First Edition: October 25, 2018
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Kaiser Health News:
In Days Of Data Galore, Patients Have Trouble Getting Own Medical Records
Medical records can be hard for patients to get, even in this digital information age. But they shouldn’t be: Federal law guarantees that people have a right to see and obtain a copy of their medical records. New evidence of barriers to exercising this right comes from a study of 83 leading hospitals by researchers at Yale University. Late last year, researchers collected forms that patients use to request records from each hospital. Then, researchers called the hospitals and asked how to get records, the cost of doing so, how long it would take, the format in which information would be sent and whether the entire record would be available. (Graham, 10/25)
Kaiser Health News:
Booming Economy Helps Flatten Medicaid Enrollment And Limit Costs, States Report
Medicaid enrollment fell by 0.6 percent in 2018 — its first drop since 2007 — due to the strong economy and increased efforts in some states to verify eligibility, a new report finds. But costs continue to go up. Total Medicaid spending rose 4.2 percent in 2018, same as a year ago, as a result of rising costs for drugs, long-term care and mental health services, according to the study released Thursday by the Kaiser Family Foundation. (Galewitz, 10/25)
California Healthline:
Listen: Gavin Newsom Vs. John Cox On Health Care
With the election less than two weeks away, California voters must choose between two gubernatorial candidates who offer very different visions for the state. That is especially true when it comes to health care. (10/24)
Politico:
Trump To Propose Sweeping Changes To Medicare Drug Prices
President Donald Trump on Thursday will unveil a plan to overhaul how Medicare pays for certain drugs, attacking “foreign freeloaders” that he says have driven up costs in the U.S. The bold move addresses a Trump campaign pledge to lower drug prices, just days before the tightly contested midterm elections in which health care is playing a pivotal role. Trump is scheduled to outline the details in a speech at HHS at 2 p.m., his first address at the health department. The proposal, described to POLITICO by three individuals with knowledge, still needs to be refined and put through a federal rulemaking process. (Karlin-Smith and Diamond, 10/25)
The Washington Post:
Trump’s False Claim On Health Care Ignores Years-Long GOP Effort To Repeal Obamacare
President Trump celebrated with House Republicans in the White House Rose Garden last year when they passed a bill to undo the Affordable Care Act and its protection for Americans with preexisting medical conditions. On Wednesday, less than two weeks before the midterm elections, Trump falsely claimed that ensuring coverage for those with asthma, diabetes, pregnancy and other conditions was a Republican priority, rather than a Democratic one. (Sonmez and Wagner, 10/24)
The Associated Press:
Health Insurance Sign-Ups Begin: Some Assistance Recommended
It's time to think health insurance. There's a sentence many Americans will dread reading. Picking the right plan every year involves sifting through deductibles, provider networks and other arcane terms that can quickly scramble the brain. Don't worry, though, help is available. It just may be harder to find this fall. (Murphy, 10/24)
The Associated Press:
Interested In Association Health Plans? Here Are Some Tips
Small business owners interested in buying insurance through an association health plan should tread as carefully as they would with any kind of health care coverage. Labor Department rules that began phasing in Sept. 1 make it possible for sole proprietors and partners to join AHPs, something they couldn't do under the Affordable Care Act. But there are still many unknowns about these plans — for example, whether the new rules will survive a lawsuit brought by 11 states and Washington, D.C., that claims they allow insurance to be sold that's in violation of federal law. The rules allow very small companies to band together and act as a large company, and large companies are exempt from some of the Affordable Care Act's coverage requirements. (Rosenberg, 10/24)
Politico:
GOP Alarmed Obamacare Attacks Could Cost Them The House
For weeks, vulnerable Rep. Glenn Grothman had been getting pummeled by his Democratic opponent for voting to curb protections for people with pre-existing conditions — most recently with an attack ad depicting a little boy with an oxygen mask over his face gasping for air. So on a conference call with GOP leaders last week, Grothman pleaded with party leaders to invest in a nationwide TV ad that could run in competitive districts like his, defending the House GOP’s Obamacare repeal bill that passed the chamber last year, according to three sources on the call. (Bade and Schor, 10/24)
The Associated Press:
Ballot Initiatives Buck Legislatures In GOP-Leaning States
Marijuana legalization. An increase in the minimum wage. Expansion of Medicaid. Come Election Day, voters in a batch of Republican-dominated states will weigh in on these and other liberal or centrist proposals that reached the ballot after bypassing state legislatures. Pushed forward via signature-gathering campaigns, these measures offer a chance for voters to do things their GOP-run legislatures oppose. Many are considered to have a good chance of passage. (Crary, 10/24)
The Associated Press:
AP-NORC/MTV Poll: Young People Back Single-Payer Health Care
Large majorities of young Americans want to see an expansion of government services, including a single-payer health care program, according to a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and MTV. According to the poll, 69 percent of young Americans between the ages of 15 and 34 favor a national health plan, known as a single-payer program. Eighty-eight percent of young Democrats and 40 percent of young Republicans favor a government-run health insurance program, according to the poll. Roughly two-thirds of young independents are in favor. (Summers, 10/24)
USA Today:
FDA Approves Genentech's Fast-Acting Single-Dose Flu Medicine Xofluza
The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved a new, single-dose flu medication to treat people 12 and older who have had the flu for no more than 48 hours. Baloxavir, to be sold by Genentech under the brand name Xofluza, is the only single-dose oral medicine approved to treat the flu. It has been shown to significantly reduce the duration of symptoms. It's expected to be available within weeks. (O'Donnell, 10/24)
The New York Times:
F.D.A. Approves New Drug For Flu
Xofluza works in a new way, by blocking an enzyme the virus needs to copy itself. So, at least in theory, circulating flu strains resistant to earlier drugs should not have any resistance to it. It has been shown to work against both A and B strains, which circulate each year, and it is expected to work against dangerous bird flus known to occasionally infect humans, such as the A strains of both H5N1 and A H7N9. (McNeil, 10/24)
The Associated Press:
US Approves First New Type Of Flu Drug In 2 Decades
Xofluza is a pill that can reduce severity and shorten duration of flu symptoms after one just dose. It was developed by the Roche Group and Shionogi & Co. It works about as well as Tamiflu, Roche's older flu treatment, which is also available in cheaper generic versions. Tamiflu is taken twice daily for five days. (Johnson, 10/24)
The Associated Press:
Trump Signs Bipartisan Measure To Confront Opioid Crisis
President Donald Trump pledged on Wednesday to put an "extremely big dent" in the scourge of drug addiction in America as he signed legislation intended to help tackle the opioid crisis, the deadliest epidemic of overdoses in the country's history. Nearly 48,000 people died last year from overdoses involving opioids. Overall, U.S. drug overdose deaths have started to level off, but Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar says it's too soon to declare victory. (10/24)
The Washington Post:
Trump Signs Sweeping Opioid Bill. Expect To Hear About It On The Campaign Trail.
The bill addresses numerous aspects of the opioid crisis, including prevention, treatment and recovery. It knits together bills sponsored by hundreds of lawmakers, many of whom are embroiled in tough reelection battles and can now tout their support of the law in the run-up to Election Day. “Together we will defeat this epidemic — it’s a true epidemic — as one people, one family and one magnificent nation under God,” Trump said. Drug overdoses killed about 72,000 people last year, and opioids have become a major campaign issue for both Democrats and Republicans. (Zezima and Kim, 10/24)
NPR:
Rural Americans OK With Government Help In Fighting Opioid Crisis
Rural Americans can take a dim view of outsiders from Washington, D.C., (or even from the state capital) meddling in their communities. Ronald Reagan summed up the feeling when he was president: "I've always felt the nine most terrifying words in the English language are, 'I'm from the government, and I'm here to help.' " (Morris, 10/25)
NPR:
Police, Paramedics And Pastors Collaborate To Get Opioid Users Who OD Into Treatment
Larrecsa Cox is a paramedic, but instead of an ambulance with flashing lights and sirens, she drives around in an old, white sedan. Her first call on a recent day in Huntington, W.Va, was to a quiet, middle-class neighborhood. "He overdosed yesterday," Cox says. "And I think we've been here before. I'm almost 100 percent sure we've been to this house before." (McCammon, 10/24)
Politico's Pulse Check:
Meet The Woman Leading The Nation's War On Addiction
Nora Volkow is America's top scientist on addiction. And she's worried that by focusing on the opioid crisis, we're missing a chance to fight what caused it in the first place. (10/25)
The New York Times:
Former Surgeons General Recount Political Pressure On The Job
It made an arresting tableau: four former surgeons general, aged 68 to 85, all in their blue admirals’ uniforms, together on stage like four grizzled Civil War veterans rehashing their biggest battles, and how they were treated afterward by the President and Congress. But this was no re-enactment of Bull Run or Shiloh. It was an after-action report on America’s medical wars, and it took place this month on the stage of the New York Academy of Medicine. (McNeil, 10/24)
The Wall Street Journal:
DHS, HHS Weren’t Notified Of Migrant Family Separation Policy In Advance, Report Finds
Officials at the Departments of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services weren’t given advance notice of the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” immigration policy, leaving them struggling to accommodate children separated from their parents, according to a new government report. (Duehren, 10/24)
The Washington Post:
Shelter Provider For Immigrant Kids Surrenders 2 Licenses
The nation’s largest provider of shelters for immigrant children has surrendered two of its licenses in Arizona following a state investigation that found the organization didn’t have fingerprint records for some employees. (Galvan, 10/24)
The Associated Press:
Amgen Slashes Price Of $14,000-A-Year Cholesterol Drug
The maker of an expensive cholesterol drug is slashing the list price, which should make it more affordable for patients. Amgen Inc. said Wednesday it is immediately cutting the price of Repatha by 60 percent, from about $14,000 to $5,850 per year. The move could help boost Amgen's 60 percent share in the U.S. market. The reduction comes after rivals Sanofi and Regeneron in May slashed what they charge prescription plans — though not the list price — for their similar cholesterol medication, Praluent. (Johnson, 10/24)
The Associated Press:
US Advisory Group Urges Hepatitis A Shots For Homeless
For the first time, a U.S. advisory committee is recommending a routine vaccination for homeless people, voting Wednesday to urge hepatitis A shots to prevent future outbreaks of the contagious liver disease. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices made the recommendation at a meeting in Atlanta. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to adopt it and send guidance to health care providers. (10/24)
The Washington Post:
Expert Panel Urges Hepatitis A Shots For Homeless In U.S.
Hepatitis A outbreaks have increased since 2016, partly because of homelessness and drug use, health experts said. Crowding and poor hygiene among the homeless and drug users have contributed to transmission. The virus is spread through contaminated food and dirty needles used for injecting drugs. As of last week, 12 states have reported more than 7,500 hepatitis A infections since January 2017, according to data presented at a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. There were more than 4,300 hospitalizations and 74 deaths. Homeless people made up more than 40 percent of the cases in San Diego and more than 10 percent of cases in Kentucky, Michigan, Tennessee and West Virginia. (Sun, 10/24)
The Washington Post:
Injuries Of US Diplomats In China Differ From Those In Cuba
Fourteen of 15 U.S. diplomats pulled from China for medical testing this year have been found not to have the same set of injuries as personnel evacuated earlier from Cuba, the State Department said Wednesday. The department said 14 of the 15 brought to the U.S. for medical testing earlier this year did not present the “constellation” of symptoms suffered by more than two dozen diplomats in Cuba that it blames on mysterious health attacks. Results for the 15th were inconclusive, it said. (Lee, 10/24)
The New York Times:
She Helped Save Her Husband’s Life With CPR, Then Gave Birth To Their Son
Ashley Goette of West St. Paul, Minn., is being compared to a superhero these days, and not just because she’s a new mother. (Though her 22 hours of labor alone would qualify.) It’s because in the span of four days, she not only gave birth to her first child, but also saved her husband’s life. It all began last Tuesday, around 5 a.m., when Ms. Goette was awakened by her husband, Andrew. He seemed to be snoring. She nudged him and asked him to roll over. He didn’t respond. (Caron, 10/24)
The New York Times:
Cold, Windy, Gray Day? Heart Attack Risk Is High
When the weather is bad, more people have heart attacks, Swedish researchers have found. In a study published in JAMA Cardiology, scientists report that lower temperature, higher wind speeds and less sunshine are all associated with a greater incidence of heart attack. (Bakalar, 10/24)
The New York Times:
Here’s Why A 50-Degree Day Feels Colder In Fall Than In Spring
That first cold spell of the season always feels especially harsh. If you’ve ever wondered, from beneath several layers of clothing, whether you were overreacting to those frigid early fall days, take solace. It may not just be in your head: The human body takes time to acclimate to the cold. (Chokshi, 10/24)
The New York Times:
Doctors In U.K. Repair Spinal Cords In The Womb
A team of surgeons has repaired the spinal cords of two babies while they were still in their mothers’ wombs, the first surgery of its kind in Britain. The operations were carried out over the summer at University College Hospital in London by 30 surgeons to treat spina bifida, a condition in which the spinal column and spinal cord do not develop properly in the womb, causing a gap in the spine. (Yeginsu, 10/24)
The New York Times:
A Mother’s Voice Is The Most Effective Smoke Alarm
A mother’s recorded voice will wake a child and get him out the room much faster than a standard smoke alarm, a randomized trial has found. Researchers recruited 176 5- to 12-year-olds old to test alarms. They taught the children a simulated escape procedure: Get out of bed at the alarm, walk to the door and leave the room. (Bakalar, 10/25)
The Associated Press:
Science Says: Fatal Outbreak Germ A Threat To Frail Patients
A common virus blamed for a deadly outbreak at a New Jersey children's rehabilitation center usually poses little risk for healthy people but can lead to dangerous pneumonia in already frail patients. The patients, most younger than 18, were infected by a germ called adenovirus 7, a strain that is among the more potent of these types of viruses. While it usually causes cold or flu-like symptoms, it can sometimes cause more serious respiratory illness, particularly in people with weak immune systems or who have lung conditions. (10/24)
Reuters:
Deadly Viral Outbreak In New Jersey Claims Seventh Child
A deadly viral outbreak claimed the life of a seventh child at a New Jersey rehabilitation center, where 11 other medically fragile young patients remain hospitalized with adenovirus infections, state health officials said on Wednesday. The outbreak at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Haskell, New Jersey, was first reported by the New Jersey Department of Health on Tuesday with the deaths six children with compromised immune systems. (10/24)
The Wall Street Journal:
Virus Kills Seven Children At New Jersey Medical Facility
The state, with the assistance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is investigating the outbreak. Wanaque Center voluntarily has agreed not to admit new patients until the outbreak is declared over, which would be four weeks after the last case is reported, Dr. Elnahal said. The children, who all died this month, ranged in age from toddler to young adult, with most under the age of 18, Dr. Elnahal said. Those who are ill from the virus are being treated in hospitals or cared for at Wanaque Center, he said. (West, 10/24)
The Washington Post:
New Jersey: Adenovirus Kills Seven Children At Wanaque Center
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) said in a statement that he was “heartbroken by the news that several children have lost their lives in an adenovirus outbreak at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation, and pray for the full recovery of the other children impacted." (Bever, 10/24)
The Associated Press:
Deputies Fired After Driving Van Into Floodwaters, Killing 2
A South Carolina sheriff's office has fired two deputies who drove a transport van into floodwaters, resulting in the death of two mental-health patients. The Horry County Sheriff's Office announced the decision Wednesday as part of an investigation into the actions of deputies Stephen Flood and Joshua Bishop. (10/24)
The Associated Press:
Washington Voters Set To Decide Ban On New Local Soda Taxes
Soda industry giants including the Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo, Inc. are spending more than $20 million to convince voters in Washington state to pass an initiative that would block local governments from imposing taxes on soda, sugary beverages and some food items. The effort follows a tax on sugary beverages that went into effect in Seattle earlier this year. (10/24)
The Associated Press:
Report: Doctor Borrows $300K; Diagnoses Loaner With Dementia
A report from Tennessee's health department says a doctor borrowed money from a patient then diagnosed her with dementia when asked to repay it. Suellen Lee was quoted by The Tennessean as saying that she voluntarily retired her medical license because her case was unwinnable. She maintains the accusations are "all lies." (10/24)
The Associated Press:
Study Finds No Cancer Cluster At Auburn, Despite Reports
Alabama health officials announced Wednesday that a study did not find evidence of an eye cancer cluster at Auburn University, despite a rash of reported cases of the rare and deadly cancer that drew national attention earlier this year. The Alabama Department of Public Health said the study "based on the best available information" did not find higher than expected rates of uveal melanoma among former students and university employees. (10/24)