The Wall Street Journal: Democratic-Led States Appeal Ruling Invalidating Affordable Care Act
Sixteen states on Thursday appealed a Texas judge’s ruling that invalidated the Affordable Care Act, opening the next phase of legal proceedings over the fate of the Obama-era health-care law. The ACA, which overhauled the nation’s health insurance system in 2010, will remain in effect during the appeals process, which could last a year—or potentially longer if the case lands at the Supreme Court. That timeline also means the health-care law will likely continue to be a major political issue, including in the 2020 presidential campaign. (Kendall and Armour, 1/3)

Texas Tribune: Democratic States Appeal Ruling Declaring Obamacare Unconstitutional
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, who’s leading the charge, filed a notice of appeal Thursday morning before the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. The blue states will ask the federal appeals court to overturn last month’s ruling from U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor, who declared that President Barack Obama’s signature health care law is unconstitutional after Congress in December 2017 gutted one of its major provisions, the individual mandate. The notice of appeal marks the next stage of what is expected to be a long-running litigation process that could reach the U.S. Supreme Court. (Platoff, 1/3)

Boston Globe: Mass. Joins Other States In Appealing Affordable Care Act Decision
“This ruling is misguided, dangerous, and will wreak havoc on the American health care system,” Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey said in a statement. (Dayal McCluskey, 1/3)

KQED: California Leaps To Obamacare's Defense In Fight Pitting Blue States Against Red Ones
Many legal experts, both liberal and conservative, have predicted that the Texas ruling will be overturned by a higher court. (Christopher and Aguilera, 1/3)

CQ: Democratic Attorneys General Appeal Texas Health Law Ruling
Some of the attorneys general who challenged the 2010 law in the Texas v. U.S. lawsuit or who joined Becerra in defending the law could change in the coming weeks as newly-elected officials take on their new roles. Colorado Attorney General-elect Phil Weiser told reporters on Thursday that he would be joining the Democratic coalition. New Democratic attorneys general in Nevada, Michigan and Wisconsin could also join the case, although new laws passed in the final days of 2018 in Wisconsin could complicate an effort by the state’s Attorney General-elect Josh Kaul. (McIntire, 1/3)

The Associated Press: As Health Law Case Goes To Appeals Court, Sign-Ups Steady
Democratic attorneys general on Thursday appealed a federal court ruling that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional, as new enrollment numbers underscored the staying power of the Obama-era law. The government reported that about 8.4 million Americans have signed up this year under the law, reflecting steady demand for its subsidized health insurance. President Donald Trump still disdains "Obamacare," but he failed to repeal it after promising a better plan in its place. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 1/3)

And Democrats set the stage for a vote that could politically back Republicans into a corner over the case —

The Washington Post: House Democrats Vote To Defend ACA In Court — And Jam Republicans
House Democrats used their new majority on Thursday to squeeze Republicans on health care, taking the first step to intervene in a court case in which a Texas judge has ruled the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional. That move will be followed by a vote next week designed to force GOP lawmakers into a political corner: agree to defend a law many members have spent years reviling or appear to oppose popular ACA protections for millions of Americans with preexisting medical conditions that many have pledged to uphold. (Goldstein, 1/3)

Politico: Democrats Won The House On Obamacare. Here’s How They Plan To Defend It.
“Many [Republicans], in a very inauthentic way, in my mind, indicated that they were prepared to protect Americans with pre-existing conditions," said Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), the chairman of the House Democratic Caucus. "Now we’re going to give them an opportunity to do so.” Those votes are just opening salvos from House Democrats, who also plan to go after the Trump administration policies that they say have purposefully undermined Obamacare by depressing enrollment, cutting subsidies, promoting skimpy alternative health coverage, and even having the Department of Justice take the unusual move of supporting key elements of a lawsuit against the federal health law. (Cancryn and Ollstein, 1/4)

The Washington Post: The New Congress: Pelosi Retakes House Gavel As Shutdown Continues
The House of Representatives elected Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) as speaker for a second time Thursday, the first day of a new, divided Congress that is more likely to confront President Trump. The 78-year-old California Democrat secured the votes of 220 members of a total of 430 present. Rep. Kevin McCarthy (Calif.), the top Republican in the chamber, received 192 votes. (Sonmez and Wagner, 1/3)

The Associated Press: Speaker Again, Pelosi Sees 'New Dawn' For 116th Congress
Pelosi promised to "restore integrity to government" and outlined an agenda "to lower health costs and prescription drug prices and protect people with pre-existing medical conditions; to increase paychecks by rebuilding America with green and modern infrastructure from sea to shining sea. "The day unfolded as one of both celebration and impatience. Newly elected lawmakers arrived, often with friends and families in tow, to take the oath of office and pose for ceremonial photos. Then they swiftly turned to the shutdown. (1/3)

The Wall Street Journal: Nancy Pelosi Elected Speaker As House Votes For End To Shutdown
“We enter this new Congress with a sense of great hope and confidence for the future, and deep humility and prayerfulness in the face of the challenges ahead,” Mrs. Pelosi said in a speech to the House, describing the Democrats’ mandate as lowering health-care and prescription-drug costs, protecting individuals with pre-existing medical conditions and “rebuilding America with green and modern infrastructure.” (Andrews and Peterson, 1/3)

The Washington Post: House Democrats Plan To Hold Hearings On Medicare For All
The new Democratic majority in the House will hold the first hearings on Medicare-for-All legislation, a longtime goal of the party’s left, after Speaker Nancy Pelosi lent her support for the process. “It’s a huge step forward to have the speaker’s support,” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), who will be the House sponsor of the legislation, usually denoted as HR 676. “We have to push on the inside while continuing to build support for this on the outside.” (Weigel, 1/3)

The Hill: Pelosi Supports Holding Hearings On 'Medicare For All' 
Pelosi had said last year only that Medicare for all would "have to be evaluated" and is "on the table." Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), the main sponsor of Medicare for all in the House, said Thursday that hearings would likely start in the Rules and Budget committees. That would leave out the main committees with jurisdiction over the issue: Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means. The chairmen of those committees have not given their backing to Medicare for all, while the chairmen of Rules and Budget have. (Sullivan, 1/3)

The Wall Street Journal: New House Committee Chiefs Take Their Chairs
With control of the House of Representatives, Democrats take over the chairman’s seat in the chamber’s committees. Here are the men and women who will be setting the agenda for key panels, and what policy changes to expect from them. (1/4)

The New York Times: As Shutdown Persists, New Congress Opens With Celebration And Uncertainty
It was a festive but awkward opening of the new Congress. Newly sworn-in members celebrated their electoral success surrounded by family, Democrats cheered their returned speaker and Republicans applauded their expanded majority in the Senate. (Hulse, 1/4)

The Wall Street Journal: House Passes Spending Package In Bid To End Shutdown
House Democrats passed a spending package aimed at reopening the federal government, defying President Trump’s demands for border-wall funding on their first day in power. With a partial government shutdown approaching two full weeks, the House voted, 241-190, on Thursday night to approve a package that included six uncontroversial spending bills crafted in the Senate that would fund most of the government through September. (Peterson, 1/4)

The Wall Street Journal: Hospitals See Opportunity In Bringing Care Facilities To Patients
For most hospital systems, growth comes through mergers or an acquisition. But when there isn’t another system to acquire, one answer is to multiply. Hospital for Special Surgery, the oldest orthopedic hospital in the U.S., is multiplying rapidly. In the coming year, it will open two locations on Manhattan’s West Side, including a sports-medicine focused office in Hudson Yards and a larger outpatient facility in the Columbus Circle area. In addition, outposts and collaborations are in development for locations in Midtown Manhattan, the New York City borough of Brooklyn, West Palm Beach, Fla., and Aspen, Colo. (West, 1/3)

Detroit Free Press: Michigan Hospitals Now Required To List Prices Online
Hospitals in Michigan and across the country rang in the New Year with a federal mandate to reveal their once-secret master price lists, although it's unclear whether this new requirement will assist many patients or contain ever-rising health care costs. Starting Jan. 1, hospitals must publish online the starting price tags for every service or procedure. These detailed lists, known as chargemasters, include thousands of entries, from $791,790 for a heart transplant at Henry Ford Hospital to $2 for a syphilis test at Detroit Receiving Hospital. (Reindl, 1/3)

Kaiser Health News: As Hospitals Post Sticker Prices Online, Most Patients Will Remain Befuddled
As of Jan. 1, in the name of transparency, the Trump administration required that all hospitals post their list prices online. But what is popping up on medical center websites is a dog’s breakfast of medical codes, abbreviations and dollar signs — in little discernible order — that may initially serve to confuse more than illuminate. Anyone who has ever tried to find out in advance how much a hospital test, procedure or stay will cost knows the frustration: “Nope, can’t tell you” or “It depends” are common replies from insurers and medical centers. (Appleby, 1/4)

Politico Pro: Insurers, Hospitals Say Trump's HRA Expansion Should Be Limited
The Trump administration last fall proposed allowing employers to use HRAs to help their workers purchase individual market coverage. The health groups said the new policy should only help people buy Obamacare plans and not skimpier coverage options, including some the Trump administration has promoted like short-term plans. (Demko, 1/3)

Modern Healthcare: AHA Data Show Hospitals' Outpatient Revenue Nearing Inpatient 
The gap between U.S. hospitals' outpatient and inpatient revenue continued to shrink in 2017 as more patients elect to get care in cheaper outpatient settings, and some believe a flip is inevitable in the coming years. The American Hospital Association's 2019 Hospital Statistics report showed hospitals' net outpatient revenue was $472 billion and inpatient revenue totaled nearly $498 billion in 2017, the latest year for which the report covers, creating a ratio of 95%, up from 83% in 2013. (Bannow, 1/3)

The New York Times: Their Influence Diminishing, Veterans Groups Compete With Each Other And Struggle With The V.A.
For generations, Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion posts have been as integral to American political culture as pancake breakfasts, town squares and state fairs. In advocating for veterans — among the country’s most revered and coveted voters — the groups have wielded unquestioned power on Capitol Hill and inside the White House. Now, nearly a generation after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the oldest and largest veterans service organizations — known colloquially as “the Big Six” — are seeing their influence diluted, as newer, smaller organizations focused on post-9/11 veterans compete for money, political influence and relevance. (Steinhauer, 1/4)

The Associated Press: Detecting Depression: Phone Apps Could Monitor Teen Angst
Rising suicide rates and depression in U.S. teens and young adults have prompted researchers to ask a provocative question: Could the same devices that some people blame for contributing to tech-age angst also be used to detect it? The idea has sparked a race to develop apps that warn of impending mental health crises. Call it smartphone psychiatry or child psychology 2.0. (Tanner, 1/3)

CNN: Social Media And Depression: Link Might Be Stronger In Girls
Though social media can be a helpful tool for teenagers to learn and connect with friends, experts have long warned that too much Snapchatting or Instagramming can come with downsides. There appears to be a connection between social media use and depressive symptoms in 14-year-olds, and that connection may be much stronger for girls than boys, according to a study published in the journal EClinicalMedicine on Thursday. (Howard, 1/3)

Denver Post: Colorado Youth Suicide Crisis Fueled By School Pressure, Social Media, Other Factors, Report Finds
The pressure placed on children and teenagers to perform well in school and extracurricular activities, along with the anxiety it creates regarding failure, are among the leading risk factors contributing to the growing number of youth suicides in Colorado, according to a new report. The 87-page report, released Thursday by Colorado Attorney General Cynthia Coffman, found that children and teenagers have little time to decompress and get no break from the “bell-to-bell instruction” in schools and other activities. (Seaman, 1/3)

The Washington Post: Baby DNA Tests Raise As Many Questions As Answers
Within 24 hours of giving birth to a healthy baby girl, Lauren Stetson grappled with a dilemma: whether to enroll her newborn Cora in a study that would test the baby’s DNA and potentially foresee health issues that her parents might not otherwise discover. Stetson, recovering from childbirth and just getting to know her second baby, was distracted. But her husband, Kyle, a technology enthusiast, listened intently, and they talked it over. (Johnson, 1/3)

WBUR: Baby DNA: Boston Researchers Find Childhood Genetic Risks In 9 Percent Of Newborns
BabySeq, based mainly at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Boston Children's Hospital, is federally funded. It targets genes likely to lead to problems in childhood and that lend themselves to possible action. In the latest findings, published Thursday in the American Journal of Human Genetics, those mutations turn out to be surprisingly common, turning up in more than 9 percent of babies tested. (Goldberg, 1/3)

The New York Times: These 4 New Yorkers Are Experts In Living. What Do They Know That We Don’t?
Nearly four years ago, I began following six people over age 85 to see what their lives were like: what kept them going, what they hoped for or feared. This past year, I asked Jonas Mekas, now 96, about death and the afterlife. The question had particular resonance. In summer Mr. Mekas had been hospitalized for a blood disorder that was still mysterious to his doctors. It was the first sign in four years that he was mortal. He canceled a trip to Berlin because he was tired and short of breath, and was now walking with a cane, his complexion grayish. Since his 20s he had used his movie camera to protect him from the outside world. Now his doctors were using cameras to explore the worlds within. (Leland, 1/4)

CNN: The Secret To A Long, Happy, Healthy Life? Think Age-Positive
We've long been told to respect our elders. But now there is scientific evidence that respect can potentially save lives among the elderly and keep them both physically and mentally healthy. An analysis by the global journalism network Orb Media found that countries with high levels of respect for the elderly recorded better health among older populations and lower poverty levels for over-60s. (Avramova, 1/3)

CNN: Mediterranean Diet: How To Start And Stay On It
A diet that's good for healthy weight loss? Check. One that reduces the risk for diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease, stroke and some cancers? Check. A diet that strengthens bones, improves brain health and wards off dementia and depression? Check. (LaMotte, 1/3)

The Wall Street Journal: Fish Oil: Hunting For Evidence To Tip The Scales
Millions of Americans take fish-oil supplements every day, hoping to prevent heart disease, depression, even premature birth. It is one of the most popular dietary supplements in the U.S. Reams of research exist on fish-oil supplements, but questions remain on their benefits. Many studies so far suggest the supplements don’t offer the benefits that marketers tout. A recent large, randomized clinical trial found that fish oil taken at a dosage found in many supplements didn’t reduce the incidence of heart disease or cancer, the main benefits with which it is associated. (McKay, 1/2)

The Associated Press: Officers To Be Charged After 2 Patients Drowned In Van
Charges are expected Friday against two South Carolina law enforcement officers who were transporting two mental patients who drowned while locked in the back of a van during Hurricane Florence, according to a prosecutor's statements to several media outlets. Stephen Flood will be charged with two counts each of reckless homicide and involuntary manslaughter, Solicitor Ed Clements told news outlets late Thursday. Joshua Bishop will be charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter, he said. (Kinnard, 1/3)

NPR: South Carolina Deputies Will Face Charges In Drowning Deaths Of 2 Women
Horry County Deputy Stephen Flood "made a conscious decision" to drive the van around a barricade and into an area threatened by rising floodwaters in violation of safety policy, according to a report by the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy and cited by WMBF News. Flood will be charged with two counts each of reckless homicide and involuntary manslaughter, according to The Associated Press citing statements by Marion County Solicitor Ed Clements. Deputy Joshua Bishop will be charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter. (Gonzales, 1/3)

The Associated Press: Minimum Wage, Health Care, Top Issues In 2019 Legislature
More affordable prescription drugs, a higher minimum wage, and protections for abortion rights are among the top issues Maryland lawmakers are expected to debate when they gather for their annual legislative session next week. They also plan to study how best to legalize recreational marijuana if voters approve it on next year’s ballot. When lawmakers convene Wednesday for their 90-day session, there will be a record number of female legislators: 72 out of 188 members, or about 38 percent of the General Assembly. (Witte, 1/3)

Concord (N.H.) Monitor: Gov. Chris Sununu Champions Suicide Prevention In Inaugural Speech 
Gov. Chris Sununu on Thursday announced his support for legislation Dickey has championed that would require teachers to undergo two hours of mandatory youth suicide awareness and prevention training a year. It was one of many proposals in the governor’s inaugural address, which served as an outline for his second term. ...The suicide prevention legislation, called the Jason Flatt Act, was brought to Sununu by [Martha] Dickey and her husband, Paul, of Boscawen last year. It is named after Jason Flatt, who died in 1997 in Tennessee, and has been passed in more than 20 states since then – and fully funded by the Jason Foundation, led by Jason Flatt’s father, Clark Flatt. (Willingham and DeWitt, 1/3)

Denver Post: These 6 Issues Are Going To Be Front At Center At The Colorado General Assembly In 2019
Progressives in Colorado — and across the country — promised to expand access, improve quality and drive down the cost of health care. Now the hard work begins. The buzzword of the session will be “transparency.” Lawmakers plan to push for increased clarity on drug prices and hospital procedures. Perhaps the most audacious plan regarding health care is an expected proposal from two rural lawmakers to create a state-run health insurance program. (Nic Garcia, 1/3)

Iowa Public Radio: Gov. Reynolds: Allowing Birth Control Without Prior Prescription Is 'The Right Thing To Do'
Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds said Thursday she will try to enact a law that would allow Iowans to get birth control pills directly from a pharmacist without seeing a doctor first. She said it's the right thing to do. (Sostaric, 1/3)

MPR: Incoming Gov. Walz Shapes His Environmental, Health Teams
Some giant pieces of Gov.-elect Tim Walz's administration slid into place Thursday when the DFLer decided who would run the state's agriculture, natural resources, health and human services departments. Walz selected commissioners for those four high-profile slots, along with three others, just days ahead of his formal takeover. It leaves him with fewer than 10 major positions to fill. (Bakst, 1/3)

Reuters: U.S. Judge Limits Evidence In Trial Over Roundup Cancer Claims
A federal judge overseeing lawsuits alleging Bayer AG's glyphosate-based weed killer causes cancer has issued a ruling that could severely restrict evidence that the plaintiffs consider crucial to their cases. U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria in San Francisco in an order on Thursday granted Bayer unit Monsanto's request to split an upcoming trial into two phases. The order initially bars lawyers for plaintiff Edwin Hardeman from introducing evidence that the company allegedly attempted to influence regulators and manipulate public opinion. (Bellon, 1/3)

Tampa Bay Times: Florida Officials Delayed Telling Residents About Tainted Water, Emails Show
In August, the Department of Environmental Protection confirmed that flame retardants containing perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) had been used at the Fire College in the past. In early September, the college was told to only drink bottled water. ...It took about four months for state health officials to notify Lawson and others in the community about potentially elevated levels of the chemicals, emails obtained by the Times/Herald show. (Gross and Koh, 1/3)

The Star Tribune: UCare Letters To 21,000 People List Wrong Premium Price
About 21,000 Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in UCare health plans are receiving letters this week that wrongly list monthly premium prices, making some think they are being charged $21 per month more than the true rate. The problem is confined to Medicare subscribers with supplemental dental benefits from UCare who pay their premiums via electronic transfer of funds from bank accounts or the federal Social Security program, said Ghita Worcester, a senior vice president with Minneapolis-based UCare. (Snowbeck, 1/3)

Pioneer Press: St. Paul Nursing Home Again Cited In Death Of Ventilator-Dependent Resident 
For the second time in a year, the state has faulted the same St. Paul nursing home for failing to respond in a timely manner to the ventilator alarm of a resident who died. According to a report made public this week, the Minnesota Department of Health investigated an allegation relating to an Aug. 19 incident at Bethel Care Center in which “a resident was neglected after facility staff found the resident unresponsive and alarms were sounding on the ventilator.” The department determined that the claim was true — that staff at the 420 Marshall Ave. facility did not intervene for at least 39 minutes after the alarm sounded. (Vezner, 1/3)

Reuters: Woman First To Claim Infection After Surgery At New Jersey Facility
A former patient at a New Jersey surgical facility that state health officials said may have exposed thousands of patients to HIV and other blood-borne pathogens has tested positive for hepatitis B, one of her lawyers said on Thursday. The unidentified 58-year-old Brooklyn woman, a plaintiff in a lawsuit filed on Monday, is the first of 3,778 former patients at HealthPlus Surgery Center in Saddle Brook, New Jersey, known to claim she or he became infected because of faulty sterilization and medication practices at the facility. (1/3)

St. Louis Public Radio: EPA Proposes Rolling Back Mercury Standards That Improved Air Quality In Missouri
The Environmental Protection Agency is considering making changes to its 2012 mercury standards, which were responsible for major improvements to Missouri’s air quality in recent years. ... Utility companies installed pollution-control equipment at coal-fired power plants in order to comply with strict federal standards. However, the federal agency last week announced that it’s proposing to revise the rule, based on its conclusion that it’s too costly for the coal industry. (Chen, 1/4)

Georgia Health News: Grady Curbing ER Overuse By Showing Patients A Better Way
Atlanta’s main safety-net hospital, Grady Memorial, is running a program that helps these ER ‘’frequent flyers’’ better manage their health through primary care – and not in an emergency room, which is the most expensive place to get medical services. From Grady’s standpoint, its Chronic Care Clinic aims to reduce unnecessary use of its emergency services while connecting patients to the medical and social services they need. (Miller, 1/3)

Modern Healthcare: Hackensack Meridian Health, Carrier Clinic Complete Merger 
Hackensack Meridian Health and Carrier Clinic completed their merger that will bring new addiction treatment centers to New Jersey as well as the first urgent-care centers in the state to offer on-site behavioral health services, the organizations announced Thursday. The merger agreement also includes a $25 million investment in Carrier's Belle Mead campus. The organizations pledge to better integrate addiction and mental health treatment, boost behavioral research, bolster their psychiatry residency programs and add a child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship. (Kacik, 1/3)

The Associated Press: Judge Issues Injunction Over Women’s Prison Medical Care
A federal judge issued an injunction Wednesday against top Virginia Department of Corrections officials, saying the department failed to provide adequate medical care at a women’s prison near Charlottesville. News outlets report that Judge Norman Moon ruled the department didn’t live up to 8 of 22 standards established by a 2016 settlement aimed at improving care at Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women. Lawyers for the state have denied that any settlement provisions were breached. (1/3)

Richmond Times-Dispatch: Judge Issues Injunction Against State Over Medical Care At Fluvanna Women's Prison; Ruling References At Least 4 Inmate Deaths There Since 2016
A federal judge in Charlottesville ruled Wednesday that the Virginia Department of Corrections failed to live up to eight of 22 standards of health care established in a 2016 settlement agreement for inmates at the Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women. U.S. District Judge Norman K. Moon issued an injunction against top officials of the department requiring that within 45 days the prison have an adequate staff of 78 nurses. (Green, 1/3)

Tampa Bay Times: After The Storm, Ruins And Rebuilding Overshadow Personal Anguish
Residents of the Forgotten Coast instead loop a holding pattern around disaster, driving past rubble on every corner. The focus, for them and for many volunteers helping with recovery, is on the physical: food, clothing, buildings, trash, places to go to the bathroom. ... But the hurricane caused emotional trauma, too, experts say, stress and despair that can lead to less visible devastation through depression and anxiety. (Sampson, 1/4)

The Associated Press: Local Maryland Officials To Support Prescription Drug Board
Leading local officials in Maryland’s largest counties are expected to support a proposal to create a state board to review the affordability of prescription drugs. Several county executives are expected to endorse legislation on Thursday to create a prescription drug affordability board. They include Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks. (1/3)

The Baltimore Sun: Baltimore And Maryland Are Among The Cities And States Facing The Worst Economic Impact Of The Opioid Overdose Crisis
The White House Council of Economic Advisers last year decided that previous estimates for the overall loss imposed by the [opioid] crisis were too low. ... The council also increased the estimated number of opioid-related fatalities by 24 percent because recent evidence has shown that such deaths are under-reported on death certificates. It also included deaths involving heroin to estimates that had only counted prescription opioids. The council’s estimate for the national cost: $504 billion. (Donovan, 1/4)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Georgia Creating More Medical Education Positions, State Report Says
Georgia education leaders are on pace to exceed their goal to create new residency positions at teaching hospitals, but the state is still far below the national average, according to a new report. The Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts report also warned more medical residency positions are needed south of metro Atlanta. (Strigus, 1/3)

Cleveland Plain Dealer: Attorney: Family Of Eighth Cuyahoga County Jail Inmate Preparing Lawsuit Against County
An attorney hired by the family of a 27-year-old man who died after hanging himself in the Cuyahoga County Jail said it is “inconceivable” that another inmate could die in the jail after months of scrutiny surrounding seven other inmate deaths. [Brenden] Kiekisz, who suffered from mental illnesses and had previously tried to commit suicide, is the eighth inmate in Cuyahoga County’s custody to die in 2018. (Ferrise 1/3)

The Washington Post: New Jersey 11-Year-Old Cameron Jean-Pierre Died After Inhaling Fish Fumes, Father Says
Cod was cooking on the stove when 11-year-old Cameron Jean-Pierre arrived at his grandmother’s home in New York. Cameron, who had a known allergy to seafood, started to wheeze during the visit this week, so his father said he reached for his son’s asthma medication. But this time, the nebulizer machine that Cameron had used during allergy attacks in the past, did not seem to be working — the young boy could not breathe in the air, his father said. (Bever, 1/3)

Boston Globe: Cannabis Commission Receives Extra $3 Million To Oversee Medical Marijuana
State marijuana regulators this week received an additional $3 million to pay for their new responsibilities overseeing the state’s medical cannabis program. Governor Charlie Baker on Wednesday signed the supplemental budget for the Cannabis Control Commission, an allocation expected to last through the end of the fiscal year in June. (Martin, 1/3)

The Washington Post: Progressives Can’t Be Trusted With Medicare-For-All 
Over the past year, liberals from across the country have flocked to endorse the once-radical Medicare-for-all, the progressive cause celebre that would set up a single-payer health-care system to cover all Americans regardless of their income or age.In theory, it sounds wonderful, but don’t be fooled. There’s one big hole in the plan: the cost. And progressives this week showed exactly why we can’t trust them to address it. (Robert Gebelhoff, 1/3)

Real Clear Health: New CMS Rule Threatens The Bipartisan Compromise To Protect Those With Preexisting Conditions
In the wide ideological gulf between Democrat and Republican healthcare reform efforts — with "Medicare For All" at one end and a market-based system at the other — there has emerged one bipartisan point of agreement: Those with preexisting conditions must be protected. Even those Republicans who want to wholly repeal Obamacare don't want to return the days when insurers could deny applicants coverage because they had cancer. That's what makes a new rule proposed in November by the Trump Administration's Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services so disappointing. In an effort to trim healthcare costs, the rule would allow Medicare Part D plans, which cover roughly 45 million Americans, to exclude some prescription drugs that are saving the lives of countless patients with rare and chronic conditions. (Terry Wilcox, 1/2)

The Hill: The US Must Invest In Fighting Foodborne Illness
Looking back at the news of 2018, a story broke every few days on foodborne illness. A recent outbreak, tied to E-coli-tainted romaine lettuce, sickened 59 people in 15 states. This followed several outbreaks tied to romaine and recalls of salmonella-tainted ground beef — the latest of five million pounds on Dec. 4, which totaled tens of millions of pounds of food.In a nation with our resources, this simply shouldn’t be happening, yet outbreaks occur with increasing frequency. What causes them, and why is it so difficult to contain this persistent public-health threat? (Jonathan Fielding, 1/3)

New England Journal of Medicine: Facing Opioids In The Shadow Of The HIV Epidemic
The United States is in the midst of an opioid crisis. An estimated 2.1 million Americans had an opioid use disorder in 2016. The rate of opioid overdose deaths has increased by 500% since 1999, and each day an estimated 115 Americans die from opioid overdose. Despite the proven effectiveness of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorders, the opioid mortality rate has now surpassed that of the AIDS epidemic during its peak in the early 1990s — a time when there was no effective treatment for HIV/AIDS. (Caroline M. Parker, Jennifer S. Hirsch, Helena B. Hansen, Charles Branas and Sylvia Martins, 1/3)

Stat: 'Neglected Dieases' Need A Voice For Leadership And Funding
I dislike the term “neglected tropical diseases.” This collection of communicable diseases is neglected — a pejorative term — only by countries unaffected by them. They aren’t neglected by the 1 billion or more individuals afflicted with them, the millions who die from them, or the countries in which they live.The World Health Organization initially listed 13 diseases as “neglected.” Gaining consensus around what constitutes these diseases is as difficult as pronouncing dracunculiasis, schistosomiasis, or chromoblastomycosis. What’s more, there are diseases that kill tens or hundreds of thousands of people every year that don’t make the list, like hepatitis E, which kills 70,000 pregnant women a year, and group A streptococcus (the cause of strep throat), which kills 500,000 people a year. (Jerome H. Kim, 1/4)

New England Journal of Medicine: Addressing A Core Gap In Cancer Care — The NCI Moonshot Program To Help Oncology Patients Stop Smoking 
Despite recommendations that all patients with cancer be offered effective treatment to help them quit smoking, such treatment is often neglected. The Cancer Moonshot initiative aims to jump-start smoking-cessation treatment at cancer centers. (Robert T. Croyle, Glen D. Morgan, and Michael C. Fiore, 1/3)

WBUR: Hate Crimes Are Multiplying In Massachusetts But We Can't Blame Trump
Last month, the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security reported that hate crimes in Massachusetts have increased by almost 10 percent to a 10-year high in 2017. This troubling spike in bias-related incidents is reflected nationally. (Iván Espinoza-Madrigal and Lauren Sampson, 1/4)

Seattle Times: Invest In Proven Prevention Programs To Stem Addiction Epidemic
Across our state, about two people die every day from an opioid overdose. While deaths from prescription opioids have declined slightly, we’ve seen a nearly 50 percent increase in deaths due to synthetic opioids, like illicitly manufactured fentanyl. Gov. Jay Inslee’s proposed $30 million response to this crisis is commendable: nearly $20 million for important treatment and recovery efforts statewide, and more than $10 million for prevention, including alternative pain treatments. Yet we know that Washington is facing more than just an opioid problem — we are experiencing a much broader addiction problem. People who misuse opioids also misuse many other substances, and they’re dying from overdoses. But we can get ahead of the addiction crisis. The challenge is to move upstream to prevent substance misuse in the first place. (J. David Hawkins and Kevin Haggerty, 1/2)

St. Louis Post Dispatch: Opioids In Missouri: Taking On A Massive Public Health Crisis 
In 2016, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 67,265 Americans died from drug-induced causes, six times the number of people that died from gun violence in the same year. The opioid crisis also creates a significant economic hindrance. In Missouri alone, opioid use disorder and overdose deaths cost the state $34.5 million each day — or $12.6 billion per year. This was 4.2 percent of the state’s GDP in 2016. (State Rep. Donna Baringer, 1/2)

Tampa Bay Times: Florida’s Foster Care System Needs Money, Attention
The state needs to provide foster families and nonprofits with greater resources and support. Children removed from family homes need more than physical protection from neglect and abuse. (1/3)