First Edition: Dec. 10, 2020

KHN: Dialysis Industry Spends Millions, Emerges As Power Player In California Politics
The nation’s dialysis industry has poured $233 million into California campaigns over the past four years, establishing its leading companies as a formidable political force eager to protect their bottom line and influence state policy. Most of the money the industry spent from Jan. 1, 2017, through Nov. 30, 2020, funded the defeat of two union-backed ballot measures that would have regulated dialysis clinics — and eaten into their profits. But the companies and their trade association also stepped up their offense, dedicating about $16.4 million to lobbying and political contributions during the same period, a California Healthline analysis of state campaign finance records shows. (Young, 12/10)

KHN: With Becerra As HHS Pick, California Plots More Progressive Health Care Agenda
President-elect Joe Biden didn’t back “Medicare for All” during his campaign. Yet his choice of California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to serve in the nation’s top health care post is fueling California lawmakers’ most progressive health care dreams, including pursuing a government-run single-payer system at the state level. (Hart and Young, 12/10)

KHN: A Battle-Weary Seattle Hospital Fights The Latest COVID Surge 
As hospitals across the country weather a surge of COVID-19 patients, in Seattle — an early epicenter of the outbreak — nurses, respiratory therapists and physicians are staring down a startling resurgence of the coronavirus that’s expected to test even one of the best-prepared hospitals on the pandemic’s front lines. After nine months, the staff at Harborview Medical Center, the large public hospital run by the University of Washington, has the benefit of experience. (Stone, 12/10)

KHN: Trump Plan May Set Clock Ticking On Many Health Rules — Setting Off Alarms
The Trump administration wants to require the Department of Health and Human Services to review most of its regulations by 2023 — and automatically void those not assessed in time. A proposed rule would require HHS to analyze within 24 months about 2,400 regulations — rules that affect tens of millions of Americans on everything from Medicare benefits to prescription drug approvals. (Galewitz, 12/10)

The New York Times: U.S., Breaking A Record, Tops The 3,000 Daily Death Mark 
All the while, the United States is speeding toward another stunning total: 300,000 total deaths since the coronavirus slipped into the country at the beginning of the year and began laying siege. At least 288,000 deaths have been recorded, according to a New York Times database. The milestones are being toppled as U.S. officials race to approve and distribute a Covid-19 vaccine for Americans. Britain began vaccinating its own citizens this week, and Canada appears near to doing the same. (12/10)

NPR: U.S. Hits Highest 1-Day Toll From Coronavirus With 3,054 Deaths
The coronavirus pandemic pushed the U.S. past another dire milestone Wednesday, the highest daily death toll to date, even while the mortality rate has decreased as health experts learn more about the disease. The Covid Tracking Project, which tracks state-level coronavirus data, reported 3,054 COVID-19 related deaths — a significant jump from the previous single-day record of 2,769 on May 7. The spread of the disease has shattered another record with 106,688 COVID-19 patients in U.S. hospitals. And overall, states reported 1.8 million tests and 210,000 cases. According to the group, the spike represents more than a 10% increase in cases over the last 7 days. (Romo, 12/9)

The Hill: US Sets New Record With Over 3,000 COVID Deaths In A Single Day 
The United States set a new record for coronavirus deaths in a single day on Wednesday, with more than 3,000 people dying from the virus, a daunting toll as its spread only worsens. The U.S. recorded 3,054 deaths from the coronavirus on Wednesday, according to The COVID Tracking Project, beating the previous record from the spring, which was 2,769 deaths on May 7. (Sullivan, 12/9)

Reuters: U.S. Nears Final COVID Vaccine Review As Daily National Deaths Top 3,250
The United States on Wednesday crossed an ominous new threshold of more than 3,250 lives lost to COVID-19 in a single day while public health officials stepped up preparations for a vaccine campaign of historic scope ahead of final regulatory review. Steady movement toward a vaccine rollout on the eve of a critical review by leading U.S. medical experts comes as COVID-19 caseloads surged alarmingly higher, straining healthcare systems in some pandemic hot spots to the breaking point. (Bernstein and Caspani, 12/8)

The Washington Post: As FDA Panel Prepares To Consider Pfizer’s Vaccine, U.S. Reports Record 3,140 Deaths In A Single Day
For the first time in the course of the coronavirus pandemic, the United States reported more than 3,100 deaths in a single day, according to a Washington Post analysis. With overtaxed intensive care units running out of beds in many parts of the country, there was also a record number of those hospitalized with covid-19 at 106,000 on Wednesday. The pandemic’s new heights in the United States came as Britain began to distribute the Pfizer/BioNTech two-dose coronavirus vaccine which Canada approved Wednesday. An advisory panel will meet Thursday to decide whether to recommend the Food and Drug Administration approve the vaccine in the United States. (Shepherd, 12/10)

AP: Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Faces Last Hurdle Before US Decision
The FDA panel functions like a science court that will pick apart the data and debate — in public and live-streamed — whether the shot is safe and effective enough to be cleared for emergency use. The non-government experts specialize in vaccine development, infectious diseases and medical statistics. The FDA is expected to follow the committee’s advice, although it is not required to do so. (Neergaard and Perrone, 12/10)

USA Today: Coronavirus Updates: Pfizer Vaccine Reaches Final Review For FDA Authorization As US Nears 290K Deaths
Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine could become first to earn U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorization as early as Thursday. The 17-member independent Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee will meet Thursday to review and discuss data from Pfizer and German startup BioNTech on their vaccine, then vote on whether the FDA should authorize it. The companies are requesting an “emergency use authorization,” shy of a full approval. While they have compiled as much short-term safety and effectiveness data as is typical with any vaccine, the process has been compressed. But corners, FDA says, have not been cut. (Aspegren, 12/10)

Stat: Updates On FDA Panel Meeting On The Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine
A panel of outside experts is meeting Thursday to consider whether the Food and Drug Administration ought to give an emergency use authorization to the Covid-19 vaccine being developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, a vaccine that appeared to be highly efficacious in a Phase 3 clinical trial. Earlier this week, the United Kingdom started using the vaccine, which is currently known by the working name BNT162b2. On Wednesday, Canada’s drug regulator announced it had approved emergency use of the vaccine. (12/10)

NPR: DOD Unveils Its Coronavirus Vaccine Distribution Plan
The Department of Defense aims to administer just under 44,000 doses of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine within 24 to 48 hours of authorization for emergency use. U.S. Food and Drug Administration officials have said they will make a decision soon after they hear from an advisory committee which meets Thursday. The vaccine will be distributed through 16 DOD installations, 13 in the U.S and three overseas. The facilities selected are in California, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia and Washington, director of the Defense Health Agency Army Lt. Gen. Ronald Place said in a news conference Wednesday. (Jones, 12/9)

NPR: 'Kind Of A Chess Game': For States, Distributing COVID-19 Vaccine Poses Myriad Hurdles
The first COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S. could get authorized for emergency use in a matter of days. But for state health officials, any excitement over any potential breakthrough is tempered by an overwhelming logistical test: distributing a vaccine to millions of Americans. Claire Hannan, executive director of the Association of Immunization Managers, said there's "no shortage of challenges" for the people charged with planning the vaccination rollout for their state. (Bowman, 12/9)

USA Today: 'Very Inconsistent': 2 Allergic Reactions In The UK To COVID-19 Vaccine Puzzle Researchers
Allergic reactions were not a significant problem in the U.S. trial in which more than 20,000 people have received both two doses of the vaccine, but the U.S. trials kept out subjects who have had severe allergic reactions, said Moncef Slaoui, co-head of Operation Warp Speed – the government program tasked with developing, manufacturing and distributing COVID-19 vaccines. (Weintraub, 12/9)

Reuters: Explainer: What Do The UK Allergic Reaction Cases Mean For Pfizer's COVID-19 Vaccine 
British regulators initially responded by saying anyone with a history of a significant allergic reaction to a vaccine, medicine or food should not take the shot. An adviser to the group later said it was “tweaking” advice in part to say a food allergy was not a risk. Late on Wednesday, the UK regulator said anyone with a history of anaphylaxis to a vaccine, medicine or food should not get the vaccine. (12/9)

AP: Allergic Reactions To Vaccines Rare, Short-Lived
Scientists say people can be sensitive to components in the shot, like gelatin or egg protein, or to the vaccine itself. People with egg allergies are sometimes advised not to get the flu shot, since that vaccine is mostly grown in chicken eggs. Common symptoms of an allergic reaction include a rash, skin irritation, coughing or trouble breathing. The exact ingredients used in Pfizer’s new COVID-19 vaccine are proprietary and are not publicly disclosed. The vaccine uses a new technology, and is coated in lipid nanoparticles, which have been used in drugs. (12/9)

The Wall Street Journal: Covid-19 Vaccines Pose Potential Side Effects, Doctors Say 
Kristen Choi, a participant in a Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine trial and a nursing professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, said the second shot left her with intense arm pain, chills, nausea and dizziness that evening. By the next morning, she had a 104.9-degree fever—the worst she has ever had. She took some acetaminophen, which helped with her fever. A clinical-trial research staffer told her that side effects like hers weren’t uncommon. While Dr. Choi can’t be sure she received the vaccine—the trial was double-blinded—she suspects she did, and says she wouldn’t have been able to see patients the day after she received the shot. (Toy, 12/9)

USA Today: COVID Vaccine Misinformation Rages Out Of Control On Facebook, Twitter
Hours after Margaret Keenan, a 90-year-old grandmother from the United Kingdom, became the first person to get the COVID-19 vaccine, anti-vaxxers claimed she didn’t exist, that she was dead and that she was part of a Bill Gates scheme to implant microchips. A USA TODAY analysis of one popular tweet claiming Keenan was a "crisis actress" shows how quickly this misinformation can spread. A tweet shared by @bankiegirl at 2:38pm UK time on Dec. 8 received over 400 retweets from accounts sharing hashtags like #DoNotComply and #WeDoNotConsent. (Guynn and Bajak, 12/9)

AP: Trump Tries To Revive Stalled Election-Eve Drug Discounts
The Trump administration is trying to revive the president’s stalled election-eve plan to send millions of Medicare recipients a $200 prescription discount card. A person familiar with the effort tells The Associated Press that government agencies still face legal questions about the plan. That’s on top of the daunting logistics of sending an estimated 39 million people a functional card in the midst of the holiday season without the benefit of much advance planning. The person was not authorized to publicly discuss internal deliberations and spoke on condition of anonymity. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 12/9)

Politico: Trump’s Drug-Card Plan Smacks Into Another Roadblock 
The White House is trying to surmount a previously unreported hurdle in its bid to make good on President Donald Trump’s campaign promise to give senior citizens $200 in drug-discount cards: An industry panel says the cards don’t meet the government’s own standards. Trump’s plan, which blindsided health officials in September, came as the president sought to reverse declining poll numbers among “our wonderful seniors” by bragging about giving $200 to most Medicare beneficiaries, declaring “Joe Biden won’t be doing this.” (Diamond, 12/9)

Stateline: Trump Takes A Final Shot At Obamacare Exchanges
On his way out of the White House, President Donald Trump is taking one last swipe at the Affordable Care Act, proposing to allow states to opt out of the Obamacare exchanges where millions of Americans enroll in health insurance plans. If states choose this potential new option, residents would no longer have access to a one-stop shop for health insurance. Instead, they would have to find their way to private insurance brokers or individual carriers. They also wouldn’t have access to impartial advisers, so-called navigators, to assist them in making their choices. (Ollove, 12/9)

The Washington Post: House Approves One-Week Spending Bill As Stimulus Talks Drag On
The House of Representatives on Wednesday approved a one-week extension in funding for the federal government, a move aimed at giving lawmakers more time to hammer out agreements on spending bills and emergency economic relief. Congressional leaders advanced the short-term extension in federal funding as negotiations over an emergency economic relief package appeared to falter and prospects of a major breakthrough dimmed. The measure passed by a 343-to-67 vote. (Stein and DeBonis, 12/9)

Politico: Stimulus Talks Sputter 
Democratic leaders are rejecting GOP offers on coronavirus relief, pointing to ongoing bipartisan talks as the best way forward. But behind the scenes, the Senate Republican majority is increasingly skeptical of those efforts. After a flurry of momentum over the last week, the stimulus talks are back to where they’ve been for months: nowhere. Congressional leaders have retreated to their corners, blaming each other for inaction as the economy stumbles and the U.S. nears 300,000 dead from the virus. Time is running short in the lame duck, with as few as nine days for Congress to deliver much-needed relief. (Everett and Caygle, 12/9)

The Wall Street Journal: Lawmakers Weigh Competing Covid-19 Aid Proposals 
A flurry of competing proposals for another coronavirus relief package ricocheted around the Capitol Wednesday, as lawmakers hunted for ways to resolve a thorny debate over liability protections that has stymied progress for weeks. A bipartisan group was still working late Wednesday to craft an agreement over some form of legal protections for businesses, schools and other entities operating during the pandemic, the single most stubborn roadblock for lawmakers eager to reach a deal on emergency relief. While lawmakers broadly agree with the White House that a new aid package is needed—and even on its rough price tag of just over $900 billion—compromise on the liability provision has long remained elusive. (Peterson and Duehren, 12/9)

The Hill: Bipartisan Group Unveils New Details On COVID-19 Relief Measure 
A bipartisan group of House and Senate moderates on Wednesday circulated more details of their $908 billion coronavirus relief proposal, but their summary did not include more specifics on two key issues where there is disagreement between Democrats and Republicans. The summary, obtained by The Hill, lacks details on the $160 billion that would be provided to state and local governments, as well as on liability protection for businesses. In both cases, the document says there are agreements in principle “as the basis for good faith negotiations.” (Jagoda, 12/9)

Politico: Mnuchin Pushes Relief Checks Over Jobless Aid 
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Wednesday defended the Trump administration’s proposal to send one-time relief checks to millions of Americans rather than pouring more money into federal unemployment benefits, calling it a better way to get aid to struggling households. “We obviously want to get people back to work,” Mnuchin told reporters in a virtual gathering. “By sending out checks, we’re putting money into the economy for people. This will have the impact of creating demand, which will have the impact of creating jobs. We want to get people their jobs back.” (Guida, 12/9)

Politico: 'Dear God, Stop The Nonsense': Chicago Mayor Unloads On McConnell Over Covid Relief
Mayor Lori Lightfoot lashed out at Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Wednesday for pushing a stimulus proposal that would largely leave cities and states empty-handed, and urged her party to dig in. "I hope what Democrats in Congress will say is, 'Over my dead body,’” the mayor during a press briefing to talk about plans to distribute the vaccine for Covid-19 in Chicago. “Every single town and municipality in this country is hurting. Blue, red, purple; independent mayors, Republican mayors, Democratic mayors.” (Kapos, 12/9)

Politico: California Congressman: Talking To Anti-Mask Lawmakers Like ‘Talking To A Brick Wall’ 
California Rep. Ami Bera complained Wednesday that many of his fellow members of Congress still do not wear masks inside the Capitol, and compared efforts to convince them to cover their faces to “talking to a brick wall.” “I see a lot of them, unfortunately,” Bera, a Democrat, said of anti-mask lawmakers during a POLITICO Live panel discussion. (Forgey, 12/9)

Politico: House Votes To Expand Marijuana Research 
The House on Wednesday passed a bill that would make it easier for scientists to conduct marijuana research in states where the drug is legal. The bill passed on a voice vote with strong bipartisan support. It’s the second piece of marijuana legislation passed by the Democratic-controlled chamber in recent days. On Friday, the House passed a landmark bill that would end federal marijuana penalties and erase some past convictions. (Fertig and Zhang, 12/9)

NPR: Giuliani Leaves Hospital After Being Admitted For COVID-19
Rudy Giuliani has left the hospital following treatment for COVID-19, days after his coronavirus diagnosis was made public in a tweet by President Trump. Giuliani, the president's personal attorney, was spotted Wednesday evening leaving Georgetown University Hospital. He flashed a thumbs up sign out of his car's passenger-side window as he passed reporters. Giuliani, who had criticized mask-wearing during the pandemic, was seen wearing one as he left the hospital. (Diaz, 12/10)

The New York Times: Trump And Friends Got Coronavirus Care Many Others Couldn’t 
Ben Carson, Chris Christie and Donald J. Trump are not the sturdiest candidates to conquer the coronavirus: older, in some cases overweight, male and not particularly fit. Yet all seem to have gotten through Covid-19, and all have gotten an antibody treatment in such short supply that some hospitals and states are doling it out by lottery. Now Rudolph W. Giuliani, the latest member of President Trump’s inner circle to contract Covid-19, has acknowledged that he received at least two of the same drugs the president received. He even conceded that his “celebrity” status had given him access to care that others did not have. (Gay Stolberg, 12/9)

The Washington Post: Dismissing Health Concerns, State Department Treats 200 Guests To Holiday Drinks, Tours And Leftover ‘Be Best’ Swag 
The State Department hosted roughly 200 guests Tuesday night at the presidential guesthouse despite concerns of public health experts and a new positive coronavirus case on the premises since last week, according to two U.S. officials. The party included a tour of the White House’s vaunted holiday decorations followed by a self-guided tour across the street at Blair House, where foreign diplomats, their families, U.S. staffers and friends and acquaintances of the State Department’s chief of protocol convened. (Hudson, 12/9)

AP: Trump Virus Coordinator Birx Seeks Role In Biden Government
When Dr. Deborah Birx was brought into President Donald Trump’s orbit to help fight the coronavirus pandemic, she had a sterling reputation as a former U.S. Army physician, a globally recognized AIDS researcher and a rare Obama administration holdover. Less than 10 months later, as Trump’s time in office nears its end, the White House coronavirus task force coordinator’s reputation is frayed. And after serving every president since Ronald Reagan, her future in the incoming Joe Biden administration is uncertain. (Madhani and Miller, 12/10)

Stat: Becerra Took More Campaign Cash From Health Groups Than Any Other Industry
Xavier Becerra, President-elect Biden’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, has taken more campaign cash from the doctors and other health care groups he will soon regulate than from any other industry. Over the course of his career in the House of Representatives, Becerra pulled in more than $1 million from political action committees affiliated with doctors and other health professionals, more than $300,000 from those affiliated with hospitals and nursing homes, and more than $300,000 from those affiliated with pharmaceutical companies and the manufacturers of other health care products, according to data from the Center for Responsive Politics. (Florko, 12/10)

Stat: J&J Cuts Size Of Covid-19 Vaccine Study Due To Prevalence Of Disease
Johnson & Johnson is cutting the size of its pivotal U.S. Covid-19 vaccine trial — the only major study testing a single dose of a Covid vaccine — from 60,000 volunteers to 40,000 volunteers. The change is being made possible by the fact that Covid-19 is so pervasive across the country, according to a person familiar with the matter. The more virus there is in the U.S., the more likely it is that participants will be exposed to it, meaning researchers will be able to reach conclusions based on a smaller trial. (Herper, 12/9)

Bloomberg: Renergen Patents Helium-Cooled Cases For Coronavirus Vaccines
South Africa’s Renergen Ltd. has patented cryogenic cases that can keep vaccines at ultra-cold temperatures for 30 days, a potential way of getting some of the first coronavirus shots to be approved to remote areas, said Chief Executive Officer Stefano Marani. Renergen’s design uses helium to keep the vaccines at between minus 70 and minus 150 degrees Celsius without the need for a power supply, Marani said in an interview on Wednesday. It could be used to transport inoculations to remote parts of Africa and Southeast Asia, he said. (Prinsloo, 12/10)

Reuters: How The Novel Coronavirus Has Evolved 
As the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has swept across the world, killing more than 1.5 million people over the past year, it has mutated into seven major groups, or strains, as it adapted to its human hosts. Mapping and understanding those changes to the virus is crucial to developing strategies to combat the COVID-19 disease it causes. (Wardell, Scarr and Chowdhury, 12/10)

AP: AP-NORC Poll: Only Half In US Want Shots As Vaccine Nears
As states frantically prepare to begin months of vaccinations that could end the pandemic, a new poll finds only about half of Americans are ready to roll up their sleeves when their turn comes. The survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows about a quarter of U.S. adults aren’t sure if they want to get vaccinated against the coronavirus. Roughly another quarter say they won’t. (Neergaard and Fingerhut, 12/9)

AP: Fewer Black Kids Getting Flu Shots, Worrying CDC Officials
More Americans have been getting flu shots this year, apparently heeding the advice of health officials fearful of a flu and coronavirus double pandemic, public health officials said Wednesday. But the flu vaccination rate for Black children is down, fueling worries that Black Americans may be turning away from shots. “It’s certainly a point of concern,” said Dr. Ram Koppaka of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which posted new flu vaccination data Wednesday. “We’ll monitor this over the coming weeks very closely.” (Stobbe, 12/10)

Stat: Doctors Worry About Missed Cancers If Covid-19 Keeps Children Away
Nothing prepares a parent for a child’s cancer diagnosis. Even more unthinkable is wondering if the cancer could have been caught sooner. When the coronavirus pandemic exploded in March, people in many states were urged to stay home — and they did. Primary care offices closed, gradually converting to telehealth if they could. In-person office visits for both children and adults fell off a cliff, dropping by as much as 60% in April by some estimates, while what-if questions about possible harms soared. (Cooney, 12/10)

Stat: Hemophilia Patients Pin Their Hopes On The Revival Of Vioxx
After surviving hemophilia, hepatitis C, and HIV, Joseph Burke considers himself a walking miracle. But the medical odyssey that saved his life has also ravaged his joints, and now each day begins in pain, whether from his ankles, knees, shoulders, or all of the above. ... He wants a treatment that can soothe his pain without the anxiety of keeping an addictive drug in his home. And he’s pinning his hopes on a decades-old pill more famous for class action lawsuits than medical miracles: Vioxx. (Garde, 12/9)

NPR: Progress Toward A Safer Psychedelic Drug To Treat Depression And Addiction
A chemically tweaked version of the psychedelic drug ibogaine appears to relieve depression and addiction symptoms without producing hallucinations or other dangerous side effects. The results of a study in rodents suggest it may be possible to make psychedelic drugs safe enough to become mainstream treatments for psychiatric disorders, the authors report Wednesday in the journal Nature. (Hamilton, 12/9)

AP: EU Drug Regulator Hacked, Data On COVID-19 Vaccine Accessed
German pharmaceutical company BioNTech and its U.S. partner Pfizer say data on their coronavirus vaccine were “unlawfully accessed” during a cyberattack on the servers of the European Medicines Agency. The Amsterdam-based agency, which is considering requests for conditional marketing authorization for several coronavirus vaccines to be used in the 27-nation European Union, said earlier Wednesday that it had been the target of a cyberattack. (12/10)

Stat: Google Launches Health Studies App, Marking A New Type Of Apple Rivalry
Google made a major move into health research on Wednesday, unveiling a new smartphone app that lets Android users participate in medical studies remotely. The app, called Google Health Studies, could enable the tech giant to better position itself against competitor Apple, which has rolled out several remote research efforts since launching its first virtual health study in 2017. (Brodwin, 12/9)

Modern Healthcare: Boston Children's First To Launch On Google's Health Study App
Researchers from Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School have launched an app-based research project to study the spread of COVID-19, influenza and other respiratory illnesses through a partnership with Google. It's the first project to launch as part of Google Health Studies, an Android app Google launched Wednesday. It's an effort to make it easier for researchers to recruit volunteers from across the country to participate in medical research, according to Google, by letting researchers design studies that ask participants to answer survey questions and contribute data through the app. (Kim Cohen, 12/9)

Modern Healthcare: Healthcare Was The Hardest Hit By Supply Shortages Across All U.S. Industries
The healthcare industry was the hardest hit by supply shortages, new data on the U.S. economy show. That was one of the findings from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' survey of nearly 600,000 U.S. businesses gathered from mid-July through September. The results illustrate the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on businesses based on size, location and industry. Sixty-four percent of healthcare companies reported a shortage of supplies or inputs. Retail trade and accommodation and food services were the next hardest hit sectors at 59% and 50%, respectively. The national average across all industries was 36%. (Kacik, 12/9)

Stat: Florida Finds PBMs Are Benefiting From A Lucrative Profit Center
As states struggle to control the cost of prescription medicines, a new report found pharmacy benefit managers pocketed more than $89 million collected on behalf of the Florida Medicaid program — and the consultants who ran the analysis recommended state officials rework the arrangements. (Silverman, 12/9)

Modern Healthcare: Surprise Billing Talks Die Down After Provider Lobbying Offensive
Last-minute efforts to reach agreement on policy to ban surprise medical bills have slowed amid a multi-front lobbying push by healthcare providers and conservative groups. Talks on surprise billing revived in the House over the weekend, but lawmakers haven't reached an agreement on an issue that has stubbornly divided both Democrats and Republicans for more than a year, according to lobbyists and staff familiar with the conversations. (Cohrs, 12/9)

Modern Healthcare: Encompass Health Exploring IPO, Merger Or Sale Of Home Health And Hospice Segment
Inpatient rehabilitation hospital and home health operator Encompass Health is looking at options for its home health and hospice segment. The company on Wednesday said "a range of options are under consideration," including a separation of the home health and hospice business through an initial public offering, spin-off, merger or sale. "Since joining together with Encompass Home Health and Hospice in 2015, we have generated substantial growth in both our business segments," Encompass Health President and CEO Mark Tarr said in a prepared statement. (Christ, 12/9)

Modern Healthcare: Henry Ford And Acadia Partnering On Detroit Area Behavioral Health Hospital
Henry Ford Health System is the latest not-for-profit health system to partner with investor-owned Acadia Healthcare, this time to open a behavioral health hospital in suburban Detroit. Detroit-based Henry Ford said the 192-bed hospital, slated to open in late 2022, would fill a critical need for modernized inpatient behavioral health services there. The health system would own a roughly 20% minority stake in the joint venture with Acadia, which will pay for the hospital's estimated $50 million construction, equipment and annual operating costs. (Bannow, 12/9)

AP: Alabama School System Issuing $1K COVID-19 Bonuses
Full-time employees of an Alabama school system are getting a $1,000 bonus except for its superintendent. The funds will be issued to employees of Baldwin County Schools on Dec, 18, WKRG-TV reported. The money is coming from local funding, primarily sales tax dollars, a spokesman for the school system said. (12/9)

The Washington Post: Colleges Share Lessons Learned About The Coronavirus Pandemic During The Fall Semester
Colleges and universities that taught students in person this fall found no evidence that the novel coronavirus spread in any significant way in classrooms, laboratories and lecture halls, according to numerous school leaders, easing what had been one of their greatest fears during a deadly pandemic. A far larger public health problem for higher education, these leaders and other experts say, arose in the off-campus student housing and social scene. Trouble emerged wherever students mingled without protective distance and masks, and faced less peer pressure to curb unsafe behavior. (Anderson and Svrluga, 12/9)

Houston Chronicle: Texas Southern To Become COVID-19 Testing Hub For HBCUs Throughout Texas
Texas Southern University will be one of eight historically Black colleges and universities, or HBCUs, in the country to become a COVID-19 testing hub for other Black higher education institutions thanks to a $25 million gift, according to a university release. Thermo Fisher Scientific gave the multimillion-dollar donation of supplies, test kits, and technical assistance to launch The Just Project. It will enable HBCUs to expand their laboratories and provide assistance during the pandemic by processing thousands of COVID-19 samples from other historically black institutions. (Britto, 12/9)

The Washington Post: Johns Hopkins, University Namesake, Owned Slaves
Johns Hopkins, the 19th-century businessman who bequeathed a fortune to found the hospital and university in Baltimore that bear his name, and who on scanty evidence was long heralded as an abolitionist, enslaved at least four Black people before the Civil War, school officials disclosed Wednesday. Newly unearthed census records show Hopkins, who amassed wealth as a merchant and railroad investor, held one person as property in 1840 and four people in 1850, according to Johns Hopkins University officials. Census records listed no enslaved people in the Hopkins household as of 1860. (Anderson, Lumpkin and Svrluga, 12/9)

The Washington Post: College Basketball Schedule ‘Mess’ Sparks Calls To Pause Season Amid Covid-19 Outbreak 
In mid-September, about six months after the cancellation of the 2020 men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournaments, the NCAA announced that this year’s basketball season would begin Nov. 25 with teams allowed to play 27 games, at most. A handful of Division I programs — the eight-member Ivy League, Bethune-Cookman and Maryland Eastern Shore — opted to cancel their men’s and women’s seasons. But dozens of teams that have played on — including top-ranked Gonzaga; No. 7 Houston; 12th-ranked Tennessee, which didn’t play its first game until Tuesday night; and No. 18 Virginia, the most recent NCAA men’s champion — have had to pause their seasons because of positive coronavirus tests. Hundreds of games have been postponed or canceled, some of them within hours of tip-off after teams already were on-site. (Bonesteel, 12/9)

AP: Like Teams, NBA Refs Have New Health And Safety Protocols
NBA referees will have to adhere to many of the same new health and safety protocols as coaches and players are this season, all part of the league’s plan to try to keep everyone safe during the coronavirus pandemic. Referees will be tested daily, just like players and coaches, and will have to comply with new league rules about avoiding bars, lounges, clubs, public gyms and many other indoor gathering spots. The league is also coming up with methods designed to reduce referee travel, some of which is still evolving. (Reynolds, 12/9)

AP: Abdul-Jabbar Reveals Past Prostate Cancer Diagnosis In Essay
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar revealed he had prostate cancer in a magazine article he wrote about health risks faced by Blacks. Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA’s career scoring leader, provided no other details about that illness in the piece he wrote for WebMD that first appeared Wednesday. A publicist for Abdul-Jabbar said this is the first time he has spoken about the prostate cancer. (12/9)

PBS NewsHour: When It Comes To Coronavirus Risks, Americans Are Divided Over Indoor Sports
As temperatures drop in much of the United States, American sports enthusiasts are likely weighing the risks of playing indoors during the worst surge of the coronavirus pandemic so far. A majority of Americans – 58 percent – say that people should not participate in indoor team sports this winter, according to the latest PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll, revealing a major divide between Democrats and Republicans on this health question. (Leventhal, 12/10)

The New York Times: Exercise For Weight Loss: Aim For 300 Minutes A Week 
Can exercise help us shed pounds? An interesting new study involving overweight men and women found that working out can help us lose weight, in part by remodeling appetite hormones. But to benefit, the study suggests, we most likely have to exercise a lot — burning at least 3,000 calories a week. In the study, that meant working out six days a week for up to an hour, or around 300 minutes a week. (Reynolds, 12/9)