First Edition: May 28, 2019
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Kaiser Health News:
A Final Comfort: ‘Palliative Transport’ Brings Dying Children Home
Anne Brescia sat beside her only child, Anthony, as he lay unconscious in a hospital bed at age 16. Just a few months before, he was competing in a swim meet; now cancer was destroying his brain. Brescia couldn’t save her son. But she was determined to bring him home. Anthony Gabriel Brescia-Connell was not conscious for his voyage from Boston Children’s Hospital to his home in Medford, Mass., where he died on March 3, 2011, surrounded by his family and beloved stuffed animals. He may not have heard the parting blessings before a doctor turned off his portable ventilator and let him die naturally. (Bailey, 5/28)
Kaiser Health News:
Oklahoma’s ‘Precedent-Setting’ Suit Puts Opioid Drugmakers On Trial
The legal case is complicated. Unlike tobacco, where states won a landmark settlement, Ausness pointed out that opioids serve a medical purpose. “There’s nothing wrong with producing opioids. It’s regulated and approved by the Federal Drug Administration, the sale is overseen by the Drug Enforcement Administration, so there’s a great deal of regulation in the production and distribution and sale of opioid products,” Ausness said. “They are useful products, so this is not a situation where the product is defective in some way.” (Fortier, 5/28)
The New York Times:
U.S. Army’s Tweet Prompts Stories Of Harmful Effects Of Military Service
It was meant to be part of a social media tribute on Memorial Day weekend. On Saturday afternoon, the United States Army posted a video on Twitter featuring a scout in fatigues who said his service gave him the opportunity to fight for something greater than himself, making him a better man. In its next tweet, the Army opened the floor and asked: “How has serving impacted you?” The post was shared widely and received thousands of responses. But many were probably not what the Army was looking for. (Zaveri, 5/26)
The Associated Press Fact Check:
Trump Takes Credit For Obama's Gains For Vets
Boastful on the occasion of Memorial Day, President Donald Trump and his Veterans Affairs secretary are claiming full credit for health care improvements that were underway before they took office. Trump said he passed a private-sector health care program, Veterans Choice, after failed attempts by past presidents for the last "45 years." That's not true. The Choice program, which allows veterans to see doctors outside the government-run VA system at taxpayer expense, was first passed in 2014 under President Barack Obama. (Yen, 5/27)
The Associated Press:
'Here We Go Again': Judge Blocks Mississippi Abortion Ban
A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked a Mississippi law that would ban most abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected, at about six weeks of pregnancy. "Here we go again," U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves wrote in his order. "Mississippi has passed another law banning abortions prior to viability." (Wagster Pettus, 5/24)
The New York Times:
Federal Judge Blocks Mississippi Abortion Law
The law “threatens immediate harm to women’s rights” and “prevents a woman’s free choice, which is central to personal dignity and autonomy,” Judge Reeves wrote in his ruling. “This injury outweighs any interest the state might have in banning abortions after the detection of a fetal heartbeat.” The Mississippi law, which was to take effect on July 1, would have barred abortions once health care providers were able to detect the pulsing of what would become a fetus’s heart, which can be as early as six weeks into pregnancy. The law was just one of the year’s so-called fetal heartbeat bills that, supporters and critics alike said, would effectively ban abortions before many women even knew they were pregnant. (Blinder, 5/24)
The Wall Street Journal:
Federal Judge Blocks Mississippi’s ‘Heartbeat’ Abortion Law
The preliminary injunction against Mississippi’s law had been expected. No court has ever allowed a state to enforce such a short gestational limit, and the same judge who ruled against the heartbeat bill on Friday also blocked an earlier enacted Mississippi law banning abortions at 15 weeks. A federal court in March also barred Kentucky from enforcing its heartbeat law. (Gershman and Holland, 5/24)
The Washington Post:
American Civil Liberties Union Sues Alabama Over Near-Total Abortion Ban
The lawsuit, filed in United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama, sets off a chain of events that both sides say is likely to lead to a years-long court battle. State lawmakers have said they passed the law specifically to bring the case in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, which they see as having the most antiabortion bench in decades. The bill was designed to challenge the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision by arguing that a fetus is a person and is therefore due full rights. (Cha and Wax-Thibodeaux, 5/24)
The Associated Press:
Federal Lawsuit Filed To Block Alabama's New Abortion Ban
A federal lawsuit filed Friday asks a judge to block an Alabama law that outlaws almost all abortions, the most far-reaching attempt by a conservative state to seek new restrictions on the procedure. The American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood filed the lawsuit on behalf of abortion providers seeking to overturn the Alabama law that would make performing an abortion at any stage of pregnancy a felony punishable by up to 99 years or life in prison for the abortion provider. The only exception would be when the woman's health is at serious risk. (Chandler, 5/24)
The Associated Press:
Missouri Governor Signs Bill Banning Abortions At 8 Weeks
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson on Friday signed a bill that bans abortions on or beyond the eighth week of pregnancy without exceptions for cases of rape or incest, making it among the most restrictive abortion policies in the nation. (5/24)
The New York Times:
Missouri Governor Signs Bill Outlawing Abortion After 8 Weeks
The decision by Mr. Parson, a Republican, was not a surprise. It continued a season of legislative success for conservatives who oppose abortion and who see an opening to ultimately press their case to the Supreme Court. “I’m honored to lead a state with so many people committed to standing up for those without a voice, and commend the Legislature for getting this bill to my desk,” Mr. Parson said when lawmakers passed the abortion bill. He called it “a strong message to the nation that here in Missouri, we will always stand for life, protect women’s health and advocate for the unborn.” (Smith, 5/24)
The Washington Post:
Another Red State Could Soon Pass An Abortion Ban. Only This Time A Democrat Will Sign It Into Law.
If Gov. John Bel Edwards follows through on his pledge to sign a new abortion ban into Louisiana law, he’ll be just the latest executive from a deep red state to endorse such strict antiabortion legislation this year. Except Edwards differs from his Republican predecessors in one fundamental way: He’s a Democrat. Edwards, a Catholic Army veteran and first-term governor, is a high-profile member of a now-obscure class of politician: the “pro-life liberal.” As bills that ban abortions outright or after six weeks of pregnancy churn through statehouses across the country, his cohort has found itself the target of fierce criticism from fellow Democrats. (Thebault, 5/25)
The Associated Press:
Democrats Advance Bill To Expand Illinois Abortion Rights
House Democrats in Illinois have advanced a measure to replace the state's abortion law with less restrictive language that gives people "a fundamental right" to make decisions about their reproductive health. The State Journal-Register reports a House committee approved the legislation late Sunday on a party-line vote, sending it to the House floor. All committee Republicans voted no. (5/27)
The Wall Street Journal:
State Abortion Curbs Stoke Partisan Tensions In Washington
The passage of a number of state laws severely restricting abortion is intensifying a national fight over the issue on Capitol Hill and in the 2020 battle for control of Congress. Abortion-rights supporters are using the state actions, including an Alabama law effectively outlawing abortion, to mobilize Democratic voters. Some Republicans see the issue as playing to their advantage by rallying public support against procedures done later in a pregnancy. (Armour and Peterson, 5/27)
The Associated Press:
State Abortion Bans May Hand Democrats A Political Weapon
A flood of laws banning abortions in Republican-run states has handed Democrats a political weapon heading into next year's elections, helping them paint the GOP as extreme and court centrist voters who could decide congressional races in swing states, members of both parties say. The Alabama law outlawing virtually all abortions, even in cases of rape or incest, is the strictest so far. Besides animating Democrats, the law has prompted President Donald Trump, other Republican leaders and lawmakers seeking reelection next year to distance themselves from the measure. (Fram, 5/24)
The Hill:
2020 Democrats Target Federal Ban On Abortion Funding
Democratic presidential candidates are seizing on the intensifying abortion debate by calling for an end to a 43-year ban on the use of federal funds for abortions. Twenty-one of the 24 Democrats running for president say they support repealing the so-called Hyde amendment, which has prevented public health programs like Medicaid from paying for abortions, in most cases, since 1976. (Hellmann, 5/25)
The Associated Press:
Arguments Over Rape And Incest Divide Abortion Opponents
Even as the anti-abortion movement celebrates the sweeping bans passed in several states, it's divided by a widening rift over whether those prohibitions should apply to victims of rape and incest. The debate pits those who believe any abortion is immoral against those who worry that a no-exception stance could be harmful to some Republican candidates in upcoming elections. A Gallup poll last year found that 77% of Americans support exceptions in cases of rape and incest. (Crary, 5/24)
The Associated Press:
Pope: Abortion Is Never OK, Equates It To “Hiring A Hitman”
Pope Francis said Saturday that abortion can never be condoned, even when the fetus is gravely sick or likely to die, and urged doctors and priests to support families to carry such pregnancies to term. Speaking to a Vatican-sponsored anti-abortion conference, Francis said the opposition to abortion isn’t a religious issue but a human one. “Is it licit to throw away a life to resolve a problem?” he asked. “Is it licit to hire a hitman to resolve a problem?” (Winfield, 5/25)
The Associated Press:
In Some Democrat-Led States, Lawmakers Differ On Abortion
A bill seeking to preserve abortion protections in state law fails to pass a key committee. Lawmakers cite God, church and faith in proclaiming their opposition to it. Abortion-rights groups protest outside a gathering of lawmakers. What sounds like a legislative fight in a state controlled by anti-abortion Republicans is actually quite different. (McDermott and Lieb, 5/27)
The Associated Press:
Overturning Roe V. Wade Wouldn't Turn Back The Clock To 1973
A wave of state abortion bans has set off speculation: What would happen if Roe v. Wade, the ruling establishing abortion rights nationwide, were overturned? Although far from a certainty, even with increased conservative clout on the Supreme Court, a reversal of Roe would mean abortion policy would revert to the states, and many would be eager to impose bans. What would not happen is a full-fledged turning back of the clock to 1973. (Crary and Johnson, 5/26)
The Associated Press:
At $2M, Priciest Ever Medicine Treats Fatal Genetic Disease
U.S. regulators have approved the most expensive medicine ever, for a rare disorder that destroys a baby's muscle control and kills nearly all of those with the most common type of the disease within a couple of years. The treatment is priced at $2.125 million. Out-of-pocket costs for patients will vary based on insurance coverage. (Johnson, 5/24)
The New York Times:
This New Treatment Could Save The Lives Of Babies. But It Costs $2.1 Million.
The therapy, to be sold as Zolgensma, alters the underlying genetic cause of spinal muscular atrophy and may permanently stop the disease. It is among the first of a host of gene therapies that promise a cure for deadly inherited conditions. “We feel we’re on a path where we hope one day to be able to bring S.M.A. almost to elimination,” said Vas Narasimhan, the Novartis chief executive, in a conference call with reporters. Many drugs for rare diseases have arrived on the market recently costing hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. But few have crossed the $1 million threshold. (Thomas, 5/24)
Politico:
FDA Approves $2M Gene Therapy For Rare Birth Disorder
Critics noted that the bulk of Zolgensma's development was done by AveXis, which Novartis bought last year. “The question in drug pricing isn’t how much is a life worth; it’s what makes a fair return on an investment in R&D and an accessible price,” said David Mitchell, president of Patients for Affordable Drugs, an advocacy group. (Owermohle, 5/24)
The Wall Street Journal:
At $2 Million, New Novartis Drug Is Priciest Ever
Gene therapies promise the chance to cure diseases whose diagnoses were death sentences, but the prices for the first few to be greenlighted raise concerns about whether they can be afforded by governments and health insurers that have been struggling to control health spending. (Roland, 5/24)
Stat:
At $2.1 Million, Newly Approved Novartis Gene Therapy Will Be World’s Most Expensive Drug
Novartis is likely to face backlash from critics who believe charging millions of dollars for any medicine — no matter how effective — renders it unaffordable for a healthcare system already under financial stress. There’s also competition. Spinraza, approved in late 2016 and sold by Biogen, has already been used to successfully treat thousands of patients with severe and milder forms of SMA. The drug requires regular spinal infusions costing $750,000 in the first year and $375,000 annually thereafter, for life. Sales last year totaled $1.7 billion. Zolgensma may be more convenient than Spinraza, but Roche is developing a daily pill for SMA called risdiplam that could reach the market in 2020. (Feuerstein, 5/24)
NPR:
Zolgensma From Novartis Is The Most Expensive Drug Ever Approved
[F]or those patients lucky enough to get it, it appears it can save their lives with a one-time treatment.Three-year-old Donovan Weisgarber is one of those patients. When he was born he seemed perfectly healthy. But within weeks, it became clear something was terribly wrong. "It was about when he was about one month old that when we started to notice some symptoms," says his mother, Laura Weisgarber, 32, of Columbus, Ohio. (Stein, 5/24)
The Associated Press:
Spotlight On Oklahoma For Start Of Trial For Opioid Makers
Oklahoma is poised to become the first state to go to trial in a lawsuit against the makers of pharmaceuticals blamed for contributing to the nation's opioid crisis. Although several states have reached settlements with drugmakers, including Oklahoma's agreements this year with OxyContin-maker Purdue Pharma and Teva Pharmaceuticals, the trial set to begin Tuesday against consumer products giant Johnson & Johnson and some of its subsidiaries, could bring to light documents and testimony that show what companies knew, when they knew it and how they responded. (5/27)
The Wall Street Journal:
First Big Trial In Opioid Crisis Set To Kick Off In Oklahoma
The case is the first to go to trial of around 2,000 lawsuits brought by states, local municipalities and Native American tribes against pharmaceutical companies over their alleged role in fueling the opioid epidemic. The outcome is likely to help shape the sprawling litigation nationwide, as both sides look for a win to use as leverage in broader settlement talks. Cameras televising the action will heighten national attention on the courtroom in the college town of Norman, Okla. (Randazzo, 5/27)
The New York Times:
First Opioid Trial Takes Aim At Johnson & Johnson
Oklahoma, a largely rural state whose medical, social welfare and criminal justice systems have been ravaged by opioid addictions and deaths, has “home court advantage,” Ms. Burch said. But the case is hardly a slam-dunk. The challenge in all opioid cases is how to closely tie each defendant to the carnage. In its attempt to frame that narrative, Oklahoma is relying on just one legal theory, which itself has an uneven record. (Hoffman, 5/26)
Politico:
Nation's First Opioid Trial Could Set Precedent For Massive Pharma Payouts
Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter stressed that the settlement was the best option because of the threat that Purdue would declare bankruptcy and the state might end up with nothing. But that means Oklahoma’s attorneys will have to make the potentially trickier case that other, less notorious players in the opioid pipeline created a “public nuisance” in the state by pushing misleading medical claims. (Demko, 5/28)
The Washington Post:
Drug Company To Face First Opioid Trial In Oklahoma As Families Of The Dead Seek Recompense
Gail Box will be following the trial closely, but she won’t be at the courthouse in Norman, the city where she last spent time with her son Austin in May 2011, when he graduated from the University of Oklahoma. Five days later, he was unconscious in a hospital after an overdose, with five different prescription painkillers and an anti-anxiety drug in his bloodstream. He died the same day. He was 22 years old. “I just cannot go there,” she said of the town where her son played middle linebacker for the Sooners. “It is too painful for me to go there.” (Bernstein, 5/27)
The Wall Street Journal:
In Newly Released Deposition, OxyContin Owner Defends Response To Reports Of Abuse
Richard Sackler, an owner of OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP, received an email from a friend in 2002 detailing what the friend called some “items of interest.” The friend, an anesthesiologist, mentioned that his local pharmacy had spent $12,000 on remodeling to increase security because of OxyContin, the powerful opioid painkiller. The friend recounted that he had recently spoken to a student at an exclusive private high school who said someone had tried to sell her the “designer drug” OxyContin in the campus halls. “I hate to say this, but you could become the Pablo Escobar of the new millennium,” the friend wrote, referring to the Colombian drug lord. (Randazzo, 5/25)
The Washington Post:
Oklahoma, Teva Pharmaceuticals Reach $85 Million Settlement In Opioid Case
The state of Oklahoma settled Sunday with a second drug company over its role in the deadly opioid epidemic, reaching an $85 million agreement with Teva Pharmaceuticals just two days before a landmark trial is scheduled to begin. The deal leaves Oklahoma to face off in court Tuesday against Johnson & Johnson, one of the nation’s large pharmaceutical companies, in the first state trial over culpability for the drug crisis. (Bernstein, 5/26)
Stat:
Teva Reaches $85 Million Settlement On Eve Of Opioid Trial In Oklahoma
The agreement, which must still be finalized, was announced on Sunday, just two days before a trial is scheduled to get underway. However, Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter said the trial will continue as planned against Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), which faces the same claims. Several weeks ago, Purdue Pharma agreed to pay $270 million to settle allegations by the state. In a statement, Teva maintained that the settlement does not establish any wrongdoing by the company and continued to insist Teva “has not contributed to the abuse of opioids in Oklahoma in any way.” (Silverman, 5/26)
NPR:
Some Communities Pin Hopes For Funds On The Coming Opioid Lawsuits
As pharmaceutical companies prepare to square off with states and local communities in courts around the U.S., a growing number of state and local officials say the industry should pay to cover the cost of the nation's deadly opioid epidemic. "I think they are as complicit in this as the dealers that are dealing on the streets and for that I think they should pay a price," says Gerald Craig, executive director of the Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Board in Summit County, Ohio. That county is involved in a lawsuit against drugmakers that's slated to go to trial later this year. (Mann, 5/27)
NPR:
Opioid Addiction: FDA May Keep New Medication Off Market Over Legal Quirk
More than 130 people in the U.S. die of an opioid overdose every day. One of the most effective ways to save lives is to get those struggling with addiction treated with medication to stop their cravings. But a loophole in federal law might block at least one new opioid-addiction drug from coming to market for years. Many patients have to try several medications before finding one that works for them and that they can stick with. (Kodjak, 5/24)
The Associated Press:
Administration Moves To Revoke Transgender Health Protection
The Trump administration moved Friday to revoke newly won health care discrimination protections for transgender people, the latest in a series of actions that aim to reverse gains by LGBTQ Americans in areas ranging from the military to housing and education. The Health and Human Services Department released a proposed regulation that in effect says "gender identity" is not protected under federal laws that prohibit sex discrimination in health care. It would reverse an Obama-era policy that the Trump administration already is not enforcing. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 5/24)
The Wall Street Journal:
Trump Administration Moves To Roll Back Protections For Transgender Patients
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights said it was changing the policy to more closely hew to the ACA text, which doesn’t explicitly mention gender identity as a protected category in health care. “When Congress prohibited sex discrimination, it did so according to the plain meaning of the term, and we are making our regulations conform,” said Roger Severino, director of the Office for Civil Rights. The rule will likely be finalized after a 60-day public comment period. (Armour and Hackman, 5/24)
The New York Times:
Trump Administration Proposes Rollback Of Transgender Protections
Without the Obama-era language, health care workers would be free to object to performing procedures like gender reassignment surgery, and insurers would not be bound to cover all services for transgender customers. The new rule would fit into a broader agenda pushed by religious activists and is consistent with administration actions to limit civil rights protections for gay and transgender Americans in a variety of domains, including education, employment and housing. The Obama administration adopted the health care discrimination rule to carry out a civil rights provision of the Affordable Care Act. It prohibits discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability in “any health program or activity” that receives federal financial assistance. (Goodnough, Green and Sanger-Katz, 5/24)
The Washington Post:
New Trump Administration Rule Would Weaken Protections For Transgender People In Health Care
Members of Congress, state governors, medical associations and civil rights groups immediately vowed to fight the proposed regulation. “It’s about the right of every American to be treated with dignity when they walk into an emergency room, meet a new doctor or find the right insurance plan. If permitted, this rule will promote ignorance and hate that no American should have to face while seeking care,” said Mara Keisling, executive director for the National Center for Transgender Equality. (Cha, 5/24)
Politico:
Trump Administration Rolls Back Health Care Protections For LGBTQ Patients
"They're adding explicit religious exemptions and completely eliminating prior protections for LGBTQ people," said Katie Keith, a Georgetown University law professor. The proposal was opposed by the American Medical Association and 30 other medical groups, which warned the Trump administration that its plan would put LGBTQ patients at risk. "To reduce the cost of health care and achieve our goal of creating a healthier nation, the specific needs of LGBTQ patients must be examined and effectively addressed," the groups wrote in a letter to HHS Secretary Alex Azar. (Diamond and Pradhan, 5/24)
NPR:
Proposed Rule To Reverse Discrimination Protections For Transgender Patients
Research from the Williams Institute found that more than 780,000 transgender people live in states that lack legal protections from gender identity discrimination in public accommodations, such as health care facilities. Twenty-eight states lack such protections, according to the Williams Institute. (Kodjak and Wroth, 5/24)
The New York Times:
E.P.A. Experts Objected To ‘Misleading’ Agency Smog Decision, Emails Show
Newly released emails show that Environmental Protection Agency scientists raised strong objections to a 2018 decision by Scott Pruitt, who was head of the agency at the time, to exempt most of southeastern Wisconsin from federal limits on smog. The decision by Mr. Pruitt was notable because it came as Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican, was campaigning for a third term and trying to bring a Foxconn factory, and thousands of new manufacturing jobs, to a part of the state where pollution levels already exceeded federal limits. (Friedman, 5/24)
Politico:
Trump Administration Takes Unprecedented Step To Process Border-Crossers
The United States is for the first time sending illegal border-crossers to other cities for processing, transporting more than 3,000 each week from southern Texas and Arizona to other locations as the government struggles to deal with surging numbers of nearly 100,000 migrants a month crossing the southern border. The Trump administration is flying migrants to San Diego and Del Rio, Texas, and busing them to El Centro, Calif., and Laredo, Texas, according to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection official familiar with the plan. (Kumar, 5/27)
Politico:
'Medicare For All' Backers Find Biggest Foe In Their Own Backyard
Democrats who've made "Medicare for All" a top health care priority are running up against their toughest opponent yet: their own neighborhood hospitals. The multibillion-dollar industry has emerged as the most formidable foe of single-payer health care. It’s helped assemble a coalition of health care lobbies that has launched social media campaigns attacking Medicare for All and its most high-profile proponent, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), while fighting narrower Democratic proposals to expand federal health coverage over concerns any change would slash hospital revenue. (Cancryn and Roubein, 5/25)
The Associated Press:
Health Tax Splits California Amid Need For Trump's Approval
California lawmakers are headed toward a confrontation with Gov. Gavin Newsom over whether to keep a tax that can generate nearly $2 billion for low-income health benefits but means approval from the Trump administration amid a feud between state and federal officials. Senate and Assembly budget committees finished their versions of the $214 billion annual budget this week and want to keep a tax on managed care organizations. The companies manage Medicaid plans in California, the joint federal-state program that provides health coverage for the poor and people with disabilities. (5/24)
The New York Times:
Scientists Wanted: Recruited By Juul, Many Researchers Say No
Alex Carll was presenting his research about the impact of e-cigarette smoke on mouse hearts at an American Heart Association conference when a man from Juul Labs approached him and started asking questions. “He seemed genuinely concerned about the health implications of Juul,” said Dr. Carll, who recalled meeting the e-cigarette company’s medical liaison, Jeff Vaughan, in November as he stood by a poster of his research findings. “He said they were looking for people to collaborate with and that they could offer up to $200,000.” (Kaplan, 5/27)
The Associated Press:
Discipline Or Treatment? Schools Rethinking Vaping Response
A glimpse of student athletes in peak physical condition vaping just moments after competing in a football game led Stamford High School Principal Raymond Manka to reconsider his approach to the epidemic. His school traditionally has emphasized discipline for those caught with e-cigarettes. Punishments become increasingly severe with each offense, from in-school suspensions to out-of-school suspensions and, eventually, notification of law enforcement. (5/26)
The Associated Press:
Study Suggests E-Cigarette Flavorings May Pose Heart Risk
E-cigarettes aren't considered as risky as regular cigarettes, but researchers have found a clue that their flavorings may be bad for the heart. Longtime smokers who can't kick the addiction sometimes switch to e-cigarettes, in hopes of avoiding the cancer-causing chemicals in tobacco smoke. (5/27)
ProPublica:
Senators Call For Disclosure Of Perks And Fees Paid To Health Benefits Brokers
Health benefits brokers would have to reveal the fees and other enticements they’ve received from the insurance industry under bipartisan legislation proposed Thursday in the U.S. Senate. The brokers are supposed to independently help employers select benefits for their workers. But a ProPublica investigation in February found that the insurance industry often uses undisclosed money and gifts to influence which plans the brokers favor. The payments and perks include healthy commissions, six-figure bonuses and exotic island vacations. Critics call the compensation a “classic conflict of interest” that drives up costs. (Allen, 5/24)
The Associated Press:
Health Care CEOs Again Lead The Way In Pay
The highest pay packages go to CEOs at health care companies. For the third time in four years, chief executives in the health care field led the S&P 500 in terms of total compensation. The typical CEO in the industry made $16.1 million last year, which means half earned more than that, and half made less. A look at the top and bottom-paid CEOs last year, by industry, as calculated by The Associated Press and Equilar, an executive data firm. (5/24)
The New York Times:
The Highest-Paid C.E.O.S Of 2018: A Year So Lucrative, We Had To Redraw Our Chart
In our annual ranking, we’re used to seeing paydays so big that they’re difficult to comprehend. But 2018 posed a problem on an entirely new scale. The pay package Tesla promised to Elon Musk was so large, we had to add an extra dimension to the chart below to display it accurately. (Russell and Williams, 5/24)
The Wall Street Journal:
Daniel Loeb’s Hedge Fund Wants Centene To Consider Selling Itself
Daniel Loeb’s Third Point LLC has built a stake in Centene Corp. and wants the health insurer to consider selling itself before spending $15.3 billion on its deal to purchase WellCare Health Plans Inc., according to people familiar with the matter. While it isn’t clear exactly how big Third Point’s stake is, it owns at least $300 million in Centene shares, one of the people said. And with derivatives, the hedge fund could have significantly more exposure to Centene’s stock-price movement. Centene’s market value is roughly $22.8 billion. (Lombardo, 5/24)
The New York Times:
Two Men Charged In Pelvic Mesh Removal Scheme
Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn have charged a physician and the owner of a medical consulting firm over a scheme to persuade women to have their pelvic mesh implants surgically removed to bolster the value of lawsuits against the devices’ manufacturers. The scheme alleged in the indictment on Friday is one of the more unsavory sides of the mass tort litigation against a half-dozen manufacturers of pelvic mesh, which has led to nearly $8 billion in settlements for roughly 100,000 women. (Goldstein, 5/24)
Stat:
FTC Says Pay-To-Delay Cases Fell, Prompting Trade Group To Argue Legislation Isn’t Needed
Although more drug makers are settling patent lawsuits, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission found a dramatic drop in the number of so-called pay-to-delay deals, which the regulator and consumer watchdogs argue unfairly rob Americans of lower-cost alternatives to their prescription medicines. In discussing the findings, which were from fiscal year 2016, the FTC argued that the decline in such deals underscores the fact that brand-name and generic drug makers can settle patent litigation without having to resort to anti-competitive terms. A trade group for the generic industry, meanwhile, contended the data show that legislation designed to eliminate pay-to-delay deals is unnecessary. (Silverman, 5/24)
Politico:
How The Anti-Vaccine Movement Crept Into The GOP Mainstream
The anti-vaccine movement, which swelled with discredited theories that blamed vaccines for autism and other ills, has morphed and grown into a libertarian political rebellion that is drawing in state Republican officials who distrust government medical mandates. Anti-vaccine sentiments are as old as vaccines themselves — and it’s been nearly 300 years since smallpox immunization began in what is now the United States. Liberal enclaves from Boulder, Colo., to Marin County, Calif., have long been pockets of vaccine skepticism. But the current measles epidemic, with more than 880 cases reported across 25 states of a disease declared eradicated in the U.S. 19 years ago, shows it gaining power within the GOP mainstream. (Allen, 5/27)
The Hill:
New Measles Cases Reported In Outbreak That Touches 26 States
U.S. officials reported 60 new measles cases last week amid an outbreak of the disease that has reached 26 states. The number of measles cases rose 6.8 percent during the week ending on May 24, Reuters reported on Monday, citing data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (Frazin, 5/27)
The Wall Street Journal:
Ready For Summer Camp? Measles Shots Now Required For Many
Sunscreen? Check. Swimming goggles? Check. This summer, the most important part of the camp checklist for many New Yorkers is proof of measles immunization. Parents have been warned that their children could be turned away if they don’t have it. Facing pressure from public-health authorities amid the worst measles outbreak in more than two decades, summer-camp directors across the state are tightening vaccination requirements, and some are refusing unvaccinated children. (West, 5/25)
The Associated Press:
Maine To End Non-Medical Exemptions For Vaccinations
Democratic Gov. Janet Mills on Friday signed into law a bill that eliminates religious and philosophical exemptions for vaccinations in Maine. Maine has one of the highest rates of non-medical vaccine exemptions in the nation, and health officials say the opt-out rates appear to be rising. (5/24)
The New York Times:
Half Of H.I.V. Patients Are Women. Most Research Subjects Are Men.
Inspired by reports of a second patient apparently freed of infection with H.I.V., the virus that causes AIDS, scientists are pursuing dozens of ways to cure the disease. But now, researchers must reckon with a longstanding obstacle: the lack of women in clinical trials of potential H.I.V. treatments, cures and vaccines. Women make up just over half of the 35 million people living with H.I.V. worldwide, and the virus is the leading cause of death among women of reproductive age. In Africa, parts of South America and even in the southern United States, new infections in young women are helping to sustain the epidemic. (Mandavilli, 5/28)