First Edition: August 28, 2017

Kaiser Health News: Elder Abuse: ERs Learn How To Protect A Vulnerable Population
Abuse often leads to depression and medical problems in older patients — even death within a year of an abusive incident. Yet, those subjected to emotional, physical or financial abuse too often remain silent. Identifying victims and intervening poses challenges for doctors and nurses. (Sadick, 8/28)

California Healthline: New Commission Plans To Address State Health Care Worker Shortage
California faces a shortfall of primary care doctors and other health care providers, and the gap is expected to widen over time. A new commission unveiled this week will spend the next year investigating the problem and drafting potential solutions. The 24-member California Future Health Workforce Commission will focus on primary care, aging and mental health. Its members include politicians, doctors, educators, labor leaders and others. (8/28)

The New York Times: Trump’s Threats On Health Law Hide An Upside: Gains Made By Some Insurers
It has not been a market for the faint of heart. Supporters of the Affordable Care Act achieved a major victory this past week when, thanks to cajoling and arm-twisting by state regulators, the last “bare” county in America — in rural Ohio — found an insurer willing to sell health coverage through the law’s marketplace there. So despite earlier indications that insurance companies would stop offering coverage under the law in large parts of the country, insurers have now agreed to sell policies everywhere. (Abelson, 8/26)

NPR: Consultant Offers Steps To Lower Health Insurance Premiums And Boost Enrollment
Congress and the Trump administration could boost insurance coverage by a couple of million people and lower premiums by taking a few actions to stabilize the Affordable Care Act insurance markets, according to a new analysis by the consulting firm Oliver Wyman. The paper, which lays out a simple blueprint for making insurance more affordable for more people while working within the current health law's structure, comes just days before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee begins hearings on ways to stabilize markets in the short term. (Kodjak, 8/25)

The Wall Street Journal: Pressure Mounts On Senate Republicans As Trump Rachets Up Criticism
Tensions between President Donald Trump and Senate Republicans are rising, as lawmakers are being blamed by the president, House colleagues and many voters for the party’s failure to pass a major legislative initiative. “I’m sick of them,” said Matthew Walters, a 58-year-old construction worker who lives in Shelbyville, Ky., and has been eager for the GOP to repeal the Affordable Care Act as his wife’s insurance premiums jump. “They’ve said for six years if we get a Republican in the White House we’re going to get this repealed. What is the problem? What are the excuses? I’m sick of it. We elected Donald Trump for change.” (Hughes and Peterson, 8/27)

The Washington Post: In Trump States, Sanders Tries To Push Democrats To The Left On Health Care
It looked just like a campaign launch, from the line winding around the Fellowship Chapel Church, to the tailgaters giving away hot dogs, to the 2,000 voters who eventually packed inside. But when Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt) and Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) arrived, there were no waving signs. They were there to kick off the push for universal health care, with legislation queued up for September, and no expectation that the Republican-controlled Congress would pass it. “Every major country in the world, they’ve already got it,” said Conyers. (Weigel, 8/26)

The Associated Press: Fate Of Transgender Already In Military Unclear Under Order
President Donald Trump on Friday directed the Pentagon to extend indefinitely a ban on transgender individuals joining the military, but he appeared to leave open the possibility of allowing some already in uniform to remain. Trump gave Defense Secretary Jim Mattis authority to decide the matter of openly transgender individuals already serving, and he said that until the Pentagon chief makes that decision, "no action may be taken against" them. (Burns, 8/26)

The Wall Street Journal: Trump Signs Memo Aimed At Banning Transgender Military Service Members
The new policy, outlined in a call from senior administration officials late Friday, makes exceptions for those receiving medical care in some cases “to protect the health of the individual who has already begun treatment. ”The policy pertains not only to the Defense Department, but also to the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the U.S. Coast Guard. (Lubold, 8/25)

Politico: Trump’s Most Popular Cabinet Secretary Is Obama Holdover
VA Secretary David Shulkin has proven to be something unique in President Donald Trump's Washington: an Obama appointee nominated by Trump who is beloved by almost everyone and getting stuff done. By tweaking regulations, he has managed to fire hundreds of allegedly incompetent employees, publicized waiting times at VA clinics, gotten money to expand vets’ treatment by private doctors, and expanded care for isolated vets through telemedicine and mobile phones, while promising to close 430 vacant VA buildings and speed up benefit awards. Shulkin also made a bold — and risky — decision to bypass contracting rules to buy a $16 billion digital health record system. (Allen, 8/28)

The Washington Post: Ecstasy Could Be ‘Breakthrough’ Therapy For Soldiers, Others Suffering From PTSD
For Jon Lubecky, the scars on his wrists are a reminder of the years he spent in mental purgatory. He returned from an Army deployment in Iraq a broken man. He heard mortar shells and helicopters where there were none. He couldn’t sleep and drank until he passed out. He got every treatment offered by Veterans Affairs for post-traumatic stress disorder. But they didn’t stop him from trying to kill himself — five times. (Wan, 8/26)

The Associated Press: Abuse In Nursing Homes Unreported Despite Law
More than 1 in 4 cases of possible sexual and physical abuse against nursing home patients apparently went unreported to police, says a government audit that faults Medicare for failing to enforce a federal law requiring immediate notification. The Health and Human Services inspector general’s office was issuing an “early alert” Monday on its findings from a large sampling of cases in 33 states. Investigators say Medicare needs to take corrective action right away. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 8/28)

NPR: Serious Nursing Home Abuse Often Not Reported To Police, Federal Investigators Find
Government investigators are conducting an ongoing review into nursing home abuse and neglect but say they are releasing the alert now because they want immediate fixes. These are cases of abuse severe enough to send someone to the emergency room. One example cited in the alert is a woman who was left deeply bruised after being sexually assaulted at her nursing home. Federal law says that incident should have been reported to the police within two hours. But the nursing home didn't do that, says Curtis Roy, an assistant regional inspector general in the Department of Health and Human Services. (Jaffe, 8/28)

The Associated Press: Governor's Order Says Funds Won't Go To Abortion Providers
One of Donald Trump's earliest backers is taking advantage of a law signed by the president to further restrict funding to abortion providers, signing an executive order directing state agencies not to allocate state and federal money to health care providers affiliated in any way with abortion clinics. In the order signed Thursday, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster also directed the state's Medicaid agency to seek federal permission to exclude abortion clinics from its Medicaid provider network. (8/25)

The Washington Post: Maryland Provider Of Late-Term Abortions Under Contract To Be Purchased By Anti-Abortion Group
A Maryland abortion clinic, one of only a few that provides late-term abortions to women in the United States, plans to close its doors and is under contract to be purchased by an antiabortion group that has worked for many years to shut it down, according to an official with the coalition that has plans to buy it. If the sale goes through this fall, the new owners of the Germantown clinic will soon be owned by the Maryland Coalition for Life, a grass-roots organization that has staged regular protests at the clinic and, in 2011, opened up a crisis pregnancy center across the parking lot to counsel women against choosing abortion. (Chandler and Hendrix, 8/25)

The Washington Post: House Republican Seeks To Quash D.C. Law Banning Reproductive Discrimination
The District’s landmark 2014 law that says employers cannot discriminate against workers based on their reproductive health decisions is being targeted for the third straight year by a House Republican. Rep. Gary Palmer (R-Ala.) late Thursday filed an amendment to a House appropriations bill to block the District from using funds to carry out the Reproductive Health Non-Discrimination Amendment Act. (Portnoy, 8/25)

NPR: Miscarriage On Twitter: What Is The Public Saying?
Losing a pregnancy because of a miscarriage can be a difficult and painful experience, one that people often don't talk about even among friends and family. Women who suffer miscarriages can feel shame and isolation. Some even blame themselves. (Nsoesie and Cesare, 8/27)

USA Today: Harvey Can Give People Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms
For those who survived Hurricane Katrina 12 years ago or last August's flood in Louisiana, Tropical Storm Harvey could threaten their mental health more than their physical well-being, experts said Saturday. Hurricanes and other natural disasters are common in Texas and Louisiana, but that can make people more resilient or more likely to experience symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress disorder. Unnerving news reports can exacerbate this. (O'Donnell, 8/26)

The Washington Post: A Woman In Labor Showed Up At A Texas Hospital As The Hurricane Neared. She Named Her Baby Harvey.
With more than a foot of rain falling outside and hurricane-force winds blowing on the hospital windows, Irma Rodriguez had all the problems that other residents of Corpus Christi, Tex., had on Friday night, plus two more: She hadn’t chosen a name for her baby. And it was growing clear he was not going to let something as trivial as a hurricane delay his grand entrance. (Wootson, 8/27)

The New York Times: Drug Aimed At Inflammation May Lower Risk Of Heart Disease And Cancer
Researchers outside the study say the findings represent a major milestone — proof of a biologic concept that opens the door to new ways of treating and preventing cardiovascular disease in people who are still at risk despite standard therapies. “This is fantastic,” said Dr. David J. Maron, the director of preventive cardiology at Stanford University School of Medicine. “The green light just went on for full-fledged investigation and development of effective and cost-effective new therapies.” (Grady, 8/27)

Los Angeles Times: Record Seizure Of Fentanyl, Likely Headed To The U.S., Reported By Mexican Border Authorities
Mexican authorities seized their largest haul ever of fentanyl — some 140 pounds of powder and nearly 30,000 pills — that officials say was headed to Tijuana and most likely across the border to the United States. “All I can say is that this not a surprise, Tijuana is the main corridor for Mexican drug traffickers to smuggle fentanyl into the United States,” said Mark Conover, deputy U.S. attorney in San Diego and head of an inter-agency fentanyl working group. “All the indicators are that this load of fentanyl was destined for the city streets of the United States.” (Dibble, 8/26)

The Washington Post: Does Talcum Powder Cause Ovarian Cancer?
Does talcum powder cause ovarian cancer? A Los Angeles jury thinks so. This week it ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $417 million to 63-year-old Eva Echeverria. She blamed her terminal illness on Johnson's Baby Powder, which she used for decades starting at age 11. The company should have warned consumers about the risk, she argued. (McGinley, 8/25)

The New York Times: How Many Calories In That? New York City Delays Enforcing Labeling Rules
New York City on Friday agreed to postpone enforcement of a rule requiring restaurants, convenience stores and other establishments to post calorie counts for prepared food. The move came in response to an industry lawsuit that was supported by the federal government. The city said that it would wait to enforce the calorie posting rules until May, when the Food and Drug Administration is scheduled to put its own rules on calorie labeling into effect. (Neuman, 8/25)

The Wall Street Journal: NYC Agrees To Wait On Calorie Counts For Convenience Stores
The new regulations were an update to a 2008 city law that orders restaurant chains with 15 or more locations to post calorie counts for their products and other nutritional information. Under the new regulations, chains of convenience and grocery stores would have to post nutritional information for prepared foods, such as hot dogs and salads. The regulation would also allow the city to fine food establishments for not alerting customers about the recommended daily calorie intake. (Alfaro, 8/25)

The Associated Press: NYC Calorie Rule Scrutinized In Courts Of Law, And Science
As a court fight simmers over New York City's pioneering requirement for calorie counts on chain restaurant menus, scientists say the jury's still out on whether giving people the numbers spurs them to eat healthier. The city says that by requiring eateries to tell people that their $4 cheeseburger will also cost them about 540 calories, it's helping diners make informed choices in an era of rising obesity. (8/26)

The Associated Press: Chicago-Area Soda Tax May Carry Political Price For Backers
When a local government leader passed the deciding vote on a penny-per-ounce soda tax, she said it would generate enough money to balance the county budget while making people in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs healthier. But so far, the tax seems mostly to have created problems for Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, who until recently was so popular many considered her the only possible candidate who could unseat Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. (Burnett, 8/26)

The New York Times: A New Skin Lightening Procedure Is Short On Evidence
Samantha Peters is trading in her foundation and concealer for an IV. For years, she’s had a daily makeup routine to cover dark blotches on her face and the discoloration and scarring on her arms that won’t go away — a common problem for those with darker skin tones. Now she’s hoping a new treatment, intravenous glutathione, will accomplish what makeup and skin bleaching creams could not: an even, lighter skin tone. (Pattani, 8/28)

NPR: Buying Time, Not Stuff, Might Make You Happier
Money can't buy happiness, right? Well, some researchers beg to differ. They say it depends on how you spend it. A recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that when people spend money on time-saving services such as a house cleaner, lawn care or grocery-delivery, it can make them feel a little happier. By comparison, money spent on material purchases – aka things – does not boost positive emotions the way we might expect. (Aubrey, 8/28)