Reuters: Biden Invokes Cold War-Era Measure To Boost Medical Supplies
President Joe Biden on Monday invoked a Cold War-era measure to boost investment in U.S. manufacturing of medicines and medical supplies that he has deemed important for national defense. Biden used the first meeting of his supply chain resilience council to boast about his administration efforts to improve supply chains upended by the COVID pandemic and help bring inflation under control, but acknowledged more work needs to be done. “We know that prices are still too high for too many things, that times are still too tough for too many families,” Biden said. “But we’ve made progress." (Holland and Lange, 11/27)

Axios: Biden Looks To Boost Domestic Drug Manufacturing Amid Shortages
The Korean War-era law, invoked by Biden and former President Trump during the pandemic, allows the president to direct private companies to produce materials and goods needed for national defense. Biden will give the Health and Human Services Department authority to invest in medical products unrelated to the pandemic, including insulin, morphine, vaccines and ventilators, a White House official told Axios. (Goldman, 11/28)

MedPage Today: Biden Administration Announces Actions To Strengthen The Drug Supply Chain
"I'm proud to announce that I'll be invoking what's known as the Defense Production Act to boost production of essential medicines in America by American workers," Biden said. "You notice that people have to get certain kinds of shots overseas" because they're not available in the U.S. "Well, that supply chain is going to start here in America. "President Biden also will issue a Presidential Determination giving HHS the authority to invest in domestic manufacturing of essential medicines and medical countermeasures. "HHS has identified $35 million for investments in domestic production of key starting materials for sterile injectable medicines," according to a White House fact sheet. ( Frieden, 11/27)

In related news about drug costs and PBMs —

Stat: U.S. States, Cities, And Counties Are Suing Insulin Makers And PBMs 
In response to strained budgets, a growing number of state and local governments across the U.S. are suing insulin makers and pharmacy benefit managers over claims the companies conspired to illegally drive up prices. In recent weeks, state officials in Utah and Arizona, and municipalities in New York, Virginia, Maryland, and Ohio have filed lawsuits alleging that the companies artificially drove up the cost of insulin, making the medication unaffordable for countless residents who have diabetes and causing the governments to overpay for the medication. (Silverman and Wilkerson, 11/28)

Vox: The US Doesn’t Have Universal Health Care — But These States (Almost) Do
Universal health care remains an unrealized dream for the United States. But in some parts of the country, the dream has drawn closer to a reality in the 13 years since the Affordable Care Act passed. ... Today, 10 states have an uninsured rate below 5 percent — not quite universal coverage, but getting close. Other states may be hovering around the national average, but that still represents a dramatic improvement from the pre-ACA reality: In New Mexico, for instance, 23 percent of its population was uninsured in 2010; now just 8 percent is. (Scott, 11/26)

Fierce Healthcare: A Look At Budding Innovation In State-Based ACA Marketplaces
With their recent stability, the Affordable Care Act marketplaces are well-positioned for innovation, according to a new report. (Minemyer, 11/27)

Also —

Politico: Senate Republicans Shrug Off Trump's Latest Bid To Scrap Obamacare
Yes, Republicans still say they dislike Obamacare and want to bring health care costs down. But as far as scrapping the law? “I don't see that as being the rallying cry. I really don’t,” Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) said. “Boy, I haven’t thought about that one in a while,” Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) said. “I just don't know what [Trump's] thinking or how we would go about doing that. That fight, as you know, was six years ago now. And so, if he’s got some ideas, we’re open to them.” (Everett, 11/27)

The Washington Post: Trump Aims To ‘Terminate’ Obamacare Again, Despite Its Popularity 
What’s clear is that an effort to “terminate” Obamacare is not something Americans are pining for. Not only were the GOP’s efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare during Trump’s term historically unpopular, but the law also appears to have gotten more popular since then. Perhaps most strikingly, this doesn’t even appear to be a major emphasis for the GOP base. (Blake, 11/27)

The New York Times: Biden Campaign Aims To Weaponize Trump’s Threat To Obamacare 
The president’s aides quickly jumped on a statement by Donald Trump that he was “seriously looking at alternatives” to the health law. (Epstein, 11/27)

Axios: Why Trump's Vow To Repeal Obamacare Is A Gift To Democrats
Christmas has come early for Democratic campaign staffers, courtesy of former President Trump's vow over the holiday weekend to "never give up" on repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Democrats are eager to revive their health care playbook from 2018, when the party rode a "blue wave" to the House majority by aggressively campaigning on Republican attempts to gut Obamacare. (Basu, 11/27)

Roll Call: Idaho Asks Supreme Court To Allow Enforcement Of State Abortion Ban 
Idaho asked the Supreme Court on Monday to allow enforcement of the state’s abortion ban as it applies to emergency rooms, after federal courts blocked that aspect in a legal challenge from the Biden administration. Idaho’s law allows state officials to prosecute or revoke the professional license of doctors who perform abortions unless it was necessary to prevent the woman’s death, or the pregnancy was a result of rape or incest. (Macagnone, 11/27)

NPR: Abortion Case Goes Before Texas Supreme Court, As More Women Sue State
On Tuesday, the Texas Supreme Court will consider this question: Are the state's abortion laws harming women when they face pregnancy complications? The case, brought by the Center for Reproductive Rights, has grown to include 22 plaintiffs, including 20 patients and two physicians. They are suing Texas, arguing that the medical exceptions in the state's abortion bans are too narrow to protect patients with complicated pregnancies. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is fiercely defending the state's current abortion laws and arguing that the case should be dismissed. (Simmons-Duffin, 11/28)

Missouri Independent: Explained: Missouri Abortion-Rights Petition Rape Reporting Clause
When Trish Mitchell got an abortion three decades ago in Missouri, she didn’t tell the doctor her pregnancy was a result of sexual assault. She couldn’t bring herself to. It would be years before she told anyone that she had been raped. “Speaking for myself, it was literally almost impossible,” said Mitchell, who was 21 at the time of the assault. “I wasn’t able to talk about what happened to me for many, many years.” (Spoerre, 11/27)

Slate: How To Overcome The Biggest Obstacle To Abortion Care In Blue States.
Even when voters choose to protect abortion, people can be thwarted in their efforts to get the care they need. “Crisis pregnancy centers” are a highly effective tool that anti-abortion groups use, even in blue states such as Massachusetts, to prevent people from making informed decisions and receiving quality maternal care. (Baruch and Shachar, 11/27)

In related reproductive health news —

ABC News: 'Nobody Cared': Women Who Have Reported Mistreatment While Giving Birth Say CDC Report Validates Their Trauma
"If the CDC has to tell you to respect patients' rights and to respect the medical ethics of autonomy, I think we've really gone off the rails," said Julie Cantor, a women's rights advocate and attorney who is representing Doe. The CDC analysis of a recent survey of 2,400 new mothers includes reported cases of ignored requests for help; being shouted at or scolded; violations of physical privacy; and threats to withhold treatment, or made to accept unwanted treatment. (Dwyer and See, 11/28)

CBS News: COVID Variant BA.2.86 Triples In New CDC Estimates, Now 8.8% Of Cases
Nearly 1 in 10 new COVID-19 cases in the U.S. are from the BA.2.86 variant, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated Monday, nearly triple what the agency estimated the highly mutated variant's prevalence was two weeks ago. Among the handful of regions with enough specimens reported from testing laboratories, BA.2.86's prevalence is largest in the Northeast: 13.1% of cases in the New York and New Jersey region are blamed on the strain. (Tin, 11/27)

CIDRAP: WHO Upgrades BA.2.86 To COVID-19 Variant Of Interest As US Proportions Grow
The World Health Organization (WHO) last week reclassified the Omicron BA.2.86 variant—and its offshoots, including JN.1—as a variant of interest as global proportions grow, including in the United States, where it now makes up about 9% of circulating viruses, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today. (Schnirring, 11/27)

Also —

Reuters: Moderna Begins Work On China MRNA Manufacturing Site 
U.S. vaccine maker Moderna began construction of its first facility in China this month to manufacture mRNA medicines, the company said on Tuesday. Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine has yet to be approved in China, but the company said in July it had signed a deal with the city government of China's financial hub Shanghai to work towards opportunities for it to research, develop and manufacture mRNA medicines in the country. (Silver, 11/27)

ABC News: What To Know About The Respiratory Illnesses Surging In Some Parts Of China 
A surge of respiratory illnesses related to flu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and other infections has been sweeping across some parts of China and mainly infecting children, as the country experiences its first full winter since easing COVID-19 restrictions. Amid media reports of "undiagnosed pneumonia" cases overwhelming hospitals over the past few weeks, health authorities have insisted that the uptick is linked to common illnesses. (Benadjaoud and Kekatos, 11/27)

Flu cases are rising across the United States —

CIDRAP: US Flu Cases, Hospitalizations Keep Climbing 
Seasonal influenza cases continued to edge upward in most parts of the United States last week, with notable upticks in the south central, southeast, Mountain, and West Coast regions, according to the latest report today from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). FluView data for the week ending November 18 show an overall 4.9% hike in flu positivity, up 0.5 percentage points from last week. The highest positivity rates were in the Mountain (11.2%), south central (7.6%), southeast (7.6%), and West Coast (7.2%) regions. (Van Beusekom, 11/27)

And in other health alerts —

CIDRAP: CDC Reports Unique Ocular Syphilis Cluster Caused By An Unknown Strain 
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) researchers report the first known cluster of ocular syphilis cases linked to a common heterosexual partner, which they say suggests the presence of an unidentified causative bacterial strain with increased risk for systemic complications. (Van Beusekom, 11/27)

Bloomberg: UK Finds First Human Infection With Swine Flu Virus Variant
UK health officials have reported a person with a flu strain typically found in pigs, marking the first time this variant has been detected in a human in the country. The UK Health Security Agency is working to determine any risks the pathogen might pose to human health, it said in a statement Monday. The person experienced only a mild illness and has fully recovered, according to the agency. (Fourcade, 11/27)

Reuters: Britain Detects First Human Case Of Flu Strain Similar To Pig Virus 
The individual concerned had experienced a mild illness and fully recovered. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said that the case was detected as part of routine national flu surveillance and the source of infection was not known. (11/27)

Fortune: The UK Has Detected Its First Human Case Of A New Type Of Swine Flu. What You Need To Know
Authorities are unsure of how the UK patient became infected, leaving open the possibility that the virus is spreading in the community. And mild symptoms in one patient isn’t a guarantee of mild symptoms in others, if they become infected, experts tell Fortune. ... The infection marks the first time the exact type of H1N2 virus has been detected in humans, though an incredibly similar strain has been detected in area pigs. There have been a total of 50 human cases of H1N2 reported globally since 2005. But none are genetically related to the clade, or subgroup, just detected in the U.K.: 1b.1.1. (Prater, 11/27)

CBS News: 2 N.J. Emergency Rooms Diverting Patients After Hackensack Meridian Health Hit With Potential Cyber Attack
A ransomware attack on a health system in New Jersey is forcing two hospitals in the state to divert patients coming to their emergency rooms to other facilities. ... EMS personnel and patients coming to Mountainside Medical Center's emergency room in Montclair had to be diverted to other facilities Monday, according to a hospital spokesperson. Ardent Health Services, which runs the hospital, blamed the move on a ransomware attack. (Sloan, 11/27)

In other health industry developments —

Modern Healthcare: Nonprofit Hospital Relative Charity Care Down From 2020-2022
As nonprofit hospitals’ expenses rose during the COVID-19 pandemic, they provided proportionally less free or discounted care, also known as charity care. But the trend may shift as Medicaid beneficiaries lose coverage and as lawmakers ramp up pressure on providers. Nonprofit hospitals’ median operating costs jumped roughly 20% from 2020 to 2022 ... The increase may explain, in part, why health systems’ median charity care as a percentage of operating expenses declined from 1.21% to 0.99% over that time period. (Kacik, 11/27)

WUSF: What Role Did A Netflix Documentary Play In A Jury Siding With Maya Kowalski?
After an eight-week trial in Venice, a jury this month held Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital liable for mistreatment of Maya Kowalski. The St. Petersburg hospital now must pay over $260 million in damages. In June, a Netflix documentary called “Take Care of Maya" was released. It shares the Kowalski family's emotional story about the care Maya received when she visited the hospital in 2016. (Bowman, 11/27)

KFF Health News: Back Pain? Bum Knee? Be Prepared To Wait For A Physical Therapist 
At no point along his three-year path to earning a degree in physical therapy has Matthew Lee worried about getting a job. Being able to make a living off that degree? That’s a different question — and the answer is affecting the supply of physical therapists across the nation: The cost of getting trained is out of proportion to the pay. (Kreidler, 11/28)

Reuters: Lilly's Mounjaro Leads To More And Faster Weight Loss Than Novo Obesity Drug, Data Analysis Finds 
Overweight or obese adults lost more weight and shed pounds faster using Eli Lilly's Mounjaro than those taking Novo Nordisk's popular rival weight loss drug, according to an analysis of health records and other data. Within one year of starting treatment, 42.3% of those taking tirzepatide - the active ingredient in Mounjaro and Zepbound - had lost at least 15% of their weight, compared with 19.3% among patients taking semaglutide - the main ingredient in Wegovy and Ozempic, the study published on medRxiv in advance of peer review found. (Lapid, 11/27)

In related news about menopause treatments —

The New York Times: A New Match For Menopausal Weight Gain: Ozempic
Kymberly Smith had had enough. It was February 2020, and she was grieving the sudden death of her husband when Covid lockdowns began. She was alone, without any access to her support network, and she was “in the throes of menopause.” Eventually, Ms. Smith, 57, started using antidepressants for her grief. She was also on hormone therapy to ease her constant hot flashes and disruptive night sweats. But when it came to the 20 pounds she had gained, around her belly, she “just couldn’t shake it away.” (Gupta and Blum, 11/27)

Stat: Estrogen Hormone Treatment Research Proposal Gets FDA Feedback
Hormone replacement therapies have long been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use by cisgender patients, such as women who take estrogen when going through menopause. Now, for the first time, a nonprofit group is pursuing research with the goal of FDA approval for the use of estrogen as a gender-affirming treatment for trans and gender-diverse patients. (Gaffney, 11/28)

In other news —

Stat: Springworks Wins FDA Approval For Drug To Treat Desmoid Tumors
The Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved the first treatment for people with desmoid tumors, a localized cancer that invades soft tissue and muscle. The new drug, called Ogsiveo, is made by Springworks Therapeutics. It’s the company’s first approved medicine. (Feuerstein, 11/27)

Stat: With Clinical Trial Data Readouts, Here's How To Spot Spin
Investors, analysts, doctors, and even patients face an avalanche of news from biotech companies about their human trials of experimental drugs, and wading through all that data to draw reasonable conclusions is a challenging task. This week, STAT has published a 2023 update of its Guide to Interpreting Clinical Trial Results, which can help consumers of company readouts navigate the process. (11/28)

Stat: Most Clinical Trials In Canada Failed To Take Basic Transparency Steps
Just 3% of more than 3,700 studies run exclusively in Canada over a recent 10-year period were registered prospectively, reported results, and published the findings, underscoring ongoing concerns about clinical trial transparency, according to a new analysis. (Silverman, 11/27)

The Atlantic: The First CRISPR Therapy Is Here
When Victoria Gray was still a baby, she started howling so inconsolably during a bath that she was rushed to the emergency room. The diagnosis was sickle-cell disease, a genetic condition that causes bouts of excruciating pain ... Four years ago, she joined a groundbreaking clinical trial that would change her life. She became the first sickle-cell patient to be treated with the gene-editing technology CRISPR—and one of the first humans to be treated with CRISPR, period. (Zhang, 11/27)

Stat: Antibiotic Sales For Food-Producing Animals Dropped By 53% In Europe In Last Decade
Amid concerns over the use of medically important antibiotics given to food-producing livestock, sales of veterinary medicines across Europe dropped by 53% between 2011 and 2022, which regulators reported is the biggest drop ever recorded and a sign that campaigns to reduce usage are working. (Silverman, 11/27)

CBS News: Study: Fatty Acid Found In Some Red Meat Can Help Fight Cancer
Researchers at the University of Chicago Biological Sciences Division found that trans-vaccenic acid (TVA) – a long-chain fatty acid in meat and dairy products from grazing animals like cows and sheep – improves the ability of CD8+ T cells in the immune system infiltrate tumors and kill cancer cells. The research was published last week in the journal Nature. It shows in addition that people with higher levels of TVA circulating in their blood responded better to immunotherapy. (Harrington, 11/27)

The New York Times: New Zealand’s New Government Says It Will Scrap Smoking Ban 
New Zealand’s new right-wing government has said it will repeal a law that would have gradually banned all cigarette sales in the country over the course of several decades. The law, passed by a previous government led by Jacinda Ardern, a prime minister who became an international liberal icon, took effect this year and was celebrated as a potential model that other countries might someday follow. It would have gradually introduced changes in retail cigarette sales and licensing over several years until tobacco could eventually no longer be legally sold in New Zealand. (Ives and Frost, 11/28)

Side Effects Public Media: How Much Is The Economic Loss Of Untreated Mental Illness? One State Did The Math
Newly published research in Indiana shows the state lost $4.2 billion in 2019 due to untreated mental illness, according to the JAMA Network study. For context, corn, Indiana’s leading commodity, generated $3.8 billion in sales the year before. Indiana lawmakers recently adopted a new law to improve access to mental health care. Still, those efforts are not nearly enough to help hundreds of thousands of people navigate a complex system and find treatment. Measuring untreated mental illness and putting a price tag on it is difficult because individuals who are untreated have little to no interaction with the healthcare system, said Heather Taylor, the study’s lead author. (Gabriel, 11/27)

The Texas Tribune: Mental Health Services For Firefighters Grow In Texas 
For more than a decade, Sam Buser watched the lights of fire trucks bounce off the city streets of Houston, heard the roars of burning blazes and stood before the caskets of too many firefighters. He never held a hose or kicked in a door, but, as senior psychologist for the Houston Fire Department, he spent many sleepless nights at fire stations. His job was to convince those who run toward the fire that it's okay to help themselves. (Simpson, 11/27)

CBS News: Brockton Non-Profit, Pinnacle Partnership, Helps Families Raise Kids With Mental Health Needs
Elizabeth Marcella says when her son turned five years old, she knew something was wrong. "He was three and four years old and super confident kid and then something changed." ... After COVID hit she is one of many parents who became deeply concerned about her child's mental health. That's when she discovered Pinnacle Partnerships in Brockton, a non-profit organization that provides resources, education and empowerment to families who are raising kids with mental health needs. (Burton, 11/27)

The CT Mirror: Chris Murphy Wants To Fight Loneliness. He’s Still Figuring Out How To
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., knows talking about loneliness is not the most natural fit for a lawmaker. But he knew he was on to something after receiving an overwhelming response from constituents to an op-ed he wrote for a conservative news website. “I got more feedback from that piece in Connecticut than anything else that I’ve written in the last five years,” Murphy said about his op-ed for The Bulwark. “And so back home, I immediately can tell that people really were crying out for somebody in politics to talk about the issue of loneliness.” (Hagen, 11/28)

If you are in need of help —

Dial 988 for 24/7 support from the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It's free and confidential.

In related news —

Roll Call: Momentum Builds For Psychedelic Therapies For Troops, Vets 
In 2004, Mike Gemignani enlisted in the Army after graduating from high school. A forward observer, he directed artillery units and Apache attack helicopters to their targets during his two tours in Iraq with the 101st Airborne Division. He eventually left the military, went to college and settled into a job. But a slow trickle of anxiety and depression soon followed. (Satter, 11/28)

KFF Health News: She Once Advised The President On Aging Issues. Now, She’s Battling Serious Disability And Depression.
The GoFundMe request jumped out at me as I was scrolling through posts on LinkedIn. Nora Super, executive director of the 2015 White House Conference on Aging and former director of the Milken Institute’s Center for the Future of Aging, was seeking contributions after suffering a severe spinal cord injury. “Right now, I have no feeling below the waist. I need lots of equipment to go home from the hospital and live safely and independently,” she wrote in her appeal. (Graham, 11/28)

KFF Health News: ‘Everybody In This Community Has A Gun’: How Oakland Lost Its Grip On Gun Violence
The red-tipped bullet pierces skin and melts into it, Javier Velasquez Lopez explains. The green-tipped bullet penetrates armored vests. And the hollow-tipped bullet expands as it tears through bodies. At 19, Velasquez Lopez knows a lot about ammunition because many of his friends own guns, he said. They carry to defend themselves in East Oakland, where metal bars protect shop windows and churches stand behind tall, chain-link fences. Some people even hide AR-15-style assault weapons down their pants legs, he said. (Young, 11/28)

CBS News: Law Bans No-Consent Pelvic And Rectal Exams In Pennsylvania
A new Pennsylvania law will require doctors to get a patient's verbal and written consent before medical students can perform pelvic or rectal exams on someone who receives anesthesia. At a press conference Monday, supporters touted the recently enacted legislation, which goes into effect in January. Tracking how often medical students are asked to perform pelvic, rectal or prostate exams on anesthetized patients is difficult, but concern about the procedures has led to a broad national effort to require informed consent for the procedures. (11/27)

CBS News: Gov. Kathy Hochul Reviewing Biomarker Testing Bill That Doctors Say Is Game Changer In Treating Cancer
A bill on Gov. Kathy Hochul's desk would make insurance companies cover what doctors call life-saving cancer genetic testing. Biomarker testing helps create more targeted treatment plans. However, one-third of health plans don't currently cover it. ... "If a doctor determines that a biomarker test would help them figure out the best course of medicine, it should be covered as standard of care," said Michael Davoli of the American Cancer Society. (Gusoff, 11/27)

North Carolina Health News: Navassa Residents Roll Up Their Sleeves For PFAS Exposure Study
Usually, the Town of Navassa’s Community Center parking lot is empty on Sundays, but that wasn’t the case the weekend before Thanksgiving. Navassa, a predominantly Black community, is in Brunswick County and gets its drinking water from the Cape Fear River, as does its neighbor Wilmington, which is about six miles southeast. That makes the town’s residents prime candidates to join the GenX Exposure Study, a multisite study where environmental health researchers are examining the blood of people who’ve been exposed to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which have contaminated waterways throughout the state. And that’s why cars were in the center’s lot on Sunday. (Atwater, 11/28)

The Boston Globe: Wheelchair Repair Logjam: MassHealth Pilot Programs Are Delayed
Two pilot programs intended to address chronically delayed wheelchair repairs are themselves taking months longer than planned to launch. MassHealth, which is responsible for the pilot programs, was supposed to have two vendors in place to run the programs by this fall. The state’s Medicaid administrator now anticipates both contractors won’t be in place until August 2024. (Laughlin, 11/27)

The Texas Tribune: Texas Food Banks Under Pressure From Mounting Food Insecurity
Twice a week starting around 6:30 a.m., drivers head to a parking lot in South Austin. Once there, volunteers direct them into orderly rows, where they are ushered forward one-by-one to open their doors and receive a bundle of free food. (Peters, 11/28)

The New York Times: Congress Must Act To Eliminate Hepatitis C 
Each year, about 15,000 Americans die from hepatitis C, many in their 40s and 50s. Given the safe and effective cure available for the last nine years, the correct number of deaths in 2023 should be zero.Put simply, we are squandering one of the most important medical advances of the 21st century. It’s time to eliminate this threat to the health of Americans. (Francis Collins, 11/28)

Newsweek: Promote Human Flourishing By Investing In Innovative Brain Disorder Treatments
The National Institute of Mental Health reported roughly 1 in 5 American adults live with a mental illness, and yet new therapies for some of the more severe diagnoses have largely been stagnant for several decades, until recently. Take schizophrenia for example—our health care system has been reliant on the same treatment options since the early 1950s. (Kyle Rasbach, 11/27)

The Washington Post: More People Need To Be Screened For Lung Cancer 
Only about 1 in 4 cases of lung cancer are diagnosed in early stages. Why? A key reason is that the screening rate is abysmally low. According to a report last year from the American Lung Association, less than 6 percent of eligible Americans receive annual low-dose CT scans. In some states, the screening rates are as low as 1 percent. (Leana S. Wen, 11/28)

Modern Healthcare: It's Time To Add Transparency To Prior Authorization Process 
Over the past several years, it’s been hard to miss the famous faces from the 1960s and ’70s who are now in their 70s or 80s endorsing Medicare Advantage plans to America’s seniors. These celebrities—whether they are renowned former football player Joe Namath or actors known for their roles on prime-time TV (like Jimmy Walker and William Devane)—are promoting the additional benefits of MA health plans over traditional Medicare, all at no extra cost. Who wouldn’t be tempted by such an offer? (Chip Kahn, 11/28)

Bloomberg: Let's Stop Pandering To The TikTok Crowd On Menopause 
Menopause has really come into its own in 2023. From Microsoft Corp. to the National Basketball Association and British bank Standard Chartered Plc, companies are implementing policies and offering benefits to women managing the symptoms of the natural aging process. (Andreea Papuc, 11/27)

Chicago Tribune: House GOP Should Fix Dysfunctional WIC Program
This was supposed to be the year for a new Farm Bill, the five-year legislation that funds farm subsidy programs, conservation efforts and food assistance for low-income Americans. Unsurprisingly, our dysfunctional Congress couldn’t get its act together for what is usually a bipartisan effort and chose to punt instead, extending by one year the 2018 Farm Bill that expired on Sept. 30. The extension means that agricultural landowners will get government money that otherwise would have dried up at year-end, and 40 million people will continue to receive food stamps through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. (11/27)

The Washington Post: Efforts To Kill Obamacare Made It Popular. Trump Says He'll Try Again
To be sure, there was once a time when destroying Obamacare, a.k.a. the Affordable Care Act, was a winning issue for Republicans. For the first few years after the marquee health-care law passed in 2010, many voters despised it. The law’s favorability was underwater in almost every poll for the first six years of its existence. (Catherine Rampell, 11/28)