First Edition: July 29, 2019
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Kaiser Health News:
Doctor Alexa Will See You Now: Is Amazon Primed To Come To Your Rescue?
Now that it’s upending the way you play music, cook, shop, hear the news and check the weather, the friendly voice emanating from your Amazon Alexa-enabled smart speaker is poised to wriggle its way into all things health care. Amazon has big ambitions for its devices. It thinks Alexa, the virtual assistant inside them, could help doctors diagnose mental illness, autism, concussions and Parkinson’s disease. It even hopes Alexa will detect when you’re having a heart attack. At present, Alexa can perform a handful of health care-related tasks: “She” can track blood glucose levels, describe symptoms, access post-surgical care instructions, monitor home prescription deliveries and make same-day appointments at the nearest urgent care center. (Rae-Dupree, 7/29)
Kaiser Health News:
Creator Of Brain Exam That Trump Aced Demands New Training For Testers
Last year, Dr. Ronny Jackson, then the White House physician, gave Donald Trump a standard test to detect early signs of dementia — and said the president had scored a perfect 30. “There is no indication whatsoever that he has any cognitive issues,” Jackson said at the time in front of TV cameras. Trump’s team embraced the result, with Donald Jr. boasting on Twitter: “More #winning.” The publicity sparked a wave of interest in the screening tool. Much was written about what the test showed — or didn’t — about the president’s mental acuity. A media outlet even posted its questions online, suggesting readers could measure whether they were “fit to be U.S. president.” (Aleccia, 7/29)
Kaiser Health News:
New Protocol For HIV Prevention Drug Reduces The Number Of Pills Required
Health officials and AIDS advocates in San Francisco hope to expand the use of an effective HIV prevention drug with a new approach that requires fewer pills than the standard once-a-day regimen. San Francisco’s public health department and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation have long promoted what is known as preexposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, for those at high risk of contracting HIV. With regular PrEP, the daily pill is taken indefinitely. But both organizations now endorse a strategy that requires taking just four pills timed to a specific sexual encounter — two within two to 24 hours before sex and one on each of the two following days. (Tuller, 7/29)
Politico:
Kamala Harris' New Health Plan: Medicare For All — With Private Insurers
Sen. Kamala Harris on Monday unveiled a plan to achieve universal coverage by growing Medicare with the help of private insurers, an effort that splits the difference with her chief Democratic presidential rivals and finally equips the California Democrat with her own signature health proposal ahead of this week’s debates. “Medicare works,” Harris writes in a Medium essay posted Monday morning. “Now, let’s expand it to all Americans and give everyone access to comprehensive health care.” (Diamond and Cadelago, 7/29)
The New York Times:
Kamala Harris Sets Up Debate Showdown On Health Care With New Plan
Instead of completely replacing private coverage with a government-run, single-payer system based on traditional Medicare, Ms. Harris would allow people to choose plans modeled on Medicare Advantage, which would be run not by the government but by private insurers. More than one-third of the Medicare population already chooses Medicare Advantage, which offers extra benefits and limits out-of-pocket costs but is strict about which doctors and hospitals enrollees can use. Her plan would also allow people to choose a somewhat expanded version of traditional, government-run Medicare. But by preserving a major role for private insurers — and calling for a 10-year phase-in period instead of the four-year transition that Mr. Sanders envisions — it could go a long way toward neutralizing fierce opposition from insurance companies, many of which have profited handsomely from Medicare Advantage plans. (Goodnough and Herndon, 7/29)
Sacramento Bee:
Some Private Insurance OK In Kamala Harris Medicare-For-All Plan
Those insurers will have to “adhere to strict Medicare requirements on costs and benefits,” Harris writes in a post on the web site Medium published Monday. It is, she says, similar to today’s private Medicare plans, also known as Medicare Advantage, which covers about a third of seniors on Medicare today. “Unlike the current system, private plans in the new Medicare system will be held to stricter consumer protection standards than they are today, such as getting reimbursed less than what the Medicare plan will cost to operate, to ensure that they are delivering meaningful value,” Harris writes. (Cadei, 7/29)
CBS News:
Medicare For All: Kamala Harris Releases 'Medicare For All' Proposal Ahead Of Second Democratic Debate
The plan also calls for an audit of prescription drug costs. Harris wants a 10-year phase-in period as opposed to Sanders' plan, which called for a four-year transition. Her plan would automatically enroll newborns and those uninsured. The Harris campaign said that extending the transition period would decrease the overall cost of Medicare for All, but it did not specify what that new estimated cost would be. Sanders estimates that his plan could cost up to $40 trillion over a decade. (Ramirez, 7/29)
NPR:
Kamala Harris Releases 'Medicare For All' Plan With A Role For Private Insurers
Harris would have a 10-year transition, and both would allow a public option, where Americans below age 65 could buy into the government's Medicare program, in the first year. This comes with costs and benefits — on the one hand, it's a more extended time to make a big transition in how America does health care. On the other hand, a 10-year phase-in window necessarily means counting on the transition to continue smoothly under the next president — whichever party he or she might come from. (Kurtzleben, 7/29)
CNN:
Kamala Harris Stakes Out Middle-Ground In 'Medicare For All' Debate
"We will allow private insurers to offer Medicare plans as part of this system that adhere to strict Medicare requirements on costs and benefits," writes Harris. "Medicare will set the rules of the road for these plans, including price and quality, and private insurance companies will play by those rules, not the other way around." But this means she would still jettison employer-sponsored health plans, which now cover more than 150 million Americans. (Lah, Luhby and Krieg, 7/29)
Los Angeles Times:
Kamala Harris' 'Medicare For All' Plan Includes A Role For Private Health Insurance
The balancing act could also open Harris up to criticism from the left and right. Forceful single-payer advocates such as Sen. Bernie Sanders are averse to participation from corporate health insurers, while moderates like former Vice President Joe Biden have warned that Medicare for all would be too disruptive, particularly for the many Americans who get healthcare through their employers. (Mason, 7/29)
The Wall Street Journal:
Kamala Harris Unveils Plan To Transform Health Care To A Federal System
Ms. Harris, who has been criticized by some more progressive members of her party for her lack of clarity on her support for Medicare for All, released the plan a day before the start of the second round of Democratic presidential debates, where health care is expected to be a key topic. In the last debate series in June, Ms. Harris raised her hand when candidates were asked if they would abolish private health insurance, but she said the next day she had misunderstood the question. (Armour and Parti, 7/29)
The Associated Press:
Kamala Harris Releases New Details Of Her Health Care Plan
Sanders has said as recently as this month that the sweeping overhaul of the U.S. health system he envisions could cost up to $40 trillion over a decade, and he has said that one option for paying for it would be a 4% tax hike on families making more than $29,000 each year. Harris said that "hits the middle class too hard," and she is calling for exempting households making less than $100,000 each year from that 4% tax, with "a higher income threshold for middle-class families living in high-cost areas." (Summers, 7/29)
Bloomberg:
Kamala Harris Offers ‘Medicare For All’ That Keeps Private Plans
“I would describe the Harris plan as an effort to balance idealism and pragmatism,” said Andy Slavitt, who oversaw health care programs under the Obama administration and provided input to the Harris campaign on the new plan. He said using Medicare Advantage was “a clever approach” to preserving a role for private insurance. (Kapur, 7/29)
The Associated Press:
Biden's Full Embrace Of Obama Health Law Has Political Risks
Joe Biden had just rolled out his health care plan when he made what could be a fateful pledge to a crowd in Iowa: "If you like your health care plan or your employer-based plan, you can keep it." The remark echoed assurances President Barack Obama made repeatedly as he sold the Affordable Care Act, which became known as "Obamcare." But Obama's promise proved an exaggeration, if not a falsehood, and it anchored early GOP attacks on the law as new regulations led private insurers to cancel certain policies, even if they had to offer replacements to consumers. (7/28)
The Associated Press Fact Check:
2020 Democrats And Their Grasp Of The Facts
The Democratic presidential contenders have some inconvenient truths to grapple with. It's not easy, for example, to summon foreboding words on the economy — accurately — when the U.S. has been having its longest expansion in history. Health care for all raises questions of costs to average taxpayers that the candidates are loath to confront head on. (7/28)
The New York Times:
Bernie Sanders Goes The Extra Mile To Make His Point About Drug Prices
Bernie Sanders wanted to make a point about a crippling injustice. So he crossed the border. Well, the northern one. On Sunday, he took about a dozen people with diabetes on a bus from Detroit to Windsor to get insulin at a Canadian pharmacy, just minutes from the border. Because of traffic, and multiple stops along the way, it took an hour and 17 minutes to get there and about the same time to get back. But the duration and the mileage were not really the main points. (Ember, 7/28)
Reuters:
Bernie Sanders Visits Canadian Pharmacy, Talks Drug Prices
Sitting in the back of a chartered bus organized by members of advocacy group Insulin4All, Sanders spoke to families who said they go to great lengths to ration their insulin because of high U.S. costs, often putting their health at risk. "We should be doing what the Canadians do, and that means sitting down with the drug companies and negotiating a price," he said. Democrats seeking to take the White House in 2020 see President Donald Trump as increasingly vulnerable to criticism on healthcare costs, since his administration has failed to push through several initiatives to lower drug prices. (Spalding, 7/28)
The New York Times:
A Question Rarely Asked: What Would Medicare For All Cover?
In the first congressional hearing held on “Medicare for all” in April, Michael Burgess, a Republican congressman from Texas and a physician, called such a proposal “frightening” because it could limit the treatments available to patients. The debate over Medicare for all has largely focused on access and taxpayer cost, but this raises a question that hasn’t gotten much attention: What treatments would it cover? A good starting place for answers is to look at how traditional Medicare currently handles things. In one sense, there are some important elements that Medicare does not cover — and arguably should. But a little digging into the rules governing treatments also reveals that Medicare allows a lot of low-value care — which it arguably should not. (Frakt and Pearson, 7/29)
The Wall Street Journal:
Medicare For All Instead Of Private Health Insurance? Question Vexes 2020 Democrats
Democratic presidential candidates launched their campaigns promising to expand health-care coverage. But in the second set of Democratic debates, front-runners backing Medicare for All will likely have to defend their pledges to take private health insurance away in the process. Sens. Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warrenmade headlines in the first pair of debates by raising their hands in support of ending private coverage. Other Democratic contenders have criticized that position by saying it goes too far. It is an uncommon stance, even in the global health-care debate: Most countries with government health systems also have private health plans. (Armour, 7/28)
The Associated Press:
Despite Calls To Start Over, US Health System Covers 90%
America's much-maligned health care system is covering 9 out of 10 people, a fact that hasn't stopped the 2020 presidential candidates from refighting battles about how to provide coverage, from Bernie Sanders' call for replacing private insurance with a government plan to President Donald Trump's pledge to erase the Affordable Care Act and start over. The politicians are depicting a system in meltdown. The numbers point to a different story, not as dire and more nuanced. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 7/27)
The New York Times:
Heading Into Long Recess, House Democrats Take Home A Mixed Record
At critical moments, disconnects between liberals and moderates on both policy and style have exploded into public view, and Mr. Trump has diverted attention from key Democratic victories at almost every turn. A vote on a meticulously negotiated agreement among Democrats on legislation to raise the minimum wage was overshadowed this month after Mr. Trump made an incendiary attack on four freshman congresswomen of color; House Democrats spent the first half of their week debating and passing a resolution to condemn his comments as racist. “He knows exactly how to distract us, and we take the bait — we take the bait every time,” said Representative Elissa Slotkin, Democrat of Michigan, another first-term lawmaker from a Trump district. “And then I go home and people say, ‘How come your party isn’t helping me with the cost of inhalers or EpiPens, or health care in general?’ And we do care about those things; it’s just not what makes sexy headlines.” (Hirschfeld Davis, 7/28)
The Washington Post:
NIH Issues Strict New Requirements For Fetal Tissue Research Funding
The National Institutes of Health issued instructions on Friday for how scientists seeking grants for research using fetal tissue must comply with recent Trump administration restrictions on federal funding of such studies. The new requirements triggered an immediate outcry from leaders in the field. In a notice spelling out the rule changes, NIH says that all grant applications and renewals for research relying on tissue collected from elective abortions must provide a detailed justification, documenting why no alternative methods could accomplish the same research goals. (Goldstein, 7/26)
Politico:
Clinics Exiting Family Planning Program May Have To Destroy Contraceptives
Health clinics that quit the federal family planning program over new Trump administration anti-abortion rules may have to destroy or return tens of thousands of dollars of contraceptives and other medications. Federal health officials confirmed to POLITICO that clinics might need to get rid of drugs, intrauterine devices and other treatments they bought at a discount while part of the Title X program, a long-standing requirement that's catching some providers by surprise as they weigh whether to comply with new rules that, among other things, forbid abortion referrals. (Roubein and Ollstein, 7/26)
The Associated Press:
Utah Won't Get Enhanced Funding For Partial Medicaid Boost
President Donald Trump's administration has rejected Utah's planned request for enhanced federal funding for partial expansion of its Medicaid program, state officials said Saturday. A statement released Saturday by Gov. Gary Herbert, Senate President Stuart Adams and House Speaker Brad Wilson, all Republicans, said the White House told Utah officials late Friday that the state's waiver request awaiting formal submission wouldn't be approved. (7/27)
The Washington Post:
Trump Administration To Reject Generous Medicaid Expansion Funding For Utah
Utah received approval from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, under the Health and Human Services Department, in March to move forward with a Medicaid expansion to provide access to health insurance for up to 90,000 low-income adults. Under that agreement, the federal government will pay for 70 percent of the expanded program, with the state funding the remaining 30 percent. People have been able to apply for coverage since April 1. Under the Affordable Care Act, the federal government may pay for more than 90 percent of the program, as it does in the more than 30 other states that have expanded Medicaid, and Utah hoped to receive such support. (Abutaleb, 7/26)
Politico:
Exclusive: HHS Auditor May Call On Florida Medicaid To Repay $436M
The HHS inspector general could soon call on Florida to refund the federal government $436 million in Medicaid funds that were improperly paid to the country’s largest public hospital, according to a draft report obtained by POLITICO. The independent auditor’s office forthcoming report could provide a politically awkward moment for top Florida Republicans closely allied with President Donald Trump. Florida officials warn the state and Jackson Memorial Hospital, which treats tens of thousands of poor patients each year, could face devastating consequences if the state is forced to pay back the money. (Pradhan, 7/26)
The Associated Press:
Medicaid, Budget Fight Test North Carolina Governor's Clout
North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper often got steamrolled by Republicans when they held comfortable legislative majorities during his first two years on the job. They could usually ignore his objections about their conservative agenda and override his vetoes. That's changed since the 2018 elections, when enough Democrats got elected to end the GOP's veto-proof control. Cooper raised millions of dollars for Democratic legislative campaigns, and a court ordered districts to be redrawn in the closely-divided state, aiding Democrats. (7/27)
The New York Times:
Pfizer Is Said To Plan A Deal For Its Off-Patent Drugs Unit
Pfizer is near a deal to combine its off-patent drugs division — which includes best-selling treatments like Viagra — with Mylan, the maker of the EpiPen emergency allergy treatment, to create a new giant in the business of drugs without patent protections, two people briefed on the matter said. A deal could be announced as soon as Monday, according to these people, who were not authorized to speak publicly about the confidential discussions. (de la Merced and Thomas, 7/28)
The Wall Street Journal:
Pfizer Nears Deal To Combine Off-Patent Drug Business With Mylan
The deal, which hasn’t been completed, could be announced as early as Monday if an agreement is reached, the people said. The companies have discussed a stock deal in which Mylan shareholders would own a little more than 40% of the new entity and Pfizer shareholders the remainder, one of the people said. Pfizer would also receive about $12 billion in proceeds from a new sale of debt, this person said. Mylan’s market value currently stands at just under $10 billion. (Rockoff and Lombardo, 7/29)
The Wall Street Journal:
FDA Requires Box Warnings For Pfizer Drug Xeljanz
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is requiring that health warnings be added to Pfizer Inc. ’s drug Xeljanz, advising patients they could experience a higher risk of blood clots or death with a specific dose. The FDA’s warnings are specifically geared toward patients who take the 10-milligram dose of the medicine, known as tofacitinib, twice a day. The regulatory agency also said it is limiting the use of the treatment for ulcerative colitis so that patients can only take it if they have severe side effects from other medicines or aren’t treated effectively. (Prang, 7/26)
The Wall Street Journal:
Antibiotics Companies Plot Course Past Market Obstacles
With investor interest in antibiotics dwindling, companies in the sector are crafting survival strategies that include seeking out alternative sources of funding and avoiding reliance on hospitals as customers. (Gormley, 7/26)
The New York Times:
‘Thoughts And Prayers’ Aren’t Enough, America’s First Gun Violence Minister Says.
To the strains of the hymn “If We Just Talk of Thoughts and Prayers,” the largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States ordained The Rev. Deanna Hollas as its first minister of gun violence prevention this month. Ms. Hollas is believed to be the first person in the country to be given a national ecclesiastical role of this kind. And the choice of the hymn was a deliberate underlining of what she sees as a desperate need: to do more than react to the latest mass shooting with an offer of benedictions. That, she said, is not sufficient in a country where 40,000 people are killed by guns each year. (Hassan, 7/28)
The Washington Post:
Gilroy Garlic Festival Mass Shooting Reported In Northern California
Three people are dead and at least 15 injured after a shooting Sunday evening at a food festival in Gilroy, Calif., according to police. One gunman was killed by officers at the scene, Gilroy Police Chief Scot Smithee said early Monday morning. Police are still searching for a possible second suspect, although it’s unclear if that person also fired on the crowd or assisted the shooter. “We believe based on witness statements that there was a second individual involved in some way,” Smithee said at a news conference. “We just don’t know in what way.” (Chiu, Siddiqui and Flynn, 7/29)
The Wall Street Journal:
Shooting At Gilroy Garlic Festival In California Leaves Three Dead, 15 Injured
Police officers stationed at the festival were on the scene within a minute. They returned fire and killed the gunman, said Mr. Smithee. Cheryl Low was working as a vendor in a booth when she spotted the shooter, who appeared to load his weapon and then began firing. “It was just, ‘Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!’ just randomly shooting everywhere he could shoot,” she recalled. (Elinson, Frosch and Lazo, 7/29)
Los Angeles Times:
California Garlic Festival Shooting Leaves 3 Dead, 15 Injured
Videos from the scene showed people screaming and running across the festival grounds. “Please pray everyone. Random shooters started shooting everywhere,” one person tweeted. “One boy is dead so far and others injured. We’re still waiting while they find them.” “Scariest moments of my life at the Gilroy garlic festival,” another person tweeted. “I hope everyone made it out okay.” (Newberry, Cosgrove, and Winton, 7/28)
The New York Times:
Fifth N.Y.P.D. Officer Since June Dies By Suicide, Police Say
A New York police officer was found dead at his Staten Island home on Saturday after shooting himself in what was the fifth police suicide in the city since June, officials said. Officials did not immediately release the officer’s name, rank or tenure with the department; however, the Sergeants Benevolent Association said on Twitter that it was a sergeant who had died. “Once again terrible news,” the message said. “Tonight the NYPD lost a sergeant to suicide. We ask that everyone pray for his family, friends and Co-workers. The NYPD continues to go through a difficult time.” (Zaveri, 7/27)
The Wall Street Journal:
Devices For Diabetes Patients Spur Growth At Medical Firms
Diabetes patients are increasingly using electronic skin patches and their phones, instead of pricking their fingers, to do the complex job of managing a disease that affects more than 30 million Americans. The transformation in blood-sugar testing suggests how harnessing technology and data may drive improvements for disease management—and profits for manufacturers. Many patients now wear coin-sized skin patches on their arms or abdomens that test for blood-sugar levels automatically, then send the data to a patient’s smartphone or even to a wearable insulin pump that delivers the medicine. (Loftus, 7/29)
The Washington Post:
Burned-Out Doctors May Be More Prone To Racial Bias
Concerns about burnout among doctors are growing as new research is beginning to quantify the dangers and costs of the problem. In the past few years, researchers have found that 54 percent of doctors report feeling burned out. Doctors experiencing burnout are twice as likely to log major medical errors. The suicide rate among physicians is twice that of the general population and one of the highest among all professions. (Wan, 7/26)
The New York Times:
Should Black People Wear Sunscreen?
Little heralds the arrival of summer like the smell of open water, smokey grills and sunscreen. Since the late 1970s, as medical researchers linked sun exposure to skin cancer, Americans have been told to dutifully slather, spray and rub on sunscreen as part of a broader package of sun protection. But does it make sense for me, a dark-skinned black woman, to wear it? With record-breaking heat this summer, it’s an especially relevant question, and you might even expect the answer to be “absolutely.” It’s more complicated than that. (Pierre-Louis, 7/26)
NPR:
Genetic Counselors In Demand, But Diversity Lags
Altovise Ewing was a senior at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn., when she first learned what a genetic counselor was. Although she had a strong interest in research, she suspected working in a lab wasn't for her — not enough social interaction. Then, when a genetic counselor came to her class as a guest lecturer, Ewing had what she recalls as a "lightbulb moment." Genetic counseling, she realized, would allow her to be immersed in the science but also interact with patients. And maybe, she thought, she'd be able to help address racial health disparities, too. (Stallings, 7/27)
Reuters:
WHO Says E-Cigarettes,' Smoke-Free' Products Do Not Help Reduce Cancer
Electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products are not helping fight cancer, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday, urging smokers and governments not to trust claims from cigarette firms about their latest products. The seventh "WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic" said blocking the industry's interference was critical to cutting the harm from tobacco use. (7/26)
CNN:
8 Wisconsin Teens Hospitalized With Damaged Lungs: Is Vaping The Cause?
Eight teens were hospitalized in July with seriously damaged lungs in Wisconsin, the state Department of Health Services reported Thursday. "We suspect that these injuries were caused by vaping," said Dr. Michael Gutzeit, chief medical officer at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin where the teens were admitted, at a press conference. Their symptoms, including cough, shortness of breath, and fatigue, worsened over days or weeks before the patients arrived at Children's Hospital. (Scutti, 7/26)
Los Angeles Times:
What Is A Concentration Camp? It's An Old Debate That Mostly Started In California
What’s a concentration camp — and, more importantly, who owns the term? U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) ignited a national debate last month when she compared the government-run facilities packed with migrant detainees near the U.S.-Mexico border to Nazi “concentration camps.” Many Republicans have pushed back in recent weeks, including Stephen Miller, a senior advisor to President Trump, who said that the comments outraged him “as a Jew.” (Watanabe, 7/26)
Los Angeles Times:
In Science, Questions Matter A Lot. Men Are More Likely Than Women To Ask Them
When Beryl Cummings asked her first-ever question in the auditorium at a genetics conference, she chose a topic she knew a lot about, formulated her question as meticulously as she could, and addressed her query to a female presenter. In science, questions matter a lot, said Cummings, who was then working on her doctorate in computational genomics at Harvard. But as a young female scientist speaking up in a public forum, she said, the stakes just felt a little higher. (Healy, 7/26)
The New York Times:
For A Torn A.C.L., Considering Repair Rather Than Replacement
My son Erik, then 23, was playing basketball when an opponent stepped on his foot and the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee ruptured with an audible pop. This critically important ligament, best known as the A.C.L., is a ropelike structure that connects the femur (thigh bone) to the tibia (shin bone), stabilizing the knee joint. A torn A.C.L. is an all-too-common injury that typically results in complex surgery and prolonged rehabilitation. (Brody, 7/29)
The Washington Post:
PMS Food Cravings Are Real. Here Are The Theories About How They Happen.
Premenstrual food cravings are the punchline of endless jokes. Like most good jokes, they’re funny because they’re true. Certain parts of a woman’s menstrual cycle do seem to go hand in hand with the desire for chocolate ice cream and potato chips. I hear about this every day from my OB/GYN patients. Researchers have studied food cravings for years; one of the most cited studies dates back to 1953. Scientists — and lots of others — want to know who has food cravings and why, what they crave, when they crave it and how to minimize the cravings. (Twogood, 7/28)
The Washington Post:
Anne Hathaway Opens Up About Fertility Struggles
Anne Hathaway, who announced this week she was expecting her second child, says she came forward about her struggles with getting pregnant because infertility can be deeply isolating. “I think that we have a very one-size-fits-all approach to getting pregnant,” Hathaway told The Associated Press on Saturday. “And you get pregnant and for the majority of cases, this is a really happy time. But a lot of people who are trying to get pregnant: That’s not really the story. Or that’s one part of the story. And the steps that lead up to that part of the story are really painful and very isolating and full of self-doubt. And I went through that.” (Lennox, 7/28)
The New York Times:
The Challenge Of Diagnosing Lyme Disease
Lyme disease is on the rise. The 30,000 cases reported annually to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by state health departments represent only a fraction of the cases diagnosed and treated around the country. About half the cases occur in people under the age of 21, and boys from 5 to 9 years old are the most commonly affected group, possibly because they spend a good deal of time outdoors. (Klass, 7/29)
The Washington Post:
'Maybe You're Just Someone With Blood In Their Urine': A Mysterious Condition Finally Gets A Frightening Cause
Kathy Hipsher was having a horrible year. She spent months battling a vicious stomach virus, followed by lingering nausea and pain that left her subsisting on a bland diet consisting largely of Cream of Wheat and applesauce. Her gut problems were accompanied by days of fatigue so extreme that at times she could barely drag herself up the stairs of her Bellevue, Idaho, home. In October 2016, just as Hipsher was recovering, the 45-year-old sign-language interpreter and Grand Canyon river guide suddenly confronted a new and alarming symptom: visible blood in her urine. (Boodman, 7/27)
NPR:
CRISPR Gene-Editing: Sickle Cell Patient Volunteers For Landmark Study
Victoria Gray is waiting patiently in a hospital room at the Sarah Cannon Research Institute in Nashville. "It's a good time to get healed," she says. The 34-year-old from Forest, Miss., has struggled with sickle cell disease throughout her life. Gray is at the hospital because she volunteered for one of the most anticipated medical experiments in decades: the first attempt to use the gene-editing technique CRISPR to treat a genetic disorder in the U.S. (Stein, 7/29)
The New York Times:
Father Charged In Deaths Of 1-Year-Old Twins Left In Car
The father of 1-year-old twins who died Friday after the police said he had left them in a hot car was charged with manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide. The father, Juan Rodriguez, 39, of New City, N.Y., was arrested and charged late on Friday, the police said. He left the children inside a parked silver Honda Accord in the morning in the Bronx and reported for his job at the James J. Peters V.A. Medical Center, officials said. (Schweber and Salcedo, 7/27)
ProPublica/Anchorage Daily News:
Clergy Abused An Entire Generation In This Village. With New Traumas, Justice Remains Elusive.
The two brothers sat a few houses apart, each tending to his own anger. Justice is slow in Alaska villages, they have learned. Sometimes it never arrives. Chuck Lockwood, 69, grew up in this Yup’ik Eskimo village of 400 along the Norton Sound coast but left as a child for boarding school. His rage is fresh. Two years ago this month, the body of his 19-year-old granddaughter, Chynelle “Pretty” Lockwood, was found on a local beach. (Hopkins, 7/26)
The Associated Press:
Judge Denies Challenge To New Lead Rules That Followed Flint
A judge on Friday let stand Michigan's toughest-in the-nation drinking water regulations that were created after the Flint crisis, dismissing a lawsuit that was brought by major Detroit-area water systems over concerns such as the cost of having to replace hundreds of thousands of underground lead pipes. State Court of Claims Judge Christopher Murray said the rules, which former Gov. Rick Snyder's administration finalized more than a year ago, are procedurally, substantively and constitutionally valid. (7/26)
The Hill:
Illinois Officially Passes Bill Requiring All Single Bathrooms Be Designated Gender Neutral
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) signed legislation requiring every single-occupancy bathroom in public buildings in the state to be labeled gender neutral. Under Senate Bill 556, also dubbed the “The Equitable Restrooms Act,” all single-occupancy restrooms “in a place of public accommodation or public building shall be identified as all-gender and designated for use by no more than one person at a time or for family or assisted use,” the law states. (Folley, 7/27)