First Edition: May 1, 2019
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Kaiser Health News:
Diabetic Amputations A ‘Shameful Metric’ Of Inadequate Care
On his regular rounds at the University of Southern California’s Keck Hospital, Dr. David Armstrong lives a brutal injustice of American health care. Each week, dozens of patients with diabetes come to him with deep wounds, severe infections and poor circulation — debilitating complications of a disease that has spiraled out of control. He works to save their limbs, but sometimes Armstrong and his team must resort to amputation to save the patient, a painful and life-altering measure he knows is nearly always preventable. (Gorman, 5/1)
Kaiser Health News:
A Big Hearing For ‘Medicare-For-All’ — In A Small Room
For all the political machinations and sometimes overheated rhetoric about a major overhaul of the U.S. health system, the hearing itself was remarkably unremarkable — with witnesses both for and against the idea of the federal government providing health coverage to all Americans calmly discussing the pros and cons. (Rovner, 4/30)
The New York Times:
Gingerly, Democrats Give ‘Medicare For All’ An Official Moment
It was a big political discussion in a very small room. “Medicare for all” got its first congressional hearing on Tuesday, albeit in one of the House’s tightest meeting rooms, in an area of the Capitol off limits to the scores of people who assembled in Washington to show support. The idea of a single government health care system for all Americans has been treated with extreme caution by the Democratic leadership, which has stressed more modest improvements to the current health law. On Tuesday, Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office was pointing to the bills moving through the House Judiciary Committee that could lower the prices of prescription drugs. (Sanger-Katz, 4/30)
The Washington Post:
Medicare-For-All Advocates Get Their First Hearing On Capitol Hill
In the opening moments of Congress’s first-ever hearing on Medicare-for-all, House Rules Committee Chairman Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) hit on a theme that already has begun to dominate the 2020 Democratic primary season: “Health care is a right for all,” he said, “not a privilege for the lucky few.” That mantra, which he and others invoked on Tuesday, is political ammunition for liberals’ crusade to convert the U.S. health-care system into a single-payer model. The language casts a redesign, intended to guarantee all Americans access to care by enlarging the government’s role, as a moral imperative. (Goldstein, 4/30)
Politico:
Democrats Paper Over Rifts At 'Medicare For All' Hearing
Democrats who've spent much of this year mired by infighting closed ranks to amplify the party’s broader ambitions on a critical political issue ahead of the 2020 elections — and blunt GOP attacks over Medicare for All’s cost and government expansion. “We’re spending an awful lot on health care right now, and we’re not getting the services and the effectiveness that we’re all demanding,” Rules Committee Chairman Jim McGovern said at the outset of the hearing, which was briefly attended by Speaker Nancy Pelosi. “I’d like to think we all believe we can do better.” (Cancryn and Ollstein, 4/30)
The Hill:
'Medicare For All' Gets Boost From First Congressional Hearing
GOP panel members repeatedly pressed McGovern on why the Rules Committee, which is often controlled by the Speaker, was the one holding a Medicare for All hearing.
McGovern, who took over as head of the panel in January, responded by saying: “There’s a new sheriff in town. That’s why we’re doing the hearing.” The location underscored the divisions the Democratic Party faces in how it plans to improve a system where 29 million Americans are uninsured, and millions more can’t afford their premiums, deductibles and prescription drugs. (Hellmann, 4/30)
The Wall Street Journal:
Trump Aide Criticizes Medicare For All Proposal
Seema Verma, a top White House health administrator, on Tuesday criticized the Medicare for All health proposal, saying it poses a threat to patient choice and would limit competition. “We have got to support a free market where patients are making decisions, not the government,” said Ms. Verma, who heads the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and has led many of the White House’s initiatives on giving patients more cost data. (Armour and Burton, 4/30)
The Associated Press:
Democrats Using Veterans Bill To Try To Block Border Wall
Democrats controlling the House are trying to use a popular veterans measure to block President Donald Trump from transferring $3.6 billion from military base construction to build his long-sought wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Tuesday's move faces certain opposition from Trump and a potential veto threat. Lawmakers often try to use essential spending bills to reverse presidential moves, but they are often unsuccessful. Republicans tried in futility on numerous occasions to advance conservative policy "riders" on topics such as the Affordable Care Act, financial regulations and the environment. (Taylor, 4/30)
The Hill:
Trump Urges Dem Senator To Revive Bipartisan ObamaCare Talks
President Trump encouraged Democratic Sen. Patty Murray (Wash.) to resume efforts to find a bipartisan deal to shore up ObamaCare at a White House meeting on Tuesday. Trump said that he did not understand why the bipartisan proposal that Murray worked on in 2017 and 2018 with Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) had been dropped, according to a Democratic source. (Sullivan, 4/30)
Stat:
Progressives Warn Democratic Leaders They Must Be Bolder On Drug Pricing
Progressive lawmakers are increasingly warning that they would forcefully oppose any effort to set up a system of arbitration to help lower drug prices, a model that would fall short of their demands to allow the federal government to negotiate with drug companies. It’s an idea that has the implicit backing of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), whose top health policy aide has been focused on the proposal in talks with other experts. The speaker’s backing of any eventually legislation could put it on the fast track for congressional action, though no bill on the issue has yet been introduced in Congress. (Florko, 4/30)
The Hill:
Progressives Push House Chairmen To Go Bolder On Drug Pricing
During a meeting, the Congressional Progressive Caucus urged House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.) and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal (D-Mass.) to support a far-reaching drug pricing bill that would allow the government to strip drug companies of their monopolies if they refuse to sell drugs at a reasonable price. The progressives also pushed back on a competing proposal under discussion that would allow an outside arbiter to help set drug prices, warning that the idea would be too weak. (Sullivan, 4/30)
The New York Times:
Should Adults Get A Measles Booster Shot?
Because of this year’s sharp increase in measles cases — which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has blamed a deliberate misinformation campaign by anti-vaccine activists for — many Americans are wondering whether they need to be vaccinated. The C.D.C. emphasizes that children are the most important group to reach. Outbreaks spread rapidly in preschools and kindergartens, and young children often have infant siblings too young to get the vaccine. But some adults, too, should consult with their doctors and consider getting the shot. (McNeil, 4/30)
The New York Times:
Where Every Measles Case Has Been Reported This Year
Most of the cases have occurred in New York, Michigan and Washington State. The disease spread in Orthodox Jewish communities in Brooklyn and in Rockland County, New York, before being carried to Michigan. A large outbreak in southern Washington State spread mostly among unvaccinated children under 10 years old. And last week, hundreds of people were put under quarantine at two Los Angeles universities after an outbreak there. (Cai, Lu and Reinhard, 4/30)
NPR:
Measles History 101: How Serious Is This Year's Measles Outbreak?
In 2000, the Pan American Health Organization announced a monumental public health achievement: Widespread vaccination efforts, overseen by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, had effectively eliminated measles from the United States. The disease, which before the vaccination era affected 3 million to 4 million people in the U.S. each year, was now isolated to small, contained outbreaks connected to international travel. (Lambert, 4/30)
NPR:
How Did We Get Here? 7 Things To Know About Measles
Americans could be forgiven for not knowing that much about measles. After all, it's been 51 years since an effective vaccine was introduced, quickly turning the disease from a common childhood experience to a rarity, and nearly two decades since the disease was declared eliminated from the U.S. But outbreaks have surfaced throughout the country over the past few months, affecting more than 700 people. (Lambert, 4/30)
The New York Times:
F.D.A. Permits The Sale Of IQOS, A New Tobacco Device
The Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday that it would permit the sale of IQOS, a “heat not burn” tobacco device made by Philip Morris International, in the United States. While the agency stopped short of declaring that the device was safer than traditional cigarettes, the F.D.A. did say the heated tobacco-stick system could help people to quit smoking. (Kaplan, 4/30)
The Associated Press:
US Sales OK'd For Cigarette Alternative That Heats Tobacco
The cigarette alternative is the centerpiece of Philip Morris International's effort to move the shrinking number of U.S. smokers toward other products, including heating and vaping devices. FDA regulators stressed that IQOS is neither safe nor "FDA approved." But they acknowledged that studies submitted by the company did show IQOS produces fewer toxic byproducts than traditional burning cigarettes. (Perrone, 4/30)
The Washington Post:
IQOS: FDA Clears Philip Morris's Heat-Not-Burn Tobacco Device For Sale
The product consists of a tube that gently heats up sticks of tobacco instead of burning them, making what’s inhaled less harmful than conventional cigarette smoke. Philip Morris has made the device a key part of its plans for growth. The device is already sold in dozens of other countries with varying success, but it has triggered debate among U.S. health experts over whether IQOS would help or hurt overall public health. (McGinley and Wan, 4/30)
The Wall Street Journal:
FDA Clears Philip Morris International Heat-Not-Burn IQOS Device For Sale In U.S.
The FDA said it found that the aerosol produced by IQOS contains fewer toxic chemicals than cigarette smoke. In a separate application to the FDA, Philip Morris is seeking authorization to say in marketing materials that switching from cigarettes to IQOS reduces the risks of tobacco-related disease. Newport maker British American Tobacco PLC is waiting on FDA authorization for a similar product, called Glo, although that company hasn’t sought U.S. approval to market it as safer than cigarettes. (Maloney, 4/30)
The Hill:
Booming Cannabis Market Puts Pressure On FDA
The market for cannabis-based products is booming, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is struggling to keep up. Congress legalized the use of hemp-based cannabidiol (CBD) products late last year in the farm bill, sending the agency scrambling to figure out new rules around regulating a unique product that is both a drug and a dietary supplement. (Weixel, 4/30)
Stateline:
Medicaid Work Requirements Hit Roadblocks
In three red states that might have been expected to adopt work requirements, lawmakers failed this year to pass legislation. Some governor seats recently occupied by Republicans changed hands as 2019 opened, bringing in executives who oppose work requirements. And a federal judge in Washington, D.C., last month ruled that Trump’s Department of Health and Human Services had improperly approved work requirements in Arkansas and Kentucky. The same judge is considering a similar challenge to HHS’ approval of New Hampshire’s plan to impose work requirements in its Medicaid program. (Ollove, 4/30)
The Associated Press:
Medicaid Expansion Backers In Kansas May Hold Budget Hostage
Supporters of expanding Medicaid in Kansas are looking to block passage of the state's next annual budget to force an expansion plan through the Republican-controlled Legislature. Legislators were set to reconvene Wednesday after an annual spring break. The state Senate expected to vote quickly on expediting an expansion debate. The House approved the measure in March, but the Senate has yet to act on it. (Hanna, 5/1)
The Associated Press:
Wisconsin Governor Calls Trump Abortion Comments 'Blasphemy'
Wisconsin Democratic Gov. Tony Evers said Tuesday it is "blasphemy" and "horrific" for President Donald Trump to say that doctors in the state want to execute babies. Evers was reacting to comments Trump made Saturday during a rally in Green Bay. Trump said then it was "shocking" that Evers planned to veto a "born alive" abortion bill that requires doctors to keep babies alive following a failed abortion. (4/30)
The Associated Press:
Oklahoma High Court Nullifies Medical Abortion Restrictions
The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a state law restricting access to drug-induced abortions is unconstitutional, the latest decision by the state's highest court striking down restrictions on abortions adopted by the Republican-controlled Legislature. The court overturned a 2014 state law that banned "off-label" use of mifepristone, a medication used for abortions, sometimes called RU-486. (4/30)
Reuters:
U.S. Environment Agency Says Glyphosate Weed Killer Is Not A Carcinogen
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said on Tuesday that glyphosate, a chemical in many popular weed killers, is not a carcinogen, contradicting decisions by U.S. juries that found it caused cancer in people. The EPA's announcement reaffirms its earlier findings about the safety of glyphosate, the key ingredient in Bayer's Roundup. The company faces thousands of lawsuits from Roundup users who allege it caused their cancer. (Polansek, 5/1)
The Wall Street Journal:
As Retiree Health-Care Bills Mount, Some States Have A Solution: Stop Paying
North Carolina corrections official Charles Johnson will soon lose a major perk he can offer recruits when the state ends a promise to pay health-care bills once workers retire. “It’s going to make a difficult situation even more difficult,” said Mr. Johnson, an assistant superintendent at Polk Correctional Institution in Butner, N.C. About 30% of the facility’s roughly 335 correctional-officer positions are currently empty, he said. States across the U.S. are testing how far they can reduce health benefits for their retirees as a way of coping with mounting liabilities and balancing budgets. (Gillers, 5/1)
The Atlantic:
'Looping' Created An Underground Insulin-Pump Market
One day last June, Doug Boss pulled into a police-station parking lot to meet a stranger from Craigslist. His purpose: to buy used insulin pumps. Boss has type 1 diabetes, and he relies on a small pump attached to his body to deliver continuous doses of insulin that keep him alive. To be clear, he didn’t need to buy used medical equipment on Craigslist. Boss, who is 55 and works in IT in Texas, has health insurance. He even has a new, in-warranty pump sitting at home. But he was thrilled to find on Craigslist a coveted old model that was made by the medical-device company Medtronic and discontinued years ago. What makes these outdated Medtronic pumps so desirable is, ironically, a security flaw. Boss was looking for a pump or two he could hack. (Zhang, 4/29)
The New York Times:
Drug Agency Calls For Strong Warning Labels On Popular Sleep Aids
Federal health regulators announced on Tuesday that they would require manufacturers of sleeping pills such as Ambien and related drugs to post strongly worded warnings in boxes on labels and patient guides. The Food and Drug Administration, in what it called a safety announcement, noted that the drugs’ side effects included risky behaviors, such as sleepwalking and sleep driving, that can lead to injury and even death. (Carey, 4/30)
The Wall Street Journal:
FDA Orders ‘Black-Box’ Warnings For Sleep Aids
The FDA said on Tuesday prescription insomnia pills that contain eszopiclone, zaleplon and zolpidem would have to display a black-box warning about potential risks and a contraindication that they shouldn’t be taken by patients who have experienced complications such as sleepwalking or driving while asleep. (Armental, 4/30)
Stateline:
New Naloxone Laws Seek To Prevent Opioid Overdoses
It’s increasingly likely that someone you know has the opioid overdose rescue drug naloxone in their pocket or medicine cabinet. In fact, a new mobile app, NaloxoFind, will tell you whether anyone nearby is carrying the lifesaving drug. In the last five years, at least 46 states and the District of Columbia enacted so-called good Samaritan laws, allowing private citizens to administer the overdose-reversal medication without legal liability. And all but four states — Connecticut, Idaho, Nebraska and Oregon — have called on pharmacies to provide the easy-to-administer medication to anyone who wants it without a prescription, according to the Network for Public Health Law. (Vestal, 5/1)
NPR:
Meth Surges Out West, With Fewer Treatment Options Than For Opioids
Amelia and her roommate had been awake for two days straight. They decided to spray-paint the bathroom hot pink. After that, they laid into building and rebuilding the pens for the nine pit bull puppies they were raising in their two-bedroom apartment. Then the itching started. It felt like pin pricks under the skin of her hands. Amelia was convinced she had scabies, skin lice. She spent hours in front of the mirror checking her skin, picking at her face. She even got a health team to come test the apartment. All they found were a few dust mites. (Dembosky, 5/1)
The Associated Press:
West Virginia Hospitals Sue Opioid Companies; Want Damages
Hospitals in West Virginia have banded together to sue some of the country's largest opioid companies, saying they flooded Appalachia with powerful painkillers and forced medical centers to deal with the financial repercussions. Nearly 30 West Virginia hospitals and 10 affiliates in Kentucky have signed on to the suit filed Monday in Marshall County, West Virginia. The hospitals' lawyer said the case is the first time a large group of hospitals in a state has teamed up to take legal action against opioid firms. The hospitals are seeking monetary damages to cover the costs of treating people with opioid addictions. (4/30)
The Associated Press:
Washington State Jail To Give Addiction Meds After Lawsuit
A county in Washington state has agreed to provide opiate-withdrawal medication to prisoners at its jail, following a federal lawsuit. The state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union sued Whatcom County Jail last year, saying its practice of requiring most prisoners to go cold turkey violated the Americans with Disabilities Act. Opioid addiction qualifies as a disability under the law, and the ACLU said prisoners suffering from it are as entitled to medication as those with any other condition. Nevertheless, advocates say relatively few jails provide such treatment. (4/30)
The New York Times:
Like ‘Uber For Organs’: Drone Delivers Kidney To Maryland Woman
A custom-made drone delivered a kidney this month to a Maryland woman who had waited eight years for a lifesaving transplant. While it was only a short test flight — less than three miles in total — the team that created the drone at the University of Maryland says it was a worldwide first and a crucial step in its quest to speed up the delicate and time-sensitive task of delivering donated organs. (Zraick, 4/30)
The Associated Press:
It Seems Like Alzheimer's But Peek Into Brain Shows A Mimic
Some people told they have Alzheimer's may instead have a newly identified mimic of the disease — and scientists say even though neither is yet curable, it's critical to get better at telling different kinds of dementia apart. Too often, the word dementia is used interchangeably with Alzheimer's when there are multiple types of brain degeneration that can harm people's memory and thinking skills. (Neergaard, 4/30)
Stat:
Experts Emphasize Multiple Gaps Facing The Health Care Workforce
The evidence is clear: Having a diverse health care workforce can have an impact on patient care. Research suggests that some patients treated by female physicians have lower mortality and hospital readmission rates and that black men who are treated by black doctors are more likely to receive more preventive services than their peers treated by doctors who aren’t black. But there are still big challenges to recruiting and retaining a diverse health care workforce, a panel of experts said Tuesday at the Atlantic Pulse Summit on Health Care. (Thielking, 4/30)
The New York Times:
His Symptoms Pointed To M.S. Then He Had A Strange Personality Shift.
“I don’t know where I am,” said a terrified voice on the phone. It was the woman’s husband, and he was scared. “I’m lost,” he said in a panicked tone. It’s O.K., she told him, sounding as calm and reassuring as she could. Her husband, a former high school English teacher in his 60s, left his mother-in-law’s that morning to return to their home several hours away in Pinon Hills, just north of San Bernardino, Calif. It was a route he drove often enough to know well. (Sanders, 5/1)
Stat:
Facebook Announces New Steps In Effort To Bolster Privacy Of Health Data
Millions of Facebook users have joined groups to talk about health care issues ranging from rare disease diagnoses to chemotherapy side effects. Now, the technology giant is taking steps it hopes will encourage those conversations while affording users more privacy. ...The company announced Tuesday that it will create a new type of community: health support groups. Once groups are designated as health support communities, users will be able to easily ask the administrators to post questions on their behalf. (Thielking, 4/30)
Stat:
5 Names To Know: The Team Leading Microsoft Into Health Care
Microsoft is quickly expanding its footprint in medicine. The company has filed dozens of patents in recent years related to health care innovations. It is working in medical imaging, cloud storage, telehealth, and remote patient monitoring — and applying artificial intelligence to all of the above. Just in the past few months, the company has announced a national digital health partnership with Walgreens; a new health care bot to help screen and address patients’ health problems; and a cloud-based tool to spur data sharing between hospitals. (Ross, 5/1)
The New York Times:
The Microbots Are On Their Way
Like Frankenstein, Marc Miskin’s robots initially lie motionless. Then their limbs jerk to life. But these robots are the size of a speck of dust. Thousands fit side-by-side on a single silicon wafer similar to those used for computer chips, and, like Frankenstein coming to life, they pull themselves free and start crawling. “We can take your favorite piece of silicon electronics, put legs on it and then build a million of them,” said Dr. Miskin, a professor of electrical and systems engineering at the University of Pennsylvania. “That's the vision.” (Chang, 4/30)
NPR:
AI In Medicine: More Science And Less Art
When Kim Hilliard shows up at the clinic at the New Orleans University Medical Center, she's not there simply for an eye exam. The human touches she gets along the way help her navigate her complicated medical conditions. In addition to diabetes, the 56-year-old has high blood pressure. She has also had back surgery and has undergone bariatric surgery to help her control her weight. (Harris, 4/30)
The Washington Post:
Suicide Attempts Using Poison Have Surged Among Young People, Particularly Girls
More young people than ever are trying to kill themselves using poison. The rate of attempted suicide by poison has more than doubled among people under 19 in the past decade in the United States and more than tripled for girls and young women 10 to 24. The new numbers, published Wednesday in the Journal of Pediatrics, come amid an overall rise in suicides nationwide across age groups and gender. But the sudden and sharp rise in poison-related suicide attempts by children and teens has left researchers and health advocates searching for answers. (Wan, 5/1)
The New York Times:
How Exercise Affects Our Memory
A single, moderate workout may immediately change how our brains function and how well we recognize common names and similar information, according to a promising new study of exercise, memory and aging. The study adds to growing evidence that exercise can have rapid effects on brain function and also that these effects could accumulate and lead to long-term improvements in how our brains operate and we remember. (Reynolds, 5/1)
The New York Times:
New York Bans Alcohol Ads On Most City Property
Eighteen months after the Metropolitan Transportation Authority banned alcohol advertisements on New York City buses, in subway cars and in stations, the City of New York has followed suit, instituting its own ban on most city-owned properties. The ban, which goes into effect immediately, affects city-owned properties such as bus shelters, newsstands, recycling bins and LinkNYC Wi-Fi kiosks. (Mays, 4/30)
The Associated Press:
New York City Bans Alcohol Ads On City Property
Venues that are currently allowed to sell alcohol, such as restaurants, stadiums and concerts halls, are exempt. "This order banning alcohol ads from City property reaffirms our commitment to health equity and our stand to protect the well-being of all New Yorkers," New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat, said in an emailed statement. (4/30)
The Associated Press:
Defense Strikes Back In Records Dispute In Flint Water Case
Lawyers for Michigan's former health director are firmly opposing an effort to put his Flint water criminal case on hold for six months, saying it's a sign of "dysfunction" by prosecutors. In blunt language, Nick Lyon's defense team urged Judge Joseph Farah to reject a timeout and instead decide whether involuntary manslaughter charges will stick. (4/30)
The Wall Street Journal:
NYC Homeless Shelter Population Could Rise By 5,000, Report Says
New York City’s homeless shelter population could rise by more than 5,000 people during the next three years, according to a new report. The nonprofit organization Coalition for the Homeless released its annual report on Tuesday, warning that the shelter population—already hovering at a record of about 60,000 people—could hit 65,000 by 2022 because of the lack of shelters and permanent housing in the city. (Honan, 4/30)