First Edition: August 23, 2016
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
The Wall Street Journal:
Clinton To Offer Plan For Small Businesses
Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is proposing a package of ideas aimed at helping small businesses, including a new standard deduction that could simplify tax filing and improvements to a little-used tax credit for companies that offer workers health insurance. (Meckler, 8/23)
The New York Times:
Congress Presses Pharmaceutical Company To Explain Surge In Cost Of EpiPen
It’s back-to-school time — as well as campaign season — and lawmakers are becoming increasingly focused on the growing cost of pens: EpiPens, that is. Members of Congress are expressing rising alarm about the increasing costs of the lifesaving injection device for people with severe allergies, and they are hearing from anxious parents. (Hulse, 8/23)
Reuters:
U.S. Lawmakers Press Mylan On EpiPen Price Increases
Two senior lawmakers on the U.S. Senate's Judiciary Committee on Monday pushed for information regarding sharp price increases for EpiPens, drug-filled injectable devices used by people to counter potentially deadly allergic reactions. (8/22)
The Wall Street Journal:
Blackstone Unit Finds Some Health Nudges Just Don’t Work
A major health-services company is revamping the employee wellness and care-management programs supplied to its clients after a yearslong study of who actually benefits from calls offering health advice. (Wilde Mathews, 8/22)
The Associated Press:
Pfizer Spends $14B On Medivation In Cancer Fight
Pfizer will pay about $14 billion to buy cancer drug developer Medivation in a cash deal aimed at fortifying its hold in one of the hottest and most lucrative areas of medicine. The New York drugmaker said Monday that the acquisition will stock its product portfolio with leading treatments for the most common cancers in men and women by adding Medivation's pricey prostate cancer treatment Xtandi to a lineup that already includes the breast cancer drug Ibrance. (8/22)
Politico:
How Zika Could Change The Politics Of Late-Term Abortion
For years, most Americans have opposed abortions late in pregnancy. Zika could change that, potentially undermining support for a national ban on abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy as more women infected with the virus find themselves in the crosshairs of the abortion wars if they choose to end their pregnancies. (Haberkorn, 8/22)
Politico:
On Kimmel's Show, Clinton Mocks ‘Failing Health’ Conspiracies
Hillary Clinton poked fun at the Donald Trump’s repeated claims that her health is failing Monday night, jokingly asking ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel to take her pulse while they spoke on his late-night TV show. The Democratic nominee’s physical well-being has been a topic of discussion on the campaign trail ever since Trump claimed she "lacks the mental and physical stamina to take on ISIS" last Monday. The allegation, a staple of right-wing media critiques of Clinton, was quickly denounced by her campaign, which pointed to a doctor’s letter released last year that pronounced her health “excellent.” (Lima, 8/23)
The New York Times:
New York City Strives To Connect Poor Expectant Mothers With Doulas
The experience highlighted some of the hurdles facing a fledgling New York City health program to give low-income women free access to a resource that hospitals and insurers alike have long treated as a luxury for wealthy women seeking boutique births. Most doulas are present at delivery and later help the new mother care for her baby and give advice on breast-feeding. In 2015, the City Council and New York state started earmarking about $468,500 annually for the free program, called Healthy Women, Healthy Futures, as part of a broader initiative to address high rates of infant and maternal mortality among black New Yorkers as well as those women living in the city’s poorest neighborhoods. (Sharp, 8/22)
The Associated Press:
NY Attorney General Settles With Insurer To Provide Coverage
New York's attorney general has reached a settlement requiring a Buffalo-based insurer to pay thousands of improperly denied claims for outpatient psychotherapy and nutritional counseling for eating disorders. (8/22)
