First Edition: October 11, 2018

Kaiser Health News: Will Maine Voters Decide To Make Aging In Place Affordable?
As Election Day draws near, a ballot initiative in Maine to provide universal home care is shining a spotlight on the inadequacies of the nation’s long-term care system. The essential problem: Although most older adults want to live at home when their health starts to decline or they become frail, programs that help them do so are narrow in scope, fragmented and poorly funded. (Graham, 10/11)

California Healthline: Thousands Of Medi-Cal Patients Regain Access To UC Davis In Deal With Insurer
The on-again, off-again access for Sacramento Medi-Cal patients to UC Davis Medical Center and its affiliated clinics is open once more for some patients, in light of a new agreement between UC Davis Health and the insurer Health Net. The health system and the insurer struck a deal that will allow as many as 5,000 people enrolled in Health Net’s Medi-Cal plan in Sacramento County to receive primary care and other medical services through UC Davis Health, according to an announcement by the university. The deal comes about three years after UC Davis and Health Net canceled a previous primary care contract covering Medi-Cal enrollees. (Waters, 10/10)

The New York Times: CVS Health And Aetna $69 Billion Merger Is Approved With Conditions
The Justice Department’s approval of the $69 billion merger between CVS Health and Aetna on Wednesday caps a wave of consolidation among giant health care players that could leave American consumers with less control over their medical care and prescription drugs. The approval marks the close of an era, during which powerful pharmacy benefit managers brokered drug prices among pharmaceutical companies, insurers and employers. (Abelson, 10/10)

The Associated Press: DOJ Approves $69B CVS Health-Aetna Merger, With Conditions
The Justice Department on Wednesday approved the deal on the condition that Aetna moves ahead with its plan to sell its Medicare Part D prescription drug plan business, resolving some anti-monopoly issues. (10/10)

The Wall Street Journal: Justice Department Approves CVS-Aetna Deal
CVS said that it already had gotten “many” of the state approvals it needs. “We are pleased to have reached an agreement with the Justice Department that maintains the strategic benefits and value creation potential of our combination with Aetna,” said CVS’s chief executive, Larry Merlo. “We are now working to complete the remaining state reviews.” Aetna rival Cigna Corp. has already gotten Justice Department antitrust clearance for its acquisition of Express Scripts Holding Co. , which also brings together a major health insurer with a pharmacy-benefit manager. (Wilde Mathews and Maidenberg, 10/10)

The Washington Post: CVS’s $69 Billion Merger With Aetna Is Approved In Deal That Could Transform Health-Care Industry
The tie-up will allow CVS — whose retail pharmacy business serves 5 million customers a day — to turn more of its brick-and-mortar locations into front-line clinics for basic medical services and patient monitoring. By deepening its knowledge of and relationships with patients, CVS has said the combination could help Americans stick with medication regimens and stay out of the hospital. (Fung, 10/10)

The Associated Press: Trump Trashes Democrats’ Medicare For All Plan In Op-Ed
President Donald Trump is stepping up his attack on Democrats over a health care proposal called Medicare for All, claiming it “would end Medicare as we know it and take away benefits that seniors have paid for their entire lives.” Trump, omitting any mention of improved benefits for seniors that Democrats promise, writes in an op-ed published Wednesday in USA Today, “The Democrats’ plan means that after a life of hard work and sacrifice, seniors would no longer be able to depend on the benefits they were promised.” (Miller, 10/10)

The Washington Post: Fact-Checking President Trump’s USA Today Op-Ed On ‘Medicare-For-All’
President Trump wrote an opinion article for USA Today on Oct. 10 regarding proposals to expand Medicare to all Americans — known as Medicare-for-All — in which almost every sentence contained a misleading statement or a falsehood. Many of these are claims we have already debunked. Presumably, the president is aware of our fact checks — he even links to two — but chose to ignore the facts in service of a campaign-style op-ed. Medicare-for-All is a complex subject, and serious questions could be raised about the cost and how a transition from today’s health-care system would be financed. Trump correctly notes that studies have estimated that the program — under the version promoted by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) — would add $36 trillion in costs to the federal government over 10 years. (Kessler, 10/10)

The Associated Press: AP Fact Check: Trump's View Of 'Medicare For All' Simplistic
The president's op-ed column flubbed some facts and omitted some key context: Trump put the cost of "Medicare for All" at $32.6 trillion over 10 years, calling it an "astonishing" figure. He actually underestimated the expected cost. He cited the added cost to the federal government of taking over private insurance, as estimated by Blahous. The total cost of the new system would be even higher. Trump said Democrats have already "harmed seniors by slashing Medicare" to pay for President Barack Obama's health care overhaul. He neglected to mention that when Republicans later won control of Congress, they kept in their own budgets the Obama Medicare cuts that they had campaigned against. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 10/11)

PolitiFact: Fact-Checking Donald Trump's Op-Ed Against Medicare For All In USA Today
Trump: Medicare for All would "take away benefits that seniors have paid for their entire lives." This is a "horrible mischaracterization of the proposal," said Linda Blumberg of the Urban Institute. Medicare for All would actually give an expanded version of traditional Medicare to everyone, with broader coverage -- including items such as dental and vision care -- while eliminating virtually all out of pocket costs, she said. (Greenberg and Jacobson, 10/10)

NPR Fact Check: Trump's False Claims On 'Medicare For All' In USA Today Op-Ed
Trump notes that as a candidate, he "promised that we would protect coverage for patients with pre-existing conditions." In fact, Trump and his fellow Republicans tried — unsuccessfully — to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which guarantees insurance coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. GOP plans would leave it up to the states to craft alternative protections. In addition, Republican attorneys general have sued to overturn Obamacare's protections, and the Trump administration has declined to defend them. America's Health Insurance Plans, the trade group for the insurance industry, warns that ending the Obamacare guarantee could result in hardship for the estimated 130 million Americans under 65 with pre-existing conditions. (Horsley, 10/10)

The Hill: Schumer Rips Trump 'Medicare For All' Op-Ed As 'smears And Sabotage'
Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer (N.Y.) said President Trump’s USA Today op-ed ripping “Medicare for all” was full of misinformation meant to deliberately mislead the public. “The American people deserve better than smears and sabotage,” Schumer said in a statement. “All of the false and misleading words in the world can’t cover up the truth: President Trump and Republicans in Congress are forcing millions of Americans to pay more for health insurance and trying to rip away protections for people with pre-existing conditions.” (Weixel, 10/10)

The Hill: Sanders Blasts Trump's Attack On 'Medicare For All' As 'Full Of Lies' 
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Wednesday hit back against an op-ed by President Trump attacking Sanders’s signature "Medicare for all" proposal, saying Trump’s piece is filled with “blatant lies.” “Bottom line is he's trying to frighten seniors and suggest that Medicare for all would cut back the benefits they have,” Sanders told reporters. “The truth is it would expand the benefits that they have.” (Sullivan, 10/10)

Politico: ‘Just Ridiculous Lies’: Dems Incensed Over Misleading GOP Ads On Medicare For All
The GOP is hammering Democratic challengers in swing districts over a plan putting the government in full control of the health care system, betting that voter backlash over the multi-trillion dollar proposal will tip crucial House races to Republicans. There’s just one problem: Few of the targeted Democrats actually support such a plan. (Cancryn, 10/10)

Politico: Senate Democrats Fail To Block Trump's Short-Term Health Plans
A long-shot bid to derail the Trump administration’s expansion of short-term health plans died in the Senate on Wednesday, even with Sen. Susan Collins providing the lone Republican vote for the resolution. The Senate vote ended in a 50-50 tie, falling short of the majority needed to pass the measure reversing new regulations allowing insurers to sell skimpy health plans outside the Obamacare markets for up to a year, rather than the previous limit of three months. (Cancryn and Ollstein, 10/10)

The Associated Press: Senate Vote On Health Care Likely Fodder For Both Parties
But by pushing ahead, Democrats made Republicans cast a health care vote that Democrats could wield in campaign ads for next month's midterm elections, in which they hope to topple the GOP's 51-49 Senate majority. The vote was also aimed at refocusing people away from the Senate's nasty battle over confirming Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, which both sides say has transformed indifferent conservative voters into motivated ones — for now. (Fram, 10/11)

The Washington Post: Midterm Fear Factor: Republicans, Democrats Stoke Anxiety Over Health Care, Rule Of Law
But by forcing a roll call on what they term “junk” plans, Democrats managed to put a spotlight on a key issue they argue will cut their way in the election by appealing to voters in both parties. Only one Republican, Susan Collins of Maine, voted with them. In a speech on the Senate floor, Baldwin pointed to a plan sold in her state that she said does not cover hospital care on a Friday or Saturday. “So, it will just be your bad luck if you happen to get sick and need health care on the weekend,” she said. (Sullivan and Wagner, 10/10)

The New York Times: Trump Signs New Laws Aimed At Drug Costs And Battles Democrats On Medicare
President Trump signed bipartisan legislation on Wednesday that would free pharmacists to tell consumers when they could actually save money by paying the full cash price for prescription drugs rather than using health insurance with large co-payments, deductibles and other out-of-pocket costs. ... The back-and-forth over health care showed how prominent the issue has become in the midterm election campaigns. As the parties were coming together on prescription drug costs and fighting over Medicare, the Senate deadlocked on Wednesday over a Democratic proposal to block the expansion of cheap “short term” health insurance policies that do not have to cover maternity care or pre-existing conditions, a top priority of Mr. Trump’s. (Pear, 10/10)

The Associated Press: Trump Signs Bills To Help Patients Stop Overpaying For Drugs
The measures bar health plans or middlemen that manage pharmacy benefits from getting in between pharmacists and their customers. No longer can pharmacists be contractually prohibited from telling consumers when they would actually save money by not using their insurance plans. Such head-scratching situations can arise because of convoluted deals between drug companies, insurers, middlemen and pharmacies. (10/10)

The Hill: Trump Signs Bills Banning Drug Pricing 'Gag Clauses' 
"This is very strong legislation to end these unjust gag clauses once and for all," Trump said during a signing ceremony at the White House. "All our citizens deserve to know the lowest price available at our pharmacies, and now that's what they'll be getting." (Hellmann, 10/10)

The Associated Press: Planned Parenthood Launches Plan To Protect Abortion Access
Planned Parenthood on Wednesday launched a campaign to protect access to abortion as widely as possible even if the Supreme Court, with the addition of conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh, moves to curtail a woman's right to undergo the procedure. "We know that we'll need an ironclad network of states and providers across the country where abortion will still be legal and accessible, no matter what happens at the Supreme Court," said Dawn Laguens, Planned Parenthood's executive vice president. (Crary, 10/10)

CQ HealthBeat: Democrats Seek To Block Green Card Rule Tied To Welfare
A coalition of 50 House Democrats introduced a bill on Tuesday that would prevent any federal funds from being used to implement a proposed Trump administration rule that would make it harder for legal immigrants who receive public assistance to obtain permanent U.S. residence. The rule traces back to 19th century legislation that bars immigrants into the U.S. who are so poor that they might become a "public charge" and hence a drain on government resources. The rule has been reinterpreted many times since. (DeChalus, 10/10)

The Wall Street Journal: Sen. Chuck Grassley Asks FTC To Probe Hospital Contracts
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate whether contracts between insurers and hospital systems are limiting competition and pushing up health-care costs. The letter, sent Wednesday by the Iowa Republican, cited a recent article in The Wall Street Journal that documented secret contract terms that some hospital systems use to protect their business and block efforts to curb costs. Those provisions can require health plans include costly hospital systems and prohibit steering patients toward less-expensive rivals. The contracts can also add extra fees and prevent exclusion of doctors and hospitals based on quality or cost. (Wilde Mathews, 10/10)

The Wall Street Journal: Centene Expands Offerings In Health Insurance Marketplaces
In the latest sign of insurers’ improved fortunes in the Affordable Care Act business, Centene Corp. will start selling ACA plans in four new states next year and add new counties in six others. The announcement by Centene, which said it is already the largest enroller of ACA-plan customers, comes amid growing evidence that the health-law markets are steadying after years of turmoil, despite continued regulatory changes and a major legal challenge. (Wilde Mathews, 10/10)

NPR: Ex Pa. Governor Ed Rendell Stands Up For Supervised Injection Sites
In Philadelphia, a battle between local officials and the Trump administration is heating up. In defiance of threats from the Justice Department, public health advocates in Philadelphia have launched a nonprofit to run a facility to allow people to use illegal drugs under medical supervision. It is the most concrete step yet the city has taken toward eventually opening a so-called supervised injection site. (Allyn, 10/10)

The New York Times: Rare Paralysis Cases In Children Are Investigated In Minnesota
Health authorities in the United States said this week that they were investigating an unusual spike in cases of a rare condition that causes limb paralysis and severe muscle weakness in children.Since mid-September, six cases of the condition, acute flaccid myelitis, in children under 10 years old have been reported to the Minnesota Department of Health, the agency said. Another two possible cases are pending confirmation, officials said. (Hauser, 10/10)

The Associated Press: Finding Answers For Patients With Rarest Of Rare Diseases
The youngster's mysterious symptoms stumped every expert his parents consulted: No diagnosis explained why he couldn't sit up on his own, or why he'd frequently choke, or his neurologic and intestinal abnormalities. Then they turned to a new national network that aims to diagnose the rarest of rare diseases — and learned Will Kilquist is the only person known in the world, so far, to harbor one particular genetic mutation that triggered all those health problems. (Neergaard, 10/10)

NPR: ICU Dementia: How Hospitals Can Prevent It
If you are one of the 5.7 million Americans who ends up in the intensive care unit each year, you are at high risk of developing long-term mental effects like dementia and confusion. These mental problems can be as pronounced as those experienced by people with Alzheimer's disease or a traumatic brain injury and many patients never fully recover. But research shows you are less likely to suffer those effects if the doctors and nurses follow a procedure that's gaining ground in ICUs nationwide. (Harris, 10/10)

The Washington Post: How Will 9 Billion Or 10 Billion People Eat Without Destroying The Environment?
The human population has reached 7.6 billion and could number 9 billion or 10 billion by midcentury. All those people will need to eat. A sobering report published Wednesday in the journal Nature argues that a sustainable food system that doesn’t ravage the environment is going to require dramatic reforms, including a radical change in dietary habits. To be specific: Cheeseburgers are out, and fruits and veggies are in. (Achenbach, 10/10)

The Washington Post: Pancake Kidneys, A Rare Developmental Disorder, Were Found In A Man's Pelvis
In the early stages of a fetus’s development in the womb, two embryological structures move to either side of the spine, just below the ribs, and form a pair of bean-shaped organs that will be the kidneys. But in extremely rare cases, the two structures fuse in the middle, forming one kidney. And instead of moving up toward the ribs, it sinks to the pelvic area. Its odd, disc-like shape has given rise to a buffet of food names. Scientists call it a pancake kidney because it’s flat. It’s also called a cake kidney, a doughnut kidney, a shield kidney and a lump kidney. (Phillips, 10/10)

The New York Times: U.K. Appoints Minister For Suicide Prevention
Months after appointing its first minister for loneliness, Britain named a minister for suicide prevention as part of a new push to tackle mental health issues. Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday announced the appointment of the health minister Jackie Doyle-Price to the new role. She will lead government efforts to cut the number of suicides and overcome the stigma that prevents people with mental health problems from seeking help. (Yeginsu, 10/10)

The New York Times: Michigan Governor’s Race Tests Flint’s Jaded Residents
The first car arrived around 3:30 a.m., more than six hours before the weekly “help center” opened at a local church. David Brooks, a 72-year-old retired General Motors laborer, was in the second car in the queue, and passed the time by sleeping in the back seat of his refurbished 1997 Chevy Santa Fe, as has become his Thursday routine since 2014 — the last time his Flint community trusted its water. (Herndon, 10/11)

Reuters: Bayer Gets Tentative Ruling For New Trial In Weed-Killer Case
Bayer AG's Monsanto unit received a tentative ruling for a new trial on the $250 million in punitive damages awarded by a jury to a groundskeeper who alleged the company's glyphosate-based weed killers, including Roundup, caused his cancer. According to a Wednesday court filing in San Francisco's Superior Court of California, Judge Suzanne Bolanos was considering whether to grant the company's motion for a new trial on the punitive damages. (Christie and Burger, 10/10)

The Wall Street Journal: Bayer Could Win A New Trial For Roundup
If finalized, Judge Suzanne Ramos Bolanos’s ruling would grant a motion by Bayer arguing that sum wasn’t justified and that the evidence didn’t prove the company intended to harm the plaintiff. It isn’t clear when the judge may finalize the ruling, issued ahead of a court hearing Wednesday. (Bunge, 10/10)

The Wall Street Journal: Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak Kills One And Sickens 15 In Northern Manhattan
One person has died of Legionnaires’ disease in a cluster of 16 cases in the Manhattan neighborhood of Washington Heights, New York City health officials confirmed on Wednesday. The city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said in a phone call with reporters on Wednesday that seven people remain hospitalized due to the outbreak, seven have been discharged from the hospital and one person was seen on an outpatient basis. Health officials have said that the ages of those stricken range from 40 to over 80 years old. (West, 10/10)

The Associated Press: Louisiana Hospice Company Buys New Jersey-Based Chain
A Louisiana-based home health and hospice company says it’s buying a nationwide hospice company based in New Jersey, and will become the nation’s third-largest hospice provider. Amedisys, Inc. of Baton Rouge said Wednesday that it is buying Compassionate Care Hospice of Parsippany, New Jersey, for $340 million. (10/10)

Los Angeles Times: 3 Women Sue Huntington Hospital, Accusing Gynecologist Of Sexual Misconduct
Three women filed a federal lawsuit against Huntington Memorial Hospital and one of its longest-serving obstetricians Wednesday, alleging that the physician subjected them to unwanted sexual remarks during exams in the 1990s. The suit in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles comes a week after The Times reported that Dr. Patrick Sutton had been accused of sexual misconduct by five other patients. Sutton, 64, settled four of those accusations without admitting any sexual wrongdoing, and he has said through a lawyer that he plans to contest the fifth pending complaint. (Ryan and Hamilton, 10/10)

Los Angeles Times: L.A. Prepares To Begin Crackdown On Homeless Camps, Under Fire From Civil Rights Lawyers
Outreach workers went tent to tent early Wednesday with offers of homeless services as the city launched a crackdown on encampments around a new shelter in downtown Los Angeles’ El Pueblo historic district. The city plans five-day-a-week cleanups and increased police presence in “special enforcement zones” around a network of 15 shelters it hopes to build by the middle of next year. (Holland, 10/10)