First Edition: February 22, 2019
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Kaiser Health News:
Is New App From Feds Your Answer To Navigating Medicare Coverage? Yes And No
Millennials, beware: Your grandparents are about to start calling you for help downloading the new Medicare smartphone app. The iPhone and Android app, which launched Feb. 6, is called “What’s Covered,” and true to its name, it mostly answers one simple, yes-or-no question: Is this medical procedure covered by traditional Medicare? Milt Roney, a 71-year-old retired government worker in a well-to-do suburb of Washington, D.C., agreed to check out the app with me, though he was skeptical from the outset. (Bluth, 2/22)
Kaiser Health News:
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ How Safe Are Your Supplements?
The federal government’s annual projections of health spending for the next decade suggest that it will go up faster than in recent years. One of the main reasons is the aging of the huge baby boom generation. And drug prices are expected to continue to rise rapidly, although drugs are still a relatively small portion of overall drug spending. Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration wants to crack down on potentially dangerous dietary supplements. (2/21)
ProPublica/Stat:
Sackler Embraced Plan to Conceal OxyContin’s Strength From Doctors, Sealed Testimony Shows
In May 1997, the year after Purdue Pharma launched OxyContin, its head of sales and marketing sought input on a key decision from Dr. Richard Sackler, a member of the billionaire family that founded and controls the company. Michael Friedman told Sackler that he didn’t want to correct the false impression among doctors that OxyContin was weaker than morphine, because the myth was boosting prescriptions — and sales. “It would be extremely dangerous at this early stage in the life of the product,” Friedman wrote to Sackler, “to make physicians think the drug is stronger or equal to morphine….We are well aware of the view held by many physicians that oxycodone [the active ingredient in OxyContin] is weaker than morphine. I do not plan to do anything about that.” “I agree with you,” Sackler responded. “Is there a general agreement, or are there some holdouts?” Ten years later, Purdue pleaded guilty in federal court to understating the risk of addiction to OxyContin, including failing to alert doctors that it was a stronger painkiller than morphine, and agreed to pay $600 million in fines and penalties. But Sackler’s support of the decision to conceal OxyContin’s strength from doctors — in email exchanges both with Friedman and another company executive — was not made public. (Armstrong, 2/21)
The New York Times:
Sackler Testimony Appears To Conflict With Federal Investigation
A member of the family that owns the manufacturer of OxyContin repeatedly gave testimony in a lawsuit that conflicts with details in a report by federal prosecutors, newly disclosed court papers indicate. Dr. Richard Sackler, who was once president of the company, Purdue Pharma, and is the son of one of its founders, said under oath during a pretrial deposition that he first learned from a Maine newspaper article in 2000 that OxyContin, a powerful opioid painkiller, was being abused. His statement contradicts evidence in a confidential Justice Department report from 2006 that came to light last year. (Meier, 2/21)
The Wall Street Journal:
Purdue Family Member Sought To Avoid Comparison Of OxyContin To Morphine, Documents Show
Richard Sackler, a former Purdue Pharma LP executive and member of the company’s controlling family, worked to ensure its top-selling pain medication OxyContin didn’t develop the end-of-life reputation of morphine because it could jeopardize sales, newly unveiled court documents show. The release of a 2015 deposition of Mr. Sackler sheds new light on Purdue’s attempts to market its signature drug as appropriate for a broad range of pain management, despite being twice as potent as morphine. The deposition, part of a now-resolved case in Kentucky, is a rare instance in which Sackler family members speaking directly about their role at Purdue has become public. (Randazzo and Hopkins, 2/21)
The Hill:
Purdue Exec Agreed To Hide OxyContin Strength From Doctors: Report
"During the deposition, Dr. Sackler described Purdue’s efforts to adhere to all relevant laws and regulations" Purdue Pharma spokesperson Bob Josephson said in a statement to The Hill. "Dr. Sackler’s statements in the deposition fully acknowledge the wrongful actions taken by some of Purdue’s employees prior to 2002 as laid out in the 2007 Agreed Statement of Facts with the Department of Justice, and that the company has accepted full responsibility for those actions." (Frazin, 2/21)
ProPublica/Stat:
What You Should Know About Richard Sackler’s Long-Sought Deposition
STAT and ProPublica have published the long-sought deposition of Dr. Richard Sackler, a member of the billionaire family that founded and controls Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin. Here are answers to some questions about the document. (Gil, 2/21)
Stat:
Intensely Private, Deeply Invested: Richard Sackler’s Role In Promoting OxyContin Emerges In Court Documents
He is one of the most elusive yet notorious figures in medicine. He is so private that few public photographs of him exist. And for years, he and his lawyers have rebuffed efforts to unearth details about his role in building the colossus of OxyContin, the opioid painkiller. But newly disclosed documents provide a glimpse into the mindset and decision-making of Dr. Richard Sackler, the onetime chief executive of Purdue Pharma and a key member of the family that controls the company. (Joseph, 2/22)
The Hill:
Google Launches Effort To Fight Opioid Epidemic
Google is launching a new effort Thursday to make it easier for people to dispose of opioids. Federal agencies, state governments and local pharmacies helped Google identify 3,500 drug drop-off locations across the country where people are invited to dispose of leftover pain pills and other addictive drugs. Now, using Google Maps or search, users can look up phrases similar to "drug drop off near me” or “medication disposal near me" and find directions to the nearest permanent disposal locations. (Birnbaum, 2/21)
Bloomberg:
Google Maps Searches Will Show Opioid Disposal Sites
The internet-search giant has joined with U.S. government agencies and drug-store chains like CVS Health Corp. and Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. to pinpoint places where patients can drop off leftover medication. Google searches such as “drug drop off near me” will bring up locations from a database of 3,500 sites in seven states as part of the pilot program. That number will grow as the program expands, Google said Thursday in a blog post. Opioid abuse now accounts for more deaths in the U.S. than car crashes or firearms, and much of the problem stems from legally prescribed drugs that are used by family members or friends of patients. By making it easier for people to safely get rid of unused prescription drugs, the company hopes to stop them from getting into the wrong hands. (De Vynck, 2/21)
Los Angeles Times:
Southern California Doctors Arrested In Opioid Prescription Crackdown
A yearlong investigation by federal drug agents has resulted in criminal charges against several physicians and other healthcare providers accused of writing bogus prescriptions or selling painkillers and other drugs on the black market. Dubbed Operation Hypocritical Oath — a play on the Hippocratic oath taken by doctors — the investigation targeted dozens of healthcare professionals in California, Nevada and Hawaii, many of whom came under suspicion because records showed they were prescribing an unusual amount of narcotics, said Bill Bodner, deputy special agent in charge for the Drug Enforcement Agency in Los Angeles. (Rubin, 2/21)
The Associated Press:
Rural Kansas Lawmakers Push Farm Bureau Health Coverage Plan
Rural state lawmakers are pushing a plan to allow the Kansas Farm Bureau to offer health insurance coverage to members without having to comply with federal Affordable Care Act mandates in hopes that the influential agriculture group can offer a lower-cost product. But the proposal is drawing strong criticism from Democrats and health groups because the Farm Bureau would not be required to cover people with pre-existing medical conditions. (2/21)
CNN:
Top Democrats Rebuke Trump Administration For Medicaid Work Requirement Policies
Top congressional Democrats requested Tuesday that the Department of Health and Human Services halt Medicaid work requirements, citing widespread loss of coverage in Arkansas. The letter, signed by Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon and Rep. Frank Pallone of New Jersey rebukes the administration for "disregard of Congressional intent" and a failure to track the impact of waiver policies. Using Medicaid 1115 waivers, states can receive federal funds for Medicaid expansion despite modifying the policy outlined in the Affordable Care Act. The waivers, however, must be approved by the Department of Health and Human Services. (Bernard, 2/21)
The Hill:
Top Dems Call For End To Medicaid Work Rules After 18,000 Lose Coverage In Arkansas
“We unfortunately are now seeing these concerns play out in real life in the state of Arkansas where thousands of individuals have been forced off and locked out of their Medicaid coverage,” they added in the letter to Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar. Arkansas is the first state to implement work requirements for Medicaid enrollees, and more than 18,000 people were kicked off their coverage last year for failure to comply with the requirements. (Sullivan, 2/21)
The Associated Press:
Little Says He Won't Let The Legislature Leave Town Without Funding Medicaid Expansion
Idaho Gov. Brad Little told the Idaho Press Club on Wednesday that he won’t let the Legislature adjourn this year without funding Medicaid expansion, as required by voter-approved Proposition 2. Asked that question, Little had a one-word answer: “No.” Asked further about various waivers or “sideboards” some lawmakers have been advocating, Little said, “There’s a lot of discussion. … I know that Rep. (John) Vander Woude had 13 items on his list, and I think that list is getting shorter. There’s a big discrepancy between the House ones and the Senate ones; they need to get together. And I’m fairly confident they’re going to get there.” (Russell, 2/21)
Bloomberg:
Drug Middlemen Took $123.5 Million In Hidden Fees, State Claims
In 2018, four Kentucky insurers in Medicaid paid $957.7 million to four PBMs that use the arrangements. Of that, the PBMs kept 13 percent -- $123.5 million -- through spread pricing, according to the Kentucky report. Those size of the spreads rose by more than a third from 2017, the state found. “These are taxpayer dollars that we can’t identify what is the service they are being used for,” said Jessin Joseph, director of pharmacy for Kentucky’s Department for Medicaid Services, in a phone interview. Joseph said the state planned to do a more detailed claim-by-claim analysis of pharmacy spending to determine why spreads were going up. (Langreth, 2/21)
Stat:
Kentucky Finds PBMs Are Benefiting From A Lucrative Profit Center
As the debate over prescription drug costs intensifies, Kentucky officials have released a report showing pharmacy benefit managers kept a widening share of money collected on behalf of the state Medicaid program. The report recommends several steps for overhauling relationships with these controversial pharmaceutical middlemen. Specifically, PBMs appear to have profited from what is known as spread pricing, which refers to the fees these companies pay pharmacies and then bill back to state Medicaid programs. Last year, PBMs were paid $858 million, of which they kept $123.5 million, or 13 percent. This was up from 9.4 percent in 2017, according to the report by the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services. (Silverman, 2/21)
The Hill:
Chamber Launches Ad Blitz Against Trump Drug-Pricing Proposal
The Chamber of Commerce is launching a seven-figure ad campaign targeting a proposal from the Trump administration aimed at bringing down drug prices. The proposal, which is fiercely opposed by the pharmaceutical industry and other groups, would link what Medicare pays for prescription drugs to what other countries pay. (Hellmann, 2/21)
Reuters:
U.S. Judge Weighs Expanding Lawsuit Over Family Separations To Cover More Children
A U.S. judge on Thursday appeared open to ordering the government to find potentially thousands of additional children separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border by the Trump administration, which could greatly expand the scope of a lawsuit challenging the separations. U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw in San Diego called a January report by an internal government watchdog that found the U.S. government had started implementing its policy of separating families months before it was announced "a very significant event." (Cooke, 2/21)
The Washington Post:
ACLU Asks Judge To Order Trump Administration To Determine How Many Children Were Separated From Their Parents At Border
The report, from the inspector general for the Department of Health and Human Services, estimated that the separations extended beyond the 2,700-plus children identified in a class-action lawsuit over President Trump’s border crackdown, which drew widespread condemnation, including from Republicans. “I was shocked to hear that there were thousands who were separated,” Lee Gelernt, an ACLU lawyer who represents the parents, told U.S. District Judge Dana M. Sabraw during a hearing in San Diego, adding that they could be at risk of being “permanently orphaned.” (Sacchetti and Perry, 2/21)
The New York Times:
Toxic ‘Forever Chemicals’ In Drinking Water Leave Military Families Reeling
When Army Staff Sergeant Samuel Fortune returned from Iraq, his body battered by war, he assumed he’d be safe. Then the people around him began to get sick. Neighbors complained of tumors, thyroid problems and debilitating fatigue. Soon, the Colorado health department announced an unusually high number of kidney cancers in the region. Then Mr. Fortune’s wife fell ill. The military, it turned out, had been leaching toxic chemicals into the water for decades. (Turkewitz, 2/22)
The Associated Press:
Team To Review Uranium Exposure Risk At Grand Canyon
An investigative team from state and federal agencies will visit Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona over concerns about uranium exposure. Park officials said in a news release Thursday that a group of health and safety experts will visit in the coming weeks. A June 2018 audit found three 5-gallon (19-liter) buckets of uranium rock samples at the park's Museum Collection building. They were subsequently moved to a restricted area. (2/21)
The New York Times:
Looking To Technology To Avoid Doctors’ Offices And Emergency Rooms
As politicians debate how to improve the nation’s expensive — and some would say broken — health care system, Americans are eagerly turning to the latest tech devices in hopes of preventing and detecting medical problems early and avoiding costly trips to the doctor or emergency room. “Technology every day is playing a more important role in preventing and even diagnosing illness,” said Gary Shapiro, chief executive of the Consumer Technology Association and author of “Ninja Future: Secrets to Success in the New World of Innovation.” “We are just beginning this journey of revolutionizing health care and reducing trips to the doctor.” (Morrissey, 2/21)
NPR:
CVS Health Hubs: Retail Clinics To Offer More Care
When it comes to making changes in health care, CVS Health isn't settling for tinkering around the edges. The company is looking to strike at the heart of how health care is delivered in the U.S. In November, the drugstore chain completed a $70 billion acquisition of health insurance giant Aetna that CVS has said will change the company and in the process alter the way consumers experience health care. (Kodjak, 2/21)
The New York Times:
DNA Gets A New — And Bigger — Genetic Alphabet
In 1985, the chemist Steven A. Benner sat down with some colleagues and a notebook and sketched out a way to expand the alphabet of DNA. He has been trying to make those sketches real ever since. On Thursday, Dr. Benner and a team of scientists reported success: in a paper, published in Science, they said they have in effect doubled the genetic alphabet.Natural DNA is spelled out with four different letters known as bases — A, C, G and T. Dr. Benner and his colleagues have built DNA with eight bases — four natural, and four unnatural. They named their new system Hachimoji DNA (hachi is Japanese for eight, moji for letter). (Zimmer, 2/21)
The New York Times:
China Uses DNA To Track Its People, With The Help Of American Expertise
The authorities called it a free health check. Tahir Imin had his doubts. They drew blood from the 38-year-old Muslim, scanned his face, recorded his voice and took his fingerprints. They didn’t bother to check his heart or kidneys, and they rebuffed his request to see the results. “They said, ‘You don’t have the right to ask about this,’” Mr. Imin said. “‘If you want to ask more,’ they said, ‘you can go to the police.’” (Wee, 2/21)
The Washington Post:
Changing ‘The Tragedy Narrative’: Why A Growing Camp Is Promoting A Joyful Approach To Alzheimer’s
Tom and Peggy Misciagna were sitting in their Manassas, Va., home recently, talking about the children they adopted overseas in the 1980s, when Tom, 64, misremembered a major detail. “We got two kids out of India — ” he said. Peggy, 59, chimed in. “Philippines.” “Oh yeah, Philippines,” said Tom, a retired CIA officer. He grinned wryly at his wife. “That’s Ollie talking.” Ollie is their nickname for Alzheimer’s, the disease Tom was diagnosed with seven years ago. (Bahrampour, 2/21)
The New York Times:
Sepsis Is A Common Cause Of Hospital Deaths
Sepsis, a life-threatening response to infection, is a common cause of deaths in hospitals, according to a new report. The study looked at 568 people who had died in hospitals and whose average age was 70. More than half had sepsis, and it was the immediate cause of death for nearly 200 of them; another 100 had sepsis but didn’t die of it. Only 36 of the sepsis deaths might have been prevented with earlier antibiotic treatment or other measures, the researchers determined. (Rabin, 2/21)
CNN:
FDA Proposes New Sunscreen Regulations
The US Food and Drug Administration is proposing new regulations on over-the-counter sunscreens in an effort to keep up with the latest scientific and safety information. The proposal, announced Thursday, is available for public review and comment for the next 90 days and addresses the safety of common sunscreen ingredients, as well their dosage forms, sun protection factor (SPF) and broad-spectrum requirements. It also addresses labeling, aiming to make it easier for consumers to identify key product information. (Bracho-Sanchez, 2/21)
NPR:
Patients Find Relief For Food Allergies In Oral Immunotherapy Treatment
Scouring ingredient lists. Carrying an EpiPen. Sitting at the special lunch table at school. These anxiety-ridden measures have become routine for families with severe food allergies, who know it takes only one wrong bite to end up in the emergency room. Nearly 6 million U.S. children and teens — about 8 percent, or two per classroom — have food allergies. In children, allergy to peanuts, which can be life-threatening, has gone up more than 21 percent since 2010. (Landhuis, 2/21)
The Associated Press:
Study Finds Spike In Pennsylvania Child Abuse-Related Deaths
A state study released Thursday found the number of Pennsylvania children killed or nearly killed after abuse had occurred spiked recently, increases likely driven by a new definition of abuse and an uptick in its reporting in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky and Roman Catholic clergy child sexual abuse scandals. The state Human Services Department report into fatalities and near fatalities during 2015 and 2016 showed both types of reports were up sharply after being fairly level for the preceding six years. (2/21)
The Associated Press:
Oklahoma GOP Leaders To Push ‘Triggered’ Abortion Ban
Republican leaders in Oklahoma said Thursday they want to join at least five other states in automatically banning abortions if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns its landmark 1973 ruling that legalized abortion nationwide. GOP Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treat said a bill will be drafted and considered next week that would make Oklahoma the sixth state with a “trigger” abortion ban. The Republican governor in neighboring Arkansas signed a similar measure this week, and comparable laws are on the books in Louisiana, Mississippi, North Dakota and South Dakota. (Murphy, 2/21)
NPR:
U.S. Soda Taxes Work, Studies Suggest — But Maybe Not As Well As Hoped
The governor of Connecticut is proposing the first statewide tax on sugar-sweetened drinks to raise money and to fight obesity. Several cities have already enacted such soda taxes, and there's new evidence this week suggesting that they do work but sometimes not as well as hoped. NPR's Dan Charles has the story. (2/21)
The Associated Press:
Arizona Lawmakers Consider Religious Exemption For Vaccines
Arizona lawmakers are looking at expanding exemptions from children’s vaccine requirements as public health officials in the Pacific Northwest try to contain a measles outbreak that has sickened dozens of people who were not inoculated. Republicans on a state House committee voted Thursday to create a religious exemption for schoolchildren, adding to the personal beliefs exemption Arizona already has. The measure also would get rid of a requirement for parents who decline to vaccinate to sign a form listing the risks. (Cooper, 2/21)
Louisville Courier Journal:
Kentucky's 'Too Low And Too Slow' Response To Hepatitis A Outbreak
Last spring, Kentucky's infectious disease chief was ringing the alarm. An outbreak of hepatitis A that already had infected nearly 400 people in Louisville was seeping into Appalachia, where rampant drug addiction provided fuel for the virus to explode across rural Kentucky. To contain it, the drug users and homeless largely spreading the disease had to be vaccinated – and quickly. (Ungar and Kenning, 2/22)
The Associated Press:
North Dakota's 1st Medical Marijuana Dispensary Set To Open
North Dakota's first medical marijuana dispensary is set to open next week, the culmination of a nearly two-year effort by the state Health Department to establish a distribution system for the drug. New York City-based Acreage Holdings plans to open The Botanist in Fargo on Feb. 28, selling drugs produced by a manufacturing facility in Bismarck, the company and state announced Thursday. The dispensary first will need to undergo what amounts to a final state inspection to ensure it meets all security rules, according to state Medical Marijuana Division Director Jason Wahl. (2/21)
USA Today:
Haley Moss May Be The First Autistic Lawyer In Florida
Haley Moss is one month into her practice as a lawyer. So far, so good. She has laser focus, a photographic memory and an extreme eye for detail — invaluable assets for poring over endless briefs and reports at Miami-based firm Zumpano Patricios. And what's more, she just might be making history: In January, Moss raised her hand, took an oath and became known as Florida's first lawyer living openly with autism. (Hafner, 2/21)
The Daily Pilot:
Challenge Success Helps O.C. Schools Monitor Students’ Mental Wellness
For the last several years the Newport-Mesa Unified School District has been steadily working to address the growing incidence of depression, anxiety, suicide and other mental health challenges among its students. Several districtwide training sessions were mandatory for teachers and staff and optional for parents. The elementary staff completed the avatar-based Kognito program, which teaches motivational interviewing to intervene in social and emotional concerns. Signs featuring suicide hotline numbers were posted in bathrooms. (Pearlman, 2/21)