Modern Healthcare: Former HHS Secretary Price: It Was Mistake To Zero Out Coverage Penalty
Former HHS Secretary Dr. Tom Price, who long pushed to repeal the Affordable Care Act, said GOP lawmakers made a mistake by axing the penalty for not complying with the individual mandate. "There are many—I am one of them—that actually believe that will harm the (risk) pool in the exchange market," Price said in a speech at the World Health Care Congress. "Younger and healthier people may now not participate in that market and consequently that drives up the costs for other folks." (Dickson, 5/1)

Kaiser Health News: Postcard From D.C.: Kicking Around The ACA? For Tom Price, That’s So 2017.
This is the same Tom Price who only last summer laid the groundwork for the mandate’s eventual dismantling, saying it was “driving up the costs for the American people.” In some of his first public remarks since resigning as secretary of Health and Human Services amid a scandal about his travel expenses last September, Price criticized the elimination of the Affordable Care Act’s penalty for those who don’t have insurance. (Huetteman, 5/1)

The Hill: Tom Price: ObamaCare Mandate Repeal Will Drive Up Costs 
Democrats immediately highlighted the remark from President Trump’s own former health secretary and fierce opponent of ObamaCare. They say his statement reinforces the argument that Republicans are to blame for coming premium increases in large part due to their repeal in the December tax bill of the mandate that most people obtain health insurance or pay a fine. (Sullivan, 5/1)

Georgia Health News: Rate Of Uninsured Creeping Back Up, Surveys Show
The Commonwealth Fund on Tuesday released a survey of working-age Americans that found that 15.5 percent were estimated to lack health insurance coverage as of February and March 2018. That’s up from 12.7 percent of that group in 2016.Uninsured rates were also up significantly among adults living in the 19 states, including Georgia, that have not expanded their Medicaid programs, the survey found. (Miller, 5/1)

NBC News: Trump Doctor Harold Bornstein Says Bodyguard, Lawyer 'Raided' His Office, Took Medical Files
In February 2017, a top White House aide who was Trump's longtime personal bodyguard, along with the top lawyer at the Trump Organization and a third man, showed up at the office of Trump's New York doctor without notice and took all the president's medical records. The incident, which Dr. Harold Bornstein described as a "raid," took place two days after Bornstein told a newspaper that he had prescribed a hair growth medicine for the president for years. (Schecter, 5/1)

The New York Times: Trump’s Former Doctor Says Office Was Raided And Files Seized
He told NBC that he decided to speak out after seeing reports that Dr. Ronny L. Jackson, the president’s nominee to run the Department of Veterans Affairs, had been accused of doling out medications and behaving inappropriately while serving as the White House physician. Dr. Jackson withdrew from consideration for the post shortly afterward. (Rogers and Altman, 5/1)

The Hill: Trump’s Ex-Doctor Says Trump Associates 'Raided' His Office 
Bornstein said the incident, which he described as a "raid," took place days after he told The New York Times that Trump takes Propecia, a drug for men with enlarged prostates that helps with hair growth. Trump's longtime doctor said the president cut ties with him after he made the comments to the Times. (Samuels, 5/1)

CNN: Bornstein Claims Trump Dictated The Glowing Health Letter
When Dr. Harold Bornstein described in hyperbolic prose then-candidate Donald Trump's health in 2015, the language he used was eerily similar to the style preferred by his patient. It turns out the patient himself wrote it, according to Bornstein. "He dictated that whole letter. I didn't write that letter," Bornstein told CNN on Tuesday. "I just made it up as I went along." (Marquardt, 5/1)

NPR: Doctor: Trump Dictated Letter Attesting To His 'Extraordinary' Health
"If elected, Mr. Trump, I can state unequivocally, will be the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency," Dr. Harold Bornstein, a gastroenterologist from Lenox Hospital in New York, wrote at the time. The letter said that a recent medical exam showed "only positive results" for the then-candidate and that "his physical strength and stamina are extraordinary." (Neuman, 5/2)

The Washington Post: Harold Bornstein: Exiled From Trumpland, Doctor Now ‘Frightened And Sad’
“I feel raped — that’s how I feel,” the doctor dramatically said. “Raped, frightened, and sad. I couldn’t believe anybody was making a big deal out of a drug to grow his hair that seemed to be so important. And it certainly is not a breach of medical trust to tell somebody they take Propecia to grow their hair. What’s the matter with that?” (Swenson, 5/2)

The Associated Press: US Seeking 1 Million For Massive Study Of DNA, Health Habits
Wanted: A million people willing to share their DNA and 10 years of health habits, big and small, for science. On Sunday, the U.S. government will open nationwide enrollment for an ambitious experiment: If they can build a large enough database comparing the genetics, lifestyles and environments of people from all walks of life, researchers hope to learn why some escape illness and others don’t, and better customize ways to prevent and treat disease. (Neergaard, 5/1)

The Wall Street Journal: NIH Seeks One Million Volunteers For Medical Database
The endeavor by the nation’s leading government medical-research entity is aimed at deciphering the workings of poorly understood maladies ranging from cancers to migraines to dementia. The database will be open to medical researchers and will initially consist of data on volunteers age 18 and up, regardless of health status. Children will be eligible beginning in 2019 if their parents or guardians consent. (Burton, 5/1)

The Washington Post: NIH Seeks Health Data Of 1 Million People, With Genetic Privacy Suddenly An Issue
The “All of Us” recruitment effort begins Sunday with community events in seven sites around the country, where people will be encouraged to sign up for the mammoth research project. Its goal is to supplement and in some cases replace the need to repeatedly recruit human subjects for research by providing a huge database of health and lifestyle information for scientists to plumb. The effort comes during a time of intense interest in data privacy. Authorities recently revealed that they had used DNA retrieved from a crime scene and GEDmatch, a website of genetic information, to find and arrest the man suspected to be the Golden State Killer, who terrorized Californians with a series of rapes and homicides in the 1970s and 1980s. (Bernstein, 5/1)

The Associated Press: Genetic Website Subpoenaed In California Serial Killer Probe
Investigators hunting for the so-called Golden State Killer subpoenaed a genetic website last year while investigating an Oregon man who was misidentified as a potential suspect. The revelation that investigators compelled a genetic company to provide user information adds to a growing debate about legal and privacy concerns involving law enforcement and companies whose millions of users submit their DNA to discover their heritage. (5/1)

The Wall Street Journal: Pentagon Begins Probe Into Former White House Physician Jackson
The Pentagon has begun an investigation into Navy Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson, who served as the personal physician for three presidents until misconduct allegations emerged last week, dooming his bid to become secretary of veterans affairs. The Defense Department’s Office of Inspector General is conducting the probe into allegations against Dr. Jackson and will decide afterward what further investigation or action should be taken, Pentagon spokesman Tom Crosson said in a statement. (Youssef, 5/1)

The Hill: White House: Jackson No Longer Serving As Trump's Lead Physician
The White House confirmed Tuesday that Adm. Ronny Jackson is no longer serving as President Trump’s personal physician. “He’s still an active-duty Navy doctor assigned to the White House but upon his nomination to the Department of Veterans Affairs as secretary, an acting doctor was put in his place, and Dr. Conley will remain there,” White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said during Tuesday’s press briefing. (Samuels, 5/1)

The New York Times: Vaping Products That Look Like Juice Boxes And Candy Are Target Of Crackdown
Federal authorities said on Tuesday they were issuing 13 warning letters to companies that sell vaping products like liquid nicotine in packaging that may appeal to children, including products that resemble juice boxes and candy. The joint action by the Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission is the latest step by the federal government to crack down on the vaping industry, particularly on devices that are popular with teenagers. (Thomas, 5/1)

The Associated Press: US Warns Liquid Nicotine Packets Resemble Juice Boxes, Candy
The action comes one week after the FDA disclosed a nationwide crackdown on underage sales of Juul e-cigarettes, which have become popular among some teenagers as a way to vape at school and in public. The FDA issued warnings to about 40 gas stations, convenience stores and other retailers for selling the devices to minors. Additionally, the agency asked manufacturer Juul Labs to turn over information about how it markets and designs its products, which resemble computer flash drives and work with nicotine flavors like mango, and "cool cucumber." (Perrone, 5/1)

The Washington Post: Feds Crack Down On E-Liquid Packaging That Looks Like Candy, Juice Boxes
Federal regulators warned more than a dozen manufacturers, distributors and retailers Tuesday that they are endangering children by marketing e-cigarette liquids to resemble kid-friendly products such as juice boxes, candy and whipped cream. The Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission said the packaging of the products — some of which feature cartoonlike images — could mislead children into thinking the liquids, which can be highly toxic if swallowed, are actually things they commonly eat and drink. (McGinley, 5/1)

NPR: FDA And FTC Crack Down On Nicotine Products For Vaping
E-liquids are used in electronic cigarettes, and they often use nicotine which can cause illness — even death — if ingested by a small child. Products targeted have names like Smurf Sauce and V'Nilla Cookies & Milk. These are being deliberately designed in ways that they can be just mistakenly confused by a child," Gottlieb said in the briefing. (Daley, 5/2)

The Hill: FDA, FTC Crack Down On E-Cigarette Liquid Sold In Kid-Friendly Packaging 
Nick Warrender — CEO of Lifted Liquids, which received a warning letter — said the company already changed the packaging resembling Warheads candies in November 2017. The product was taken off shelves, he said, and the logo was changed to resemble a bearded man vaping. He said he was surprised to receive the letter since the changes were made six months ago. (Roubein, 5/1)

The Associated Press: Cecile Richards' Message: Now Is The Time To Get Involved
Cecile Richards, who steps down from the helm of Planned Parenthood on Tuesday after 12 years as one of the nation's most visible activists, has a message for her fellow women: Now is the time to get involved. Not soon, not next year. Now. "Don't wait for instructions," she says. "Don't wait for the perfect opportunity. Most of all, don't wait for somebody to ASK you to do something." And, she wants women to know, being an activist really isn't as daunting as it might seem. "It isn't dreary, it isn't depressing," she promises. "It can actually be incredibly joyful, and you meet amazing people." (Noveck, 5/1)

The Hill: Anti-Abortion Groups Call On Trump To Cut Planned Parenthood Off From Family Planning Grants
A coalition of anti-abortion groups is calling on the Trump administration to cut Planned Parenthood off from family planning grants. More than 85 anti-abortion groups signed a letter Tuesday saying that the family planning money, known as Title X, should not go to Planned Parenthood and other groups that perform or refer women for abortions. This shift would reinstate a regulation put in place by President Reagan. (Sullivan, 5/1)

Politico Pro: Anti-Abortion Leaders Call For Title X Changes
The leaders of several anti-abortion groups are calling on the Trump administration to defund Planned Parenthood and cut abortion referrals from the Title X family planning program in a bid to motivate grass-roots conservative voters in the midterm elections. The leaders of the Susan B. Anthony List, Concerned Women for America, Family Research Council and American Values say grass-roots voters are “furious with the inability of the Republican-controlled Congress to get the job done." (Haberkorn, 4/30)

The Associated Press: Iowa Lawmakers Send 6-Week Abortion Ban To Governor
Iowa lawmakers have paved the way for the nation’s most restrictive abortion legislation in the country. The Republican-majority Iowa Senate fast-tracked a vote early Wednesday morning on a so-called “heartbeat” bill that seeks to ban most abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected. The GOP-controlled Iowa House approved the bill hours earlier. (Rodriguez and Stewart, 5/2)

Dallas Morning News: Controversial Texas Abortion Booklet Should Be Given To Immigrant Minors Nationwide, Agency Says 
Members of Congress are pushing back after shelters across the country were instructed to share a controversial Texas brochure about abortion with the immigrant children in their care. In an April 20 email, the Office of Refugee Resettlement, an arm of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, directed its shelters to provide minors in their custody with "A Woman's Right to Know." Texas' health department created the booklet, which abortion providers are required to give patients 24 hours before the procedure. It outlines gestational stages, abortion risks and alternative services such as adoption. The booklet was revised in December 2016 to include research linking abortions to breast cancer, which has been refuted. (Wang, 5/`1)

The Associated Press: Doctor In Badly Botched Abortion Is Tried For Manslaughter
A doctor who performed a badly botched abortion that caused a patient to bleed to death was characterized by prosecutors on Tuesday as careless, greedy and someone who operated far outside the medical norm. A jury in Queens heard closing arguments in the case against Dr. Robert Rho, who was charged with manslaughter in the 2016 death of Jamie Lee Morales. (5/1)

NPR: Study Questions: Bridge Device For Opioid Withdrawal
To the untrained, the evidence looks promising for a new medical device to ease opioid withdrawal. A small study shows that people feel better when the device, an electronic nerve stimulator called the Bridge, is placed behind their ear. The company that markets the Bridge is using the study results to promote its use to anyone who will listen: policymakers, criminal justice officials and health care providers. The message is working. (Harper, 5/2)

The Washington Post: Sessions To Opioid Distributors: ‘I’m Not Shedding Any Tears If You’re No Longer Making Profits’
Next week, top executives from the nation’s largest distributors of prescription painkillers will testify before Congress about the role their companies played in the deadliest drug crisis in U.S. history. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said that if he were still senator, he would have tough questions and choice words for the company executives. “This has been a colossal detriment to America, and you have profited enormously by it,” Sessions said he would tell them. “And I’m not shedding any tears if you’re no longer making profits.” (Horwitz and Zezima, 5/1)

The Associated Press: Wisconsin Senator Talks About Late Mother's Opioid Addiction
Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin, who is running for re-election this year in Wisconsin, opened up Tuesday about her mother's mental illness and prescription drug addiction, in a moment of candor Baldwin hoped would empower others with similar experiences to come forward. "This epidemic hits close to home for me and for so many others," Baldwin said, sitting across the table from a Milwaukee woman who also told her story of her father's struggles with addiction. (5/1)

PBS NewsHour: As Opioid Crisis Grows, Babies And Moms With Hepatitis C Fly Under The Radar
A growing number of infants are born exposed to hepatitis C, but fewer than a third are later screened to monitor and treat the potentially fatal virus, according to a recent study based out of a hospital in Pittsburgh that experts say highlights a trend unfolding across the country. Between 2006 and 2014, obstetrician-gynecologist Catherine Chappell and her colleagues at Magee-Women’s Hospital in Pittsburgh noticed a 60 percent increase in moms-to-be who tested positive for hepatitis C. (Santhanam, 5/2)

Los Angeles Times: If You're Worried About Prescription Opioids, You Should Be Really Scared Of Fentanyl
The U.S. opioid crisis has passed a dubious milestone: Overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids like illicit fentanyl have surpassed deaths involving prescription opioids. This switch occurred in 2016, according to data published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Assn. And it seemed to happen pretty suddenly. Data from the National Vital Statistics System show that there were 42,249 opioid-related overdose deaths in 2016. That includes 19,413 that involved synthetic opioids, 17,087 that involved prescription opioids and 15,469 that involved heroin. (In some cases, more than one type of drug was implicated in the death.) (Kaplan, 5/1)

Denver Post: Two Colorado Nurses Sentenced To Prison After Repeatedly Stealing Opioids From Hospitals
Two Colorado nurses who repeatedly put patients at risk by stealing powerful painkillers from the hospitals where they worked had already lost jobs at other health-care facilities for similar behavior, court documents show. It is the latest in a string of cases in which medical professionals in Colorado hopped from hospital to hospital without their drug problems being identified. (Osher, 5/1)

St. Louis Public Radio: Minus State Action, St. Louis County Drug Monitoring Program Expands
Last year, frustrated with a lack of commitment from state legislators, St. Louis County created its own prescription-drug monitoring program with the specific expectation other areas of the state could join in – and they have. ... Missouri remains the only state without a comprehensive drug monitoring program, one of the many tools states have begun using with the hopes of reducing overdoses and opioid addictions. (Fentem, 5/1)

Minnesota Public Radio: $20 Million In Opioid Funding Advances In Senate With Slight Change
The opioid stewardship bill advanced in the state Senate on Tuesday after the bill's author replaced the "penny-a-pill" fee on opioid sales with an annual $20 million in set registration fees to be paid by pharmaceutical companies. The funding would pay for programs to address the opioid overdose epidemic, as well as to pay some of the cost, currently born by counties, of caring for families affected by addiction. (Collins, 5/1)

Orlando Sentinel: Immediate Physical Therapy For Low Back Pain May Reduce Health-Care Costs, Opioid Use, Study Shows
Patients with acute low back pain who get a referral for physical therapy, and are treated within three days, use fewer opioids and have lower health-care costs, according to a study led by a University of Central Florida researcher. The study also showed that early physical therapy lowered the need for health-care services such as advanced imaging, spinal injection, emergency room visits and spine surgery. (Miller, 5/1)

The New York Times: Veterinarian Charged With Smuggling Heroin Inside Puppies
Of the puppies rescued in 2005 from a farm in Medellín, Colombia, and saved from fates as international drug couriers, one, a Rottweiler, was adopted by the Colombian National Police and trained as a drug-detection dog, investigators said. Another, a Basset Hound, went home with an officer as a family pet. (Baker and Piccoli, 5/1)

The New York Times: Ecstasy As PTSD Relief For Soldiers: ‘I Was Able To Forgive Myself.’
The drug known by the street names Ecstasy or Molly could be a promising treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a new study. Research published Tuesday in the British journal The Lancet Psychiatry found that after two sessions of psychotherapy with the party drug, officially known as MDMA, a majority of 26 combat veterans and first-responders with chronic PTSD who had not been helped by traditional methods saw dramatic decreases in symptoms. (Philipps, 5/1)

In other news —

The Associated Press: VA ‘Doubling Down’ To Respond To Utah Vet’s Messy Room
Acting Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie said Tuesday the messy room and long wait times provided to an Army veteran at a Salt Lake City VA clinic were “unacceptable,” and that he was intervening in the case. The VA clinic in Utah and others across the country are “doubling down to ensure that exam rooms and other treatment areas meet VA’s strong standards,” Wilkie said in a statement. (Hattem, 5/1)

Seattle Times: The Doctor Will Text You Now: 98point6 Taking Virtual Primary Care Nationwide
Getting a prescription for antibiotics or cold medicine could be just a few text messages away, if Seattle startup 98point6 has anything to say about it. The company announced Tuesday it is expanding its virtual primary care service to adults nationwide this year, after testing in Washington state for the past year. ... 98point6, co-founded in 2015 by entrepreneur Robbie Cape, is trying to change how the U.S. approaches basic health care by making it easier for people to talk to a doctor without visiting an office — whether the patient has insurance or not. (Lerman, 5/1)

In other news —

Modern Healthcare: AI-Based Voice-Software Company Nets $20 Million To Ease Physician Note-Taking
Former executives of Google and Salesforce just received $20 million to fund AI-based software that helps physicians with note-taking. The voice-enabled assistant connects to electronic health records, saving doctors time on administrative tasks like writing notes in patients' charts. The company, called Suki, is led by Punit Soni, formerly of Google, and Karthik Rajan, formerly of Salesforce. Suki aims to relieve doctors of one of the main burdens they currently bear: documentation in EHRs. (Arndt, 5/1)

The New York Times: Tick And Mosquito Infections Spreading Rapidly, C.D.C. Finds
Farewell, carefree days of summer. The number of people getting diseases transmitted by mosquito, tick and flea bites has more than tripled in the United States in recent years, federal health officials reported on Tuesday. Since 2004, at least nine such diseases have been discovered or newly introduced here. (McNeil, 5/1)

The Washington Post: Diseases Spread By Ticks, Mosquitoes And Fleas More Than Tripled In The U.S. Since 2004
A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that illnesses from mosquito, tick and flea bites more than tripled in the United States from 2004 to 2016. The report, released Tuesday, shows that the number of reported cases of these diseases jumped from 27,388 cases in 2004 to more than 96,000 cases in 2016. The data includes illnesses reported in U.S. states and territories. During that period, more than 640,000 cases of these diseases were reported to the CDC. (Sun, 5/1)

The Hill: CDC Says Bug-Borne Illnesses On The Rise 
“Zika, West Nile, Lyme and chikungunya — a growing list of diseases caused by the bite of an infected mosquito, tick or flea — have confronted the U.S. in recent years, making a lot of people sick,” CDC Director Robert Redfield said in a statement. “And we don’t know what will threaten Americans next.” (Wilson, 5/1)

The New York Times: How To Protect Yourself From Mosquitoes And Ticks
Just when you thought it was warm enough to venture outdoors again, health officials are warning that the number of Americans infected by mosquito, tick and flea bites has more than tripled in recent years. Tick-borne diseases like Lyme and Rocky Mountain spotted fever have been increasing in the Northeast, Upper Midwest and California, and mosquitoes may be carrying West Nile virus and, in some parts of the United States, Zika. The only flea-borne disease is plague, but it, thankfully, is extremely rare. (Rabin, 5/1)

Miami Herald: Climate Change Could Bring More Mosquitoes And Zika To Miami
Mosquito season has officially arrived in Florida, although many would argue it never left. That perception may soon become reality, according to new studies that show the higher temperatures brought on by climate change are already increasing the range and biting season for many mosquitoes, including the Aedes aegypti — the infamous carriers of viruses like dengue and Zika, which hit Miami hard enough in 2016 to scare off many tourists. (Harris, 5/1)

Georgia Health News: Mosquitoes, Ticks And Fleas Are Spreading More Sickness, CDC Reports
The number of Americans getting diseases transmitted by mosquito, tick and flea bites has more than tripled over a 12-year period, reaching more than 96,000 cases in 2016, the CDC reported Tuesday. Such “vector-borne’’ diseases include Zika, West Nile, Lyme and chikungunya. (Miller, 5/1)

The Star Tribune: CDC Shows Minnesota As Hot Spot For Tick-Related Illnesses 
Insect-borne diseases have tripled in the United States since 2004, and Minnesota has emerged as an epicenter of tick-related illnesses. With 26,886 confirmed cases of tick-borne infections between 2004 and 2016, Minnesota had the seventh-highest tally in the U.S., according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Olson, 5/2)

The Washington Post: Government Gives More Time To Potential Bidders For Transplant Contract
The Trump administration on Tuesday extended the deadline to bid for the contract to run the nation’s organ transplant system after potential competitors complained that previous rules strongly favored the current operator, the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS). A notice on the website FedBizOpps.gov announced the extension of the bidding period from May 4 to May 30. That gives anyone who wants to bid for the contract 60 days from March 30, when the request for proposals was first announced. Potential bidders were initially given just 31 days to respond. The deadline was later postponed by four days, to May 4. (Bernstein, 5/1)

NPR: Synthetic Lung Surfactant Could Ease Breathing
An engineer in California has an invention that she hopes will someday help people with damaged lungs breathe easier. Stanford University's Annelise Baron has developed a synthetic version of something called lung surfactant. Lung surfactant coats the tiny air sacs in the lung. Without it, every breath would be a struggle, like blowing up millions of little balloons. With surfactant, breathing is as easy as blowing soap bubbles. (Palca, 5/1)

Los Angeles Times: Can You Skip Your Regular Workout And Just Shiver Instead?
What do shivering and exercise have in common? More than you might think. Both shivering and exercise cause you to contract your muscles and expend energy — that's pretty obvious. But less obvious is a new discovery, published Tuesday in Cell Metabolism, that they both release a molecule into the bloodstream that tells your muscles to start burning fat. (Netburn, 5/1)

Columbus Dispatch: Americans Want More Mental-Health Services For Children, Survey Shows
A survey released by Nationwide Children’s Hospital on Tuesday shows that 87 percent of Americans believe their communities need more mental-health services for children, including prevention and treatment. ...Among the 500 parents with children under age 18 who responded, 37 percent said there is child in their life who may need mental-health support. (Viviano, 5/1)

Minnesota Public Radio: E. Coli: Why You Had To Throw Out That Romaine Lettuce
The food-borne illness E. coli is back in the news after the bacteria caused a rash of food poisoning, linked to romaine lettuce grown in Yuma, Arizona. The CDC said nearly 100 people in 22 states have been sickened in connection with this outbreak. (Crann, 5/1)

State House News Service: Mass. Police Chiefs Association Backs 'Red Flag' Gun Bill
The Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association is urging lawmakers to pass a so-called "red flag" bill aimed at reducing gun violence, describing it as another tool for public safety and a way of closing "dangerous loopholes." ...The bill, pending before the House Ways and Means Committee, would allow a family member, roommate or law enforcement official to petition the court to bar someone from owning a firearm if their gun ownership presents a "significant danger of causing personal injury to self or others." (Lannan, 5/1)

Kansas City Star: Missouri House Votes To Legalize Medical Marijuana
The Missouri House of Representatives voted 112-44 Tuesday to legalize medical marijuana for people with several health conditions, sending the measure to the Missouri Senate. If enacted, House Bill 1554 would allow people with terminal illnesses verified by doctors to request a registration card from the state that would allow them to possess and use smokeless marijuana. (Marso, 5/1)

St. Louis Public Radio: Medical Marijuana Bill Passes Missouri House
Legislation that would legalize marijuana for medical use in Missouri passed the state House on Tuesday. The bill originally would have only allowed medical marijuana use for terminally ill patients, but the House added amendments last week to expand access to those with chronic and debilitating, but not necessarily fatal, illnesses. (Griffin, 5/1)

The Washington Post: Scabies-Infested Georgia Nursing Home Neglected Rebecca Zeni, Suit Says
Pictures of Rebecca Zeni during her younger years showed her with flawless skin, well-defined eyebrows and long, thick lashes. Her hair, parted in the middle, was neatly tied with a bow behind her ear. Her beauty could capture a room, her daughter said, but she was more than just a beautiful face. She was a modern-day woman of the 1940s and 1950s, headstrong, career-oriented and hard-working, said Mike Prieto, a lawyer representing Zeni’s family. At a time when women were expected to marry young and have children, the small-town girl from North Carolina moved to Norfolk after high school to work at the naval base there, her daughter, Pamela Puryear, said. She later became a model in New York City and worked as an assistant for CBS News’s Mike Wallace before she married and became a stay-at-home mother. (Phillips, 5/1)

ProPublica: University Of Illinois At Chicago Officials Defend Handling of Researcher's Misconduct
University of Illinois at Chicago officials on Tuesday told faculty, staff and students that research misconduct by one of the campus’ star faculty members was an anomaly and there are no systemic oversight problems at the institution. ...The message to the campus came after a ProPublica Illinois investigation last week revealed how the National Institute of Mental Health recently ordered the university to repay $3.1 million in grant money that it had received to fund one of UIC psychiatrist Mani Pavuluri’s studies on bipolar disorder among children. (Cohen, 5/1)

Concord Monitor: Sununu Taps Assistant Commissioner To Take Over State Insurance Department 
Gov. Chris Sununu plans to nominate Assistant Commissioner John Elias to take over the state Insurance Department, replacing Commissioner Roger Sevigny after 16 years in the post, the governor’s office announced Tuesday. Sevigny, who announced his retirement in March, is set to step down in mid-June. Elias was appointed assistant commissioner in April 2016, entering the public realm after years in the insurance industry outside of New Hampshire. (DeWitt, 5/2)

Arizona Republic: School Shootings: School-Safety Plan For Guns Passes Arizona Senate
The Arizona Senate voted Tuesday to pass Gov. Doug Ducey's plan to prevent mass shootings in schools, but lawmakers reduced funding for new on-campus police officers by nearly half. ...Ducey's plan would create a new type of restraining order to keeps guns out of unstable people's hands. It would also increase funding to put at least 50 new police officers in schools. (Gardiner, 5/1)

The Star Tribune: Twin Cities Schools Boost Mental Health Programs After Student Deaths 
Several Twin Cities schools are re-examining how they address mental health issues, hoping to provide struggling teens with more resources. Efforts in the Hopkins and Mounds View school districts come in the aftermath of several student suicides and the deadly school shooting in Parkland, Fla., which put new urgency around boosting mental health programs in schools nationwide. (Smith, 5/1)

Modern Healthcare: CHS Revenue Drops By 18% While Narrowing Operating Loss 
Community Health Systems managed to narrow its operating loss in the first quarter of 2018, and revenue was up slightly on a same-hospital basis. The Franklin, Tenn.-based hospital chain on Tuesday afternoon reported revenue of about $3.7 billion in the first quarter, down nearly 18% from $4.5 billion in the first quarter of 2017. That's due in part to having 28 fewer hospitals in the first quarter of 2018. (Bannow, 5/1)

Minnesota Public Radio: Dark-Colored Water Coming From Taps At A Mayo Clinic Hospital
The Mayo Clinic is investigating mysterious instances of dark-colored tap water coming out of taps at its sprawling St. Marys hospital. Patients and staff at the St. Marys Campus are being asked to stop drinking tap water or using ice from the ice machines. (Richert, 5/1)

The CT Mirror: Senate Adopts Bills To Safeguard Domestic Violence Victims, Incarcerated Women
The Senate unanimously approved a bill late Tuesday to reduce instances when victims of domestic violence are arrested alongside their attackers. The chamber also unanimously adopted a second measure that mandates a broad array of changes to the treatment of incarcerated women, particularly those who are pregnant. (Phaneuf, 5/1)

The Oregonian: Lane County Sees 12 Cases Of Whooping Cough, Asks For Vaccinations 
One high school in Lane County had so many students with pertussis -- or whooping cough -- that the public health department is investigating the cause. Twelve people at Sheldon High School, a public high school in Eugene, contracted pertussis, a highly contagious bacterial infection. Pertussis is also highly preventable through vaccination. According to The Oregonian/OregonLive's database of vaccination rates for Oregon schools last school year, Sheldon High has enough students vaccinated that contagious diseases should have a hard time spreading. However, any adults or students who aren't vaccinated are susceptible to contracting pertussis, according to the local health authorities. (Harbarger, 5/1)

San Francisco Chronicle: SF Will Try New Approach For Conservatorships For The Most Troubled
On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved an ordinance to give the city attorney authority over conservatorship proceedings, the process of forcing mentally ill people into treatment or putting them in the care of a guardian. Those cases are currently overseen by the district attorney. (Swan, 5/1)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Dems Say Farm Bill Could Mean Thousands Of WI Children Losing Food Stamps
The GOP farm bill before Congress could lead to the loss of food stamps for thousands of children in Wisconsin, Democratic lawmakers said Tuesday. Statehouse Democrats said the legislation before the U.S. House of Representatives could result in 23,400 children in Wisconsin losing access to FoodShare benefits. (Stein, 5/1)

The Associated Press: Group Home Pays $450K To Family Of Boy Who Recorded Abuse
A group home in upstate New York will pay $450,000 to the family of a developmentally disabled boy who used his PlayStation to record caretakers threatening his life. The boy, Ralph White, was 12 when he allegedly was physically and psychologically abused at the privately run Northeast Parent and Child Society home in Schenectady in 2014. In one of the videos he recorded for his mother, White points to his swollen right eye and says “Mom, this is what it looks like.” (Klepper, 5/1)

Iowa Public Radio: Iowa Senate Frustrated With House Inaction On Medical Marijuana
Senators on both sides of the aisle expressed frustration Monday with the House’s refusal to consider a bill that would expand Iowa’s medical marijuana program. Republican and Democratic senators have been calling for an expansion of the list of medical conditions that allow a patient to obtain medical marijuana. (Sostaric, 5/1)

The Hill: Drug Industry Faces Trump-Fueled Storm Over Prices
Drugmakers are trying to navigate a growing storm over high drug prices as President Trump prepares to unveil new actions on the issue. The drug industry has traditionally been able to beat back actions from Washington, notably escaping unscathed in the fight over ObamaCare. But the climate appears to be changing.  (Sullivan, 5/2)

Stat: Too Many Companies Are Making Copycat Immunotherapy Drugs
There’s an overabundance of copycat drugs in the cancer immunotherapy space, with companies pouring millions into developing drugs that only add incremental value to patients. That was the general consensus from a panel of biotech experts who spoke Monday at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles — a commingling of Wall Street titans, policy wonks, industry leaders, and Hollywood elites. While excitement around harnessing the immune system to attack cancer is justifiable, they said, the way in which company resources are allocated in the immunotherapy space is skewed. (Keshavan, 5/1)

Stat: Patient Groups Slam U.S. Trade Rep Report On Bad Patent Players
Several patient groups are lambasting the U.S. Trade Representative over its latest annual list that identifies and ranks countries based on a willingness to protect intellectual property, calling it “shameful” and “outrageous.” Known as the Special 301 Report, the yearly exercise is of great concern to drug makers, which regularly argue that some countries fail to sufficiently protect and enforce patent rights. By the same token, the list is also closely tracked by patient advocacy groups for clues into trade and patent policies that governments may adopt concerning access to medicines. (Silverman, 4/30)

CQ HealthBeat: Health Groups Expect Trump Drug Price Speech Next Week
Industry groups expect President Donald Trump to formally take on high drug prices at an event as soon as next week. It’s set to be the first time that Trump, who has railed against the high costs of prescription drugs since his 2016 presidential campaign and spoke on the issue after meeting industry executives last year, delivers a formal price policy address. The speech is set to coincide with a request for information from the Department of Health and Human Services about how to curb drug costs. (McIntire, 4/30)

The Associated Press: Pfizer’s 1Q Profit Up 14 Pct., Sales Just Miss Expectations
Pfizer posted slightly higher sales and a 14 percent jump in profit in the first quarter, thanks to lower restructuring costs and a much-lower tax rate, but its revenue still missed Wall Street expectations. The maker of pain medicine Lyrica and the blockbuster Prevnar 13 vaccine against pneumococcal infections said Tuesday that net income was $3.56 billion, or 59 cents per share. That was up from $3.12 billion, or 51 cents per share, a year earlier, when there were more shares being publicly traded. (Johnson, 5/1)

The Wall Street Journal: Pfizer Revenue Growth Stalls As Company Mulls OTC Unit’s Future
Pfizer Inc.’s revenue was little changed in its latest quarter as the drug company shifts focus to a new generation of products and sorts out what to do with its over-the-counter medicines unit, which hasn’t attracted a buyer. In the quarter, rising sales of newer drugs including cancer treatments Ibrance and Xtandi and blood-thinner Eliquis offset falling revenue for longtime products such as male-impotence pill Viagra, which is facing lower-priced generic competition. (Rockoff and Lombardo, 5/1)

Modern Healthcare: Medicare Part B Payment Cuts, 340B Growth Blamed For Oncology Clinic Closures
More than 1,200 independent oncology clinics have either closed or been acquired by hospitals in the last decade, and oncologists blame the 340B program and Medicare Part B for the consolidation. The Community Oncology Association on Monday said that 423 individual clinics closed from 2008 to 2018, while 658 have been acquired by or entered into contracts with hospitals; 168 practices have merged or been acquired. Some clinics send their Medicare patients elsewhere for chemotherapy, an issue attributed to Medicare sequester-related cuts to Part B drug reimbursement.But the association also said the 340B program contributed to the shrinking oncology landscape. (Luthi, 4/30)

CQ: Hospitals Fight Efforts To Curb Their Discounts On Drugs
Some lawmakers are keen on pursuing changes to a program that allows hospitals to purchase drugs at a discount, even as political headwinds make it a difficult policy to tackle in an election year. Hospitals are fighting changes on multiple fronts. They worry that lawmakers might limit the discounts and are urging Congress to instead defend the program. The Trump administration already proposed last year to cut Medicare reimbursements for the discounted drugs, and hospitals are challenging that rule in court. That case, which was dismissed in December, might be a long shot. But on Friday, the hospitals will try again and seek to convince the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit that the lower court should restore the old reimbursement rates. (Siddons, 4/30)

Kaiser Health News: How A Drug Company Under Pressure For High Prices Ratchets Up Political Activity
Business looked challenging for Novo Nordisk at the end of 2016. As pressure mounted over the pharma giant’s soaring insulin prices, investors drove its stock down by a third on fears that policymakers would take action, limit prices and hurt profits. Then things got worse. A Massachusetts law firm sued the company and two other pharma firms on behalf of patients, claiming that high insulin prices of hundreds of dollars a month forced diabetics to starve themselves to minimize their blood sugar while skimping on doses. At least five states began investigating insulin makers and their business partners. (Hancock and Lucas, 4/30)

The Wall Street Journal: Executive’s Fraud Trial Puts Valeant In Uncomfortable Light
The fraud trial of a former executive at Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc. is set to begin this week in Manhattan federal court, the first criminal prosecution to emerge from multiple investigations into the embattled pharmaceutical giant over its sales practices. In this case, prosecutors say Valeant was the victim. Using a statute often applied to public corruption cases, the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan has accused the former Valeant executive, Gary Tanner, and a co-defendant, Andrew Davenport, of defrauding Valeant through an alleged multimillion-dollar kickback scheme involving Philidor Rx Services, a specialty mail-order pharmacy. (O'Brien, 5/1)

Stat: Hoping To Boost Sales, Regeneron And Sanofi Slash Cholesterol Drug's Price
Frustrated by tepid sales and practical stumbling blocks, Regeneron and Sanofi are offering a huge discount on their treatment for bad cholesterol in exchange for a promise that health care’s biggest middleman will make it easier for patients to actually get the drug. Starting in July, the two companies will sell their cholesterol-lowering drug Praluent, which carries a $14,600 list price, at roughly 60 percent off to clients of Express Scripts, the nation’s biggest pharmacy benefit manager. In exchange, Express Scripts will make their drug the only cholesterol-lowering injection available to the 25 million patients on its formulary, freezing out a rival therapy from Amgen. (Garde, 5/1)

Stat: In Rebuke To Pharma, One-Fifth Of Bristol-Myers Shareholders Favor Proposal Tying Pricing Risks To Executive Pay
In a message to the pharmaceutical industry, 22 percent of Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY) shareholders voted in favor of a proposal that requires the drug maker to compile reports about the risks created by high prices and examine the extent to which pricing strategies propel executive compensation. The vote, which is the first of several that shareholders in other drug companies will consider this spring, comes as concerns mount over rising prices, an issue that has put the entire industry on the defensive. For this reason, the outcome was seen as a key temperature reading of public sentiment. (Silverman, 5/1)

Stat: Another Drug Acquired From Peter Thiel-Backed Biotech Appears To Flop
AbbVie has halted an early-stage clinical trial testing an experimental cancer drug acquired in its takeover of Stemcentrx, the latest apparent failure from a high-flying biotech company backed by billionaire investor Peter Thiel. The drug being tested, known as SC-007, is a type of antibody-drug conjugate, designed to home in on malignant cells while sparing healthy tissues. (Robbins, 4/30)

The Wall Street Journal: The Million-Dollar Cancer Treatment: Who Will Pay?
The emergence of genetics-based medicines is pushing the cost of treating certain diseases to new levels, forcing hospitals and health insurers to reckon with how to cover total costs per patient approaching a million dollars. The therapies deliver new genes or genetically altered cells to tackle some of the hardest-to-treat diseases, including in children. They come at a high price: Novartis AG listed its newly approved cell therapy for cancer at $475,000, while Gilead Sciences Inc. priced its rival drug at $373,000. (Rockoff, 4/26)

Stat: Can Amazon's Second Try Disrupt The Prescription Drug Market?
The headlines, spurred by Amazon’s entry into the pharmacy business, were as entertaining as they were exuberant. One hailed the company’s 1999 investment in Drugstore.com as “a likely gold mine.” In Canada, the Globe and Mail predicted a sea change in shopping habits, titling its story: “Farewell, Preparation H aisle.” Nearly 20 years later, shoppers are still awkwardly perusing that aisle and getting their prescription drugs from many of the same bricks-and-mortar pharmacies. Drugstore.com no longer exists and never recorded an annual profit. (Ross, 4/26)

Bloomberg: Medicaid Is Right To Demand Lower Drug Prices
Last week, as President Donald Trump delayed announcing his plan to bring down high drug prices, about a dozen physicians, pharmacists, actuaries and economists in Albany, New York, tried to make a difference. The state Medicaid program's Drug Utilization Review Board voted 10-0 to lower the price New York would pay for Orkambi, Vertex Pharmaceuticals' cystic fibrosis drug, to $83,000 per year, from $250,000. (Peter B. Bach, 5/1)

The Hill: A Supreme Court Victory For Lowering Drug Prices
A recent Supreme Court decision on patents — Oil States v. Greene’s Energy Group — marks an understated victory, with far-reaching consequences that will positively impact families and communities across America. This case has deep implications for basic economic fairness, with the judiciary recognizing the importance of keeping critical checks in systems that have become far too imbalanced. In the national media, this case is being held up as a victory for Silicon Valley and the wealthy tech elites. Perhaps this makes sense: The decision handed down April 24 preserves a process for disputing and overturning unmerited patents, helping curb the glut of patent trolls polluting the industry. But this is not just a victory for the ensconced Palo Alto bubble — working families are silent winners of this week’s Supreme Court decision. (Priti Krishtel, 4/28)

Forbes: As Specialty Drugs Gain Share, Trump Looks To Curb Prices
The share specialty drugs have of total U.S. pharmaceutical sales is hurtling toward 50% just as the Donald Trump White House prepares next week to unveil proposals to curtail the nation’s tab for prescription drugs. Specialty drugs as a percent of U.S. pharmaceutical sales are already at 40% , but new data Avalere Health released Tuesday at the annual Asembia Specialty Pharmacy Summit shows that is only expected to grow. Data from Avalere, a health research and consulting firm, shows 50% of all newly approved drugs in 2015 alone “were considered specialty” and another 900 specialty drugs are currently in development. (Bruce Japsen, 5/1)

Bloomberg: Merck’s Dangerous Keytruda Success
Is it possible for things to go too well for a drugmaker’s most important franchise? That’s an important question for Merck & Co. Inc. It announced first-quarter earnings Tuesday, and immune-boosting cancer drug Keytruda was the star. The drug’s sales more than doubled from the same period last year, and helped prompt Merck to boost its full-year earnings and sales guidance. But Keytruda’s success has convinced Merck to commit heavily to the medicine, to the risky exclusion of other efforts. (Max Nisen, 5/1)

Stat: Breakthrough Therapy Label For Promising Cancer Drugs Is Good For Patients
One exciting component of the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act was the creation of the breakthrough therapy designation. It allows an all-hands-on-deck approach at the FDA to determine the best path forward when the early clinical promise of a drug is so significant and meaningful beyond existing therapies — or lack of other meaningful therapies — for serious or life-threatening illnesses. Although the validity of the breakthrough designation was questioned recently in a tone-deaf article in the New England Journal of Medicine, this designation has provided patients with tremendous benefit since it was passed into law in 2012. (Jeff Allen, 4/27)

Bloomberg: Allergan May Need More Than A Facelift
In just about two years, Allergan PLC has gone from a pharma darling on the verge of a massively lucrative Pfizer Inc. buyout to something of a pariah.Its stock has fallen 38 percent in the past nine months. Shareholders are reportedly recruiting activists. On its first-quarter earnings call on Monday, Allergan said it is in the midst of an “urgent” strategic review. But it also made it clear it doesn’t think the company needs a reinvention. It shouldn’t be so sure. (Max Nisen, 4/30)

Bloomberg: AbbVie Must Escape The Shadow Of Humira's Decline
There’s a shadow hanging over AbbVie Inc., even on days when it shines.The maker of the blockbuster inflammation drug Humira is doing great by many metrics, thanks to that medicine’s success. AbbVie released first-quarter results on Thursday that beat analyst earnings and revenue expectations and raised its full-year EPS guidance. Adjusted earnings grew a stunning 46 percent from the same period last year. Shares jumped in early trading, but are still down 22 percent from this year’s highs. Investors still have plenty of reasons to wonder how long the party will last. (Max Nisen, 4/26)

The Hill: Short-Term Health Plans Are The Right Path For Trump To Improve The Marketplace
 Finally, we have good news on health care reform coming out of the nation’s capital. In October 2017, President Trump issued an executive order calling for more consumer choices in the health insurance market. The departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and the Treasury responded by taking aim at an Obama administration policy that severely limits the flexibility of a coverage option called “short-term, limited-duration insurance plans.” (Lindsay Boyd Killen, 5/1)

The Washington Post: Yes, The Trump Administration Promotes Consumer Choice — For Healthy People
The Trump administration wants to promote health-care coverage by using a special kind of health insurance known as short-term policies. This, the administration argues, would “provide more affordable consumer choice for health coverage.” But this isn’t just about consumer choice. By promoting short-term policies, the administration is making a trade-off: lower premiums and less coverage for healthy people, and higher premiums for people with preexisting conditions who need more comprehensive coverage. (Karen Pollitz, 5/1)

Detroit Free Press: Medicaid Work Bill Would Hinder, Not Help, People Who Want To Work
Legislation to require Medicaid recipients to work is racing through the Legislature. Last week, the Michigan Senate passed a bill that would impose 29-hour-per-week work requirements on many adults enrolled in the state’s Medicaid programs. The state House could take up the issue this week.Michigan’s proposed work requirement is one of the most stringent put forward to date. The Senate bill does not provide funding for supportive services – such as child care, transportation, or job training – that could help individuals find work.  As written, the legislation stands to lock some Michiganders out of health care and potentially keep them from working. (Marianne Udow-Phillips, Megan Foster Friedman and Luke Shaefer, 4/30)

Detroit Free Press: Defying Doctors' Warnings, Medicaid Work Requirement Rolls On
Michigan Sen. Wayne Schmidt (R-Traverse City) represents Cheybogan County, where unemployment is high, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics: around 20.9% in February. Schmidt also represents Chippewa County, where unemployment was about 10.5% that month. But unlike Medicaid recipients elsewhere in Michigan, the residents Schmidt represents are unlikely to be harmed by SB 897, a piece of legislation the senator co-sponsored. Approved by the state Senate on party lines last week, the bill would require recipients of Medicaid to prove they work 30 hours a week to retain their health-care coverage. (Nancy Kaffer, 5/2)

Stat: Medicaid Barriers Delay Care For Children With Complex Needs
Before a clinician can provide Medicaid-related care, federal law requires that she or he must undergo a background screening before enrolling in a state’s Medicaid program. State Medicaid agencies are responsible for carrying out both screening and enrollment. Although the goal — detecting and weeding out providers who might pose fraud or abuse risks — is a good one, the process can impede a child’s access to care because states regularly require providers already enrolled and in good standing in their home state, or through Medicare, to go through subsequent screens in order to treat patients from another state. (Nick Manetto, Joshua Greenberg and Mathieu Gaulin, 5/1)

Columbus Dispatch: Proposed Rules For Medicaid Are Unworkable
Ohioans respect the dignity of work and the dignity of working people. Regardless of political ideology or party affiliation, we all want a government that encourages economic opportunity and values self-determination over unnecessary bureaucracy. This is why we have seen many legislative and administrative efforts to streamline Ohio’s regulatory process. If we create a culture of government, founded in the autonomy and innovation of Ohioans, we can better address the very real challenges of globalization in the aftershocks of the Great Recession. However, while the General Assembly and Gov. John Kasich’s administration have pushed to cut red tape in some areas, they are going in exactly the opposite direction when it comes to working families who rely on Medicaid for health care. (Loren Anthes, 5/2)

Los Angeles Times: Trumpcare Continues To Suck Healthcare Coverage From Americans
The Commonwealth Fund reported Tuesday that the administration's concerted attack on the ACA has driven the uninsured rate among working-age people (those aged 19 to 64) to 15.5%, up from 12.7% in 2016. That translates into lost coverage for 4 million Americans. (Michael Hiltzik, 5/1)

Stat: Reported Proposal To Limit Chinese Researchers In U.S. Sparks Concern
One of the nation’s leading scientific organizations on Tuesday expressed alarm about a report that the White House is considering imposing further limits on research by Chinese citizens in the United States, saying that “scientific progress depends on openness, transparency, and the free flow of ideas. ”The statement from the American Association for the Advancement of Science followed a report in the New York Times that administration officials are discussing proposals that might limit the ability of Chinese researchers to travel to and do work in the U.S., citing “people familiar with the deliberations.” The proposal is said to be a response to fears that Chinese researchers at U.S. academic institutions may be using their positions to acquire intellectual property. (Ike Swetlitz, 5/1)

Los Angeles Times: Defending California's Right To Clean Air
World leaders may negotiate their climate change accords in foreign capitals, but the efforts to stem global warming may succeed or fail based on what happens in United States courtrooms, where the state of California is leading the charge to block the Trump administration's anti-environment, anti-science agenda. On Tuesday, Gov. Jerry Brown and state Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra announced that they have filed the state's 10th, and potentially most consequential, lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Joined by 16 other states and the District of Columbia, California is trying to preserve a planned increase in vehicle fuel-economy standards, which were designed to make passenger cars more fuel efficient and less polluting. (5/2)

Stat: Fentanyl Contributes To More Opioid Deaths Than Prescription Opioids
Synthetic opioids, particularly illicit fentanyl, contributed to more overdose deaths in the United States in 2016 than prescription opioids, according to a new analysis. Synthetic opioids, a category distinct from heroin and prescription drugs like Vicodin or OxyContin, were listed as contributing to 19,413 deaths in 2016, 2,000 more than were connected to prescription opioids, according to an analysis published Tuesday in JAMA Psychiatry. The numbers represent the first time this decade that synthetic opioids were found to have contributed to more overdose deaths than prescription versions. The data also shows a dramatic shift from 2010 to 2016, during which the portion of all opioid-related deaths involving synthetic opioids rose from 14 to 46 percent. (Lev Facher, 5/1)

The Baltimore Sun: Baltimore Brings Hospitals Into The Fight Against Opioid Addiction
An epidemic of opioid addiction and overdose has swept across the country, and Baltimore has been hit as hard as any place in America. In 2011, our city saw 167 overdose deaths. By 2016, that number had more than quadrupled, reaching nearly 700. Let us make no mistake: This is an emergency. Our response to this emergency has been aggressive. We issued a “standing order” that allows any city resident to get naloxone, the antidote that reverses an opioid overdose, without a prescription. More than 36,000 residents have been trained to use the medication, and these residents have saved more than 1,900 lives. Law enforcement and health officials teamed up to start a program that allows residents arrested for low-level drug offenses the opportunity to choose treatment and case management instead of prosecution. And in March, we announced the opening of our Stabilization Center, a first-of-its-kind 24/7 urgent care facility dedicated to issues of addiction and mental health. (Catherine E. Pugh and Leana S. Wen, 5/1)

The Washington Post: Almost Half Of Pregnancies In The U.S. Are Unplanned. There’s A Surprisingly Easy Way To Change That.
Currently, an astonishing 45 percent of the 6 million pregnancies in the United States each year are unintended. Every year, millions of women, married and unmarried, young and not so young, are getting an outcome — pregnancy — that they didn’t plan on or desire. The impact on women, their babies and society at large is enormous. Unplanned babies may receive delayed prenatal care, are more likely to be born prematurely and face greater likelihood of health challenges throughout life. Beyond the obvious stress of an unplanned major life event, women facing an unplanned pregnancy are less likely to complete college and also face decreased economic opportunities, which can in turn affect the health and economic opportunities of their children. The costs to society, in health-care dollars, economic supports and lost wages, are significant. But why are there so many unplanned pregnancies in the first place? (Karen Weese, 5/1)

WBUR: He, She, They: Pediatricians Should Asks Kids About Gender Identity
Given the overwhelming data about the increased risks children with gender atypical identities, it’s especially important for a pediatrician’s office to be a nonjudgmental, safe space. ...A simple screening question can be a way for doctors to demonstrate that they care and ensure that the doctor’s office is a place these youth can turn to for knowledge, advice and support. (Katherine McKenzie and Robin Dembroff, 5/2)

The Hill: Wisconsin Denies Coverage For Sex-Reassignment Surgery — It's Heartless And Inhumane
A young man sat in my office in Tucson, Arizona a few weeks ago to discuss his hysterectomy. He was 18 years old and had recently started testosterone to begin his gender transition. He had many questions about the procedure: Will you need to make a big incision? Should I remove my ovaries and when? (Yes, unless you might want to harvest eggs later) Will my insurance cover my hysterectomy? The answer to this one is “I just don’t know.” The hysterectomy might be deemed medically necessary and get covered. However, Arizona is one of 10 states that prohibits Medicaid coverage for sex-reassignment surgery. In Wisconsin this week two transgender residents filed a federal lawsuit against the state. They contended that contending their denials of service are discriminatory and violate the federal health care law. They also argue that there is no medical or scientific support for Wisconsin's contention that transition-related health care for transgender people with gender dysphoria is “medically unnecessary.” (Ilana Addis, 5/2)

Stat: Placing More Regulations On Air Medical Services Would Be Bad For Patients
Private insurers are now putting patients helped by air medical transport in the middle of payment issues. Not only are insurers limiting which air medical companies are in their provider networks, and therefore affecting whether the transport is covered, they are also limiting the amount they will pay for the cost of the emergency transportation and the treatment received on board. That means patients needing air transport are often left with unpaid bills in spite of paying monthly premiums for health care coverage. To make matters worse, Medicare and Medicaid payments for air transport are low — sometimes as low as half of what it costs — in part because the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services hasn’t evaluated what it pays for air medical transport in nearly 20 years. Seventy percent of patients’ bills for air medical transport are paid at the Medicare rate or less. In some cases, private insurers base their rates on a percentage of what Medicare pays. (Richard Sherlock, 5/1)