State Highlights: Health Policies Move Into Focus In Md., Iowa Gubernatorial Races; Fla. Cancer Center Uses Math To Pursue Treatments, Cure

The Baltimore Sun: Ben Jealous Releases Plan For Statewide 'Medicare For All'
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ben Jealous released a plan Wednesday calling on Maryland to take the plunge and create a universal health care system without waiting for the the federal government to take the lead. The release of Jealous’ outline of a statewide “Medicare for all” plan comes as he is planning a Wednesday night rally at the College of Notre Dame with 2016 presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, a supporter of single-payer health care who has endorsed Jealous’ candidacy. (Dresser, 12/6)

Des Moines Register: Iowa Governor Candidates Lay Out Plans For Mental Health
A dozen candidates for governor gathered Tuesday night to lay out their plans for improved access, funding and treatment for mental health services across the state. At a public panel hosted by The Des Moines Register, the candidates voiced near-universal criticism of Iowa's privatized Medicaid system, which has faced a tumultuous couple of months following the departure of one of the private companies hired to provide services. (Pfannenstiel, 12/5)

Tampa Bay Times: Could Math Help Defeat Cancer? Moffitt Is Betting It Will
On any given day, the lobby at Moffitt Cancer Center is buzzing with patients and their families. A few are waiting to check in for another round of chemotherapy. Others are hopeful for more good news about their remission. Some look more tired than others. Above them, on an upper floor, a group of staffers is working to find new ways to fight or even cure cancer, but they aren’t doctors or nurses, and their office looks nothing like the rest of the hospital. (Griffin, 12/5)

The Washington Post: An Illinois Doctor Traded Drugs For Sex And Cash. He Just Pleaded Guilty.
The first scheme that Constantino Perales ran involved some simple math. He'd provide a drug dealer with hundreds of oxycodone and Xanax pills and the man would pay the doctor $15 to $20 for every tablet he sold, according to federal prosecutors. The second scheme was even simpler, if baser. Perales would write prescriptions for the drugs; in return, his drug-addicted patients would have sex with him, the prosecutors say. (Wootson, 12/5)

Health News Florida: Florida Supreme Court Refuses To Take Up Tobacco Case
In a victory for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, the Florida Supreme Court on Monday declined to take up a case that initially involved a more than $23 billion verdict against the cigarette maker. The estate of Michael Johnson Sr., a longtime smoker who died at age 36, asked the Supreme Court to take up the case after the 1st District Court of Appeal in February ordered a new trial. (12/4)

The Wall Street Journal: Brooklyn Prosecutors Charge 20 In $146 Million Health-Care Fraud
Brooklyn prosecutors said Tuesday that they charged 20 people and 14 corporations in a $146 million fraud scheme, calling it the biggest health-care case in their office’s history. The defendants paid patients to come to clinics, where they received unnecessary tests that were subsequently billed to Medicare and Medicaid, prosecutors said. The defendants then spent the proceeds on real estate, luxury shopping sprees and lavish vacations, according to an indictment. (Ramey, 12/5)

The Associated Press: Eye Doctor Awaits Sentence In $100 Million Medicare Fraud
A federal judge heard wildly conflicting stories Tuesday about a prominent Florida eye doctor convicted in a $100 million Medicare fraud scheme. Some former patients said Dr. Salomon Melgen restored their sight for free, while others described painful and unnecessary treatments that left them blind. Melgen, 63, is facing a possible life sentence after being found guilty of 67 counts, including health care fraud, submitting false claims and falsifying records in patients’ files. Evidence presented during his trial earlier this year showed he subjected patients to unnecessary procedures, including sticking needles in their eyes and burning their retinas with lasers. (Spencer, 12/5)

The Associated Press: Famed 'Concussion' Pathologist Alleges Autopsy Interference
San Joaquin County’s chief medical examiner, known nationally as the doctor depicted in the movie “Concussion” about brain injuries among football players, resigned Tuesday over what he said was interference by the sheriff that has become so invasive that it borders on the unlicensed practice of medicine. Dr. Bennet Omalu accused Sheriff-Coroner Steve Moore of routinely interfering with death investigations to protect law enforcement officers. (Thompson, 12/5)

The Associated Press: Oklahoma Officer Charged In Fatal Shooting Of Suicidal Man
An Oklahoma City police officer was charged Tuesday with second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of a suicidal man who had doused himself in lighter fluid and was trying to set himself on fire. District Attorney David Prater filed the charge against Sgt. Keith Sweeney and listed an alternative charge of first-degree manslaughter in the Nov. 15 killing of 29-year-old Dustin Pigeon. An affidavit by a police investigator concluded that Pigeon was unarmed and didn’t pose a threat to responding officers when Sweeney shot him. (Miller and Juozapavicius, 12/5)

Health News Florida: Hospital District Files Countersuit Against Ex-CEO
One of the state's largest hospital systems is suing its former chief executive alleging, among other things, that she violated federal anti-kickback laws. The North Broward Hospital District on Monday filed a countersuit against its former CEO, Pauline Grant, in Broward County circuit court alleging that she violated the hospital's code of conduct by serving as secretary of the board of directors of John Knox Village, a long-term care provider that had contracts with the hospital system. (12/5)

Sacramento Bee: Who’s Taking Care Of California’s Seniors? Probably A Millennial, Survey Says
Shay Jackson starts her day at 4 a.m, seeking the early morning “me time” with prayer and Bible study before chaos ensues. Before heading to her state job, there’s breakfast to be made for her children, ages 7 and 3. Her grandmother, 79-year-old Audrey Strong, is undergoing treatment for lung cancer and needs assistance getting dressed. Jackson, 32, tag-teams the responsibilities with her husband, Chris Jackson, who gets the children to school in the morning and works afternoons. (Sullivan, 12/3)

Columbus Dispatch: Report: Look To Solutions Beyond Health Care To Keep So Many Ohio Babies From Dying
As state and local officials continue searching for ways to reduce Ohio’s stubbornly high infant-mortality rate, a new report released Wednesday urges them to look beyond medical care. Improving social and economic conditions such as housing, transportation, education and employment opportunities could help Ohio make faster progress in reducing the number of babies dying before their first birthday. (Candisky, 12/5)

Los Angeles Times: Fire Badly Damages Ventura Hospital: 'I Burst Into Tears'
At least two buildings on the campus of Vista Del Mar Hospital burned down as the Thomas fire ravaged the canyons above Ventura. The hospital treats adolescents and adults with mental health issues, and among its specialties is treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. (Hamilton, 12/5)

The Associated Press: Former California Lawmaker Charged With Aiding Wife In Suicide
A former California state lawmaker was charged with providing a gun to his wife so she could kill herself last year. Former Assemblyman Steve Clute was charged Thursday in Riverside County Superior Court with a felony count of aiding the suicide of his wife of about 40 years. Pamela Clute, 66, a well-liked math professor and administrator at the University of California, Riverside, was found dead in the couple’s Palm Desert home in August 2016. About 500 people attended a campus memorial service for her. (12/5)

Los Angeles Times: L.A. Adds More Public Toilets As Homeless Crisis Grows
Los Angeles officials have debated for decades how best to provide for one of the most basic needs of homeless people. For those camped in the 50-block skid row district, the streets have been an open-air restroom — with only nine toilets available overnight in recent months to as many as 1,800 people camped on sidewalks. (Holland, 12/5)

Miami Herald: She Ended Her Abusive Relationship But Needs Help For Her Autistic Son
The Elliott who recently greeted visitors with a big grin and a T-shirt declaring him a “Perfect Gentleman,” and proudly showed off a paper airplane that came close to flying, is far different from the Elliott who would have come to the door less than a year ago. That Elliott — the one still reeling from the years of abuse against himself, his siblings and his mother, the one who had yet to get behavioral therapy for his autism — would have violently rejected new people, said his mother, Hasina Brinson. (Mazzei, 12/5)

Tampa Bay Times: Florida Hospital Chain To Buy Bayfront Health Dade City
Adventist Health System, the parent company of Florida Hospital, announced Tuesday that it plans to buy Bayfront Health Dade City hospital and its related outpatient services. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2018, which will make it the 11th hospital in the chain to join the West Florida Division of Adventist Health System, according to a press release. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals. (Griffin, 12/5)

Cleveland Plain Dealer: Ohio Hired Convicted Felon To Score Medical Marijuana Grow License Applications
The Ohio Department of Commerce came under fire from state officials Tuesday for hiring a medical marijuana program consultant who had a felony drug conviction on his criminal record. The felony conviction would have disqualified the consultant from being awarded the medical marijuana cultivation licenses he was helping to score. (Borchardt, 12/5)