Reuters: Alabama Governor Signs Strictest U.S. Abortion Ban Into Law
Governor Kay Ivey, a Republican, signed the measure a day after the Republican-controlled state Senate approved the ban and rejected a Democratic-backed amendment to allow abortions for women and girls impregnated by rape or incest. "To the bill’s many supporters, this legislation stands as a powerful testament to Alabamians’ deeply held belief that every life is precious and that every life is a sacred gift from God," Ivey said in a statement. (Gorman and Trotta, 5/15)

The New York Times: Alabama Governor Signs Abortion Bill. Here’s What Comes Next
The bill that the Republican-controlled Legislature overwhelmingly passed sought to prohibit abortions at every stage of pregnancy. It includes an exception for cases where a woman’s health is at “serious” risk, but lawmakers rejected a proposal to add exceptions for cases of rape or incest. Women who have abortions will not be prosecuted under the measure, but, if the courts allow the law to stand, doctors could be charged with a felony and face up to 99 years in prison for performing the procedure. (Blinder, 5/15)

The Wall Street Journal: Alabama Governor Signs Abortion Ban Into Law
Ms. Ivey, a Republican, conceded in signing the law Wednesday that “we can all recognize that, at least for the short term, this bill may…be unenforceable.” But, she added, “the sponsors of this bill believe that it is time, once again, for the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit this important matter.” (Campo-Flores, 5/15)

Politico: Alabama Governor Signs Bill Banning Nearly All Abortions
The state Senate debated the legislation for several hours Tuesday evening, though the outcome was never really in doubt. Democrats tried to force votes on amendments such as one that would force the chamber's Republicans to bear the cost of expected litigation and another on adding exceptions for rape and incest. All of the efforts failed. (Goldberg, 5/15)

NPR: Alabama Governor Signs Abortion Ban Into Law
Sponsors insist they wanted to limit exceptions because the bill is designed to push the idea that a fetus is a person with rights, in a direct challenge to the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark Roe v. Wade decision that established a woman's right to abortion. (Elliott and Wamsley, 5/14)

The Washington Post: Governor Signs Alabama Abortion Ban, Which Has Galvanized Support On Both Sides, Setting Up A Lengthy Fight
As a crop duster with a banner saying “Abortion is okay” hummed above the capitol, circling back and forth around the governor’s mansion, a group of women below let out a cheer. “Just another day in Alabama,” said Mia Raven, director of People Organizing for Women’s Empowerment and Rights (POWER) House. “We knew this would pass and we got ready.” Amanda Reyes, who works with an abortion fund, was wearing an “I’m on the pill” T-shirt, complete with instructions printed on the back detailing how to get a medical abortion. She also looked skyward: “Here it comes again! That’s just the coolest thing.” (Wax-Thibodeaux and Brownlee, 5/15)

Kaiser Health News: Listen: Abortion Laws Could Have Unexpected Consequences
Julie Rovner, Kaiser Health News’ chief Washington correspondent, talks with Robin Young on “Here and Now” about the possible ramifications of strict abortion limits passed by Alabama’s legislature or other laws recently enacted in certain conservative states. The Alabama bill would outlaw all abortions except those to save a woman’s life and would establish long prison terms for doctors who violate it. (5/15)

The New York Times: Alabama Aims Squarely At Roe, But The Supreme Court May Prefer Glancing Blows
Abortion rights are at risk at the Supreme Court, but the short-term threat may not come from extreme measures like the one passed by Alabama lawmakers. The court led by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. is more likely to chip away at the constitutional right to abortion established in 1973 in Roe v. Wade than to overturn it outright. It will have plenty of opportunities to do so. As soon as Monday, the court could announce whether it will hear challenges to three provisions of Indiana abortion laws on issues like the disposal of fetal remains and an 18-hour waiting period after state-mandated ultrasound examinations. (Liptak, 5/15)

Reuters: Roe V. Wade At Risk: Key Facts On Legal Challenges To U.S. Abortion Rights
Before reaching the Supreme Court, the Alabama law would need to be challenged in federal district court. The judge's decision would be appealed to the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The 11th Circuit is currently split 6-6 between Republican- and Democratic-appointed judges. Trump has made three recent appointments to that court. Both those courts are bound to follow existing Supreme Court precedent. Only after those two rulings, which could take more than a year, would an appeal reach the high court. (5/15)

Los Angeles Times: Supreme Court Is Not Eager To Overturn Roe Vs. Wade — At Least Not Soon
The Supreme Court justices will meet behind closed doors Thursday morning and are expected to debate and discuss — for the 14th time — Indiana’s appeal of court rulings that have blocked a law to prohibit certain abortions. The high court’s action — or so far, nonaction — in Indiana’s case gives one clue as to how the court’s conservative majority will decide the fate of abortion bans recently passed by lawmakers in Alabama and Georgia. Republican Gov. Kay Ivey of Alabama signed her state's ban into law on Wednesday. (Savage, 5/15)

The New York Times: In Abortion Fight, 2020 Female Candidates Lead Call To Arms
For Senator Elizabeth Warren, the moment brought up memories of “back alley butchers” and “desperate women.” Senator Kamala Harris compared it to “a scene from ‘The Handmaid’s Tale.’” And Senator Kirsten Gillibrand warned about a “war on women,” calling for Americans to “fight like hell.” Female presidential candidates have charged into the battle over the new Alabama law that would, barring legal challenges, effectively outlaw abortions in the state, condemning it just minutes after the State Senate’s passage and continuing to sound the alarm as Gov. Kay Ivey signed it on Wednesday. (Lerer and Glueck, 5/15)

The Associated Press: Alabama Law Moves Abortion To The Center Of 2020 Campaign
The furor over abortion quickly took over on the Democratic campaign trail. Rallying supporters in New Hampshire, Sen. Kamala Harris said she would back a legal challenge to Alabama and Georgia's restrictive abortion laws. She also vowed to make a commitment to upholding the Roe decision a "significant factor" in any Supreme Court nominees she might choose as president, though she declined to go as far as presidential rival Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who has promised to only nominate judges ready to preserve the 1973 ruling that established a woman's constitutional right to an abortion. (Schor, Miller and Weissert, 5/15)

The Hill: 2020 Dems Condemn Alabama Abortion Bill: 'This Is A War On Women'
Democratic presidential hopefuls decried the Alabama Senate’s passage on Tuesday of a measure that would outlaw almost all abortions in the state, accusing Republicans of carrying out a brazen attack on women’s rights in a bid to overturn decades of legal precedent. The legislation, which would outlaw abortions at every stage of pregnancy with few exceptions, is the latest flashpoint in the national debate over abortion rights and the fate of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court case that recognized a woman’s right to the procedure. (Greenwood, 5/15)

Politico: 2020 Dems Scramble To Denounce Alabama Abortion Bill
Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), who announced last week that she would only appoint judges who would uphold Roe, called the legislation an “outrage” in an interview on MSNBC Wednesday. “It's nothing short of an attack on women's basic human rights and civil rights, and it's something women in America will have to fight against with everything they've got,” she said, promoting her planned trip to Georgia to hold round-table meetings on its bill. (Oprysko, 5/15)

The Washington Post: Abortion Ban Reaction: Democrats Erupt, Republicans Stay Quiet As Both Sides See An Impact In The 2020 Election
Republicans leaders, by contrast, spent much of the day avoiding questions about the Alabama law, wary of being dragged into a debate over whether to refuse rape and incest victims the option of abortion following forced pregnancies. Trump left the topic of the Alabama law unaddressed on Twitter, the White House offered no comment about the measure, and several Republican senators such as Martha McSally (Ariz.) and Thom Tillis (N.C.), who are facing tough reelection fights, avoided the issue as best they could. (Scherer and Sonmez, 5/15)

CQ: State Bans On Abortion Revive The Issue's Political Power
Abortion is emerging as a factor in the 2020 elections, putting pressure on endangered Alabama Democratic Sen. Doug Jones as his state pushes the strictest limits in the country and presidential contenders seek to use new state abortion bans to rally their core supporters. Conservative state legislatures around the country have pushed a number of curbs on abortion this year in an effort to turn back the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision guaranteeing a national right to abortion. Alabama has taken the lead in adding restrictions, moving late Tuesday to pass a bill that would essentially ban abortion, with a limited exception for saving the life of the woman. (Raman, 5/15)

The New York Times: ‘The Time Is Now’: States Are Rushing To Restrict Abortion, Or To Protect It
In April, Indiana placed a near-total ban on the most common type of second-trimester abortion in the state. Days later, Ohio passed a bill banning abortion in the very early weeks of pregnancy after a fetal heartbeat is detected. Now on Wednesday, Gov. Kay Ivey of Alabama signed a bill effectively banning the procedure altogether. States across the country are passing some of the most restrictive abortion legislation in decades, deepening the growing divide between liberal and conservative states and setting up momentous court battles that could profoundly reshape abortion access in America. (Tavernise, 5/15)

Reuters: U.S. Anti-Abortion Groups Plot Course From State Capitals To Supreme Court
Anti-abortion advocacy groups have pushed hard in recent months for the passage of bills to restrict or even ban the procedure outright at the state level, inspired by the perception that the U.S. Supreme Court has tilted in their favor. Anti-abortion campaigners have been seeking to overturn a woman's constitutional right to an abortion ever since the U.S. Supreme Court found they had that right in the 1973 decision Roe v. Wade. (5/15)

The New York Times: 7 States Have Passed Bills This Year To Narrow The Window For Abortion
Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi and Ohio stopped short of outright bans, instead passing so-called heartbeat bills that effectively prohibit abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, when doctors can usually start detecting a fetal heartbeat. Utah and Arkansas voted to limit the procedure to the middle of the second trimester. Most other states follow the standard set by the Supreme Court’s Roe decision in 1973, which says abortion is legal until the fetus reaches viability, usually at 24 to 28 weeks. The latest bans are not yet in effect (Kentucky’s was blocked by a judge), and all are expected to face lengthy court battles — indeed, their proponents are hoping they will reach the Supreme Court. (Lai, 5/15)

The Associated Press: Wisconsin Assembly Approves 'Born Alive' Anti-Abortion Bill
The Wisconsin Assembly passed a so-called born alive anti-abortion bill Wednesday that President Donald Trump has touted, a move that comes as conservatives across the country push to end the constitutional right to abortion. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has promised to veto the measure, which was one of four anti-abortion bills up for passage in the Republican-controlled Assembly. (Bauer, 5/15)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Republicans Pass Abortion Restrictions As Some Get Behind Making Birth Control Easier To Get
Republicans in the state Assembly on Wednesday passed a slate of bills aimed at further restricting access to abortions while some are also backing legislation that would make birth control easier to get. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and at least three Republican lawmakers are backing legislation that would allow pharmacists to prescribe hormonal birth control. (Beck, 5/15)

The Washington Post: Missouri Senate Passes Bill To Ban Abortions At 8 Weeks
Missouri’s Republican-led Senate passed a bill to ban abortions at eight weeks of pregnancy. Senators approved the legislation 24-10 early Thursday with just hours left before lawmakers’ Friday deadline to pass bills. It needs at least another vote of approval in the GOP-led House before it can go to Republican Gov. Mike Parson, who supports it. Parson on Wednesday had called on state senators to take action on the bill, the latest GOP-dominated state emboldened by the possibility that a more conservative Supreme Court could overturn its landmark ruling legalizing the procedure. (Ballentine, 5/16)

KCUR: Senate Wants To Make Missouri Latest State To Substantially Curtail Abortion 
Missouri senators are considering a restrictive abortion bill which bans the procedure after a heartbeat or brain activity is detected — likely around eight weeks. It could make Missouri the latest state with a GOP-controlled Legislature to pass such a measure, a move that will almost certainly spark years of litigation that go all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. (Rosenbaum, 5/15)

The Associated Press: Louisiana 'Heartbeat' Abortion Ban Nearing Final Passage
A proposal to ban abortions in Louisiana as early as the sixth week of pregnancy continued to speed through the state legislature Wednesday, the same day Alabama's governor signed the nation's most restrictive law against the procedure. Without objection, the Louisiana House Health and Welfare Committee backed legislation to prohibit abortions when a fetal heartbeat is detected, similar to laws passed in several conservative states that are aimed at challenging the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 decision that legalized abortion. (DeSlatte, 5/15)

The Associated Press: Utah Prosecutor Says He Won't Enforce Strict Abortion Law
As Utah defends its strict new abortion ban against a court challenge, the chief prosecutor overseeing the county with the state's only two clinics has said he won't enforce the measure. Democratic Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill's decision marks the latest example of an official resisting such laws passed by states around the country. (Whitehurst, 5/15)

Sacramento Bee: CA Lawmakers Reaction To AL Bill Criminalizing Abortion
Roe v. Wade has been settled law for nearly half a century, but as a wave of conservative lawmakers in states like Alabama, Georgia and Ohio pass bills heavily restricting or outright outlawing the medical procedure of abortion, California lawmakers and other public figures are sounding the alarm. On Tuesday, Alabama lawmakers approved a bill criminalizing abortion, even in cases of rape and incest, and punishing doctors who perform it with up to 99 years in prison. (Sheeler, 5/15)

Reuters: ACLU, Planned Parenthood File Lawsuit Challenging Ohio Anti-Abortion Law
The American Civil Liberties Union, its Ohio branch and Planned Parenthood on Wednesday filed a lawsuit challenging an Ohio law that they say could ban abortion as early as six weeks into a woman's pregnancy. The law, which was passed by the Republican-controlled state legislature in April, bans abortions if doctors can detect a heartbeat, which can occur as early as six weeks into pregnancy. (6/16)

The Hill: ACLU Files Lawsuit Challenging Ohio 'Heartbeat' Abortion Law 
"Simply put, the Ohio law we're challenging today flies in the face of the Constitution," said Elizabeth Watson, staff attorney for the ACLU's Reproductive Freedom Project. The ACLU of Ohio and Planned Parenthood joined the ACLU in filing the lawsuit. Similar laws have passed this year in Mississippi and Georgia, while another in Kentucky was blocked in court earlier this year. (Hellmann, 5/15)

Columbus Dispatch: Abortion Providers Sue To Overturn Ohio 'Heartbeat' Law As Unconstitutional
After telling Gov. Mike DeWine they would see him in court, Ohio abortion providers have filed a federal lawsuit seeking to overturn a pending law to forbid abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected — typically around six weeks. The action filed in U.S. District Court in Columbus on Wednesday asks a judge to stay enforcement of the “heartbeat” law, scheduled to take effect July 11, and overturn it as causing “irreparable harm to plaintiffs’ patients from the unconstitutional denial of their reproductive rights.” (Ludlow, 5/15)

CQ: Legal Battle Heats Up As More States Test Strict Abortion Bans
Elizabeth Watson, a staff attorney with the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project, on a separate press call, called the Ohio bill part of the growing “concerted national effort to limit abortion.” “Let this be a warning to the anti-abortion politicians in Ohio and across the country: if you attack our right to abortion, we will always be here to defend it,” said Watson. (Raman, 5/15)

The Associated Press: Hollywood's Big Players Stay Quiet On Georgia Abortion Law
Georgia and Hollywood are worlds away from one another, physically and culturally, but irresistible tax incentives have turned the state into a filming powerhouse dubbed "Hollywood of the South." Productions as big as Marvel Studios' superhero blockbusters and shows like "Stranger Things" and "The Walking Dead" call the state home base, and some have not shied away from throwing their weight around when values clash with proposed laws. (5/16)

The New York Times: How ‘You Know Me’ Became #YouKnowMe
On Tuesday, after the Alabama Senate voted to pass a bill that would ban almost all abortions in the state, the actress Busy Philipps felt compelled to take action. “Women deserve compassion and understanding in their personal health choices,” Ms. Philipps, 39, said on Wednesday. “This is something a lot of people experience and go through in their lives, and it’s a health care decision like many health care decisions.” (Safronova, 5/15)

NBC News: Dem, GOP Senators Say They Have A Fix For Surprise Medical Bills
Democrats and Republicans in the Senate have joined forces to propose a law they say will help fix a problem experienced by at least 40 percent of Americans — surprise medical bills. Surprise medical bills are frequently the result of patients receiving treatment from a health care provider that they didn't know was not covered by their health insurance. In a bill they will introduce to the Senate Thursday, co-sponsors Democrat Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire and Republican Bill Cassidy of Louisiana want to make health care providers negotiate these out-of-network charges with the insurance companies before billing the patient. (Bomin and Gosk, 5/15)

The Hill: Work On Surprise Medical Bills Goes Into Overdrive
Days after President Trump called for action last week, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.) and ranking member Greg Walden (R-Ore.) on Tuesday released a draft bill to tackle the problem, a sign of momentum on the issue. A bipartisan group of lawmakers in the upper chamber, led by Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), plan to release their own legislation this week. (Sullivan, 5/15)

CQ: Bipartisan Senators To Offer Another Surprise Medical Bill Plan
The measure comes from lawmakers including Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., who last year offered different ways of stopping patients with insurance from getting bills for out-of-network medical care received during emergencies or from a provider they did not realize was out-of-network. “We have worked for almost a year with patient groups, doctors, insurers and hospitals to refine this proposal,” Cassidy said in a statement. “This is a bipartisan solution ensuring patients are protected and don’t receive surprise bills that are uncapped by anything but a sense of shame.” (McIntire, 5/16)

More coverage: Check out KHN's special series on surprisingly high medical bills. 

In other news on health care costs —

The Wall Street Journal: White House Wants Patients To Know Health-Care Prices Up Front
The Trump administration has been working behind the scenes for months on a strategy to force greater price disclosure across much of the $3.5 trillion health-care industry. The push relies on existing administrative tools, according to people familiar with the discussions. Those include Labor Department powers under the law that sets minimum standards for private-industry health plans and current hospital-payment rules under Medicare. (Armour, 5/15)

Kansas City Star: Discount Medical Shopping Site Launches In Kansas City
A new website launching first in Kansas City aims to help consumers buy medical care the same way they might buy flights and hotel rooms: online, with upfront pricing. And, like some of the deals advertised on travel sites, some of the prices can be steeply discounted, like $29 for a teeth cleaning with X-rays, or $79 for a 60-minute MRI. (Marso, 5/15)

Wired: The Trump Admin Is Scrubbing Obamacare From Government Sites
According to a new report, the Trump administration has been systematically wiping crucial information about the ACA from government websites over the past two years. Unlike changes to funding, these modifications often happen with little fanfare or government oversight, but they can still have a dramatic impact on Americans' access to health care resources. The report was published Wednesday by the Sunlight Foundation, an open government group whose Web Integrity Project monitors some 30,000 government pages for updates and alterations. Looking at sites administered by the Department for Health and Human Services, it documents 26 instances in which information related to the Affordable Care Act was substantially altered or removed. Some of the changes were subtle. Others, including the disappearance of an 85-page website devoted to the ACA, were sweeping. Taken together, the researchers argue, the modifications are tantamount to government censorship and point to an increasing need for oversight of government websites. (Lapowsky, 5/15)

In other news on the health law and the Trump administration —

Kaiser Health News: Trump’s Talk On Preexisting Conditions Doesn’t Match His Administration’s Actions
Delivering remarks on surprise medical billing, which is a concern that has drawn bipartisan interest, President Donald Trump waded into another high-profile health issue: making sure insurance protects people who have preexisting health conditions. “We will always protect patients with preexisting conditions, very importantly,” Trump said on May 9.It’s natural Trump would want to make this claim. (Luthra, 5/16)

The Washington Post: The Costliest Drug On The Planet: New Treatment For Spinal Muscular Atrophy Sparks Rivalry
Until three years ago, infants diagnosed with a rare disease known as spinal muscular atrophy were doomed to death or heartbreaking disability. If babies survived, many parents were forced to build virtual ICUs in their homes. Then gene science brought a drug to market in 2016 that gave afflicted children a strong chance at life, maybe even freedom from a wheelchair. Now, the Food and Drug Administration is poised to approve a second gene treatment for infants with SMA, and with a price tag of $1.5 million to $5 million, it will be the most expensive drug on the planet. (Rowland, 5/15)

Stat: In Washington, A Partisan Approach To Lowering Drug Costs Leaves Democrats Doubting Their Own Party Leadership
Two top Democratic lawmakers are questioning Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s strategy to couple legislation to lower prescription drug costs with far more contentious Obamacare bills, saying the tactic nixes potential for a bipartisan win. Democratic leadership plans to hold a floor vote Thursday on the combined package of health care bills — effectively rebuking the Trump administration for its attempts to roll back the Affordable Care Act and simultaneously daring Republicans to vote against drug pricing reforms that are increasingly popular. (Facher, 5/16)

CQ: House Vote Combining Drug, Health Law Bills Irks Republicans
The House is set to vote Thursday on legislation meant to lower prescription drug prices and strengthen the individual health insurance exchanges, setting up a political minefield for Republicans who are torn between the two issues. Democratic leaders’ decision to combine legislation that would make it easier to bring generic drugs to market with bills that would bolster the 2010 health care law (PL 111-148, PL 111-152) does not damage the prospects of passage for the package of bills. But that does make it certain that most Republicans will vote against the bipartisan drug pricing legislation. (McIntire, 5/16)

Stat: Gilead CEO To Testify Before A House Committee About Pricing For Its HIV Prevention Pill
Gilead Sciences (GILD), which is already the subject of red-hot attention for its business practices, is about to come under still more scrutiny when a House committee holds a hearing on Thursday about pricing for its Truvada HIV prevention pill. And Gilead chief executive Daniel O’Day will be among those testifying. AIDS activists have increasingly lambasted the company for pricing they claim has caused access issues and have implored the federal government to pursue royalties on a key patent that was filed by researchers whose work was funded, in part, with taxpayer dollars. (Silverman, 5/15)

Modern Healthcare: CMS Seeks To Limit 'Spread Pricing' By PBMs In Managed Care
The CMS is concerned that some Medicaid managed care plans are not accurately reporting "spread pricing," a tactic where pharmacy benefit managers charge a plan more for a drug than it reimburses a pharmacy. The agency released a regulatory guidance on Wednesday intended to help states monitor and audit Medicaid and CHIP managed care plans to identify spread pricing when calculating their medical loss ratio (MLR). The guidance clarified that plans must include a PBM rebate in calculating an MLR if the PBM used a subcontractor. (King, 5/15)

Bloomberg: Swarms Of Bugs, Missing Data Plague Firms Now Making Heart Drug 
A pair of drugmakers in India that the U.S. is counting on to produce generic blood-pressure pills after a far-reaching recall have been faulted by regulators for quality-control issues. Cadila Healthcare Ltd. and Alkem Laboratories Ltd. both won approvals in March from the Food and Drug Administration to make generic versions of valsartan for the U.S. market. Neither company made any of the recalled valsartan, but both companies have recently been cited by agency inspectors for quality-control failures that echo problems at other drugmakers -- renewing questions about the safety of some of the world’s most widely prescribed medicines. (Edney, 5/16)

Modern Healthcare: Civica Rx Partners With Xellia Pharmaceuticals On First Generic Drugs
Civica Rx teamed up with Xellia Pharmaceuticals to produce the antibiotics vancomycin and daptomycin for Civica's members, the companies announced Wednesday. The drugs used to treat critically ill patients with serious infections are the first that the hospital-led not-for-profit generic drug company have identified. Civica, bolstered by the support of more than 800 U.S. hospitals, plans to deliver 14 generic medications this year as it aims to reinforce the supply of generics prone to shortage and reduce drug costs. (Kacik, 5/15)

Stat: Novartis May Be Close To Settling Kickback Case On The Eve Of A Trial 
After six years of jousting, Novartis (NVS) appears close to settling a lawsuit in which the federal government alleged the drug maker used kickbacks to doctors — including fishing trips and lavish meals — in order to boost prescriptions of several medicines, according to sources familiar with the matter. There is no guarantee that a deal will occur. A trial date was set for this coming Monday in a Lower Manhattan courtroom, although a pretrial conference that was scheduled for last Friday was adjourned the previous day, according to court documents. Details of a settlement could not be learned, but sources indicate the company may agree to pay close to $1 billion to resolve the case. (Silverman, 5/15)

Stat: Shaped Like A Tennis Ball, This Cancer Protein Was Thought ‘Undruggable.’ Amgen Found A Way To Target It
Scientists have long known that a mutant form of the cell-signaling protein called KRAS causes cancer, but discovering drugs capable of blocking KRAS has proven difficult. The protein is spherical and nearly featureless — its structure has been compared to a tennis ball —  leaving potential drugs with few, if any, effective attachment points. On Wednesday, Amgen (AMGN) is reporting early but potential progress in an effort to block mutant KRAS and kill cancer cells. The Amgen drug, a small molecule pill called AMG 510, caused tumors to partially shrink in 30% of patients with lung tumors that tested positive for a particular kind of KRAS mutation. (Feuerstein, 5/15)

Bloomberg: Sanofi Joins Drugmakers' Bid To Treat Patients With Software
Sanofi is joining other big pharmaceutical companies in expanding beyond pills and injections into a new frontier of tech-based treatments that doctors can prescribe. Working with partner Happify Health, the French drugmaker is studying a potential digital therapy for patients with depression and multiple sclerosis. That follows the launch last year of a similar type of prescription treatment from Novartis AG and Pear Therapeutics Inc. aimed at substance abuse, the first of its kind to win U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval. (Paton, 5/15)

PBS NewsHour: Conn. Attorney General Calls Generic Drug Makers A ‘Private Sector Cartel’
Affordable health care is a persistent concern for Americans and a topic of great political debate. Typically, generic prescription drugs offer a cheaper alternative to name brands, but a new multi-state lawsuit alleges that their manufacturers have been artificially raising prices. (Yang, 5/15)

Columbus Dispatch: New Federal Guidelines Target Excessive Profits By Pharmacy Benefit Managers
Citing Ohio’s struggles with rising drug costs, federal regulators on Wednesday announced new reporting guidelines for tax-funded Medicaid managed-care plans aimed at eliminating excessive profits. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ directive targets pharmacy middlemen’s use of “spread pricing” and rebates from drug manufacturers to boost earnings. (Candisky, 5/15)

The Washington Post: Federal Judge Blocks New U.S. Policy For Distributing Livers For Transplant
A federal judge temporarily blocked a new policy for distributing scarce livers for transplant Wednesday, deciding that patients and hospitals in less-populated areas will suffer if the new rules remain in effect. The decision by U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg in Atlanta came just a day after the policy was implemented. On Monday, she had declined to intervene but had asked the government to voluntarily delay it until the Supreme Court decided a case on relevant issues in coming weeks. (Bernstein, 5/15)

USA Today: Hospital Ratings: D And F Hospitals Have Twice Death Risk From Error
Patients' risk of dying from medical mistakes, deadly infections and safety lapses have gotten much worse at the lowest ranked U.S. hospitals, underscoring Americans' need to check ratings of their local hospitals, new research released Wednesday shows. The new analysis is based on data gleaned from about 2,600 U.S. hospitals since 2016. What the findings reveal is that some of the nation's most dangerous medical centers have become even riskier for patients. (O'Donnell, 5/15)

Modern Healthcare: 161,000 Avoidable Deaths Occur In Hospitals Annually
An estimated 161,250 preventable deaths occur each year in U.S. hospitals, a decline from three years ago, according to a new analysis from the Leapfrog Group. The study, published Wednesday and conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality through a contract with the Leapfrog Group, found that poor hospital performance on 16 patient safety measures used by Leapfrog Group to assign hospital grades caused more than 161,000 deaths annually. The findings actually represent a decline in deaths from 2016 when Johns Hopkins conducted a similar analysis for Leapfrog Group in which 206,000 preventable deaths occurred each year. (Castellucci, 5/15)

Chicago Tribune: Which Illinois Hospitals Are The Best? The Worst? Depends On Whom You Ask. 
Hospital grades, rankings and ratings are supposed to make it easier to choose where to get care. But when more than half a dozen organizations regularly chime in, it can get a bit confusing for patients. The nonprofit Leapfrog Group just released its latest patient safety grades Wednesday, dinging five Illinois hospitals with Ds and awarding 42 with As – grades that Leapfrog says can mean the difference between life and death for some patients. (Schencker, 5/15)

In other news on hospitals —

Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee's Rural Hospitals Are Dying Off. Who's Next?
The closure of a local hospital is a very real possibility for the people of Greeneville, a hardscrabble Appalachian community of 15,000 about an hour east of Knoxville. The facilities here, Laughlin Memorial Hospital and Takoma Regional Hospital, have been half-empty and losing money at least four years in a row. New owners recently fused Laughlin and Takoma in a desperate effort to become profitable, and officials admit that both hospitals were likely to close in a few years without intervention. Many Greeneville residents, accustomed to a town with two hospitals, don’t realize how close they came to having zero.  (Kelman, 5/15)

Modern Healthcare: Lawmakers Question Who Should Pay For Hospital Disaster Preparedness
Hospitals' ability to withstand natural disasters while keeping their patients safe came under scrutiny by the House Ways and Means Committee Wednesday. But lawmakers mostly avoided talking about new hospital regulations as they convened the panel's first hearing on climate change in 12 years. When the issue came up, Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Ala.) immediately signaled concern about where the money should come from, as she doesn't want the government to add costs to rural hospitals. She asked whether the federal government should start funding hospital preparations. (Luthi, 5/15)

The New York Times: The Met Will Turn Down Sackler Money Amid Fury Over The Opioid Crisis
The Metropolitan Museum of Art said on Wednesday that it would stop accepting gifts from members of the Sackler family linked to the maker of OxyContin, severing ties between one of the world’s most prestigious museums and one of its most prolific philanthropic dynasties. The decision was months in the making, and followed steps by other museums, including the Tate Modern in London and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, to distance themselves from the family behind Purdue Pharma. On Wednesday, the American Museum of Natural History said that it, too, had ceased taking Sackler donations. (Harris, 5/15)

The Associated Press: Met Museum: No More Money From Family Connected To OxyContin
The Sackler family overall has a multi-decade history with the Met and other cultural institutions, and there is a wing named for them at the museum that houses the well-known Temple of Dendur. But there has been increasing criticism over institutions accepting money from the branches of the Sackler family that are connected to Purdue Pharma, which makes OxyContin. (5/15)

The Wall Street Journal: The Met Stops Taking Gifts From Purdue Pharma’s Sacklers
Purdue, which manufactures prescription pain pill OxyContin, and other drug companies are facing lawsuits from more than 1,600 municipalities and states in the U.S. alleging the companies helped spark the country’s addiction crisis. Some of the lawsuits allege certain Sackler family members played a pivotal role in OxyContin’s marketing and growing sales. The Sackler family and company have broadly denied the allegations. The families of Raymond and Mortimer Sackler, brothers who started Purdue Pharma, said in a statement they remain committed to supporting the missions of institutions like the Met. (Hopkins, 5/15)

In other news on the opioid epidemic —

The Detroit News: Rapid Opioid Detoxification Helps Turn Around Pontiac General Hospital
A controversial procedure that claims to help turn around opioid addicts' lives is helping turn around Pontiac General Hospital. The independently run, for-profit hospital that has gone through at least four bankruptcies since its establishment in 1910 is under new ownership and has left the red since exiting its latest Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2016. It is due to the hospital's emphasis on the needs of the community, CEO Sanyam Sharma says, which includes drug rehabilitation — specifically, advanced rapid opioid detoxification, a fairly new procedure that has gone through little testing and has earned a bad reputation among some addiction experts. (Nobel, 5/6)

The Wall Street Journal: Opioid Makers Draw Scrutiny From Hedge Funds
At an investor lunch in late March, the chief executive of drugmaker Mallinckrodt PLC, one of the largest generic oxycodone producers in the U.S., said he expected the company would bear no liability for its alleged role in the opioid crisis, according to people familiar with the meeting. Some investors are betting otherwise. (Chung, Randazzo and Grant, 5/15)

The Associated Press: North Dakota To Appeal Ruling In Suit Against Opioid Maker
North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem said the state will appeal the dismissal of the state's lawsuit against the maker of OxyContin over opioid abuse. South Central District Judge James Hill on Friday threw out the state's claim that Connecticut-based Purdue Pharma minimized risks and overstated benefits of long-term use of narcotic opioids including OxyContin. (5/15)

WBUR: Meth Overdose Deaths In U.S. Quadruple Over 6-Year Span
Methamphetamine is still a widely used drug in many parts of the United States, and across the country, overdose deaths involving meth have more than quadrupled over a six-year period. In Oregon, health authorities report that meth is now the leading cause of drug-related deaths in the state. Dr. Andy Mendenhall, chief medical officer for Central City Concern in Portland, Oregon, says meth use has a long history in Oregon. (Hobson, 5/15)

The Associated Press: North Carolina Sues E-Cigarette Maker JUUL Over Marketing
North Carolina's attorney general is suing a popular e-cigarette maker, asking a court to limit what flavors it can sell and ensure underage teens can't buy its vaping products. Josh Stein, the top law enforcement official in the traditionally tobacco-friendly state, said Wednesday he's the first state attorney general to take the maker of Juul to court. The Massachusetts attorney general last year announced an investigation into Juul's sales and marketing. (5/15)

The Washington Post: Juul Lawsuit: North Carolina Tries To Ban Most Sales And Marketing In The State
The suit, filed in state court, alleges that Juul caused addiction in consumers by “deceptively downplaying the potency and danger of the nicotine” and employed advertising campaigns that targeted people under the legal smoking age. Several of the state’s requests overlap with existing Food and Drug Administration policies, including prohibiting the sale of Juul and other e-cigarette products to minors. But the state’s complaint goes further: FDA guidelines restrict the sale of fruit or candy flavors in stores, allowing menthol, tobacco and mint to be sold. North Carolina’s request would bring mint off the market in that state, in addition to the popular flavors like mango and cucumber. (Paul, 5/15)

The Wall Street Journal: North Carolina Accuses Juul Of Targeting Teens In Lawsuit
“Juul’s business practices are not only reckless, they’re illegal,” Mr. Stein said Wednesday in a statement. “And I intend to put a stop to them. We cannot allow another generation of young people to become addicted to nicotine. ”Juul said in a statement that the company shares the concerns about youth vaping and noted it had been working with Mr. Stein’s office and taken aggressive actions to combat underage use. (Armental, 5/15)

The Associated Press: Judge Orders FDA To Speed Up Review Of E-Cigarettes
A federal judge is siding with public health groups suing the Food and Drug Administration to begin reviewing thousands of e-cigarettes on the U.S. market. The ruling handed down Wednesday in district court states that the agency shirked its legal duty when it postponed reviewing all U.S. vaping products by several years. (5/15)

The Hill: Federal Judge Orders FDA To Start Regulating E-Cigarettes
The decision amounted to "an abdication of its statutory responsibilities," Judge Paul Grimm ruled. While it tried to figure out how to implement the law, FDA, he said, essentially afforded "the manufacturers responsible for the public harm a holiday from meeting the obligations of the law." Grimm ruled that FDA has two weeks to submit a specific plan of action on moving forward with the reviews. Grimm noted that the agency will still have to go through the standard rulemaking procedures, but added that "manufacturers long have been on notice" that they will have to submit their products for FDA reviews. (Weixel, 5/15)

In related news —

The Wall Street Journal: Reynolds, With An Eye On Juul, Wades Into Social Media
One of the biggest U.S. tobacco companies has started marketing its e-cigarettes on Twitter and Instagram, seeking to regain market share lost to upstart Juul Labs Inc. The ads and social-media accounts for Vuse e-cigarettes, from Camel and Newport maker Reynolds American, launched Wednesday. They come less than a year after Juul pulled back its U.S. social-media marketing amid concerns that it had targeted teenagers. (Maloney, 5/15)

The New York Times: A Rival To Botox Invites Doctors To Party In Cancun, With Fireworks, Confetti And Social Media Posts
Top plastic surgeons and cosmetic dermatologists gathered at the Ritz-Carlton in Cancun one weekend this month to learn about a wrinkle-smoothing injection, Jeuveau, that goes on sale this week. Jeuveau’s manufacturer, Evolus, billed the event as an advisory board meeting. But it also appeared to double as a lavish launch party for Jeuveau, which the company is hoping will compete against Botox in a crowded market that also includes two other products. (Thomas, 5/15)

The Wall Street Journal: CVS Health To Require Third-Party Testing Of Vitamins, Supplements
CVS Health Corp. said its pharmacies will require third-party testing on all of the vitamins and supplements sold online and in its stores. CVS said Wednesday that the third-party testing would seek to verify the accuracy of the ingredients listed on the supplement facts panel of vitamins and supplements and to ensure the products are free from certain additives and ingredients. (Chin, 5/15)

The Wall Street Journal: Nestlé Enters Exclusive Talks To Sell Skin-Health Business
Nestlé SA has entered exclusive talks to sell its skin-health business to private-equity firm EQT and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority for $10.1 billion, its latest move to reshape its sprawling portfolio and revive sluggish growth. The Swiss consumer goods giant said in September it was exploring options for the unit as part of a broader effort by Chief Executive Mark Schneider to reinvigorate Nestlé’s portfolio and focus more on coffee, pet care and consumer health. (Blackstone and Dummett, 5/16)

NPR: Vaccines For Adults: What You Should Know
Amid one of the largest measles outbreaks in the U.S. in recent history, vaccines are on the minds of many Americans. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported this week that the number of measles cases this year has climbed to 839 in 23 states, affecting mostly unvaccinated people. Most people in the U.S. are vaccinated against measles when they're children as part of the routine immunizations they get in primary care. (Gordon, 5/15)

Boston Globe: This Doctor Posted Online In Favor Of Immunization. Then Vaccine Opponents Targeted Her
Dr. Monique Tello was attending a medical conference last fall when a speaker on social media suggested the physicians search themselves on Google. Why not, thought Tello, an internist at Massachusetts General Hospital. She was stunned by what she found. More than 100 negative one-star reviews and derogatory comments had been posted about her on popular physician rating websites. “Ignorant, and could care less about her patients,’’ she recalled one poster writing. (Kowalczyk, 5/11)

The Oregonian: Oregon Governor Nixes Vaccine Bill As US Measles Count Soars 
Critics blasted a decision by Oregon Democrats that killed a bill aimed at getting more children vaccinated for measles and other preventable diseases in order pass a tax on large businesses, saying it jeopardized public health. Despite passing the House and having the necessary votes in the Senate, the measure to make it harder for families to opt out of required vaccinations was nixed as part of a deal announced Monday to end a week-long Senate Republican walkout over a multibillion school funding tax. (5/15)

The CT Mirror: Lawmakers Poised To Announce Plan For Repealing Religious Exemption On Vaccines
Legislative leaders are preparing to unveil their plans for removing the state’s religious exemption on mandatory vaccines, a hot-button topic that has provoked heated debate and brought hundreds to the Capitol to speak out against the move. House Majority Leader Matthew Ritter, D-Hartford, said Wednesday that lawmakers are expected to make an announcement by the end of the week. (Carlesso, 5/15)

The Associated Press: Less Fat, More Fruit May Cut Risk Of Dying Of Breast Cancer
For the first time, a large experiment suggests that trimming dietary fat and eating more fruits and vegetables may lower a woman's risk of dying of breast cancer. The results are notable because they come from a rigorous test involving 49,000 women over two decades rather than other studies that try to draw health conclusions from observations about how people eat. (5/15)

The Washington Post: Lower-Fat Diet Reduces Women’s Risk Of Dying From Breast Cancer, Study Says
The conclusions, from the latest analysis of the federally funded Women’s Health Initiative, provide the first randomized clinical-trial evidence that diet can reduce postmenopausal women’s risk of dying of breast cancer, the researchers said. Past observational studies, which do not measure cause and effect, have had inconsistent findings. The results “are exciting and empowering for the patient,” said Elisa Port, chief of breast surgery at Mount Sinai Health System in New York, who was not involved in the study. “This is a wake-up call for women — there’s something they can do, rather than just waiting for the shoe to drop.” (McGinley, 5/15)

The Philadelphia Inquirer/Philly.com: Pelvic Mesh Is Under Fire. What Should Women With Prolapsed Organs Do?
Last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration took tough action, ordering the two remaining manufacturers of transvaginal mesh for pelvic organ prolapse to stop all sales. Here’s the kicker: The FDA’s ban does not apply to all pelvic mesh products, and certain types remain an important option in selected cases, particularly for treating urinary incontinence. Experts say the benefits of using the devices depend on the surgical route, the therapeutic goal, the skill of the surgeon, and other factors that are still being studied. (McCullough, 5/15)

Reuters: For Some Trauma Doctors, Clash With NRA Proves Therapeutic
A recent clash with the National Rifle Association (NRA) has shown some doctors who treat gunshot victims a way to heal their own trauma: through activism against gun violence. With rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on par with that of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans, trauma surgeons have found that speaking out helps them cope with the hopelessness and anger that come from seeing gunshot victims repeatedly wheeled into the trauma bay. (5/15)

In other gun safety news —

The Associated Press: Schools Turn To Technology To Reduce Toll During Shootings
Efforts to combat school shootings are shifting toward software and other technology to reduce the number of victims. Security experts say gunshot detection systems, apps and artificial intelligence are becoming more common because school attacks, while relatively rare, have been among the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history. The technology is often used in combination with mental health and anti-bullying programs. (5/16)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Officer Sues Gun Store That Sold Gun Used Against Him Two Years Later
A retired Milwaukee police officer has sued a West Allis business for selling a gun later used to shoot the officer in 2016 as he sat in his squad car after responding to a domestic violence call. Brandon Baranowski, 34, suffered several gunshot wounds and was never able to return to active duty. He later took duty disability retirement. (Vielmetter, 5/15)

The New York Times: Where Should A Child Die? Hospice Homes Help Families With The Unimaginable
Children dressed as superheroes skidded over the hardwood floors of a toy-filled living room. Local police officers and firefighters pretended to give chase. The birthday boy, a month shy of 1, wore a Superman T-shirt and a red cape with a yellow lightning bolt. His 3-year-old sister, in a Batgirl costume, was cheering in the open kitchen as she heaped sprinkles onto cookies straight from the oven. Parents and grandparents laid out green-and-blue-frosted slices of cake on the communal dining tables. Balloons floated overhead, adding splashes of color to the cathedral ceiling. Through skylights, the early winter sun beamed down onto the gas fireplace. A photographer circulated through the room. It was noon on a Thursday last December, and the 50 or so guests all knew that the birthday boy, Parker Graf, was going to die the next day. (Ouyang, 5/15)

The New York Times: Was It An Invisible Attack On U.S. Diplomats, Or Something Stranger?
The piercing, high-pitched noises were first heard by a couple of recently arrived United States Embassy officials in Havana in late 2016, soon after Donald Trump was elected president. They heard the noises in their homes, in the city’s leafy western suburbs. If they moved to a different room, or walked outside, the noise stopped. The two officials said they believed that the sound was man-made, a form of harassment. Around the same time, they began to develop a variety of symptoms: headaches, fatigue, dizziness, mental fog, hearing loss, nausea. (Hurley, 5/15)

Reuters: 'Hidden Health Crisis' Of Snakebites Gets $100 Million Funding Injection
A global health trust is to inject 80 million pounds ($102 million) into finding more modern and effective treatments for snakebites - a "hidden health crisis" that kills 120,000 people a year and maims thousands more. The project, launched by Britain's Wellcome Trust global health charity on Thursday, aims both to improve the world's supply of antivenoms - the only current treatment for snakebites - and to develop new and more effective drugs for the future. (5/15)

The New York Times: Fitness For Bodies That Don’t Fit The Mainstream
Five years ago, Asher Freeman tried to find a personal trainer knowledgeable about the fitness needs of queer and transgender people. The search came up empty. So Freeman, who identifies as nonbinary and uses the pronouns they and them, took college courses in exercise science and became certified as a personal trainer. “It was really my own experience that made me realize the need for fitness professionals serving those of us whose bodies do not fit into the mainstream fitness industry’s narrow definition of health,” said Freeman, who prefers not to use labels like Mr. or Ms. (de la Cruz, 5/16)

Stat: Brain Training Improves Veterans' Cognitive Performance After TBI
Now, however, a Pentagon-funded study has found that a specific form of computer-based brain training can improve cognitive performance in vets such as Deegan who suffered persistent mental deficits after a mild traumatic brain injury (TBI), researchers reported on Thursday at a conference in Washington. If the results hold up, the training, a commercial product called BrainHQ, will be the first intervention shown to do so. (Begley, 5/16)

The Associated Press: Blurred Lines: A Pregnant Man's Tragedy Tests Gender Notions
When the man arrived at the hospital with severe abdominal pains, a nurse didn't consider it an emergency, noting that he was obese and had stopped taking blood pressure medicines. In reality, he was pregnant — a transgender man in labor that was about to end in a stillbirth. The tragic case, described in Wednesday's New England Journal of Medicine, points to larger issues about assigning labels or making assumptions in a society increasingly confronting gender variations in sports , entertainment and government . In medicine, there's a similar danger of missing diseases such as sickle cell and cystic fibrosis that largely affect specific racial groups, the authors write. (5/15)

North Carolina Health News: New Tech For Tuberculosis Patients 
While historical novels and pop culture are filled with references to “consumption,” “wasting disease” and tuberculosis sanatoriums, TB is by no means a disease that’s only consigned to history. In 2017, 1.6 million people worldwide died from TB, the World Health Organization reports. To combat the extremely contagious disease, since 1993 the WHO has recommended directly observed therapy (DOT), in which a provider watches patients take their daily pills. (Duong, 5/16)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Teen Suicide Prevention Treatment Can Be Hard To Find Across The USA
Teens across America are increasingly anxious and depressed. Social media is amplifying bullying and other bad behaviors, leaving kids feeling isolated and tormented.In many parts of the country, it is difficult to get treatment for mental health problems. (Linnane, Zettel-Vadenhouten and BeMiller, 5/15)

NPR: Highly Potent Weed: What We Know About The Health Effects
As more states legalize marijuana, more people in the U.S. are buying and using weed — and the kind of weed they can buy has become much stronger. That concerns scientists who study marijuana and its effects on the body, as well as emergency room doctors who say they're starting to see more patients who come into the ER with weed-associated issues. (Chatterjee, 5/15)

The New York Times: How Tiger Woods Won The Back Surgery Lottery
Few would have predicted that Tiger Woods would be playing in the P.G.A. Championship this week. He had three failed back surgeries, starting in 2014. He had taken opioids. His astonishing career seemed over. Then he had one more operation, a spinal fusion, the most complex of all, in 2017. And last month he won the Masters, playing the way he used to. An outcome like his from fusion surgery is so rare it is “like winning the lottery,” Dr. Sohail K. Mirza, a spine surgeon at Dartmouth, said. (Kolata, 5/15)

The Associated Press: Using A Smartphone To Sound Out Sign Of Kids' Ear Infections
Researchers have created a way for a smartphone to "hear" a warning sign of ear infections — fluid buildup behind the eardrum. If it pans out, parents might one day check their tots' ears at home simply using a phone app and "stuff you have around the house — paper, tape and scissors," said one of the lead researchers, Dr. Sharat Raju of the University of Washington. (Neergaard, 5/15)

NPR: DIY Diagnosis For Ear Infections: There Soon May Be An App For That
The app is still experimental and would require clearance by the Food and Drug Administration before it could hit the market. But early data, published Wednesday in Science Translational Medicine, suggest that the smartphone can perform as well as an expensive test in a doctor's office. While there are many thousands of health-related apps, this one stands out because it uses the phone's microphone and speaker to make its diagnosis. (Harris, 5/15)

Stat: App Could Help Diagnose Ear Infections More Accurately — And At Home
The funnel is placed on the outside of the ear, at which point the app sends a bird chirp-like sound into the ear. Depending on the sounds that the app picks up in return, a machine learning algorithm built into the app is able to tell whether or not there is liquid in the ear. “It’s like tapping on a wine glass,” Chan said. “Depending on whether it’s empty or not, it’s going to sound different.” (Chakradhar, 5/15)

And in other news —

Stat: Experimental Brain-Controlled Hearing Aid Can Pick Out Voices In A Crowd
The brain is unsurpassed in its ability to pick out juicy tidbits and attention-grabbing voices against a cacophony of background noise. Hearing aids, however, stink at this “cocktail party effect”: Rather than amplifying a particular voice by selective attention, they amplify every sound equally. On Wednesday, researchers unveiled a possible solution — an experimental hearing aid that reads the mind. It uses artificial intelligence to separate the sounds of different speakers, detects brain activity that makes one of those voices stand out from the others, and amplifies only that voice before delivering the sound to the listener, they explained in Science Advances. (Begley, 5/15)

The Wall Street Journal: PG&E Caused Fire That Killed 85, California Concludes
California investigators found that PG&E Corp.’s equipment sparked the deadliest wildfire in state history, putting additional pressure on a company already facing billions of dollars in fire-related liability costs. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said on Wednesday it had determined that a PG&E electric-transmission line near the town of Pulga, Calif., ignited last year’s Camp Fire, which spread quickly across dry vegetation in the forested foothills of the Sierra Nevada, killing 85 people and destroying the town of Paradise. (Blunt, 5/15)

Los Angeles Times: PG&E Power Lines Caused California’s Deadliest Fire, Investigators Conclude
“Cal Fire has determined that the Camp fire was caused by electrical transmission lines owned and operated by Pacific Gas and Electric located in the Pulga area,” the agency said in a news release Wednesday. PG&E in February acknowledged that “the company believes it is probable that its equipment will be determined to be an ignition point of the 2018 Camp fire.” (Serna and Luna, 5/15)

NPR: California Officials Blame PG&E For State's Deadliest Wildfire
"In addition to claims for property damage, business interruption, interest and attorneys' fees, the Utility could be liable for fire suppression costs, evacuation costs, medical expenses, personal injury damages, punitive damages and other damages under other theories of liability, including if the Utility were found to have been negligent," the company said. (Gonzales, 5/15)

Los Angeles Times: USC-Sponsored Plastic Surgeon Used Patient’s Insurer As ‘Personal ATM,’ Lawsuit Says
A popular plastic surgeon who practices in Beverly Hills and Newport Beach and leads a USC-sponsored fellowship is being accused of unnecessarily operating on a patient for profit, according to a recently filed lawsuit. Natalie West, a former patient, says Dr. Jay Calvert made up false diagnoses in order to perform 12 unnecessary surgeries on her over four years. In addition, Calvert fraudulently billed West’s insurance company for hundreds of thousands of dollars, even though she paid out of pocket, according to the lawsuit, which was filed Friday. (Reyes-Velarde, 5/15)

The Star Tribune: Deal Reached To Protect Minn. Seniors From Abuse And Neglect
A landmark agreement has been struck to overhaul Minnesota’s porous system for protecting seniors from abuse and neglect. Senior advocacy groups, state regulators and the elder care industry finalized the deal Tuesday after two years of contentious deliberations, hearings and protests. It would license assisted-living facilities for the first time and require them to maintain minimum standards of care, much the way the state already regulates nursing homes. (Serres, 5/15)

The Oregonian: Oregon Pharmacists Wrote 10% Of All Birth Control Prescriptions Since Landmark Law Passed
Oregon’s first-in-the-country law that allows pharmacists to prescribe contraception has reached many people who weren’t already using birth control, an initial study found. Nearly 74% of all prescriptions written by pharmacists were to people who had not used the pill, patch or ring in the month prior. A majority of those had not been using birth control within six months prior, either. (Harbarger, 5/15)

Georgia Health News: Governor Urges Indicted Insurance Chief To Quit
Gov. Brian Kemp has asked Insurance Commissioner Jim Beck to resign in the wake of the latter’s federal indictment Tuesday on wire fraud, mail fraud and money laundering charges.“ Your indictment severely undermines your ability to fulfill your official obligations to the people of Georgia,’’ Kemp said in a letter to Beck dated Wednesday. (Miller, 5/15)

NPR: A Federal Court To Rule On Sex Reassignment Surgery For Idaho Inmate
On a late afternoon in September 2015, a 27-year-old transgender inmate named Adree Edmo wrote a note in her cinder block prison cell at the Idaho State Correctional Institution. She insisted that what she was about to do was not an attempt at suicide. (Peacher, 5/16)

The CT Mirror: Senate Approves Bill Requiring Nursing Homes To Disclose Staffing Levels
The state Senate advanced a bill Wednesday that would require nursing homes to disclose on a daily basis the number of direct-care staff members assigned to patients, a measure designed to increase transparency and encourage the facilities to hire more employees who work closely with residents. Under the proposal, nursing homes would have to post the number of registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, advanced practice registered nurses and nurse’s aides they have on staff, along with the hours they are scheduled to work during each shift. (Carlesso, 5/15)

Sacramento Bee: Union Workers Strike Thursday, Say UCD Cuts Them Out Of Jobs
By partnering with a private-sector company to build a new rehabilitation hospital, UC Davis Health is subverting labor contracts with its employees and partnering with a company that has a record of suppressing the wages of health care workers, two unions allege in complaints to a California labor board. Roughly 39,000 employees of Local 3299 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and Local 9119 of the University Professional and Technical Employees will stage a one-day walkout on Thursday at the University of California’s 10 campuses and five medical centers. (Anderson, 5/15)

The Associated Press: Suit: Practice, Hospital Covered For Pedophile Pediatrician
A Pennsylvania pediatric practice knew that one of its physicians was a threat to molest young patients but did nothing to protect them, and in fact took steps to shield the longtime staffer before he was finally arrested and pleaded guilty to sexually abusing dozens of children, according to a civil suit filed Wednesday. Laurel Pediatric Associates in Johnstown knew at least two decades ago that Dr. Johnnie Barto's patients were in "serious danger," but continued to allow him to treat — and molest — children, explaining away parents' complaints about his sexual misconduct, the suit said. (5/15)

San Francisco Chronicle: UCSF Study On Marijuana Legalization Finds Uptick In Drug Abuse, Decrease In Chronic Pain Reports
Hospital visits due to car accidents, alcohol abuse and drug overdoses increased in Colorado in the two years after the state legalized cannabis, but overall health care costs did not rise and visits for chronic pain fell, according to a new study led by UCSF researchers. The results paint a mixed portrait of the effects of pot legalization on public health. But they suggest that in places where cannabis has been recently legalized, like Colorado and California, policymakers should develop plans to address potential health risks. (Allday, 5/15)

Arizona Republic: Cave Creek School District Is Updating Its Sexual Education Curriculum
Though a blog post accused Cave Creek Unified of partnering with Planned Parenthood, district officials say those accusations are not true. The reproductive health organization was mentioned once in curriculum materials as a reference, included with more than a dozen other organizations. (Altavena, 5/15)

Georgetown University’s Center on Health Insurance Reforms/Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: New York’s 2014 Law To Protect Consumers From Surprise Out-Of-Network Bills Mostly Working As Intended: Results Of A Case Study.
[New York’s Surprise Billing law] has been a success. Consumer complaints have declined dramatically. For the most part, insurers and providers appear to be working out their differences without resorting to arbitration. Further, there is not yet clear evidence that the law’s use of [usual and customary payment rates] as a benchmark price has had broadly inflationary effects. However, it can take time for a policy change to change behavior, including the billing practices of a diverse array of specialty physicians.The law also contains some significant gaps, particularly with respect to surprise balance bills that occur when patients are misinformed about their providers’ network status and when patients are taken to out-of-network facilities in an emergency. (Corlette and Hoppe, 5/13)

Commonwealth Fund: How A Medicaid Work Requirement Could Affect New Hampshire’s Economy
New Hampshire has now joined Kentucky, Arkansas, and six other states in gaining approval from the Trump administration to add a work requirement to its Medicaid program. (In some states, including New Hampshire, this requirement is limited to beneficiaries covered through the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion). In prior blog posts, we examined the economic implications of adding Medicaid work requirements in Kentucky and Arkansas. Work requirements drive down Medicaid enrollment, by making it harder for people to qualify for and keep their coverage. (Glied, 5/9)

Pediatrics: Adolescent And Young Adult Cancer Patients’ Experiences With Treatment Decision-Making 
Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer generally want to engage in decision-making but are not always able to do so. We evaluated cancer treatment decision-making among AYAs, including decisional engagement and regret. (Mack, Fasciano and Block, 5/1)

Health Affairs: The Culture Of Health In Early Care And Education: Workers’ Wages, Health, And Job Characteristics
Little is known about the health of the 2.2 million early care and education (ECE) workers responsible for the care, well-being, and success of the approximately ten million children younger than age six enrolled in ECE, or the extent to which ECE environments and employers play a role in workers’ health. The purpose of this analysis was to describe the health of an ECE worker sample by wage and by job and center characteristics and to begin to explore the relationships between these factors and workers’ health. (Otten et al, 5/1)

JAMA Internal Medicine: Estimated Quality Of Life And Economic Outcomes Associated With 12 Cervical Cancer Screening Strategies: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis
Of 12 strategies evaluated in a cost-effectiveness model, cytologic testing every 3 years for women aged 21 to 29 years with either continued triennial cytologic testing or switching to a low-cost high-risk human papillomavirus test every 5 years from age 30 to 65 years conferred a reasonable balance of benefits, harms, and costs from both a societal and health care sector perspective. (Sawaya, Sanstead, Alarid-Escudero, et al, 5/13)

The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation: Do People Who Sign Up For Medicare Advantage Plans Have Lower Medicare Spending?
People on Medicare can choose coverage from either traditional Medicare or Medicare Advantage plans, typically trading off broad access to providers for potentially lower premiums and out-of-pocket costs. Beneficiaries who choose Medicare Advantage may differ from those in traditional Medicare in both measurable and unmeasurable ways, which may influence their use of services and spending. Yet, Medicare payments to Medicare Advantage plans per enrollee are based on average spending among beneficiaries in traditional Medicare. This analysis looks at whether beneficiaries who choose to enroll in Medicare Advantage plans have lower spending, on average – before they enroll in Medicare Advantage plans – than similar people who remain in traditional Medicare. (Jacobson, Neuman and Damico, 5/7)

The Philadelphia Inquirer/Philly.com: Students Who Are Bullied Use More Pain Medication, Raising Concerns Of Future Drug Use
Students who are bullied are twice as likely to use pain medication for issues like headaches, backaches, and stomach aches, even when controlling for the amount of pain they feel, a new study found. ... According to the International Research Network, 11 percent of children between age 11 and 15 say they’re bullied at least twice per month. Previous research has shown bullied children are more likely to experience migraines, headaches, and backaches. They’re also more likely to use alcohol and and other drugs. (Pattani, 5/15)

The Philadelphia Inquirer/Philly.com: Medicare Fraud More Common Among Doctors Treating Minorities, Low-Income Seniors
Minorities and some of the most vulnerable Medicare beneficiaries — including people with a disability and low-income seniors — are more likely than others to be treated by providers who were later banned for fraud or abuse, according to a new study from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The research appeared in the May edition of Health Affairs. (Gantz, 5/15)

Los Angeles Times: Some Court Decisions Deserve To Be Overruled. Roe Vs. Wade Isn’t One Of Them
The Supreme Court’s decision this week to overrule one of its prior decisions is attracting attention not because of its unexciting holding — that a state can’t be sued in the courts of another state — but because of a forceful and timely dissent from the court’s four Democratic appointees. Writing for himself and Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, Justice Stephen G. Breyer said that needlessly overturning previous decisions threatens the stability of the law. He warned his colleagues that the court should cast aside previous rulings “only when the circumstances demand it.” (5/16)

USA Today: Alabama's Abortion Ban Bill Protects Human Life, Charges Abortionists
Alabama is making headlines for something everyone knows, whether they admit it publicly or not: babies are people too, and people deserve protection under the law. It’s a simple principle that as individuals most understand, a civil society needs the law to care about whether any of us are harmed and to hold accountable those who cause that harm. What makes Alabama so noteworthy is their willingness to tell abortion vendors that civil rights extend to preborn women, and to men for that matter. (Kristan Hawkins, 5/15)

CNN: John Roberts Has Voted For Restrictions On Abortion. Will He Overturn Roe V. Wade?
Chief Justice John Roberts will not vote to strike down Roe v. Wade and outright ban abortion. At least not yet. The 64-year-old appointee of George W. Bush has never endorsed abortion rights or ever voted to invalidate a tough regulation. Earlier in his career, as a government lawyer, Roberts filed a brief at the high court asserting that the 1973 Roe had been wrongly decided and urged its reversal. But in his new position as the deciding vote on abortion, Roberts today is moving cautiously on any narrowing -- or outright elimination -- of a woman's constitutional right to end a pregnancy. His stance is becoming more crucial as states race to pass laws directly challenging Roe. On Wednesday, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed a near-total abortion ban. (Joan Biskupic, 5/15)

The New York Times: How To Help Protect Abortion Rights In Alabama And Georgia
All eyes were on Alabama on Tuesday as the State Senate debated, and then passed, what could become the most restrictive abortion law in the country. Under the legislation, which the Republican governor, Kay Ivey, signed Wednesday, women in Alabama would be forced to carry unwanted or nonviable pregnancies to term in nearly all circumstances, including when a pregnancy results from rape or incest. Doctors who perform the procedure would face felony charges and up to 99 years in prison — which is more prison time than convicted rapists face in the state. (5/15)

USA Today: Abortion Bans In Ohio, Alabama Would Punish Sexual Assault Victims
It was July, the summer between sixth and seventh grade, when days 33, 34, 35 and more passed with no period. I had read in one of my sister’s Seventeen magazines that periods aren’t always regular, so I figured this was my first one of those. It wasn’t. (Shannon Dingle, 5/15)

Los Angeles Times: States With The Worst Anti-Abortion Laws Also Have The Worst Infant Mortality Rates
This shouldn’t come as a surprise, since it’s a relationship that’s been known for years, but the states with the harshest restrictions on abortions also have the worst infant mortality rates. The correspondence is unmistakable, and not hard to explain: Those states’ governments also show the least concern for maternal and infant health in general, as represented by public policies. (Michael Hiltzik, 5/15)

The Wall Street Journal: No Religious Exemptions From Vaccines 
Failing to vaccinate your child against measles because it’s against your beliefs isn’t a crime, but perhaps it should be.This year’s measles outbreak, the nation’s worst in 25 years, stands at 839 reported cases in 23 states as of Friday. The summer months could provide some respite because children are out of school, but many medical professionals expect the situation to worsen before it improves. Last week brought 75 new cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is more than the previous week, when there were about 60 new cases. As a colleague recently quipped, “Both socialism and the measles are back.” (Jason L. Riley, 5/15)

Los Angeles Times: Collective Ignorance And Government Timidity Are Public Health Threats 
I live in Kentucky, a state with the nation’s largest hepatitis A outbreak, an emerging measles outbreak and a governor who said he exposed his children to chickenpox rather than get them vaccinated. In the past year, two heads of infection control in Kentucky’s Department of Health have left the position. The first one was asked to leave after he expressed the need for an urgent increase in infection control funding. (Kevin Kavanuagh, 5/16)

The Hill: Vaccine Hesitancy: Most Difficult Fight We Have Ahead Of Us Is Political
It is a form of government regulation of disease, one that demands of all of us an equal amount of risk — albeit a very, very small one — in order to benefit all of us equally. For both conservatives and liberals, we need to remind them that our inalienable rights come with inescapable responsibility, like the responsibility to not carry infectious diseases and comply with medical recommendations to stop outbreaks. (Rene Najera, 5/15)

The Wall Street Journal: A Historic Shortage Of Americans
It should be self-evident that a thriving country tends to enjoy healthy population growth. But a growing population of young taxpayers is essential for a country that habitually makes massive unfunded entitlement promises. Anthony DeBarros and Janet Adamy report in the Journal on the impact of the new baby bust: The decline has important implications for the U.S. economy and workforce. The total fertility rate... has generally remained below the “replacement” level of 2.1 since 1971. A fertility rate falling farther below replacement level means that, without enough immigrants, the U.S. could see population declines and a workforce too small to support a growing segment of retirees. (James Freeman, 5/15)

Stat: Connecting With Patients Can Keep Docs From Being 'Uncomfortably Numb'
As a surgeon who specializes in gynecologic cancer, I have performed thousands of operations over my two-decade career. But the ones my team and I have done since the beginning of this year have been the most fulfilling. The reason? A simple yet remarkable adjustment in how we prepare for surgery has forever changed the way we now practice medicine. The first of these “new” operations started when I asked to have Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb” — a title so dripping with irony that it was impossible for the team not to notice (more on that later) — playing over the sound system as a patient entered the operating room. (Benjamin Schwartz, 5/16)

Los Angeles Times: Climate Change Could Bring The Bubonic Plague Back To Los Angeles
The steamship caused the last global outbreak of bubonic plague. Climate change could cause the next one.Longer, hotter weather patterns are extending the breeding season of rats and rodents, leading to a steep increase in their numbers in places like Los Angeles, New York and Houston. Over the last decade, urban rat populations are up by 15% to 20% worldwide, thanks to a combination of climate changes and a greater preference among humans for urban living, increasing the amount of trash available for scavengers, according to estimates from Bobby Corrigan, a rodent control consultant and one of the nation’s leading rat experts. (David K. Randall, 5/16)

The Hill: A Public Option For Health Care Is Viable — DC Should Take Note
In the endless debate about health care among politicians, the public option gets passing comment but not much in the way of serious discussion.In 2010 when the Affordable Care Act was being considered, the House of Representatives passed their version which included a public option. The public option was to be created in each state to compete in the individual market place with commercial insurers. The theory was that the public option, without shareholders, would offer robust competition for private insurers to keep rates more affordable. (John Baackes, 5/15)