: California Healthcare Industry Had Highest COVID-19 Death Rate Of All Occupations Early In Pandemic 
In the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic, Californians who worked in healthcare, "other services," manufacturing, transportation, and retail trade industries had higher death rates than the professional, scientific, and technical industries, which had some of the lowest rates, finds a study published today in the Annals of Epidemiology. California Department of Public Health researchers used death certificates to identify COVID-19 deaths that occurred from January 2020 to May 2022 among 17.7 million residents ages 18 to 64 years. They also used the Current Population Survey to estimate the number of working-age adults at risk of COVID-19 death. (Van Beusekom, 9/14)

CIDRAP: Study Shows Value Of Wastewater Surveillance For Early Detection Of Flu, RSV 
Today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, researchers in Wisconsin show how during the 2022-23 respiratory diseases season, high concentrations of influenza A virus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in wastewater samples in three Wisconsin cities preceded virus-associated emergency department (ED) visits. The authors say the study provides more evidence that wastewater surveillance can detect viral signals earlier than other surveillance methods. (Soucheray, 9/14)

CIDRAP: Trial: Alternative COVID Vaccine 75% Cross-Protective Against Symptomatic Cases In Previously Infected
A phase 3 randomized, controlled trial in adults in eight countries concludes that a protein-based vaccine targeting both the wild-type and Beta SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins is an estimated 75.1% effective against symptomatic COVID-19 among previously infected people and 30.9% among those never-infected amid Omicron variant predominance. The researchers said the findings, published yesterday in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, suggest that vaccines developed with an antigen from a non-dominant SARS-CoV-2 strain can provide cross-protection against newer variants. (Van Beusekom, 9/14)

Axios: Hospital Staffing Shortages Are Leading To Longer ER Visit Times
Americans in need of urgent care are spending increasingly longer stretches of time in hospital emergency rooms, per recently released figures. The median time patients spent in emergency rooms was 2 hours, 40 minutes nationwide based on a 12-month average ending in the third quarter of 2022, according to the latest Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) data. (Fitzpatrick, 9/15)

Modern Healthcare: Why Unions See Nursing, Clinician Membership Increasing
As health systems continue to wrestle with employee burnout, momentum within the healthcare industry to unionize its workforce may be on the upswing. In 2021, only 13.2% of healthcare workers were unionized, a percentage that hasn’t changed much in the past decade according to the most recent research published in JAMA Network Open. However, major healthcare labor groups say they are seeing increased interest in union representation from clinicians. This year, the National Labor Relations Board has received petitions for labor representation from groups of clinicians and other workers at more than 200 healthcare facilities. (Devereaux, 9/14)

KFF Health News: Rural Nursing Home Supporters Fear Proposed Staffing Standards Will Trigger More Closures 
Many rural communities like this one face a health care dilemma: Is it better to have a nursing home that struggles to hire workers or no nursing home at all? The national debate over that question will heat up now that federal regulators have proposed to improve care by setting minimum staffing levels for all U.S. nursing homes. Rural nursing homes would have five years to comply with some of the rules, versus three for their urban counterparts. Facilities also could apply for “hardship exemptions.” But industry leaders predict the rules could accelerate a wave of closures that has already claimed hundreds of rural nursing homes. (Leys, 9/15)

More health industry news —

Modern Healthcare: Hospital Readmissions Penalties Increasing In 2024: CMS
More hospitals will face readmissions penalties in 2024, a departure from the lower rates of reimbursement cuts providers saw last year, according to preliminary data released Thursday. While the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has resumed use of its pneumonia readmissions measure, which was excluded last year from its Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program, payment adjustments have not returned to pre-pandemic levels. (Devereaux, 9/15)

Modern Healthcare: Ambulance Services Mostly Out Of Network: FAIR Health
Nearly six in 10 ground ambulance claims were out-of-network last year, putting patients at significant risk of surprise bills, FAIR Health reported Thursday. The federal No Surprises Act provides consumer protections against unexpected charges from air ambulance providers but does not cover ground ambulance services. Last year, 59.4% of ground ambulance trips were out of network, according to a FAIR Health analysis of private health insurance claims data. (Devereaux, 9/14)

KFF Health News: KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Underinsured Is The New Uninsured
The percentage of working-age adults with health insurance went up and the uninsured rate dropped last year, the U.S. Census Bureau reported this week. There isn’t much suspense about which way the uninsured rate is now trending, as states continue efforts to strip ineligible beneficiaries from their Medicaid rolls. But is the focus on the uninsured obscuring the struggles of the underinsured? (9/14)

Stat: MDMA Is Safe And Effective Treatment For PTSD, Says New Study
MDMA is a safe and effective treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder in a racially and ethnically diverse population, according to the results of a study published Thursday in Nature Medicine. The research adds to the growing body of evidence supporting MDMA as a treatment for PTSD, and brings the psychedelic one step closer to potentially becoming the first to obtain Food and Drug Administration approval. (Merelli, 9/14)

The New York Times: MDMA Therapy For PTSD Inches Closer To U.S. Approval 
MDMA, also known as Ecstasy or Molly, has been an illegal substance since 1985, when the Drug Enforcement Administration classified it as a Schedule 1 drug, placing it in the highest category for controlled drugs that the agency deems of no medical use and that have a high potential for abuse. Before that, MDMA was administered by an estimated hundreds of therapists in North America and Europe for couples counseling, personal growth and to address trauma. (Nuwer, 9/14)

Also —

KCRW: Magic Mushrooms Might Soon Be Legal In California. Who Benefits? 
Psychedelics have been getting a lot of attention recently. As the drug war cools down and the stigma dissipates, new research has revealed the potential of these substances to support transformational mental health care. The state of Oregon and the cities of Santa Cruz and Oakland have already decriminalized certain psychedelics, and a new bill that just passed the California legislature would do the same in the Golden State. (Reed, 9/12)

AP: Magic Mushrooms: Thousands Sign Up For Oregon's Psilocybin Experiment
Psilocybin tea, wind chimes and a tie-dye mattress await those coming to an office suite in Eugene to trip on magic mushrooms. For roughly six hours, adults over 21 can experience what many users describe as vivid geometric shapes, a loss of identity and a oneness with the universe. Epic Healing Eugene — Oregon’s first licensed psilocybin service center — opened in June, marking the state’s unprecedented step in offering the mind-bending drug to the public. The center now has a waitlist of more than 3,000 names, including people with depression, PTSD or end-of-life dread. (Selsky, 9/15)

Big Think: How Psychedelics May Therapeutically Alter The Link Between Your Two “Selves” 
Interoception, the body's sense of its internal state, might be key to understanding consciousness and the benefits of psychedelic therapy. (Brigs, 9/13)

Bloomberg: Oleander Found In Tejocote Root Bought For Weight Loss Claims
A poisonous and sometimes deadly yellow plant is increasingly being found in diet pills and health foods, a concerning trend as Americans seek out unregulated alternatives to popular weight loss medications like Ozempic and Wegovy. Testing at a lab in Oregon revealed that nine out of 10 products labeled as Tejocote Root were actually a plant called yellow oleander that is toxic to humans, according to findings published Thursday in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. (Muller, 9/14)

NBC News: Weight Loss Supplement May Have A Poisonous Ingredient, CDC Warns
In its report, the FDA cautioned that several products labeled as Nuez de la India and sold online through platforms like Amazon, Walmart or eBay may be yellow oleander instead. The agency named two brands: Nut Diet Max and Todorganic Natural Products, both of which voluntarily recalled the products. But the FDA warned that other candlenut supplements “with similar marketing descriptions may also contain yellow oleander.” (Bendix, 9/14)

In other pharmaceutical industry news —

Reuters: Bristol Myers Plans To Double Experimental Treatments To Expand Research Pipeline
Bristol Myers Squibb said on Thursday it plans to double the number of treatments it is testing in clinical trials, with a focus on cell therapies, over the next 18 months, as it contends with increasing generic competition for two of its top-selling drugs. The drugmaker, which currently has six candidates in trials, will advance six more in its research pipeline - including three cell therapies that target immune system disorders and different types of cancer. (9/14)

The Boston Globe: Vertex Scientists Share $3 Million Prize For Developing The Company’s Cystic Fibrosis Drugs
Three scientists at Vertex Pharmaceuticals will share a $3 million prize for revolutionizing the treatment of cystic fibrosis and adding decades to the lives of patients with the deadly genetic disease. Sabine Hadida and Paul Negulescu, both senior vice presidents at the Boston-based company, and Fredrick Van Goor, vice president and head of cystic fibrosis research, will receive a 2024 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences for developing four game-changing Vertex drugs that have won approval since 2012. (Saltzman, 9/14)

The Boston Globe: Saudi Fund Sets Up In Boston To Plow $1 Billion A Year Into Research And Drugs To Extend Life
Saudi Arabia is bringing its gusher of investment capital to Boston, setting up shop in the nation’s biotechnology hub to bankroll scientists seeking ways to extend human life. A new funding organization, created by decree by Saudi King Salman and chaired by the kingdom’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, opened its North American headquarters this week on the 22nd floor of 200 Clarendon, formerly known as the John Hancock Tower. The group, called the Hevolution Foundation, is promising to invest as much as $1 billion a year in academic research and biotech startups that promote longevity by slowing down aging and combating age-related diseases. (Weisman, 9/14)

AP: Johnson & Johnson Is Getting Rid Of Its Script Logo After More Than 130 Years
Johnson & Johnson is signing off on a new logo. The health care giant said Thursday that it will replace the well-known signature script it has used since 1887 with a modern look that reflects its sharpened focus on pharmaceuticals and medical devices. The original script — based on co-founder James Wood Johnson’s signature — will still be seen for now on consumer products like baby shampoo from Kenvue, a new company recently spun off from J&J. (Murphy, 9/14)

Also —

AP: Repurposing Dead Spiders, Counting Cadaver Nose Hairs Win Ig Nobels For Comical Scientific Feats 
Counting nose hairs in cadavers, repurposing dead spiders and explaining why scientists lick rocks, are among the winning achievements in this year’s Ig Nobels, the prize for humorous scientific feats, organizers announced Thursday. The 33rd annual prize ceremony was a prerecorded online event, as it has been since the coronavirus pandemic, instead of the past live ceremonies at Harvard University. Ten spoof prizes were awarded to the teams and individuals around the globe. (Rathke, 9/14)

The Boston Globe: Dana-Farber, In Break With Brigham And Women’s, Will Build New Cancer Center With Beth Israel
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center have announced plans to build a new free-standing inpatient hospital for adult cancer care in Boston, breaking the cancer hospital’s almost 30-year relationship with Brigham and Women’s in a move executives said will reshape oncology care in the region. (Bartlett, 9/14)

Bloomberg: NYC’s Mount Sinai Hospital Plans To Close Its Beth Israel Campus
New York City’s Mount Sinai Medical Center plans to gradually close its Beth Israel campus in downtown Manhattan after years of financial losses. Beth Israel lost $1 billion over the past decade “despite massive investments and upgrades,” spokesperson Lucia Lee said in a statement Thursday, adding that it is expected to lose $150 million this year as it operates at only 20% of capacity. She declined to give more detail on the timing of the closing but said the hospital, located on East 16th Street in Manhattan, and its emergency room will remain open as the process proceeds. (Coleman-Lochner, 9/14)

In related news —

CBS News: How Cancer Research Funding Is Helping Save Lives
Some research breakthroughs have led to a 33% reduction in cancer deaths over the past 30 years, according to the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). That translates to 18 million cancer survivors in 2022, compared to three million in 1971. "What's going on now is so incredible. It's such an exciting time," said AACR president, Dr. Philip Greenberg. Dr. Greenberg said advances in treatments, like immunotherapy, have been a game changer. (Stahl, 9/14)

USA Today: Progress Against Cancer Has Been Remarkable, But More Needs To Be Done
More than 70% of children with cancer now survive long term and among adults, death rates have fallen by one-third since 1991, avoiding an estimated 3.8 million deaths, thanks to prevention, early detection and new treatments. ... In the past year alone, 14 new cancer drugs have won federal approval and the uses of an additional 12 have been expanded to new tumor types or cancer stages. One of the biggest advances has been in immunotherapy: turning a person's own immune system against their cancer. (Weintraub, 9/14)

Axios: Big Tech Wields AI Might To Accelerate Cancer Research
Major tech companies are throwing their weight behind artificial intelligence in cancer care, lending their technological prowess to legacy institutions and startups trying to navigate a fast-evolving area of medicine. The explosion in AI has the potential to transform how the medical system researches and treats cancer, but only if the underlying tech is there to support it. (Reed, 9/15)

Sacramento Bee: Gavin Newsom’s Plan To Overhaul California’s Mental Health System Heading To Voters In March 
California lawmakers endorsed Gov. Gavin Newsom’s latest plan to address the state’s worsening homeless crisis. Now, it’ll be up to voters. “I was deeply moved by the personal stories that so many legislators have shared, showing how many of us have been touched by the mental health crisis,” Newsom said in a statement Thursday night. “These measures represent a key part of the solution to our homelessness crisis, and improving mental health for kids and families.” The Legislature overwhelmingly passed a pair of bills on Thursday that will form a $6.4 billion bond measure on the March 2024 ballot to overhaul how the state treats mental illness, substance abuse and homelessness. (Angst, 9/14)

San Francisco Chronicle: Voters Likely To Weigh Billions In Funding To House The Mentally Ill
Lawmakers on Thursday advanced two bills to place a measure on California primary ballots in March. One, which would shift the way the state spends tax revenue from the Mental Health Services Act to cover addiction treatment and housing, passed the Assembly on Tuesday and the Senate on Thursday. The other measure, which would authorize $6.38 billion in bond funding to build residential treatment facilities, passed the Senate on Thursday and was expected to come up for a final vote in the Assembly later that day. (Bollag, 9/14)

On higher pay for health workers —

Los Angeles Times: Will California Health Workers Get A $25 Minimum Wage? Legislature Sends Bill To Newsom After Long Fight
Even union-friendly Democrats were initially reluctant to approve the worker-focused bill, worried that rural community hospitals already facing bankruptcy would collapse under mass wage increases or pass costs on to patients. Under the bill, workers at large healthcare facilities would earn $23 per hour starting next year, $24 per hour in 2025 and $25 in 2026. That applies to all staff, including nursing assistants, medical coders, launderers and hospital gift shop workers. (Mays, 9/14)

Los Angeles Times: Tens Of Thousands Of Kaiser Workers Approve Possible Strike
Kaiser Permanente said in a statement Thursday that it was confident that it would soon reach an agreement “that strengthens our position as a best place to work and ensures that the high-quality care our members expect from us remains affordable and easy to access.” It called the vote to authorize a strike “a disappointing action considering our progress at the bargaining table” and disputed union claims about its proposals, saying that it was offering wage increases and has been aggressively recruiting to fill positions. (Alpert Reyes, 9/14)

On protections for health workers —

Los Angeles Times: Housekeepers, Cleaners And Nannies Demand OSHA Workplace Protections In California
The California Legislature voted Thursday to make the state the first in the nation to include housekeepers, nannies and other household staff in laws requiring health and safety protections. The fate of the bill now rests with Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has vetoed a similar proposal before, saying that while domestic workers “deserve protections to ensure that their workplaces are safe and healthy,” private households cannot be regulated by the state in the same way as businesses. (Mays, 9/14)

AP: Families Challenge North Dakota's Ban On Gender-Affirming Care For Children 
Families and a pediatrician are challenging North Dakota’s law criminalizing gender-affirming care for minors, the latest lawsuit in many states with similar bans. Gender Justice on Thursday announced the state district court lawsuit in a news conference at the state Capitol in Bismarck. The lawsuit against the state attorney general and state’s attorneys of three counties seeks to immediately block the ban, which took effect in April, and to have a judge find it unconstitutional and stop the state from enforcing it. (Dura, 9/14)

News Service of Florida: An Alabama Ruling Could Bolster Florida's Gender-Affirming Care Law For Minors
Florida is urging a federal appeals court to clear the way for a new law preventing transgender minors from receiving puberty blockers and hormone therapy, citing a decision last month in a “virtually identical case” from Alabama. (Saunders, 9/14)

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

WMFE: Advocacy Groups File Civil Rights Complaint Over Florida's Post-Pandemic Medicaid Process
Thirteen advocacy groups have jointly filed a civil rights complaint against Florida. The groups say Florida's process for redetermining Medicaid eligibility is unfair to recipients who are Latino, immigrant or Black. Some 431,000 Florida residents -- including many children -- have lost Medicaid since May, when the state began unwinding the continuing coverage mandated during the pandemic. (Byrnes, 9/14)

The CT Mirror: CT Promises 20-80% Savings On Prescriptions With New Partnership
Connecticut, home to some of the biggest actors in industries blamed for the opaque practices that shape prescription drug prices, is about to take a small step towards transparency and lower prices. On Oct. 2, Connecticut will become the first eastern state to partner with Navitus Health, the pharmacy benefit manager behind the free ArrayRX smartphone app that provides prescription discounts in Washington, Oregon and Nevada. (Pazniokas, 9/14)

KCUR: Missouri 911 Dispatchers Can Now Qualify As First Responders
Zach Cobb has been a 911 dispatcher for nearly a decade. He switched from freelance photography to emergency dispatching in 2014 because he wanted to help people. On any given day, he might field calls about a baby’s birth, a major car accident or a shooting. But until recently, he wasn’t recognized as a first responder. (Hawley-Bates, 9/15)

AP: Arkansas Officials Say Person Dies After Brain-Eating Amoeba Infection, Likely Exposed At Splash Pad
An Arkansas resident has died after being infected with an extremely rare brain-eating amoeba and health officials have concluded they were likely exposed to it at a country’s club’s splash pad, authorities announced Thursday. The Arkansas Department of Health announced the death from the Naegleria fowleri infection, a rare infection which destroys brain tissue, causing brain swelling and in certain cases, death. The department did not release details on the age of the person who died. The department said there is no ongoing risk to the public from the exposure. (9/14)

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Philadelphia Lawmakers Vote To Prohibit Supervised Injection Sites In Most Of The City
Philadelphia City Council voted Thursday to prohibit supervised drug consumption sites across most of the city, greatly imperiling the future of such a facility if the legislation becomes law. The bill, which passed 13-1 during Council’s first meeting of the fall session, now heads to the desk of Mayor Jim Kenney, who has endorsed supervised drug consumption sites as a strategy to prevent overdose deaths. A spokesperson for his administration said this week that he remains supportive. (Orso, 9/14)

AP: Communities Across Appalachia Band Together For First-Ever 13-State Narcan Distribution Event
An effort to destigmatize the use of overdose reversal drugs that started as a pilot in two West Virginia counties has expanded to all thirteen states in Appalachia this year. The first-ever “Appalachian Save a Life Day” comes Thursday, on the heels of the approval of Narcan as drug that can be purchased over the counter for nonprescription use — a long-awaited victory towards normalizing and improving access to the decades-old, live-saving medication. (Willingham, 9/14)

San Francisco Chronicle: Narcan: Experts Say ‘Everyone’ Should Carry Opioid-Reversal Medication
With the opioid overdose-reversing nasal spray Narcan poised to hit pharmacy shelves this month as an over-the-counter product for the first time, experts like Ciccarone and Mulcahy are urging the public to make Narcan a medicine cabinet staple. Public health officials and addiction medicine providers have long encouraged people at highest risk of opioid overdoses to carry naloxone, often referred to by the brand name Narcan. They include those who are struggling with addiction and are most likely to experience an overdose or be near someone who does. (Ho, 9/14)

Roll Call: Congressional Aides Learn How To Provide Overdose Aid
“Guys who are standing up, come take a seat behind the dais,” Rep. David Trone said to the handful of congressional aides hovering by the door of a packed committee hearing room Wednesday. It was standing room only in Longworth 1302 for the second annual naloxone training for congressional staff, and at Trone’s behest, the group of latecomers shuffled over to take the seats usually reserved for their bosses. They crammed in to learn how to respond to an opioid overdose and administer naloxone, which is sold under the brand name Narcan. (Saksa, 9/14)

Los Angeles Times: Here's How To Start The Conversation About Fentanyl
Song for Charlie, a nonprofit that raises awareness of counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl, in partnership with the California Department of Health Care Services, commissioned a survey of 1,574 California residents, which included parents, young adults and teens, in May and June of this year. Four in 10 young adults and half of teens surveyed said they aren’t knowledgeable about the issues surrounding fentanyl. Parents reported “lack of knowledge” as a key barrier that keeps them from talking about the issue with their children. (Garcia, 9/14)

CIDRAP: Legionellosis Linked To Organ Donation In Pennsylvania, Uptick In Cases In Poland 
Today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), a new study notes that Legionella bacteria likely spread from donated organs to two lung transplant recipients, marking the first time transplanted organs have been the likely source of infection. ... In MMWR, authors report that in July 2022, the Pennsylvania Department of Health received two reports of laboratory-confirmed Legionnaires disease in patients who had recently received lung transplants from the same donor at a single Pennsylvania hospital. The donor drowned after being submerged in a river for at least 5 minutes. Legionella bacteria naturally live in fresh water. (Soucheray, 9/14)

AP: Pig Kidney Works A Record 2 Months In Donated Body, Raising Hope For Animal-Human Transplants
Dozens of doctors and nurses silently lined the hospital hallway in tribute: For a history-making two months, a pig’s kidney worked normally inside the brain-dead man on the gurney rolling past them. The dramatic experiment came to an end Wednesday as surgeons at NYU Langone Health removed the pig kidney and returned the donated body of Maurice “Mo” Miller to his family for cremation. It marked the longest a genetically modified pig kidney has ever functioned inside a human, albeit a deceased one. And by pushing the boundaries of research with the dead, the scientists learned critical lessons they’re preparing to share with the Food and Drug Administration -– in hopes of eventually testing pig kidneys in the living. (Neergaard and Lum, 9/14)

On the gun violence crisis —

Axios: U.S. School Shootings Reach Second Year Of Record-Highs
The number of school shootings with casualties in the U.S. hit a new record in the 2021-22 school year and more than doubled from the previous school year, according to recent data from the National Center for Education Statistics. (Miranda, 9/14)

More health and wellness news —

The Washington Post: Recall Ordered For Colorful ‘Water Beads’ After Infant’s Death
Owners of the Chuckle & Roar Ultimate Water Beads Activity Kit by Buffalo Games should immediately take them away from their kids, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said Thursday, citing the death of a 10-month-old after the child swallowed the colorful water-absorbent beads in July. The product, sold at Target stores and via its website from March 2022 through November 2022 for $15, has been recalled, and consumers are eligible for a refund. (Mark, 9/14)

USA Today: Costco's Kirkland Chicken Tortilla Soup Mislabeled Gluten-Free: USDA
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is warning gluten-sensitive customers about Kirkland Signature chicken tortilla soup because it was falsely labeled gluten-free and they may have adverse reactions if they eat it. Calling the issue a misbranding, the Food Safety and Inspection Service ruled that customers with reactions to gluten need to be aware of this problem with the soup. (Martin, 9/14)

The Washington Post: Sleep Temperature Between 70 And 74 Degrees Optimal For Older Adults
Older adults sleep best when their bedroom temperatures are between 70 and 74 degrees and poorly when temperatures are in the 80s, although there can be significant variations among individuals, new research shows. (Cimons, 9/14)

NBC News: What Do Near-Death Experiences Feel Like During Cardiac Arrest?
What exactly is happening in the human brain when a person who has almost died is being resuscitated? A new study of cardiac arrest survivors suggests that almost 40% of people undergoing CPR have memories, dreamlike experiences or some type of perception even when they are unconscious. What’s more, brain waves show signs of activity suggesting awareness sometimes up to an hour as they are being brought back to life. (Tamkins, 9/14)

In health updates from Apple —

Bloomberg: Apple Taps New Leader For Team Developing Glucose Tracker
Apple Inc. has named a new leader for its secret group working on a noninvasive blood sugar monitor, putting a veteran iPhone and Mac chip executive in charge of one of the company’s most ambitious forays into health technology. Tim Millet, Apple’s vice president of platform architecture, has taken charge of the project after it was left without a dedicated head for several months, according to people with knowledge of the change, who asked not to be identified because the matter is private. The team leading the work, called the Exploratory Design Group, or XDG, was previously led by scientist Bill Athas, who died at the end of last year. (Gurman, 9/14)

Reuters: Apple To Update IPhone 12 Software In France To Settle Radiation Row
Apple (AAPL.O) said on Friday it would issue a software update for iPhone 12 users in France to potentially end a row with French regulators that ordered the suspension of the phone's sale due to breaches of radiation exposure limits. (Pineau, 9/15)

North Carolina Health News: Formerly Incarcerated Share Lasting Impact Of Solitary Confinement
Drew Doll spent 15 consecutive months in solitary confinement. He’s been out of prison since 2009, but he said the prolonged solitude permanently changed him. (Crumpler, 9/14)

Harvard Public Health: North Carolina Medicaid Reinvention Emphasizes Preventive Care
North Carolina Medicaid has undergone a radical transformation emphasizing preventive care and social determinants of health. (Newsome, 9/13)

The New York Times: How Black Nurses Were Recruited To Staten Island To Fight A Deadly Disease 
Many old buildings at a New York City hospital are in ruins, but it played a key role in the battle against tuberculosis, which killed 5.6 million people in the U.S. in the first half of the 20th century. (Gill, 9/8)

The Washington Post: A Farm For The Disabled And A Celebrity Gun Trainer Try To ‘Stop Big Rehab’
To the executives at Newport Healthcare, the family compound seemed like the ideal location to expand their company’s mental health treatment program into Northern Virginia. Tucked away behind a gate off a hilly country road, the million-dollar houses offered a bucolic environment in which to treat young adults grappling with depression or anxiety. ... But many residents in this rural corner of Loudoun County have insisted they see something else down the street: A for-profit company setting up a luxe rehab facility that will ruin their neighborhood. (Armus, 9/12)

The Wall Street Journal: The Favorite Doctor Of Bio-Hackers And The Longevity-Obsessed 
If it seems as though everyone is throwing out orange juice, lifting weights barefoot or talking about “zone two” exercise, blame Dr. Peter Attia. The longevity physician, author and podcast host, who turned 50 in March, has become a sensation among the health-obsessed, with a social-media following that rivals some Hollywood stars and a patient roster that includes them. (Janin, 9/10)

Politico: The GOP Turned Its Back On Science. So Science Turned Its Backs On The GOP
A political realignment around health care is reshaping state politics. (McElwee, 9/8)

The Wall Street Journal: Is Biden Too Old To Run Again? We Asked People Born On His Exact Birthday 
These octogenarian voters are among nearly a dozen Americans born the same day as the president that The Wall Street Journal interviewed. They are uniquely suited to answer one of the biggest questions hanging over the 2024 election: Is Biden too old to run again? Most said no. But they were candid about the risks of aging in the years to come. (Restuccia, 9/12)

Also —

Reuters: Special Report: Cough Syrup Killed Scores Of Children. Why No One Has Been Held To Account
Indian parents whose children died after taking toxic syrups want justice. Some of the drugmakers haven’t shown they even tested their products. (Das and Rigby, 9/13)

Stat: Why The Quest To Eradicate Polio Has Stumbled
The latest goal for the end of polio transmission will almost certainly not be met, according to a frank and concerning report about the future of the decades-long polio eradication effort that was released this week. (Branswell, 9/15)

AP: Mosquitoes, Long The Enemy, Are Now Bred To Help Prevent The Spread Of Dengue Fever 
For decades, preventing dengue fever in Honduras has meant teaching people to fear mosquitoes and avoid their bites. Now, Hondurans are being educated about a potentially more effective way to control the disease — and it goes against everything they’ve learned. (Verza and Burakoff, 9/13)

The Washington Post: Why Do We Play? Rats Can Teach Us How It Improves Mental Health
Play during both childhood and adulthood is important for the healthy functioning of humans and other species, but why we play — the brain circuitry behind this behavior — is poorly understood. A new study in Neuron has identified groups of cells in the rat brain that may provide clues to the brain structures and their connections that are essential for play. (Jones, 9/14)

Bloomberg: Adderall, ADHD Drug Shortages Could Get Worse. Here's Why
Millions of children with ADHD are starting a new school year without regular access to their medications, known as prescription stimulants, which have been in shortage for almost a year. While there are reasonable concerns about the overuse of such drugs, the lack of supply poses a risk to those who legitimately need them — and misguided government regulations are making things worse. (9/14)

Newsweek: Bipartisan Reform Can Prevent Health Care Monopolization
Rising health care costs are a major concern for most Americans. A Pew poll from earlier this year found 64 percent of Americans consider health care affordability a "very big problem in our country today." That includes majorities of both parties—54 percent of Republicans and 73 percent of Democrats. Our country may struggle with division and polarization, but it's clear that health care is an area where bipartisan reform is possible. (Richard A. Kube, 9/14)

USA Today: New COVID Vaccine Is Available. Why I'm Telling My Patients To Get It
“Déjà vu, not again,” was my first thought when, as a front-line physician, I recently admitted a patient struggling to breathe with COVID-19. (Dr. Thomas K. Lew, 9/15)

The New York Times: The Anti-Abortion Movement Won The Legal Battle, But It’s Losing The War 
The abortion rate in America has steadily increased since 2016, despite the 2022 Supreme Court decision overturning the constitutional right to abortion. As a lawyer who once worked in the anti-abortion movement, Opinion columnist David French says there’s a crisis of hope driving this increase in abortion in America. (David French and Vishakha Darbha, 9/15)

The Washington Post: 3 Lessons For People Struggling With Prolonged Recovery From Illness 
This week, I wrote about the need to focus resources on treating and preventing long covid. I can relate to the frustration and desperation of people suffering from long-term conditions, as I’ve been managing my own months-long recovery from pneumonia. (Leana S. Wen, 9/14)

The Washington Post: The Senate Should Have To Confirm CDC Director Mandy Cohen 
Covid-19 was not this nation’s first or worst pandemic. There probably will be worse. How much worse might depend on the caliber of public health leaders. There is room for improvement. (George F. Will, 9/13)

Stat: The Struggle To Figure Out Which Patients 'Deserve' Wegovy
There is just not enough Wegovy. The current manufacturing shortage will eventually end, and those who have health insurance that covers Wegovy, plus the even luckier ones who can afford to pay out of pocket, will once again get their medication. But even if Novo Nordisk were to manufacture an enormous surplus of Wegovy, millions more will never get it. (Jody Dushay, 9/15)

Stat: How The Messy Conversation About Dolly Changed Bioethics 
Ian Wilmut, the British scientist behind the first-ever cloning of a mammal, died Sept. 10, leaving behind a twofold legacy. One part is groundbreaking science. Besides being groundbreaking science, Dolly was morally ground-shifting. Perhaps more than any other biotech advance, Dolly symbolized growing human power over nature. (Gregory E. Kaebnick, 9/15)