First Edition: July 29, 2022

KHN: Hospices Have Become Big Business For Private Equity Firms, Raising Concerns About End-Of-Life Care
Hospice care, once provided primarily by nonprofit agencies, has seen a remarkable shift over the past decade, with more than two-thirds of hospices nationwide now operating as for-profit entities. The ability to turn a quick profit in caring for people in their last days of life is attracting a new breed of hospice owners: private equity firms. That rapid growth has many hospice veterans worried that the original hospice vision may be fading, as those capital investment companies’ demand for return on investment and the debt load they force hospices to bear are hurting patients and their families. (Hawryluk, 7/29)

KHN: What The Polio Case In New York Tells Us About The End Of Polio
No one studying polio knew more than Albert Sabin, the Polish-American scientist whose vaccine against the crippling disease has been used worldwide since 1959. Sabin’s oral vaccine provides lifelong immunity. It has one drawback, which Sabin, who died in 1993, fiercely disputed: In rare cases, the weakened live poliovirus in the vaccine can mutate, regain virulence, and cause polio. Those rare mutations — one of which appears to have paralyzed a young man in Rockland County, New York, who belongs to a vaccine-resistant Hasidic Jewish community, officials there reported July 21 — have taken center stage in the global campaign to eradicate polio, the largest international public health effort in history. (Allen, 7/29)

KHN: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Manchin Makes A Deal
The Democrats’ on-again, off-again budget bill is apparently on again, and it’s bigger than expected. In a surprise move, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced an agreement with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) to expand the scope of the limited health bill that was headed to the Senate floor to also include climate change and some tax increases for corporations and certain wealthy Americans. (7/28)

Reuters: U.S. Says Insurers Must Still Cover Birth Control After Supreme Court Abortion Ruling
The Biden administration on Thursday warned U.S. businesses and health insurance providers that limiting coverage of contraceptives, after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that overturned the constitutional right to abortion, would violate federal law. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued guidance clarifying that the Affordable Care Act (ACA), commonly known as Obamacare, requires insurance plans to provide free birth control and family-planning counseling to insured individuals and their dependents. (Wiessner, 7/29)

CNN: At Least 43 Abortion Clinics Shut In Month After Supreme Court Overturned Roe, Research Says, With More Likely To Close
The research was published Thursday by the Guttmacher Institute, a research and policy organization focused on sexual and reproductive health that supports abortion rights. The closures are concentrated in the South and Midwest, regions that have banned or significantly restricted access to abortion. Guttmacher predicts that the state of abortion access, already "dire," will get even worse as more states ban abortion in the coming weeks and months. (Christensen and Sneed, 7/28)

The Washington Post: Girl, 12, Challenges W.Va. Lawmakers On Abortion: ‘What About My Life?’
In a public hearing for a West Virginia abortion bill that would ban the procedure in almost all cases, a 12-year-old girl supporting abortion rights took to the lectern Wednesday and asked Republican lawmakers whether they care about her or young people like her: “What about my life?”... “If a man decides that I’m an object and does unspeakable and tragic things to me, am I, a child, supposed to birth and carry another child? Am I to put my body through the physical trauma of pregnancy? Am I to suffer the mental implications, a child who had no say in what was being done with my body?” She added, “Some here say they are pro-life. What about my life? Does my life not matter to you?” (Bella, 7/28)

The New York Times: States With Abortion Bans Are Among Least Supportive For Mothers And Children
According to a New York Times analysis, the 24 states that have banned abortion (or probably will) fare worse on a broad range of outcomes than states where abortion will probably remain legal, including child and maternal mortality, teenage birthrates and the share of women and children who are uninsured. The states likely to ban abortion either have laws predating Roe that ban abortion; have recently passed stringent restrictions; or have legislatures that are actively considering new bans. (Badger, Sanger-Katz, and Cain Miller, 7/28)

AP: Abortion Access Finds A Place Even In Down-Ballot Campaigns
Appearing bare-shouldered in a TV ad, Connecticut Democrat Dita Bhargava looks directly into the camera and promises, if elected, to “lead the crusade” for abortion rights. Photos of other women flash on the screen, also with no clothes showing. “This is who have freedom over their own bodies stripped away,” Bhargava says in the commercial, referring to the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling overturning the constitutional right to abortion. “This is who the Supreme Court left completely vulnerable.” (Haigh and Carr Smith, 7/29)

The Washington Post: Alito Dismisses Criticism Of Abortion Ruling Reversing Roe V. Wade
Alito spoke July 21 at the Notre Dame Religious Liberty Summit, sponsored by the Religious Liberty Initiative at the university’s law school. It was established in 2020 to promote “religious freedom for people of all faiths through scholarship, events, and the Law School’s Religious Liberty Clinic,” which files briefs at the Supreme Court. (Barnes, 7/28)

The Hill: Indiana OB/GYN Who Provided Abortion Services To 10-Year-Old Says AG’s Probes ‘Riddled With Inaccuracies’
The law office representing Bernard, DeLaney & DeLaney, released a statement on Thursday saying Rokita had forwarded six letters to the doctor on Tuesday informing her that six “consumer complaint” investigations had been started. The law firm asserted that none of individuals involved in the complaints ever had any direct interactions with Bernard. The complaints appear to have come from people living in California, Kentucky, Missouri and Ohio. Only one complaint involved a person from Indiana, where Bernard is based. (Choi, 7/28)

AP: Wolf Sues To Stop GOP-Backed Amendments On Abortion, Voting
Pennsylvania’s Democratic governor sued the state Legislature on Thursday over a package of proposed constitutional amendments that Republican lawmakers are pursuing, including one that would say the state constitution does not guarantee any rights relating to abortion or public funding of abortions. (Scolforo, 7/29)

AP: Push To Tighten Abortion Ban Bill Fails In Indiana Senate
Indiana’s Republican-dominated Senate rejected a push by conservative lawmakers Thursday night to strip exceptions for rape and incest victims in a proposal that would ban most abortions in the state. (Davies and Rodgers, 7/29)

AP: Ellison: No Appeal To Defend Minnesota Abortion Restrictions
Attorney General Keith Ellison said Thursday that he won’t appeal a ruling that struck down most of Minnesota’s restrictions on abortion as unconstitutional, saying the state has already spent enough time and money on the case and is unlikely to win an appeal anyway. Ellison, a Democrat who supports abortion rights, called his decision “in the public interest and ... the right legal decision.” (7/28)

AP: ND Abortion Clinic Says Minnesota Move Won't Delay Services
A judge’s ruling that will delay the closing of North Dakota’s lone abortion clinic should provide more than enough time to move the business to a neighboring city in Minnesota, the facility’s owner and operator said Thursday. In fact, Red River Women’s Clinic director Tammi Kromenaker said she was prepared to open shop in Moorhead, Minnesota, next week if the North Dakota’s abortion ban had gone into effect Thursday. She said now, though, she’ll have more time to make sure the move from Fargo goes smoothly. (Kolpack, 7/28)

AP: After Abortion Ruling, WVa Could Become 1st To Pass New Bill
A bill up for a final vote in West Virginia’s Senate could make the state the first to pass new legislation restricting access to abortions after the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling removing its protected status as a constitutional right. Senators are set to meet Friday afternoon for a third reading of the bill, which some complained was not vetted in any of the chamber’s committees. If passed, it would head to the Republican governor, who has signaled he favors a statewide ban. (Raby, 7/29)

AP: NC Republicans Ask Judge To Reinstate 20-Week Abortion Ban
North Carolina’s Republican General Assembly leaders have asked a federal judge to reinstate a 20-week abortion ban previously thrown out by courts, despite the Democratic attorney general’s refusal to seek enforcement of the ban after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned nationwide abortion protections. (Schoenbaum, 7/28)

AP: Kentucky AG Appeals Judge's Order That Blocks Abortion Ban
Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron is asking a state appeals court to overturn an injunction issued last week that blocks the state’s abortion ban. The injunction ruling by a judge in Louisville prevents the state’s near-total ban on abortion from taking effect. The state’s two abortion clinics in Louisville have continued providing abortion since the judge first blocked the law last month. (7/28)

NPR: Matt Gaetz Mocked Olivia Julianna. She Raised $700,000 For Abortion In Response
Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz attempted to humiliate a teenage girl after arguing that overweight and unattractive women don't need to worry about getting pregnant or needing abortions. That same girl has since raised over $700,000 for abortion care. (Jones, 7/28)

AP: Under Fire, US Officials Say Monkeypox Can Still Be Stopped
The country’s monkeypox outbreak can still be stopped, U.S. health officials said Thursday, despite rising case numbers and so far limited vaccine supplies. The Biden administration’s top health official pushed back against criticism about the pace of the response and worries that the U.S. has missed the window to contain the virus, which has been declared a global emergency. (Perrone, 7/28)

The Washington Post: Monkeypox Emergencies Declared In San Francisco, New York
The action by two of the hardest-hit areas comes after the World Health Organization declared a global emergency this past weekend and as the Biden administration weighs a national emergency declaration. More than 40 percent of the nation’s confirmed 4,907 monkeypox cases have been reported in California and New York. (Nirappil, 7/28)

Stateline: Monkeypox Straining Already Overstretched Public Health System
Some public health authorities worry about the continued ability of an exhausted and perennially underfunded public health system to meet multiple threats at once. “Our staff is very professional and dedicated, and they are going to do what needs to be done,” said Patrick McGough, CEO of the health department in Oklahoma City and Oklahoma County. “Right now, our capacity is good, but like anything, if it gets overwhelming, if we have two or three things going on at the same time, it could get dicey.” (Ollove, 7/28)

CNN: Testing Is Crucial To Getting Monkeypox Under Control, But There's A 'Shocking' Lack Of Demand
Mayo Clinic Laboratories, for example, has the capacity to process 1,000 monkeypox samples a week but has received only 45 specimens from doctors since starting monkeypox testing July 11. Another of the labs, Aegis Sciences Corp., can do 5,000 tests per week but has received zero samples over the past two weeks. At Labcorp, one of the largest commercial labs in the US, uptake has been higher but still "extremely low," according to Dr. Brian Caveney, the lab's president of diagnostics. (Cohen, 7/28)

Axios: Monkeypox Virus: One In Five Fear Contracting The Infection As Cases Rise
About 20% of Americans are afraid they'll soon contract monkeypox, but there are still some significant holes in the public's understanding of the virus, according to a new survey from the Annenberg Public Policy Center. (Bettelheim, 7/29)

Politico: Schumer: New York To Receive 110K Monkeypox Vaccine Doses
The federal government is sending New York 110,000 new monkeypox vaccine doses, the bulk of which will go to New York City — the largest U.S. hot spot for the virus, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced Thursday. Key context: New York City will receive 80,000 vaccine doses — more than 10 percent of 786,000 from Denmark that are now in the national stockpile, according to the New York Democrat’s office. The rest of the state will get 30,000 doses. (Young, 7/28)

Houston Chronicle: Houston Lifts Pause On Monkeypox Vaccine Appointments, Citing New Shipments
Houston has lifted its pause on booking new appointments for the monkeypox vaccine, after receiving word late Thursday night from the feds that it will receive 16,780 doses in coming weeks. The news comes just eight hours after the Health Department paused new slots, citing a short supply. The city has received about 5,300 doses to date, enough to fully vaccinate 2,650 people with the two-shot regimen. It gave Harris County 1,500 doses and has booked 1,146 appointments through Aug. 8. (McGuinness, 7/28)

AP: Africa's Alone In Monkeypox Deaths But Has No Vaccine Doses
Africa still does not have a single dose of the monkeypox vaccine even though it’s the only continent to have documented deaths from the disease that’s newly declared a global emergency, its public health agency announced Thursday. (Anna, 7/28)

AP: Los Angeles County Avoids New Mask Rule As COVID Stabilizes
Los Angeles County dropped a plan to impose a universal indoor mask mandate this week as COVID-19 infections and rates of hospitalizations have stabilized, a top health official said Thursday. (Weber, 7/28)

Bloomberg: Biden Deviates From CDC Covid Guidelines By Ditching Mask At Meeting
President Joe Biden resumed in-person public events a day after ending his Covid isolation, deviating from federal health guidance that people recovering from the disease wear a mask for 10 days. Biden attended a briefing Thursday afternoon indoors with several aides, including Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, as well as Marriott International CEO Tony Capuano. He entered with a mask but took it off and distanced himself from others in the room. (Wingrove, 7/28)

The New York Times: In Rural America, Covid Hits Black And Hispanic People Hardest
The coronavirus pandemic walloped rural America last year, precipitating a surge of deaths among white residents as the virus inflamed longstanding health deficits there.But across the small towns and farmlands, new research has found, Covid killed Black and Hispanic people at considerably higher rates than it did their white neighbors. Even at the end of the pandemic’s second year, in February 2022, overstretched health systems, poverty, chronic illnesses and lower vaccination rates were forcing nonwhite people to bear the burden of the virus. (Mueller, 7/28)

NPR: Evusheld, Which Helps The Immunocompromised Avoid COVID-19, Made More Available
The federal government is trying to make it easier for immunocompromised patients to access a treatment that can protect them against COVID-19 by allowing individual health care providers to order small amounts — up to three patient courses at a time, according to a Health and Human Services Department spokesperson. (Stein, 7/28)

Reuters: CanSinoBIO's Inhaled COVID Booster Stronger Against BA.1 Omicron Subvariant Than Sinovac Shot
Chinese vaccine firm CanSino Biologic's inhalation-based candidate elicited a better antibody response as a booster against the BA.1 Omicron sub-variant than Sinovac's shot, but the antibody level dropped in months, clinical trial data showed. (7/29)

AP: Deal On Capitol Hill Could Ease Seniors' Health Costs
A deal on Capitol Hill that could cut prescription drug costs for millions of Medicare beneficiaries was cautiously cheered by older Americans and their advocates Thursday even as many worried it might never come to fruition. The health care and climate agreement struck by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin includes landmark provisions that could help senior citizens, including a cap on out-of-pocket Medicare drug costs and a requirement that the government negotiate prices on some high-cost drugs. (Sedensky and Johnson, 7/28)

The Washington Post: Manchin Deal Puts Drug Companies In Line For A Rare Loss On Drug Pricing
After winning the support of Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.), Senate Democrats say they will pass a sweeping bill as early as next week that, along with climate and deficit-reduction measures, would give Medicare powers to negotiate prices on select numbers of the costliest drugs for the first time since Congress passed the prescription drug benefit for seniors in 2003. (Rowland, 7/28)

The Hill: Health Care — Dems Look To Add Insulin To Schumer-Manchin Deal
The move to include insulin measures in the party-line package, which is set to get a vote as soon as next week, comes as a separate bipartisan insulin bill has hit obstacles.  Potential measures to be included are: A $35-per-month cap on what patients have to pay out-of-pocket for the drug. Allowing Medicare to negotiate lower prices for insulin. (Sullivan, Weixel and Choi, 7/28)

The Hill: Republicans Object To $21B COVID Funding
Senate Democrats on Thursday unveiled a measure to provide $21 billion in emergency funding to fight COVID-19, but immediately ran into roadblocks from Republicans. The measure would provide funding for research on improved vaccines that can better combat new variants and allow for the purchasing of additional vaccines, tests and treatments. (Sullivan, Weixel and Choi, 7/28)

Politico: Senate Ag-FDA Bill Closely Matches House Proposal
Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), the chair of the Senate Appropriations Agriculture-FDA Subcommittee, said legislators found “common ground on the need to increase investments for the Food Safety Inspection Service and the Food and Drug Administration,” and “worked across party lines to increase our investments in rural development and conservation that support the long-term health of our working lands.” (Downs, 7/28)

Politico: Drugmakers Are Waging A ‘Hail Mary’ Campaign To Sink Reconciliation Bill
Several lobbyists representing pharmaceutical interests spoke to POLITICO about the mood on K Street about the lobbying effort, and most were granted anonymity to speak freely about their work. The stakes are high for Democrats to follow through on key promises to rein in the cost of health care before the midterm elections in November, and represent a major victory in the party’s 20-year goal of allowing Medicare to negotiate the price of medicine. (Wilson, 7/28)

The Hill: Veterans’ Groups Lash Out After GOP Blocks Toxins Bill: ‘I’m Sick And Tired Of This Bulls—’
Veterans’ advocacy groups lashed out on Thursday after Senate Republicans blocked a much-anticipated bill aimed at expanding care for veterans who were exposed to toxins during military service. The Sgt. First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our PACT Act was the product of a year of negotiations between the House and the Senate, and Wednesday’s vote was largely expected to be a victory for veterans in need of care. (Williams, 7/28)

Bloomberg: Jon Stewart Rips GOP Senators Stalling On Troops Exposed To Toxic Burn Pits
“They love to say they support the troops, but they don’t support the troops,” Stewart told reporters. “They support the war machine.” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said later Thursday that he will bring the legislation back to the floor next week, and that he will allow Pennsylvania Republican Senator Pat Toomey to bring an amendment addressing mandatory spending to the floor for debate. (Areas Munhoz, 7/28)

USA Today: Sens. Durbin, Duckworth Ask Walgreens CEO To Rethink Beliefs Policy
Illinois Sens. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) have sent Illinois-based Walgreens a letter asking  for the revision of its nationwide policy regarding pharmacists' religious objections when fulfilling prescriptions. In the letter, the senators have asked Walgreens CEO Roz Brewer to ensure customers' privacy is respected and that customers have a clear notice as to whether they will have full access to contraceptives at Walgreens stores. (Edwards, 7/28)

Politico: Florida Warns Schools Against Following Biden’s LGBTQ Student Protections 
In a widely distributed memo, Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. told school leaders that the federal policies are “not-binding” in Florida and “should not be treated as governing law.” Diaz, who was appointed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, warned that complying with the U.S. Department of Education could spell legal trouble under state law. (Atterbury, 7/28)

Modern Healthcare: Inspector General Pushes CMS To Recover $226M In Medicare Overpayments
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has failed to recoup hundreds of millions of dollars in Medicare overpayments, an independent federal watchdog reported Monday. The Office of Inspector General at the Department of Health and Human Services conducted an audit and found that CMS has only recovered $272 million of the $498 million in overpayments the OIG identified 2018, but the inspector general located proper documentation for just $120 million of it, the report says. (Hartnett, 7/28)

Bloomberg: Tobacco Firms Sued For $133 Million In Missed Settlement Payouts
Philip Morris USA, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. and more than a dozen other tobacco companies were sued by Iowa’s attorney general for allegedly failing to pay the state $133 million due under a 1998 settlement intended to avoid future health-related lawsuits. The companies withheld a portion of their annual payments to Iowa in bad faith and “through a scheme of false claims and feigned ignorance,” Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, a Democrat, said in a statement Thursday. (Larson, 7/28)

NBC News: Cluster Of Parechovirus Infections Found In Tennessee Newborns
A cluster of 23 infants in Tennessee were diagnosed with a potentially severe childhood virus within a six-week span this spring — an unusually short amount of time for such a large number of cases, doctors reported Thursday. (Edwards, 7/28)

CBS News: Hospitals Report More Cases Of Parechovirus In Infants: "This Is Not Normal"
So far, at least 21 of the babies have recovered. One child is expected to face "severe developmental delay" after "persistent seizures." The findings from doctors at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Tennessee's health department were published on Thursday in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Fever, fussiness, and a low appetite were the most common symptoms among babies admitted in the study. (Tin, 7/28)

NBC News: Severe Hepatitis In Children: Amid Fresh Clues, Researchers Wonder Whether The Phenomenon Is New At All
“Liver failure always appropriately sounds horrific and should never happen, but it does happen, and it does happen without us often knowing the cause in children,” said Saul Karpen, a gastroenterology professor at the Emory University School of Medicine. “We do all the right studies. We can’t figure it out.” (Bendix, 7/29)

Axios: Survey: 1 In 4 LGBTQ Youth With High Trauma Symptoms Attempted Suicide In 2021
One in four LGBTQ young people experiencing high levels of trauma said they had attempted suicide in 2021, according to a survey from The Trevor Project released Thursday. The big picture: Over 300 anti-LGBTQ laws have been introduced this year and at least 25 have passed. Medical experts say the rancor surrounding such policies can weigh heavily on LGBTQ young people's mental health. (Gonzalez, 7/28)

CIDRAP: Peanut Butter Salmo Outbreak Winds Down, 5 More Cases Reported
The investigation into a multistate Salmonella Seftenberg outbreak linked to peanut butter is over, with five more cases reported, bringing the total to 21 from 17 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said yesterday. The latest illness onset was May 24. Of 13 people with available information, 4 were hospitalized. No deaths were reported. (7/28)

CNN: PFAS Levels Should Be Tested In High-Risk People, Report Says
The report sets "nanogram" levels of concern and encourages clinicians to conduct blood tests on patients who are worried about exposure or who are at high risk. (A nanogram is equivalent to one billionth of a gram.) People in "vulnerable life stages" -- such as during fetal development in pregnancy, early childhood and old age -- are at high risk, the report said. So are firefighters, workers in fluorochemical manufacturing plants and those who live near commercial airports, military bases, landfills, incinerators, wastewater treatment plants and farms where contaminated sewage sludge is used. (LaMotte, 7/28)

The New York Times: A.I. Predicts The Shape Of Nearly Every Protein Known To Science
This knowledge is often a vital part of the fight against illness and disease. For instance, bacteria resist antibiotics by expressing certain proteins. If scientists can understand how these proteins operate, they can begin to counter antibiotic resistance. Previously, pinpointing the shape of a protein required extensive experimentation involving X-rays, microscopes and other tools on a lab bench. Now, given the string of chemical compounds that make up a protein, AlphaFold can predict its shape. (Metz, 7/28)

CIDRAP: New Candidemia Treatment Could Be On The Horizon
San Diego-based biotechnology company Cidara Therapeutics announced yesterday that it has submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its novel antifungal candidate rezafungin. The company submitted the NDA for rezafungin—an echinocandin antifungal—for the treatment of candidemia and invasive candidiasis based on positive results from the phase 3 ReSTORE and phase 2 STRIVE trial. In both trials, a once-weekly dose of rezafungin demonstrated statistical non-inferiority to once-daily caspafungin, meeting the primary endpoints for the FDA and the European Medicines Agency. (7/28)

Reuters: Reinfection, Severe Outcome More Common With BA.5 Variant
Compared with the earlier Omicron BA.2 subvariant, currently dominant Omicron BA.5 is linked with higher odds of causing a second SARS-COV-2 infection regardless of vaccination status, a study from Portugal suggests. (Lapid, 7/28)

CIDRAP: Studies Reveal Racial Disparities In Early US COVID Vaccine Rollout
COVID-19 vaccines were less likely to be distributed to US healthcare facilities if they were in counties with a high proportion of Black residents, and racial differences in vaccine uptake may be mainly due to anti-vaccine beliefs among Black adults, according to two new studies highlighting racial disparities in vaccine availability and coverage early in the country's rollout. (Van Beusekom, 7/28)

Reuters: Virus Spike Protein Toxic To Heart Cells
The SARS-CoV-2 spike protein interacts with other proteins in cardiac myocytes to cause inflammation, researchers said on Wednesday in a presentation at the American Heart Association's Basic Cardiovascular Sciences Scientific Sessions 2022. In experiments with mice hearts, comparing the effects of SARS-CoV2 spike proteins and spike proteins from a different, relatively harmless coronavirus, the researchers found that only the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein caused heart dysfunction, enlargement, and inflammation. (Lapid, 7/28)

Bloomberg: ADHD Startups Are Cut Off By Rite Aid, Adding To Pharmacy Bans
Rite Aid Corp. pharmacies are no longer filling prescriptions for controlled substances like Adderall from clinicians working with mental telehealth startups Cerebral Inc. and Done. The retail pharmacy chain, which has over 2,350 locations across the US, adopted the policy earlier this year, Rite Aid spokesperson Catherine Carter said in an email Thursday. (Swetlitz, 7/28)

Modern Healthcare: Biosimilars To Limit Drug Price Increases In 2023, Report Shows
Drug price growth will slow next year as biosimilars are expected to curb the price of the world's best-selling drug, a report found. Pharmaceutical prices are projected to increase 3.26% in 2023, marking a steep decline from the 6% price hike in 2017, according to the group purchasing organization Vizient, which forecasts what its member hospitals and health systems might pay for drugs after discounts and rebates. Vizient predicted a 3.3% increase last year; the actual price change was 2.8%. The 2017 spike was the highest in the last five years. (Kacik, 7/28)

Stat: A ViiV Deal To License Its HIV Prevention Shot To Poor Countries Runs Into Criticism
A key issue is that a generic version will not become available for perhaps as long as four years. A long-acting injectable is more complex to manufacture and some companies that agree to a license may require capital investment, according to ViiV. In the meantime, ViiV has agreed to supply its shot at a non-profit price in low-income nations and all sub-Saharan African countries. (Silverman, 7/28)

AP: Blue Cross & Blue Shield Of Mississippi Sue For Defamation
Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi on Thursday said it was suing three employees of the University of Mississippi Medical Center for allegedly spreading false information. The lawsuit is the latest development in a dispute between the state’s largest health insurance provider and the hospital that surfaced in March when the two sides failed to reach an agreement over how much the insurer would pay for patient care. (7/28)

Modern Healthcare: OneTouchPoint Reports Data Breach Involving 38 Providers, Insurers
OneTouchPoint, a vendor that offers printing and mailing services to insurers and providers, experienced a data breach in April that exposed patient information from 38 healthcare organizations, the company disclosed Wednesday. Humana, Kaiser Permanente, CareSource, Geisinger, HealthPartners and a few Blue Cross Blue Shield companies are among those the breach affected, OneTouchPoint said in a news release. (Berryman, 7/28)

Stat: Teladoc's Earnings Point To Potential Threats To The Telehealth Industry
“The challenge that we’re seeing is in these times of economic uncertainty, all purchases are just getting a significantly higher level of scrutiny,” CEO Jason Gorevic said in an earnings call Wednesday. Gorevic also noted that declining yield on advertising suggests that individual patients may start spending less on direct-to-consumer services like BetterHelp, the company’s mental health care offering. Those hurdles aren’t unique to Teladoc. Competitors like Amwell and Talkspace could also have to grapple with cutbacks. (Ravindranath, 7/28)