First Edition: January 30, 2019

Kaiser Health News: Congress Wades Into Emotional Debate Over High-Cost Prescription Drugs 
On the Senate side, Kathy Sego — whose son with Type 1 diabetes was profiled by Kaiser Health News in 2017 — had a message for absent drug companies. “I don’t know how any person would be OK with knowing that their medication is priced so high you have to make a decision between life or death,” she said. “That should never be a decision a person needs to make.” It remains to be seen how drugmakers might react to mounting political scrutiny. (Huetteman and Bluth, 1/29)

Kaiser Health News: Boot Camp After 60: 10 Steps To Turn Around Unhealthy Habits 
It takes moxie to flip an unhealthy lifestyle to a healthy one — particularly for folks over 60. Most baby boomers approach retirement age unwilling to follow basic healthy lifestyle goals established by the American Heart Association, said Dr. Dana King, professor and chairman of the department of family medicine at West Virginia University, referencing his university’s 2017 study comparing the healthy lifestyle rates of retired late-middle-aged adults with rates among those still working. (Horovitz, 1/30)

California Healthline: California Attorney General And Santa Clara County Face Off Over Sale Of Two Hospitals
When U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris approved the sale of six nonprofit California hospitals in 2015 as the state attorney general, she imposed strict conditions on the new corporate owners, requiring them to continue to provide critical health services to area residents. Now her successor, fellow Democrat Xavier Becerra, is asserting his authority in court to enforce those conditions on Santa Clara County, which wants to buy two of the hospitals out of bankruptcy. County officials warn that the attorney general’s stance could force the closure of the hospitals, limiting health care access for hundreds of thousands of people. (Young and Feder Ostrov, 1/29)

Politico: Congress Takes On Unexpected Medical Bills, Sparking Industry Turf War
A bipartisan fix for surprise medical bills that are socking even well-insured Americans could be one of the few issues uniting Democrats and Republicans this year, but only if lawmakers find a way to contend with competing factions of the health industry, none of whom want to pick up the entire tab. The political appeal of the issue is such that even President Donald Trump last week hosted a roundtable of patients who shared stories of jaw-dropping medical costs — like a $16,000 charge for one emergency room visit. (Roubein and Cancryn, 1/29)

The Hill: Dems Hit GOP On Pre-Existing Conditions At Panel's First Policy Hearing
The powerful House Ways and Means Committee used its first policy hearing of the new Congress to hammer Republicans on pre-existing conditions, an issue that helped propel Democrats into the majority during the 2018 midterm elections. Democratic panel members highlighted actions by the Trump administration that they argue have hurt people with pre-existing conditions, like the expansion of non-ObamaCare plans that could draw healthy people from the markets, raising premiums for those left behind. (Hellmann, 1/29)

The New York Times: On Both Ends Of Capitol, Both Parties Warn Big Pharma On Drug Prices
Members of Congress from both parties served notice on pharmaceutical companies on Tuesday that the days of unchecked drug-price increases were over and that they would be held politically accountable for exorbitant prices. The new reality became apparent at simultaneous but separate hearings of House and Senate committees where lawmakers said that the relentless increases were unsustainable and unacceptable. (Pear, 1/29)

Stat: In Dueling Drug Pricing Hearings, Lawmakers In Both Parties Slam Pharma
Democrats here have, of late, been making far more noise about high prescription drug prices. But at two dueling hearings on Tuesday, the most powerful Republicans on each committee made their own mark. Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee and a former chairman of the ultra-conservative Freedom Caucus, kicked off his panel’s hearing by offering his support for a controversial proposal that would inflame drug makers: to potentially cut the lucrative exclusivity periods the government grants drug makers for their products. (Facher and Florko, 1/29)

Reuters: Congress Holds First Hearings On Insulin, High Drug Prices
The House Oversight Committee, chaired by Democratic Representative Elijah Cummings, and the Senate Finance Committee, chaired by Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, brought in patient advocates and health policy experts to discuss the burden of high drug costs on consumers and sky-rocketing prices. Both committees also focused on insulin, which those with type 1 diabetes and some with type 2 diabetes depend on. (Abutaleb, 1/29)

The Associated Press: GOP Senator Pledges Insulin Probe As Congress Holds Hearings
A senior Republican lawmaker said Tuesday he plans to investigate spikes in the price of insulin for people with diabetes as Congress opened hearings on the high cost of prescription drugs. "I have heard stories about people reducing their life-saving medicines, like insulin, to save money," said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa. "This is unacceptable and I intend to specifically get to the bottom of the insulin price increase." (Alonso-Zaldivar, 1/29)

The Hill: GOP Chairman: I'll Be 'Insistent' On Drug Companies Testifying On Their Prices 
Grassley said he invited drug companies to testify at Tuesday’s hearing, but all except two smaller companies refused to testify publicly, instead saying they would speak in private. He declined to name the companies that refused to come when asked by reporters after the hearing. Asked if he would compel companies to testify by issuing subpoenas, Grassley demurred, but indicated he will get the testimony. (Sullivan, 1/29)

Stat: Drug Prices Forecast To Grow Slowly Over Next Five Years, But Some Will Feel Pain 
As debates over rising medicine costs escalate, a new analysis forecasts that the growth of prices in the U.S. for prescription drugs will range from 0 to 3 percent over the next five years. At the same time, drug makers will collectively register sales growth anywhere from 3 percent to 6 percent. By 2023, U.S. spending is expected to top $600 billion, up from nearly $500 million this year, although this is before factoring in the rebates and discounts that drug makers pay to pharmacy benefit managers to win favorable insurance coverage on lists of medicines called formularies. (Silverman, 1/29)

The New York Times: Kamala Harris And Michael Bloomberg Clash On Medicare For All
A day after Senator Kamala Harris of California endorsed ending private health insurance in favor of a “Medicare for all” government plan, Michael R. Bloomberg, a possible rival of hers for the Democratic presidential nomination, said the proposal would “bankrupt us for a very long time.” Mr. Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor who is considering a 2020 bid on a centrist Democratic platform, rejected the idea of “Medicare for all,” which has been gaining traction among Democrats. (Astor, 1/29)

The Hill: Bloomberg On 'Medicare For All': 'You Could Never Afford That'
"You can have Medicare for all for people who are uncovered," he continues, "But ... to replace the entire private system where companies provide health care for their employees would bankrupt us for a very long time." Bloomberg's comments come as former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, a fellow billionaire, expressed interest this week in running as an independent presidential candidate in 2020, citing what he said was the Democrats' shift too far to the left. (Bowden, 1/29)

The Associated Press: Key Takeaways From Kamala Harris' Big 2020 Campaign Rollout
Moderator Jake Tapper questioned her on whether the "Medicare for All" health plan, which she said she feels "very strongly" about, would mean eliminating private insurers for those who would prefer to keep them." The idea is everyone gets access to medical care," Harris responded, noting situations where patients have had to wait for insurers to approve treatments, despite the fact that their physicians have deemed them necessary. Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz said Tuesday that Harris wants to "abolish the insurance industry," something he called "not American." (Summers, 1/29)

The Washington Post: Democratic Candidates Face Political Risks And Policy Challenges When Pressed On Health-Care Specifics
In a single flourish, Harris drew attention to the fact that the Medicare-for-all plans backed by 16 senators — including five potential candidates for the Democratic nomination — would in effect remove private health insurance from the estimated 251 million Americans who use it, broadly disrupting the industry and the way Americans experience the medical system. The concept drew quick rebukes from Republicans — and billionaire coffee magnate Howard Schultz, who is considering an independent presidential bid — showing how easily the idea can be weaponized politically, especially as candidates are increasingly pressed for specifics. (Linskey, 1/29)

Reuters: 'We Know How To Survive,' But U.S. Shutdown Cuts Deep For Native Americans
The Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma used a GoFundMe page and its own money to feed its many members who were furloughed or worked without pay during the U.S. government shutdown. On their reservation in Eagle Butte, South Dakota, the Cheyenne River Sioux used third-party funds and dipped into tribal funds to provide food assistance. The 35-day partial government shutdown affected 800,000 federal workers, but Native Americans were especially vulnerable because they rely mostly on federal contracts for services and jobs in the Bureau of Indian affairs for incomes. (Keith and Hay, 1/29)

The Washington Post: New Planned Parenthood Head Leana Wen Goes On Offensive Against Trump Administration
Planned Parenthood’s new president, Leana Wen, is gearing up for the battle of her life. With the Trump administration expected to announce its final plan for the $260 million in Title X family-planning funding any day, the organization is likely to take a huge hit. But Wen said the fight is far from over. Under the proposal announced in May, clinics that provide abortion services or referrals alongside family planning — such as Planned Parenthood — would be barred from receiving any money. Health centers are allowed to use nonfederal funds for abortions, but the new rule would require a “bright line” of physical and financial separation. Planned Parenthood serves about 41 percent of Title X patients and receives about $60 million from the program to provide basic services such as cancer screenings, birth control, screenings for sexually transmitted infections, pregnancy tests and well-woman exams. (Cha, 1/29)

The New York Times: Frostbite And Hypothermia: Tips To Stay Safe In Extreme Cold Weather
Here’s how to stay safe as a polar vortex puts the Midwest into a deep freeze this week: Do. Not. Go. Outside. Experts warn that even a short time in the blistering cold can be extremely dangerous, with the risk of hypothermia and frostbite increasing every minute. Of course, many of us have no choice: We have to go to work, take care of others, clear snow, get supplies. If you’ll be outside for any amount of time, you should dress warmly and cover any exposed skin. (Zraick, 1/29)

The New York Times: ‘I’m Cold And I’m Afraid’: Across Midwest, Homeless Await Deep Freeze
As temperatures in Midwestern cities plunged to levels colder than parts of Antarctica and officials warned people not to step outside even for a few minutes, Tony Neeley stood on a downtown Chicago street corner Tuesday, wearing wet sneakers and clutching a hand warmer packet in each of his bare hands. He had already been there for hours. “I’m cold and I’m afraid,” Mr. Neeley said, adding that he was trying to raise enough money from the bundled commuters rushing past to pay for a $45 motel room on a night that weather forecasters warned would send the Midwest into a deep freeze unlike anything even this region has seen in years. (Bosman and Davey, 1/29)

The Associated Press: Deep Freeze Envelops Midwest, Even Stops The Mail
The bitter cold is the result of a split in the polar vortex that allowed temperatures to plunge much further south than normal. Officials throughout the region were focused on protecting vulnerable people from the cold, including the homeless, seniors and those living in substandard housing. (Nicholson, 1/30)

The Washington Post: Gone In A Generation: How Climate Change Is Disrupting American Lives
The continental United States is 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than it was a century ago. Seas at the coasts are nine inches higher. The damage is mounting from these fundamental changes, and Americans are living it. These are their stories. (Murphy and Mooney, 1/29)

The Associated Press: Witness: Exec Gave Lap Dance To Doctor In Drug Bribes Scheme
A former pharmaceutical executive accused of joining in a scheme to bribe doctors into prescribing a powerful painkiller once gave a lap dance to a doctor the company was pressuring to get his patients on the drug, her onetime colleague said Tuesday. Jurors heard the testimony on the second day of the closely watched federal trial in Boston against Insys Therapeutics founder John Kapoor and four other former executives. They include Sunrise Lee, whom prosecutors have described as a former exotic dancer who was hired to be a regional sales manager even though she had no experience in the pharmaceutical world. (Richer, 1/29)

Bloomberg: Insys ‘Closer’ Lap-Danced To Boost Opioid Sales, Jury Told 
Holly Brown, a former Insys sales representative in Chicago, said in 2012 she, her boss Sunrise Lee, and another Insys sales rep took Dr. Paul Madison to The Underground -- a high-end nightclub near the Chicago River. She then spotted Lee, a former stripper, and the physician in an intimate moment, Brown told the jury. “She was sitting on his lap, kind of bouncing around, and he had his hands all over her chest,’’ Brown said. Lee was hired to be a “closer’’ with doctors targeted in the Subsys marketing program, according to a government witness who prosecutors are expected to call in the case. (Feeley and Lawrence, 1/29)

Stateline: Opioid Money Has Helped, But States Want More
More than a decade into an opioid overdose epidemic that’s costing the nation at least $78 billion a year, emergency federal dollars have kindled local victories. But state and local officials say they need sustainable funding for what they expect to be a long-term struggle to provide effective treatment for legions of people addicted to opioids. Many officials are counting on settlements in civil cases against the drugmakers and distributors that state and local governments blame for the epidemic. Other states are considering an annual assessment against drug companies or a tax on painkillers. (Vestal, 1/30)

The Associated Press: More Staff On Leave As Hospital Reviews Deaths, Drug Doses
An Ohio hospital said Tuesday it has put more employees, including managers, on leave amid allegations that an intensive-care doctor ordered potentially fatal doses of pain medication for dozens of patients. Mount Carmel Health System, which fired the doctor in December, said 23 staff members are on leave pending further investigation. It previously had said 20 employees — six pharmacists and 14 nurses — were on leave. (1/29)

Reuters: U.S. Senator Asks J&J For Documents On Talc, Baby Powder Safety
U.S. Democratic Senator Patty Murray sent a letter to Johnson & Johnson on Tuesday seeking information related to allegations in a Reuters Special Report that the healthcare company knew about the presence of asbestos in its talc-based baby powder. The letter addressed to J&J Chief Executive Alex Gorsky asks for documents and information related to testing of its talc products for the presence of carcinogens and "how it presented that information to regulators and consumers." (1/29)

The Wall Street Journal: Novartis Seeks Growth In Newer Drugs Amid Pricing Challenges
Novartis AG is counting on strong sales of its newer medicines to offset mounting pressure on drug prices this year. The Swiss health-care giant said Wednesday it expected sales to grow by a mid-single-digit percentage in 2019, even though it is likely to have to cut the prices of its drugs. Chief Executive Vas Narasimhan said on a call with reporters that he expected Novartis’s net prices to decline by a low-single-digit percentage this year. (Roland and Mancini, 1/30)

CNN: Coca-Cola And CDC: Paper Reveals Controversial Emails
Private emails between employees at the Coca-Cola Co. and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been exposed in a new research paper, raising questions about just how extensive of a relationship the soda company has had with the nation's public health agency. The paper, published Tuesday in the journal The Milbank Quarterly includes excerpts from emails and suggests that current and former Coca-Cola staff tried to influence the CDC by attempting to frame the debate around whether sugar-sweetened beverages play a role in America's obesity epidemic, as well as trying to lobby decision-makers. (Howard, 1/29)

The Associated Press: Food Industry Sway Over Public Health Gets New Scrutiny
The Milbank report says such exchanges underscore the need for greater transparency and conflict-of-interest guidelines at organizations involved in public health. It says there's still relatively little known about the extent of the food industry's influence, but that there is growing understanding of such dynamics. Gary Ruskin, one of the report's authors, said the increased awareness is partly the result of "the sheer enormity of the obesity epidemic." (1/29)

USA Today: Domestic Violence: Children Who See Abuse Suffer As Much As Those Abused
Latrelle Huff says her twins were conceived by rape. Now she blames domestic violence for her children's health problems. The Georgia woman says she had been in an abusive, on-and-off relationship for six years when she became pregnant. While pregnant, she says, the conflict continued. Huff spent 25 of 37 weeks on bed rest, she says, due in part to rectal bleeding her doctors said was caused by stress. (O'Donnell and Quarshie, 1/29)

CNN: Some States Allow Parents To Get Out Of Vaccinations. Then This Happens
Two states experiencing a measles outbreak, Washington and Oregon, allow parents to opt out of vaccines simply because they want to. And while they hate to say "I told you so," pediatricians, well, told them so. "I've been saying now for the last couple of years [that] it's only a matter of time before we see a horrific measles outbreak in the Pacific Northwest," said Dr. Peter Hotez, co-director of the Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development. (Cohen and Bonifield, 1/29)

The Washington Post: These Moms Are Building A Forever Home For Their Adult Autistic Children
Susan Wallitsch is the primary caregiver for her 27-year-old son Frank, who is autistic and functionally nonverbal. A few years ago, when she had a health crisis and was temporarily unable to care for him, the solutions she found were limited — and troubling. She could look for a group home — but most have long waiting lists and would likely not accept Frank because he has behavior problems. (Bahrampour, 1/29)

NPR: Anger And Aggression In Animals And Humans
For comedian Lewis Black, anger is a job. Black is famous for his rants about stuff he finds annoying or unfair or just plain infuriating. Onstage, he often looks ready for a fight. He leans forward. He shouts. He stabs the air with an index finger, or a middle finger. To a scientist, Black looks a lot like a belligerent dog, or an irritated gerbil. (Hamilton, 1/29)

The New York Times: Can Low-Impact Sports Like Cycling Be Putting Your Bones At Risk?
Could competitive cyclists be putting their bone health at risk? A disquieting new study of bone density in elite cyclists and runners suggests that the answer might be yes. The study found that the cyclists, both male and female, had thinner bones than the runners, even though all of the athletes were young, healthy and enviably fit, and many of the cyclists lifted weights. (Reynolds, 1/30)

Los Angeles Times: California Has Mismanaged Its Veterans Home Properties, Audit Finds
California has “mismanaged” properties where its state-run veterans homes are located, failing to charge market rents to private users and shortchanging programs that should benefit from the leases, a state audit concluded Tuesday. The head of the California Department of Veterans Affairs agreed with the findings and said changes would be made, while a leading state lawmaker said Tuesday she was pursuing legislation to make sure the properties were handled properly. (McGreevy, 1/29)

The Wall Street Journal: New York Lawmakers Pass Tough Gun-Control Bills
New York lawmakers on Tuesday approved a package of gun-control measures, including a provision designed to keep firearms from people considered a risk of hurting themselves or others that is expected to spark a legal challenge. The so-called red flag bill, approved along largely party lines by both the state Senate and Assembly, would allow law-enforcement officials, family members and educators to seek an extreme-risk protection order that would prevent the purchase or possession of firearms by someone “likely to engage in conduct that would result in serious harm to himself, herself or others.” (Vielkind, 1/29)

The New York Times: ‘I’m Going To Die Here,’ She Told The Guards. They Didn’t Listen.
“Offender Dockery stated to me around 0800 at the front counter that she was having stomach pains for 2 days and wanted to go to the hospital,” read the first entry in a corrections officer’s log. It was the first of what became multiple pleas for help by a newly arrived inmate, Lamekia Dockery. The response? “I advised her to stop over-talking me.” (Nir, 1/30)

The New York Times: Baltimore Will Stop Prosecuting Marijuana Possession Cases
Baltimore has both the highest murder rate among the nation’s big cities and one of the most broken relationships between its police and its citizenry. Only one out of four homicides were solved last year. And the city’s enforcement of marijuana laws has fallen almost exclusively on African-Americans. (Dewan, 1/29)

The Associated Press: Hospital Ordered To Pay Nearly $43M To Family Of Dead Woman
A Las Vegas hospital has been ordered to pay nearly $43 million to the family of a woman who died while in the hospital’s care. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports jurors ruled in favor of plaintiffs Dwayne Murray and his 7-year-old daughter, Brooklynn, and ordered Centennial Hills Hospital to pay more than $10.5 million in compensatory damages and $32.4 million in punitive damages. The jury ruled the hospital and its staff breached standards of care by administering a drug that killed Murray’s wife, 29-year-old LaQuinta Whitley Murray. (1/29)

The Washington Post: District Leaders Urge Comprehensive Approach To Reducing Homicides
Amid a violent January in which 18 people have been killed in the District, city leaders on Tuesday pressed for additional resources for crime prevention, including a new effort to help find jobs for inmates nearing release from the city jail. Speaking at the monthly breakfast for the mayor and D.C. Council, authorities discussed a wide range of strategies to address a spike in killings in 2018 that has not abated with the start of the new year. (Hermann, 1/29)

The Associated Press: Disney World Worker Has Hepatitis A, No Others Ill
Health officials in Florida say a worker at a Walt Disney World restaurant has been diagnosed with Hepatitis A, but no other colleagues or visitors have gotten sick. Authorities said that the virus was confirmed last week in a food service worker at the Hoop-Dee-Doo musical revue at the resort's Fort Wilderness Campground. The health department has been vaccinating co-workers this week and last week. (1/29)