First Edition: December 14, 2018

California Healthline: In California, Doctors Accused Of Sexual Misconduct Often Get Second Chances
The doctor instructed his patient to stand in front of him. He cupped her crotch and inserted his fingers into her vagina through her clothes, moving his hand repeatedly to her rectal area. Then he squeezed her breasts, according to a formal accusation filed by the Medical Board of California. The patient, accompanied to the appointment by her 4-year-old granddaughter, asked why that was necessary to diagnose a urinary tract infection, according to the documents. He told her to let him do his job. (Ostrov and Rowan, 12/13)

Kaiser Health News: Health Insurance Costs Crushing Many People Who Don’t Get Federal Subsidies 
Like millions of Americans in this final week of open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act marketplaces, Diane McCabe is shopping for health insurance. “At my age, I can’t go without it even though I’m healthy now,” said McCabe, 62, a self-employed real estate agent in Luzerne County, Pa. “But the process is frustrating, and the expense significant.” That’s because McCabe is one of the 5 million people who buy their own coverage and pay the full cost. Her income is too high to qualify for a government subsidy to help defray the premium. (Findlay, 12/14)

Reuters: U.S. Appeals Court Narrows Order On Trump Birth Control Rules
A federal appeals court on Thursday narrowed an order that had blocked President Donald Trump's administration from enforcing new rules that undermine an Obamacare requirement for employers to provide insurance that covers women's birth control. Last year two federal judges - one in Philadelphia and one in Oakland, California - had blocked the government from enforcing a new guideline allowing businesses or nonprofits to obtain exemptions from the contraception policy on moral or religious grounds. The Justice Department appealed both rulings. (Levine, 12/13)

The Associated Press: Court: Trump Can't Let Companies Deny Birth Control Coverage
Thursday's ruling by a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals concerned changes to birth control coverage requirements under President Barack Obama's health care law that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued in October 2017. States were likely to succeed on their claim that those changes were made without required notice and public comment, the appeals court panel said in a 2-1 decision. (Thanawala, 12/13)

NPR: Enrollment In HealthCare.Gov Plans May Be Down For 2019 
Former President Barack Obama released a video earlier this week urging people to hurry up and shop for health insurance on the Affordable Care Act exchange. "This year I'm giving it to you straight," Obama says in the video. "It's important to have health insurance in case, God forbid, you get really sick, or hurt yourself next year." (Kodjak, 12/14)

Reuters: Senate Democrats Introduce Bill To Allow Government To Block Drug Price Rises
Four Democratic U.S. senators introduced a bill on Thursday that would allow the government to block drug price increases that it decides are unjustified. The bill sponsored by Senators Richard Blumenthal, Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar and Jeff Merkley, all Democrats, would allow the Department of Health and Human Services to prohibit drug price increases that it deems excessive. (12/13)

The New York Times: N.I.H. To Scrutinize Private Donations To Scientific Research Projects
Six months after halting a study of moderate drinking that was underwritten by donations from the alcohol industry, the National Institutes of Health outlined a series of steps to prevent similar conflicts of interest and to safeguard the integrity of its research and its reputation. In a report issued on Thursday, N.I.H. officials said its 27 institutes must evaluate all current research projects that receive private donor support for conflicts of interest of the kind that compromised the alcohol trial. The institute directors are to report their findings to Dr. Francis Collins, director of N.I.H., early next year. (Rabin, 12/13)

Stat: NIH Report Scrutinizes Role Of China In Theft Of U.S. Scientific Research
Institutions across the U.S. may have fallen victim to a tiny fraction of foreign researchers who worked to feed American intellectual property to their home countries, an advisory committee to the National Institutes of Health found in a report issued Thursday. The report zeroed in on China’s “Talents Recruitment Program,” which the Pentagon has previously identified as an effort “to facilitate the legal and illicit transfer of US technology, intellectual property and know-how” to China. (Facher, 12/13)

The Washington Post: House Republicans Amp Up Pressure To Halt Funding For Research Using Fetal Tissue
House conservatives long opposed to medical research using fetal tissue applied fresh pressure on the Trump administration to end government funding for such work at a hearing Thursday spotlighting antiabortion scientists who contend alternatives exist. The hearing before subcommittees of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee grew testy at times over whether cells from sources other than aborted fetuses are as useful as fetal tissue in advancing therapies and possible cures for diseases from HIV to cancer. (Goldstein, 12/13)

The Hill: For Republicans, Fight Over Fetal Tissue Research Comes Back To Planned Parenthood
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing, chaired by government affairs subcommittee Chairman Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), looked to add pressure this week as the Trump administration tries to reach a decision about how to move forward. Republicans argue taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay for research projects that use fetal tissue when alternatives exist, especially when their money is already going to Planned Parenthood. (Hellmann, 12/13)

The Wall Street Journal: FDA Withdraws Proposed Rule That Would Have Exposed Generic-Drug Makers To Liability
The Food and Drug Administration gave a year-end gift to the generic drug industry by backing off a proposal that would have opened up generic companies to possible product-liability lawsuits over drug safety. The FDA had proposed a new federal rule in 2013 that would have allowed people to hold generic-drug companies legally liable for the side effects of medicines. Thursday’s action by the agency withdrew the proposed rule, and keeps generic companies largely impervious to lawsuits. (Burton, 12/13)

Stat: FDA Yanks Controversial Rule To Allow Generic Makers To Update Product Labels 
In explaining its reasons, the agency worried the rule could create “unintended consequences” by confusing patients and doctors if some generic companies did not revise labeling on a timely basis, or if generic and brand labels appeared different. FDA officials also pointed to concerns expressed by generic makers that they would have to raise prices to cover added costs for complying with the rule. “This is a very careful balancing act,” FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said in a media call. “The rule would have imposed some costs and burdens. ... There would have been potential drawbacks and downsides. It’s one of the reasons we may look toward Congress and broader efforts to get additional resources to do the things we currently can’t do.” He noted, however, the agency plans a new program to update labels on certain generic cancer drugs. (Silverman, 12/13)

The Washington Post: 7-Year-Old Migrant Girl Taken Into Border Patrol Custody Dies Of Dehydration, Exhaustion
A 7-year-old girl from Guatemala died of dehydration and shock after she was taken into Border Patrol custody last week for crossing from Mexico into the United States illegally with her father and a large group of migrants along a remote span of New Mexico desert, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Thursday. The child’s death is likely to intensify scrutiny of detention conditions at Border Patrol stations and CBP facilities that are increasingly overwhelmed by large numbers of families seeking asylum in the United States. (Miroff and Moore, 12/13)

The Wall Street Journal: Guatemalan Girl Dies In U.S. Custody
The girl reportedly hadn’t eaten or had anything to drink for several days and began suffering seizures about eight hours after being taken into custody, according to Customs and Border Protection. The agency said emergency medical personnel discovered the girl had a fever of 105.3 degrees and she was flown to a hospital in El Paso. There she suffered cardiac arrest and was revived but died Saturday morning, the agency said. (Caldwell, 12/14)

The Associated Press: 7-Year-Old Immigrant Girl Dies After Border Patrol Arrest
The girl’s death raises questions about whether border agents knew she was ill and whether she was fed anything or given anything to drink during the eight-plus hours she was in custody. Immigrants, attorneys and activists have long raised issues with the conditions of Border Patrol holding cells. In Tucson, an ongoing lawsuit claims holding cells are filthy, extremely cold and lacking basic necessities such as blankets. A judge overseeing that lawsuit has ordered the agency’s Tucson Sector, which patrols much of the Arizona-Mexico border, to provide blankets and mats to sleep on and to continually turn over surveillance footage from inside the cells. (12/13)

The Hill: Government Shelters Now Housing Nearly 15K Migrant Children 
Nearly 15,000 migrant children are being held at government shelters, putting the facilities nearly at capacity, NPR reported Thursday. The news outlet reported that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said its network of more than 100 shelters is 92 percent full. The influx of migrant children in recent months has prompted the department to weigh options for how to accommodate additional bodies. (Samuels, 12/13)

The New York Times: Despair, Love And Loss: A Journey Inside West Virginia’s Opioid Crisis
People suffering from drug addiction are commonly depicted at their most vulnerable — nameless refugees from a world of misery, washed up on city sidewalks or huddling beneath an overpass. But the lives of these people, like all lives, are more than their lowest points; there is boredom, laughter, fatigue, friendship, scheming, desperation, love, loss and death. The addiction just lies beneath it all. Since 2013, Mark E. Trent has been recording this life in his native Greenbrier County in West Virginia, the state with the country’s highest death rate from opioid addiction. (Trent and Robertson, 12/14)

Stat: Philly City Council Committee Tables Ordinance To Restrict Sales Reps 
Amid furious lobbying by opponents, the Philadelphia City Council tabled a controversial ordinance on Thursday that would prevent drug makers from giving gifts to doctors, require all sales reps to become licensed, and prohibit distribution of copay coupons for controlled substances. The delay followed recent amendments that were made by lawmakers who sponsored the legislation, which is designed to blunt the opioid crisis. But their gesture did little to assuage the concerns of local hoteliers and restaurant owners, who assembled a campaign of lobbyists and targeted emails to complain that their businesses would be irreparably damaged if the ordinance is enacted. (Silverman, 12/13)

The Wall Street Journal: Cigna’s Algorithms Aim To Predict Opioid Abuse
Cigna Corp. is using artificial intelligence to predict whether patients might abuse and or overdose on prescription opioids as part of the company’s commitment to reducing the substance’s use among its consumers, said Mark Boxer, executive vice president and global chief information officer. Cigna’s proprietary algorithms are aided by the use of machine learning, a subfield of artificial intelligence that refers to the science of getting computers to act intelligently without being explicitly programmed. (Castellanos, 12/13)

CNN: Restricting Abortion Access
Access to abortion services is a contentious issue in the United States. Clinics in many states are at risk of shutting down and operate with heightened security. Doctors can be hard to find in states with restrictive laws around abortion clinics, so some doctors travel in from out of state to provide care. (12/11)

The New York Times: Mapping The Brain’s Genetic Landscape
For the past two decades, scientists have been exploring the genetics of schizophrenia, autism and other brain disorders, looking for a path toward causation. If the biological roots of such ailments could be identified, treatments might follow, or at least tests that could reveal a person’s risk level. In the 1990s, researchers focused on genes that might possibly be responsible for mental distress, but then hit a wall. Choosing so-called candidate genes up front proved to be fruitless. In the 2000s, using new techniques to sample the entire genome, scientists hit many walls: Hundreds of common gene variants seemed to contribute some risk, but no subset stood out. (Carey, 12/13)

Stat: With Data From 2,000 Brains, Studies Explore Psychiatric Diseases 
But a sweeping set of studies published Thursday make a dent in that mystery, and shows the potential of big data and teamwork among many labs to unlock valuable clues. The 10 papers — appearing in Science, Science Translational Medicine, and Science Advances — are part of a unique, nationwide collaboration among more than a dozen research sites known as the PsychENCODE Consortium. (Thielking, 12/13)

The Washington Post: Teen Suicide: A Boy Tried To Kill Himself By Jumping From A Highway Bridge. He Killed A Driver Instead.
There was no way she could have seen him, the boy on the bridge. Marisa Harris was driving her Ford Escape down a Northern Virginia highway, heading home after a peaceful afternoon hike at Burke Lake. Her boyfriend, Perry Muth, was stretched out in the passenger seat as they cruised east on Interstate 66 toward the bridge, an overpass suspended across the busy highway. (Contrera, 12/13)

The New York Times: New York City Agrees To Pay $2 Million To Family Of Mentally Ill Woman Killed By Police
New York City has agreed to a $2 million settlement with the family of a mentally ill woman who was fatally shot by a New York City police sergeant two years ago as she wielded a bat in the bedroom of her Bronx apartment, city officials said Thursday. The agreement, which was reached this week, is the latest development in a highly contentious and at times racially charged debate surrounding the death of the woman, Deborah Danner. The case became a flash point in national discussions over whether police officers are too quick to shoot people and whether they are adequately trained to work with people suffering from severe mental illness. (Stevens and Goldstein, 12/13)

CNN: Gun Deaths In America Reach Highest Level In Nearly 40 Years, CDC Data Shows
Gun deaths in America have reached a record high. Nearly 40,000 people in the United States died by guns last year, marking the highest number of gun deaths in decades, according to a new analysis of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's WONDER database. A similar analysis was first conducted by the Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence, a non-profit gun policy advocacy group. (Howard, 12/13)

The New York Times: After Parkland, A New Surge In State Gun Control Laws
After the mass shooting in Parkland, Fla., in February, Congress did not act. But state legislatures did, passing 69 gun control measures this year — more than any other year since the Newtown, Conn., massacre in 2012, and more than three times the number passed in 2017. (Astor and Russell, 12/14)

The Associated Press: Panel Says Sheriff's Policy Contributed To Florida Massacre
The commission investigating a Florida high school massacre heavily criticized the responding sheriff office's active shooter policy Thursday, saying it contributed to the failure of some deputies to run into the building and confront the gunman. The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission found Thursday that Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel's policy that deputies "may" confront active shooters rather than "shall" gave some an excuse for not entering the building during the Feb. 14 massacre that left 17 dead. (12/13)

The Washington Post: Andrew Black's Viral Obituary Calls For Gun-Purchase Waiting Period In Vermont
Andrew Black was a blond-haired and wide-grinning 23-year-old from Vermont. He loved hiking the Green Mountain Trails, the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens and brewing his own beer. He had been stirring together ingredients for his own brews since before he was old enough to legally drink. On Dec. 6, Black walked into a gun shop at 11:02 a.m. Twenty-eight minutes later, he left with a firearm. Somewhere between 3:00 and 3:30 p.m., Black fatally shot himself, according to the Burlington Free Press. (Swenson, 12/14)

Stat: What's A Polygenic Risk Score And How Good Is It At Predicting Disease? 
The commercial landscape for genetic testing has come a long way from testing only for certain inherited genes directly linked to disease, such as BRCA genes whose mutations heighten risk for breast cancer. Myriad Genetics made its name with BRCA testing, but in 2017 the company also began marketing a different type of test, one that turns up multiple genetic variants found throughout a woman’s genome that together may point toward her risk of breast cancer. Earlier this year Ambry Genetics began marketing a similar test to estimate a man’s risk of prostate cancer. (Robbins, Garde and Feuerstein, 12/14)

NPR: Standards Needed For Editing Of Human Germline
Three of the most influential scientific organizations in the world are calling for an urgent international effort to prevent scientists from creating any more gene-edited babies without proper approval and supervision. Global standards are needed quickly to ensure gene-editing of human embryos moves ahead safely and ethically, according to the presidents of the U.S. National Academy of Medicine, U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. (Stein, 12/13)

Reuters: New York Sues Target, Walmart Over Lead-Contaminated Toys
Target Corp, Walmart Inc and toy importer LaRose Industries were sued on Thursday over the sale of lead-contaminated children's toys, New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood said. The lawsuit, filed in New York state court in Albany, is over "Cra-Z-Jewelz" jewelry-making kits that were imported by LaRose and sold by Target and Walmart. Tests conducted by the attorney general's office found that the kits contained levels of lead that were up to 10 times higher than the federal limit, according to the complaint. (12/13)

The Associated Press: First Lady Spreads Anti-Bullying Message At Kids' Hospital
Melania Trump spread her anti-bullying message on an annual Christmas season visit to a Washington children's hospital on Thursday, reading a story about a Christmas ornament named Oliver who is bullied by other ornaments in a family's collection. "Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy new year," the first lady said after she finished reading "Oliver the Ornament" at Children's National Health System. The author, Todd Zimmerman, sat a few feet away. (Superville, 12/13)

Los Angeles Times: Many Victims Of California’s Worst Wildfire Were Elderly And Died In Or Near Their Homes, New Data Show
Rose Farrell is the oldest victim of the devastating Camp fire to be identified so far. She was 99, and she died inside her home on Herman Road in Paradise. Evva Holt, 85, died inside a pickup truck after she was evacuated from Feather Canyon Gracious Retirement Living. She made it only a mile. (Ganga, Newberry, St. John and Lin, 12/13)

The Associated Press: Tainted Romaine Lettuce Traced To At Least 1 California Farm
U.S. health officials have traced a food poisoning outbreak from romaine lettuce to at least one farm in California. But they cautioned Thursday that other farms are likely involved in the E. coli outbreak and consumers should continue checking the label before purchasing romaine lettuce. (12/13)

The New York Times: A Human Heart, Left Aboard, Sends Airplane Back To Where It Started
The announcement that came over the intercom on Southwest Flight 3606 from Seattle to Dallas on Sunday had nothing to do with turbulence. It was not about connecting flights, troubling weather, or delays. This one was highly unusual: A human heart had been left behind on the airplane, the announcement said, and was presumably needed by someone right away. With that, the airplane turned around in midair — and headed back to Seattle where it had started. (Johnson, 12/13)

CNN: Missouri Police To Launch Review Of Destroyed Rape Kits Following CNN Investigation
The police chief in Springfield, Missouri, on Thursday told a rape victim advocacy group that the department will review sex crimes cases in which the agency destroyed rape kits. Chief Paul Williams' pledge to Me Too Springfield came two weeks after he apologized to sexual assault victims and invited them to contact him if they felt their cases were mishandled. (Fantz, 12/13)

The Associated Press: Tennessee Republican Sparks Pushback After Vaccine Comment
A Tennessee physician recently elected to Congress received criticism Thursday from top state leaders for alleging without evidence that vaccines may cause autism. "Let me say this about autism," said Republican U.S. Rep.-elect Mark Green of Ashland City in a Tuesday town hall. "I have committed to people in my community, up in Montgomery County, to stand on the (Centers for Disease Control) desk and get the real data on vaccines. Because there is some concern that the rise in autism is the result of the preservatives that are in our vaccines." (12/13)

The Associated Press: Health Care Company Founder Shares $20M With Workers
The founder of a home health care company has given about $20 million of his person funds to the company’s workers. The News Journal of Wilmington, Delaware, reports BAYADA Home Health Care founder Mark Baiada gifted the money this month to the company’s more than 20,000 workers. The amount gifted to each worker was based on the worker’s lifetime earnings with the company. The amounts ranged from $50 for new hires to tens of thousands for those who have been with BAYADA for decades. (12/14)

The Associated Press: 5 Convicted In Meningitis Outbreak Case; 1 Acquitted
Four former employees and an owner of the Massachusetts facility responsible for a nationwide fungal meningitis outbreak that has killed more than 100 people and sickened hundreds were convicted Thursday of fraud and other offenses. A Boston jury acquitted another employee, pharmacist Joseph Evanosky, of all charges after several days of deliberations. (12/13)