First Edition: December 10, 2019

Kaiser Health News: ‘Food Pharmacies’ In Clinics: When The Diagnosis Is Chronic Hunger
There’s a new question that anti-hunger advocates want doctors and nurses to ask patients: Do you have enough food? Public health officials say the answer often is “not really.” So clinics and hospitals have begun stocking their own food pantries in recent years. One of the latest additions is Connectus Health, a federally qualified health clinic in Nashville, Tenn. This month, part of LaShika Taylor’s office transformed into a community cupboard. (Farmer, 12/10)

California Healthline: Wildfire, Floods, Extreme Heat: California Prepares For Climate Change
While the U.S. has moved away from the landmark Paris Agreement on climate change, the state of California has dug in. Alongside New York and Washington, it created the United States Climate Alliance, a coalition looking to uphold the agreement through state actions. It’s also fighting with the Trump administration over the state’s long-standing restrictions on car emissions, which traditionally have been more stringent than federal standards. The state, with its range of climates and landscapes, faces multiple threats from climate change. More frequent and larger wildfires are among the most visible, but flooding, increased air pollution, the spread of infectious diseases and more days of extreme heat also are looming. (Barry-Jester, 12/9)

The Associated Press: White House Backs Emerging Deal On Consumer Health Costs
The White House endorsed an emerging bipartisan agreement Monday on legislation aimed at curbing rising health care costs, including taking steps to limit “surprise” medical bills that can plague patients treated in emergency rooms. While the deal's fate remained uncertain, enactment could give President Donald Trump and lawmakers of both parties a chance to crow about a rare legislative achievement during a bitterly divisive period dominated by Democrats' drive toward impeaching Trump. (Fram, 12/9)

The Wall Street Journal: White House Applauds Bipartisan Congressional Deal To Curb Surprise Medical Bills
The deal would end the surprise bills and include a new system where independent arbitration would settle billing disputes. Hospitals and doctors have been concerned legislation would lower their reimbursements. “This compromise reflects the input of doctors and hospitals and is the result of months of delicate work to reach a deal among congressional members and the White House that protects patients,” a statement from the Trump administration read. (Armour, 12/9)

The Hill: Obstacles Remain For Deal On Surprise Medical Bills 
Lawmakers on Sunday touted a bipartisan deal on protecting patients from surprise medical bills, but the effort still faces some tough questions before it can reach President Trump's desk. While the announced deal was a boost to efforts to address the complicated issue, supporters still face opposition from powerful industry groups and need to secure the backing of congressional leaders, who have yet to sign on. (Sullivan, 12/9)

Modern Healthcare: Surprise Billing Tweaks Fail To Win Provider Support
A bipartisan group of lawmakers produced a deal on surprise billing legislation that is more provider-friendly than legislation previously passed by U.S. Senate and House committees, but hospitals still oppose the deal. Senate health committee Chair Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), House Energy & Commerce Chair Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) and Energy & Commerce Ranking Member Greg Walden (R-Ore.) on Sunday announced a compromise on legislation to lower healthcare costs, including a ban on balance billing. (Cohrs, 12/9)

Vox: Congress’s New Plan To Stop Surprise Medical Bills, Explained
Under the compromise announced Sunday, bills under $750 would be paid at a default price, based on in-network charges in the same region. But bills over that amount could be brought to arbitration. The arbiter will collect information from both sides and make a price determination, which is binding. This is a political compromise. (Scott, 12/9)

The New York Times: Trump Stands By Embattled Medicare And Medicaid Chief
White House aides said President Trump stood by his embattled Medicare and Medicaid chief, Seema Verma, amid reports that she had requested that taxpayers reimburse her $47,000 for property stolen on a trip, including jewelry priced at more than $40,000. The reimbursement request, reported in Politico over the weekend, was the latest revelation in a string of reports that have portrayed the upper echelons of the Department of Health and Human Services as divided on policy and personality, and roiled by expenditures that have come under scrutiny. (Abelson and Goodnough, 12/10)

The Associated Press: HHS Defends Trump Health Appointee Over Lost Jewelry Claim
HHS said in a statement that it was “perfectly appropriate” for Verma to file the loss claim, which covered clothing, jewelry and other items in her luggage that were stolen while she was giving a speech in San Francisco in July 2018. The department said she was partially reimbursed under a government policy that provides coverage at a “discounted rate” for certain items based on their age and condition, but it does not reimburse for jewelry. (12/9)

The Wall Street Journal: Officials At Parent Agency Of CMS May Have Leaked Information About Its Chief, Review Finds
An internal review by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services into news stories critical of its administrator found that officials at CMS’s parent agency may have been the source of some leaks, according to a copy of the report reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. The confidential investigation marks a new twist in a broader conflict between Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and CMS Administrator Seema Verma. (Armour, 12/9)

Politico: Joe Kennedy Calls On Medicare Chief To Resign After Reports Of Jewelry Claim, PR Contracts
Rep. Joe Kennedy (D-Mass.) Monday became the first lawmaker to call on the official overseeing Medicare, Medicaid and Obamacare to resign over POLITICO reports he said reveal “a gross misuse of public funds.” ... “We have now seen a systemic effort by the administrator to use public funds to elevate her own position,” Kennedy said in an interview, adding that CMS has largely ignored his questions about Verma's PR contractors, which were revealed by POLITICO earlier this year. Verma testified in October that the outside contracting work was "consistent" with CMS practice and was intended to promote the agency's agenda. (Diamond, 12/9)

The Hill: Justices To Hear ObamaCare Case With Billions At Stake
The Supreme Court on Tuesday will hear oral arguments in the latest ObamaCare case to reach the justices, this time in a $12 billion dispute over payments insurers say they are owed by the federal government. At issue is a financial carrot that Congress dangled before insurers to encourage their participation in the early years of the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) health care marketplaces. The funding program in question, known as risk corridors, sought to mitigate risk by protecting insurers against unforeseeable losses in the new markets. (Kruzel, 12/9)

Modern Healthcare: Plan Members Unlikely To Benefit From Supreme Court Risk Corridor Battle
A handful of health insurers is slated to argue before the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday that the federal government owes the insurance industry more than $12.3 billion in outstanding Obamacare program funds. While legal experts say the law is on the insurers' side, there's a chance insurers will come up empty handed even if the high court rules that they are owed the "risk corridor" payments. Should insurers receive any award, the individuals enrolled in their health plans are unlikely to benefit much through either lower premiums or rebates under the Affordable Care Act's medical loss ratio rules, experts said. (Livingston, 12/9)

Reuters: U.S. Supreme Court Leaves In Place Kentucky Abortion Restriction
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday left in place a Kentucky restriction requiring doctors to show and describe ultrasound images to women seeking an abortion, turning away a challenge arguing that the measure violates the free speech rights of physicians. The justices declined without comment to hear an appeal by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of a lower court ruling that upheld the law after a federal judge previously had struck it down as a violation of the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment guarantee of free speech. (12/9)

The New York Times: Supreme Court Lets Kentucky Abortion Ultrasound Law Take Effect
The case was brought by the only licensed abortion clinic in the state and three doctors who work there. They challenged a 2017 law that requires doctors to give a detailed description of fetal ultrasound images, including “the presence of external members and internal organs.” Doctors are also required to make the fetal heartbeat audible if they can. This ordinarily takes place, the challengers’ petition seeking review said, while the woman “lies half-naked on the examination table with her feet in stirrups, and usually with a probe inside her vagina.” The law specifies that women may avert their eyes and ask that the volume of the audio of the heartbeat be turned down or off. (Liptak, 12/9)

The Wall Street Journal: Supreme Court Lets Stand Kentucky Abortion Ultrasound Law
The one-line order, refusing to review a lower court decision, created no nationwide precedent, but suggests that states may be gaining greater leeway in regulating women’s rights to end their pregnancies. As typical in denied appeals, it was unsigned and included no explanation. It takes four votes on the nine-justice court to accept a case for review, and five to decide it. A federal-district court in Louisville, Ky., blocked the law from taking effect in 2017, finding that compelling doctors to express the state government’s antiabortion “ideology” violated the First Amendment and that, particularly for women who were victims of sexual assault, “appears to inflict psychological harm.” (Bravin, 12/9)

Politico: Supreme Court Leaves In Place Kentucky Abortion Restriction
With its refusal to review the lower court decision, the Supreme Court "has rubber-stamped extreme political interference in the doctor-patient relationship,” said Alexa Kolbi-Molinas, a senior staff attorney at the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project. “This law is not only unconstitutional, but as leading medical experts and ethicists explained, deeply unethical." (Ollstein, 12/9)

The Associated Press: Missouri, Planned Parenthood Head To Court Over Funding
Government funding for Missouri Planned Parenthood clinics is at stake in a lawsuit set to be argued before the state Supreme Court on Tuesday. State attorneys are asking Supreme Court judges to back the Republican-led Legislature's decision to block funding from Planned Parenthood. The Attorney General's Office appealed to the high court after a lower court in June ruled the move was unconstitutional. (Ballentine, 12/10)

The Washington Post: Man Indicted On Federal Charges In 2015 Shooting At Planned Parenthood Clinic
The Justice Department on Monday said that the man accused of killing three people when he opened fire at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado in 2015 has been indicted on federal charges, including some that could carry the death penalty. Robert Lewis Dear Jr. faces 68 counts in the new indictment, mostly alleged violations of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, which the Justice Department says protects people seeking and providing care at reproductive health facilities. The indictment also includes three counts of using a firearm during a crime of violence that results in a death where the killing is a murder. (Berman, 12/9)

Reuters: U.S. Supreme Court Rejects Inmate's Bid For Sex Reassignment Surgery
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear an appeal by a convicted murderer who filed a civil rights lawsuit because Texas prison officials denied her request to be considered for gender reassignment surgery. The justices let stand a lower court's decision to reject the claim by inmate Vanessa Lynn Gibson that denying the surgery request violated the U.S. Constitution's Eighth Amendment prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. (12/9)

Reuters: U.S. Supreme Court Rejects Arizona Opioid Case Against Purdue, Sackler Family
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday turned away a novel case by Arizona seeking to recover billions of dollars that the state has said that members of the Sackler family - owners of Purdue Pharma LP - funneled out of the OxyContin maker before the company filed for bankruptcy in September. (Raymond, 12/9)

CNBC: Opioid Crisis: Supreme Court Refuses To Hear Case Against Purdue's Sacklers
The state accused the the Sacklers of transferring $4 billion to themselves since 2008, and at least another $2 billion to companies under their control, in violation of a fraud statute on the books in 43 states. The Sackler family has denied Arizona’s allegations. The court announced that it will not hear the case in an order with no explanation and no noted dissents. (Higgins, 12/9)

Reuters: Warren Woos Nevada Union Amid Healthcare Policy Concerns
Democratic presidential contender Elizabeth Warren defended her Medicare for All healthcare proposal on Monday, telling members of an influential Nevada labor union that she wants all Americans to have coverage that is as good as theirs. Union members throughout the U.S. are worried about losing hard-won health coverage under plans by Massachusetts Senator Warren, and rival Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who have proposed doing away with private insurance. (Bernstein, 12/10)

The Washington Post: Some Family Doctors Ditch Insurance For Simpler Approach
Like many primary care doctors working in large medical systems, [Emilie] Scott was encouraged to see a new patient every 20 minutes. But that was barely enough time to talk and do a physical. She eventually quit her job to try a new approach aimed at eliminating many of the headaches of traditional health care: tight schedules, short appointments and piles of insurance paperwork. Instead of billing insurers, Scott now charges patients a $79 monthly fee that covers office visits, phone calls, emails, texts and certain medical tests and procedures. (12/10)

ProPublica: Sen. Chuck Grassley Wants A Hospital System That Sued Poor Patients To Explain Itself
The chairman of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee has called on the largest health care system in Memphis, Tennessee, to explain its debt collection, charity care and billing practices after an investigation by MLK50 and ProPublica found that it was aggressively suing poor patients, including its own employees. In a letter sent last week, Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, who has been a leading critic of nonprofit hospitals that misuse their tax-exempt status, asked Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare how it intended to carry out promised reforms of its financial assistance system. (Thomas, 12/10)

The Associated Press: UnitedHealth Plans Bargain Bid For Diplomat Pharmacy
UnitedHealth plans to acquire Diplomat Pharmacy at a steep discount about a month after the specialty drug provider said it may not be able to make its debt payments. United Health Group's OptumRx said Monday that the company will spend $4 for each share of Diplomat in a cash tender offer. That’s 31% cheaper than the stock’s closing price of $5.81 on Friday. Shares of Diplomat tumbled in early trading. (12/9)

Modern Healthcare: UnitedHealth's OptumRx To Acquire Troubled Specialty Pharmacy And PBM
Diplomat provides specialty pharmacy and infusion services nationwide, specializing in managing medications that treat patients with complex chronic diseases. It entered the PBM business at the end of 2017 but has had trouble holding on to clients. In August, Diplomat said it was considering a sale or merger of the company. OptumRx said the combination would help improve health outcomes and reduce prescription drug costs. Evercore ISI analyst Michael Newshel noted in a research report that the deal would help Optum expand its specialty business while building out a national network of lower cost infusion centers. (Livingston, 12/9)

The Wall Street Journal: As Investors Quit Tobacco, Cigarette Stocks Rebrand
Tobacco-free investing is an old story, dating back to at least the 1980s. But the volume of cash actively avoiding the industry is becoming harder for cigarette bosses to ignore. Almost 130 companies from the banking and insurance sectors have signed the United Nations Tobacco-Free Finance Pledge since its launch late last year. The signatories manage $8 trillion of assets—around 10% of the funds managed by the global asset management industry. And in a sign that tobacco aversion is spreading beyond the public markets, French bank BNP Paribas promised to withdraw all corporate lending to the big cigarette manufacturers. AXA, one of the world’s largest insurers, will no longer underwrite them. (Ryan, 12/10)

Undark: The Physics (And Economics) Of Wheelchairs On Planes
When Shane Burcaw flies on an airplane, he brings along a customized gel cushion, a car seat, and about 10 pieces of memory foam. The whole arsenal costs around $1,000, but for Burcaw it’s a necessity. The 27-year-old author and speaker — who, alongside his fiancée, Hannah Aylward, is one half of the YouTube duo Squirmy and Grubs — has spinal muscular atrophy, a genetic disorder that affects motor neurons and causes muscle wasting and weakness. The disorder contorted his limbs and he has used a wheelchair for mobility since he was 2 years old. Today, he uses a motorized wheelchair custom-fitted to his diminutive, 65-lb. frame, but to board an airplane, he’s required to give it up. Instead, Aylward must carry Burcaw onto the plane, and from there, transfer him into a child’s car seat, which provides limited support and does not fit his body (thus, the foam). (Schulson, 12/3)

Stat: Brains-In-A-Dish Force A Radical Rethinking Of Huntington's 
The new understanding is surprising because Huntington’s has long seemed like a prototypical neurodegenerative disease, one in which the brain’s circuits, especially those that control movement and cognition, begin to fall apart in early to middle adulthood. Exactly when that happens depends on the severity of the genetic mutation, which is a sort of DNA stutter — repeats of the nucleotide sequence CAG in a gene named HTT, which makes a protein called huntingtin. (Begley, 12/10)

The Associated Press: Brain Differences May Be Tied To Obesity, Kids' Study Says
New results from the largest long-term study of brain development and children’s health raise provocative questions about obesity and brain function. Does excess body weight somehow reduce brain regions that regulate planning and impulse control? Is obesity a result of that brain difference? Or are eating habits, lifestyle, family circumstances and genetics to blame? (12/9)

Undark: To Boost Mental Health, Spend Time In 'Blue' Spaces
Officials are increasingly recognizing that integrating nature into cities is an effective public health strategy to improve mental health. Doctors around the world now administer “green prescriptions” — where patients are encouraged to spend time in local nature spaces — based on hundreds of studies showing that time in nature can benefit people’s psychological well-being and increase social engagement. Much of this research to date has focused on the role of green space in improving mental health. But what about “blue” space — water settings such as riverside trails, a lake, a waterfront or even urban fountains? (Roe, 12/10)

The Wall Street Journal: The Surgical Complication That Can Damage Your Brain
William Borten had no idea his wife’s colorectal surgery could affect her mind. But a day later, Judith Sue Borten couldn’t remember her birthday or who the president was. She was experiencing symptoms of delirium, a confused state that is common in elderly patients after surgery or during intensive care stays. The delirium went away after a few days. But Mrs. Borten’s cognitive abilities, which were already impaired, declined rapidly afterward, says her husband, who is 84 and lives in Bethesda, Md. (Reddy, 12/9)

The Washington Post: Virginia's Northam Proposes $22 Million To Fight Maternal Mortality
Gov. Ralph Northam on Monday proposed spending nearly $22 million over two years to help reduce maternal mortality rates among women of color, previewing the stamp he’ll put on the state’s budget when it comes out next week. Northam (D) plans to announce funding for early-childhood education programs on Tuesday, followed by expanding the use of renewable energy and boosting jobs and inclusivity later in the week, each day highlighting a different aspect of his proposed two-year budget. (Schneider, 12/9)

ProPublica: New York City Paid McKinsey Millions To Stem Jail Violence. Instead, Violence Soared.
In April 2017, partners from McKinsey & Company sent a confidential final report to the New York City corrections commissioner. They had spent almost three years leading an unusual project for a white-shoe corporate consulting firm like McKinsey: Attempting to stem the tide of inmate brawls, gang slashings and assaults by guards that threatened to overwhelm the jail complex on Rikers Island. The report recounted that McKinsey had tested its new anti-violence strategy in what the firm called “Restart” housing units at Rikers. The results were striking. Violence had dropped more than 50% in the Restart facilities, the McKinsey partners wrote. (MacDougall, 12/10)

Los Angeles Times: California Salad Contaminated By E Coli Bacteria
California’s Salinas Valley is grappling with a new outbreak of E. coli contamination linked to packaged salads. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday that the latest multistate outbreak, which sickened eight people in upper-Midwest states and 16 in Canada, involves a different E. coli strain than the one involved in a previous set of illnesses announced before Thanksgiving. The outbreaks, however, share a common geographical origin: lettuce harvested in California’s Salinas Valley, according to the CDC. (Mohan, 12/9)

ProPublica: These Homes For Mentally Ill Adults Have Been Notoriously Mismanaged. Now, One Is A Gruesome Crime Scene.
On the afternoon of Dec. 3, workers at the Oceanview Manor Home for Adults found resident Ann McGrory, 58, lying on the floor, lifeless, with her pants down around her ankles. She had cuts and bruises on her hands, head and face. By her side, seated atop his bed in Room 512, was resident Frank Thompson, 64, her sometimes-boyfriend who had a reputation at the home as a heavy drinker with a short temper. The aides called police. Thompson was brought into custody for questioning later that day and placed under arrest on Wednesday. (Sapien, 12/9)