First Edition: July 26, 2019
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Kaiser Health News:
GOP Senators Distance Themselves From Grassley And Trump’s Efforts To Cut Drug Prices
Other obstacles have piled up. Wyden announced that Democrats, who provided most of the bill’s support in committee, would not allow a Senate vote without the Republicans agreeing to hold votes on cementing insurance protections for people with preexisting conditions. Democrats have complained for months that GOP efforts to kill the Affordable Care Act will leave people with these medical problems without any recourse to get affordable health care. Democrats also want to empower federal health officials to negotiate drug prices. Here are the three major problems revealed in Thursday’s hearing. (Huetteman, 7/25)
Kaiser Health News:
Klobuchar Says D.C. Has Enough Drug Lobbyists To Double-Team Lawmakers
Senior citizens care a lot about drug prices and the future of Medicare, so it was no surprise that at a July 15 AARP-sponsored presidential candidate forum in Iowa the first question posed to Sen. Amy Klobuchar was on those topics. As president, Klobuchar said, she would unleash the bargaining power of Medicare to lower drug prices. But she noted what she would be up against: “There are, literally, two pharmaceutical lobbyists for every member of Congress. They think they own Congress. They don’t own me.” (Appleby, 7/26)
Kaiser Health News:
Migrant Moms Await Due Dates And Court Dates
A growing number of expectant mothers are among the migrants pouring in daily from Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador — even Haiti — to more than 30 already overflowing shelters in Tijuana, Mexico. “More women are arriving pregnant or with babies,” said pastor Gustavo Banda of the Embajadores de Jesús (Ambassadors of Jesus) church, which operates a shelter in Cañón del Alacrán (Scorpion’s Canyon) on the outskirts of Tijuana. “We have a lot of Haitian women and some Central American.” Some women also get pregnant while they wait. (de Marco, 7/26)
Kaiser Health News:
Robotic Surgical Tool, Not Medical Evidence, Drives Free Hernia Screenings
Some hospitals are trying a curious new tactic to attract patients: free hernia screenings. One Illinois hospital raffled off tickets for a smart speaker to entice people to get their abdomens checked by a surgeon, while an Indiana hospital offered a chance to win dinner at a chophouse. Announcements for screening events in Colorado and Maryland warned about “life-threatening” complications that could arise if hernias are left untreated. And hospitals in Georgia and California included a chance to “test-drive” a surgical robot. (Jaklevic, 7/26)
Kaiser Health News:
Watch: Out-Of-Network Outrage After A $540K Charge For Dialysis
Sov Valentine of Plains, Mont., ran up an out-of-network bill for lifesaving kidney dialysis that topped half a million dollars in just 14 weeks. Kaiser Health News Editor-in-Chief Elisabeth Rosenthal discussed the latest NPR-KHN “Bill of the Month” installment on “CBS This Morning” on Thursday. (7/25)
The Associated Press:
Donald Who? Pelosi, Democrats Vow To ‘Own August’ On Issues
Congressional Democrats on Thursday pivoted away from questions of impeachment by saying they are going to “own” the upcoming August recess on issues like health care and prescription drug costs. “We will own August, make it too hot to handle for the Senate” to ignore Democratic legislative goals to streamline government and lower the cost of health care and prescription drugs, Pelosi said. Other Democrats gathered on the House steps under brilliant sunshine echoed that phrasing in a likely preview of the party’s message during the many town halls they’ve scheduled over the next six weeks. (Kellman, 7/25)
The New York Times:
Divided House Passes 2-Year Budget Deal To Raise Spending
A divided House on Thursday passed a two-year budget deal that would raise spending by hundreds of billions of dollars over existing caps and allow the government to keep borrowing to cover its debts, amid grumbling from fiscal conservatives over the measure’s effect on the federal deficit. (Cochrane, 7/25)
The Wall Street Journal:
House Approves Debt-Ceiling Bill Despite GOP Dissent
Members of both parties have celebrated the end of the sequestration threat, while some conservatives have bemoaned that federal spending could balloon without it. Those cuts would have reduced overall federal spending by 10% early next year, trimming $71 billion in military spending and $55 billion in domestic spending, compared with current levels. “I think it’s marvelous. It allows Congress to do what Congress should do, and that’s legislate on an annual basis,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer (R., N.D.), a member of the Senate Budget Committee. “The Budget Control Act, while it was a disciplinary tool, it was far too draconian.” (Duehren and Davidson, 7/25)
Politico:
Sweeping Budget Deal Passes House Despite Weak GOP Support
Trump had to be called upon to help. "House Republicans should support the TWO YEAR BUDGET AGREEMENT which greatly helps our Military and our Vets. I am totally with you!," Trump tweeted seven hours before the vote. The president also joined in on a conference call Thursday morning to make a hard sell to several House Republicans who remained wary of voting for the bill, assuring that he would remain supportive of the deal and vowing to back them up if they walked the proverbial plank, according to a source who was on the call. (Bresnahan, Scholtes and Emma, 7/25)
The Associated Press:
Governors Weigh Health Care Plans As They Await Court Ruling
As they gather at a conference in Utah, governors from around the U.S. are starting to think about what they will do if an appeals court upholds a lower court ruling overturning former President Barack Obama's signature health care law. More than 20 million Americans would be at risk of losing their health insurance if the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agrees with a Texas-based federal judge who declared the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional last December because Congress had eliminated an unpopular tax it imposed on people who did not buy insurance. (McCombs, 7/25)
Stat:
Senators Advance Major Drug Pricing Bill — And Keep Caps On Price Hikes
A key Senate committee on Thursday advanced a sweeping bill to lower drug prices after its members voted — narrowly — to retain its most controversial element: a cap on some drug price increases under Medicare. The broader package passed by a 19-9 margin and earned unanimous support from Democrats. GOP lawmakers opposed the legislation by a 9-5 margin. Just before the final vote on the package, a top Republican had attempted to strip the bill of its most contentious element: a cap on drug price increases that exceed the rate of inflation in the Medicare program. (Facher and Florko, 7/25)
The Associated Press:
Drug Cost Bill Advances But GOP Resistance Spells Trouble
The bill would for the first time limit out-of-pocket costs medication costs faced by seniors to $3,100, starting in 2022. Currently there is no cap, and some Medicare recipients face copays rivaling a mortgage payment. It would also require drug companies to pay rebates to Medicare if they raise prices faster than inflation. Those inflation rebates are a problem for some Republican senators, who see them as a pathway to government price controls. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 7/25)
Stat:
Grassley To Pharma: Support My Drug Pricing Bill, Or Get Ready For Trump
The Senate’s most senior Republican, facing backlash from drug makers and his own party, is trying out a new pitch for his sweeping drug pricing package: You might not like it, but it’s better than what the Trump administration and House Democrats are likely to come up with. “Who knows what he’s going to do at the last minute,” Senate Finance Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) told reporters Thursday, referring to Trump. (Florko, 7/25)
Reuters:
Drug Makers Met With Trump To Argue Against Senate Pricing Bill
The main pharmaceutical industry lobbying group said on Thursday it and some drugmakers met with President Donald Trump to voice opposition to a bipartisan U.S. Senate bill that aims to lower prescription drug prices. The White House, which has said it backs the legislation, has promised to bring down drug prices for U.S. consumers, an important campaign issue for Trump, a Republican, as well as for Democratic rivals vying to oppose him in the November 2020 presidential election. (7/25)
The New York Times:
Juul Targeted Schools, Camps And Youth Programs, House Panel Claims
Last summer, with public concern about teenage vaping growing, Juul Labs paid a charter school organization in Baltimore $134,000 to set up a five-week summer camp to teach children healthy lifestyles. The curriculum was created by Juul — maker of the very vaping devices that were causing the most alarm among parents, health experts and public officials. In April 2017, a Juul representative visited the Dwight School in New York City to meet with students — with no teachers present — and told them the company’s e-cigarettes were “totally safe.” (Kaplan, 7/25)
The Associated Press:
Juul Exec: Never Intended Electronic Cigarette For Teens
A top executive for Juul Labs said that his company never intended its electronic cigarettes to be adopted by underage teenagers, as House lawmakers on Thursday accused the company of fueling the vaping craze among high schoolers. Co-founder James Monsees testified that Juul developed its blockbuster vaping device and flavor pods for adult smokers who want to stop. He acknowledged statistics showing "a significant number of underage Americans are using e-cigarettes, including Juul products." (Perrone and Lardner, 7/25)
Reuters:
U.S. Lawmakers Grill E-Cig Maker Juul Over Efforts Targeted At Schoolchildren
E-cigarette maker Juul Labs Inc funded a "holistic health education" camp as part of efforts to market directly to school-aged children, members of a U.S. congressional panel said on Thursday, citing internal company documents. Democrats on a subcommittee of the House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Reform released a cache of internal Juul emails and other documents that committee staff described as early attempts to "enter schools and convey its messaging directly to teenage children." Juul's use of social media influencers to promote its vaping devices in the years after it launched in 2015 also came under scrutiny. (Kirkham and Pietsch, 7/25)
The Washington Post:
House Panel Accuses E-Cigarette Maker Juul Of Targeting Children
Critics at the hearing blamed Juul for what former Food and Drug Administration commissioner Scott Gottlieb has called an “epidemic” of youth vaping. Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D-Calif.) called Monsees “an example of the worst of the Bay Area. You don’t ask for permission, you ask for forgiveness. You’re nothing but a marketer of a poison, and your target is young people.” Matt Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said, “Juul’s failure to take any responsibility for the marketing they use is extraordinary.” (McGinley and Wan, 7/25)
The New York Times:
McKinsey Advised Johnson & Johnson On Increasing Opioid Sales
At the global consulting firm McKinsey & Company, the rule is sacrosanct: Never publicly disclose client advice. And for the most part, adherence to that rule has served the company well. But in recent months, as government officials seek to assign blame for the opioid crisis that has strangled large parts of the nation, McKinsey’s advice is surfacing in ways that are deeply embarrassing for the influential firm, whose clients include many of the world’s most admired companies. One lawsuit stated that McKinsey advised a pharmaceutical company to “get more patients on higher doses of opioids” and study techniques “for keeping patients on opioids longer.” (Bogdanich, 7/25)
The New York Times:
Top Border Official Is Reassigned Amid Criticism Of Conditions For Migrant Children
The highest ranking immigration official in the troubled El Paso region of the southwest border, where hundreds of children were reportedly held for weeks without enough food or the ability to bathe, has been temporarily removed from his job amid growing criticism over health and safety conditions for migrants there. Aaron Hull, a veteran border official who became the sector chief in El Paso in 2017, will be moved to Detroit on Monday, where he will oversee operations along the much slower and less contentious Canadian border, according to a statement from the agency. (Dickerson and Kanno-Youngs, 7/25)
Politico:
Dems Abruptly Pull Border Bill, Avoiding Intraparty Fight
House Democratic leaders on Thursday punted a vote on a sweeping bill that would have overhauled Trump's migrant detention policies, backing away from a major battle within their caucus over immigration on the eve of their six-week summer recess. Top Democrats had furiously worked to win support for a border bill this week from Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas), a freshman representing a border district who has become one of the top advocates to fix conditions for migrants. (Ferris, 7/25)
The Hill:
New Migrant Children's Shelter To Remain Open But Empty, Officials Say
The Trump administration's expensive new facility for holding unaccompanied migrant children in Carrizo Springs, Texas, will remain open, but empty of any children, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said Thursday. HHS spokeswoman Evelyn Stauffer said that as of Thursday, the last group of children will be discharged to an "appropriate sponsor or transferred from the Carrizo Springs temporary facility to other state licensed programs in HHS’ network of care providers." (Weixel, 7/25)
Stat:
Health Websites Are Notoriously Misleading. So We Rated Their Reliability
For millions of Americans, including health professionals, the resurgence of measles is a confounding and frightening development. How can a disease declared eliminated nearly two decades ago come back when it can be prevented with a vaccine proven to be safe and effective? But that’s not the reality for those getting their health information from online sources such as NaturalNews.com, one of many health-focused sites that peddle false and misleading claims to large audiences. (Gregory, 7/26)
Stat:
Few Medical Journals Disclose Conflicts Held By Their Editorial Teams
Although professional journals wield substantial influence over medical research and practice, very few of the publications report conflicts of interest held by their editorial staffs, potentially undermining confidence in the role they play in medicine, a new study finds. To wit, 129 of 130 high-impact medical journals that were reviewed required authors to disclose conflicts, but only 16 of those same journals — or 12% — reported potential conflicts held by individual editors. Meanwhile, in half of 26 journal categories examined — mostly, medical specialties — not one journal provided public disclosure of conflicts held by individual editors. (Silverman, 7/26)
The Associated Press:
First CRISPR Study Inside The Body To Start In US
Patients are about to be enrolled in the first study to test a gene-editing technique known as CRISPR inside the body to try to cure an inherited form of blindness. People with the disease have normal eyes but lack a gene that converts light into signals to the brain that enable sight. The experimental treatment aims to supply kids and adults with a healthy version of the gene they lack, using a tool that cuts or "edits" DNA in a specific spot. (7/25)
NPR:
Why You Should Put Down Your Phone And Say Hello To A Stranger
A body of research has shown that we might just be short-changing our own happiness by ignoring opportunities to connect with the people around us. Several years ago, University of British Columbia psychologist Elizabeth Dunn and her colleague Gillian M. Sandstrom, tested whether short conversations with strangers could lift moods. They asked participants to enter a busy coffee shop and grab a beverage — half to get in and get out, and half to strike up a conversation with the cashier. (Nicolaus, 7/26)
The Associated Press:
Girls Report More Harassment Amid Rise In US Cyberbullying
Rachel Whalen remembers feeling gutted in high school when a former friend would mock her online postings, threaten to unfollow or unfriend her on social media and post inside jokes about her to others online. The cyberbullying was so distressing that Whalen said she contemplated suicide. Once she got help, she decided to limit her time on social media. It helps to take a break from it for perspective, said Whalen, now a 19-year-old college student in Utah. There’s a rise in cyberbullying nationwide, with three times as many girls reporting being harassed online or by text message than boys, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. (Ho, 7/26)
Los Angeles Times:
Gender Gap In STEM Fields Could Be Due To Girls' Reading Skills, Not Math Ability
Why don’t more girls grow up to become scientists and engineers? It’s not that they’re bad at math, a new study argues. It’s that they’re even better at reading. This comparative advantage in reading is the primary reason why women are outnumbered by men in technical fields, according to a report published this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study authors, economists Thomas Breda of the Paris School of Economics and Clotilde Napp of the French National Center for Scientific Research, came to this conclusion by analyzing survey data from 300,000 high school students in 64 countries around the world. (De Marco, 7/25)
NPR:
Trouble Sleeping? Try A Warm Bath To Cool Down
Graduate student Shahab Haghayegh has long had trouble sleeping. But when the biomedical engineering student began his doctoral program at the University of Texas at Austin five years ago, his issues worsened. "I would go to bed at 3 or 4 a.m. and wake up at 8 a.m.," he says. The exhausted Haghayegh was getting an average of just 4 or 5 hours sleep a night. After years of near constant fatigue, he tried a bedtime home remedy: "I started using warm baths," he says. This seemed to help — actually, a lot. These days, Haghayegh says, he's able to fall asleep at midnight, getting three or four more hours of sleep per day. (Neilson, 7/25)
The New York Times:
Man Dies Of ‘Brain-Eating’ Amoeba After Swimming In Lake
A man in North Carolina died on Monday after he went swimming in a lake and was infected by Naegleria fowleri, a single-celled organism known as the “brain-eating amoeba.” The man, Eddie Gray, 59, fell ill after he visited the Fantasy Lake Water Park in Cumberland County July 12, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement on Thursday. (Fortin, 7/25)
The New York Times:
Doctors In Debt: These Physicians Gladly Struck A Deal With California
Dr. Michael Gabriel Galvez, a pediatric hand surgeon who treats mostly low-income patients at a hospital in California’s Central Valley, jokes with families that he went to “30th grade.” But that did not come cheap. The debt he has accrued from 18 years of higher education and medical training, including Stanford Medical School, fellowships and residency, is about $250,000. (And that does not include credit card debt.) (Rueb and Zraick, 7/25)
Reuters:
In Roundup Case, U.S. Judge Cuts $2 Billion Verdict Against Bayer To $86 Million
A California judge on Thursday reduced a $2 billion jury verdict, slashing the award for a couple who blamed Bayer AG's glyphosate-based weed killer Roundup for their cancer to $86.7 million. Superior Court Judge Winifred Smith of the California Superior Court in Oakland said the jury's billion-dollar punitive damages awards were excessive and unconstitutional, but rejected Bayer's request to strike the punitive award outright. (7/26)
The Wall Street Journal:
Roundup Verdict Cut To $86.7 Million From $2 Billion
Last week, a federal judge in San Francisco reduced a more than $80 million verdict to $25.3 million in the case of a Northern California resident with similar allegations. Bayer, which inherited the Roundup litigation when it bought Monsanto Co. last year, has come under fire from investors after losing three trials in California tying Roundup to cancer. Bayer is now appealing or plans to appeal the verdicts, which have each been lowered by the judges who oversaw the trials. (Randazzo, 7/25)
Los Angeles Times:
L.A. County Health Officials Warn Of Measles Exposure At Westside Shops
Los Angeles County officials warned Thursday that a county resident with measles may have exposed others at several shops on the Westside. Officials identified businesses in Venice, Brentwood and Santa Monica that the infected person visited, along with a coffee shop in downtown L.A., over a three-day period last week. (Karlamangla, 7/25)
The Washington Post:
Backlash Intensifies Over D.C. Plan To End Disabilities Services Contract
Backlash intensified this week to the D.C. government’s effort to end a 14-year-old partnership with Georgetown University that provides a range of medical and social services for people with disabilities. The District’s Department on Disability Services has announced that it will end its contract with Georgetown in August, moving the services currently offered by the university in-house or replacing them through another contractor. City officials say the move has been in the works for years and will maintain the same services now offered while shifting some costs to the federal government. (Jamison, 7/25)
The Washington Post:
76 Baltimore Police Misconduct Cases Have Been Allowed To Expire Since 2016
An ongoing failure by Baltimore police internal affairs detectives to investigate misconduct complaints against officers in a timely manner has resulted in 76 such cases expiring without any conclusions on the officers’ guilt or innocence since 2016, the Baltimore Sun has found. Emails between Baltimore police commanders, obtained by the Sun through a public records request, show a pattern of detectives and their internal affairs supervisors failing to investigate administrative misconduct cases within Maryland’s one-year limit for such work. (Rector, 7/25)