First Edition: November 7, 2018

Kaiser Health News: Midterm Results Show Health Is Important To Voters But No Magic Bullet
Health care proved important but apparently not pivotal in the 2018 midterm elections on Tuesday as voters gave Democrats control of the U.S. House, left Republicans in charge in the Senate and appeared to order an expansion of Medicaid in at least three states long controlled by Republicans. In taking over the House, Democrats are unlikely to be able to advance many initiatives when it comes to health policy, given the GOP’s control of the Senate and White House. But they will be able to deliver an effective veto to Republican efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, convert the Medicaid health care system for low-income people into a block grant program and make major changes to Medicare. (Rovner, 11/7)

California Healthline: California Dreamin’? With Newsom’s Win, Single-Payer Unlikely To Follow Anytime Soon
Californians on Tuesday elected a governor who campaigned for a complete overhaul of how people get their health coverage — but they shouldn’t hold their breath. Rather, as Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom and the Democratic-controlled legislature take steps to provide more people with health insurance, they’ll likely approach it piecemeal over several years. Newsom himself is already tempering expectations about California’s move to a single-payer system, saying it will take more than the will of one person to realize. (Young, 11/6)

Politico: Redemption For Obamacare
Democrats ran on Obamacare and, finally, sailed to victory. The party that bet on surging enthusiasm for the Affordable Care Act flipped control of the House Tuesday night in what could amount to a major reset of the political direction on health care. Democrats also made gains at the state level, with wins in gubernatorial races that could prompt new expansions of Medicaid and energize lawmakers, who can claim they have a mandate to further build on a law that serves as the bedrock of their domestic agenda. (Ollstein and Cancryn, 11/6)

The Associated Press: AP Voter Poll Shows Focus On Trump, Immigration, Health Care
Health care, immigration and President Donald Trump were high on voters’ minds as they cast ballots in the midterm elections, according to a wide-ranging survey of the electorate conducted by The Associated Press. ... Health care was at the forefront of many voters’ minds: 26 percent named it as the most important issue facing the country. Immigration was not far behind, with 23 percent naming it as the most important issue. Nearly 4 in 10 of those who voted for a Democratic House candidate named health care as the most important issue facing the nation, while about as many Republican voters considered immigration to be the top issue. (Jalonick, 11/7)

Politico: What Can Get Done In A Divided Washington
Expectations that the two sides could work out a major deal on something like negotiating drug prices in Medicare are low — but there is hope in both parties that impactful incremental reforms, like increasing transparency around drugmakers' relationships with pharmacy benefit managers to ensure there is no collusion to keep prices high, could get bipartisan support. And Democrats won't give up without a fight on bold moves like government negotiation of drug prices, which Trump supported on the campaign trail in 2016. Pelosi met with PhRMA execs this summer and “took the opportunity to deliver a message about the seriousness of Democrats’ commitment to legislative action to bring down soaring prescription drug prices,” her spokesperson Henry Connelly said. (Cassella, Cook and Orr, 11/6)

The Washington Post: Democrats Take House, Breaking Up GOP’s Total Control Of Government
“Tomorrow will be a new day in America,” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) declared from the Democratic Party headquarters in Washington. “It’s about restoring the Constitutions’s checks and balances to the Trump administration. It’s about stopping the GOP and [Senate Majority Leader] Mitch McConnell’s assaults on Medicare, Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, and the health care of 130 million Americans living with preexisting medical conditions.” Pelosi promised action on lowering the cost of prescription drugs and rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure, and pledged to pursue bipartisanship where possible. (Werner and DeBonis, 11/7)

The Washington Post: Record Number Of Women Heading To Congress
More than 100 women were projected to win seats in the House of Representatives, easily shattering the record. Overwhelmingly they were Democrats who helped the party take control of the chamber. ... Many of the winning candidates campaigned on the need for better health care for all Americans. They come from a wide variety of backgrounds — from military veterans to teachers — and many had never run for office before. (Jordan, 11/7)

CNBC: Utah, Idaho And Nebraska Approve Medicaid Expansion Ballot Measures
Three red states approved Medicaid expansion in Tuesday's midterm elections, changes that will potentially cover hundreds of thousands more low-income Americans, NBC News projected. Voters in Utah, Nebraska and Idaho were all expected to pass ballot measures to broaden the federal and state health insurance program, according to NBC. The support for Medicaid expansion, an Affordable Care Act provision, came over the objections of many officials who had so far declined to adopt it, citing budgetary constraints. (Pramuk, 11/7)

The Salt Lake Tribune: 150,000 More Utahns Poised To Get Medical Coverage As Voters OK Medicaid Expansion
Help is on the way for 150,000 low-income Utahns seeking health care coverage after Utah voters approved full Medicaid expansion, according to unofficial election results late Tuesday. Proposition 3 was carrying 55 percent of the vote at press time, with 45 percent opposing the measure. (Wood, 11/7)

Lincoln Journal Star: Medicaid Expansion Wins With Lincoln, Omaha Support 
After seven years of legislative refusal to expand Medicaid in Nebraska, voters on Tuesday night extended coverage to an estimated 90,000 adult Nebraskans who are working at low-wage jobs. That decision will bring an estimated $1.3 billion in federal funding flowing into the state during the first three years of the new program, which would provide health care coverage for Nebraskans who work at jobs like food service and retail sales that earn them less than $17,000 a year. (Walton, 11/7)

Idaho Statesman: Medicaid Expansion Passes In Idaho
Idaho’s Proposition 2, Medicaid expansion, hit a groove early Tuesday night and just kept going. With 78 percent of votes tallied, the measure still had the support of more than 60 percent of residents at around 2 a.m. Wednesday. The Associated Press called it as passing shortly before midnight. Expanding the state’s Medicaid program to cover childless and low-income adults had the support of Idaho Gov. Butch Otter and certain Republican state lawmakers, as well as industry stakeholders such as hospitals. (Dutton, 11/6)

The Associated Press: Massachusetts Backs Transgender Rights; Michigan OKs Pot Use
Voters in 37 states considered an array of intriguing ballot measures Tuesday. Michigan voters made their state the first in the Midwest to legalize recreational marijuana by passing a ballot measure that will allow people 21 or older to buy and use the drug. A similar measure was defeated in North Dakota, meaning there are now 10 states that allow recreational use of pot. Missouri became the 31st state to approve the medical use of marijuana, while Utah was considering that step. (Crary, 11/7)

USA Today: Ballot Measures: Florida Votes To Restore Felon Voting Rights; Missouri, Michigan Pass Pot
Elsewhere across the country, voters in West Virginia, Alabama and – surprisingly – Oregon voted on measures that would limit abortion. Alabama passed Amendment 2, according to The Associated Press, which makes it state policy to “recognize and support the sanctity of unborn life and the rights of unborn children, including the right to life.” It adds that no provisions of the Alabama Constitution provide the right to an abortion or require funding of abortions. West Virginians passed a similar measure with  Amendment 1, which will change the language of the West Virginia Constitution to say, “nothing in this Constitution secures or protects a right to abortion or requires the funding of abortion.” (Schnell, 11/7)

Los Angeles Times: California Voters Reject Ballot Measure To Cap Dialysis Company Profits
Proposition 8, which would have imposed a cap on the profits earned by large dialysis companies such as DaVita, was defeated by voters on Tuesday. Sponsored by the Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers, the measure would have shrunk the profits of hundreds of dialysis clinics across California, requiring clinics to provide rebates to insurers and pay a penalty to the state on business revenue that exceed 115% of certain costs to deliver care. A coalition led by DaVita and Fresenius Medical Care, the two companies that control a combined 72% of the dialysis market in California, has given $110 million to a campaign to beat the measure — contributing to the most money raised for such a campaign in state history. (Luna, 11/6)

Boston Globe: Voters Reject Question 1, Which Would Have Mandated Nurse Staffing Levels; Decision Has Far-Reaching Impact For Health Care
Massachusetts voters rejected a ballot measure Tuesday that would have set strict limits on the numbers of patients assigned to hospital nurses, following a bruising and costly campaign that pitted nurses against hospital administrators — and nurses against nurses. The ballot question was as passionately fought as it was difficult for many voters to decipher. The result was a blow to the Massachusetts Nurses Association, a labor union that sponsored the measure and had argued that limits were needed to ensure that patients were receiving safe care. (Dayal McCluskey, 11/6)

Vox: Nevada Question 2 Results: “Tampon Tax” Eliminated
Nevada just became the 10th state to eliminate the so-called “tampon tax,” making menstrual products exempt from state sales taxes. Voters on Tuesday approved State Question No. 2, meaning Nevada consumers will be able to buy sanitary pads and tampons without paying the state’s 6.85 percent sales tax. Supporters of the measure, proposed by Democratic state Sens. Yvanna Cancela and Joyce Woodhouse, argued that taxing the products placed an unfair financial burden on women. The Food and Drug Administration regulates tampons as medical devices; other medical devices, like bandages and prosthetics, are exempt from Nevada sales tax. (North, 11/7)

The Wall Street Journal: Voters Are Enthusiastic, Polarized, Engaged On The Issues
Reporters with the The Wall Street Journal spoke with voters Tuesday across the U.S., capturing a range of opinions that illustrated the nation’s polarized political climate. Turnout was huge, overwhelming election officials and yielding long lines at many polling sites. Immigration, health care and President Trump weighed heavily in races small and large. (Leary, 11/6)

Stat: Indicted For Biotech Insider Trading, Rep. Chris Collins Keeps His Seat 
Rep. Chris Collins, the New York congressman who tirelessly promoted an Australian biotech company and who now faces charges of insider trading related to the firm, prevailed in his re-election bid on Tuesday. Collins, who has denied the allegations, prevailed over Democrat Nathan McMurray. McMurray conceded the race late Tuesday night but called for a recall early Wednesday morning, after multiple media outlets had long since called the contest in favor of Collins. (Garde, 11/6)

Stat: Bob Hugin Reflects On His Failed Senate Bid — And The Role Pharma Played 
On election night, Bob Hugin insisted it wasn’t his past as a pharmaceutical executive that did him in. Incessant attacks from his Democratic opponent [New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez], $3.5 million worth of ads labeling him “the guy who made a killing” by raising drug prices, and a pharma-focused interview on a nationally syndicated radio show beg to differ. (Facher, 11/7)

NPR: How Hospitals Can Tackle The Maternal Mortality Crisis
Having a baby in the United States can be dangerous. American women are more likely than women in any other developed country to die during childbirth or from pregnancy-related complications. And while other countries' maternal death rates have gone down, U.S. rates have risen since 2000, a fact that has left both doctors and expectant mothers concerned about the state of maternity care in this country. But many of these problems could be prevented if hospitals would standardize the way they care for women in labor, according to the authors of a recent essay in the New England Journal of Medicine. They say hospitals can improve quality of care for three common complications in childbirth: heavy bleeding after delivery known as postpartum hemorrhage, problems with high blood pressure, and blood clots before or after delivery. (Gordon, 11/6)

Los Angeles Times: Federal Judge Wants Investigation Into Mental Health Care At California Prisons Following Scathing Report
A federal judge on Monday said she plans to appoint an investigator to launch a probe into whether California has painted an inaccurately rosy picture of psychiatric care inside its prison system as part of a lawsuit against the state that has spanned nearly three decades. U.S. District Judge Kimberly Mueller’s move comes on the heels of a 161-page report written by the chief psychiatrist for the prison system alleging the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has concealed issues surrounding the adequacy of mental health care and staffing in prisons from officials who could mandate changes. (Fry, 11/6)

The Associated Press: CVS Health Tops 3Q Earnings Forecasts, Backs 2018 Outlook
More prescriptions and lower taxes pushed CVS Health past third-quarter expectations as the pharmacy giant closed in on a deal it will use to change how millions of people manage their health. CVS Health said Tuesday that it expects to complete its $69 billion acquisition of the nation’s third-largest health insurer, Aetna, before Thanksgiving. (Murphy, 11/6)

The Wall Street Journal: CVS Lays Out Vision For Future As Aetna Merger Looms
CVS Health Corp. executives gave investors a window into its strategy after closing the acquisition of health insurer Aetna Inc., with an eye on becoming a one-stop shop for patients. ... CVS and Aetna operate in largely different businesses, with their most direct overlap coming in selling plans under the Medicare prescription-drug program, known as Part D. (Al-Muslim, 11/6)

The Wall Street Journal: Eli Lilly Raises 2018 Guidance After Strong 3Q
Eli Lilly & Co. on Tuesday raised its adjusted earnings per share guidance as it reported a more than doubled third-quarter profit. The Indianapolis, Ind.-based drugmaker earned a quarterly profit of $1.15 billion, or $1.12 a share, compared with $555.6 million, or 53 cents, for the same period last year. Excluding items, Eli Lilly reported an adjusted profit of $1.39 a share for the quarter, compared with $1.05 last year and analysts forecasts of $1.15. (Walker, 11/6)

Stat: Despite Scrutiny Of Patient Assistance Programs By The Feds, Pharma Appears Unprepared 
As the federal government scrutinizes various programs that provide some form of assistance to patients, drug makers are responding inconsistently to the legal hazards, according to a new survey. Approximately one-third of the companies queried say they have altered procedures for funding independent charities that provide financial assistance to patients, but very few are regularly monitoring or auditing the activities of their patient services teams. And 25 percent of drug makers report that they provide patient services, such as copay cards, to people using their medicines for unapproved uses. (Silverman, 11/6)