First Edition: February 22, 2018

Kaiser Health News: After Shooting, ‘Honor How Kids Want To Deal With Their Feelings’
With so much coverage of last week’s grisly school shooting in Parkland, Fla., students, parents and others are struggling to cope. Christine Sylvest, a child psychologist in Rockville, Md., has a unique perspective. She grew up in Coral Springs, Fla., and attended Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the site of the shooting that left 17 people dead. She moved with her family to Ashburn, Va., before her senior year in 1995. “For me, this was my high school,” she said in an interview with Kaiser Health News on Wednesday. “I can image being in that hallway, and I can only imagine the horror.” (Galewitz, 2/22)

The Associated Press: Liberal Group Proposing Plan For Health Coverage For All
A major liberal policy group is raising the ante on the health care debate with a new plan that builds on Medicare to guarantee coverage for all. Called "Medicare Extra for All," the proposal to be released Thursday by the Center for American Progress gives politically energized Democrats more options to achieve a long-sought goal. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 2/22)

The New York Times: Complaints About Nursing Home Evictions Rise, And Regulators Take Note
Six weeks after Deborah Zwaschka-Blansfield had the lower half of her left leg amputated, she received some news from the nursing home where she was recovering: Her insurance would no longer pay, and it was time to move on. The home wanted to release her to a homeless shelter or pay for a week in a motel. “That is not safe for me,” said Ms. Zwaschka-Blansfield, 59, who cannot walk and had hoped to stay in the home, north of Sacramento, until she could do more things for herself — like getting up if she fell. (Bernard and Pear, 2/22)

The New York Times: How To Challenge A Nursing Home Eviction Notice, And Other Tips
Many nursing home residents are unaware of their rights. So when these individuals face the threat of eviction, legal advocates say, many of them do not even realize they have the right to challenge their discharge. Below is a list of several of those rights under federal law along with tips from lawyers and advocates who work on behalf of nursing home residents. (Bernard and Pear, 2/22)

The New York Times: Parents And Students Plead With Trump: ‘How Many Children Have To Get Shot?’
One by one at the White House on Wednesday afternoon, survivors of school shootings and family members of victims shared their stories and their calls to action. The extraordinary public exchange with the president gave voice to an intensely emotional debate over how to respond to the latest gun massacre in an American school. (Davis, 2/21)

The Wall Street Journal: Trump, At White House Forum, Signals Support For Arming School Staff
“I’m pissed,” said Andrew Pollack, whose 18-year-old daughter, Meadow, was killed at Stoneman Douglas. “I’m not going to see my daughter again. She’s not here. She’s at North Lauderdale in King David Cemetery. That’s where I go to see my kid now. ”Mr. Pollack said school safety needed to be the first priority, and then gun laws could be debated later. “How many schools, how many children have to get shot?” he said. (Nicholas and Bender, 2/21)

The Washington Post: ‘Fix It’: Students And Parents Tell Trump He Needs To Address Gun Violence At Schools
President Trump leaned forward and listened intently for nearly an hour Wednesday afternoon as students, parents and teachers begged him to do something, anything, to prevent a mass shooting from happening at another school. The group offered a wide variety of suggestions — bolster school security, drill students on what to do during a shooting and raise the age at which someone can buy an assault rifle — but in the end, the president remained focused on the solution he often proposes after a mass shooting: increasing the number of people with guns so they can quickly stop shooters with lethal force. (Johnson and Wagner, 2/21)

Reuters: Trump Addresses Gun Violence, Vows To Be 'Very Strong On Background Checks'
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday his administration would emphasize background checks and mental health in an effort to deal with gun violence in schools after last week's mass shooting at a Florida high school. (Mason, 2/21)

Politico: Amid Student Anger, Trump Hosts Live White House Special On Gun Violence
Since the shooting, the president has been looking for a way to take action on guns in response to cries from gun-control advocates and emotional students, whose images have been plastered across television screens around the clock, without alienating his pro-gun base, which he courted with promises to support the Second Amendment. In response to remarks by the families at the listening session, he floated some new ideas, surprising some White House aides, including reopening some of the mental institutions shuttered in the 1970s to house worrisome teens who have not committed any crimes, and arming teachers or other school officials — controversial views that he would have difficulty garnering support for on Capitol Hill. (Johnson and Lima, 2/21)

The New York Times: Marco Rubio And N.R.A. Jeered On Gun Stance
The spokeswoman for the N.R.A., Dana Loesch, offering the group’s first public comments after a shooting last week at a Florida high school, strongly defended the gun advocacy group’s positions in front of students and teachers from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. “People who are crazy should not be able to get firearms,” she said, insisting that enforcement of mental health laws, not new gun restrictions, would prevent future massacres. Mr. Rubio, Republican of Florida, also drew the ire of the crowd for refusing to support a ban on assault weapons and for saying that he intended to continue accepting money from the N.R.A. and other groups that support his pro-gun agenda. (Shear, 2/21)

The Washington Post: Rubio Takes A Risk In Emotional Gun Debate, Facing Critics And Warming To New Firearm Restrictions
Rubio, who throughout his career has been a scripted and risk-averse politician, had thrust himself into a volatile and deeply personal discussion. Then, he took another unexpected step. He endorsed raising the age requirement for buying a rifle. Later, he said he was “reconsidering” his opposition to placing new limits on high-capacity magazines. In doing so, Rubio stepped away from the pillars of the powerful gun rights movement that have long influenced the actions of most Republican members of Congress, including himself. (Sullivan and O'Keefe, 2/22)

The New York Times: Florida Republicans Face Mounting Pressure To Act On Gun Control
Seven days after the killing of 17 students and school staff members in Florida, Republican state leaders are facing pressure unlike any they have experienced before to pass legislation addressing gun violence. On Wednesday, swarms of student protesters carrying signs and boxes of petitions stormed the Florida Capitol, pleading with lawmakers to pass tougher gun control in the wake of the deadly shooting at a Broward County school last week. (Turkewitz and Burns, 2/21)

Politico: Florida's Moment On Guns
In America’s national debate over guns, Florida is having a moment. From the grieving students swarming Tallahassee Wednesday to the public grilling of Sen. Marco Rubio at a CNN forum Wednesday night, Florida — long a proving ground for national gun policy — is again at the center of the storm in the wake of last week’s mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in suburban Fort Lauderdale. (Caputo, 2/21)

The New York Times: 11 Of The Most Dramatic Moments In A Day Of Confrontation Over Guns
It was a day of tense exchanges, emotion-packed speeches and confrontation as lawmakers, students and parents sparred on Wednesday over what to do about shootings in American schools. From the nation’s capital to Florida’s State House, people affected by gun violence delivered pain-laced addresses to crowds of passionate supporters, and President Trump listened to a group he had summoned to discuss the problem. There was also some poignant symbolism. (Haag and Stevens, 2/21)

The Hill: House Dems Call For Vote On Lifting Gun Violence Research Limits 
A group of House Democrats is calling on Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) to take up a bill to repeal restrictions on gun violence research at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The push to lift the restriction has gained new attention in the wake of the school shooting last week in Florida. (Sullivan, 2/21)

The New York Times: Trump’s Pick To Lead Indian Health Service Withdraws Nomination
President Trump’s nominee to lead the Indian Health Service has withdrawn his name from consideration for the position, a spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Humans Services said Wednesday. The withdrawal of the nominee, Robert Weaver, follows Wall Street Journal reports that said he had inaccurately represented his qualifications to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs after his nomination in October. Mr. Weaver joins a growing list of Trump nominees who have withdrawn from consideration after questions arose about their fitness for their assigned posts. (Baumgaertner, 2/22)

The Wall Street Journal: Trump’s Nominee For Indian Health Post Withdraws
The move by Robert Weaver, a former insurance broker, comes after The Wall Street Journal published two articles earlier this year in which former colleagues alleged he had in some cases exaggerated his work experience and left a former employer in financial disarray. In one case, Mr. Weaver said he had held leadership roles at a large hospital; however, some of his former colleagues and supervisors said his role there was as a registration clerk. (Frosch and Weaver, 2/21)

The Washington Post: White House Intends To Meet With Leading Veterans Groups Amid Drama At VA
White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly intends to meet with the nation’s leading veterans advocates next week amid ongoing anxiety that there is a desire by some of President Trump’s political appointees to oust Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin, according to people familiar with the matter. The impending White House meeting follows a private gathering Tuesday of the top officials from 12 veterans service organizations (VSOs), including the American Legion, VFW and Disabled Veterans of America. These groups represent millions of former service members and their families, forming one of Trump’s core constituencies. (Wax-Thibodeaux, 2/21)

The Washington Post: VA Chief Shulkin’s Job Is Safe, White House Says, Unless ‘Other Stuff Comes Out’
White House officials have told Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin that his job is safe, according to people familiar with the matter who indicated Tuesday that President Trump decided to “stomach the story” about Shulkin’s alleged misuse of taxpayer money during a 10-day trip to Europe. The president’s decision was communicated to Shulkin by White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly, according to an administration official who, like others interviewed, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the situation candidly. Trump “personally likes Shulkin,” the official said, cautioning, however, that “if other stuff comes out, this could change, but for now, he’s safe.” (Wax-Thibodeaux, Rein and Dawsey, 2/20)

The Hill: Health Chief Exploring More Actions On High Drug Prices 
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar says his department is working on additional proposals aimed at high drug prices, including some that could be enacted without congressional action. In an interview with WTHR in Indianapolis on Tuesday, Azar pointed to the proposals to Congress on drug pricing that the administration made in its budget this month, but also said the department is working on other proposals that might not need congressional approval. (Sullivan, 2/21)

Stat: Lawmakers Urge HHS To Sidestep Patents On Hepatitis C Drugs
In a bid to address the high cost of prescription drugs, a group of congressional Democrats is urging federal officials to tap a little-known 1910 law that would allow the government to sidestep patents on hepatitis C medicines. The law resembles eminent domain: the Department of Health and Human Services could use a patented invention without permission, and a drug maker could demand a “reasonable” compensation — such as royalties — but cannot stop the government from taking such a step. (Silverman, 2/21)

Stat: Months After Sexual Harassment Scandal, OrbiMed’s Banking Another Billion
Months after being rocked by sexual harassment allegations, biotech’s largest investment fund is in process of raising $1 billion from investors, its largest offering to date, while the founder who was at the center of the controversy remains a partner at the firm. Legendary biotech financier Sam Isaly said late last year that he would retire following publication of a STAT investigation in which six former OrbiMed employees said he regularly sexually harassed the firm’s female employees, particularly executive assistants. (Garde, 2/22)

The Associated Press: It's OK To Use Nasal Spray Flu Vaccine Again, US Panel Says
It's OK for doctors to start using a kid-friendly nasal spray flu vaccine again, a federal panel said Wednesday. Two years ago, the advisory group pulled its recommendation for FluMist vaccine after research found it wasn't working against swine flu, the kind of flu that was making most people sick then. But the Advisory Committee of Immunization Practices voted 12-2 Wednesday to recommend the nasal spray as an option for next winter's flu season. (Stobbe, 2/21)

Reuters: U.S. Health Officials Reverse Stance On AstraZeneca's Flu Vaccine
The latest recommendation follows results from a U.S. study in young children that showed vaccines containing a 2017-2018 strain of H1N1 flu virus performed better than the 2015-2016 strain that had shown decreased effectiveness, AstraZeneca said. (Mathias, 2/21)

Stat: FluMist Is Back: Vote Reopens The Way To Wider Use Of Popular Vaccine
MedImmune believes it traced the problem to the virus used in the H1N1 component. It has replaced it, and testing in ferrets and in cells from human nasal passages suggests the new virus is more effective. The motion to recommend FluMist passed by a surprising 12-to-2 vote, the outcome of which belies the unease that a number of members of the committee clearly felt about the decision they were making. They faced, in essence, a Catch-22: It has been impossible to generate the type of data that would normally be used to make a decision like this. That’s because since the H1N1 component problem first came to light, there has been too little H1N1 flu activity in places where the vaccine is used to prove that the changes the company made to FluMist have fixed the problem. (Branswell, 2/21)

The Associated Press: US Panel Recommends New Adult Vaccine Against Hepatitis B
A federal advisory panel on Wednesday recommended a new vaccine against hepatitis B. The vaccine, called Heplisav-B, was licensed for use in the U.S. in November and is the first new hepatitis B vaccine in 25 years. Hepatitis B vaccines have been in childhood shots for decades. But vaccination also is recommended for adults at high risk of infection, including people who inject drugs, health care workers and jail inmates. (Stobbe, 2/21)

Stateline: Overdose Deaths Fall In 14 States
New provisional data released this month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that drug overdose deaths declined in 14 states during the 12-month period that ended July 2017, a potentially hopeful sign that policies aimed at curbing the death toll may be working. In an opioid epidemic that began in the late 1990s, drug deaths have been climbing steadily every year, in nearly every state. A break in that trend, even if limited to just 14 states, has prompted cautious optimism among some public health experts. (Vestal, 2/22)

The Hill: FDA Announces Recall Of Dietary Supplements After Opioid Declaration
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Wednesday announced a recall of dietary supplements that contain kratom, a herb the agency has classified as an opioid. FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb also urged manufacturers to stop selling products intended for human consumption if they contain kratom. (Hellmann, 2/21)

The Washington Post: Decades’ Worth Of Rape Kits Are Finally Being Tested. No One Can Agree On What To Do Next.
He wanted me to see the boxes. They were piled six or seven high, and there were so many stacks on the shelves it was hard to take them in all at once. The other aisles of the Virginia Beach Police Department’s evidence storage unit were filled with guns and knives, hard drives and cash piles — objects that had been used to do terrible things to people. But these boxes — rape kits — contained what was left on a person’s body when something terrible had already been done. “I wanted you to see that each one is a victim,” said Lt. Patrick Harris, who had brought me here. “Each one has a name and a story behind it.” (Contrera, 2/20)

The New York Times: Black Lung Disease Comes Storming Back In Coal Country
Federal investigators this month identified the largest cluster of advanced black lung cases ever officially recorded. More than 400 coal miners frequenting three clinics in southwestern Virginia between 2013 and 2017 were found to have complicated black lung disease, an extreme form characterized by dense masses of scar tissue in the lungs. (Popovich, 2/22)

Reuters: Study Seeks To End Antidepressant Debate-The Drugs Do Work
A vast research study that sought to settle a long-standing debate about whether or not anti-depressant drugs really work has found they are indeed effective in relieving acute depression in adults. The international study - a meta-analysis pooling results of 522 trials covering 21 commonly-used antidepressants and almost 120,000 patients - uncovered a range of outcomes, with some drugs proving more effective than others and some having fewer side effects. (Kelland, 2/22)

NPR: Experimental Treatment For Sepsis May Have Saved This Lumberjack
This story of a man who nearly died in the hospital actually started in the woods of Washington's Cascade Mountains last summer. "I was cutting for a logging outfit up on these rock cliffs and I felled a 150-foot fir tree into [some] maple trees," says Kristopher Kelly, a 51-year-old lumberjack. The maples "had a bunch of dead tops — they call 'em widow makers," Kelly says. "You don't want to get under them because they'll make you a widow." And when the top of the fir tree crashed into those maples, he says, the butt of the tree he had just felled bounced back toward him. (Harris, 2/21)

The New York Times: Working Nights May Raise Diabetes Risk
Night-shift work is linked to an increased risk for Type 2 diabetes, a new study has found. British researchers used a large health database to compare diabetes prevalence in 47,286 night-shift workers with that of 224,928 day workers. (Bakalar, 2/21)

The Washington Post: Maryland Ponders Ways To Stabilize Health Insurance Markets
To help steady its struggling health care exchange, Maryland is considering steps some other states have taken to stabilize insurance markets: revive a sort of insurance for insurers. State lawmakers held hearings on a variety of health care proposals on Wednesday, including one that calls for what’s known as reinsurance, which protects insurers against very high claims. Sen. Thomas Middleton, a Democrat who is sponsoring the bill, said his measure would create a Band-Aid to secure the individual market this year to keep rates down and lay the groundwork for a long-time solution. (Witte, 2/21)

The Washington Post: Va. House Speaker Drops A Few Names — Trump And Pence — In Medicaid Pitch
Leaders of Virginia’s House of Delegates are trying to sell wary fellow Republicans on Medicaid expansion by tying it to President Trump and Vice President Pence. House Speaker M. Kirkland Cox (R-Colonial Heights) contends that expanding the federal-state health-care program during the Trump administration offers the “best chance for conservative reforms.” He also compares the House’s expansion plan with the “Indiana-style model” adopted by that state in 2015, when Pence was its governor. (Vozzella, 2/21)

The Associated Press: Court: Kansas Can't Cut Medicaid Funds To Planned Parenthood
A federal appeals court says Kansas can't cut Medicaid funds to a Planned Parenthood affiliate over videos anti-abortion activists secretly recorded in 2015. The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals' decision leaves in place a lower court's preliminary injunction that blocked Kansas from ending the contract. It is the fifth of six circuits to uphold the right of patients to receive health care from their preferred qualified provider. (2/21)

The Associated Press: Murphy Reverses Christie, Approves $7.5M For Women's Health
New Jersey's new Democratic governor signed legislation Wednesday setting aside about $7.5 million for family-planning and women's health, reversing course on former Republican Gov. Chris Christie's handling of the issue. It's the first bill that Gov. Phil Murphy has signed into law since succeeding Christie, who vetoed the spending throughout his two terms. (2/21)

The Associated Press: Prosecutors Charge Health Company In Milwaukee Jail Death
A company that provides health care for inmates at the Milwaukee County jail faces criminal charges because employees lied about checking on a man who died of dehydration, prosecutors said Wednesday. The Milwaukee District Attorney's Office charged Miami-based Armor Correctional Health Services Inc. with seven misdemeanor counts of intentionally falsifying health records. The company is the latest defendant to be charged in the death of 38-year-old Terrill Thomas, who spent seven days without water in his cell as punishment in April 2016. (2/21)

The Associated Press: Florida Doctor Facing Long Medicare Fraud Sentence
A federal judge is likely to sentence a prominent Florida eye doctor once accused of bribing Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey to about two decades in prison Thursday for stealing $73 million from Medicare by convincing elderly patients to undergo excruciating tests and treatments they didn't need for diseases they didn't have. (2/22)