First Edition: Feb. 14, 2023

KHN: Your Money Or Your Life: Patient On $50,000-A-Week Cancer Drug Fears Leaving Behind Huge Medical Debt
After several rounds of treatment for a rare eye cancer — weekly drug infusions that could cost nearly $50,000 each — Paul Davis learned Medicare had abruptly stopped paying the bills. That left Davis, a retired physician in Findlay, Ohio, contemplating a horrific choice: risk saddling his family with huge medical debt, if he had to pay those bills from the hospital out-of-pocket, or halt treatments that help keep him alive. “Is it worth bankrupting my family for me to hang around for a couple of years?” Davis pondered. “I don’t want to make that choice.” (Schulte, 2/14)

KHN: Special Delivery: Heart-Heavy Health Policy Valentines 
This year’s health policy valentine submissions were full of compassion for patients and concern over the nation’s health care system. KHN’s readers and tweeters are among the most creative news consumers, sending in poetic valentines about physician assistants, the looming Medicaid unwinding, the Affordable Care Act, the upcoming end to the covid-19 public health emergency, and more. (2/14)

KHN: It Takes A Village: Foster Program Is A New Model Of Care For Indigenous Children 
Past a gravel road lined with old white wooden buildings is a new, 8-acre village dotted with colorful houses, tepees, and a sweat lodge. The Simply Smiles Children’s Village, in this small town on the Cheyenne River Reservation, is home to a program aimed at improving outcomes and reducing trauma for Indigenous foster children. All foster programs seek to safely reunite children with their families. The Children’s Village goes further. (Zionts, 2/14)

The Wall Street Journal: Teen Girls Experiencing Record Levels Of Sadness And Suicide Risk, CDC Says 
Nearly three out of five high-school girls in the U.S. who were surveyed reported feelings of persistent sadness or hopelessness in 2021, a roughly 60% increase over the past decade, new research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found. Though both high-school girls and boys reported experiencing mental-health challenges, girls reported record high levels of sexual violence, sadness and suicide risk, the CDC said. (Toy, 2/13)

The Washington Post: Teen Girls ‘Engulfed’ In Violence And Trauma, CDC Finds 
Almost 15 percent of teen girls said they were forced to have sex, an increase of 27 percent over two years and the first increase since the CDC began tracking it. “If you think about every 10 teen girls that you know, at least one and possibly more has been raped, and that is the highest level we’ve ever seen,” said Kathleen Ethier, director of the CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health who said the rise of sexual violence almost certainly contributed to the glaring spike of depressive symptoms. “We are really alarmed,” she said. (St. George, 2/13)

AP: Pandemic Youth Mental Health Toll Unprecedented, Data Show 
In 30 years of collecting similar data, “we’ve never seen this kind of devastating, consistent findings,” said Kathleen Ethier, director of CDC’s adolescent and school health division. “There’s no question young people are telling us they are in crisis. The data really call on us to act.” (Tanner, 2/13)

The Hill: White House Announces Plans To Enhance Transparency Over Nursing Home Ownership 
“President Biden has made clear: improving our nation’s nursing homes is an urgent priority, and this Administration is not afraid to take bold action to tackle this head-on,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement. Last month, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report in which it found that nursing home ownership information is not structured in a way that allows consumers to know if different nursing homes share the same owners. (Choi, 2/13)

Modern Healthcare: CMS Nursing Home Ownership Rule Targets Private Equity
Nursing homes would have to disclose whether private equity firms or real estate investment trusts own or help operate their facilities under a proposed rule the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued Monday. President Joe Biden's administration contends that promoting transparency in nursing home ownership would improve safety and quality. Research has linked private equity and REIT ownership to lower staffing levels and subpar quality care. (Kacik, 2/13)

NBC News: Biden Push To Ban Noncompete Agreements Could Be Big For Doctors
President Joe Biden’s push to ban noncompete agreements that limit a worker’s ability to leave their job for a competitor could cause a major shake-up in the health care industry, where the agreements have become pervasive among doctors and nurses. The Biden administration is in the final stages of issuing a rule that would ban employers across industries from putting provisions in an employment agreement barring workers from moving to a competitor or starting their own enterprise, a move he touted during his State of the Union address last week. (Pettypiece, 2/13)

AP: GOP Launches Probe Into COVID Origins With Letter To Fauci 
House Republicans kicked off an investigation Monday into the origins of COVID-19 by issuing a series of letters to current and former Biden administration officials for documents and testimony. The Republican chairmen of the House Oversight Committee and the subcommittee on the coronavirus pandemic requested information from several people, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, surrounding the hypothesis that the coronavirus leaked accidentally from a Chinese lab. ... The letters to Fauci, National Intelligence Director Avril Haines, Health Secretary Xavier Beccera and others are the latest effort by the new Republican majority to make good on promises made during the 2022 midterms campaign. (Amiri and Merchant, 2/13)

The New York Times: G.O.P. Legislative Agenda Hits Snags Amid Party Divisions
A bill targeting progressive prosecutors whom Republicans have long considered too lenient is facing a wall of opposition from libertarian-leaning members of Congress. Hard-right lawmakers have effectively blocked legislation that would require law enforcement officials running background checks on firearm purchasers to report if a prospective buyer is in the United States illegally. (Edmondson and Karni, 2/13)

Stat: Sen. Baldwin Criticizes Ascension’s Investments, Requests More Info
Sen. Tammy Baldwin on Monday blasted Ascension for service cuts at hospitals in Wisconsin and questioned whether returns from the Catholic health system’s for-profit investments are actually being used to help patients. (Cohrs, 2/13)

AP: Gunman Kills 3 At Michigan State University; Kills Himself
A gunman who opened fire at Michigan State University killed three people and wounded five, setting off an hourslong manhunt as frightened students hid in classrooms and cars. The shooter eventually killed himself, police announced early Tuesday. Officials do not know why the 43-year-old man, whose name was not immediately released, targeted the campus. He was not a student or employee and had no affiliation with the university, according to campus police. The shooting began Monday night at an academic building and later moved to the nearby student union, a popular gathering spot for students to eat or study. As hundreds of officers scoured the East Lansing campus, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) northwest of Detroit, students hid where they could. Four hours after the first shots were reported, police announced the man’s death. (Cappelletti and Kusmer, 2/14)

The Washington Post: Michigan Gun Laws Are A Mixed Bag
Michigan does not allow concealed firearms on college campuses or at schools. Although obtaining handguns and other firearms requires a background check, the state is missing several key safety measures, according to Everytown Research and Policy, a U.S. gun violence prevention organization. People carrying concealed firearms in public are required to obtain a permit, but the state does not bar domestic abusers or convicted stalkers from accessing guns. The state allows the purchase of “assault” weapons designed for military use and does not ban high-capacity magazines. (2/14)

AP: North Carolina AG Won't Defend Abortion Pill Restrictions
North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein won’t defend state restrictions on dispensing abortion pills that are being challenged in a lawsuit and instead will argue the restrictions are preempted by federal regulations protecting access to the pills, Stein’s office said Monday. The decision by Stein, a Democrat, means Republican legislative leaders who want to keep the restrictions would have to seek to formally intervene in the federal lawsuit, which was filed by Amy Bryant, a physician who prescribes the drug mifepristone. (Robertson, 2/14)

Anchorage Daily News: Alaska Joins Federal Lawsuit Seeking To Block Abortion Pill
The state of Alaska joined a federal lawsuit Friday that seeks to overturn the Food and Drug Administration’s decades-old approval of a pill used for abortions. The lawsuit was filed in a Texas federal court in November by the anti-abortion group Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine. It seeks to revoke the FDA’s approval of mifepristone, which is commonly used in conjunction with misoprostol to induce abortions. (Maguire, 2/13)

San Francisco Chronicle: What A Ban On Abortion Medication Would Mean For California
Lisa Matsubara, general counsel for Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, said misoprostol is an alternative to current two-drug abortions. “For the antiabortion folks, they are not going to be satisfied until abortion is banned nationwide,” Matsubara said. Some congressional Republicans have proposed such legislation, but the proposals, like Democratic-sponsored bills to legalize abortion nationwide, have little prospect of passage in a divided Congress. (Egelko, 2/13)

The Hill: US Government Buying Another 1.5M Doses Of Novavax COVID Vaccine
The federal government has modified its existing contract with the American biotechnology company Novavax to purchase 1.5 million more doses of its COVID-19 vaccines. The Biden administration purchased 3.2 million doses of Novavax’s protein-based coronavirus vaccine in July 2022 shortly before the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the shot for administration. (Choi, 2/13)

San Francisco Chronicle: Virus Infection Increases Diabetes Risk By 66%, Penn State Study Finds
COVID-19 survivors have a 66% higher risk of developing type 1 or type 2 diabetes following their diagnosis compared to those who were not infected with the coronavirus, according to a study by Penn State College of Medicine researchers published Monday. The researchers found that SARS-CoV-2 — the virus that causes COVID-19 — binds to an enzyme receptor found on the surface of many organs and tissues, including cells found in the pancreas, small intestine and kidneys, affecting insulin levels. (Vaziri and Beamish, 2/13)

The Conversation: Why Coughs Can Linger Long After You Recover From An Illness
When was the last time you walked into a public space and didn’t hear someone coughing? After three years of flinching at the sound, it can be disarming to hear so many people coughing – and embarrassing if it’s you. (Enfield, 2/13)

CIDRAP: COVID: While The World Sanitized Surfaces, A Group Tried To Warn Early On About Airborne Spread
A large group of experts from around the world say they warned the World Health Organization (WHO) at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic that SARS-CoV-2 spreads through airborne particles, but their concerns weren't acknowledged until 3 months later, according to an account published late last week in Clinical Infectious Diseases. ... The two aerosol experts wrote a commentary calling for acknowledgement and communication of the risk, but two influential journals rejected it, saying authorities already knew how SARS-CoV-2 spread. Two months later, Environment International published the article. (Van Beusekom, 2/13)

AP: Arkansas Malpractice Bill Restricts Trans Youth Medical Care 
Nearly two years after Arkansas became the first state to enact a now-blocked ban on gender-affirming care for minors, Republican lawmakers are trying to effectively reinstate the ban with a proposal Monday to make it easier to file malpractice lawsuits against doctors who provide such care. The proposal, which has been endorsed by a Senate committee, would allow someone who received gender-affirming care as a minor to file a malpractice lawsuit against their doctor for up to 30 years after they turn 18. Under current Arkansas law, medical malpractice claims must be filed within two years of what the law refers to as an “injury.” (DeMillo, 2/14)

Stateline: States Scramble To Replace Ripped-Off SNAP Benefits
Last September, when Baltimore resident Tzu Yang went grocery shopping for his intellectually disabled daughter with a food benefits card that he thought was worth about $300, he discovered at the checkout that the card had no value left. The same thing happened in October, November and December. (Povich, 2/13)

NPR: Tennessee Medicaid Pursues Felony Charges Against Some Members
Life was upended for LaShonia Ingram over the last year, and a shadow still follows her around. Search her name online, and the first result includes the words "fraud" and "most wanted." "It was horrible. I couldn't get a job," says the 42-year-old mother from Memphis, Tennessee. "All doors were being closed in my face." (Farmer, 2/13)

The Hill: 3 More Chemicals Discovered In Ohio Train Derailment
Three more chemicals have been found on the Norfolk Southern train that derailed in Ohio just over a week ago, and they are being described as dangerous. ... The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sent a letter to Norfolk Southern stating that ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, ethylhexyl acrylate and isobutylene were also in the rail cars that were derailed, breached and/or on fire. ... Sil Caggiano, a hazardous materials specialist, said ethylhexyl acrylate is especially concerning since it’s a carcinogen and contact with it can cause burning and irritation of the skin and eyes. (Rodriguez, 2/13)

NBC News: Residents Near Ohio Train Derailment Report Dead Fish And Chickens
For days, authorities have been telling residents of the area around East Palestine, Ohio, that it is safe to return home after a 150-car train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed Feb. 3. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources said the chemical spill resulting from the derailment had killed an estimated 3,500 small fish across 7½ miles of streams as of Wednesday. (Bendix and Li, 2/14)

Bangor Daily News: This Opioid Alternative Is Beginning To Infiltrate Maine’s Illicit Drug Market
A medication marketed as a nonaddictive nerve-pain reliever and anticonvulsant is finding its way into Maine’s illicit drug market. A seizure of gabapentin, like the 1,253 pills recently in Old Town, is a rarity in the state, but is part of a growing national trend of the drug being found in fatal overdoses. At the same time, prescription rates for gabapentin continue to climb. (Loftus, 2/13)

AP: Cherokee Nation Announces Plans For $18M Treatment Center
As a child welfare specialist for the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma more than a decade ago, Juli Skinner saw firsthand the impact of the opioid crisis on Cherokee families. Parents who began using the powerful painkillers after a surgery or injury became hooked and were losing custody of their children, babies were being born addicted and young people who ended up in foster care were aging out of the system and becoming addicted themselves, resulting in a generational impact. (Murphy, 2/13)

AP: Hypothermia Death Exposes Hole In Fairbanks' Homeless Care 
The case of a homeless man who froze to death in Alaska’s second-largest city of Fairbanks has exposed a hole in the safety net of care provided to a vulnerable population in one of the coldest places in the country. The city has no low-barrier shelter to provide help and a warm place to stay on an unconditional basis. The body of Charles Ahkiviana, 55, was discovered frozen in a snowbank near a busy department store, the Anchorage Daily News reported. The day his body was found, two days before Christmas, it was minus 32 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 35 degrees Celsius) and at one point, the wind chill was minus 54 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 47 Celsius). Ahkiviana died of hypothermia, Alaska State Troopers said. (2/14)

NBC News: High Sugar Intake Linked To Risk Of Heart Disease And Stroke: Study
A study released Monday offers even more evidence of the harmful health effects of sugar. The research, published in the journal BMC Medicine, found that diets higher in free sugars — a category that includes sugar added to processed foods and sodas, as well as that found in fruit juice and syrups — raise one's risk of heart disease and stroke. (Ede-Osifo, 2/14)

CBS News: Heart Attack Warnings Signs In Women Can Be Subtle
When Dr. Sandra Nichols had a massive heart attack, she didn't tell anyone outside her immediate family. At the time, she was working too much, not sleeping enough and says she felt the burden of being everything to everyone. "I was embarrassed," she said. Despite her medical training, she didn't realize symptoms of congestion and shortness of breath meant a heart attack was around the corner. (O'Donnell and Hastey, 2/13)

GMA: Experts Say The Term 'Mommy Brain' Needs A Rebrand. Here's Why
From "mom brain" to "mommy brain," "momnesia," "baby brain" and "pregnancy brain," the terms used to describe the brain fog many moms say they experience during pregnancy and after are plentiful. One of the terms, "baby brain," even made it into Prince Harry's memoir "Spare" as he described how the use of the term once caused a confrontation between his wife, Duchess Meghan, and his sister-in-law, Princess Kate. (Kindelan, 2/14)

The 19th: One Year Of A Formula Shortage With No End Yet In Sight
Amber Romero’s son, Max, has known nothing but a formula shortage. He was born in February 2022, the same month that the largest formula plant in the country closed down due to a recall. This has left Romero, a breast cancer survivor who had to rely on formula, in an impossible situation. Her son’s only food source is routinely missing — and only through perseverance, a network of friends and strangers on the Internet have they been able to piece together a steady supply as long as they have. (Carrazana, 2/13)

Modern Healthcare: Cigna Rebrands Into 3 Corporate Units
Cigna Corp. will be the Cigna Group, Cigna Healthcare the insurance arm and Evernorth Health Services the pharmacy and care delivery division that includes the pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts. The company's ticker symbol on the New York Stock Exchanges remains unchanged as CI. Shares will begin trading as the Cigna Group Feb. 23, the company reported to the Securities and Exchange Commission Monday. (Berryman, 2/13)

Modern Healthcare: Amazon-One Medical Merger Could Hit Snag With FTC
The Federal Trade Commission’s skepticism of tech-fueled healthcare mergers could spell trouble for Amazon and One Medical, experts say. For years, the FTC has tried to thwart mergers between large hospital systems. Recent action reveals its focus could be widening to include mergers involving digital health providers and big tech companies. (Turner, 2/13)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin Supreme Court Declines To Hear UW Health Nurse Union Case
The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Monday said it would not take up a case filed by a Wisconsin health care system seeking clarity on whether it could voluntarily recognize its nurses' unions. The court's decision halts an attempt by the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Authority to bypass lower state courts in deciding whether voluntary union recognition is allowed under state law. (Van Egeren, 2/13)

USA Today: 1 In 10 New Drugs Don't Achieve Their Main Goals Despite FDA Approval, Study Finds
One in 10 new drugs were cleared by federal drug regulators in recent years based on studies that didn't achieve their main goals, a new study shows. The study by Harvard and Yale researchers found that of 210 new therapies approved by the Food and Drug Administration from 2018 through 2021, 21 drugs were based on studies that had one or more goals, or end points, that weren't achieved. Those 21 drugs were approved to treat cancer, Alzheimer's and other diseases. (Alltucker, 2/13)

Stat: Elf Bar Tried — And Failed — To Donate To A Major Cancer Group
A popular Chinese vape company says it is donating thousands of dollars to the American Cancer Society in an effort to stop youth vaping, but the cancer organization says it never agreed to the partnership, and it’s ordering the company to stop. (Florko, 2/14)

Bloomberg: Biotech Went Through IPO Boom. Now Industry Shakeout Is Underway
The biotech industry is in shake-out mode after the ranks of public drug developers swelled in recent years amid an IPO boom. A scrum for capital among the expanded pool of companies and the make-or-break nature of clinical trials drove a contraction in the number of public biotechs last year, with some scooped up by larger rivals while others shuttered. As the sector stabilizes after last year’s slump, a divergence in fortunes is taking center stage. (Bradham, 2/13)

Stat: Could A Swallowable Device Make Diagnosing GI Diseases Easier?
Diagnosing gastrointestinal disorders is an uncomfortable process. It might involve sticking a long tube with a camera attached down a patient’s throat, or inserting a small catheter through a patient’s nostril. A team of researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the California Institute of Technology, and New York University, looking to explore more comfortable options, has designed an ingestible device that doctors can monitor as it moves through the GI tract. (Lawrence, 2/13)