The Associated Press: Planned Parenthood Sets Exit From Family Planning Program
Raising the stakes in an ideologically charged standoff over women’s health, Planned Parenthood said Wednesday it will soon leave the federal family planning program unless a court puts a hold on Trump administration rules that bar clinics from referring patients for abortions. The administration responded that it is ready to operate the Title X family planning program without the organization that has been the largest provider. About 4 million women are served nationwide under the program, which distributes $260 million in grants to clinics. It’s unclear how many patients would be affected. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 8/14)

The Washington Post: Planned Parenthood Said It Would Leave The Title X Program On Aug. 19 Absent Court Action
The result of the agency’s withdrawal — unless the court should rule against the administration before Aug. 19 — will vary greatly by state, said Erica Sackin, a spokeswoman for the organization. Some states have pledged to make up the funds. But in others where that isn’t the case, especially rural areas where providers can be many miles from one other, the effect is likely to be “chaos,” she said. (Cha, 8/14)

NPR: Planned Parenthood To Withdraw From Title X, Unless Court Intervenes
In a statement to NPR on Wednesday afternoon, a Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson wrote, "To the extent that Planned Parenthood claims that it must make burdensome changes to comply with the Final Rule, it is actually choosing to place a higher priority on the ability to refer for abortion instead of continuing to receive federal funds to provide a broad range of acceptable and effective family planning methods and services to clients in need of these services." (McCammon, 8/14)

PoliticoPro: Planned Parenthood Tells Court It Has Days To Block Trump Anti-Abortion Rule
Planned Parenthood serves about 40 percent of the more than 4 million low-income women nationwide who depend on Title X clinics for free and subsidized birth control, STI screenings and other health services. A few states including Washington and Maryland have committed to replacing any lost Title X money with state funds to keep clinics that refuse to operate under the new rules afloat. (Ollstein, 8/14)

The Hill: Planned Parenthood To Leave Federal Family Planning Program Monday Absent Court Action 
Planned Parenthood will leave a federally funded family planning program Monday unless a court blocks the Trump administration's new restrictions on abortion providers. While Planned Parenthood stopped using Title X family planning funds last month after the administration announced it would begin enforcing the restrictions, it told the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) it would stay in the program while it sues over the changes. But the administration told Planned Parenthood it must completely exit the program by Monday if it does not plan to fully comply with the rules, regardless of whether it is using the money. (Hellmann, 8/14)

Reuters: Thirteen U.S. States Sue Over New Rule To Limit Legal Immigration
A coalition of 13 U.S. states sued President Donald Trump’s administration on Wednesday, seeking to block a new rule that would drastically reduce legal immigration by denying visas to poor migrants. Some experts say the rule could cut legal immigration in half by denying visas and permanent residency to hundreds of thousands of people if they fail to meet high enough income standards or if they receive public assistance such as welfare, food stamps, public housing or Medicaid. (8/14)

Seattle Times: Washington Among 13 States Suing Trump Administration On Penalizing Immigrants Using Public Benefits
Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson helped lead a coalition of 13 states filing suit Wednesday against the federal government’s new rule making it harder for legal immigrants to get green cards if they’ve used an array of public benefits, including Medicaid, subsidized housing and food stamps. ...The lawsuit, co-led by Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring and filed in U.S. District Court in Eastern Washington, comes just two days after the Trump administration announced the controversial rule and a day after two California counties also filed suit. (Shapiro, 8/14)

Detroit Free Press: Michigan Attorney General Files Suit To Protect Immigrant Benefits
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and a dozen other state attorneys generals filed suit against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Wednesday, charging that a new rule denying green cards to legal immigrants who use public assistanceis illegal and undermines the nation's values. ...While federal law already requires those seeking to permanent residency status to prove they will not be a burden to the U.S., or become a “public charge,” the new rule, which goes into effect Oct. 15, includes a broader range of programs that could disqualify green card applicants. (Kovanis, 8/15)

Politico: Gun Control Groups To Rally In All 50 States To Pressure GOP
Gun control groups will hold rallies in all 50 states this weekend to urge the Senate to pass universal background checks, as well as a "red flag" measure aimed at potentially dangerous gun owners. Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America — both funded by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg — will also air nearly $1 million of TV and digital ads to pressure key GOP senators. (Bresnahan, 8/14)

The Wall Street Journal: Trump Advisers Are Wary As President Considers Gun Proposals
President Trump’s public push for gun-control measures is causing consternation among conservatives and some of his advisers, who have privately raised concerns about the political and policy fallout of the approach, according to White House officials and people familiar with the discussions. At least so far, Mr. Trump doesn’t appear to have been swayed by the concerns, and the president has indicated privately to aides that he wants to be seen taking action in response to back-to-back mass shootings earlier this month. Aides said he remains interested in pushing for legislative action to expand background checks and prevent mentally unstable people from possessing guns. (Ballhaus, Restuccia and Andrews, 8/14)

Politico: Susan Collins And The GOP Court Trump On Guns
Susan Collins has watched countless gun debates stall out over the years. But this time, she says, will be different. The Maine moderate has long been a lonely voice on guns in the GOP. She’s one of just two Republicans left in the Senate who previously supported a bipartisan background checks bill and the only Republican serving who backed an assault weapons ban. Every time she’s gotten close to winning even modest new gun regulations, the effort collapses due to conservative opposition. (Everett and Levine, 8/14)

PoliticoPro: 'Red Flag' Laws May Prevent Gun-Related Suicides, Research Shows
"Red flag" laws that President Donald Trump and some congressional Republicans have promoted in response to this month's mass shootings in Texas and Ohio may be effective at preventing suicides, though it's unclear whether they can thwart mass killings, according to recent studies. Mental health and gun rights advocates say the effectiveness of measures allowing firearms to be temporarily seized from people deemed a threat hinges on identifying specific high-risk behaviors instead of focusing on an individual's mental health diagnoses or behavioral history. (Rayasam, 8/14)

Stat: Sanders And Cummings Renew Probe Into Generic Pricing They Say Was ‘Stonewalled’
Two members of Congress — Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) — have asked three generic drug makers for documents as part of an investigation into price hikes, renewing an effort the lawmakers first began in 2014. In letters to Mylan, Teva Pharmaceutical, and Heritage Pharmaceuticals, Cummings and Sanders also asked for information about allegations the companies apparently attempted to “stonewall” their 2014 probe. The allegations surfaced this past May in a price-fixing lawsuit that was filed by 44 state attorneys general against 20 generic drug makers. (Silverman, 8/14)

Bloomberg: Generic-Drug Giants Accused Of Blocking Congressional Probe 
Lawsuits filed by state attorneys general in 2016 and this year allege a conspiracy among 20 drugmakers to carve up the market and raise prices of more than 100 drugs including commonly prescribed antibiotics as well as medications for reducing cholesterol and controlling seizures. Those actions, authorities allege, cost taxpayers and patients billions of dollars. The prices of some drugs increased by as much as 8,281% between October 2013 and April 2014, according to the lawmakers’ letter made public on Wednesday. The most recent lawsuit included emails from 2014 in which executives at Teva, Mylan and Heritage planned to respond to congressional inquiries with “polite f-u” letters. (Flanagan and Griffin, 8/14)

CNBC: Lawmakers Accuse Drugmakers Mylan, Teva Of 'Coordinated Obstruction'
The lawmakers said they decided to open an investigation following findings in a lawsuit filed by 44 states in May that accused the drugmakers and others of inflating drug prices and stifling competition for generic drug versions. “Not only did your company’s apparent obstruction undermine our investigation, but it may have caused further harm to patients and health care providers by delaying the discovery of evidence about the companies’ price-fixing,” Cummings and Sanders wrote in each of the letters, dated August 13. (Lovelace, 8/14)

The Hill: Cummings, Sanders Investigate Three Drug Companies For 'Obstructing' Congressional Probe
Cummings and Sanders are requesting the original documents they asked for in 2014, as well as all communications between the three companies related to that investigation. Cummings and Sanders also asked the Department of Justice (DOJ) last month to open an investigation into whether the three companies obstructed their probe.  (Hellmann, 8/14)

In other news from Capitol Hill —

Modern Healthcare: Lawmakers Hoping To Overhaul Privacy Rules For Substance-Use Disorders
Lawmakers are hoping Congress can pass a proposed overhaul of addiction-related privacy laws now that the American Medical Association is no longer opposed. Hospitals badly want Congress to waive the statute known as 42 CFR Part 2 and its dictates that only substance-use disorder, or SUD, patients themselves can decide who sees their medical history. They argue that given the stakes with widespread opioid addiction, it's risky to ban doctors from sharing medical histories when appropriate. (Luthi, 8/14)

ProPublica: Senators Call For Closing “Loopholes” That Make Health Care Fraud Easy
Following a detailed account of how scam artists can easily gain access to health care cash, six Democratic senators this week sent a letter to federal regulators urging them to “close loopholes” that allow “bad actors” to commit fraud. The letter came in response to a recent story by ProPublica and Vox that traced the brazen scam of a Texas personal trainer, who despite having no medical credentials was able to submit a blizzard of fake bills with some of the biggest insurance companies in the country and recoup millions. (Allen, 8/14)

The Hill: Democrats Demand Trump Officials Withdraw Rule On Transgender Health 
Democrats are warning the Trump administration not to move forward with a proposed rule that would undo an ObamaCare provision that prohibits health care discrimination based on sex. In a letter sent to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), 125 House Democrats urged the administration to withdraw a proposal they said would give doctors, insurers, hospitals and others a license to discriminate against transgender patients. (Weixel, 8/14)

Politico: House Panel Issues Subpoena To Compel Testimony From 8chan Owner
The House Homeland Security Committee issued a subpoena to force the owner of fringe online message board 8chan, which has been linked to mass shootings, to testify at a deposition next month on any efforts his platform has made to combat racist and violent content. (Lima, 8/14)

Des Moines Register: U.S. Rep. Steve King: If Not For Rape And Incest, 'Would There Be Any Population Left?'
U.S. Rep. Steve King told the Westside Conservative Club on Wednesday that humanity might not exist if not for rape and incest. "What if we went back through all the family trees and just pulled those people out that were products of rape and incest? Would there be any population of the world left if we did that?" he said at the event in Urbandale, Iowa. "Considering all the wars and all the rapes and pillages taken place and whatever happened to culture after society? I know I can't certify that I'm not a part of a product of that." (Opsahl, 8/14)

Reuters: Republican Congressman Steve King: Would Humanity Exist Without Rape, Incest?
King is opposed to exceptions for rape and incest in laws restricting abortion and has tried unsuccessfully to get legislation reflecting his position passed in the House. “It’s not the baby’s fault for the sin of the father, or of the mother,” he said. (O'Brien, 8/14)

The New York Times: Steve King Asks If There Would Be ‘Any Population’ Left Without Rape And Incest
House Republican leaders broke from their August recess to publicly chastise him. Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the minority leader, and Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the minority whip, both said Mr. King’s comments underscored why he had been removed from his committees, though both stopped short of saying further action was necessary. (Stevens and Stolberg, 8/14)

The Washington Post: Rep. Steve King Says Humanity Might Not Exist If Not For Rape And Incest
Rep. Liz Cheney (Wyo.), the third-ranking Republican in the House, responded to King’s comment by declaring, “It’s time for him to go.” ... King’s latest comment drew rebukes from both Republican and Democratic challengers in Iowa. J.D. Scholten, a Democrat who ran against King last year and is challenging him in 2020, said King’s remarks are “disrespectful to survivors and don’t reflect Iowan values.” “Yet again, Steve King puts his selfish, hateful ideology above the needs of the people of Iowa’s 4th district,” Scholten said in a statement. “Excusing violence — in any way — is entirely unacceptable.” (Sonmez, 8/14)

Politico: House GOP Leaders Condemn Steve King For 'Appalling' Rape Comments
Democrats in Congress and on the 2020 campaign trail reacted with fury, saying that King's comments amounted to excusing violence against women and disregarding the victims of rape and incest. (Ferris, 8/14)

Iowa Public Radio: Congressman Steve King Criticized Over Comments On Abortion And Rape
The comments were condemned by many, including Democratic presidential candidates and at least two of King’s Republican primary opponents. "I am 100 % pro-life but Congressman King's bizarre comments and behavior diminish our message and damage our cause,” state senator and 4th District primary candidate Randy Feenstra said in a statement. “President Trump needs defenders in Congress, not distractions.” (Gerlock, 8/14)

Des Moines Register: Steve King: 2020 Democratic Presidential Candidates, Republicans Condemn 'Rape And Incest' Remarks
Both Republicans and Democrats condemned U.S. Rep. Steve King on Wednesday for comments the Iowa Republican made defending no abortion exemption even in cases of rape or incest. (Ta and Coltrain, 8/14)

A new poll shows how abortion plays into the partisan politics --

The Washington Post: How Support For Abortion Overlaps With Votes
We probably don’t need to explain how views on the availability of abortion overlap with partisan politics. The issue has been one of the most polarizing in American politics for decades, with Democrats broadly advocating expanded availability and Republicans generally opposing the procedure. We can be more precise than that. Seventy percent of Democrats think abortion should be legal in all or most cases; 34 percent of Republicans agree. That’s from PRRI’s new national poll on the subject, published Tuesday. When PRRI polled on the subject in 2014, incidentally, the gap between the parties was narrower. Then, 67 percent of Democrats supported legal abortion, as did 39 percent of Republicans. (Bump, 8/14)

The Hill: 2020 Democrats Fight To Claim Obama's Mantle On Health Care 
Democratic presidential candidates are vying for former President Obama's mantle on healthcare, arguing that he would support their stance in the raging debate over Medicare for All. Obama remains enormously popular among Democrats, and his backing in the party's divisive health care debate would be a one-of-a-kind boost for a candidate. (Sullivan, 8/15)

Politico: Gillibrand Suggests Support For Mandatory Buyback Of Assault Weapons
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand on Wednesday suggested she supports a mandatory federal buyback program for assault weapons and criminal prosecution for gun owners who do not sell those firearms to the government — a proposal the vast majority of her fellow 2020 Democratic presidential candidates have been reluctant to embrace. (Forgey, 8/14)

Boston Globe: Tufts Health Plan, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Are Combining
Tufts Health Plan and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care shook up the state’s medical industry Wednesday, saying that they plan to merge to create an insurer serving 2.4 million people across New England. The deal could give the companies more leverage with powerful hospital systems, and allow them to more aggressively take on Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, the state’s largest health insurer. Consumer advocates worried that the combined company could raise costs. (Dayal McCluskey, 8/14)

WBUR: Insurers Harvard Pilgrim And Tufts Health Plan Say They'll Merge
Blue Cross has 40.6% of the insurance market in Massachusetts, as compared with 12.6% for Tufts and 12.4% for Harvard Pilgrim. Data from the Center for Health Information and Analysis also shows Harvard Pilgrim enrollment dropping steadily for the past four years. The merged insurer would still be smaller than Blue Cross, which has 2.8 million members. (Bebinger, 8/14)

NH Union Leader: Harvard Pilgrim And Tufts Health Plan Announce Plans To Merge 
Both companies are based in Massachusetts, but Harvard Pilgrim has an office in Manchester and there is a Tufts office in Concord. The merger plan must still be approved by state and federal regulators, including the New Hampshire Insurance Department, which opposed a 2017 proposal to merge health insurance companies Anthem and Cigna. (Albertson-Grove, 8/14)

Modern Healthcare: Mass. Health Insurers Tufts, Harvard Pilgrim To Merge
In a joint statement, the health insurers said their merger will improve the affordability of coverage through scale and administrative cost efficiencies while improving quality through investments in population health. They also said that together, they would better enable care for underserved communities and offer a broader set of insurance options for all customers. (Livingston, 8/14)

In other insurance industry news -

Modern Healthcare: GAO: Medicare Part D Plans Collect Nearly All Drug Rebates
Medicare Part D health plans raked in nearly all of the drug rebates from manufacturers in 2016, leaving premiums relatively flat for price-conscious seniors with prescription drug plans, according to a government watchdog study on Wednesday. The Government Accountability Office found that in 2016 rebates and other price concessions from manufacturers accounted for roughly $29 billion, or 20% of all Part D spending, and insurers receive 99.6% of those rebates. Nearly all of those savings go to plan sponsors, shining a light on why insurers are so desperate to preserve them as Congress looks to reform the program. (Luthi, 8/14)

Star Tribune: UCare Is Second Insurer In Minnesota To Unveil $25 Cap For Insulin
The UCare health plan has become the second Minnesota insurer to add a new benefit for members with diabetes — a $25 monthly spending cap on out-of-pocket spending on insulin. "As the health plan with the largest enrollment through MNsure, we felt a special responsibility to be part of a solution to this important public health issue," UCare CEO Mark Traynor said in a news release. MNsure is the public website where individuals and families can shop for insurance if they don't get it through an employer. (Carlson, 8/14)

The Hill: Illinois Passes Law Requiring Insurance Companies To Cover EpiPen Injections For Children In Historic First
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) has signed off on legislation making his state the first in the nation to require insurance companies to provide coverage for children who require life-saving EpiPen injections. “I was proud to sign two new laws expanding insurance coverage for children whose allergies require live-saving EpiPens and Illinoisans suffering from Lyme disease,” the Illinois Democrat tweeted Tuesday. (Folley, 8/14)

Modern Healthcare: Hospital, Health Tech Company Stocks Fall Faster Than The Market
Shares in nearly all the investor-owned hospital chains shed value at higher rates than the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 on Wednesday, which declined 3.1% and 2.9%, respectively. Tenet Healthcare Corp. saw the biggest drop among its peers. Shares of the Dallas-based company shed nearly 8% of their value on Wednesday. Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems saw its share price slide 7%. (Bannow and Cohen, 8/14)

Modern Healthcare: Hospitals' DSH Funding Limited By Federal Appeals Court
Hospitals that care for a large share of Medicaid, low-income and uninsured patients stand to receive less funding from the federal government after the D.C. Circuit reconsidered how Medicaid disproportionate-share hospital reimbursement is calculated. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit reversed a lower court and reinstated a 2017 rule establishing that payments by Medicare and private insurers are to be included in calculating a hospital's DSH limit, ultimately lowering its maximum reimbursement. (Kacik, 8/14)

Stateline: Kids With Lead Poisoning Will Get Early Help In These States 
Illinois and Ohio this year made children with even low levels of lead in their blood automatically eligible for physical, developmental and other therapies at an earlier age, when those interventions are likely to have the most impact. Except for Michigan, which adopted a similar policy several years ago, Illinois and Ohio are the first states to make the change, according to the Legal Council for Health Justice, a Chicago-based health advocacy group that pushed for the measure in that state. (Ollove, 8/15)

Los Angeles Times: Everything You Need To Know About Toxic Algae Blooms
Green pond scum floating on a lake is not just unsightly. As animal lovers have learned the hard way, it can be deadly. In recent days, three pet dogs in North Carolina and another in Georgia died after swimming in water contaminated with toxic organisms. Warm temperatures and an influx of nutrients from agricultural runoff or other sources can prompt toxic algae and bacteria to grow out of control. The result is a phenomenon called a toxic algae bloom. (De Marco, 8/14)

North Carolina Health News: Pittsboro Agrees To Notify Residents Of Drinking Water Contamination 
The Pittsboro Town Board of Commissioners has agreed to mail notices to local water customers to alert them of contaminants in the town’s drinking water. Board members stressed that the contaminants are unregulated and don’t exceed state or federal health advisories. But they said residents should be notified to let them decide for themselves whether to keep drinking the town’s water. The decision to notify residents was made at a board meeting Monday night. It came after NC Health News published two stories late last month about perfluorinated compounds — collectively known as PFAS — and other contaminants that have been found in the Chatham County town’s drinking water. (Barnes, 8/15)

The New York Times: Lead Crisis In Newark Grows, As Bottled Water Distribution Is Bungled
Urgent new warnings from federal environmental officials about contamination in drinking water from aging lead pipes spread anxiety and fear across much of Newark, but the municipal government’s makeshift efforts to set up distribution centers to hand out bottled water were hampered by confusion and frustration. State and local officials said they were making free water available to 15,000 of the city’s 95,000 households, and hundreds of people waited in long lines in the summer heat to pick up cases of water. But officials had to halt the distribution temporarily after discovering that some of the water exceeded its best-by date. (Corasaniti, Kilgannon and Schwartz, 8/14)

Los Angeles Times: Trump Defended A Pesticide Linked To Developmental Disorders. California Will Ban It 
California regulators on Wednesday took formal legal steps to ban a widely used pesticide that had been rescued from elimination by the Trump administration. The move by the state Environmental Protection Agency is all but certain to draw legal challenges from Corteva Agriscience (formerly Dow AgroSciences), which has pushed back at attempts by environmentalists to ban the chemical, chlorpyrifos, on a federal level. The state is the largest user of chlorpyrifos — more than 900,000 pounds of it was applied in 2017 to almonds, grapes, citrus, alfalfa, stone fruit, cotton and other crops, according to state data. (Mohan, 8/14)

The New York Times: Dozens Of Young People Hospitalized For Breathing And Lung Problems After Vaping
Nearly three dozen young people have been hospitalized around the country in recent weeks for severe respiratory problems after vaping either nicotine or marijuana, stumping doctors treating them. The Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin public health departments are investigating these cases and at least 20 additional emergency admissions that doctors suspect are related to vaping some substance, possibly even illegal street drugs or adulterated liquids laced with T.H.C., the ingredient that produces marijuana’s high. (Kaplan, 8/14)

MPR: 5 Things To Keep In Mind When Talking To Your Kids About E-Cigs
The Minnesota Department of Health this week alerted people to four cases of severe lung disease. Children’s Minnesota thinks those recent cases could be linked to vaping — which is gaining popularity among younger users. Here are a few tips for parents of kids and teens who vape, things to watch for and how to talk about it. (Zdechlik, 8/14)

The Associated Press: Vaping Companies Sue To Delay US Review Of E-Cigarettes
A vaping industry group sued the U.S. government on Wednesday to delay an upcoming review of thousands of e-cigarettes on the market. The legal challenge by the Vapor Technology Association is the latest hurdle in the Food and Drug Administration’s yearslong effort to regulate the multibillion-dollar vaping industry, which includes makers and retailers of e-cigarette devices and flavored solutions. (Perrone, 8/14)

The Hill: Vaping Group Sues Trump Administration To Delay Expedited E-Cigarette Review 
The vaping association represents about 800 companies, including Juul. The group said there are more than 3 million vaping products on the market, and the current deadline means many companies will be forced to stop selling their products. (Weixel, 8/14)

The Associated Press: FDA Approves TB Pill That Cures More Hard-To-Treat Patients
U.S. regulators Wednesday approved a new tuberculosis medicine that shortens and improves treatment for the hardest-to-treat cases, a worsening problem in many poor countries. It’s the first TB drug from a nonprofit group, the TB Alliance. Formed to come up with better treatments, the group developed pretomanid with help from charities and government agencies. The pill was approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use with two other antibiotics. Decades of incomplete or ineffective treatment has resulted in TB strains that have become drug resistant and aren’t killed by long-standard medicines. (Johnson, 8/14)

The New York Times: Scientists Discover New Cure For The Deadliest Strain Of Tuberculosis
On Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration effectively endorsed the approach, approving the newest of the three drugs used in the regimen. Usually, the World Health Organization adopts approvals made by the F.D.A. or its European counterpart, meaning the treatment could soon come into use worldwide. Tuberculosis has now surpassed AIDS as the world’s leading infectious cause of death, and the so-called XDR strain is the ultimate in lethality. It is resistant to all four families of antibiotics typically used to fight the disease. (McNeil Jr., 8/14)

The Washington Post: New Antibiotic Approved For Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis
Some researchers hope TB Alliance can serve as a model for antibiotic drug development as health authorities warn about the growing danger of drug-resistant infections. The United Nations has projected such infections could cause 10 million deaths each year by 2050 if nothing is done. (Abutaleb, 8/14)

The Wall Street Journal: FDA Approves New Pill For Drug-Resistant TB
Developing new, more effective treatments has been a priority of public-health authorities alarmed by the rise of versions resistant to current antibiotics. One barrier has been a lack of interest from many for-profit drugmakers, partly because of the limited commercial market for such drugs. The FDA cleared Pretomanid using a relatively new pathway established under a 2016 federal law to spur the development of new antibiotics and antifungal drugs for infections that lack effective treatment. (McKay, 8/14)

The Associated Press: Experts Call For Steps To Stem Increases In Legionnaires'
Top U.S. science experts are calling for stronger policies to combat the growing Legionnaires’ disease problem. In a report released Wednesday, the experts said annual cases of Legionnaires’ jumped more than fivefold from 2000 to 2017, and that as many as 70,000 Americans get the disease every year. Legionnaires’ is caused by bacteria that can thrive in buildings with large water systems. About 20 outbreaks are reported each year, including recent ones at an Atlanta hotel and a hospital near Chicago. (Stobbe, 8/14)

NPR: MDMA, Or Ecstasy, Shows Promise As A PTSD Treatment
The first time Lori Tipton tried MDMA, she was skeptical it would make a difference. "I really was, at the beginning, very nervous," Tipton remembers. MDMA is the main ingredient in club drugs ecstasy or molly. But Tipton wasn't taking pills sold on the street to get high at a party. She was trying to treat her post-traumatic stress disorder, with the help of licensed therapists. (Stone, 8/14)

The Washington Post: The Art Of Working With Chronically Ill Kids, Creating ‘Emotional Portraits’ To Help Them Heal
At first glance, the mixed-media painting seems purely whimsical, with its quirky red chicken, bright flowers and fireflies bursting from a sky blue background. But the accompanying statement makes it clear that pain, uncertainty and a fragile strength are represented, too. The work, “Of Chickens & Fireflies” by Terry Sitz, is one of eight pieces in “Being Heard,” a new exhibition of empathetic art at the Children’s National Medical Center. On view through Sept. 27, the exhibition explores the role of art in creating a more compassionate, healing environment for children suffering from chronic illness. (McGlone, 8/14)

Kaiser Health News: Doctors Can Change Opioid Prescribing Habits, But Progress Comes In Small Doses
Research out Wednesday indicates that guidelines are making strides in cutting back the number of pain pills doctors offer after specific types of surgeries. (Appleby and Lucas, 8/14)

The CT Mirror: Data Show Hundreds Of Millions Of Pills Flowed Into CT
As the opioid epidemic flourished across America between 2006 and 2012, Connecticut’s pharmacies dispensed more than 675 million opioid-based pills. Those are the findings of a database maintained by the Drug Enforcement Administration that tracks the path of every single pain pill manufactured in the United States.The database was obtained by the The Washington Post, which battled the DEA and the Justice Department in court to obtain the information. (Radelat and Carlesso, 8/15)

St. Louis Public Radio: Ashcroft’s Delay Makes Vote On Missouri’s 8-Week Ban 'Impossible,' Abortion-Rights Group Says
The abortion-rights group No Bans on Choice faces an "impossible" task to collect enough signatures on a petition that would allow voters to overturn a Missouri law that bans most abortions after eight weeks of pregnancy, officials from the committee said Wednesday. Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft on Wednesday released the wording for the ballot initiative after a months-long legal battle. (Fentem, 8/14)

The Associated Press: Public Vote On New Missouri Abortion Law Faces Time Crunch
Abortion-rights advocates beginning Wednesday can start collecting signatures to get a public vote on a new law restricting abortions, but they say a short deadline leaves them with an “impossible task.” Republican Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft on Wednesday certified a petition to put the law on the 2020 ballot. That gives opponents of the law two weeks to gather the roughly 100,000 signatures needed to put it to a public vote. Most of the law, which bans abortions at and after eight weeks of pregnancy, takes effect Aug. 28. (Ballentine, 8/14)

The Associated Press: Wisconsin Republicans Pushing Broader Birth Control Access
Republican lawmakers in Wisconsin found themselves in the unusual position Wednesday of breaking with anti-abortion groups and advocating for a bill that broadens birth control access, an area where Democrats typically lead. Republicans could undermine a key Democratic campaign issue by passing the bill, but they also find themselves in conflict with groups that are typically their allies. Pro-Life Wisconsin and Wisconsin Family Action, a leading anti-abortion group, oppose the measure on moral and ethical grounds, saying increasing access encourages premarital sex and the odds of unintended pregnancies and abortions. (Bauer, 8/14)

POLITICO Pro: New York To Ask CMS To Expand Medicaid To Some Inmates
New York will ask the Trump administration to allow inmates with substance abuse diagnoses and certain other conditions to receive Medicaid 30 days before their release from state prisons and county jails, a move that Gov. Andrew Cuomo believes will help keep people from overdosing on the streets and out of emergency rooms. The first-of-its kind Medicaid waiver, now open for public comment, would be limited to inmates who have two or more chronic conditions, a serious mental illness such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, HIV/AIDS or an opioid use disorder — criteria that cover almost half the 207,000 inmates released each year, according to state officials. (Goldberg, 8/14)

NPR: Kids On Medicaid Who Start ADHD Drugs Aren't Getting Good Follow-Up Care
Most children enrolled in Medicaid who get a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder don't get timely or appropriate treatment afterward. That's the conclusion of a report published Thursday by a federal watchdog agency, the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General." Nationwide, there were 500,000 Medicaid-enrolled children newly prescribed an ADHD medication who did not receive any timely follow-up care," says Brian Whitley, a regional inspector general with OIG. The report analyzed Medicaid claims data from 2014 and 2015. (Neighmond, 8/15)

The Washington Post: ‘This Will Be Catastrophic’: Maine Families Face Elder Boom, Worker Shortage In Preview Of Nation’s Future
Across Maine, families like the Flahertys are being hammered by two slow-moving demographic forces — the growth of the retirement population and a simultaneous decline in young workers — that have been exacerbated by a national worker shortage pushing up the cost of labor. The unemployment rate in Maine is 3.2 percent, below the national average of 3.7 percent. The disconnect between Maine’s aging population and its need for young workers to care for that population is expected to be mirrored in states throughout the country over the coming decade, demographic experts say. And that’s especially true in states with populations with fewer immigrants, who are disproportionately represented in many occupations serving the elderly, statistics show. (Stein, 8/14)

The Wall Street Journal: States Adopt ‘Baby Boxes’ In Effort To Protect Unwanted Infants
For volunteer firefighters in Coolspring, Ind., a buzzing pager could mean a house fire, a trapped elevator, a highway wreckage—or a baby in a box. The township in northern Indiana is the site of a so-called Safe Haven Baby Box, an incubator-like device that can be found at a growing number of firehouses and hospitals around the country. ... In the past four years, Indiana, Arkansas, Ohio and Pennsylvania have passed laws allowing parents to surrender their children without needing to interact with any medical or emergency personnel, face-to-face or otherwise. (Gershman, 8/15)

Bloomberg: The State With The Highest Suicide Rate Desperately Needs Shrinks 
The problem isn’t a lack of demand; Montana is cursed with the highest suicide rate in the nation, and it’s higher in this predominantly rural part of the state than in any other region. During the rare times when the unit is up and running, the supply of incoming patients is predictably, and sometimes frantically, consistent. The problem here is staffing. Administrators can’t find anyone to run the place. (Reel, 8/15)

The Wall Street Journal: Vaccination Foes Ask Judge To Strike Down Law Banning Religious Exemptions
Antivaccination advocates packed a courtroom Wednesday in Albany and asked a state judge to stop a new law that bans religious exemptions to school-vaccination requirements. State lawmakers repealed the exemption in June in response to a measles epidemic. A group of 55 families sued to stop the law from taking effect, saying it was hostile to their religious beliefs and should be struck down. (Vielkind, 8/14)

The Wall Street Journal: New York City Council Members Move To Expand Health Care For Uninsured
New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson unveiled a health-care plan that would expand a program Mayor Bill de Blasio recently launched to reduce emergency-room visits at public hospitals and provide services for the uninsured. Mr. Johnson, as well as Councilman Mark Levine and Councilwoman Carlina Rivera, all Democrats, introduced a bill during a Wednesday council meeting that would require the city to create a new health-access program that would help the uninsured and fund primary-care providers. (Honan, 8/14)

Tampa Bay Times: The VA Wants To Take Better Care Of Its Female Patients, With Help From USF Center
Women may still be a minority among veterans in the United States, but they're the fastest-growing segment of the veteran population. To better serve their needs, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has signed a five-year contract with the University of South Florida's Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation to offer a women's health mini residency program. (Griffin, 8/14)

Concord (N.H.) Monitor: State Budget Limbo Putting STD Treatment In Jeopardy, Providers Say
The trend lines are clear: A 17% increase in chlamydia rates in New Hampshire over a recent five-year period; a 103% surge in the syphilis rate; a 352% explosion of gonorrhea. New Hampshire has had a disconcerting swell of sexually transmitted diseases in recent years, according to numbers published by the Department of Health and Human Services in 2018. (DeWitt, 8/14)

The Associated Press: California Alleges Doctor Killed 4 Patients With Opioids
California’s attorney general said Wednesday that he is charging a Northern California doctor with killing four patients by overprescribing opioids and narcotics, crimes he linked to the nationwide opioid epidemic. Attorney General Xavier Becerra filed multiple criminal charges against Dr. Thomas McNeese Keller, 72, of Santa Rosa related to nine of his patients. The charges include second-degree murder in four deaths and felony elderly abuse for a fifth patient who also died. The murder charges could bring a life sentence. (Thompson, 8/14)

NPR: In NYC, Cycling Deaths Increase But Gears Turn Slowly On Safety Measures
In New York City, eight people have been killed while riding their bikes since June, bringing the total number of deaths so far this year to 19. "My friends [and I] ... we are really in a weird time right now," [Jenny Jo] Marine said. "No one really wants to go ride even though it's the thing we love to do most. So we do it and hope we make it home safe." Bike deaths are on the rise across the United States, according to data from the U.S. Department of Transportation. They recorded 840 cycling fatalities in 2016 — the highest they've been in 25 years. (Juhasz, 8/14)

Cleveland Plain Dealer: After Second Look, State Committee Rejects Ohio Medical Marijuana For Anxiety, Autism
After listening to 80 minutes of testimony late Wednesday afternoon – this time mostly from opponents – a State Medical Board of Ohio committee rejected medical marijuana for people with anxiety and autism spectrum disorder. The four physicians who testified against medical marijuana for the conditions said the drug offers a momentary relief from anxiety but leads to panic attacks or worsening of anxiety over the long run for some patients. (Hancock, 8/14)

Sacramento Bee: California To Pay $1.5 Million Settlement In Inmate Suicide
On April 14, 2016, one day before she was to appear before a parole board hearing at which she was expected to be granted her freedom, Rocha hanged herself inside her cell with a bed sheet tied to an air vent. Her death followed years of suicide attempts by the troubled young woman – court records say tried to kill herself eight times between the ages of 7 and 14 – and the corrections department eventually determined her death was “both foreseeable and preventable,” the Rocha family’s lawyer, Lori Rifkin, said Tuesday. (Stanton, 8/14)

Miami Herald: Will The Homestead Detention Center Reopen?
The Homestead detention center for unaccompanied immigrant children is expected to begin accepting kids again as early as October or November, federal government sources say, even though it officially shut down less than two weeks ago. Sources close to the operation told the Miami Herald the federal government is anticipating an influx of children at the border some time in October. (Madan, 8/14)

Boston Globe: Your Marijuana Delivery Is Here — Now Smile For The Body Cam
A pot consumer’s nightmare? No — it’s a proposal by the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission for regulating forthcoming recreational pot deliveries. The body camera requirement is just one part of a restrictive plan that is drawing pushback from critics who say it would violate consumers’ privacy and make operating a delivery company financially infeasible. (Adams, 8/14)

USA Today: California Mother Sues Los Angeles School District, Alleging Son Suffered Brain Damage After Bullying Attack
A California mother is suing a Los Angeles school district, alleging that her 12-year-old son was left with permanent brain and spinal injuries after another student assaulted him last year. The mother said her sixth-grade son was "brutally assaulted and strangled" last January by a 14-year-old boy who had allegedly been violent toward other students, according to a lawsuit filed this week in Los Angeles Superior Court. (Ravikumar,8/14)

Stat: Novartis Ousted Top Scientists Over Manipulation Of Data For Gene Therapy
Novartis dismissed the top two scientists at its gene therapy division shortly after CEO Vas Narasimhan learned of internal data falsification that has since snowballed into a damaging scandal, a person familiar with the situation said Wednesday. The company previously said it was “in the process of exiting” scientists who were responsible for the scandal but did not identify them. In a statement on Wednesday, Novartis (NVS) said that it had appointed a new chief scientific officer for AveXis and that other scientists, Brian and Allan Kaspar, “have not been not been involved in any operations at AveXis since early May 2019,” without elaborating. (Garde and Herper, 8/14)

The Wall Street Journal: Novartis Replaces Two Researchers Amid Data Scandal
Zolgensma, which costs $2.1 million for a one-time infusion, treats babies with a devastating inherited disease known as spinal muscular atrophy. ... Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said data manipulation had taken place during company studies of Zolgensma, but that the drug should stay on the market as the manipulation involved a small portion of early-stage data on animals, rather than human clinical trials. Dr. Narasimhan has said the issue came to light internally in mid-March and that Novartis decided to hold off alerting the regulator until the company had completed its own investigation. (Roland, 8/14)

Reuters: Novartis Replaces Top Scientists At Avexis After Drug Data Manipulated
Novartis AG said on Wednesday it replaced the two top research and development executives at its Avexis unit after some data was manipulated from early testing of a gene therapy for infants that costs more than $2 million. Avexis’ Chief Scientific Officer Brian Kaspar and Senior Vice President of Research and Development Allan Kaspar have not been involved in any operations at Avexis since early May 2019, Novartis said in a statement. ... Page Bouchard has taken on both those roles at Avexis as of Aug. 5, Novartis said. (8/14)

Stat: Regeneron Drug Proves Effective In Genetic Form Of High Cholesterol 
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals presented new data Wednesday showing a drug it developed can treat patients with a genetic disease that causes very high cholesterol levels. In homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia, or HoFH, patients can have levels of low-density lipoprotein of 500 milligrams per deciliter or more, five times normal levels, and can have heart attacks or other cardiovascular problems in their 20s. The disorder, which results from having two non-functioning copies of the LDL receptor gene that is involved in removing cholesterol from the blood, afflicts about 1,300 patients in the United States. (Herper and Garde, 8/14)

FierceHealthcare: GAO: PBMs Passed On Nearly All Part D Rebates To Plans In 2016
A federal watchdog found that pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) passed nearly all Medicare Part D rebates on to plan sponsors in 2016 as the amount of rebates skyrocket. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) explored the sources of revenue and service agreements between PBMs and Medicare Part D plans in a report released Tuesday (PDF). The report comes as the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has ramped up scrutiny over the administration of rebates, which the agency believes are a major driver of drug prices. (King, 8/13)

Bloomberg: DNA Test For Antidepressants Raises FDA Doubts; Myriad Drops 
A company that helped pioneer genetic tests used to diagnose and treat disease lost more than 40% of its value on Wednesday, after U.S. regulators raised questions about whether a DNA test that’s key to the firm’s growth can help personalize the prescribing of antidepressant drugs. Myriad Genetics Inc. fell as much as 43% to $25.45 Wednesday, the stock’s worst intraday drop since 2000. In a securities filing, it said the Food and Drug Administration had asked for changes to its GeneSight test, which is used to determine how well popular antidepressants will work for patients. Several other companies sell similar tests. (Brown, 8/14)

FierceHealthcare: Trump Administration Announces Departure Of Drug Pricing Adviser John O'Brien
John O'Brien, a top drug policy adviser to the Trump administration and one of the "key architects" of the president's blueprint plan to reduce prescription drug prices, plans to leave the role. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar said in a statement Monday that John Brooks, principal deputy director of the Center for Medicare, will expand his role to help spearhead the Trump administration's efforts to lower drug prices upon O'Brien's departure. (Reed, 8/12)

Concord Monitor: New Group Hopes That Reverse Auctions On Drug Middlemen Can Help Cut Costs
A wide-ranging group of organizations, businesses and office-holders say New Hampshire could cut millions of dollars off prescription drug costs by tackling a portion of the industry that few people even know about: pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs. ...The loose group of officials says state and local governments, as well as private businesses in New Hampshire, could save perhaps 15% off their prescription drug costs – which would save the state about $30 million under its s current 3-year contract with Express Scripts – if they followed a “reverse-auction” model for PBMs as pioneered by New Jersey. (Brooks, 8/8)

Stat: A Battle Over Verifying Online Canadian Pharmacies Goes To Court 
As more Americans look to Canada for cheaper medicines, a company whose website devoted to verifying prescription drugs sold by online pharmacies is suing five organizations, including two with ties to the pharmaceutical industry, for allegedly running a campaign to manipulate and suppress information available to consumers. In its lawsuit, PharmacyChecker.com claims the groups, including the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, have essentially created a type of shadow regulation through private agreements with “key internet gatekeepers,” such as Google, to “choke off” information about importing medicines from online pharmacies in Canada and other countries. (Silverman, 8/14)

Stat: Drug Shortages Should Be Part Of The Drug Policy Debate
In the conclusion of her recently published book, “Bottle of Lies,” Katherine Eban briefly notes that the Food and Drug Administration avoids sanctioning generic manufacturers that sell drugs that are in short supply regardless of how poorly manufactured or counterfeit they are. “Drug shortages had become a game,” she writes, “and the FDA was getting played.” Eban quotes an assessment by former FDA inspector Peter Baker: “There are no consequences for companies that are shipping substandard product. … It’s a win-lose situation and [patients] are the losers.” (David Introcaso and Zack Szlezinger, 8/9)

Boston Globe: How Drug Ads Drive Up Health Care Costs 
Drugs could still be marketed to medical professionals, but a waiting period on advertising to consumers would help us avoid wasting lots of money on drugs that turn out to have marginal incremental value, such as rosiglitazone (Avandia) for diabetes, and carry unknown risk, such as rofecoxib (Vioxx) for arthritis. (Jeffrey M. Drazen, 8/13)

UConn Today: To Lower Drug Costs, End Prescription Coupons
When the federal government recently announced that it will allow pilot projects in a few states whereby wholesalers and pharmacists could import drugs from Canada, not all the details were apparent. It will be many years before the average American will be able to import any drug at all. And,  it is likely that after completion of the lawsuits and the pilot projects, drug prices in Canada will rise, meaning Americans would not see lower costs.  In addition, the pilot projects exclude the most expensive prescription drugs, called biological drugs.There is a quicker and better way to achieve the same goal: Eliminate consumer use of prescription drug coupons.  Prescription drug coupons immediately save consumers money on their prescription drug out-of-pocket expenses but this conceals a dark underside that costs billions of dollars on the back end. The federal government bans prescription coupons for Medicare or Medicaid because it believes that they are illegal kickbacks that violate federal law, but inexplicably allows them for patients with commercial insurance. (C. Michael White, 8/8/19)

The New York Times: This Drug Will Save Children’s Lives. It Costs $2 Million.
The Food and Drug Administration recently approved a single-dose gene therapy, Zolgensma, that has the potential to cure spinal muscular atrophy. That was cause for hope for the hundreds of patients suffering from it, along with their families and physicians — until its manufacturer, Novartis, announced the treatment’s price tag: about $2.1 million per patient.That’s believed to be more than any one medication has ever cost. (8/13)

Toledo Blade: Fix The Cost Of Medication Or Lose The Business
Under the famous agreement that George W. Bush made to fund Medicare Part D more than a decade ago, Medicare was barred from negotiating drug prices. This was done because Medicare all by itself is the biggest buyer of drugs in the world, and it would be able to essentially dictate the price of prescription drugs. Drug makers have threatened in response that they’ll refuse to sell drugs to Medicare if they can’t negotiate a fair price for them. The ability to refuse to sell, just like to right to refuse to buy, is a key component of negotiation. (8/11)

Kenosha News: Senate Should Finish Job On Legislation That Would Control Prescription Drug Costs 
Given the great partisan divide, can we encourage our senators, and all members of Congress, to find a couple of issues to rally around? Issues that matter to Americans. While everyone is talking about gun issues and whether Washington can do anything about it this time, there’s another obvious issue that merits action. The escalating cost of prescription drugs — a topic of two columns on this page last Thursday — already is gaining some bipartisan support in Washington. And for good reason. (8/12)

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Congress Must Control Drug Prices
Congress needs to stop prescription greed. Here in Pennsylvania, the average annual cost of brand-name prescription drug treatment went up 58% between 2012 and 2017, while the income for state residents increased only 10%. Prescription drugs don’t work if patients can’t afford them. That’s why the U.S. Senate needs to pass the Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act when lawmakers return from the August recess. The bill would limit out-of-pocket costs for seniors and target drug companies when price hikes outpace inflation. Help can’t come soon enough — the average drug price increased 10.5% during the first six months of 2019. That’s five times the rate of inflation. (Joanne Corte Grossi, 8/12)

The Washington Post: Why We Need Single-Payer Health Care — And ‘Health Justice’
In “Health Justice Now,” author and activist Timothy Faust has written the best concise explanation of why the United States needs single-payer health care — and needs to widen the definition of health care itself. Faust has experience in the health-insurance industry as a data scientist and in government by helping to sign people up for Obamacare. In other words, he has lived in the two bellies of America’s health-care beast: in an industry “in which the question of ‘Who gets to receive healthcare, and when?’… is determined by private profitability,” and in government programs that, while improved by Obamacare, remain woefully inadequate. (James Downie, 8/14)

The Wall Street Journal: ObamaCare’s Medicaid Deception
ObamaCare wasn’t supposed to give free health insurance to everybody. The Affordable Care Act’s authors expected the poor would enroll in Medicaid, while those with higher incomes would buy coverage through the new insurance exchanges, with subsidies that decrease as income rises. It isn’t working. A study published this week by the National Bureau of Economic Research finds that in several Medicaid-expansion states most people who gained coverage have enrolled in Medicaid regardless of their income. In practice, ObamaCare has turned Medicaid into an entitlement program for the middle class. (Brian Blase and Aaron Yelowitz, 8/14)

The Hill: Medicare For All: Fears And Facts
Each candidate has their own way to fix what ails health insurance. Everyone claimed “Medicare” at the heart of their strategy. Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) urged sweeping reform, while former Vice President Joe Biden and others advocated tinkering at the margins, stoking fear of big change. What does it all mean? (James G. Kahn and Elliot Marseille, 8/14)

The Wall Street Journal: Bernie’s Medicare-For-All Bailout
Usually politicians pass a bailout to clean up a mess they’ve created in the past, but Bernie Sanders is now promising cash up front. Witness the democratic socialist’s opening offer to the hospitals he’d bankrupt with his Medicare-for-All bill. Mr. Sanders last month suggested a $20 billion federal bailout fund for struggling hospitals. He announced this plan in Philadelphia, where the city’s Hahnemann Hospital is in bankruptcy proceedings. He spins the failure of the hospital as a tale of corporate greed perpetrated by a private-equity firm. (8/14)

The Washington Post: Medicare-For-All Would Help Pay For Long-Term Care. Why Don’t More People Know That?
When Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) spoke about Medicare-for-all at the July 30 Democratic presidential debate, he talked about how it would improve coverage for people currently receiving it. “For senior citizens, it will finally include dental care, hearing aids and eyeglasses,” he said. But Sanders forgot to mention it would also help senior citizens pay for long-term care, something Medicare doesn’t do now. Sanders should not forget that again. Indeed, he should make long-term care the first thing he mentions when talking about how Medicare-for-all would help senior citizens. (Helaine Olen, 8/14)

The New York Times: The Ethical Mess Of Our Health Care System
Whether or not the administration succeeds, our health care system will remain sorely lacking in basic justice and economic efficiency. It is a system that too often creates perverse incentives favoring the overtreatment of diseases. To avoid this, we must start treating sick people fairly. Such a path exists: Rather than repeal and replace the A.C.A., we need to revise and reinforce it. With about 90 percent of Americans now covered by health insurance, the A.C.A. was highly successful in improving our irrational system by expanding coverage for effective treatments while also reining in some spending. (Amy Gutmann and Jonathan D. Moreno, 8/14)

San Jose Mercury News: Paid Family Leave Should Be A Right, Not A Luxury
Any parent can tell you that paid family leave isn’t a luxury vacation. It is essential in providing mothers with lower rates of stress, isolation and depression, and increases the likelihood of breastfeeding.In a society that often requires two incomes to survive as a family of three, let alone four, paid family leave increases the likelihood that working moms return to work and are paid better in the future. (Jonathan Rubinsky, 8/14)

Los Angeles Times: Want To Buy Some Insulin Or Other Lifesaving Medicine? Go To Canada
Last week, I walked into a small-town pharmacy in rural Canada in search of lifesaving medicine: insulin. I don’t suffer from diabetes. But an estimated 30 million Americans do, and 1.5 million of them need insulin injections to stay alive. They’re facing a catastrophe: the price of insulin has nearly tripled over the last decade. Many cash-strapped diabetics without good insurance have resorted to rationing their supply. Some have died. That shouldn’t happen in the world’s richest country. Nor does it need to happen. The proof is next door in Canada. (Doyle McManus, 8/14)

Los Angeles Times: Op-Ed: Let's Call This Youth Vaping Crisis What It Is: A Juuling Epidemic
Almost daily, educators across the country tell me that at least half of their students use e-cigarettes, mainly the Juul brand. Many of these young people show clear signs of addiction. They are agitated, emotional and unable to sit through an entire class period. They often need to leave class to “take a puff.” National data about the pervasiveness of e-cigarettes show that it increased nearly 80% among high school students from 2017 to 2018. One in 5 report currently vaping. (Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, 8/15)

Fox News: Gun Confiscation Under 'Red Flag' Laws Is Unconstitutional
When tragedy strikes, as it did in two mass killings this month, there is always the urge to pressure the government do something.Governments are animated by the belief that doing something — any demonstrable overt behavior — will show that they are in control. I understand the natural fears that good folks have that an El Paso or a Dayton episode might happen again, but doing something for the sake of appearance can be dangerous to personal liberty. ...The concept of a “red flag” law — which permits the confiscation of lawfully owned weapons from a person because of what the person might do — violates both the presumption of innocence and the due process requirement of proof of criminal behavior before liberty can be infringed. (Andrew P. Napolitano, 8/15)

The Washington Post: Why New Anti-Abortion Laws May Make It Harder To Conceive
The constitutional right to an abortion hangs in the balance. But the new laws threaten not only those who choose to end a pregnancy but also those who are attempting to start one. That’s because antiabortion laws can impinge on all sorts of reproductive choices, including the use of in vitro fertilization (IVF) and other assisted reproductive technologies. (Margaret Marsh and Wanda Ronner, 8/15)

Fox News: Race Shouldn't Be A Factor In Cancer Care 
Overall, minorities and those living in deprived neighborhoods remain more likely to be diagnosed with late-stage cancer and to have worse survival rates. African-Americans have the highest death rates and lowest survival rates of any racial or ethnic group in the U.S. for most types of cancer; for breast cancer, mortality is still about 40 percent higher. And because black women are more likely to have the more deadly "triple negative" form of breast cancer, it is particularly imperative that barriers to early diagnosis and effective treatment be minimized. (Claire Pomeroy, 8/15)

The New York Times: This Drug Will Save Children’s Lives. It Costs $2 Million.
The Food and Drug Administration recently approved a single-dose gene therapy, Zolgensma, that has the potential to cure spinal muscular atrophy. That was cause for hope for the hundreds of patients suffering from it, along with their families and physicians — until its manufacturer, Novartis, announced the treatment’s price tag: about $2.1 million per patient.That’s believed to be more than any one medication has ever cost. (8/13)