The Hill: Medicare Part B Premiums To Rise By 6 Percent In 2024 
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the monthly Medicare Part A and B premiums for 2024 on Thursday, with the costs set to go up by 6 percent next year. The premiums would increase by $9.80 from $164.90 to $174.70 in 2024 and the annual deductible for Medicare Part B beneficiaries will go up from $226 to $240 as well. This price increase comes after Medicare Part B premiums went down for the first time in more than 10 years in 2023. (Choi, 10/12)

Axios: Medicare Premiums Set To Rise In 2024
Monthly Medicare premiums covering physician and outpatient care will rise almost 6% next year as part of a series of hikes the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced Thursday. Though inflation pressures are receding, projected growth in health care spending is continuing to drive up the cost of care. A plan to repay providers for underpayments they received from a federal drug discount program is another factor, CMS said. (Goldman, 10/13)

Medicare open enrollment kicks off Oct. 15 —

Barron's: Medicare Open Enrollment Is Almost Here. Don’t Make This Common Mistake. 
Medicare’s annual open enrollment period begins Oct. 15, yet most recipients don’t take this opportunity to review their coverage options. That’s important to do, because Medicare plans can change from year to year: Monthly premiums may rise or fall, doctors in Medicare Advantage may drop out of the plan’s network, and drug coverage may change. A report last year by GoodRx Research found that enrolling in the wrong Medicare Part D plan can cost members more than $800 a year. (O'Brien, 10/13)

Side Effects Public Media: Scammy Medicare Ads And Unsolicited Calls Bombard Seniors Shopping For Health Insurance. Will Federal Efforts Help Them?
New regulations designed to crack down on misleading marketing of Medicare insurance plans face their first big test when seniors begin shopping for coverage on Oct. 15. (Walker and Gorenstein, 10/13)

The Motley Fool: 3 Things All Medicare-Eligible Seniors Should Do During The Open Enrollment Period
The average adult 65 and older spends more than $22,000 on healthcare each year, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Not all of this comes out of pocket, but even a fraction of this can be tough on seniors living on a fixed income. Having the right health insurance coverage can minimize a senior's out-of-pocket costs while still providing the greatest possible coverage. And with Medicare's open enrollment kicking off on Oct. 15 and running through Dec. 7, now is a great time for all Medicare-eligible seniors to give their health insurance plans a closer look. Here are three steps to take during open enrollment this year. (Hagen, 10/12)

The Washington Post: Medicare, Medicare Advantage Are Complex. Here’s What You Need To Know
There are so many complex rules for the program that provides health insurance for Americans 65 and older. Here are some basic guidelines to get you started. (Singletary, 10/13)

And the Social Security Administration announced its cost-of-living adjustment —

Fox Business: Social Security Recipients To Receive 3.2% COLA Increase In 2024 
Social Security benefits will rise by 3.2% in 2024, far below the increases that retirees received during the past two years as inflation continues to moderate, the Social Security Administration said Thursday. ... But even with the payment increase, retirees say they are still struggling to keep up with persistently high inflation. A recent survey conducted by the Senior Citizens League found 68% of retirees reported that their household expenses remain higher than one year ago, even though inflation has eased. They said this situation has persisted over the last year. (Henney, 10/12)

Modern Healthcare: PBM Reform Bills Likely To Pass Congress In 2023, Lawmakers Say
Historic levels of dysfunction and infighting may be roiling Congress these days, but there is at least one area where lawmakers appear primed to act as soon as they can: Cracking down on pharmacy benefit managers. Members of Congress, Capitol Hill staffers and industry stakeholders put high odds on some suite of healthcare bills winding up on President Joe Biden's desk before the legislative session ends. ... And lawmakers are always eager to brag to voters that they took action against high prescription drug prices. (McAuliff, 10/12)

Stat: States Are Taking Their Own Steps To Lower Drug Costs
Anticipation may be high that Medicare can wring lower prices out of drugmakers, but a handful of states are moving aggressively to slash costs for their residents, a clear sign the battle over affordable medicines in the U.S. is only going to escalate further. (Silverman, 10/11)

KFF Health News: Health Funding In Question In A Speaker-Less Congress 
A bitterly divided Congress managed to keep the federal government running for several more weeks, while House Republicans struggle — again — to choose a leader. Meanwhile, many people removed from state Medicaid rolls are not finding their way to Affordable Care Act insurance, and a major investigation by The Washington Post attributes the decline in U.S. life expectancy to more than covid-19 and opioids. Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, Victoria Knight of Axios, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews physician-author-playwright Samuel Shem about “Our Hospital,” his new novel about the health workforce in the age of covid. (10/12)

The Hill: Biden Campaign Bashes Scott For Touting Drug Price Caps That He Voted Against
President Biden’s reelection campaign bashed presidential candidate Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) for touting drug price caps for seniors after voting against the Inflation Reduction Act. In a video first shared with The Hill, the campaign mashed up clips of Scott celebrating capping costs for seniors and saying that the Inflation Reduction Act, which Scott voted against, should be eliminated. (Gangitano, 10/11)

In related news about the high cost of medical care —

The New York Times: Mary Lou Retton Crowdfunded Her Medical Debt, Like Many Thousands Of Others
When Mary Lou Retton, the decorated Olympic gymnast, accrued medical debt from a lengthy hospital stay, her family did what countless Americans have done before them: turned to crowdfunding to cover the bills. On Tuesday, Ms. Retton’s daughter started a fund-raising campaign on social media for her mother, who she said was hospitalized with a rare pneumonia. ... The public swiftly responded, with thousands donating $350,000 in less than two days, shattering the goal of $50,000. (Kliff, 10/12)

Reuters: Over 7 Million Americans Have Gotten Updated COVID Vaccines
More than 7 million Americans had rolled up their sleeves for the updated COVID-19 vaccines as of Wednesday, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, despite reports that some people are still finding it difficult to book vaccination appointments or find the shots at no cost. ... Distribution of the Pfizer and Moderna shots began after the U.S. Centers for the Disease Control and Prevention recommended them on Sept. 12. Last year's booster targeting the original virus and another variant was rolled out about 10 days earlier. By Sept. 28, 2022, almost 7.6 million Americans had received the updated shots. (Wingrove, 10/12)

Bay Area News Group: CDC Director Mandy Cohen Visits Bay Area COVID Vaccine Clinic
Carrying the torch for the new COVID-19 vaccine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s top official on Thursday visited an East Bay assisted living facility to urge Americans, and especially seniors, to get the latest shot before the virus spikes again this winter. ... CDC Director Mandy Cohen said that at least 7 million Americans have received the new formulation in the past several weeks. That’s a tiny percentage of the hundreds of millions who are eligible, and a far cry from the uptake of the first booster doses released in 2021. (Blair Rowan, 10/12)

KFF Health News: The New Vaccines And You: Americans Better Armed Than Ever Against The Winter Blechs 
Last year’s “triple-demic” marked the beginning of what may be a new normal: a confluence of respiratory infections — RSV, influenza, and covid-19 — will surge as the weather cools each year. Like blizzards, the specific timing and severity of these outbreaks are hard to forecast. But their damage can be limited in more ways than ever before. More protective vaccines against influenza are on the horizon. And new vaccines against respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, were approved this year, as were updated covid vaccines. Although the first days of rollout for the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines saw hiccups, with short supplies at some pharmacies and billing confusion with some insurers, the shots now are generally available at no cost. (Maxmen, 10/13)

USA Today: Vaccines Rarely Contain Mercury, Do Not Cause Autism
The claim: Mercury in childhood vaccines causes autism. An Oct. 3 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) shows a video of a woman speaking about the purported risks of vaccines. “It's time to talk about the truth: the clear link between autism and mercury in childhood vaccines,” reads part of the post's caption. Our rating: False. Multiple studies have demonstrated there is no link between mercury in vaccines and autism. Routine childhood vaccines have not contained mercury for more than 20 years. (Trela, 10/12)

NBC News: Paxlovid May Prevent Long Covid, But Doctors Don't Prescribe It Much
A consensus has emerged among experts who study and treat long Covid: Paxlovid seems to reduce the risk of lingering symptoms among those eligible to take it. The idea is intuitive, experts say. Paxlovid prevents the coronavirus from replicating, so researchers think it may also reduce the risk of an infection causing inflammation or organ damage, which in turn can lead to chronic illness. (Bendix, 10/12)

NBC News: Getting Covid Several Times Can Have An Outsize Effect On Black People, Doctors Say
While there seems to be a range of experiences each time a person gets Covid, Dr. Geoffrey Mount Varner, an emergency room physician in Maryland and Virginia, said Black people should be vigilant about avoiding multiple Covid infections. Left unchecked, the effects of the virus could devastate Black communities. ... According to a wide-reaching meta-analysis published in 2021, Black people diagnosed with Covid were more likely to be admitted to intensive care units. (Bunn, 10/12)

In related news about the flu —

CIDRAP: CDC Study Characterizes 2022-23 Flu Season As Highly Severe, Particularly For Kids
Today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, a study finds that the 2022-2023 influenza season in the United States was severe, especially for children and adolescents. (Van Beusekom, 10/12)

Axios Raleigh: A Dispute Between UNC Healthand United Healthcare Could Leave Many Out-Of-Network
UNC Health is notifying nearly 200,000 of its patients that their coverage could be affected by a dispute with UnitedHealthcare, one of the largest health insurance companies in the U.S. UNC Health is in the middle of a contract negotiation with UnitedHealthcare, and the hospital network said in a letter it is sending to patients that the two parties are far apart over reimbursement policies and rate increases. (Eanes and Graff, 10/13)

The Texas Tribune: La Grange Hospital Shutters Amid Financial Struggles
A last ditch effort to save St. Mark’s Medical Center failed this week, forcing the only hospital in Fayette County to close amid ongoing financial struggles. The 18-year-old hospital announced last week that it would close on Thursday, eliminating more than 50 full and part-time jobs in La Grange, a rural town of about 4,400 people. (Salhotra, 10/12)

Modern Healthcare: North Dakota Rural Hospitals Form Clinically Integrated Network
Nearly two dozen critical access hospitals in North Dakota have formed a clinically integrated network, bucking the historical trend of rural hospitals seeking acquisitions by larger health systems. The alliance of 23 hospitals is designed to allow the facilities to reduce costs through group purchasing, aggregating shared services and collaborating to add specialty care, executives said. It could also improve negotiating leverage with commercial insurers and keep patients in their respective communities as the hospitals share clinicians. (Kacik, 10/12)

In updates from Kaiser Permanente —

Reuters: Kaiser Permanente Resumes Talks With Healthcare Workers Union Week After Strike 
Kaiser Permanente and the union representing healthcare workers resumed negotiations on Thursday, more than a week after contract talks broke off at the start of a 72-hour strike by 75,000 nurses, medical technicians and support staff. Company and union spokespersons said the two sides met in person late in the day at a San Francisco Bay-area hotel. Acting U.S. Labor Secretary Julie Su was present, as previously announced, to play a role as mediator, a spokesperson said. (Gorman, 10/12)

San Francisco Chronicle: Kaiser Agrees To Spend $150M To Improve Mental Health Care Services
“In addition to paying the highest fine the DMHC has ever levied against a health plan, Kaiser Permanente has agreed to make significant improvements to the plan’s operations, processes and procedures and business model to better assist enrollees with accessing care,” Mary Watanabe, the department’s director, said in a statement. “The DMHC is committed to using its full authority to hold Kaiser accountable and ensure enrollees have access to behavioral health care when they need it.” (Egelko, 10/12)

More about health care personnel —

Capitol News Illinois: Illinois Nurses Unions Push For Required Staff-To-Patient Ratios
Unions representing nurses in Illinois are pushing for legislation that would impose mandatory staff-to-patient ratios in hospitals, nursing homes and other health care facilities. But lobby groups representing hospitals and nursing homes say they are steadfastly opposed to the legislation, arguing that a nationwide nursing shortage makes it impossible to comply with such a mandate. (Hancock, 10/12)

Becker's Hospital Review: Missouri System Lays Off 10% Of Workforce
Hayti, Mo.-based Pemiscot Memorial Health Systems plans to lay off 10 employees — 10 percent of its workforce — due to challenges including excess staffing and reduced patient volumes, K8 News reported Oct. 12. The layoffs affect 10 employees from across the system, not within any one department, according to the report. Declining volumes, decreased reimbursement and delays in payments were contributing factors in the decision. (Condon, 10/12)

The Boston Globe: Frontline Workers Detail Low Wages, Poor Staffing At Providence Community Health Centers
On any given morning, Teresa Peixoto said she might have to call a handful of patients who were supposed to come in that afternoon and ask them to reschedule their appointment. Many of the patients who seek care at her clinic, the Providence Community Health Center on Allens Avenue in Lower South Providence, are low-income or don’t have health insurance at all. While standing on a picket line Thursday morning, Peixoto said many patients often have to take time off work, schedule child care, and plan for some form of transportation just to get to their doctor’s appointments. (Gagosz, 10/12)

In tech news —

Becker's Hospital Review: Atrium To Roll Out AI 'Copilot' Across 40 Hospitals
Charlotte, N.C.-based Atrium Health plans to expand the use of an artificial intelligence "copilot" across all 40 of its hospitals. Atrium was the first health system to use the new AI assistant from Microsoft subsidiary Nuance and now intends to roll it out organizationwide. The technology, called the Dragon Ambient eXperience Copilot, generates clinical summaries from in-patient exams or telehealth visits in a matter of seconds before providers review and finalize the drafts in the EHR. (Bruce, 10/12)

Fierce Healthcare: Walgreens Outlines $1B Cost Saving Plan, Will Close 60 Clinics
Drugstore chain Walgreens plans to close 60 underperforming VillageMD clinics and exit five markets as part of an aggressive $1 billion cost-saving strategy as it looks to boost profitability in its healthcare business. The pharmacy retail giant posted weaker-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings and offered a soft profit outlook for 2024 amid falling demand for COVID-19 vaccines and testing in the U.S. and lower consumer spending. (Landi, 10/12)

Modern Healthcare: Walgreens To Regroup Healthcare Services Amid $1B In Cuts
Walgreens Boots Alliance aims to find $1 billion in savings as it seeks to shore up its finances while sustaining its continued expansion into healthcare services, executives said Thursday. Most of the cuts will come from U.S. retail pharmacy operations. Walgreens is scrutinizing its expenses "line by line," closing stores or adjusting opening hours, reviewing its contract work obligations and shuttering all projects deemed non-essential, interim CEO Ginger Graham told analysts as the company announced its financial results for the fourth quarter and the full fiscal year ended Aug. 31. (Hudson, 10/13)

In other pharmaceutical news —

Reuters: Novo Nordisk Warns Online Offers Of Fake Ozempic, Wegovy Are Rising 
Novo Nordisk warned on Thursday of a surge in counterfeit versions of its weight-loss drug Wegovy and diabetes drug Ozempic offered online, as German authorities gave more details of complex European trades in a fake drug case. "Novo Nordisk has seen a significant increase in illegal online sales," the company said in a statement, referring to products that contain the active ingredient semaglutide. (Fick and Burger, 10/12)

Reuters: Wegovy, Other Weight-Loss Drugs Scrutinized Over Reports Of Suicidal Thoughts 
Dawn Heidlebaugh felt trapped in a disturbing pattern while taking Ozempic, the popular drug used to treat diabetes and obesity. Each Sunday for more than a year, the 53-year-old Ohio real estate agent took her weekly injection to help control her blood sugar. Then every Tuesday, she felt lethargic, depressed and sometimes suicidal, thinking her husband and four children might be better off without her. These feelings would last a few days, and the cycle repeated every week — except when she skipped a dose. (Respaut and Terhune, 10/12)

Reuters: Lilly's Bowel Disease Drug Succeeds In Late-Stage Study 
Eli Lilly said on Thursday its experimental drug met the main goals of a late-stage study to test it as a treatment for moderately to severely active Crohn's disease, a disorder that causes inflammation in the digestive tract. Treatment with the drug, mirikizumab, helped 54.1% patients to achieve a state where they were no longer experiencing any gastrointestinal symptoms, after 52 weeks, compared with 19.6% who received placebo. (10/12)

Stat: CRO Denies Misconduct In Lyme Vaccine Trial It Ran For Pfizer
A company that Pfizer blamed for problems with a clinical trial testing a Lyme vaccine claims that regulators gave its procedures a clean bill of health during a recent inspection. Care Access served as a contract research organization and had enrolled about 3,000 patients in the late-stage trial. But the patients were dropped last February after Pfizer and its partner, Valneva, claimed that violations of Good Clinical Practice — the international ethical and quality standards used by all clinical researchers — had been found at the study locations. (Silverman, 10/11)

Also —

Stat: Takeaways From AdvaMed, The Largest Medical Devices Conference
Thousands of workers in the medical device industry gathered here this week for the MedTech Conference, creating an eerie dissonance with Disneyland tourists clad in Mickey Mouse ears and fanny packs. Device makers and analysts at the conference, hosted by device lobby AdvaMed, came together to discuss medical technology’s innovation problem, the industry’s deepening relationship with the Food and Drug Administration, and the growing opportunities in digital health. (Lawrence, 10/11)

Stat: Life Sciences Deals On Track To Hit Lowest Point Since 2017 
It’s no secret that biotech industry funding has fallen from its Covid highs. But with just a few months left in the year, it’s on track to hit lows that predate the pandemic. New data from Pitchbook and the National Venture Capital Association show that both the number of deals and the amount of money that’s being invested in life science companies are down significantly. (DeAngelis, 10/12)

Stat: Peter Marks Talks Operation Warp Speed For Rare Diseases
Peter Marks wants drug developers to ask more stupid questions. It’s part of the top Food and Drug Administration official’s plan to reinvigorate gene therapy, a field that has struggled despite significant technological advances. Some companies are shelving programs or going out of business, even when they have promising data. (Mast, 10/12)

The Washington Post: New ‘Brain Atlas’ Maps The Highly Complex Organ In Dazzling Detail 
Scientists on Thursday unveiled the most detailed and complex portrait yet of the human brain in a dazzling catalogue of more than 3,000 types of brain cells that collectively give rise to emotion, thought, memory and disease. The painstaking work is part of the Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) initiative, a $3 billion government-funded effort to develop tools and technology to understand and map the human brain. The results, published in 21 papers across multiple journals, are starting to open up the black box of the brain by providing an initial parts list for the most complex organ scientists have ever studied. (Johnson, 10/12)

USA Today: A New Map Of The Human Brain Offers Insights, Clues To Future Treatments
These new maps are particularly useful for understanding the territory of brain diseases such as cancer, said Sten Linnarsson, a leader of some of the research and a professor of molecular systems biology at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. Cancer cells follow the same genetic programs found in normal brain cells, but in a distorted way, he said. Some cancer cells seem to repeat the pattern of early brain development, almost growing a new brain within a brain, he said. In other cancer cells, genes involved in wound healing are turned on, as if the brain senses there is something wrong and activates repair mechanisms. (Weintraub, 10/12)

More news on brain health —

Becker's Hospital Review: Brain Death Guidance Updated For First Time In A Decade
The American Academy of Neurology recently updated the guidelines for determining brain death in adult and pediatric patients. The guidelines, published Oct. 11 in Neurology, are the first updates in more than a decade. The 85 consensus practice guidelines were developed by a panel of 20 experts from various specialities and institutions. It included a three-page checklist to use in evaluations. (Taylor, 10/12)

The Washington Post: Some Coma Patients May Be Conscious. New Research Could Identify Them. 
Some brain injury patients may appear to be in a coma, but they are not. They are processing at least some of what is happening around them but cannot physically respond. Without a physical response, a physician might assume that a patient hasn’t understood, said Sudhin Shah, a neuroscientist at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City. And, she said, referring to the patient, “Unfortunately, it could be that you were processing, you were understanding, you were wanting to talk to me. You just can’t.” (Jones, 10/12)

Becker's Hospital Review: AI In The OR: How A New Tool Can Aid Brain Surgeons During Procedures
An emerging artificial intelligence-powered tool, known as Sturgeon, successfully diagnosed 45 out of 50 frozen brain tumor samples in a matter of just 40 minutes. In living patients, the tool was capable of accurately diagnosing 18 out of 25 cases, according to a study published Oct. 11 in Nature. Brain cancer is notorious for being complex, and the surgeons removing tumors are often choosing between clearing out all cancerous cells and cutting into a portion of healthy tissue, or possibly leaving some of those cells behind, but leaving the tissue intact, The New York Times reported. (Hollowell, 10/12)

Becker's Hospital Review: HCA Hospital 1st To Test New Brain Cancer Treatment
HCA Healthcare's Johnston-Willis Hospital in Richmond, Va., is the first in the nation to provide a new treatment for patients with brain metastases from lung cancer. The clinical trial is investigating the potential benefit of combining noninvasive focused ultrasound with systemic immunotherapy, according to an Oct. 12 system news release. The treatment opens the blood-brain barrier, which defends the brain against harmful substances, to help critical medications reach the critical lesions in the brain. Two patients have begun the six-treatment cycles. (Taylor, 10/12)

In other science and research news —

Stat: CRISPR-Edited Pig Kidneys Kept Monkeys Alive For Two Years
Scientists at a Massachusetts-based biotechnology company and their academic research partners reported Wednesday that an engineered breed of miniature pig containing up to 69 genetic changes produced kidneys that functioned well in monkeys for an average of 176 days and in one animal for more than two years. The results, published in Nature, are an encouraging sign that the long-struggling science of xenotransplantation might one day become a medical reality. (Molteni, 10/11)

Stat: Like A Vampire, Some Cancer Cells Can Suck The Energy Source From Immune Cells
As elite hunters of the immune system, T cells are constantly prowling our bodies for diseased cells to attack. But when they encounter a tumor, something unexpected can happen. New research shows that some cancer cells can fire a long nanotube projection into the T cell that, like a vampire’s fang, sucks energy-creating mitochondria from the immune cell, turning the predator into prey. A study published this week in Cancer Cell investigated how cancer cells can rob mitochondria from T cells, shutting the immune cell down while energizing themselves. It may be yet another way cancer overcomes both the body’s defenses and resists many immunotherapies like CAR-T therapy and immune checkpoint blockade drugs, experts said. (Chen, 10/13)

In other cancer research —

The New York Times: Younger Women Get Lung Cancer At Higher Rates Than Men 
Over the last several decades, the rates of new cases of lung cancer have fallen in the United States. There were roughly 65 new cases of lung cancer for every 100,000 people in 1992. By 2019, that number had dropped to about 42. But for all that progress, a disparity is emerging: Women between the ages of 35 and 54 are being diagnosed with lung cancer at higher rates than men in that same age group, according to a report published Thursday by researchers at the American Cancer Society. The disparity is small — one or two more cases among every 100,000 women in that age range than among men — but it is significant enough that researchers want to know more. (Blum, 10/12)

FiercePharma: Pfizer Takes On Novartis With FDA Nod For Lung Cancer Combo
Pfizer is expanding the reach of its BRAF-MEK combo as the pharma giant looks to further build up its oncology presence. The FDA has approved Pfizer’s Braftovi and Mektovi for treating metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with BRAF V600E mutations, the agency said Wednesday. (Liu, 10/12)

Fox News: Ovarian Cancer Could Be Detected Early With A New Blood Test, Study Finds
A new blood test could help diagnose cancer cases earlier. Researchers from the University of Southern California (USC) developed a blood test to detect early onset ovarian cancer. The test, called OvaPrint, is described as a "cell-free DNA methylation liquid biopsy for the risk assessment of high-grade serous ovarian cancer," according to the report published in the journal Clinical Cancer Research. ... The researchers are looking into a follow-up study to validate results, according to Medical Press. This validation could lead to OvaPrint's commercial availability within the next two years. (Stabile, 10/13)

Healio: Affordable Care Act Increased Cancer Trial Participation Among Medicaid-Insured Patients
Expansion of the Affordable Care Act significantly increased cancer clinical trial participation among patients with Medicaid insurance, according to study results published in JAMA Oncology. The greatest increases in clinical trial participation occurred in states that expanded access to Medicaid, researchers noted. (10/13)

Related news from Texas, California, and Colorado —

Inside Climate News: Texas Moves To Formalize Cancer Risk Threshold From Industrial Air Pollution 
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has quietly proposed maintaining a target cancer-risk level for air pollution permits that scientists and public health officials consider inadequate to protect public health, especially for communities like those east of Houston that are exposed simultaneously to many sources of industrial emissions. (Baddour, 10/13)

CNN: California Bans 26 Possibly Toxic Cosmetic Chemicals 
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has banned 26 chemicals — used in many cosmetics such as hair products, bodywash and nail polish — due to concerns about health harms. The Golden State’s economy is the largest in the United States and the fifth largest in the world, meaning the new law marks another move that could influence the consumer landscape of not only California, but the rest of the nation. (Rogers, 10/11)

The Colorado Sun: Colorado’s Radon Mitigation Assistance Program Has Become More Popular 
A Golden family lived in their foothills home for 20 years before they discovered they were inhaling indoor air with twice the federally recommended limit of a cancer-causing odorless, colorless and tasteless gas. That gas, radon, moved from soil through cracks in the basement into the two-story house and was measured at 7.8 picocuries per liter (pCi/L), about two times the 4 pCi/L action level set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Higher levels like this are found in one out of every two homes in Colorado, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment (CDPHE). (Oldham, 10/13)

The Denver Post: No Longer Just “Hippie” Moms-To-Be: More Women Delivering Babies At Home With Midwives
The number of women who birthed at home from 2020-21 rose 12%, “the highest level since at least 1990” at more than 51,600 births, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And, from 2016-21, more certified midwives — who have faced misconceptions about their educations and care historically — have joined the profession to meet the boost in demand. (Ulu Lani Boyanton, 10/12)

NPR: Irth App Helps Black Parents Report Bias In Birth And Delivery Care
Like any savvy mother-to-be, Harlem-based journalist Kimberly Seals Allers made an informed decision when it came to selecting a hospital in which to give birth. ... Seals Allers arrived with high expectations, but what happened next was jarring. ... Seals Allers, who has a background in health communications, says she wanted to do something to make it easier for African Americans and other people of color to navigate the health care system during pregnancy and birth. She partnered with MIT's Solve social impact incubator to create the mobile app Irth, which collects and shares health care reviews from parents of color. (Muraskin, 10/13)

Stat: A Revolution In Caring For Preterm Infants 
More than one in 10 infants worldwide are born preterm, many with complications: Nearly 1 million die each year. This is the single largest cause of death in children around the world before their fifth birthday. As a pediatrician, I see these lost lives as unacceptable and, in many cases, preventable. (Gary Darmstadt, 10/12)

Birth rates drop in Washington state and Arizona —

Axios Seattle: Washington State's Birth Rate Dropped 22% Over 15 Years 
Washington state's birth rate fell dramatically between 2007 and 2022, mirroring a national trend. The state's rate dropped from 13.77 births per 1,000 people to 10.70 — a decline of more than 22%. In King County, the birth rate dropped by a similar percentage from 2011 to 2022, according to the state health department. (Fitzpatrick, Beheraj and Santos, 10/12)

Axios Phoenix: Arizona Sees Second-Largest Birth Rate Decrease In U.S. Since 2007 
The national birth rate fell substantially between 2007 and 2022, and in almost no state did it decrease as much as in Arizona. Arizona's birth rate in that period dropped 36.1%, second only to Utah's 36.2%, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. That's well above the national decrease of nearly 23%, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick and Kavya Beheraj reported. (Duda, 10/12)

In abortion news —

Reuters: Texas Defends Whistleblower Suit Against Planned Parenthood Challenge 
Texas and an anonymous anti-abortion activist are urging a federal judge to uphold federal and state whistleblower laws against a challenge by Planned Parenthood, which has said the laws are unconstitutional in a bid to defeat a $1.8 billion fraud lawsuit they have filed against it. Planned Parenthood has argued in the case in Amarillo, Texas, federal court that the federal False Claims Act and a similar Texas law improperly allow private individuals to act as prosecutors, a role that it says the U.S. and Texas constitutions reserve for government officials. (Pierson, 10/12)

The 19th: Abortion Opponents Try To Keep People From Traveling Out Of State For Care
More than a year after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, abortion is almost completely outlawed in 15 states. Yet the number of abortions done in the United States – notoriously difficult to calculate — has by some estimates fallen by only about 2,900 procedures per month since Roe fell. Reproductive health researchers say the ability to travel to other states has played a major role in people’s continued ability to access abortions. (Luthra, 10/12)

The Guardian: Philip Morris Lobbying To Stop WHO ‘Attack’ On Vapes And Similar Products 
Philip Morris International (PMI), the tobacco and vaping company behind Marlboro cigarettes, is waging a big lobbying campaign to prevent countries from cracking down on vapes and similar products as part of a global treaty, a leaked email reveals. ... In a message sent by the PMI’s senior vice-president of external affairs last month and seen by the Guardian, staff were told to find “any connection, any lead, whether political or technical” before a meeting of delegates from 182 countries. He described the agenda for the meeting of the World Health Organization as a “prohibitionist attack” on smoke-free products. (Marsh, 10/12)

Reuters: US FDA Blocks Some Flavors Of British American Tobacco's Key Vape Brand Vuse 
The U.S. health regulator on Thursday blocked the sale of six flavors of British American Tobacco's (BAT) main vape brand, Vuse Alto, in the market including the menthol flavor that makes up a large portion of its sales. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) marketing denial orders (MDOs) for R.J. Reynolds, owned by BAT, include three menthol-flavored and three mixed berry-flavored e-cigarette products, with each flavor being offered in three nicotine strengths. (10/12)

In other health and wellness news —

KFF Health News: Rare ‘Flesh-Eating’ Bacterium Spreads North As Oceans Warm 
Debbie King barely gave it a second thought when she scraped her right shin climbing onto her friend’s pontoon for a day of boating in the Gulf of Mexico on Aug. 13. Even though her friend immediately dressed the slight cut, her shin was red and sore when King awoke the next day. It must be a sunburn, she thought. But three days later, the red and blistered area had grown. Her doctor took one look and sent King, 72, to the emergency room. (O'Donnell, 10/13)

Kansas City Star: Olathe High School Tests Community For TB After Exposure 
Several hundred people were being tested for tuberculosis Thursday at Olathe Northwest High School after being exposed to the illness. Health officials identified around 425 people who had contact with a student who tested positive earlier this month, said Jennifer Dunlay, a spokeswoman for the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment. The majority of those contacts have connections to Olathe Northwest, but some live outside Johnson County. (Klick, 10/12)

CIDRAP: Foodborne Illness Outbreak In Utah Linked To Raw Milk 
Health officials in Utah are investigating a cluster of campylobacteriosis cases linked to raw milk. In a press release, officials with the Salt Lake County Health Department say they have identified 10 people in the county with campylobacteriosis, a gastrointestinal illness caused by the bacterium Campylobacter, with four additional cases reported statewide. Twelve of the 14 patients have confirmed raw milk consumption, the source of which has not yet been identified. (Dall, 10/12)

The Baltimore Sun: Bipolar Disorder Is Little Researched, But Doctors At Johns Hopkins Aim To Change That
Two months before Charita Cole Brown was supposed to graduate from college — and about two years after she experienced her first manic episode and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder — her doctors told her parents they should prepare for the likelihood that she may one day not be able to care for herself. It was March 1982 and Cole Brown had just experienced a psychotic break eerily similar to what her grandmother had experienced years earlier. Despite her doctors’ prediction that she would never lead a “normal” life, however, within a few years, a counselor had helped Cole Brown find a combination of medication and other wellness strategies that worked for her. (Roberts, 10/13)

CNN: Exercise Or Medication: Which Is Best For Depression? 
When treating depression or anxiety, running may be just as effective as antidepressants, according to new research. But experts say the solution may not be so straightforward for every person. Because of the prevalence of depression and anxiety and the consequences on health, researchers from Amsterdam looked at the best way to mitigate these effects, and whether antidepressants or lifestyle intervention would have different effects on mental health as well as certain aspects of physical health. (Rogers, 10/12)

And our Halloween Haiku contest has begun! —

KFF Health News: Goody Gumdrops! It's Freakin' Time To Submit Your Scariest Halloween Health Care Haikus
Ghosts, ghouls, and readers, beware: Your health care scare is around the corner. Submissions are now open for KFF Health News’ fifth annual Halloween Haiku competition. KFF Health News has been publishing reader-submitted health care haikus for years and is dying to read how this spooky season inspires you. We want your best scary health care or health policy haiku. Submissions will be judged by a body of experts from our newsroom. We’ll share favorites on our social media channels, and members of our skeletal staff will pick the winners, announced on Tuesday, Oct. 31. (10/13)

The Wall Street Journal: The Science Behind Living To Extremely Old Age 
If you want to live to your 100th birthday, healthy habits can only get you so far. Research is making clearer the role that genes play in living to very old age. Habits like getting enough sleep, exercising and eating a healthy diet can help you stave off disease and live longer, yet when it comes to living beyond 90, genetics start to play a trump card, say researchers who study aging. “Some people have this idea: ‘If I do everything right, diet and exercise, I can live to be 150.’ And that’s really not correct,” says Robert Young, who directs a team of researchers at the nonprofit scientific organization Gerontology Research Group.  (Janin, 10/11)

The Washington Post: At 101, His Secret To Happiness? Making New Friends
Paul Snyder walks around Kensington, Md., wearing a hat that reads: “MADE IN 1921.” It’s a good conversation starter. At almost 102 years old, Snyder believes the secret to successful aging is making new friends. He befriends people wherever he goes: the grocery store, the doctors’ office, church, the nail salon. Most people in his Parkwood neighborhood call him “Grandpa Paul.” (Page, 10/11)

Stat: Treating Rural America: The New Country Doctors 
Family medicine physician Olusunmisola Oyesiku always thought she would practice in a big city, but after going through her family residency program at the University of Alabama in Selma, she ended up falling in love with rural medicine. The Selma program is one of a small, but growing, number of residencies in the country that places residents entirely in rural medical settings. (Empinado, 10/12)

The Washington Post: Now Seen As Barbaric, Lobotomies Won Him A Nobel Prize In 1949
In the mid-1930s, when Portuguese neurologist António Egas Moniz pioneered a method for severing brain tissue to treat psychiatric disorders, he was seen as a visionary. Treatments for severe mental illnesses were limited, and the “leucotomy” offered so much hope that in 1949, Moniz was awarded the Nobel Prize in medicine. (Ables, 10/9)

Reuters: Down Syndrome Families' Fight For Access To Alzheimer’s Trials, Treatments 
When Lianor da Cunha Hillerstrom of Lexington, Massachusetts, learned her now 9-year-old son Oskar had Down syndrome, she was concerned but not panicked. As a child, Lianor lived for a time in Santo Amaro de Oeiras, Portugal, near her aunt Teresa who had Down syndrome, which causes intellectual disability. Had Lianor, who is 47, stayed in Portugal, she would have witnessed her aunt decline and then die at age 60 of Alzheimer's - the most common cause of death for people with Down syndrome. (Steenhuysen, 10/10)

The Washington Post: Why Disabled People Struggle To Book Hotels
Staying in hotels can be a harrowing experience for people with disabilities. When Julie Reiskin, 58, tried to book an accessible room in Chicago, she got one with no roll-in shower. In D.C., the bed was too high. Throughout her travels, she’s often had to go days without bathing and has had to sleep in her power wheelchair. This is a common experience for disabled people like her, many of whom say they regularly experience problems staying in hotels and using their amenities. (Morris, 10/9)

The Washington Post: More Than White Noise: How Different “Color” Sounds Help Or Hurt
There’s no question that noise can be a nuisance. It can distract you from what you’re doing, interfere with your sleep, put you in a bad mood, ratchet up your stress level or affect you in other disruptive ways. But not all noise is problematic. In fact, different colors of noise (yes, you read that right) could actually help you feel and function better. Which may be why YouTube videos and other social media posts about the benefits of exposure to pink, green, brown, white and other types of noise are trending. Colored noises are having a major moment. (Colino, 10/9)

The Washington Post: How Doctors And Medical Pros Handle In-Flight Emergencies 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates medical emergencies occur on about one of every 604 flights, with 10 percent diverted for severe cases such as cardiac arrest. With an average of 45,000 flights in the air on a daily basis in the United States, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, airlines are required to know how to respond and prepare for potential incidents. Flight attendants are required to undergo medical training for handling situations. Airlines are prohibited from departing unless there is a sealed emergency medical kit on board, the FAA said. Even then, aircrew will often call on medical practitioners that might be on a given flight, in hopes they can lend a hand. (Perez-Moreno, f10/11)

The New York Times: Charles Feeney, Who Made A Fortune And Then Gave It Away, Dies At 92
Unlike philanthropists whose names are publicized, celebrated at banquets and emblazoned on building facades and museum wings, Mr. Feeney gave anonymously to universities, medical institutions, scientific endeavors, human rights groups, peace initiatives and scores of causes intended to improve lives in the United States, Vietnam, South Africa, Australia, Israel, Jordan and other lands. (McFadden, 10/9)

Bloomberg: Pigs As Organ Donors? Crispr Breakthroughs Mean Human Trials Are Next 
There’s long been a gap between the relatively small number of organs available for transplant and the long waiting lists of potential recipients. This week, the world got a little closer to a future in which pigs — yes, pigs — could narrow that gap. (Lisa Jarvis, 10/12)

The Washington Post: Let’s Be Clear About The Limits Of The Covid Vaccine
Last week, I received my updated coronavirus shot. The decision was straightforward: I recently suffered a bad bout of bacterial pneumonia and am still on steroid medications for ongoing lung problems. The last thing I want is to be hospitalized again for another lung infection. The coronavirus vaccine will reduce that risk. (Leana S. Wen, 10/12)

The New York Times: Do Early R.S.V. Vaccine Trials Have A Henrietta Lacks Story? 
Respiratory syncytial virus, or R.S.V., is a nasty bug. It’s the leading cause of hospitalizations among American infants and results in thousands of deaths among the elderly each year. (Charles M. Blow, 10/11)

Newsweek: Abortion Is On The Ballot This November In Virginia
In the 14 months since the Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health rescinded the constitutional right to abortion access for millions of people, every Southern state has passed extreme and restrictive abortion laws, except Virginia. But make no mistake—the future of abortion rights is on the ballot in Virginia. (Jennifer McClellan, 10/12)