First Edition: Feb. 9, 2024

KFF Health News: Do We Simply Not Care About Old People? 
The covid-19 pandemic would be a wake-up call for America, advocates for the elderly predicted: incontrovertible proof that the nation wasn’t doing enough to care for vulnerable older adults. The death toll was shocking, as were reports of chaos in nursing homes and seniors suffering from isolation, depression, untreated illness, and neglect. Around 900,000 older adults have died of covid-19 to date, accounting for 3 of every 4 Americans who have perished in the pandemic. (Graham, 2/9)

KFF Health News: To End School Shootings, Activists Consider A New Culprit: Parents
For the first time, a jury has convicted a parent on charges related to their child’s mass-shooting crime: A Michigan mother of a school shooter was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter. What remains unclear is whether this case succeeded because of compelling evidence of negligence by the shooter’s mother or if this could become a new avenue for gun control advocates to pursue. (2/8)

The Washington Post: Special Counsel Report Paints Scathing Picture Of Biden’s Memory 
President Biden, during interviews with the special counsel investigating his handling of classified documents, had trouble recalling the years he served as vice president. He could not pinpoint, even within several years, when his son Beau had died. His memory about a crucial debate on troop levels in Afghanistan was hazy. The first day of questioning, at the White House in early October, Biden could not recall when his vice-presidential term had ended. “If it was 2013 — when did I stop being vice president?” he asked, apparently not recalling that he left office in January 2017. The next day, as the interviews continued, he could not remember when his term began, saying, “In 2009, am I still vice president?” (Viser and Pager, 2/8)

The Hill: GOP Lawmaker Calls On Cabinet To ‘Explore’ Removing Biden Under 25th Amendment 
Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.) called on members of the Biden administration to “explore” removing President Biden under the 25th Amendment after a special counsel cleared him of any wrongdoing but painted him as an elderly man with a failing memory. ... She argued that Biden, who is 81, is lacking the ability to execute his responsibilities as president. “So it is incumbent upon you to explore proceedings to remove the President pursuant to the 25th Amendment to the United States Constitution,” she wrote. “President Biden needs to be charged, or he needs to be removed.” (Irwin, 2/8)

NPR: Senators Ask CEOs Why Their Drugs Cost So Much More In The U.S.
Sparks flew on Capitol Hill Thursday as the CEOs of three drug companies faced questions from the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions about why drug prices are so much higher in the United States than they are in the rest of the world. The executives from Bristol Myers Squibb, Johnson & Johnson and Merck spent almost three hours in front of the committee going back and forth about pricing practices and how the companies spend their money. (Lupkin, 2/8)

Stat: Bernie Sanders Gets Little From Pharma CEOs On Drug Prices
Call it Sen. Bernie Sanders’ prescription drug pricing theater. The hearing, featuring Merck CEO Robert Davis, Johnson & Johnson CEO Joaquin Duato, and Bristol Myers Squibb CEO Chris Boerner, was designed to draw public interest, and in that respect, it worked. The wood-paneled hearing room in a Senate office building was standing room only, with an overflow room prepared. Photographers flocked for photos as Sanders shook hands with each executive, standard practice before such hearings begin. (Cohrs, 2/8)

The Washington Post: Gun-Control Bills Sailing Through Virginia General Assembly 
Democrats who control the General Assembly are passing a cascade of gun-control bills unlike anything Virginia has seen since three years ago, when the party was last in charge. This time, though, the measures face an uncertain future at the desk of Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), who has said that he thinks Virginia gun laws are tough enough without specifying whether he will sign or veto the legislation. (Schneider and Vozzella, 2/8)

Axios: Black Women Six Times More Likely To Be Slain Than White Women: Study
Black women in the U.S. are, on average, six times more likely to be murdered than white women, researchers wrote Thursday in The Lancet. The study — which covered more than two decades — is the first to break out homicide trends among women between ages 25 and 44, when they are statistically more likely to be murdered. It's further evidence of how the lives of Black women are disproportionately threatened by systemic public health threats, including gun violence. (Reed, 2/8)

St. Louis Public Radio: Backer Of Limited Missouri Abortion Legalization Ends Campaign
A longtime GOP political operative who was pushing to create exceptions to the state’s abortion ban has ended her initiative ballot petition campaign. Jamie Corley, head of the Missouri Women and Families Research Fund, proposed a ballot item that would allow for abortion up to 12 weeks of pregnancy as well as in the case of rape, incest, fatal fetal abnormalities, and health and safety of the mother. Currently, Missouri only allows abortions in the case of medical emergencies. (Rosenbaum, 2/8)

The Texas Tribune: Texas Conservatives Test Limits Of Their Power Beyond State Lines
In the months since Texas outlawed abortion and prohibited adolescents from receiving gender-transition care, women have flooded abortion clinics in nearby states and parents with transgender children have moved to places where puberty blockers and hormone therapy remain legal. So now, Texas conservatives are testing the limits of their power beyond state lines. (Klibanoff and Melhado, 2/9)

NPR: The Abortion Pill Case On Its Way To The Supreme Court Cites A Retracted Paper
A scientific paper that raised concerns about the safety of the abortion pill mifepristone was retracted by its publisher this week. The study was cited three times by a federal judge who ruled against mifepristone last spring. That case, which could limit access to mifepristone throughout the country, will soon be heard in the Supreme Court. ... Sage, the publisher of the journal, retracted the study on Monday along with two other papers, explaining in a statement that "expert reviewers found that the studies demonstrate a lack of scientific rigor that invalidates or renders unreliable the authors' conclusions." (Simmons-Duffin, 2/9)

USA Today: Cities Targeted With Local Abortion Bans In Post-Roe Movement
Across the country, 67 cities and seven counties have passed so-called "sanctuary cities for the unborn" ordinances — local laws that seek to ban abortions in the area. The means vary by community, with some blocking the shipment of drugs used to perform an abortion and others making it punishable to perform or aid in an abortion on their residents. ... The Lone Star State has been the testing ground for conservative efforts to scale back abortion access nationwide. (Kuchar, 2/9)

WFSU: A Bill Guaranteeing The Right To Contraception Is A Long Shot In Florida
Two Florida Democrats are launching a long-shot effort to convince the Republican-led Legislature to put into state law a guaranteed right to access contraception. The move comes amid increasing restrictions on abortions in Republican-led states. (Brown, 2/8)

The New York Times: Man Who Drugged Wife’s Drinks To Cause Abortion Gets 180 Days In Jail 
A Texas man who drugged his wife’s drinks in an unsuccessful attempt to induce an abortion was sentenced on Wednesday to 180 days in jail and 10 years of probation, the Harris County district clerk’s office said. The man, Mason Herring, 39, of Houston, pleaded guilty to injury of a child and assault of a pregnant person as part of a plea agreement, according to the clerk’s office. Mr. Herring had initially faced the more serious charge of assault to induce abortion. (Jimenez, 2/8)

CIDRAP: FDA Removal Of Decongestants Made With Ineffective Drug Would Disrupt Drug Supply Chain, Experts Say
If the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) pulls cough and cold medications containing the active ingredient phenylephrine from shelves, it will set off a wave of drug supply chain problems, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Toronto assert today in JAMA. In September 2023, the FDA's Non-prescription Drug Advisory Committee reviewed new data on phenylephrine, concluding that it is ineffective. The committee recommended that the drug, used in many over-the-counter nasal decongestants as a single ingredient or in combination with other ingredients, be removed from the market. (Van Beusekom, 2/8)

CIDRAP: CARB-X Funds Development Of Rapid Test For Gonorrhea
he Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (CARB-X) announced today that it will award biotechnology company Visby Medical of San Jose, California, up to $1.8 million to develop a portable polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test that can detect gonorrhea and assess its susceptibility to ciprofloxacin. Although ciprofloxacin is no longer a recommended first-line antibiotic for infections caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae because of resistance, some strains of the bacterium remain susceptible to the oral antibiotic. Knowing which infections are susceptible to ciprofloxacin at the point of care could enable clinicians to reserve ceftriaxone, which is the last remaining antibiotic that remains widely effective against N gonorrhoeae. (Dall, 2/8)

The New York Times: The Race To Stop Ozempic Muscle Loss 
As drugs like Ozempic become increasingly popular for weight loss, more doctors and patients are looking for ways to counteract the muscle loss that can happen on these medications — and companies are racing to meet that demand. Luxury gyms are offering strength-training programs specifically marketed toward people taking these medications, promising to help clients “optimize their outcomes.” Nutritionists and meal-delivery services are creating plans to help patients pack in enough protein. And drug companies including Eli Lilly, which makes Mounjaro and Zepbound, are looking to develop combination treatments that prevent muscle loss. (Blum, 2/8)

Modern Healthcare: What Amazon’s Layoffs Mean For One Medical, Pharmacy Division
Amazon's decision to lay off employees in its One Medical and pharmacy divisions raises eyebrows about the future of the tech giant's healthcare strategy. Amazon said Tuesday it is cutting a few hundred healthcare-related jobs but declined to share what types of positions are affected. The move follows more than a year of extensive layoffs at the company as Amazon, like other tech players, seeks to make adjustments after hiring too many people during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Hudson, 2/8)

San Francisco Chronicle: S.F. Nurses Demand Meal And Rest Breaks In New Lawsuit Against City
San Francisco fails to provide nurses at city hospitals with meal and rest breaks or the compensation required by law for missed breaks, three nurses say in a proposed class-action suit seeking damages for their 2,200 colleagues. State law entitles workers to 30-minute meal breaks after every five hours of work and 10-minute rest breaks after four hours, and to an hour of additional pay for each day that a break is not provided. A law that took effect in January 2023 extended the requirement to government health care agencies, which had previously been exempted. (Egelko, 2/8)

Modern Healthcare: Walgreens Replaces John Driscoll With Mary Langowski 
John Driscoll is out as president of Walgreens' U.S. healthcare business and will be replaced by a health tech executive. Mary Langowski, who has served as CEO of Solera Health since 2020, will take over the role in March. Driscoll, who joined Walgreens in 2022 under former CEO Rosalind Brewer, will move into an advisory role, the company said Thursday. (Hudson, 2/8)

AP: Anthony Fauci Will Reflect On His Long Government Career In 'On Call,' To Be Published In June
Dr. Anthony Fauci has a memoir coming out in June, a look back at his long career as an infectious disease expert and the many outbreaks he contended with, from HIV/AIDS to the COVID-19 pandemic that made him famous. Viking announced Thursday that Fauci’s “On Call: A Doctor’s Journey in Public Service” will be published in June 18. (Italie, 2/8)

Crain's Chicago Business: Lurie Children's Hospital Cyberattack Done By 'Criminal Threat' 
Officials at Lurie Children's Hospital on Feb. 8 confirmed the cybersecurity issue that has taken its network down since Jan. 31 is the work of a "known criminal threat actor." The Streeterville children's hospital is going into its second week without phone, internet services or access to many electronic health records. Dr. Marcelo Malakooti, chief medical officer at Lurie's, said in a statement that the hospital took its network offline "in an effort to protect the information of our patients, workforce and organization at large." (Asplund, 2/8)

Modern Healthcare: Molina Healthcare Reports Higher Medicare Advantage Costs
Molina Healthcare missed its profitability target for Medicare Advantage last year because medical costs spiked, executives said during the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call Thursday. This makes Molina Healthcare the latest insurance carrier to report ballooning Medicare Advantage expenses during the closing months of 2023, following sector leaders UnitedHealth Group and Humana and others such as Aetna parent company CVS Health and Centene. Molina priced for higher spending and expects to achieve “mid-single digit profitability” in its Medicare business this year, CEO Joseph Zubretsky said. (Tepper, 2/8)

The Washington Post: A Death Sentence: Native Americans Have Least Access To Liver Transplant System
Native Americans are far less likely than other racial groups to gain a spot on the national liver transplant list, despite having the highest rate of death from liver disease, according to an analysis of four years of transplant data by the Markup and The Washington Post. Compared to their total number of deaths from liver disease, White people gain a spot on the transplant list almost three times more often than Native Americans, the data shows. Had transplant rates been equal, nearly 1,000 additional Native people would have received liver transplants between 2018 and 2021. (Gilbertson and Tanen, 2/8)

NBC News: Robotic Device Burned A Woman’s Small Intestine During Surgery, Lawsuit Alleges
A robotic device burned and tore a woman’s small intestine while she was undergoing surgery for colon cancer, according to a wrongful death lawsuit filed this week in Florida. ... The suit alleges that Intuitive Surgical knew the robot had insulation problems that might cause electricity to leak out and burn internal organs but didn’t disclose that risk to the Sultzers or the public. (Bendix, 2/9)

Capital & Main: More Than Half Of Californians Skip Or Delay Medical Care Due To Cost
For most California residents, and the vast majority of the state’s lower income workers, the cost of health insurance has been running away from them for years. That’s hardly news to anyone who has actually used their health policy in the recent past. But the health care squeeze is largely incremental — an increase in the cost of a doctor visit here, a hike in an X-ray price there. Though those costs almost never go down, they rise in such a gradual, consistent way that many people aren’t aware of just how dramatically they’ve escalated. A new report from the UC Berkeley Labor Center puts those costs in context, and the result is breathtaking. In short, Californians have been absolutely hammered by insurers and providers over the past 20 years. As a result, many of the state’s residents either don’t use their health coverage even though they need it, or they go into debt trying to pay for the insurance and the medical costs their plans don’t cover. (Kreidler, 2/8)

Los Angeles Times: Covered California Extended Deadline Is Friday At Midnight
The window to sign up for health insurance through California’s state marketplace, Covered California, ends Friday at midnight. The window for new customers was originally slated to close on Jan. 31, but the state exchange said that it decided to extend the deadline to Feb. 9 given the large volume of demand and a cybersecurity incident earlier in the month that affected customer service call centers. (Dean, 2/8)

Fox News: Virginia Dems Push To Expand State-Funded Health Insurance To Illegal Immigrant Children
Virginia Democrats are pushing to expand state-funded health insurance to illegal immigrant children with a critical committee vote scheduled for Thursday. The Senate bill, named the "Cover All Kids" Act by proponents, seeks to provide illegal immigrant children access to a "state-funded comprehensive health care coverage" program with eligibility requirements similar to the state's Medicaid program. (Schoffstall, 2/8)

Health News Florida: Bill Would Allow Conversion Of Florida Hospital Districts To Nonprofit Status
A House panel approved a bill that would create a process for public hospital districts to convert to nonprofit organizations and require districts to study the financial feasibility of converting to nonprofits or selling to for-profit companies. The House Select Committee on Health Innovation on Monday voted 7-3 to approve the proposal (HB 1421), sponsored by Rep. Randy Fine, R-Brevard County. (2/8)

San Francisco Chronicle: Critics Bash Breed’s Measure To Mandate Welfare Drug Screening
A group of San Francisco addiction treatment providers and medical professionals are fighting Mayor London Breed’s ballot measure to mandate drug screenings for welfare recipients, calling it a “cynical ploy to shift blame onto the poorest San Franciscans.” The group launched an opposition campaign Thursday. “Prop F’s potential for harm is undeniable,” said Gary McCoy, a spokesperson for HealthRight 360, the city’s largest addiction treatment provider. (Angst, 2/8)

AP: Higher-Dose Naloxone Spray Didn't Save More Lives, Researchers Find
A new, higher-dose nasal spray for reversing opioid overdoses did not save more lives than the previous standard dose, but it did cause more vomiting and other side effects, researchers wrote in a study published Thursday. The 8-milligram naloxone spray — twice as potent as the highest dose previously available — was approved two years ago after pressure from experts and patient advocates who noted lower-dose antidotes often were being given multiple times to people suffering overdoses. (Stobbe, 2/8)

USA Today: Opioid Overdoses Rising Among Teens. Why Is Inpatient Care So Rare?
As overdose deaths continue to increase among American teens, treatment for opioid use disorder remains limited. A new study shows that one intervention – inpatient treatment – is inaccessible to many. Few facilities exist nationwide and they are often unaffordable for families whose children are struggling with opioid addiction. Families must navigate a complex web of addiction treatment services as they try to avoid another overdose for their children, the study found. (Cuevas, 2/9)

Military.Com: Navy Now Forgiving Recruits' Prior Marijuana Use As It Looks To Cut More Losses At Boot Camp 
The Navy is no longer immediately kicking out recruits who arrive at boot camp at Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Illinois, with detectable amounts of marijuana in their system. The service has expanded the authority to grant waivers for any recruits who initially test positive for THC, the main psychoactive compound in marijuana, Rear Adm. James Waters, the director of the Navy's military personnel plans and policy division, told a group of reporters Thursday. (Toropin, 2/8)

The New York Times: More Adolescent Boys Have Eating Disorders. Two Experts Discuss Why
For decades, eating disorders were thought to afflict mostly, if not exclusively, women and girls. In fact, until 2013, the loss of menstruation had long been considered an official symptom of anorexia nervosa. Over the last decade, however, health experts have increasingly recognized that boys and men also suffer from eating disorders, and they have gained a better understanding of how differently the illness presents in that group. A small but growing body of scientists and physicians have dedicated themselves to identifying the problem, assessing its scope and developing treatments. (Richtel, 2/8)

Axios: More States Are Considering Bills Allowing Medically Assisted Death This Year
A push to let physicians prescribe life-ending drugs to terminally ill patients is getting major attention in statehouses this year, with lawmakers in 19 states considering bills to allow the practice. Despite continuing skepticism from the medical establishment, the controversial policy is gaining new momentum because of personal anecdotes, experience from states that were among the first to allow it, and changing attitudes partly driven by the pandemic's devastation. (Goldman, 2/9)

NBC News: Fungus That Sparked Deadly Meningitis Outbreak Aggressively Attacked The Brainstem
The fungus behind a spate of deadly meningitis cases last year linked to medical clinics in Mexico was found to have aggressively attacked the base of patients’ brains, researchers said Wednesday in a report published in The New England Journal of Medicine. Fungal meningitis was reported in as many as 24 patients from the United States who visited two medical clinics in Matamoros, Mexico. Many came from Texas. Twelve died. All of the patients had undergone cosmetic procedures that required epidural anesthesia. It was later discovered that the epidural was contaminated with a fungus called Fusarium solani. (Mantel, 2/8)

CIDRAP: Elderly With Omicron Pneumonia And Bacterial Infection Often Have Functional Decline A Year Later
Japanese researchers studying functional decline among patients aged 80 years and older hospitalized for SARS-CoV-2 Omicron pneumonia find significantly higher rates of decline in those also infected with bacteria than in those with primary viral pneumonia 1 year later, though both groups had substantial levels of impairment. The study, published yesterday in Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses, was conducted at five Japanese hospitals and clinics from December 2021 to August 2022. Attending physicians calculated the difference in activities-of-daily-living (ADL) scores from hospital admission to release. (Van Beusekom, 2/8)

San Francisco Chronicle: Costco, Trader Joe’s Pull Products Due To Deadly Listeria Outbreak
Several major nationwide retailers, including Costco and Trader Joe’s, have issued recalls for a variety of dairy and other products due to potential contamination with the dangerous bacteria listeria. (Vaziri, 2/8)