USA Today: Mammograms: Women Should Begin Breast Cancer Screening In Their 40s
An influential task force has recommended that women begin mammograms at age 40 and screen every other year for breast cancer until they are 74. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force's updated guidance, released Tuesday, said women with an average risk for breast cancer should begin screening at 40 rather than 50. The task force said medical evidence drawn from studies suggests every-other-year screening of breast tissue provides a "moderate net benefit" for women up to age 74. (Alltucker, 4/30)

Los Angeles Times: To Save Black Lives, Panel Urges Regular Mammograms For All Women Ages 40 To 74
The task force recognized that among all racial and ethnic groups, Black women are most likely to be diagnosed with breast cancers that have progressed beyond stage 1, including the aggressive “triple negative” tumors that are particularly difficult to treat. Black women also have the highest mortality rate from breast cancer — about 40% higher than that of white women — “even when accounting for differences in age and stage at diagnosis,” the task force wrote in JAMA. (Kaplan, 4/30)

Axios: U.S. Panel, Cancer Groups Differ On New Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines
An influential national advisory group has called for women to start getting mammograms beginning at age 40, but only every two years  — a recommendation that highlights a rift within the cancer community. (Reed, 4/30)

On cancer screenings and treatment in the military —

Military.com: Tricare Lowers Age For Colon Cancer Screenings To 45
Tricare beneficiaries at average risk for colorectal cancer can now receive covered screening exams and lab tests five years sooner, at age 45, following a recent coverage change. The change in coverage comes as people younger than 50 are getting colon cancer more often, according to the American Cancer Society. The incidence of colorectal cancer in the U.S. rose steadily from 2011 to 2020 in people younger than 50, increasing at a rate of 2% per year. Cases of advanced colon cancer in patients under 50 grew even faster during that time, at about 3% per year. (Miller, 4/30)

Military.com: More Veterans Can Get Cancer Treatment Closer To Home As VA Expands 'Close To Me' Program
More than 9,000 veterans will have access to advanced oncology treatment and monitoring in locations closer to their homes under an expansion of the Department of Veterans Affairs' Close to Me cancer care program, according to VA officials. In the program, VA providers travel to community-based outpatient clinics to provide diagnostics, treatment and services, rather than the veteran having to travel to a VA medical center. (Kime, 4/30)

More cancer news —

AP: EPA Rule Bans Toxic Chemical Methylene Chloride, Toxic Solvent Known To Cause Liver Cancer 
The Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday it has finalized a ban on consumer uses of  methylene chloride, a chemical that is widely used as a paint stripper but is known to cause liver cancer and other health problems. The EPA said its action will protect Americans from health risks while allowing certain commercial uses to continue with robust worker protections. (Daly, 4/30)

Reuters: First Trial Over Zantac Cancer Claims Set To Begin In Chicago 
The first trial over claims that blockbuster heartburn drug Zantac, once sold by GSK and other companies, causes cancer is set to begin this week in Chicago. Jury selection began on Tuesday before Judge Daniel Trevino of the Circuit Court of Cook County and was expected to continue Wednesday morning. Lawyers will deliver their opening statements once a jury is chosen. GSK and Boehringer Ingelheim are the only defendants in the trial, after other companies settled. (Pierson, 4/30)

Modern Healthcare: City Of Hope Exec: Medicare Advantage Policies Should Adapt
City of Hope will further extend its reach by teaming up with more academic medical centers and employers, fueled by a $33 million funding round for its startup AccessHope. Narrow Medicare Advantage networks threaten access, however, a City of Hope executive said. AccessHope, which Duarte, California-based cancer provider City of Hope launched in 2019 and spun off in 2020, offers employees at more than 400 companies access to specialty care. (Kacik, 4/30)

AP: US Poised To Ease Restrictions On Marijuana In Historic Shift, But It’ll Remain Controlled Substance
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will move to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, The Associated Press has learned, a historic shift to generations of American drug policy that could have wide ripple effects across the country. The proposal, which still must be reviewed by the White House Office of Management and Budget, would recognize the medical uses of cannabis and acknowledge it has less potential for abuse than some of the nation’s most dangerous drugs. However, it would not legalize marijuana outright for recreational use. The agency’s move, confirmed to the AP on Tuesday by five people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive regulatory review, clears the last significant regulatory hurdle before the agency’s biggest policy change in more than 50 years can take effect. (Miller, Goodman, Mustian and Whitehurst, 4/30)

The Hill: What Rescheduling Marijuana Would Look Like
Moving marijuana away from Schedule I would make it much easier to research.  Schedule III drugs are considered to have a “moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence.” Substances within this category include ketamine, anabolic steroids and testosterone. Since Schedule I drugs have no medical value, there is no easy way to conduct clinical research.  (Weixel, 4/30)

AP: What Marijuana Reclassification Means For The U.S.
Schedule III drugs — which include ketamine, anabolic steroids and some acetaminophen-codeine combinations — are still controlled substances. They’re subject to various rules that allow for some medical uses, and for federal criminal prosecution of anyone who traffics in the drugs without permission. No changes are expected to the medical marijuana programs now licensed in 38 states or the legal recreational cannabis markets in 23 states, but it’s unlikely they would meet the federal production, record-keeping, prescribing and other requirements for Schedule III drugs. (Peltz and Whitehurst, 4/30)

Reuters: Explainer: How US Change On Marijuana Would Help Cannabis Companies 
One of the biggest benefits for cannabis firms would be that they would no longer be subject to Section 280E of the U.S. federal tax code. That provision prevents businesses dealing in schedule one and two controlled substances from claiming tax credits and deductions for business expenses. The tax change would put close to $3.5 billion of cash back into the sector, which will lower the overall cost of capital for the industry, and spark a flurry of M&A activity, said Katan Associates International founder Seth Yakatan. (Roy, 4/30)

WUSF: Florida's 6-Week Abortion Ban Begins Wednesday. Here Are 7 Things To Know
Starting Wednesday, people will lose access to legal abortions in Florida beyond six weeks of pregnancy. The restriction replaces a 15-week ban that's been in effect since July 2022, shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Abortion rights supporters say it will dramatically curb access to the procedure for thousands of residents in Florida and around the Southeast. Proponents of the ban say it “protects life.” (Colombini, 4/30)

NBC News: Florida Abortion Clinics Squeeze Patients In Ahead Of 6-Week Ban
Abortion clinics in Florida say they have been trying to see as many patients as possible before the state's ban on abortions after six weeks takes effect Wednesday. In Jacksonville, a clinic called A Woman’s Choice provided around double its usual volume of abortions Monday, according to Amber Gavin, its vice president of advocacy and operations. (Parra, Harris, Bendix and Arcodia, 4/30)

North Carolina Health News: NC Abortion Providers Brace For Influx Of Patients From The South
A six-week abortion ban taking effect today in Florida will usher in a significant shift in abortion access in the South. The new restrictions position North Carolina as one of the last places in the South that allows abortion past six weeks of pregnancy — a point at which many women do not yet know they are pregnant. (Crumpler, 5/1)

Axios: How Florida's Six-Week Abortion Ban Impacts Neighboring States
Florida's six-week abortion ban goes into effect Wednesday, but its impact will sweep far beyond the Sunshine State. Florida's new abortion law — one of the strictest limits in the nation — means its role as a post-Roe refuge for people seeking care in the U.S. South will dramatically change. (Habeshian, 5/1)

Abortion news from Arizona —

The New York Times: Arizona Legislature Will Consider Repeal Of 1864 Abortion Law 
Arizona lawmakers seemed poised on Wednesday to repeal an abortion ban that first became law when Abraham Lincoln was president and a half-century before women won the right to vote. The expected vote in the Arizona State Senate could be the culmination of a fevered effort to repeal the law that has made abortion a central focus of Arizona’s politics. (Healy, 5/1)

In related election news —

The Hill: Harris To Blast Trump In Florida As State’s Six-Week Abortion Ban Goes Into Effect
Vice President Harris on Wednesday will head to Florida as the state’s six-week abortion ban is set to take effect, using the occasion to tear into former President Trump for his most recent comments about reproductive rights if he is reelected. Harris will deliver remarks in Jacksonville, where a Biden campaign official said she will describe Florida’s new law as one of the “Trump abortion bans” that have been implemented since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022. (Samuels, 5/1)

The Hill: Trump: It’s Up To States To Monitor Pregnancies, Prosecute Abortions
Former President Trump in a new interview suggested states with restrictive abortion bans might monitor women’s pregnancies and should be left to decide whether to prosecute women for having the procedure. Trump sat for an interview earlier this month with Time Magazine about his plans for a possible second term. When asked about various abortion policies and how he would handle them if he is elected in November, Trump repeatedly said it should be left up to individual states to decide. (Samuels, 4/30)

Time: Donald Trump On What His Second Term Would Look Like 
In exclusive interviews, the former President lays out a second-term agenda that would reshape America and its role in the world. (Cortellessa, 4/30)

News Service of Florida: Judge Gives The Go-Ahead To Medicaid Class-Action Lawsuit Against Florida
A federal judge has cleared the way for a class-action lawsuit that alleges Florida did not properly inform people before dropping them from the Medicaid program after a COVID-19 public health emergency ended. (Saunders, 4/30)

Cronkite News: A Year Of Medicaid ‘Unwinding’ Cuts 600,000, But Renews Nearly 2 Million On Arizona's Rolls
One year after restarting the pre-pandemic review process for enrollment in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System cut coverage for 611,144 recipients and approved 1,953,301 renewals, according to its eligibility dashboard. The agency is continuing to review coverage for 1,892 recipients as of April 5. The nationwide review process, referred to as “unwinding,” cut the Medicaid rolls in every state. (Tourlas, 4/29)

The Journalist's Resource: Pandemic Provisions Reduced Loss Of Medicaid For Beneficiaries Enrolled In Both Medicaid And Medicare, Study Finds
The loss of Medicaid coverage among Americans eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid — known as dual-eligible beneficiaries — was substantially reduced during the COVID public health emergency due to temporary policy changes, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open this month. More importantly, those policy changes, which prohibited the states from disenrolling people from Medicaid, reduced and to some extent eliminated the pre-pandemic racial disparity in Medicaid coverage loss. (Miller, 4/30)

More Medicaid developments —

AP: Mississippi Lawmakers Expected To Vote On Medicaid Expansion Plan With Work Requirement 
Mississippi lawmakers are expected to vote this week on a proposal that would expand Medicaid coverage to tens of thousands more people, but it includes a work requirement that might not win federal approval. The state House and Senate passed separate expansion plans earlier this year. With the four-month legislative session pushing into its final days, negotiators from the two chambers submitted a compromise moments before a Monday night deadline. They declined to answer questions after emerging from a closed-door meeting, but the proposal was filed in legislative clerks’ offices. (Pettus, 4/29)

Modern Healthcare: CMS’ Daniel Tsai Defends Medicaid 80/20 Rule Against GOP Critics
A senior Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services official pushed back against Republican attacks on the agency's controversial long-term care regulations during a congressional hearing Tuesday. House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (Wash.) and other GOP lawmakers asserted that rules to boost pay for home- and community-based healthcare workers and to mandate minimum staffing levels at nursing homes could jeopardize providers and hamper access to care. (McAuliff, 4/30)

Modern Healthcare: Aetna’s Alleged Peek At Texas Medicaid Bids Prompts Protests
Texas gave two consultancies and a law firm a sneak peek into how managed care companies bid to run Texas’ $116 billion Medicaid program, which some insurers contend gave CVS Health's Aetna subsidiary an unfair advantage. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission last August released 18 companies’ redacted proposals to manage the state's Medicaid program to consultancy Health Management Associates and law firm Hahn, Loeser and Parks after the two submitted public information requests. (Tepper, 4/30)

KFF Health News: AC, Power Banks, Mini Fridges: Oregon Equips Medicaid Patients For Climate Change
Oregon is shipping air conditioners, air purifiers, and power banks to some of its most vulnerable residents, a first-in-the-nation experiment to use Medicaid money to prevent the potentially deadly health effects of extreme heat, wildfire smoke, and other climate-related disasters. The equipment, which started going out in March, expands a Biden administration strategy to move Medicaid beyond traditional medical care and into the realm of social services. (Young, 5/1)

KFF Health News: Listen To The Latest 'KFF Health News Minute'
“Health Minute” brings original health care and health policy reporting from the KFF Health News newsroom to the airwaves each week. (4/30)

Modern Healthcare: Walmart Health To Close All Clinics, End Virtual Care
Walmart will close all of its clinics and its virtual care platform in a sharp reversal of its five-year-old health center strategy. The retailer attributed the shutdown of its Walmart Health unit, which involves closing 51 clinics across five states, to a challenging reimbursement environment and escalating operating costs, making the business model unsustainable. Walmart declined to share closing dates for individual centers, but a spokesperson said some clinics will remain open for up to 90 days. (Hudson, 4/30)

Axios: Retailers Retreat From Health Care Delivery
Walmart's decision to shutter its health clinics and virtual care services marks the most significant retrenchment yet from major retailers who sought to transform how health care is delivered. (Reed, 5/1)

Axios: End Of Internet Subsidy Threatens Telehealth Access
Millions of low-income Americans may find it harder to see health care providers virtually after federal subsidies for high-speed internet expired Tuesday. Many of the 23 million households that received financial help to afford their internet bill made or attended health care appointments online, a federal survey indicates. (Goldman, 5/1)

On the UnitedHealth hack —

Bloomberg: Change Healthcare Hack: US Cybersecurity Agency Questioned Over Response
A trio of US senators asked the federal government’s lead cybersecurity agency to explain its response to a February ransomware attack on an insurance company that paralyzed much of the country’s health-care system. The group, led by Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, on Monday asked the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to share details of its role in addressing the breach of Change Healthcare. ... The letter also requested a broader picture of the risk posed by ransomware and the agency’s efforts to combat it. (Bleiberg, 4/30)

Bloomberg: Elizabeth Warren Urges SEC To Probe UnitedHealth Stock Sales
Democratic US lawmakers led by Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren are asking the Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate the timing of stock sales by UnitedHealth Group Inc.’s chairman and three executives. The company officials netted a combined $101.5 million through trades made after the company was reportedly notified of an antitrust investigation but before the probe became public, Bloomberg News disclosed earlier this month. (Tozzi, 4/30)

Modern Healthcare: What UHG’s Andrew Witty Will Tell Congress About The Change Outage
UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty is scheduled to be on Capitol Hill Wednesday, responding to lawmakers demanding answers about the company's failed cybersecurity measures and response to the Change Healthcare cyberattack. Witty plans to testify before the Senate Finance Committee Wednesday morning and the House Energy and Commerce's Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations in the afternoon. The House committee released Witty’s written testimony ahead of the hearing. (Berryman, 4/30)

More health care company developments —

Modern Healthcare: Tenet Healthcare Plans To Invest In Specialty Care, Expansions
Tenet Healthcare plans to grow its ambulatory surgical center footprint and invest in specialty hospital care after a strong first quarter, CEO Dr. Saum Sutaria said. During a first-quarter earnings call with analysts Tuesday, Sutaria said Tenet spent $449 million on 45 new ambulatory facilities during the quarter and the system anticipates more mergers and acquisitions and start-up investments for its ambulatory surgical center division. (DeSilva, 4/30)

Modern Healthcare: CVS Health Buys Medicare Advantage Broker Hella Health
CVS Health paid an undisclosed sum to acquire Hella Health, according to the Medicare Advantage brokerage's founder. Hella Health debuted in 2020 and claims to offer more than 3,000 Medicare plans from insurers such as CVS Health subsidiary Aetna, UnitedHealth Group subsidiary UnitedHealthcare and Humana. (Tepper, 4/30)

Crain's Chicago Business: Moody's Gives Duly Health And Care Credit Rating Downgrade
Following various belt-tightening measures, including layoffs and compensation cuts, Duly Health & Care was downgraded by a major bond credit ratings agency, an indication that the private-equity-backed physicians group’s financial position continues to darken. Moody’s Ratings downgraded Duly on three key metrics in an April 16 report, saying the action reflected its “deteriorating operating performance and very high leverage," or debt loads, based on an analysis of the company’s financial performance in the 12 months ended Sept. 30. (Davis, 4/30)

Modern Healthcare: Akili Layoffs Hit 46% Of Employees
Digital therapeutics company Akili said Tuesday it is reducing its workforce by 46% and exploring strategic alternatives. Akili, which has developed video game therapies for people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, said in a release it was eliminating its marketing and medical affairs teams. As a result, the company said it would “substantially reduce” promotional activity for its EndeavorRx and EndeavorOTC therapeutic video games. This is the third major layoff for Akili in 18 months. (Turner, 4/30)

Modern Healthcare: Leapfrog Group Safety Grades Show Patient Experience Scores Jump
The Leapfrog Group said hospitals improved their patient experience scores for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, leading some to earn higher safety grades in the nonprofit watchdog's latest report. The organization’s spring 2024 report found that hospitals’ average scores on measures related to staff responsiveness and doctor communication increased between October 2021 and March 2023. Around 70% of hospitals increased their score for at least one patient experience measure. (Devereaux, 4/30)

In other hospital news —

Houston Chronicle: Memorial Hermann Liver Transplant Data Shows Rising Waitlist Deaths
Memorial Hermann’s liver transplant program had been underperforming in some areas before a national scandal emerged at the Texas Medical Center hospital, according to publicly available data from the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients. A Houston Chronicle analysis of registry data found that the hospital’s liver transplant volume had been declining since at least 2015 and, in recent years, dropped lower than would be expected of a program with a similar patient population. (Gill and Zdun, 4/30)

Minnesota Public Radio: In Money-Saving Move, Mahnomen Hospital Shutters Inpatient Beds, Keeps Outpatient And Emergency Care 
In what could be a harbinger of things to come for struggling rural hospitals, Mahnomen Health will transition its 10-bed hospital to a rural emergency center starting Wednesday. The money-saving move effectively eliminates overnight stays at the federally designated critical-access hospital located in northwest Minnesota. Outpatient and emergency services will continue. (Eagle III, 5/1)

Becker's Hospital Review: How 1 Rural Hospital Reduced No-Shows By 6%
Sparta (Ill.) Community Hospital cut its no-show rate by 6% by combining the electronic health record with the communications system to deliver medical reminders and information directly to patients, according to an article on the American Hospital Association website. Research published in the National Library of Medicine showed critical access hospitals lag behind other hospitals with regards to technology, especially in the use of patient engagement features. (Taylor, 4/30)

Becker's Hospital Review: Annual Refills Can Save Physicians 2 Hours A Day: AMA Leader
Physicians might be hesitant to write annual prescriptions, but Marie Brown, MD, director of practice redesign at the American Medical Association, says providers can save two hours a day with these scripts. Synchronized refills for chronic medications, not including controlled substances, are 90-day prescriptions written with four refills. They are renewed each year, and the ideal scenario aligns with a patient's annual wellness visit, Dr. Brown recently said in an AMA podcast. (Twenter, 4/30)

On wheelchair repairs —

Stat: As Private Equity Dominates Wheelchair Market, Users Wait Months For Repairs
When Maureen Amirault purchased her first electric wheelchair in 2020, she had been living with muscular dystrophy for decades. Braces and a cane helped, but walking became too arduous, so she got a chair through a company called Numotion. (Broderick, 5/1)

CNN: Spikes Of Flu Virus In Wastewater Raise Questions About Spread Of Bird Flu
Spikes of influenza A virus seen in wastewater samples from 59 sewer systems across 18 different states this spring may point to the spread of the H5N1 avian influenza virus that is currently infecting dairy cattle, a new study suggests. (Goodman, 4/30)

AP: USDA Is Testing Ground Beef For Bird Flu
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will test ground beef for bird flu particles, though officials said Tuesday they’re confident the nation’s meat supply is safe. Bird flu has been found in nearly three-dozen dairy herds across nine states. The new testing is the latest effort by the USDA to track and understand how the virus is spreading among livestock. Two studies will test if particles of the bird flu virus, called Type A H5N1, is found in beef for sale in the states where dairy cows have tested positive or in the muscles of dairy cows sent to slaughter. A third will test how cooking meat at different temperatures affects the virus using a bird flu surrogate. (Shastri, 4/30)

Reuters: Bird Flu May Infect Cows Outside The US, Says WHO 
There is a risk that the H5N1 bird flu virus, present in many wild birds, may infect cows in countries beyond the United States as they migrate, a World Health Organization official said on Tuesday. "With the virus carried around the world by migratory birds, certainly there is a risk for cows in other countries to be getting infected," Wenqing Zhang, head of WHO's Global Influenza Programme, said at a news briefing in Geneva. (4/30)

Stat: What We’re Starting To Learn About H5N1 In Cows, And The Risk To People
The fact that infections so far appear to be limited to lactating dairy cows, and that the members of a herd that are the biggest milk producers — which are also the animals that stay on milking machines the longest — are the ones most heavily impacted by the disease. “There’s still a lot that’s unknown, but what we’re seeing right now is not a respiratory disease by and large; it’s a mastitic disease,” said Jared Taylor, a professor of veterinary pathobiology at Oklahoma State University. For now, that’s somewhat reassuring, because it means that increased attention to sterilization and disinfection during milking should make a dent in the virus’s further spread. ... Taylor noted another worry: H5N1, which is notorious for its ability to evolve, is being given a huge opportunity to adapt to bovine hosts. “The concern is if it becomes effective as a respiratory pathogen in cattle, it’s more likely to become effective as a respiratory pathogen in humans,” he said.

The Atlantic: America’s Infectious-Disease Barometer Is Off
The ongoing outbreak of H5N1 avian flu virus looks a lot like a public-health problem that the United States should be well prepared for. Although this version of flu is relatively new to the world, scientists have been tracking H5N1 for almost 30 years. Researchers know the basics of how flu spreads and who tends to be most at risk. They have experience with other flus that have jumped into us from animals. The U.S. also has antivirals and vaccines that should have at least some efficacy against this pathogen. (Wu, 4/30)

The Hill: Biden Campaign Hits Donald Trump For Saying He Would Close Pandemic Preparedness Office
President Biden’s reelection campaign criticized former President Trump on Tuesday after Trump said he would get rid of the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy (OPPR). The OPPR was founded in 2022 over failures in government response to the COVID pandemic. Trump said in a TIME interview on Monday that office isn’t necessary. (Robertson, 4/30)

KFF Health News: WHO Overturns Dogma On Airborne Disease Spread. The CDC Might Not Act On It
The World Health Organization has issued a report that transforms how the world understands respiratory infections like covid-19, influenza, and measles. Motivated by grave missteps in the pandemic, the WHO convened about 50 experts in virology, epidemiology, aerosol science, and bioengineering, among other specialties, who spent two years poring through the evidence on how airborne viruses and bacteria spread. (Maxmen, 5/1)

Politico: This Liberal Crusader Helped Convince America Covid Came From A Lab
Congressional Republicans are banking on a blockbuster hearing Wednesday on the origins of Covid-19 to show once and for all that U.S. scientists, working with a Chinese lab, caused a devastating pandemic. To counter the view of many scientists that Covid originated naturally among wild animals, the Republicans will rely on evidence uncovered by a tiny nonprofit in Oakland, California, led by a disciple of consumer activist Ralph Nader. (Paun, 4/30)

Military.com: Supreme Court Rejects Military Chaplains' Lawsuit Claiming Refusal Of COVID-19 Vaccine Hurt Their Careers 
The U.S. Supreme Court has decided not to hear a case involving 39 military chaplains who say they continue to face recrimination for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine for religious reasons. In an announcement Monday of the cases the court has selected to hear next year, the justices denied the chaplains' petition to review last year's dismissal of the case by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. (Kime, 4/30)

The Boston Globe: R.I. Must Do Better Than 17% COVID Vaccination Rate, Advocates Say
Just 17 percent of Rhode Island residents have received the most recent COVID-19 vaccine, a number some officials want to see much higher. “I was hoping we could come out of this with people viewing the COVID vaccines as something you do every year like the flu shot,” state Senator Samuel D. Zurier, a Providence Democrat, said Monday. “I don’t believe we are doing everything we can to achieve that goal.” (Fitzpatrick, 4/30)

CIDRAP: Study: COVID Vaccines Not Linked To Seizures 
Today a new meta-analysis of six randomized controlled trials in JAMA Neurology finds no increase in seizures in the month following COVID vaccination. The study compared the incidence of new-onset seizures between the 63,521 vaccine and 54,919 placebo recipients involved in randomized controlled trials conducted in the last 4 years. In the vaccine group there were 9 seizure events reported, compared to 1 in the placebo group. (Soucheray, 4/30)

ABC News: Rural Americans Are At Higher Risk Of Early Death Than Urbanites: CDC
Rural Americans are more likely to die early from one of the five leading causes of death than those who live in urban areas, according to new federal data. Researchers looked at the number of potentially preventable deaths from 2010 through 2022. The report was published Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Kekatos, 4/30)

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

CNN: CDC Warns Of Multi-State E.Coli Outbreak Tied To Walnuts 
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a warning Tuesday about a multi-state e.coli outbreak connected to walnuts. Twelve people from two states have gotten sick with this particular strain of the bacteria. (Christensen, 4/30)

The Hill: Attorneys General Sue Biden Administration Over Revisions To Title IX
A group of six GOP state attorneys general sued the Biden administration over changes to Title IX on Tuesday, the fourth such suit over proposed revisions to the anti-discrimination protections in two days. Tuesday’s suit, led by Kentucky and Tennessee, claims that expansions to campus sexual assault rules overstep the president’s authority. It follows a pair of suits from nine states on Monday contesting transgender student protections. (Robertson, 4/30)

New Hampshire Bulletin: Some NH Patients Stuck In Hospitals Due To Inadequate Insurance, Report Finds
Patients who are medically cleared to be discharged from a hospital continue to stay much longer than they need to largely because they cannot get the ongoing specialized care they require, according to a new report from the New Hampshire Hospital Association. (Timmins, 4/30)

CBS News: 16,000 People With Disabilities Are In State-Operated Institutions. This Is How Experts Say Health Care Should Change
More than 16,000 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, or IDD, are housed in institutions in the U.S., reports the Residential Information Systems Project. While that's significantly lower than nearly 200,000 people in the 1960s, there is more work to be done, says disability rights activist Rebecca Cokley. Cokley, currently working as the disability rights program officer at the Ford Foundation, was born with achondroplasia, a common cause of dwarfism. (Roppolo, 4/30)

Reuters: US Supreme Court Will Not Halt Texas Age Verification For Online Porn 
The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Tuesday to block a Texas law requiring online age verification in order to access pornographic websites in a case pitting the Republican-led state's effort to keep adult content away from minors against constitutional free speech protections. (Chung, 4/30)

Stat: Brain Biopsies On 'Vulnerable' Patients At Mount Sinai Set Off Alarm Bells At FDA
By the time Peter Bauman considered deep brain stimulation, he was desperate. Early onset Parkinson’s disease, diagnosed at age 49, had disabled him, ended his bartending career, and led him to consider suicide. He hoped that the treatment, known as DBS, in which an electrode connected to an external battery is inserted into the brain and emits electrical impulses, would ease his Parkinson’s tremors. (Eban, 5/1)

NPR: Scientists Restore Impaired Brain Cells In Timothy Syndrome Patients
Scientists have found a way to restore brain cells impaired by a rare and life-threatening genetic disorder called Timothy syndrome. A type of drug known as an antisense oligonucleotide allowed clusters of human neurons to develop normally even though they carried the mutation responsible for Timothy syndrome, a team reports in the journal Nature. The approach may help researchers develop treatments for other genetic conditions, including some that cause schizophrenia, epilepsy, ADHD, and autism spectrum disorder. (Hamilton, 4/30)

Fox News: ‘Liquid Gold’ Could Bring New Hope To Multiple Sclerosis Patients, Study Suggests
Researchers may have hit "gold" when it comes to the treatment of multiple sclerosis. An experimental medication called CNM-Au8 — a drinkable liquid with gold nanocrystals — has shown promising results in clinical trials in terms of improvements in MS symptoms. The "catalytically active" liquid, developed by Clene Nanomedicine in South Carolina, can cross the blood-brain barrier to help improve cellular energy and restore neurological function, according to researchers. (Rudy, 4/30)

CNN: Anger Can Harm Your Blood Vessel Function, Study Shows
Does it ever feel as if your anger courses through your veins? Well, that isn’t too far off, according to new research. Feelings of anger adversely affect blood vessel health, according to a study published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Heart Association. (Holcombe, 5/1)

CNN: Perimenopause May Spike Risk Of Depression, Study Finds 
In the years leading up to menopause, a person can experience a multitude of symptoms, including emotional shifts such as depression. Now, a new study has quantified the risk of depression during the transition, known as perimenopause — showing that women in this stage are about 40% more likely to experience the mental health condition than premenopausal women. (Rogers, 4/30)

CNN: Meet The Little People Whose Bodies May Hold A Key To Longevity
In the Los Angeles restaurant where Nathaly Paola Castro Torres works, customers never fail to comment on her short stature. “People stare at me too much and make comments or jokes,” Torres, 42, said. “Many times they also (take) photos of me and I don’t like it. I feel very bad.” At 4 feet, 2 inches tall (127 centimeters), Torres is a “little person” who isn’t used to such reactions. (LaMotte, 4/30)

Stat: 'Skinny Labels' On Generic Medicines Saved Medicare $15 Billion Over A Recent Six-Year Period 
A controversial provision of a federal law designed to speed copycat drugs to market and foster competition saved Medicare Part D nearly $15 billion from 2015 to 2021 on just 15 medicines during that period, according to a new analysis. (Silverman, 4/30)

AP: US Challenges 'Bogus' Patents On Ozempic And Other Drugs In Effort To Spur Competition
Federal regulators are challenging patents on 20 brand-name drugs, including the blockbuster weight-loss injection Ozempic, in the latest effort by the Biden administration targeting pharmaceutical industry practices that drive up prices. The Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday sent warning letters to 10 drugmakers, taking issue with patents on popular drugs for weight loss, diabetes, asthma and other reparatory conditions. The letters allege that certain patents filed by Novo Nordisk, GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca and seven other companies are inaccurate or misleading. (Perrone, 4/30)

Bloomberg: Ozempic, Wegovy Maker Novo Nordisk Has Denmark's Economy Hooked 
There is no escaping Ozempic and Wegovy. The diabetes and obesity drugs are a global phenomenon. They’ve won over the rich and famous, generated billions in sales and blown open a new market for weight loss drugs, which Goldman Sachs estimates will reach $100 billion a year by 2030. The development of semaglutide, the key ingredient in the medicines, has also transformed their maker, Novo Nordisk, into Europe’s most valuable company, with profound implications for its home country of Denmark. (Wass and Kresge, 4/30)

CIDRAP: Quality Improvement Effort Linked To More Appropriate Antibiotics For Pediatric Infections 
A national quality improvement (QI) initiative was associated with increases in appropriate antibiotic prescribing for pediatric infections at 118 US hospitals, researchers reported yesterday in Pediatrics. (Dall, 4/30)

ScienceDaily: The Aspirin Conundrum: Navigating Negative Results, Age, Aging Dynamics And Equity 
A new study examining the role of aspirin in breast cancer treatment reveals critical issues related to health equity and aging that have broad implications for cancer and other disease intervention trials, say researchers. (Georgetown University Medical Center, 4/29)

The Washington Post: 6 Ways The Biden Administration Is Lowering Drug Prices For Seniors 
Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, one of President Biden’s signature achievements, prescription drugs are set to become substantially more affordable for seniors. Yet many Americans seem unaware of just how monumental these changes will be. (Leana S. Wen, 4/30)

Miami Herald: Students Should Be Able To Learn About Birth Control
Opill was recently recognized as the first FDA-approved over-the-counter daily birth control pill. While this is a step forward for contraceptive access, how can we make sure that young people - who are often navigating their sexual health for the first time and may not be well-informed on safe sex practices - know about the pill and how to obtain it? (Suhanee Mitragotri, 5/1)

New England Journal of Medicine: Subcutaneous Administration Of A Monoclonal Antibody To Prevent Malaria
Subcutaneous administration of the monoclonal antibody L9LS protected adults against controlled Plasmodium falciparum infection in a phase 1 trial. Whether a monoclonal antibody administered subcutaneously can protect children from P. falciparum infection in a region where this organism is endemic is unclear. (Kassoum Kayentao, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., et al, 4/26)

The Atlantic: When Patients Do Their Own Research 
Not long ago, medical decision making was largely left to doctors. Patients were a passive bunch, arriving at the doctor with their concerns and symptoms, and departing with their doctor’s orders. But today patients have incredible access to information online and elsewhere, and this has prompted a shift to what is sometimes called “shared decision making”: patients and doctors, together, sharing the burden of making consequential health choices. (Emily Oster and Nathan Fox, 4/30)

The New York Times: If Bird Flu Spreads, These Workers Will See It First
H5N1 is in a better position than ever to move between species and spill over aggressively into humans: This bird flu virus is now thought to have been spreading among dairy cows for many months, and federal regulators have found viral fragments circulating widely in the commercial milk supply chain across the United States (though live virus has not been found). (Erin M. Sorrell, Monica Schooch-Spana and Meghan F. Davis, 5/1)

The New York Times: Bird Flu Is Spreading. Did We Learn Nothing From Covid?
American dairy cows have been contracting avian flu, and inactive traces of the virus have been found in milk supplies across the country. The spread to humans has been very limited, but the Times Opinion columnist Zeynep Tufekci argues that hoping for good luck is not a strategy for responding to potential pandemics and that government agencies need to do a better job of coordinating, testing and reporting their findings quickly. (Zeynep Tufekci, 5/1)

Stat: Colorectal Cancer Is On The Rise Among Young People
I am not writing here to talk about my husband, Chadwick Boseman, who died far too young from colorectal cancer. I am not here to give any glimpses into our obviously private life and his obviously private battle with this cancer, which is affecting far more young lives than it should. (Simone Ledward-Boseman, 5/1)

Roll Call: Now Is The Time To Improve The Health Of Our Nation’s Children 
Across the U.S., a growing challenge to our children’s mental and physical well-being has been felt in every corner of our country — while countless children and youth are fulfilled and thriving physically and mentally, so many are struggling. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that over the last 10 years, feelings of persistent sadness and hopelessness — as well as suicidal thoughts and behaviors — increased by about 40 percent among young people in this country. (Sen. Tom Carper and Kara Odom Walker, 4/30)