First Edition: Dec. 4, 2023

KFF Health News and The New York Times: Desperate Families Search For Affordable Home Care 
It’s a good day when Frank Lee, a retired chef, can slip out to the hardware store, fairly confident that his wife, Robin, is in the hands of reliable help. He spends nearly every hour of every day anxiously overseeing her care at their home on the Isle of Palms, a barrier island near Charleston, South Carolina. Robin Lee, 67, has had dementia for about a decade, but the couple was able to take overseas trips and enjoy their marriage of some 40 years until three years ago, when she grew more agitated, prone to sudden outbursts, and could no longer explain what she needed or wanted. He struggled to care for her largely on his own. (Abelson, 12/4)

KFF Health News and The New York Times: What To Know About Home Care Services 
Most older Americans want to live at home as long as they can, but finding and affording the help they need often isn’t easy. There are severe shortages of home health aides in many parts of the country. Hiring them is costly. And most middle-class people will have to pay for home care themselves if it’s needed for the long haul. Here’s a guide to locating home care for an older person. (Abelson, 12/4)

KFF Health News: Doctors On (Video) Call: Rural Medics Get Long-Distance Help In Treating Man Gored By Bison
Rural medics who rescued rancher Jim Lutter after he was gored by a bison didn’t have much experience handling such severe wounds. But the medics did have a doctor looking over their shoulders inside the ambulance as they rushed Lutter to a hospital. The emergency medicine physician sat 140 miles away in a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, office building. She participated in the treatment via a video system recently installed in the ambulance. (Zionts, 12/4)

KFF Health News and PolitiFact: Explosive DeSantis-Newsom Debate Reflects Nation’s Culture Wars
Fox News officially titled it “The Great Red vs. Blue State Debate.” But the faceoff quickly turned into a full-out political brawl between Gavin Newsom, California’s Democratic governor who isn’t running for president; and Ron DeSantis, the Florida Republican governor who is, and is not gaining ground against former President Donald Trump in voter polls. The event was held in Alpharetta, Georgia, aired on Fox News, and moderated by Sean Hannity. Our PolitiFact partners examined the two state officials’ wide-ranging statements. (Hart and PolitiFact staff, 12/1)

AP: OxyContin Maker Bankruptcy Deal Goes Before The Supreme Court On Monday, With Billions At Stake
The Supreme Court is hearing arguments over a nationwide settlement with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma that would shield members of the Sackler family who own the company from civil lawsuits over the toll of opioids. The agreement hammered out with state and local governments and victims would provide billions of dollars to combat the opioid epidemic. The Sacklers would contribute up to $6 billion and give up ownership, and the company would emerge from bankruptcy as a different entity, with its profits used for treatment and prevention. (Sherman, 12/4)

The Washington Post: As High Court Weighs Purdue Bankruptcy, Opioid Settlement Divides Victims
Families that have lost relatives to overdoses share plenty of outrage at Purdue Pharma, the bankrupt maker of OxyContin that has been accused in lawsuits of helping ignite the nation’s opioid crisis. But they are split over a legal challenge that could upend Purdue’s agreement to settle thousands of lawsuits and provide billions of dollars that underwrite state campaigns fighting addiction and that offer compensation to victims. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments Monday about a controversial aspect of the company’s bankruptcy plan that shields Purdue owners the Sackler family from future lawsuits in exchange for the family’s contributing up to $6 billion and relinquishing control of the company. (Ovalle and Barnes, 12/3)

Reuters: Explainer: How Will The Supreme Court Reshape US Opioid Epidemic Relief? 
The revised deal is supported by all financial stakeholders in the case, including all state attorneys general, but is opposed by the Justice Department's bankruptcy watchdog and some individual opioid plaintiffs. Under the deal, the Sacklers would pay up to $6 billion to a trust that would be used to settle claims filed by states, hospitals, people who had become addicted and others who have sued Purdue. (Kruzel, 12/4)

The New York Times: DeSantis Says He Would Pass A Bill To ‘Supersede’ Obamacare 
Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida said on Sunday that, if elected president, he would pursue legislation that would “supersede” the Affordable Care Act, echoing former President Donald J. Trump’s comments, which Democrats seized upon last week. “What I think they’re going to need to do is have a plan that will supersede Obamacare, that will lower prices for people so that they can afford health care, while also making sure that people with pre-existing conditions are protected,” Mr. DeSantis said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” He went on to say that repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act was a broken promise from Mr. Trump’s 2016 campaign. (Astor, 12/3)

Modern Healthcare: Biden, Trump 2024 Healthcare Debate Already Begun
Since enacting the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, President Joe Biden and the Democrats have talked up its Medicare drug pricing and health insurance subsidy provisions, but haven't gotten much traction. Now, Trump has jump-started the healthcare debate by again proposing to repeal the Affordable Care Act of 2010, a goal that eluded him during his presidency. (McAuliff, 12/1)

NBC News: Long-Awaited Ban On Menthol Cigarettes Could Be Delayed Into 2024, Public Health Groups Fear
The long-awaited ban on menthol cigarettes may not be announced by the end of the year, but pushed to 2024, according to officials from two national public health groups working to remove the products from the market. Both requested anonymity to discuss the decision ahead of any announcement from the Biden administration. The delay could be announced as early as next week, they suggested. (Edwards and Miller, 12/1)

The New York Times: Scientists In Discredited Alcohol Study Will Not Advise U.S. On Drinking Guidelines
Five years ago, the National Institutes of Health abruptly pulled the plug on an ambitious study about the health effects of moderate drinking. The reason: The trial’s principal scientist and officials from the federal agency’s own alcohol division had solicited $60 million for the research from alcohol manufacturers, a conflict of interest and a violation of federal policy. Recently, that scientist and another colleague from the aborted study with alcohol industry ties were named to a committee preparing a report on alcohol and health that will be used to update the federal government’s guidelines on alcohol consumption. (Rabin, 12/1)

Military.com: No More Late Night Alcohol Sales: Army And Air Force Exchange Stores To Ban The Practice Next Month
The Army and Air Force Exchange Service, or AAFES, says that beginning Jan. 1 it will no longer sell alcohol between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. at its stores in the U.S. and around the world. The change on Army and Air Force bases is meant to support the Pentagon's suicide prevention initiative, which said that limiting when alcohol is available "reduces heavy drinking and other adverse outcomes associated with alcohol misuse," including suicide, according to Defense Department research and recommendations. (Lawrence, 12/1)

AP: US Health Officials Say Flu Cases Rise While RSV May Be Peaking 
Flu is picking up steam while RSV lung infections that can hit kids and older people hard may be peaking, U.S. health officials said Friday. COVID-19, though, continues to cause the most hospitalizations and deaths among respiratory illnesses — about 15,000 hospitalizations and about 1,000 deaths every week, said Dr. Mandy Cohen, head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Stobbe, 12/1)

CIDRAP: COVID Activity Picks Up Pace Alongside Other Respiratory Viruses
Deaths held steady nationally last week, but a few states saw rises, including Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, and West Virginia. Regarding ED visits for COVID, Iowa reported a substantial rise, and Wisconsin reported a moderate increase. Test positivity was highest in the lower Midwestern states, followed by those in the upper Midwest and the Mountain West. Wastewater SARS-CoV-2 detections, another early marker, are at high levels nationally, according to the CDC's new dashboard, especially in the Midwest. (Schnirring, 12/1)

Axios: Pneumonia Rates In U.S. "Typical," Despite Reported Spikes: CDC
Despite reported spikes of pneumonia cases among kids in two states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says U.S. transmission rates are still considered "typical" for this time of year. Health officials in Massachusetts and Ohio have reported a sharp uptick in pediatric pneumonia caused by the bacteria Mycoplasma pneumonia, often the cause of what's known as "walking pneumonia" because of its typically mild symptoms. (Reed, 12/1)

San Francisco Chronicle: Rise In COVID, Flu And RSV Prompt Bay Area Health Recommendations
The Bay Area is seeing a resurgence of COVID-19 at the same time as a pronounced influenza wave and a troubling climb in the prevalence of respiratory syncytial virus. The gathering “tripledemic” prompted a coalition of regional health officers to issue joint recommendations on Thursday for safely navigating the upcoming holiday season — and it included strongly worded advice for some people to wear protective masks. (Vaziri, 12/1)

Minnesota Public Radio: RSV Rising Rapidly; COVID-19 Continues Its Climb And Flu Season Is Underway
Respiratory illnesses are on the rise. COVID-19 and more recently influenza have been leading to more hospitalizations, but respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is currently increasing fastest among the three in the Twin Cities seven-county region. Over the most recent two weeks, the number of RSV-related hospital admissions in the Twin Cities more than doubled, compared with increases of about one-quarter for both COVID-19 and the flu. For the time being, however, COVID-19 hospitalization rates in the region, at 5.6 per 100,000, remain much higher than either RSV (1.9 per 100,000) or influenza (0.5 per 100,000). (Clary and Helmstetter, 12/1)

The Washington Post: Why Your Mood Could Affect Your Flu Shot
Silly cat videos could be good for your health — at least if you are about to get one of the seasonal vaccines. For instance, when people who were in a positive mood got a flu shot that day, they produced higher levels of antibodies to help them fight the disease, according to one British study. This data on mood and vaccines is limited, but a substantial body of research shows many other lifestyle factors — such as diet, exercise and even social interactions — may affect how much protection people get from vaccines, including, it appears covid-19 jabs. (Zaraska, 12/3)

CIDRAP: Healthcare-Associated Infections Fell At US Hospitals In 2022, Report Says 
New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show significant declines in healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) at US acute care hospitals in 2022. According to the CDC's 2022 National and State Healthcare-Associated Infections Progress Report, which includes data from more than 38,000 US healthcare facilities, acute care hospitals saw a 19% decrease in ventilator-associated events from 2021 to 2022, a 16% decrease in hospital-onset methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia, a 12% decrease in catheter-associated urinary tract infections, a 9% decrease in central line–associated bloodstream infections, and a 3% decrease in hospital-onset Clostridioides difficile (CDI) infections. The declines follow 2 years in which HAIs climbed sharply at US acute care hospitals, driven primarily by the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on hospital staffing and infection prevention and control efforts. (Dall, 12/1)

Becker's Hospital Review: New Jersey Hospital, Union Reach Deal 4 Months Into Strike
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, N.J., and United Steelworkers Local 4-200, which represents about 1,700 nurses at the facility, have reached a tentative agreement on a new labor contract. The hospital announced the tentative three-year deal on Dec. 1, about four months after union members began a strike Aug. 4. (Gooch, 12/1)

Crain's Chicago Business: Northwestern University Medical Residents Plan To Unionize
Nearly 1,300 resident physicians and fellows at Northwestern University are planning to unionize as they seek to improve working conditions in the training programs at its affiliated healthcare facilities. The group of physicians across Northwestern's McGaw Medical Center filed their intent to join the Committee of Interns & Residents, a division of the Service Employees International Union, with the National Labor Relations Board and have requested voluntary recognition of the union from Northwestern management, according to a statement today. (Davis, 12/1)

Fox News: Physical Therapist Practices Are Losing Staff, Report Says: ‘Earning Potential Not As Great’
Outpatient physical therapist (PT) practices are experiencing severe staff shortages, with the highest vacancy rates at 17%, according to a recent report by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), a nonprofit group based in Virginia. The report is based on survey responses from 133 outpatient physical therapy practices across the U.S., which include 2,615 clinics and some 11,000 full-time employees, ranging from support staff to PTs. The survey was conducted between May 25 and June 16. (Sudhakar, 12/3)

The New York Times: Why Doctors And Pharmacists Are In Revolt 
Dr. John Wust does not come off as a labor agitator. A longtime obstetrician-gynecologist from Louisiana with a penchant for bow ties, Dr. Wust spent the first 15 years of his career as a partner in a small business — that is, running his own practice with colleagues. Long after he took a position at Allina Health, a large nonprofit health care system based in Minnesota, in 2009, he did not see himself as the kind of employee who might benefit from collective bargaining. (Scheiber, 12/3)

The CT Mirror: CT Approves Closure Of Labor And Delivery At Windham Hospital
The state Office of Health Strategy announced on Friday the approval of a plan to terminate labor and delivery services at Windham Hospital, bringing an end to a three-year saga that pitted community organizers against one of the state’s largest health systems. (Golvala, 12/1)

Modern Healthcare: Community Health Systems Sells Three Florida Hospitals
Community Health Systems sold three Florida hospitals to Tampa General Hospital in a $294 million cash deal that closed Friday, the for-profit health system announced. ...Tampa General said in a Friday news release the acquired facilities, which will form TGH North, mark its largest expansion in recent years. It operates six hospitals and more than 150 care locations. (Hudson, 12/1)

Health News Florida: Tampa General Hospital Completes Purchase Of Bravera Properties To Form ‘TGH North’ 
Tampa General Hospital on Friday announced it had completed the estimated $290 million purchase of Bravera Health properties in Citrus and Hernando counties from Community Health Systems. The transaction, announced in July, includes TGH Brooksville, TGH Spring Hill and TGH Crystal River, a freestanding emergency department, two ambulatory surgery centers, and 10 primary and specialty care clinics. (Mayer, 12/1)

Modern Healthcare: HCA Healthcare Acquisition Expands Free-Standing ER Network
HCA Healthcare continues to increase its free-standing emergency room network following its latest acquisition. The Houston division of the 184-hospital for-profit system acquired 11 Houston-area emergency departments Friday from SignatureCare Emergency Center. With the acquisition, HCA Houston has 26 free-standing emergency departments. Financial terms were not disclosed. (Kacik, 12/1)

AP: Pfizer Nixes More Study Of Twice-Daily Obesity Pill Treatment That Made Many Patients Nauseous
Pfizer shares sank Friday when the drugmaker said it would abandon a twice-daily obesity treatment after more than half the patients in a clinical trial stopped taking it. The pharmaceutical company said it will focus instead on a once-daily version of the pill, danuglipron, instead of starting a late-stage study of the other version. Late-stage studies are usually the last and most expensive trials a drugmaker undertakes before seeking regulatory approval. (Murphy, 12/1)

Stat: Roche To Buy Carmot Therapeutics, Developer Of Obesity Drugs
The booming obesity market is attracting another player, as pharma giant Roche said Monday it was acquiring Carmot Therapeutics and the company’s line of weight loss drug candidates for $2.7 billion upfront. (Joseph, 12/4)

Reuters: US FDA Gives Second Approval To Eli Lilly's Drug For Type Of Blood Cancer 
Eli Lilly said on Friday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave a second approval for its drug Jaypirca, which is used to treat a form of blood cancer. The company said the health regulator gave the new approval to the drug for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), a type of cancer in which the bone marrow makes too many of certain white blood cells. (12/4)

CNN: Anthrobots: Tiny Living Robots Made From Human Cells Surprise Scientists 
Scientists have created tiny living robots from human cells that can move around in a lab dish and may one day be able to help heal wounds or damaged tissue, according to a new study. A team at Tufts University and Harvard University’s Wyss Institute have dubbed these creations anthrobots. The research builds on earlier work from some of the same scientists, who made the first living robots, or xenobots, from stem cells sourced from embryos of the African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis). (Hunt, 11/30)

Stat: Why Sickle Cell Disease Is Getting The First CRISPR Treatment
Nearly a decade ago, consultants delivered to Rodger Novak a kind of Sears catalog of human malady: 200 pages, listing dozens of different diseases, each annotated with — from a business standpoint — their best and worst attributes. The document was supposed to help Novak, then the chief executive of CRISPR Therapeutics, navigate a pressing quandary. His company, along with two others, were founded to commercialize the new revolutionary gene-editing tool CRISPR-Cas9, which promised to cure numerous genetic diseases. But which should they target first? What was the best proof-of-concept? (Mast, 12/4)

AP: West Virginia Places Anti-Abortion Pregnancy Center Coalition At The Helm Of $1M Grant Program
A West Virginia coalition that helps support a network of anti-abortion pregnancy centers in the state is receiving $1 million in taxpayer dollars to distribute to organizations committed to encouraging people not to end their pregnancies. The West Virginia Pregnancy Center Coalition has been selected to manage the new West Virginia Mothers and Babies Support Program, the state department of health and human resources announced this week. (Willingham, 12/1)

AP: Tennessee's Penalties For HIV-Positive People Are Discriminatory, Justice Department Says
Tennessee’s decades-old aggravated prostitution statute violates the Americans with Disabilities Act, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday after an investigation, warning that the state could face a lawsuit if officials don’t immediately cease enforcement. Tennessee is the only state in the United States that imposes a lifetime registration as a “violent sex offender” if convicted of engaging in sex work while living with HIV, regardless of whether the person knew they could transmit the disease. (Kruesi, 12/1)

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Missouri Sees Alarming Rise In Suffocation Deaths Among Kids
State officials are warning of two alarming trends in the deaths of Missouri children: increasing numbers of infants suffocated during sleep, and children accidentally poisoned by fentanyl. The findings from 2022 were released this week in the annual Missouri Child Fatality Review Program report compiled by the Missouri Department of Social Services. (Munz, 12/3)

The Hill: Remington Gun-Maker Will Close Historic N.Y. Plant, A Year After Sandy Hook Settlement 
RemArms, formerly Remington Arms Company, informed union officials Thursday that it plans to close the gun manufacturing facility in Ilion, N.Y., this coming March, the Observer-Dispatch reported. ... Remington, the nation’s oldest gun manufacturer, was founded in Ilion, N.Y., in 1816. In recent years, however, the company has been burdened with financial difficulties. RemArms twice filed for bankruptcy and, in 2022, reached an historic settlement with families of Sandy Hook for a total of $73 million. ... In an auto-reply email from the company’s press team, the company confirmed that “RemArms is excited to expand our facilities in Georgia, a state that not only welcomes business but enthusiastically supports and welcomes companies in the firearms industry.” (Fortinsky, 12/3)

AP: Mental Health: US Schools Turn To The Booming Business Of Online Therapy 
Now at least 16 of the 20 largest U.S. public school districts are offering online therapy sessions to reach millions of students, according to an analysis by The Associated Press. In those districts alone, schools have signed provider contracts worth more than $70 million. The growth reflects a booming new business born from America’s youth mental health crisis, which has proven so lucrative that venture capitalists are funding a new crop of school teletherapy companies. Some experts raise concerns about the quality of care offered by fast-growing tech companies. (Gecker, 12/3)

The Hill: More Dads Are Choosing To Stay Home With Their Kids. Here’s Why. 
The ranks of stay-at-home parents are perennially dominated by mothers. But as women make educational and economic strides, turning some of them into the bigger earners in their households, a growing number of dads are opting to care for their kids full-time. One in five stay-at-home parents are now fathers, a recent Pew Research Center study found.   ... Experts attribute the rise of the stay-at-home dad to changes in economic conditions for families. (O'Connell-Domenech, 12/3)

The Washington Post: Using Hot Hair Tools May Boost Unhealthy Emissions, Study Says
The products that produce shiny, frizz-free hair emit high levels of substances that could endanger human health, research published last month concludes — and heated styling tools may make the problem worse. Published in Environmental Science & Technology, the analysis focused on compounds known as siloxanes. These substances smooth, straighten and add shine to hair and are “ubiquitous” in hair care products, the authors write. (Blakemore, 12/3)

Seattle Times: Traffic Exhaust Could Increase Blood Pressure, UW Study Finds 
Even brief exposure to highway pollution could cause significant increases in blood pressure, a new study from the University of Washington has found, adding to a growing body of work correlating vehicle exhaust with negative health outcomes. The effects are near immediate: Two hours in Seattle’s rush hour was enough to increase blood pressure by nearly 5 millimeters of mercury, a jump that would push someone with normal levels to elevated or from elevated levels to stage 1 hypertension. (Kroman, 11/30)