First Edition: January 4, 2019

Kaiser Health News: As Hospitals Post Sticker Prices Online, Most Patients Will Remain Befuddled
As of Jan. 1, in the name of transparency, the Trump administration required that all hospitals post their list prices online. But what is popping up on medical center websites is a dog’s breakfast of medical codes, abbreviations and dollar signs — in little discernible order — that may initially serve to confuse more than illuminate. Anyone who has ever tried to find out in advance how much a hospital test, procedure or stay will cost knows the frustration: “Nope, can’t tell you” or “It depends” are common replies from insurers and medical centers. (Appleby, 1/4)

Kaiser Health News: Medicaid Patients In Puerto Rico Don’t Get Coverage For Drugs To Cure Hepatitis C
Drugs that can cure hepatitis C revolutionized care for millions of Americans living with the deadly liver infection. The drugs came with a steep price tag — one that prompted state Medicaid programs to initially limit access to the medications to only the sickest patients. That eased, however, in many states as new drugs were introduced and the prices declined. But not in Puerto Rico. Medicaid patients in the American territory get no coverage for these drugs. (Heredia Rodriguez, 1/4)

Kaiser Health News: Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Ask Us Anything!
This week, KHN’s “What the Health?” panelists answered questions submitted by listeners. Among the topics covered were why Medicare doesn’t cover most dental care, how to address high drug prices and what federal officials do with all that data they collect from health care providers. (1/3)

The Associated Press: As Health Law Case Goes To Appeals Court, Sign-Ups Steady
Democratic attorneys general on Thursday appealed a federal court ruling that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional, as new enrollment numbers underscored the staying power of the Obama-era law. The government reported that about 8.4 million Americans have signed up this year under the law, reflecting steady demand for its subsidized health insurance. President Donald Trump still disdains "Obamacare," but he failed to repeal it after promising a better plan in its place. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 1/3)

The Wall Street Journal: Democratic-Led States Appeal Ruling Invalidating Affordable Care Act
Sixteen states on Thursday appealed a Texas judge’s ruling that invalidated the Affordable Care Act, opening the next phase of legal proceedings over the fate of the Obama-era health-care law. The ACA, which overhauled the nation’s health insurance system in 2010, will remain in effect during the appeals process, which could last a year—or potentially longer if the case lands at the Supreme Court. That timeline also means the health-care law will likely continue to be a major political issue, including in the 2020 presidential campaign. (Kendall and Armour, 1/3)

The Washington Post: The New Congress: Pelosi Retakes House Gavel As Shutdown Continues
The House of Representatives elected Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) as speaker for a second time Thursday, the first day of a new, divided Congress that is more likely to confront President Trump. The 78-year-old California Democrat secured the votes of 220 members of a total of 430 present. Rep. Kevin McCarthy (Calif.), the top Republican in the chamber, received 192 votes. (Sonmez and Wagner, 1/3)

The Associated Press: Speaker Again, Pelosi Sees 'New Dawn' For 116th Congress
Pelosi promised to "restore integrity to government" and outlined an agenda "to lower health costs and prescription drug prices and protect people with pre-existing medical conditions; to increase paychecks by rebuilding America with green and modern infrastructure from sea to shining sea. "The day unfolded as one of both celebration and impatience. Newly elected lawmakers arrived, often with friends and families in tow, to take the oath of office and pose for ceremonial photos. Then they swiftly turned to the shutdown. (1/3)

The Wall Street Journal: Nancy Pelosi Elected Speaker As House Votes For End To Shutdown
“We enter this new Congress with a sense of great hope and confidence for the future, and deep humility and prayerfulness in the face of the challenges ahead,” Mrs. Pelosi said in a speech to the House, describing the Democrats’ mandate as lowering health-care and prescription-drug costs, protecting individuals with pre-existing medical conditions and “rebuilding America with green and modern infrastructure.” (Andrews and Peterson, 1/3)

The Washington Post: House Democrats Vote To Defend ACA In Court — And Jam Republicans
House Democrats used their new majority on Thursday to squeeze Republicans on health care, taking the first step to intervene in a court case in which a Texas judge has ruled the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional. That move will be followed by a vote next week designed to force GOP lawmakers into a political corner: agree to defend a law many members have spent years reviling or appear to oppose popular ACA protections for millions of Americans with preexisting medical conditions that many have pledged to uphold. (Goldstein, 1/3)

Politico: Democrats Won The House On Obamacare. Here’s How They Plan To Defend It.
“Many [Republicans], in a very inauthentic way, in my mind, indicated that they were prepared to protect Americans with pre-existing conditions," said Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), the chairman of the House Democratic Caucus. "Now we’re going to give them an opportunity to do so.” Those votes are just opening salvos from House Democrats, who also plan to go after the Trump administration policies that they say have purposefully undermined Obamacare by depressing enrollment, cutting subsidies, promoting skimpy alternative health coverage, and even having the Department of Justice take the unusual move of supporting key elements of a lawsuit against the federal health law. (Cancryn and Ollstein, 1/4)

The Washington Post: House Democrats Plan To Hold Hearings On Medicare For All
The new Democratic majority in the House will hold the first hearings on Medicare-for-All legislation, a longtime goal of the party’s left, after Speaker Nancy Pelosi lent her support for the process. “It’s a huge step forward to have the speaker’s support,” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), who will be the House sponsor of the legislation, usually denoted as HR 676. “We have to push on the inside while continuing to build support for this on the outside.” (Weigel, 1/3)

The Hill: Pelosi Supports Holding Hearings On 'Medicare For All' 
Pelosi had said last year only that Medicare for all would "have to be evaluated" and is "on the table." Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), the main sponsor of Medicare for all in the House, said Thursday that hearings would likely start in the Rules and Budget committees. That would leave out the main committees with jurisdiction over the issue: Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means. The chairmen of those committees have not given their backing to Medicare for all, while the chairmen of Rules and Budget have. (Sullivan, 1/3)

The Wall Street Journal: New House Committee Chiefs Take Their Chairs
With control of the House of Representatives, Democrats take over the chairman’s seat in the chamber’s committees. Here are the men and women who will be setting the agenda for key panels, and what policy changes to expect from them. (1/4)

The New York Times: As Shutdown Persists, New Congress Opens With Celebration And Uncertainty
It was a festive but awkward opening of the new Congress. Newly sworn-in members celebrated their electoral success surrounded by family, Democrats cheered their returned speaker and Republicans applauded their expanded majority in the Senate. (Hulse, 1/4)

The Wall Street Journal: House Passes Spending Package In Bid To End Shutdown
House Democrats passed a spending package aimed at reopening the federal government, defying President Trump’s demands for border-wall funding on their first day in power. With a partial government shutdown approaching two full weeks, the House voted, 241-190, on Thursday night to approve a package that included six uncontroversial spending bills crafted in the Senate that would fund most of the government through September. (Peterson, 1/4)

The Hill: Maine Governor Signs Order To Begin Medicaid Expansion 
Maine’s new Democratic Gov. Janet Mills ordered the state to move ahead on Medicaid expansion with her first executive order on Thursday, more than a year after voters approved the measure. The order calls for state health officials to make the necessary changes and work with the Trump administration to “swiftly and efficiently” implement Medicaid expansion. (Weixel, 1/3)

The New York Times: Their Influence Diminishing, Veterans Groups Compete With Each Other And Struggle With The V.A.
For generations, Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion posts have been as integral to American political culture as pancake breakfasts, town squares and state fairs. In advocating for veterans — among the country’s most revered and coveted voters — the groups have wielded unquestioned power on Capitol Hill and inside the White House. Now, nearly a generation after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the oldest and largest veterans service organizations — known colloquially as “the Big Six” — are seeing their influence diluted, as newer, smaller organizations focused on post-9/11 veterans compete for money, political influence and relevance. (Steinhauer, 1/4)

The New York Times: Bristol-Myers To Acquire Celgene In Deal Worth $74 Billion
Bristol-Myers Squibb said on Thursday that it would buy Celgene, a maker of cancer-fighting drugs, in a cash-and-stock deal valued at $74 billion, the first major pharmaceutical deal of 2019. Between them, the two companies produce nine drugs with annual sales of more than $1 billion apiece, Bristol-Myers said in a statement. Bristol-Myers shareholders will own 69 percent of the combined entity; Celgene shareholders will own the rest. Celgene shareholders will get one Bristol-Myers share and $50 in cash for each Celgene share. The deal values Celgene shares at $102.43 apiece, a 53.7 percent premium on the stock’s closing price on Wednesday. (Hsu and Thomas, 1/3)

The Associated Press: Bristol-Myers Squibb Buying Celgene In $74B Deal
Bristol would gain the cancer treatment Revlimid in the cash-and-stock deal announced Thursday, as well as inflammatory disease treatments and several products close to launching. The combined company will have nine products with more than $1 billion in annual sales. Bristol’s product portfolio already includes Orencia, an injected drug for rheumatoid arthritis, and the cancer treatment Opdivo. Bristol Chairman and CEO Giovanni Caforio said in a prepared statement that the combination will create a deep product portfolio that drives growth. (1/3)

Stat: 9 Big Takeaways From The $74 Billion Bristol-Celgene Deal 
Bristol-Myers Squibb and Celgene wrested biotech from its post-holiday malaise with a proposed $74 billion merger, a plan that has sweeping implications for the drug industry as it grapples with declining fortunes, pressure over pricing, and nagging questions about its scientific productivity. Here are nine major takeaways from one of the biggest buyout in pharmaceutical history. (Garde, Feuerstein and Silverman, 1/3)

The Wall Street Journal: Advances In Cancer Drugs Fuel Blockbuster Deal
Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.’s blockbuster $74 billion deal to buy rival Celgene Corp. creates a cancer-drug powerhouse amid industrywide excitement about the rapidly evolving science and explosive growth of the sector. The agreement could signal a return of deal-making to the pharmaceutical industry as a whole, particularly in the $123 billion world-wide market for cancer drugs, now one of the biggest pharmaceutical sectors. Major scientific advances have led to groundbreaking new medicines, which in turn have created a commercial battlefield. (Hopkins, 1/3)

Stat: Why Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Giovanni Caforio Is Buying Celgene
With its announcement on Thursday that it will acquire biotech bellwether Celgene, Bristol-Myers Squibb has placed a very big bet: that it is worth $74 billion to combine its cancer drugs with Celgene’s. ...[Bristol Chairman and Chief Executive Giovanni] Caforio has been under pressure to set a new course since August 2016, when a big study of Bristol’s cancer immunotherapy, Opdivo, failed to show a benefit in previously untreated patients with non-small cell lung cancer, a particularly lucrative market. Opdivo has remained a huge success, but this gave an opening to rival Merck. (Herper, 1/3)

Stat: Will San Francisco's Issues Push People Away From J.P. Morgan? 
If you were to ask health-care and biotech executives where they want to be next week — where they truly want to be — they will not say San Francisco. Anywhere, they will say, but San Francisco. There’s the garbage and the human excrement on the sidewalks. There’s the mad dash to try find available accommodations. There’s the panhandling, evidence of the city’s handling of its worsening homelessness crisis. Oh, and there’s the $14,000 meeting cubicles and the coffee, available (this is true) for $170 per gallon. (Feuerstein, Robbins and Garde, 1/3)

Bloomberg: Drug-Price Fight Squeezes Pharma Between Wall Street And Trump 
Washington wants drug prices to fall. Wall Street wants stock prices to rise. For some of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies, pleasing both sides could be a problem. Last year, the industry promised restraint after President Donald Trump took aim at rising pharmaceutical costs. On Jan. 1, drugmakers returned to their annual practice of regular increases, boosting prices for dozens of treatments, from hot-selling arthritis therapies to painkillers at the center of the U.S. opioid epidemic. (Spalding and Griffin, 1/3)

Stat: Payers Expect Drug Prices To Rise 3 To 5 Percent Annually Over Next Three Years 
President Trump may be expecting a tremendous drop in prescription drug prices, but more than two dozen payers think otherwise: They foresee their per-unit acquisition costs rising between 3 percent and 5 percent annually over the next three years, according to a new survey by Cowen analysts. Moreover, 13 percent of the payers attributed a substantial portion of those anticipated increases to more higher priced, newer medicines. By contrast, 40 percent of payers last year expected cost increases would be due to new therapies with high price tags. (Silverman, 1/3)

Stat: How Do CEO Presenters Rise Above A 'Sea Of Boring Sameness' At J.P. Morgan?
Mike Huckman is a global practice leader at the PR firm W20, and he’s experienced J.P. Morgan from both sides of the podium, first as a biopharma reporter at CNBC and now in his career advising drug companies on how not to be boring. That means he’s seen the industry’s addiction to jargon up close. Keeping in mind the many executives polishing up their J.P. Morgan speeches this week, STAT asked Huckman to share some tips on how to keep your audience’s eyes from rolling deep into their heads. (Robbins, Feuerstein and Garde, 1/4)

The Wall Street Journal: Hospitals See Opportunity In Bringing Care Facilities To Patients
For most hospital systems, growth comes through mergers or an acquisition. But when there isn’t another system to acquire, one answer is to multiply. Hospital for Special Surgery, the oldest orthopedic hospital in the U.S., is multiplying rapidly. In the coming year, it will open two locations on Manhattan’s West Side, including a sports-medicine focused office in Hudson Yards and a larger outpatient facility in the Columbus Circle area. In addition, outposts and collaborations are in development for locations in Midtown Manhattan, the New York City borough of Brooklyn, West Palm Beach, Fla., and Aspen, Colo. (West, 1/3)

The Washington Post: Baby DNA Tests Raise As Many Questions As Answers
Within 24 hours of giving birth to a healthy baby girl, Lauren Stetson grappled with a dilemma: whether to enroll her newborn Cora in a study that would test the baby’s DNA and potentially foresee health issues that her parents might not otherwise discover. Stetson, recovering from childbirth and just getting to know her second baby, was distracted. But her husband, Kyle, a technology enthusiast, listened intently, and they talked it over. (Johnson, 1/3)

The Associated Press: Detecting Depression: Phone Apps Could Monitor Teen Angst
Rising suicide rates and depression in U.S. teens and young adults have prompted researchers to ask a provocative question: Could the same devices that some people blame for contributing to tech-age angst also be used to detect it? The idea has sparked a race to develop apps that warn of impending mental health crises. Call it smartphone psychiatry or child psychology 2.0. (Tanner, 1/3)

CNN: Social Media And Depression: Link Might Be Stronger In Girls
Though social media can be a helpful tool for teenagers to learn and connect with friends, experts have long warned that too much Snapchatting or Instagramming can come with downsides. There appears to be a connection between social media use and depressive symptoms in 14-year-olds, and that connection may be much stronger for girls than boys, according to a study published in the journal EClinicalMedicine on Thursday. (Howard, 1/3)

The New York Times: These 4 New Yorkers Are Experts In Living. What Do They Know That We Don’t?
Nearly four years ago, I began following six people over age 85 to see what their lives were like: what kept them going, what they hoped for or feared. This past year, I asked Jonas Mekas, now 96, about death and the afterlife. The question had particular resonance. In summer Mr. Mekas had been hospitalized for a blood disorder that was still mysterious to his doctors. It was the first sign in four years that he was mortal. He canceled a trip to Berlin because he was tired and short of breath, and was now walking with a cane, his complexion grayish. Since his 20s he had used his movie camera to protect him from the outside world. Now his doctors were using cameras to explore the worlds within. (Leland, 1/4)

CNN: The Secret To A Long, Happy, Healthy Life? Think Age-Positive
We've long been told to respect our elders. But now there is scientific evidence that respect can potentially save lives among the elderly and keep them both physically and mentally healthy. An analysis by the global journalism network Orb Media found that countries with high levels of respect for the elderly recorded better health among older populations and lower poverty levels for over-60s. (Avramova, 1/3)

CNN: Mediterranean Diet: How To Start And Stay On It
A diet that's good for healthy weight loss? Check. One that reduces the risk for diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease, stroke and some cancers? Check. A diet that strengthens bones, improves brain health and wards off dementia and depression? Check. (LaMotte, 1/3)

The Wall Street Journal: Fish Oil: Hunting For Evidence To Tip The Scales
Millions of Americans take fish-oil supplements every day, hoping to prevent heart disease, depression, even premature birth. It is one of the most popular dietary supplements in the U.S. Reams of research exist on fish-oil supplements, but questions remain on their benefits. Many studies so far suggest the supplements don’t offer the benefits that marketers tout. A recent large, randomized clinical trial found that fish oil taken at a dosage found in many supplements didn’t reduce the incidence of heart disease or cancer, the main benefits with which it is associated. (McKay, 1/2)

The Associated Press: Officers To Be Charged After 2 Patients Drowned In Van
Charges are expected Friday against two South Carolina law enforcement officers who were transporting two mental patients who drowned while locked in the back of a van during Hurricane Florence, according to a prosecutor's statements to several media outlets. Stephen Flood will be charged with two counts each of reckless homicide and involuntary manslaughter, Solicitor Ed Clements told news outlets late Thursday. Joshua Bishop will be charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter, he said. (Kinnard, 1/3)

NPR: South Carolina Deputies Will Face Charges In Drowning Deaths Of 2 Women
Horry County Deputy Stephen Flood "made a conscious decision" to drive the van around a barricade and into an area threatened by rising floodwaters in violation of safety policy, according to a report by the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy and cited by WMBF News. Flood will be charged with two counts each of reckless homicide and involuntary manslaughter, according to The Associated Press citing statements by Marion County Solicitor Ed Clements. Deputy Joshua Bishop will be charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter. (Gonzales, 1/3)

The Associated Press: Minimum Wage, Health Care, Top Issues In 2019 Legislature
More affordable prescription drugs, a higher minimum wage, and protections for abortion rights are among the top issues Maryland lawmakers are expected to debate when they gather for their annual legislative session next week. They also plan to study how best to legalize recreational marijuana if voters approve it on next year’s ballot. When lawmakers convene Wednesday for their 90-day session, there will be a record number of female legislators: 72 out of 188 members, or about 38 percent of the General Assembly. (Witte, 1/3)

Reuters: U.S. Judge Limits Evidence In Trial Over Roundup Cancer Claims
A federal judge overseeing lawsuits alleging Bayer AG's glyphosate-based weed killer causes cancer has issued a ruling that could severely restrict evidence that the plaintiffs consider crucial to their cases. U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria in San Francisco in an order on Thursday granted Bayer unit Monsanto's request to split an upcoming trial into two phases. The order initially bars lawyers for plaintiff Edwin Hardeman from introducing evidence that the company allegedly attempted to influence regulators and manipulate public opinion. (Bellon, 1/3)

Reuters: Woman First To Claim Infection After Surgery At New Jersey Facility
A former patient at a New Jersey surgical facility that state health officials said may have exposed thousands of patients to HIV and other blood-borne pathogens has tested positive for hepatitis B, one of her lawyers said on Thursday. The unidentified 58-year-old Brooklyn woman, a plaintiff in a lawsuit filed on Monday, is the first of 3,778 former patients at HealthPlus Surgery Center in Saddle Brook, New Jersey, known to claim she or he became infected because of faulty sterilization and medication practices at the facility. (1/3)

The Associated Press: Judge Issues Injunction Over Women’s Prison Medical Care
A federal judge issued an injunction Wednesday against top Virginia Department of Corrections officials, saying the department failed to provide adequate medical care at a women’s prison near Charlottesville. News outlets report that Judge Norman Moon ruled the department didn’t live up to 8 of 22 standards established by a 2016 settlement aimed at improving care at Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women. Lawyers for the state have denied that any settlement provisions were breached. (1/3)

The Associated Press: Local Maryland Officials To Support Prescription Drug Board
Leading local officials in Maryland’s largest counties are expected to support a proposal to create a state board to review the affordability of prescription drugs. Several county executives are expected to endorse legislation on Thursday to create a prescription drug affordability board. They include Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks. (1/3)

The Washington Post: New Jersey 11-Year-Old Cameron Jean-Pierre Died After Inhaling Fish Fumes, Father Says
Cod was cooking on the stove when 11-year-old Cameron Jean-Pierre arrived at his grandmother’s home in New York. Cameron, who had a known allergy to seafood, started to wheeze during the visit this week, so his father said he reached for his son’s asthma medication. But this time, the nebulizer machine that Cameron had used during allergy attacks in the past, did not seem to be working — the young boy could not breathe in the air, his father said. (Bever, 1/3)