First Edition: August 21, 2018

Kaiser Health News: Biorhythms And Birth Control: FDA Stirs Debate By Approving ‘Natural’ App
The Food and Drug Administration took a “big tent” approach earlier this month when it approved two new forms of birth control that prevent pregnancy in very different ways. Women’s health advocates applauded the availability of a new vaginal ring that could be used for up to a year. But some questioned the approval of a mobile phone app that helps women avoid pregnancy by tracking their body temperature and menstrual cycle, a type of contraception called “fertility awareness. (Andrews, 8/21)

Politico: Why ‘Medicare For All’ Is Playing Poorly In Democratic Primaries
Most of the prominent Democrats eyeing 2020 presidential bids — including Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Cory Booker of New Jersey and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts — champion the idea of “Medicare for all,” suggesting it’s become almost a litmus test for the party’s base. But the notion of government-funded health care has proved a tough sell to Democratic voters in swing districts that will determine control of the House. (Demko, 8/21)

The Associated Press: Fearful Of Losing Roe, Left Pushes Schumer For Action
At least once a week, they assemble in Capitol meeting rooms for an hour-long strategy session. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer convenes the gatherings, which regularly include several Democratic senators, a dozen Senate aides and representatives of about 20 liberal organizations. The goal: figuring out how to derail President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court pick, conservative appellate judge Brett Kavanaugh. Up to now, participants say the strategy sessions have been cordial. Yet with Senate Judiciary Committee hearings just two weeks off, cracks in the alliance are showing. (Fram, 8/20)

The Hill: Paul Seeks To Cut Off Planned Parenthood Funds Via Massive Spending Bill
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) wants to tie a fight over funding for Planned Parenthood to a massive government spending bill currently being debated by the Senate. Paul has filed an amendment that would prevent federal funding from going to the organization and others that perform abortions. ... But Paul could struggle to get a vote on his amendment to the Senate bill. Leadership has agreed to avoid attaching so-called "poison pill" proposals to their legislation. (Carney, 8/20)

The Associated Press: Kentucky Governor Loses Another Round In Medicaid Fight
Kentucky’s Republican governor lost another round Monday in a legal fight over his efforts to revamp the state’s Medicaid program to require poor people to get a job to keep their benefits. The latest setback for Gov. Matt Bevin came in his home state when a federal judge dismissed his lawsuit that sought a ruling validating the Medicaid changes. (Schreiner, 8/20)

The Associated Press: As Maine Waffles On Medicaid Expansion, Residents In Limbo
Maine residents seeking health coverage under voter-approved Medicaid expansion are in limbo as Republican Gov. Paul LePage’s administration refuses to say definitively whether it plans to provide it. An advocacy group has said LePage’s administration signaled through an attorney that Maine is going to reject people applying for Medicaid expansion. But the attorney, Patrick Strawbridge, said Monday that he couldn’t comment on how the state will handle Medicaid applications. (Villenueve, 8/20)

The Associated Press: Louisiana Uninsured Rate Drops Since Expansion Of Medicaid
A new study shows the number of Louisiana adults without health insurance has been cut in half since the state expanded its Medicaid program. The Louisiana Health Insurance Survey has been conducted by LSU every two years since 2003. It found 11.4 percent of non-elderly Louisiana adults were uninsured in 2017. That’s about 321,000 people aged 19 to 64. In 2015, the rate was 22.7 percent. (8/20)

Reuters: U.S. Health Secretary Says Agency Can Eliminate Drug Rebates
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said it was within his agency’s power to eliminate rebates on prescription drug purchases, a key element of the Trump administration’s plan to lower prescription medicine costs. Such rebates are negotiated in the United States by pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs) to lower the cost of medicines for their clients, including large employers and health plans that cover tens of millions of Americans. (Abutaleb, 8/20)

Stat: FDA Convenes Working Group On Importing Drugs From Other Countries 
A controversial Food and Drug Administration working group has begun discussing how to import drugs from other countries as a way of bringing down prices for American patients, a top Trump administration health official said Monday. “That work group has met and is outlining its plan of action,” Dan Best, senior adviser on drug pricing, said on a phone call with reporters. “As more of that information becomes available, we’ll make it available to the market.” (Swetlitz, 8/20)

The Washington Post: Trump Urges GOP-Led Senate To Pass Bill Cracking Down On Fentanyl Shipments
President Trump on Monday urged the Republican-led Senate to pass legislation intended to crack down on shipments of illicit fentanyl through the international postal system, writing on Twitter: “No more delay!” Leaders from both chambers announced a bipartisan agreement in June on the Synthetics Trafficking and Overdose Prevention Act, which the House passed shortly thereafter. The Senate has yet to act on the bill, as Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has focused on confirming federal judges and passing appropriations bills. (Wagner and Somnez, 8/20)

The Associated Press: Trump Drug Czar Nominee Visits Connecticut After Overdoses
New Haven, Connecticut, became what officials called “ground zero” Monday for efforts to shine a light on the dangers of drugs, as President Donald Trump’s nominee for drug czar visited a city reeling from more than 100 recent overdoses on synthetic marijuana. Jim Carroll met with Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Mayor Toni Harp and first responders to discuss the overdoses, as well as the country’s opioid crisis. (Collins, 8/20)

The Associated Press: Trump Ready To Ease Rules On Coal-Fired Power Plants
The Trump administration is set to roll back the centerpiece of President Barack Obama’s efforts to slow global warming, the Clean Power Plan that restricts greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power plants. A plan to be announced Tuesday would give states broad authority to determine how to restrict carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming. ... The plan is also expected to let states relax pollution rules for power plants that need upgrades, according to a summary of the plan and several people familiar with the full proposal who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the plan publicly. (Daly, 8/21)

The Wall Street Journal: EPA Head Signs Proposal To Undo Restrictions On Coal Plants
Andrew Wheeler, President Trump’s acting administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, on Monday signed a proposal to scrap environmental restrictions on power plants and leave much of the regulation of the industry to states. The move is the agency’s first under Mr. Trump to detail how it will regulate the power-sector carbon emissions that contribute to climate change, and it sets up months of public and legal reviews, and potentially a yearslong court battle. (Puko, 8/20)

The Associated Press: Hard To See, Hard To Breathe: US West Struggles With Smoke
Smoke from wildfires clogged the sky across the U.S. West, blotting out mountains and city skylines from Oregon to Colorado, delaying flights and forcing authorities to tell even healthy adults in the Seattle area to stay indoors. As large cities dealt with unhealthy air for a second summer in a row, experts warned that it could become more common as the American West faces larger and more destructive wildfires because of heat and drought blamed on climate change. Officials also must prioritize resources during the longer firefighting season, so some blazes may be allowed to burn in unpopulated areas. (Ho and Flaccus, 8/20)

The Washington Post: Watch Wildfire Smoke Blanket Most Of The Country In This Time Lapse Of Satellite Data
Public health experts treat wildfire smoke as a pollutant, similar in many ways to ozone or automobile emissions. Breathing it can be hazardous to your health, particularly for sensitive groups like children, the elderly and those with lung or heart disease. Research has shown that even low levels of outdoor air pollution can cause notable deficits in cognitive performance and worker productivity. (Ingraham, 8/20)

Los Angeles Times: California's Largest Wildfire Brings New Dangers For Firefighters On Front Lines
After more than three weeks, firefighters Monday continued to struggle against the largest fire in modern California history as the Mendocino Complex blaze prompted more evacuations and posed new dangers to those on the front lines. While battling the fire, five members of Los Angeles Fire Department Strike Team 1880C were injured Sunday. All five suffered minor injuries and were treated and released from area hospitals. (Fry, 8/20)

The Associated Press: Michigan Official Faces Manslaughter Trial Over Flint Deaths
A judge on Monday ordered Michigan’s health director to stand trial for involuntary manslaughter in two deaths linked to Legionnaires’ disease in the Flint area, the highest-ranking official to face criminal charges as a result of the city’s tainted water scandal. Nick Lyon is accused of failing to issue a timely alert about the outbreak. District Court Judge David Goggins said deaths likely could have been prevented if the outbreak had been publicly known. He said keeping the public in the dark was “corrupt.” (White, 8/21)

NPR: Michigan Health Director To Stand Trial For Involuntary Manslaughter In Flint Deaths
Lyon and other state department officials were aware of a deadly Legionnaires Disease outbreak in Genesee County in January, 2015. But the department did not issue a public advisory about the outbreak until January 2016. The department did advise doctors and medical institutions in 2015. Between 2014 and 2015, at least a dozen people died from Legionnaires Disease in Genesee County, and dozens more were sickened. Evidence connecting the Legionella bacteria outbreak to Flint's ill-fated drinking water switch in 2014 is disputed. (Carmody, 8/20)

The Associated Press: New Report Confirms East Chicago Lead Troubles
Northwestern Indiana residents and environmental advocates say they’re concerned that a federal agency took two years to release its first report about blood-lead levels in children who live at a lead-tainted Superfund site. Many young children who lived at the USS Lead Superfund site from 2005 to 2015 were nearly three times more likely to be lead-poisoned compared with children living elsewhere in East Chicago, according to the report last week by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, a branch of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (8/20)

NPR: Black And Hispanic Kids Are More Likely To Die Of Some Cancers
When it comes to cancer survival, the United States is sharply divided by race. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the cancer death rate for African-Americans is 25 percent higher than whites, and Hispanics and Latinos are more likely to be diagnosed with cancer at a late, and more dangerous, stage of the disease. Kids aren't exempt from those disparities either — black and Hispanic children are more likely to die of many childhood cancers than their white counterparts. So what explains the survival gap? (Blakemore, 8/20)

Reuters: Anthem Ties-Up With Walmart For Over-The-Counter Drugs
Anthem Inc said on Monday it has partnered with Walmart Inc to launch a program in January 2019 that will allow its Medicare Advantage plan customers to purchase over-the-counter medications from the retailer’s stores and website. Anthem said the program will provide OTC drugs and health-related items, such as first aid supplies, support braces, and pain relievers at reduced costs. (Joseph, 8/20)

The Washington Post: Virginia's Medical Marijuana Market Is Creating Massive Competition
Four decades after Virginia legalized medical marijuana in a pioneering but ultimately unworkable way, dozens of companies are vying for the state’s permission to grow cannabis and make a medicinal oil out of the otherwise outlawed weed. Under emergency legislation passed early this year, Virginia will grant up to five permits to produce cannabidiol (CBD) oil or THC-A oil. Stripped of most of the plant’s THC, the chemical compound that triggers the intoxicating reaction in the nervous system, the oils have been touted as treatments for severe seizures and other maladies. (Vozzella, 8/20)

California Healthline: A Black Eye For Blue Shield: Consumers Lash Out Over Coverage Lapses
Around the state, consumers with individual Blue Shield policies, like Summers, say they have been subject to sudden, [Ashley] erroneous cancellations, especially in recent months, forcing them to go without heart medicine, skip vaccinations for their children and pay hundreds of dollars out-of-pocket for other medical care. On social media, customers have described frantic attempts to get their coverage reinstated. (Terhune, 8/20)

The Associated Press: AbbVie Donates $100M To Ronald McDonald House Charities
Drugmaker AbbVie is donating $100 million to Ronald McDonald House Charities, which help provide housing to pediatric patients and their families throughout the U.S. The donation announced Monday is the single largest ever gift to Chicago-based charity network. The money will be used to build housing in at least 26 states and at 32 Ronald McDonald Houses. (8/20)

The New York Times: ‘I’m Focusing On Medicine’: A Parkland Survivor Returns To The Hospital That Saved Her
Maddy Wilford tied a surgical mask around her face and scraped the dirt from beneath her fingernails. She scrubbed her hands and arms, allowing frothy yellow iodine to wash over the thick scar on her right arm — a physical reminder that she had nearly died six months ago at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. Ms. Wilford was shot multiple times that day, the bullets piercing her arm and torso, and arrived at Broward Health North in shock and need of surgery. Now she was volunteering as an intern at the same hospital, learning about medicine from the doctors who saved her life. (Bidgood, 8/21)

Stat: Pregnant Women With Nausea And Vomiting Are More Likely To Use Marijuana 
Research suggests a growing number of pregnant women are using marijuana, and according to a small new study, those experiencing severe nausea and vomiting may be more likely to use the drug. The health effects of using marijuana while pregnant aren’t clear, but national guidelines recommend that women stop using marijuana while pregnant. The new study, published Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine, found that pregnant women with severe nausea and vomiting used marijuana at more than twice the rate of women without those symptoms. (Thielking, 8/20)

USA Today: 16 Nurses Are Pregnant At Arizona Hospital
An Arizona hospital is experiencing a baby boom. Sixteen nurses who work for the intensive care unit at Banner Desert Medical Center in Mesa, Ariz., are pregnant. Most of the women are due between October and January. (Molina, 8/20)

NPR: West Texas Vineyards Blasted By Herbicide Drift From Nearby Cotton Fields
The damage at [Andis] Applewhite's vineyard and elsewhere is likely coming from one of her cotton-growing neighbors. New weedkillers used on the cotton crop are drifting beyond the fields and causing damage elsewhere. The same herbicides are being used on soy and other crops in the U.S. Some estimates, such as this report published last month from the University of Missouri, suggest that drift this year from one of the herbicides, dicamba, has caused over a million acres of damage to vulnerable crops across the country. (Kennedy, 8/21)