First Edition: August 1, 2018
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Kaiser Health News:
To Tame Prescription Prices, HHS Dips A Toe Into Drug Importation Stream
It came as something of a surprise when Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced that the administration was exploring the importation of prescription drugs to fight high domestic prices. Azar and Scott Gottlieb, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, who also endorsed the new proposal, had previously opposed the idea. But drug prices in the U.S. have continued to rise and more than 80 percent of Americans say the government should take action. President Donald Trump has said drugmakers are “getting away with murder” and has angrily tweeted at companies about individual price hikes. (Bluth, 8/1)
Kaiser Health News:
Patients With Chronic Pain Feel Caught In An Opioid-Prescribing Debate
It started with a rolled ankle during a routine Army training exercise. Shannon Hubbard never imagined it was the prologue to one of the most debilitating pain conditions known to exist, called complex regional pain syndrome. The condition causes the nervous system to go haywire, creating pain disproportionate to the actual injury. It can also affect how the body regulates temperature and blood flow. (Stone, 8/1)
The Wall Street Journal:
Why Americans Spend So Much On Health Care—In 12 Charts
The U.S. spends more per capita on health care than any other developed nation. It will soon spend close to 20% of its GDP on health—significantly more than the percentage spent by major Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development nations. What is driving costs so high? As this series of charts shows, Americans aren’t buying more health care overall than other countries. But what they are buying is increasingly expensive. Among the reasons is the troubling fact that few people in health care, from consumers to doctors to hospitals to insurers, know the true cost of what they are buying and selling. (Walker, 7/31)
The New York Times:
Migrant Detention Centers Are ‘Like A Summer Camp,’ Official Says At Hearing
Not until the day it was announced did senior officials from three key agencies learn of the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” policy to deter migrants from illegally entering the United States by threatening jail sentences and separating children from their parents. At a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday, the officials said they were given few instructions and had no plans for reuniting the families when the policy was announced on April 6. One official, Cmdr. Jonathan D. White of the United States Public Health Service, said he learned of it from watching television. (Nixon, 7/31)
Reuters:
U.S. Senior Official Says He Flagged Risks For Children From Border Separations
A senior official at the U.S. agency charged with caring for migrant children believed separating them from their parents carried "significant risk" of harm and said on Tuesday concerns had been raised internally before the Trump administration made it official policy. Jonathan White, a senior U.S. Public Health Service official, told Congress that the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), where he worked until March 2018, had "raised a number of concerns" about the proposed policy in the year preceding its implementation. (Torbati and Cowan, 7/31)
The Hill:
Liberal Dems Lay Groundwork To Push 'Medicare For All'
Democrats are laying the groundwork to make a push for “Medicare for all” legislation if they win back the House in November. More than 60 House Democrats launched a Medicare for All Congressional Caucus this month, a sign of the popularity surrounding the concept of a government-run health insurance system for everyone that’s supported by liberal firebrands like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. (Sullivan, 7/31)
The Hill:
Individual Market Enrollment Dropping Amid Premium Increases
Enrollment in the individual health insurance market — the market for people who don't get coverage through work — has declined 12 percent in the first quarter of 2018, compared to the same period last year, according to a new analysis released Tuesday. The analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation showed enrollment in the individual market grew substantially after the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and remained steady in 2016, before dropping by 12 percent in 2017. (Hellmann, 7/31)
The Associated Press:
NC's Blue Cross Cutting 'Obamacare' Prices Despite Changes
North Carolina's largest health insurer said Tuesday it's cutting some individual premiums for the first time in over a quarter century, but next year's savings on subsidized "Obamacare" coverage would have been much larger if Washington had left the law alone. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina said it proposed prices to state insurance regulators that could lower rates for next year's Affordable Care Act policies by 4.1 percent on average. North Carolina has one of the country's highest enrollment levels in ACA policies and Blue Cross has more than 475,000 customers in the plans offered in all 100 counties. (7/31)
The Washington Post:
‘Unprecedented Partisan Interference:’ Senate Escalates Bitter Fight Over Kavanaugh’s Record
Senators escalated a bitter dispute over Brett M. Kavanaugh’s documents — signaling a contentious confirmation fight ahead for the Supreme Court nominee even as senators on Tuesday successfully installed another appellate judge under President Trump. Infuriated with Republicans for requesting only a portion of Kavanaugh’s records from his tenure in the George W. Bush White House, Democratic senators sent a wide-ranging request to the National Archives demanding that his entire paper trail be provided to Congress. (Kim, 7/31)
Los Angeles Times:
Key GOP Senators Side With Party As Democrats Seek Documents About Trump's Supreme Court Nominee
Republican senators expected to hold key votes on President Trump’s nomination to the Supreme Court are showing subtle signs of support for the effort to put Judge Brett Kavanaugh on the bench. Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine said Tuesday that they were satisfied with the GOP plan to limit the scope of documents to be released regarding Kavanaugh’s record, despite Democrats’ call for a fuller review of the candidate’s work in Washington, particularly his years as staff secretary in the George W. Bush White House. (Wire, 7/31)
Reuters:
Pfizer CEO Expects Trump To Eliminate Drug Rebates
"I believe the administration does want to remove rebates, and they consider it a priority," he said in an interview, following similar comments made on Pfizer's conference call to discuss second quarter earnings. The administration has already proposed a rule that would scale back protections currently in place that allow rebates between drug manufacturers and insurers and pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs). Read said he believes the administration wants to get rid of them entirely. (Mathias and Erman, 7/31)
Stat:
California Lawmaker Scolds Lilly For Failing To Comply With Transparency Law
Eli Lilly (LLY) was admonished by a California lawmaker for promoting a diabetes help center for patients who cannot afford their insulin while at the same time failing to lower prices or comply with a new state law that requires drug makers to disclose pricing details. In a harshly worded letter sent on Monday, state Sen. Ed Hernandez, who sponsored the transparency law, criticized the company for touting its Diabetes Solution Center at the same time that prices for insulin, made by several companies, has risen dramatically in recent years. An analysis published two years ago found that the cost of insulin, on average, more than tripled — from $231 to $736 a year per patient — between 2002 and 2013. (Silverman, 7/31)
The New York Times:
Justice Dept. Investigating Claims That Drug Companies Funded Terrorism In Iraq
The Justice Department is investigating claims that major drug and medical device companies doing business in Iraq knew that the free medicines and supplies they gave the government to win business there would be used to underwrite terrorist attacks on American troops. In a regulatory filing last week, AstraZeneca, a drugmaker based in Britain, disclosed that it had “received an inquiry from the U.S. Department of Justice in connection with an anti-corruption investigation relating to activities in Iraq.” (Harris, 7/31)
Stat:
Two Akcea Drugs Are About To Hit The Market — But Are They Too Late?
It’s been quite a year for Akcea Therapeutics (AKCA). After going public in July 2017, the Cambridge, Mass., company almost immediately filed for FDA approval on two drugs for rare diseases. Volanesorsen, also known as Waylivra, is intended to treat familial chylomicronemia syndrome (FCS), a condition that leads to a buildup of fat in organs. Inotersen, which has the brand name Tegsedi, treats hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis, known as hATTR for short. The condition leads to a buildup of proteins that can cause issues in the nerves and heart. European authorities have already approved inotersen, and the FDA is set to decide on both those drugs before the end of the year. (Sheridan, 8/1)
The Washington Post:
Governors, Attorneys General Oppose Rule Changes To Title X Family Planning Program
Governors from a growing number of states are fighting back against a proposal by the Trump administration to bar clinics that provide abortion services or referrals from receiving federal family-planning funds. New York's Andrew M. Cuomo (D) and 13 others have threatened to sue. Washington state's Jay Inslee, Oregon's Kate Brown and Hawaii's David Ige, also Democrats, vowed to pull their states from the program if the changes are implemented. On Monday, 13 attorneys general, all Democrats, added their voices to the opposition, arguing that the changes are unconstitutional. (Cha, 7/31)
The Associated Press:
Judge: Arkansas Planned Parenthood Funds To Remain Blocked
A federal judge who previously prevented Arkansas from blocking Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood says she won't issue a new ruling requiring the state to resume sending the money to the organization. U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker denied a request Monday by Planned Parenthood for a new preliminary injunction that would again halt Arkansas' decision to cut off Medicaid funding to the organization. Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson ended the state's Medicaid contract with the group in 2015. (7/31)
The New York Times:
Judge Blocks Attempt To Post Blueprints For 3-D Guns
For years, Cody Wilson, a champion of gun-rights and anarchism from Texas, has waged a battle to post on the internet the blueprints for making plastic guns on 3-D printers, claiming the First Amendment gives him the right to do it. Plastic guns are difficult to detect, and concerned about making it easier to produce them, the Obama administration had used export laws banning the foreign distribution of firearms to prevent publication of the blueprints. But an abrupt reversal by the State Department last month appeared to finally clear the path for Mr. Wilson to usher in what his website calls “the age of the downloadable gun.” (Shear, Hsu and Johnson, 7/31)
The Wall Street Journal:
Judge Temporarily Blocks Distribution Of Files For Printing Guns
The ruling came in response to legal action Monday by eight states seeking to block a pro-gun group, Defense Distributed, from posting the files. “The proliferation of these firearms will have many of the negative impacts on a state level that the federal government once feared on the international stage” if an injunction isn’t issued, U.S. District Judge Robert S. Lasnik wrote in a seven-page ruling. The judge set a hearing for Aug. 10 to decide whether to issue a preliminary injunction. (Elinson and Nicholas, 7/31)
The Associated Press:
Federal Judge Blocks Release Of Blueprints For 3-D-Printed Guns
Washington state Atty. Gen. Bob Ferguson called the ruling "a complete, total victory." "We were asking for a nationwide temporary restraining order putting a halt to this outrageous decision by the federal government to allow these 3-D downloadable guns to be available around our country and around the world. He granted that relief," Ferguson said at a news conference after the hearing. "That is significant." (7/31)
Politico:
Trump Says Public Availability Of 3D-Printed Guns 'Doesn't Seem To Make Much Sense'
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he was “looking into” the availability of plans for the 3D printing of guns, writing on Twitter that he had already been in touch with the NRA on the issue. “I am looking into 3-D Plastic Guns being sold to the public. Already spoke to NRA, doesn’t seem to make much sense!” the president wrote on Twitter Tuesday morning. (Nelson, 7/31)
Stat:
Ethical Stumbles Test NIH's Reliance On Private Sector For Research Funding
The National Institutes of Health received $7.5 billion in funding in 1990 — an amount that was seen as so paltry that Congress decided the country’s biomedical researchers needed help. So lawmakers found a way to aid the NIH in a delicate ethical dance: They created a nonprofit that could turn to pharmaceutical manufacturers and soda companies to fund research into their fields, all while attempting to prevent the science from being compromised by the big-money interests picking up the tab. (Facher, 8/1)
The New York Times:
Alan Alda Reveals He Has Parkinson’s Disease
Alan Alda has been living with Parkinson’s disease for over three years, the actor revealed Tuesday in an appearance on CBS’s “This Morning.” “The reason I want to talk about it in public is that I was diagnosed three-and-a-half years ago, and I’ve had a full life since,” he said. “I thought it’s probably only a matter of time before somebody does a story about this from a sad point of view,” he added, pointing out that one of his thumbs had been twitching in recent TV appearances. “But that’s not where I am.” (Marshall, 7/31)
The New York Times:
Take A Vacation From Exercise? Your Body May Not Thank You
At the height of summer, naps at the beach can be alluring, and many of us may find ourselves tempted to take prolonged vacations from exercise. But two new, admonitory studies involving both older and younger adults who temporarily cut back on their physical activity indicate that the metabolic consequences of not moving much for a few weeks can be pervasive and persistent, lingering to some extent even after people start moving around normally again. (Reynolds, 8/1)
NPR:
Heading Soccer Balls Could Harm Women's Brains
The first rule of soccer is pretty obvious: don't use your hands. But soccer's signature move, heading the ball, can cause a detectable impact on players' brains. And according to a study published Tuesday in Radiology, female players are more sensitive to the impact than males. The study authors found that female amateur soccer players who frequently head balls showed more white matter brain alterations than their male counterparts. The study included 49 women and 49 men, ages 18 to 50, and examined MRI imaging of players' brains. Each female player was compared to a male player of a similar age and with other similar characteristics including frequency of heading exposure. (Watson, 7/31)
Los Angeles Times:
Number Of Patients Suing USC Over Sex Abuse Claims Tops 300 As Faculty Push For Nikias' Exit
The number of former patients suing USC for allegedly failing to protect them from sexual abuse at a campus health clinic increased to more than 300 this week amid a new push by university faculty to speed the departure of the outgoing president, C.L. Max Nikias. The university’s trustees announced in May that Nikias had “agreed to begin an orderly transition” to a new president. At the time, the move appeared to be an attempt to quell outrage by professors and students over the handling of Dr. George Tyndall, the longtime campus gynecologist who was the subject of repeated complaints during his three decades at the student health center. (Ryan and Hamilton, 7/31)
The Wall Street Journal:
Mount Sinai To Close Natural Birthing Center After Two Decades
For more than two decades, pregnant New Yorkers who desired a natural birth environment with access to medical interventions have flocked to the only full-service hospital where that type of experience was a cab ride away: Mount Sinai West on Manhattan’s West Side. That option will be gone after December. (West, 7/31)
The Associated Press:
Virginia Launches New Emergency Room Communications Program
Virginia has launched a new program connecting all emergency rooms to a new program designed to streamline and speed up doctors’ access to patient information. Officials said the Emergency Department Care Coordination Program is the first of its kind in the country. Gov. Ralph Northam said at a news conference Tuesday that the program is a “huge step in the right direction.” Northam, a pediatric neurologist, said the program will give doctors the tools to improve care while cutting unnecessary costs. (8/1)
The Washington Post:
The Shocking Reason That This Man’s Legs And Hands Were Amputated: A Dog’s Saliva
Greg Manteufel’s symptoms began with fever and vomiting, as if he had the flu. But by the following morning, he was delirious, and his temperature had soared. His wife rushed him to the hospital, a quick drive from their Wisconsin home. Once they arrived, Dawn Manteufel said she noticed bruises — several of them, all over his body — that weren’t there when they left their house just five minutes earlier. To Dawn, it was as if her husband had just been beaten with a baseball bat. (Phillips, 7/31)