USA Today: For 2020 Democrats, Hammering On Gun Control Comes With Upside: Energized, Angry Activists
In the aftermath of this month’s mass shooting rampages by heavily-armed young men in El Paso and Dayton, Democrats are looking to galvanize the gun control movement’s energy and make American grief over the seemingly endless scourge of mass killings a central issue of the campaign for the White House.And the success of federal and gubernatorial candidates who put gun policy front-and-center during the 2018 election cycle, as well as changing demographics of where Democratic votes come from, is impacting how politicians approach gun safety. (Madhani, 8/12)

The Wall Street Journal: Iowa Is Ground Zero For Gun Debate As Presidential Hopefuls Weigh In
Beau Hicks said he spoke with his teenage daughter before they arrived Saturday at the Iowa State Fair about how to react in an active-shooter situation. “We shouldn’t have to be nervous in a crowd,” he said. “That’s what makes me mad, when there are things we can do.” One week after mass shootings in Texas and Ohio shocked the nation, such conversations are becoming more common. (McCormick and Parti, 8/10)

The Associated Press: O'Rourke Says He Supports National Gun Licensing Program
Beto O’Rourke is joining a number of his Democratic presidential rivals in support of a national gun licensing program. The former Texas congressman said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that states that require gun licensing, mandate universal background checks or stop the sales of assault-style weapons are saving lives. He says it makes sense to “adopt these solutions nationally.” O’Rourke has remained in his hometown of El Paso, Texas, since shortly after a gunman killed 22 people at a Walmart store on Aug. 3. Law enforcement officials say the suspect had an AK-47 rifle and was targeting Mexicans. (8/11)

NPR: Elizabeth Warren's New Plan On Guns Has A Goal: Reduce Gun Deaths By 80%
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren introduced a sweeping gun control plan Saturday with the goal of reducing gun deaths by 80% through executive action and legislation. "You've got to start with a goal. I haven't heard anybody else talk about a goal," Warren said in an interview with The NPR Politics Podcast. ... Announcing her plan, Warren said the first step toward meeting her goal is immediate administrative action, which includes a range of ideas such as requiring background checks, investigating the NRA, and revoking licenses for gun dealers who break the law. (Khalid, 8/10)

Meanwhile, on the topic of "Medicare for All" --

POLITICO Pro: Some Labor Unions Split With Biden On 'Medicare For All'
Joe Biden and other moderate Democratic candidates opposed to “Medicare for All” have cast the plan as anti-labor, arguing that it would leave union members worse off by stripping them of the health care benefits they painstakingly negotiated. But not all labor unions agree. Only a few major unions have come out against the single-payer system that would all but eliminate private insurance, while many others remain undecided and some of the biggest labor groups in the country have embraced the plan. (Ollstein, 8/10)

Also in the mix,  the high costs of prescription drugs. That issue, along with insurer profits, is high on the list of Democrats' talking points. And, even though it is the August recess, drug costs continue to draw attention from Capitol Hill lawmakers.

The Associated Press: Democratic Hopefuls Take Aim At Insurer And Pharma Profits
Sen. Bernie Sanders and other progressives seeking the Democratic presidential nomination are zeroing in on pharmaceutical and insurer profits, money they say would be better spent providing health care for everyone under “Medicare for All.” Their idea: Health care dollars from government programs, employers and families that are going into the pockets of investors instead could be used to pay for services. If people want a health care system that will not bankrupt them, “the answer is to get rid of the profiteering of the drug companies and the insurance companies (and) move to Medicare for All,” Sanders said during the recent Democratic debates. But research by The Associated Press suggests those dollars might not go so far. While there’s no single ledger for drugmakers and insurers, the AP found major companies had about $97 billion in profits last year. That wouldn’t even cover a couple of weeks in a health care system that costs $3.6 trillion a year. (Alonso-Zaldivar and Murphy, 8/11)

NPR: Top Republican Pushes Drug Bill That Divides GOP, But Trump Wants Win On Issue
Back home in Iowa for the August recess, Senate Finance Chairman Chuck Grassley is making the case in this conservative state for a sweeping drug bill, even though many in his party do not support it. "One of the few times, if it isn't the only time, that I've been chairman of various committees that I haven't had at least a majority of Republicans on my side," Grassley conceded at a town hall meeting in Aurelia this week, but he added: "It's probably more valuable to have the president on your side." For 39 years and counting, the Republican senator has traveled to all 99 counties in his home state every year to meet with constituents, and this year the high cost of prescription drugs has come up in nearly all of them. (Davis, 8/9)

Modern Healthcare: Medical Groups Show Influence In Gun Violence Debate
Major medical groups’ push for tempered gun control gained bipartisan support in Congress last week, as lawmakers outlined the next round of legislation to try to grapple with mass killings with assault weapons. ...The federal bipartisan proposal with the most traction through last week is an agreement Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) reached with Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), giving states grants to enact so-called “red-flag” protection order laws. These allow judges to temporarily take firearms or ammunition from people posing immediate threats. (Luthi, 8/9)

NPR: Americans Largely Support Gun Restrictions To 'Do Something' About Gun Violence
What is clear, from public opinion polling, is that Americans believe gun violence is a problem, and they support more restrictions on guns. ... There is public support for universal background checks for gun purchases, extreme risk protection orders (also called red flag laws), gun licensing, assault-weapons bans and bans on high-capacity magazines. But many of these issues are hotly polarizing. While they mostly enjoy support from Democrats and independents, Republicans are not always on board. (Montanaro, 8/10)

The Associated Press: Gun-Control Backers Concerned About Changing Federal Courts
California has some of the toughest gun laws in the nation, including a ban on the type of high-capacity ammunition magazines used in some of the nation’s deadliest mass shootings. How long those types of laws will stand is a growing concern among gun control advocates in California and elsewhere. A federal judiciary that is becoming increasingly conservative under President Donald Trump and the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate has gun control advocates on edge. They worry that federal courts, especially if Trump wins a second term next year and Republicans hold the Senate, will take such an expansive view of Second Amendment rights that they might overturn strict gun control laws enacted in Democratic-leaning states. (Thompson, 8/11)

The Associated Press: Trump Administration Moves To Enforce Abortion Restriction
Moving ahead despite objections, the Trump administration on Friday set a timetable for federally funded family clinics to comply with a new rule that bars them from referring women for abortions. The action is part of a series of efforts to remake government policy on reproductive health to please conservatives who are a key part of President Donald Trump’s political base. Religious conservatives see the family planning program as providing an indirect subsidy to Planned Parenthood, which runs family planning clinics and is also a major abortion provider. ... The Department of Health and Human Services sent notices to program participants saying they must certify by Sep. 18 that they’re complying with most major provisions of the rule. Plans on how the clinics intend to comply are due earlier, by Aug. 19. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 8/9)

Modern Healthcare: HHS Sets Its New Title X Family Planning Guidelines
The major change at the heart of the new regulation is the physical separation requirement that would bar abortion clinics like Planned Parenthood from receiving program funds. That won't take effect until March 2020. Litigation challenging the rule is still pending in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, with oral arguments slated for Sept. 23. With the legal battles still ongoing, the Title X networks haven't seen a shake-up yet, as they could if the courts do finally decide that abortion can't be offered on the premises of any Title X funded clinic. (Luthi, 8/9)

The Wall Street Journal: What The AMA Stands For Now
Under a new president, Patrice Harris, the American Medical Association made a splash in the reproductive-rights debate in June by suing North Dakota to block two abortion-related laws. One of those laws requires physicians to tell patients that medication-induced abortions can be reversed in some instances, which the suit says is false; the other requires doctors to tell patients that an abortion terminates “the life of a whole, separate, unique living human being.” The AMA also has recently taken positions on some topics, such as climate change and body-worn cameras in law enforcement, that aren’t traditionally associated with medicine. Dr. Harris, who will serve a one-year term as president, spoke to The Wall Street Journal about the AMA’s advocacy efforts, health-care reform and diversity in the profession. (Abbott, 8/11)

Columbus Dispatch: With Planned Parenthood Defunded, Who's Taking Care Of Ohio Women's Health?
When Ohio lawmakers moved to eliminate funding for Planned Parenthood a few years ago, supporters of the legislation said community clinics and other state-funded providers would pick up the slack on women’s health services. So far, though, little slack has appeared. Planned Parenthood in Ohio, for the most part, has used private funds to maintain the services that public money had paid for, and the state is still working through how it will distribute grants and reimbursements that had previously gone to Planned Parenthood. (Deeter and Rouan, 8/11)

The New York Times: Climate Of Fear: When Part Of A Country Bans Abortion
While Ireland voted to legalize abortion last year, Northern Ireland — which is part of the United Kingdom — has shown no signs of liberalizing its draconian laws, allowing the procedure only when the mother’s life is in danger. That has led many women, like Ciara, to travel for abortions, something that can be difficult for those who lack the resources to finance the trip. With some states in the United States — most recently Alabama — passing legislation that mirrors the laws in Northern Ireland, many American women could be just a Supreme Court decision away from finding themselves in a similar position. (Yeginsu, 8/10)

Politico Pro: Canada Kicks U.S. Off List Used To Regulate Drug Prices
Canada will remove the United States from the list of countries it uses as a reference point to regulate drug prices, saying the U.S. lacks policies to control costs. The Canadian government unveiled on Friday a long-awaited plan to reduce prices that includes striking the U.S. and Switzerland from the reference list. The briefing material released made a special point of explaining why the U.S. did not belong there. (Panetta, 8/9)

The Wall Street Journal: Allscripts Reaches Tentative Agreement Over Federal Probes
Allscripts Healthcare Solutions Inc. has reached a tentative $145 million agreement to resolve civil and criminal federal investigations into the business practices of one of its recently acquired companies. The federal investigations revolve around Practice Fusion Inc.’s software certification, compliance with anti-kickback regulations and related business practices, according to securities filings. No additional details were given. Health-care information-technology company Allscripts acquired the electronic-health-records company last year. (Armental, 8/9)

The Wall Street Journal: Rite Aid Names Heyward Donigan As CEO
Rite Aid Corp. appointed Heyward Donigan as chief executive, saying her experience leading health-care companies would help the pharmacy chain confront competition that has hurt sales and prompted job cuts. (Haddon, 8/12)

Stat: Senators Blast Novartis Over Data Manipulation Before Zolgensma Approval
A group of senators, including presidential hopefuls Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), blasted Novartis (NVS) on Friday for failing to promptly disclose that falsified data were used to win approval for the company’s $2.1 million gene therapy, Zolgensma. The Food and Drug Administration earlier this week said AveXis, a subsidiary of Novartis, was aware of “data manipulation” involving Zolgensma, which was approved in May to treat spinal muscular atrophy, but failed to disclose it to the agency until months later. (Florko, 8/9)

Stat: Q&A: The FDA's Digital Health Chief On How To Regulate AI Products
The Food and Drug Administration has allowed medical devices that rely on artificial intelligence algorithms onto the market, but so far, the agency has given the green light only to devices with “locked algorithms” — those that remain the same as the product is used until they’re updated by the manufacturer. Systems with algorithms that evolve and sharpen on their own, however, are already in development. (Joseph 8/9)

Modern Healthcare: Kaiser's Net Income Continues To Soar On Investment Gains
Not-for-profit Kaiser Permanente's net income jumped 214% in the second quarter of 2019 year-over-year, hitting $2 billion in the quarter that ended June 30, and continuing what has so far been a strong year for the Oakland, Calif.-based health system. Kaiser's 10% profit margin in the quarter was generated by strong equity returns and an accounting change that since Jan. 1 has boosted the health system's net income. (Bannow, 8/9)

California Healthline: Charity Care Spending By Hospitals Plunges
California hospitals are providing significantly less free and discounted care to low-income patients since the Affordable Care Act took effect. As a proportion of their operating expenses, the state’s general acute-care hospitals spent less than half on these patients in 2017 than they did in 2013, according to data the hospitals reported to California’s Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development. The biggest decline in charity care spending occurred from 2013 to 2015, when it dropped from just over 2% to just under 1%. The spending has continued to decline, though less dramatically, since then. (Rowan, 8/12)

The Associated Press: Site Allows Consumers To Compare Health Care Cost, Quality
Consumers, businesses and health care providers will be able to compare the cost and quality of medical care at Connecticut hospitals and provider networks online. The Connecticut Office of Health Strategy has launched HealthscoreCT.com , which includes a quality scorecard and a cost estimator that is scheduled to be released at the end of September. (8/11)

The Star Tribune: With Kale And Tai Chi, Minnesota Hospitals Try A New Way To Keep Patients Healthy 
Large or small, broke or flush, almost every hospital in the state has invested in a strategy known as “population health” to identify and address the problems keeping patients from optimal health. The projects range from large-scale investments, such as wellness centers created by Mayo Clinic in Cannon Falls and CentraCare in Long Prairie, to web apps that nudge patients to make healthier choices. From a crude business perspective, it’s a counterproductive approach — the equivalent of McDonald’s conditioning customers to hate French fries — because hospitals are still paid mainly to treat patients, not prevent disease. (Olson, 8/11)

The Advocate: $40M Baton Rouge Proton Cancer Therapy Center Still In The Works 
An alternative cancer treatment center that was expected to open in Baton Rouge at the end of this year remains a goal, but it's unclear how long it will be before that happens. The proposed $40 million proton cancer therapy center is a partnership among Provident ProtonCare, a division of Baton Rouge-based nonprofit Provident Resources Group, and health care providers Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System and Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center, along with Woman's Hospital. (Mosbrucker, 8/11)

Cleveland Plain Dealer: Doctor Shortage To Worsen, Patients Could Pay More For Fewer Options
A looming primary care physician shortage has medical schools and hospital systems looking for ways to attract new doctors to the field. The shortage could make it harder for patients to see a primary care physician, increase health disparities among the underserved and raise costs as patients turn to the more-expensive emergency room for care, said Dr. Patricia Thomas, vice dean for medical education at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. (Christ, 8/11)

The Associated Press: To Boost Workforce, Medical Schools Try To Sell Rural Life
On a field trip to the Birthplace of Country Music Museum, Ashish Bibireddy put on headphones and scrolled through a jukebox of music from an influential 1927 recording session. Bibireddy and nine other medical students had already been biking and rafting on their visit to rural Appalachia organized by a nearby medical college. But it wasn’t just casual sightseeing; the tour was part of a concerted effort to attract a new generation of doctors to rural areas struggling with health care shortages. The Quillen College of Medicine at East Tennessee State University is among a small group of medical schools across the U.S. with programs dedicated to bolstering the number of primary care doctors in rural communities. (Thanawala, 8/9)

Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg's plan on some of these rural health issues —

New Hampshire Union Leader: Buttigieg Says Rural Plan Would Keep NH Clinics Open, Fill More Jobs 
Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg said his rural health plan will help shore up New Hampshire hospitals at risk of closure, cope with the shuttering of nine maternity wards, and cope with a chronic shortage of health care workers especially needed to work in small towns. The South Bend, Ind., mayor is expected to present his plan Friday. The Union Leader received an advance copy of the report along with detailed findings for how it would impact New Hampshire, a state in which one third of its residents and 44 percent of veterans live in rural areas. (Landrigan, 8/10)

The Hill: Buttigieg Unveils Plan To Improve Health Care In Rural Areas
South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D) on Friday unveiled a plan to overhaul the nation's health care system that would implement a public insurance option while working to improve and expand health services in rural areas and on Native American reservations. The plan stipulates that Americans with private health insurance who wish to remain on their plans will be allowed to do so, while also calling to "strengthen the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and protect it from Republican attacks" and implement a public insurance option. (Bowden, 8/9))

The Associated Press: Region Hit Hard By Opioids Embraces Jail-Based Treatment
As western Massachusetts struggles with a dramatic spike in fatal overdoses, officials are embracing a controversial solution: sending men who have not committed any crimes to jails and prisons for court-ordered addiction treatment. Hampden County Sheriff Nick Cocchi has designated a wing of his jail for the treatment of men civilly committed for substance abuse reasons. It’s the only facility in western Massachusetts housing the men, and just one of three in the entire state for men. (Marcelo, 8/9)

The Associated Press: Librarians Facing New Tasks Say Crisis Isn't In The Catalog
As libraries nationwide contend with a surge in patrons seeking refuge in the stacks because of poverty, drug addiction or mental illness, a growing number of institutions have social workers on staff. It’s the latest step in an evolution that libraries have been dealing with for years as homelessness and the opioid crisis reach emergency levels and patrons have come to rely on libraries as free, safe spaces open to all. (Swenson, 8/9)

The Associated Press: Alleged Online Opioid Drug Kingpin To Stand Trial In Utah
As America’s opioid crisis spiraled into a fentanyl epidemic, prosecutors say one young Utah man made himself a drug kingpin by creating counterfeit prescription painkillers laced with the deadly drug and mailing them to homes across the United States. Former Eagle Scout Aaron Shamo, 29, will stand trial beginning Monday on allegations that he and a small group of fellow millennials ran a multimillion-dollar empire from the basement of his suburban Salt Lake City home by trafficking hundreds of thousands of pills containing fentanyl, the potent synthetic opioid that has exacerbated the country’s overdose epidemic in recent years. (Whitehurst and Galofaro, 8/12)

The Associated Press: EPA: Newark Should Provide Bottled Water Due To Lead
The governor of New Jersey and the mayor of Newark have vowed to provide bottled water to city residents with lead service lines after tests indicate filters may not be protecting them against elevated lead levels. Gov. Phil Murphy and Mayor Ras Baraka said, however, in a statement Sunday evening that the city and state “will need support and assistance from the federal government” to provide and distribute water to affected residents. And the Democratic leaders said long-term water distribution could affect the city’s corrosion control treatment launched in May, since for the system to work properly residents must keep city water flowing through their pipes. (8/11)

The New York Times: In Echo Of Flint Lead Crisis, Newark Offers Bottled Water
For more than a year, Newark officials denied the city had a widespread lead problem with its drinking water. Then, in an abrupt shift last fall, New Jersey’s largest city began giving out water filters to some residents. On Sunday — two days after a scathing letter from the E.P.A. raised concerns about the safety of the city’s drinking water — officials said they would start offering bottled water to residents.(Fitzsimmons, 8/11)

NPR: No Safe Drinking Water On Reservation Leaves Thousands Improvising
The Warm Springs Indian Reservation in Central Oregon has been without safe drinking water all summer, and some people have no running water at all. In May, a burst pipe led to a cascade of infrastructure failures. That leaves around 4,000 people improvising for survival. ... The [ad-hoc water distribution] center runs on donations, and it might distribute 3,000 gallons of water a day, plus other supplies like bleach wipes, plastic plates, utensils, and commodes, said Danny Martinez, emergency manager for the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. (Cureton, 8/10)

The New York Times: Summer In The City Is Hot, But Some Neighborhoods Suffer More
As the United States suffers through a summer of record-breaking heat, new research shows that temperatures on a scorching summer day can vary as much as 20 degrees across different parts of the same city, with poor or minority neighborhoods often bearing the brunt of that heat. “The heat island effect is often characterized as the city being hotter than surrounding rural areas,” said Vivek Shandas, a professor of urban studies and planning at Portland State University, who led heat mapping projects across the country with help from community volunteers. “We’re saying it’s a little more complicated than that.” (8/9)

The Associated Press: EPA Won't Approve Warning Labels For Roundup Chemical
The Trump administration says it won’t approve warning labels for products that contain glyphosate, a move aimed at California as it fights one of the world’s largest agriculture companies about the potentially cancer-causing chemical. California requires warning labels on glyphosate products — widely known as the weed killer Roundup — because the International Agency for Research on Cancer has said it is “probably carcinogenic.” The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency disagrees, saying its research shows the chemical poses no risks to public health. (Beam, 8/9)

The New York Times: Surgeons Labored To Save The Wounded In El Paso Mass Shooting
The tragedy in El Paso on Saturday, carried out by a gunman armed with an AK-47-style rifle, and another deadly massacre on Sunday in Dayton, Ohio, in which the gunman used an AR-15-style pistol modified to act as a rifle, can be measured in death tolls — 22 in El Paso and nine in Dayton. But the damage done by such weapons is witnessed most clearly by members of the medical staff who care for the wounded. The story of their lifesaving labors at the El Paso hospital, the only one in a 270-mile radius prepared to treat complex trauma patients, is one of heroics in the face of violence, and of the doctors and nurses, who, once the adrenaline rush died down, struggled to live with the horror of what they had experienced. (Kolata, 8/9)

Dallas Morning News: What Can Texas Cops Do When A Gun And Its Legal But Troubled Owner Raise Alarm?
Texas, unlike at least 17 other states, has no "red flag" laws to allow authorities to temporarily seize guns while they investigate whether someone is a danger to themselves or others. There is little support among Texas legislators for changing state law.But North Texas police departments both large and small say the absence of "red flag" laws shouldn't stop residents from calling if they have concerns. (Emily, 8/11)

The Washington Post: Why One Family Mourning El Paso Victims Chose To Meet With Trump
Tito Anchondo wishes people would stop politicizing his family’s tragedy. Anchondo, who lost his beloved brother and sister-in-law in the rampage by an El Paso Walmart on Saturday, said he wanted to take his orphaned nephew to University Medical Center on Wednesday to meet the president and first lady. The 2-month-old suffered two broken fingers in the shooting but survived after his parents, Andre and Jordan Anchondo, shielded him from the gunfire and were slain themselves. (Bever and Moore, 8/9)

Cincinnati Enquirer: Explaining Ohio Gun Deaths In 4 Charts
Here's a look, compiled by the Ohio Alliance for Innovation in Population Health, at how many people have died in Ohio with a gun since 2009. The group is a collaboration between Ohio University and the University of Toledo to improve the health of Ohioans. It's led by former Ohio Department of Health Director Rick Hodges. (Balmert, 8/9)

Columbus Dispatch: Half-A-Million Years Of Ohioans' Life Expectancy Lost To Gun Deaths
The Ohio Alliance for Innovation in Population Health found that nearly 500,000 years of life have been lost over the past decade from firearm fatalities. The report was released Friday in the wake of three mass shootings in a seven-day span in Dayton, El Paso, Texas, and Gilroy, California, that left 35 dead and dozens injured. The shootings have prompted renewed calls for stricter gun laws and other action. (Candisky, 8/9)

San Jose Mercury News: California Gun Laws: Analysis Measures The Impact On Mass Shootings
California has the strictest gun regulations in the country, but it also has had more mass shootings than any other state in recent years, from killings in Santa Barbara and San Bernardino to Tehama County and now Gilroy. In some cases, shooters have circumvented the state’s gun laws, even when the legislation has functioned as intended. In other cases, the laws may have disarmed people who otherwise would have gone on to commit mayhem. (Salonga, 8/11)

San Francisco Chronicle: Can Gun Laws Curb Gun Violence? Studies Suggest Some Might
The recent string of horrific mass shootings has policymakers at both the state and federal level considering gun-control laws that might help reduce gun violence. Two recent studies from Boston University may provide some guidance in trying to address that issue. The papers, published this year, found that three types of laws that regulate access to firearms are associated with a significant reduction in gun-related homicides. (Palomino, 8/11)

KQED: Gilroy Community Grapples With Trauma After Mass Shooting: ‘Sometimes It’s Terror’
Like many others impacted by gun violence nationwide, some people in Gilroy are experiencing trauma in the wake of the July 28 shooting that left three people dead. These emotional scars can haunt them long after the attack, even if they weren’t physically injured, experts say. (Leitsinger, 8/9)

Boston Globe: Mass. Adopted Gun Confiscation Law To Avoid Potentially Violent Ends. A Year Later, It’s Rarely Used
The experience in Massachusetts, however, suggests it’s been largely used in cases of suicide prevention and domestic incidents. Broader research is scant, and although advocates say the laws may have already helped prevent an attack elsewhere, it’s unclear whether the law has played such a role in Massachusetts. (Stout, 8/9)

PBS NewsHour: After Ferguson, Black Men Still Face The Highest Risk Of Being Killed By Police
Five years after Michael Brown’s death in Ferguson, Missouri, launched a national conversation about race and police brutality, black men are still more likely to die by police violence than white men. According to a study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences, over the course of a lifetime, black men face a one in 1,000 risk of being killed during an encounter with police, a rate much higher than that of white men. (Santhanam, 8/9)

The Associated Press: Vaccines, Guns, Housing Bills Await California Legislature
California lawmakers return to work on Monday with one month left to pass bills before adjourning for the year. The Legislature was busy before the July recess, passing a $214.8 billion operating budget and setting up funds to pay future wildfire victims and clean up drinking water. But lawmakers still have lots to do before they adjourn on Sept. 13. Here are a few bills they will consider over the next month. (Beam and Thompson, 8/11)

Pioneer Press: MN Republicans To Press For DHS Answers In Committee Hearing
Minnesota Republicans who have called for an explanation about turnover and turmoil within the Department of Human Services may get some answers next week. The Republican-led Senate health and human services committee will hold a hearing Tuesday where members are expected to press DHS leaders about a slew of unexplained resignations and $25 million in overpayments to two Native American tribes, among other issues. (Faircloth, 8/9)

North Carolina Health News: Lawmakers Move Forward On Small Business Health Plan Bill 
Realtors, small business owners and other employees in small businesses could have access to another option for health insurance if the state legislature has its way. In the coming days, it’s likely the General Assembly will be sending a bill to Gov. Roy Cooper that allows for the creation of association health plans, to allow for what could be plans with lower premiums. Senate Bill 86 represents a priority long held by many in the state as a way of getting health insurance to more North Carolinians. It would allow long-standing statewide associations such as the NC Realtors’ Association or the state Chamber of Commerce to create plans for their members. (Hoban, 8/9)

Cleveland Plain Dealer: Ohio Medicaid Enrollment For Children And Adults Is Falling. 6 Possible Reasons Why.
The number of people on Ohio Medicaid, the health care program for low-income, pregnant and disabled Ohioans, has steadily dropped, almost every month, over the past two years. The decrease was 8.1 percent between July 2017, when nearly 3.1 million Ohioans were enrolled, and June, when there were just over 2.8 million. That's 250,300 fewer people. (Hancock, 8/10)

The Advocate: As Medicaid Contracts Draw Scrutiny, Gov. John Bel Edwards' Administration Defends Move 
A new round of multi-billion-dollar contracts for managing Louisiana’s Medicaid program is drawing scrutiny from some lawmakers and a planned appeal by the losing bidder. Gov. John Bel Edwards’ administration, however, is defending the move, saying the new contracts will provide better care to enrollees and that jobs lost with the losing bidder can be filled by the winning bidders. (Karlin, 8/9)

The Advocate: Immunization Records Are Available Free Online For Louisiana Residents 
Louisiana residents can now get their immunization records online for free, without having to contact a health care provider. At LA.MyIR.net, state residents can securely view, download and print official copies of their immunization records, according to a news release from the Louisiana Department of Health. These printed records are accepted by schools, employers, state agencies and other organizations that require proof of immunization, the release says. (8/11)

Texas Tribune: Texas' Low Rate Of HPV Vaccination Is Keeping Cervical Cancer Rates High
Now, twelve years after Texas and Australia first veered onto wildly different courses regarding HPV prevention, their gap in health outcomes has widened demonstrably. Australia is on track to become the first country to eliminate cervical cancer, perhaps within a decade. Texas, meanwhile, has hardly made a dent in its rate of cervical cancer — which remains one of the highest in the United States, with an incidence comparable to that of some developing countries. Medical experts in both Texas and Australia say the results underscore the effectiveness of widely available vaccines and cancer screenings. (Walters, 8/12)

Kansas City Star: Kansas Anti-Vaccine Group Surges As Parents Rush To Meet New Back-To-School Regulation
A few dozen members of a Kansas anti-vaccination group protested at a state hearing this summer over two new immunization requirements for school-age children. Less than two months later, as school is about to start next week, that advocacy group has swelled to about 1,000 members, its leaders claim. Their opposition comes as health officials try to dig Kansas up from the bottom of national rankings of teens getting vaccinated for meningitis, a disease that is often fatal if left untreated. The state fares slightly better in cases of hepatitis A, mainly because day care centers already require that vaccine. Kansas added those two diseases to its list of five others that children must be immunized against to attend public or private school. (Ritter, 8/8)

Modern Healthcare: N.C. Walks Back Reference-Based Pricing Plan For State Workers
After more than a year of tense negotiations, the North Carolina state treasurer has partially walked back a plan to reimburse healthcare providers for services delivered to teachers and other state employees at a percentage tied to Medicare rates. The decision comes after many of the state's hospitals refused to sign contracts to join the new North Carolina State Health Plan Network, which would have paid them an average 196% of the Medicare rate for the same service. That rate had been revised upward several times during negotiations. (Livingston, 8/9)

The Associated Press: NYC Medical Data Breach Linked To About 10,000 Patients
The personal information of about 10,000 New York ambulance patients was involved in a data breach linked to the city’s emergency medical services. The Fire Department of New York acknowledged Friday that the data was contained in an EMS employee’s personal hard drive, reported missing in March. (8/9)

New Orleans Times-Picayune: New Orleans Hospitality Workers: New Health Care Initiative A 'Timid' But 'Good' First Step 
The hospitality industry in New Orleans brings in $8.7 billion per year, according to a report commissioned by the city in 2018. But while the industry thrives, many of the city's cooks, servers and bartenders must walk a financial tightrope trying to find affordable health care. ... [T]he New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corp., which is largely funded by the city’s hotel room occupancy tax, has rolled out a marketing initiative aimed at connecting hospitality workers with existing health care services. The program, called Healthy Hospitality, is being offered in partnership with 504 HealthNet, a network of clinics and hospitals in the city that provide free or low-cost health care. (Woodruff, 8/9)

Politico Pro: Judge Orders California Lawsuits Over Gilead HIV Drugs To Be Heard In San Francisco
A California judge has ordered all lawsuits filed against Gilead Sciences regarding safety problems with its HIV drugs to be overseen by a single judge in San Francisco County Superior Court. The ruling by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Kenneth R. Freeman brought together more than two dozen cases filed throughout California by patients alleging they were harmed by Gilead antiviral medications containing tenofovir disoproxil fumarate — including Viread, Truvada, Atripla, Complera or Stribild. (Colliver, 8/9)

Health News Florida: Florida Officials Eye Safety, Mental Health Ahead Of School Year
With the start of a new school year just around the corner, Florida officials are eyeing policy changes that would expand the number of mental health professionals in schools and ensure that charter schools are meeting safety requirements. Addressing mental health issues and hardening schools have been two high-profile education issues in the wake of last year’s mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. (Ceballos, 8/9)

Los Angeles Times: Sexual Misconduct Allegations Against California Doctors Rise Sharply Since #MeToo Era Began
Since fall of 2017, the number of complaints against physicians for sexual misconduct has risen 62%, a jump that coincides with the beginning of the #MeToo movement, according to a Times analysis of California medical board data. During that same time, medical boards across the country also noticed a surge in sexual misconduct complaints, according to Joe Knickrehm, spokesman for the nonprofit Federation of State Medical Boards, though figures were not available. (Karlamangla, 8/12)

Kaiser Health News: How #MeToo Is Changing Sex Ed Policies — Even In Red States
The 2019 state legislative season is producing a bumper crop of sex education bills across the U.S., with at least 79 bills introduced in the legislatures of 32 states and the District of Columbia, according to a recent report by the Guttmacher Institute, a sexual and reproductive health research and advocacy organization. Most of the bills have been aimed at expanding youth education around healthy sexuality and relationships — and reducing the reach of the abstinence-only ideology that had become part of many sex ed classes over the past four decades. (Landman, 8/12)

Pioneer Press: Washington State Couple Dead In Apparent Murder-Suicide Left Notes Saying They Couldn’t Afford Medical Care, Police Say
A Washington state couple whom authorities believe died by murder-suicide reportedly left several notes expressing worry that they could not afford treatment for the wife’s severe medical issues. The husband, 77, called 911 shortly before 8:30 a.m. Wednesday and told the dispatcher that he planned to shoot himself, the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. The man said he had written a note for the sheriff with information and instructions. (Iati, 8/11)

Tampa Bay Times: Health Risk Was High From Bloody Gloves, IV Lines And Chemo Waste Found Crammed In 11 Trailers
State investigators last week announced they had seized more than 50,000 pounds of untreated biomedical waste at a Plant City storage center. An arrest report obtained this week reveals what made up the haul and just how dangerous it is. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection found bloody latex gloves, stained hospital sheets, intravenous lines, expired medicine and chemotherapy waste, among other things, all carrying an “extremely high risk” of exposure to bloodborne pathogens. (Ogozalek, 8/9)

The Wall Street Journal: For Higher Education, Try Taking Courses In Marijuana
At least two U.S. universities have just introduced high-level courses for students interested in a career in the marijuana business. Maryland University’s School of Pharmacy will offer a master’s degree in medical cannabis. Cornell University—an Ivy League school apparently branching out into other leafy plants—has introduced a course called “Cannabis: Biology, Society and Industry.” The Cornell offering will cover everything from cultivating marijuana to marketing it more effectively. The Maryland master’s program will prepare students for careers as pot-savvy health care professionals. (Queenan, 8/9)

Arizona Republic: Arizona Marijuana Ballot Measure Details Released
A ballot measure to legalize marijuana in Arizona would allow people 21 and older to have as much as an ounce of the drug, while letting the state decide some important decisions such as potency, according to details released Friday. The backers have spent months consulting on the initiative and made a concerted effort to address concerns from public safety officials, municipalities and other groups likely to oppose the measure, said spokeswoman Stacy Pearson, senior vice president with Strategies 360 in Phoenix. (Randazzo, 8/9)

North Carolina Health News: Family Members Of People With Mental Illness Find Support, Skills 
The free course, which has been taken by over 300,000 people nationwide in almost three decades, improves family members’ ability to cope with and accept mental illness, according to a 2011 study. Role-playing exercises teach strategies such as reflective listening, in which family members emphasize their empathy and understanding by reflecting what their loved ones say back to them. (Duong, 8/12)

The New York Times: The Impact Of Racism On Children’s Health
This month the American Academy of Pediatrics put out its first policy statement on how racism affects the health and development of children and adolescents. “Racism is a significant social determinant of health clearly prevalent in our society now,” said Dr. Maria Trent, a professor of pediatrics at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, who was one of the co-authors of the statement. (Klass, 8/12)

Boston Globe: ‘I Validate Your Pain’: A New Suicide Prevention Program On Cape Cod Is Rethinking Mental Health Care
In 2017, the Cape Samaritans, the Falmouth-based branch of a global suicide-prevention network, was awarded a three-year grant to launch “A Caring Connection.” It is one of several ongoing efforts in Massachusetts — supported by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration — to curb the suicide epidemic with integrated health models. (Kuznitz, 8/10)

MPR: At Camp Needlepoint, Diabetics Avoid Being ‘Odd Kid Out’
Toting pillows, sleeping bags and stuffed animals, hundreds of children anxiously lined up Sunday to check in for overnight camp along the St. Croix River. Packing lists for Camp Needlepoint were filled out with insulin pumps, glucose monitors and other vital tools to manage their shared disease: diabetes. The unique sleepaway camp put on by the American Diabetes Association is one of the largest and oldest of its kind. Its goals are simple: Provide an escape for children while introducing them to peers also coping with the chronic condition. (Bakst, 8/12)

Boston Globe: ‘I’ve Never Seen Anybody Like Me’: Childhood Burn Survivors Embrace Their Scars At Summer Camp
Now 24 and a counselor each summer at this camp for childhood burn survivors near Sturbridge, Kelsey [Pandiani] sees herself in the young girls she cares for, each a tumbler brimming with hope and doubt and nerve. She learns from them, again, how much it took to make her own passage; she longs to teach them what it took her years to learn, and she longs now to help the girl beside her. (Russell, 8/10)

New Hampshire Union Leader: Massachusetts Confirms Human Case Of EEE
Less than a week after state health officials reported a Kingston man had been diagnosed with two mosquito-borne viruses, a case of Eastern Equine Encephalitis has been confirmed in Massachusetts. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health announced Friday that a Plymouth County man had tested positive for EEE, the Bay State’s first confirmed case in a human since 2013. (Alden, 8/11)

San Jose Mercury News: Democratic Candidates Are Still Unclear On Health Care
Candidates must answer legitimate questions about transition. Harris deserves the suspicion generated by her proposed 10-year transitional timeframe, more than two full presidential terms. But suspicion is also due those who fail to address transition, notably Sanders and Warren. Do they think the half-million Americans who would lose jobs with the elimination of the private insurance-sector under their plan, or those who would lose negotiated health benefits beyond the new universal benefit-package, should be compensated? (Ann Mongoven, 8/9)

The New York Times: Banning Assault Weapons Works 
We have a huge problem with guns. Assault weapons — military-style firearms designed to fire rapidly — are a threat to our national security, and we should treat them as such. Anyone who pretends there’s nothing we can do is lying — and holding that view should be disqualifying for anyone seeking to lead our country. I know, because with Senator Dianne Feinstein I led the effort to enact the 1994 law that banned assault weapons and high-capacity magazines for 10 years. Those gun safety reforms made our nation demonstrably more secure. They were also, sadly, the last meaningful gun legislation we were able get signed into law before the N.R.A. and the gun manufacturers put the Republican Party in a headlock. (Former Vice President Joe Biden, 8/11)

Stat: Medicare's 'New Technology' Payment Plan Doesn't Go Far Enough 
Within the past week, CMS announced it will institute a broad coverage policy for Medicare beneficiaries who have indications for CAR-T and will increase the rate it pays hospitals administering CAR-T and other new therapies from 50% to 65% of the cost of the product as part of what are called new technology add-on payments (NTAPs). While this is a step in the right direction, it represents a piecemeal approach to a systemic problem and one that leaves hospitals with unsustainable expenses. While patients see CAR-T therapies as lifelines, hospital administrators look at them and see substantial financial risk. That view often delays or stops institutions from becoming certified to provide CAR-T therapies. (Roy Silverstein, 8/9)

The Hill: Banning E-Cigarette Sales Will Do More Harm Than Good
Those favoring banning e-cigarette sales hope their efforts will prevent teens from vaping. As San Francisco Mayor London Breed expressed it, “We need to take action to protect the health of San Francisco's youth and prevent the next generation of San Franciscans from becoming addicted to these products.”Mayor Breed’s and other’s concerns are well-intended. The earlier in life an addiction develops, the longer it tends to stick, making youth particularly vulnerable. Unfortunately, history suggests their efforts are extremely unlikely to succeed. (Raymond Marsh, 8/9)

The Washington Post: No, Lyme Disease Is Not An Escaped Military Bioweapon, Despite What Conspiracy Theorists Say
Could Lyme disease in the United States be the result of an accidental release from a secret bioweapons experiment? Could the military have specifically engineered the Lyme disease bacterium to be more insidious and destructive — and then let it somehow escape the lab and spread in nature? Is this why 300,000 Americans are diagnosed annually with this potentially debilitating disease? It’s an old conspiracy theory enjoying a resurgence with lots of sensational headlines and tweets. Even Congress has ordered that the Pentagon must reveal whether it weaponized ticks. And it’s not true. (Sam Telford, 8/11)

The Hill: The US Can Learn From Rwanda On Stamping Out Cervical Cancer 
A recent study in the journal "Lancet" made a big splash when its authors concluded that cervical cancer could be eliminated worldwide “if sufficient population-level vaccination coverage can be reached.” Rwanda is certainly doing its part. The tiny African country decided a decade ago to prioritize the reduction of cervical cancer, and in 2013 it started offering 11 and 12-year-old girls immunization against the human papillomavirus (HPV), the cause of most cervical cancers. The country now has a 93 percent vaccination rate among young girls. The U.S. needs to be more like Rwanda. (Lisa Kearns, Arthur Caplan and Kathleen Bachynski, 8/10)

The Washington Post: End-Of-Life Directives Are Crucial, So Why Are They So Hard?
I of all people should know how to do this. As an ICU nurse, I see every day how agonizing it is for families to make end-of-life care decisions for loved ones who have not made their wishes clearly known. I know what I want. I know what the legal options are. But when I sit down to fill out the papers, I stall. The form remains incomplete. All of my experience urges me to act. I think of the anguished adult son trying to decide whether his elderly, unconscious mother would want to live permanently connected to a ventilator. (Andrea Useem, 8/11)

Los Angeles Times: After My Mother's Disastrous Hospice Experience, We Filed A State Complaint. It Came To Nothing
My mother did not die well. She was discharged in January from a Bay Area hospital and transported to a residential care home in distress, writhing in agony at times.... Incensed by her poor treatment, I filed a complaint against the hospice agency with the Licensing and Certification Program of the California Department of Public Health. I’ve now received a letter detailing the agency’s findings. “L&C was not able to validate the complaint allegation through direct observation, interviews, and/or review of documents.” (Steve Lopez, 8/10)

WBUR: Hope For The Homeless And Sick
In the short term, these hospital-based housing specialists are trained in helping patients navigate transitional housing, finding temporary housing or shelter housing. In the long term, these specialists help patients maneuver through the complicated web of siloed services and get patients off the streets and into permanent supportive housing. (Alister Martin and David Velasquez, 8/12)

Los Angeles Times: San Diego’s City Attorney Is Taking Away Hundreds Of Guns From Those Who Shouldn’t Have Them
So in 2016, [Mara] Elliott ran for San Diego city attorney and won, promising to be a champion of gun control. She specifically pledged to seek firearms restraining orders against gun owners who showed signs of potential violence. Today, the 51-year-old Democrat is California’s most aggressive planter of so-called red flags on suspicious gun owners who act like they shouldn’t be anywhere near a firearm. The goal is to seize guns from wackos. (George Skelton, 8/12)

Sacramento Bee: Sacramento Needs Safe Parking For People Who Live In Cars
With housing and shelter beds in short supply, the trend of people using their vehicles as homes has become increasingly common in cities across the state. That’s why Sacramento is rightly considering the creation of safe parking zones where people who live in their vehicles can safely park. In doing so, Sacramento would join several cities across the state – including Oakland, San Luis Obispo, San Diego and Santa Barbara – in creating legal spaces for homeless people who live in cars. (8/9)