First Edition: January 8, 2017
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Kaiser Health News:
Care Suffers As More Nursing Homes Feed Money Into Corporate Webs
In what has become an increasingly common business arrangement, owners of nursing homes outsource a wide variety of goods and services to companies in which they have a financial interest or that they control. Nearly three-quarters of nursing homes in the United States — more than 11,000 — have such business dealings, known as related party transactions, according to an analysis of nursing home financial records by Kaiser Health News. ... But these arrangements offer another advantage: Owners can establish highly favorable contracts in which their nursing homes pay more than they might in a competitive market. Owners then siphon off higher profits, which are not recorded on the nursing home’s accounts. (Rau, 12/31)
Kaiser Health News:
Running On Empty: CHIP Funding Could Run Out Jan. 19 For Some States
Some states are facing a mid-January loss of funding for their Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) despite spending approved by Congress in late December that was expected to keep the program running for three months, federal health officials said Friday. The $2.85 billion was supposed to fund states’ CHIP programs through March 31. But some states will start running out of money after Jan. 19, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. CMS did not say which states are likely to be affected first. (Galewitz, 1/5)
Kaiser Health News:
An Opioid Remedy That Works: Treat Pain And Addiction At The Same Time
Seven years ago, Robert Kerley, who makes his living as a truck driver, was loading drywall when a gust of wind knocked him off the trailer. Kerley fell 14 feet and hurt his back. For pain, a series of doctors prescribed him a variety of opioids: Vicodin, Percocet and OxyContin. In less than a year, the 45-year-old from Federal Heights, Colo., said he was hooked. “I spent most of my time high, laying on the couch, not doing nothing, falling asleep everywhere,” he said. (Daley, 1/8)
Politico:
How Trump’s HHS Nominee’s Drug Company ‘Gamed’ Patent
When Donald Trump’s nominee for HHS secretary was a top executive at Eli Lilly, the patent on its blockbuster Cialis was soon to expire. So Lilly tested it on kids. The drugmaker believed the erectile dysfunction drug might help a rare and deadly muscle-wasting disease that afflicts boys. The drug didn’t work — but under a law that promotes pediatric research, Lilly was able to extend the Cialis patent anyway for six months — and that’s worth a lot when a medication brings in over $2 billion a year. (Karlin-Smith, 1/8)
The Associated Press:
On Health Care, Democrats Are Shifting To Offense
Democrats are shifting to offense on health care, emboldened by successes in defending the Affordable Care Act. They say their ultimate goal is a government guarantee of affordable coverage for all. With Republicans unable to agree on a vision for health care, Democrats are debating ideas that range from single-payer, government-run care for all, to new insurance options anchored in popular programs like Medicare or Medicaid. There's also widespread support for authorizing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices, an idea once advocated by candidate Donald Trump, which has languished since he was elected president. (Alonso-Zaldivar. 1/8)
The New York Times:
Medical Research? Congress Cheers. Medical Care? Congress Brawls.
They cannot agree on subsidies for low-income people under the Affordable Care Act or even how to extend funding for the broadly popular Children’s Health Insurance Program — two issues requiring urgent attention as Congress returns to work. But a more exotic corner of the medical world has drawn rapturous agreement among Republicans and Democrats: the development of new treatments and cures through taxpayer-funded biomedical research. (Pear, 1/6)
The Washington Post:
This Year Is Shaping Up To Be A Clash Of Republican Idealists Vs. Realists
President Trump huddled with congressional Republican leaders this weekend at Camp David, hoping to plot out the year ahead to give the GOP momentum as it heads into the winds of midterm elections. For some, that means swinging for the fences with another attempt to fully replace the Affordable Care Act or a dramatic rewrite of entitlement laws. But any sober analysis will lead the group to conclude that, once Congress cleans up important must-pass items over the next eight weeks, it should be a relatively quiet legislative year. (Kane, 1/6)
The Hill:
Koch-Backed Groups Launch 'Right To Try' Campaign
Koch-brothers backed groups are launching a campaign urging Congress to pass legislation allowing terminally ill patients request access to experimental drugs the Food and Drug Administration hasn’t approved. Nearly 40 states have this law, known as “Right to Try,” already on their books. But Freedom Partners, in partnership with Americans for Prosperity, say federal legislation is needed to assuage patient fears that the federal government will override state laws. (Roubein, 1/8)
The Associated Press Fact Check:
Trump Overstates Progress In Veterans' Care
In bountiful tweets and self-praise, President Donald Trump plays up "tremendous progress" in improving care for veterans in his first year. His claims fall short of reality. Trump's initiatives have yet to show meaningful impact, and his campaign promises of expanding access to doctors and adding mental health specialists are unfulfilled. (Yen, 1/6)
The New York Times:
Nuclear War Would Be ‘Devastating,’ So The C.D.C. Wants To Get People Prepared
President Trump’s recent tweets about his big nuclear button may have been intended to deter a nuclear weapons exchange with North Korea, but the nation’s top public health agency is taking the prospect of a nuclear attack seriously. On Jan. 16, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will present a workshop titled “Public Health Response to a Nuclear Detonation,” for doctors, government officials, emergency responders and others whom, if they survived, would be responsible for overseeing the emergency response to a nuclear attack. (Kaplan, 1/5)
The New York Times:
Trump, Defending His Mental Fitness, Says He’s A ‘Very Stable Genius’
President Trump, whose sometimes erratic behavior in office has generated an unprecedented debate about his mental health, declared on Saturday that he was perfectly sane and accused his critics of raising questions to score political points. In a series of Twitter posts that were extraordinary even by the standards of his norm-shattering presidency, Mr. Trump insisted that his opponents and the news media were attacking his capacity because they had failed to prove his campaign conspired with Russia during the 2016 presidential campaign. (Baker and Haberman, 1/6)
The Wall Street Journal:
Trump Rejects Assertions In Book, Calling Self A ‘Very Stable Genius’
President Donald Trump on Saturday continued to assail a new book that features sharp criticism of his administration from close advisers, and lamented what he called the nation’s “weak” libel laws that he said allowed the book to be published. ... The author, Michael Wolff, frequented the West Wing during Mr. Trump’s first year in office and met with at least a dozen administration officials. The book says White House advisers have had concerns about Mr. Trump’s fitness for the presidency, in particular about his “lapses and repetitions.” In a Thursday Hollywood Reporter column about his book, Mr. Wolff wrote: “At Mar-a-Lago, just before the new year, a heavily made-up Trump failed to recognize a succession of old friends.” (Ballhaus, 1/6)
Politico:
Trump Defends Mental Health: I'm A 'Stable Genius'
Even Fox News, the president's most vocal media cheerleader, has started to acknowledge the questions about the president's state of mind, running a segment early Saturday morning titled, "Media questions Trump's mental state." Trump unleashed his Twitter rant just minutes after the Fox segment, further elevating the issue and ensuring that the topic gets more attention than ever, even as the White House tries to focus on crafting a legislative agenda. “Now that Russian collusion, after one year of intense study, has proven to be a total hoax on the American public, the Democrats and their lapdogs, the Fake News Mainstream Media, are taking out the old Ronald Reagan playbook and screaming mental stability and intelligence.....” the president tweeted at 7:19 a.m. (Restuccia and Howie, 1/6)
Politico:
25th Amendment Unlikely To Be Invoked Over Trump's Mental Health
Donald Trump’s description of himself as a “very stable genius” sparked new debate this weekend about the 25th Amendment, but invoking the provision to remove a president from office is so difficult that it’s highly unlikely to come into play over concerns about Trump’s mental health, a half-dozen lawyers with expertise on the measure said. (Gerstein, 1/7)
The Washington Post:
Families And Friends Of Addicts Are Stocking Up On Narcan, A Drug That Can Stop An Overdose In Its Tracks
Beth Schmidt always begins her opioid-awareness sessions by introducing her boy. At one such event, she motions toward his photos — the solemn baseball-team picture, his sweet, clean-cut middle school portrait, the cheek-to-cheek selfie of mother and son — as she tells a hushed audience of about a dozen how Sean fought and lost his battle with opioid addiction. “He actually overdosed right here in Mount Airy at the Twin Arch Shopping Center,” she says, “in a parked car.” It was December 2013, two days after his 23rd birthday. (Fleming, 1/7)
The Washington Post:
Narcan Stops Overdoses And In Most States Is Available At Drug Stores Without Prescritptions
Forty-six states permit naloxone to be purchased without an individual prescription. Laws in the remaining states vary, with some permitting naloxone to be prescribed only for use on a patient of the prescriber, while others permit it to be prescribed for use on other people, such as friends and family members of the patient. In the District of Columbia, Narcan is available at retail pharmacies only via prescription. At least three community health organizations — HIPS, Family Medical and Counseling Service and Bread for the City — disburse it free without a prescription to clients and family members. (Fleming, 1/7)
The Associated Press:
Fatal Overdoses Prompt County To Issue Public Health Alert
Authorities in one Maryland county have issued a public health alert after four people died from drug overdoses. The Carroll County Times reported that the health officials in the county seat of Westminster sent out the alert Friday. It warned that heroin, cocaine and counterfeit pain and anxiety pills may be laced with fentanyl. The synthetic opioid can be deadly, even in small doses. Carroll County is northwest of Baltimore. (1/7)
The New York Times:
You’re Over 75, And You’re Healthy. Why Are You Taking A Statin?
Should a 76-year-old who doesn’t have heart disease, but does have certain risk factors for developing it, take a statin to ward off heart attacks or strokes? You’d think we’d have a solid answer to this question. These widely prescribed medications lower cholesterol to reduce cardiovascular disease, the nation’s most common killer, and get much of the credit for the nation’s plummeting rates of heart attacks and strokes. (Span, 1/5)
The Washington Post:
New High Blood Pressure Guidelines Can Be Confusing Even For Doctors
When headlines about new blood pressure guidelines pinged across my phone recently, I remembered a man my inpatient team had admitted to the hospital not long ago. He had gotten up in the middle of the night to use the toilet and passed out, hitting his head on the floor. The first people to find him described him twitching, so he initially got a battery of tests to determine whether he was having seizures. All were negative. But when he got out of bed and stood up, his blood pressure dropped from 137/63 to 98/50 — a sign of a condition called orthostatic hypotension. (Marcus, 1/7)
The Washington Post:
Some Pretty Simple Lifestyle Changes Can Help With High Blood Pressure
If you’re worried about high blood pressure, there are some things you can do beyond taking appropriate medication. The American Heart Association (AHA) points to somenot-so-difficult lifestyle changes to delay or lower high pressure and reduce the risk of illnesses associated with it, such as heart disease, stroke and kidney disease. (1/7)
USA Today:
Apple Urged To Do More To Combat iPhone Addiction Among Kids
Apple should do more to curb growing smartphone addiction among children, two major investors in the iPhone maker said Monday. In an open letter to the technology giant, New York-based Jana Partners LLC and the California State Teachers’ Retirement System, highlighted increasing concern about the effects of gadgets and social media on youngsters. (Hjelmgaard, 1/8)
The Wall Street Journal:
iPhones And Children Are A Toxic Pair, Say Two Big Apple Investors
“Apple can play a defining role in signaling to the industry that paying special attention to the health and development of the next generation is both good business and the right thing to do,” the shareholders wrote in the letter, a copy of which was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. “There is a developing consensus around the world including Silicon Valley that the potential long-term consequences of new technologies need to be factored in at the outset, and no company can outsource that responsibility.” (Benoit, 1/7)
NPR:
Alcohol A Problem? This Tool Helps Assess Risk And Find Help
The thinking about problem drinking and alcoholism has changed. It's no longer considered a black-and-white, you have it or you don't condition. "We now know that there's a full spectrum in alcohol use disorder," says George Koob, the director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcohohlism, part of the National Institutes of Health. You can have a mild, moderate or severe problem. And there's not a one-sized fits all approach to getting help. (Aubrey, 1/8)
NPR:
Stomach Reduction Surgery Benefits Severely Obese Teens
After three years, teens with severe obesity who underwent stomach reduction surgery to lose weight also significantly improved their heart health. A study published Monday in Pediatrics shows that blood pressure, cholesterol, inflammation and insulin levels all improved, particularly among those who lost the most weight. "The potential impact of such risk reduction translates into a reduced likelihood of developing significant heart disease later in life, including atherosclerosis, heart failure and stroke," says study author Marc Michalsky, surgical director of the Center for Healthy Weight and Nutrition at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, in an email. (Haelle, 1/8)
USA Today:
Autistic Boy's Drowning Is Now A Lesson For First Responders
Shalom Lawson, an 8-year-old Louisville boy who loved hugging people he just met, wandered from a relative's home last summer and drowned. He had autism, a disorder that causes many children to walk off. "Elopers,"as they are called, are especially drawn to water and are unaware of the risks. "Water makes them feel calm, but water is very, very dangerous," said Shalom's mother, Magdalene Lawson, who came to America from West Africa with her husband, Charles. (Warren, 1/5)
The Washington Post:
Why Do People Talk, And Even Curse, In Their Sleep?
Worried you might say something you regret when talking in your sleep? Your concerns may be justified: According to a recent study from France, your midnight mumblings may be more negative and insulting than what you say while awake. In the study, researchers found that sleep talkers said the word “no” four times as often in their sleep as when awake. And the f-word popped up during sleep talking more than 800 times more frequently than while awake. (Edison, 1/7)
The Associated Press:
Report: Privatized Medicaid Saving Iowa Less Than Predicted
A spokeswoman for Gov. Kim Reynolds, a Republican who succeeded Branstad and supports the shift to privately-run Medicaid, says Reynolds' new Medicaid director believes his staff miscalculated the 2018 savings estimate. He is having them review the issue, spokeswoman Brenna Smith said. (1/6)
The Associated Press:
Florida Hack Exposed Files Of Up To 30,000 Medicaid Patients
Florida officials say hackers may have accessed the personal information and medical records of up to 30,000 Medicaid recipients two months ago. The state's Agency for Health Care Administration said in a Friday evening news release that one of its employees "was the victim of a malicious phishing email" on Nov. 15, and on Tuesday, agency leaders were notified about the preliminary findings of an Inspector General investigation. It found that hackers may have partly or fully accessed the enrollees' full names, Medicaid ID numbers, birthdates, addresses, diagnoses, medical conditions and Social Security numbers. (1/5)
Los Angeles Times:
Severe Flu Brings Medicine Shortages, Packed ERs And A Rising Death Toll In California
So many people have fallen sick with influenza in California that pharmacies have run out of flu medicines, emergency rooms are packed, and the death toll is rising higher than in previous years. Health officials said Friday that 27 people younger than 65 have died of the flu in California since October, compared with three at the same time last year. Nationwide and in California, flu activity spiked sharply in late December and continues to grow. (Karlamangla, 1/6)
Los Angeles Times:
No, It's Not Too Late To Get A Flu Shot
Is it too late to get a flu shot? We know you've been busy making plans for the holidays, scrambling to find the perfect gift for everyone on your list, spending time in airports and on road trips to see family and friends. But the holiday season is over and it's time to get back to reality. The flu season is most certainly upon us. And you need to deal with it. (Kaplan, 1/5)
Los Angeles Times:
In This Deadly Flu Season, Here Are Tips On How To Protect Yourself
California is in the midst of a dangerous flu season. Health officials said Friday that 27 people younger than 65 have died of the flu in California since October, compared with three during the same time period last year. Nationwide, flu activity spiked sharply in late December and continues to grow. Here is some key information, including tips to stay healthy, from national, state and local health agencies. (1/6)
The Wall Street Journal:
Hospitals Wrestle With Shortage Of IV Bags, Linked To Hurricane
The U.S. is facing a nationwide shortage of intravenous bags just as flu cases accelerate, forcing many hospitals to use more time-consuming ways to administer drugs and to weigh a halt on elective procedures and clinical trials. Some hospital officials said they have only a day or two of supplies and worry whether they would be able to handle an influx of patients as the influenza virus ramps up. Forty-six states are seeing widespread flu activity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, putting this year on par with 2014-15, which was the most severe flu season in recent years. (Armour and Burton, 1/7)
The New York Times:
Man Who Posed As A Doctor At 18 Is Going To Prison At 20
He wore a white lab coat and a stethoscope, but as several would-be patients in South Florida learned in 2015 and 2016, Malachi A. Love-Robinson was no doctor. Mr. Love-Robinson, who was 18 when he was accused of practicing medicine without a license, pleaded guilty to several charges on Thursday, and was sentenced to three and a half years in prison. The charges included grand theft from a person over 65 — prosecutors said he stole money and checks from an 86-year-old woman he was seeing as a patient. (Victor, 1/5)
The New York Times:
City’s New Public Hospitals Chief Will Focus On Primary Care
The incoming president of NYC Health & Hospitals wants to turn the nation’s largest public health care network into an agency that focuses less on hospitalized care and more on primary care, similar to initiatives carried out nationwide. The new president, Dr. Mitchell H. Katz, who begins his job on Monday, also said he would expand the use of eConsult, an electronic health management system to streamline care and reduce wait times for specialty appointments, evaluate staff allocation and consider decreasing administrative services such as “unnecessary consultant expenses” to increase savings and revenue. (Ransom, 1/7)
Reuters:
Court Voids Baltimore Law Requiring 'No Abortion' Clinic Disclaimers
A federal appeals court on Friday declared unconstitutional a Baltimore law requiring pregnancy clinics that do not offer or refer women for abortions to post signs disclosing that fact in their waiting rooms. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 3-0 that the law violated the First Amendment free speech rights of the Greater Baltimore Center for Pregnancy Concerns, a Christian nonprofit that provides prenatal services and counsels women on abortion alternatives. (Stempel, 1/5)
The Associated Press:
University Launches Investigation Into Fetal Tissue Transfer
The University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center is investigating the transfer of fetal tissue by a faculty member to a private medical research company in Michigan. Health Sciences Center spokeswoman Alex Sanchez confirmed the internal investigation Friday after it was first reported by the Albuquerque Journal. She said the inquiry began in the fall but she declined to provide any details. (1/5)