First Edition: June 13, 2024

KFF Health News: Biden’s On Target About What Repealing ACA Would Mean For Preexisting Condition Protections
President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign wants voters to contrast his record on health care policy with his predecessor’s. In May, Biden’s campaign began airing a monthlong, $14 million ad campaign targeting swing-state voters and minority groups with spots on TV, digital, and radio. In the ad, titled “Terminate,” Biden assails former President Donald Trump for his past promises to overturn the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Biden also warns of the potential effect if Trump is returned to office and again pursues repeal. (Gardenswartz, 6/13)

KFF Health News: Funding Instability Plagues Program That Brings Docs To Underserved Areas
For Diana Perez, a medical resident at the Family Health Center of Harlem, the handwritten thank-you note she received from a patient is all the evidence she needs that she has chosen the right training path. Perez helped the patient, a homeless, West African immigrant who has HIV and other chronic conditions, get the medications and care he needed. She also did the paperwork that documented his medical needs for the nonprofit that helped him apply for asylum and secure housing. (Andrews, 6/13)

KFF Health News: Watch: California Pays Drug Users To Stay Clean
KFF Health News senior correspondent Angela Hart discusses a state Medicaid experiment for people addicted to methamphetamine, cocaine, and other stimulants. For every clean urine test, they can earn money — up to $599 a year. (6/13)

Reuters: U.S. Healthcare Spending Rises To $4.8 Trillion In 2023, Outpacing GDP
Healthcare spending in the U.S. is projected to have risen 7.5% in 2023 to $4.8 trillion, federal data showed on Wednesday, outpacing the projected annual gross domestic product growth rate of 6.1%. Spending on Medicaid and private health insurance drove the growth, with the insured share of the population surging to a historic high of 93%, data from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) showed. (Aboulenein, 6/13)

CIDRAP: Black, Hispanic Adults At Double The Risk Of Losing Medicaid After COVID Emergency Ended, Study Finds 
Black and Hispanic adults were twice as likely than their White peers to be unable to renew their Medicaid enrollment after the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) in spring 2023, a Northwestern University–led study estimates. For the study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, the researchers analyzed data from seven waves of the US Census Bureau's Household Pulse Survey to estimate the racial distribution of adult Medicaid disenrollment from March to October 2023.  (Van Beusekom, 6/12)

Reuters: Elevance Exec Says Medicaid Attrition Has Changed Mix Of Members 
Elevance Health executive Peter Haytaian said on Wednesday that a decrease in the number of people eligible for its Medicaid plans this year, as well as changes the company made in where it operates those plans, shifted its balance of healthy and sick members. Commercial plans and government-backed Medicaid health plans, which cover medical costs for people with low-income, comprise the majority of Elevance's business. (Niasse and Jain, 6/12)

Roll Call: Bipartisan Prior Authorization Legislation Introduced 
Two key lawmakers reintroduced a bill on Wednesday that would essentially codify parts of a Biden administration rule that aims to streamline the use of prior authorization in Medicare Advantage. The bill, introduced by Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., and Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., would require Medicare Advantage plans to establish electronic prior authorization programs for health care providers beginning in 2027. (Hellmann, 6/12)

Reuters: About 4% Of US Adults Age 65 And Older Have A Dementia Diagnosis, Survey Finds 
Some 4% of U.S. adults aged 65 and older say they have been diagnosed with dementia, a rate that reached 13% for those at least 85-years old, according to a report of a national survey released on Thursday. ... Ellen Kramarow, the report's lead author, said dementia diagnosis estimates were in general similar from 2019 to 2022, adding that they "do not see this as a measure that is going to have large changes year to year." (Santhosh, 6/13)

NPR: African Ancestry Genes Linked To Higher Risk For Alzheimer’s, Stroke
Black Americans are known to be at higher risk of some neurological disorders, and the reasons for this disparity remain unclear. Now, after examining the postmortem brains of 151 people, researchers in Baltimore have identified genes that may help explain why. In those people, who all identified as Black or African American, the scientists analyzed the influence of two different ancestries: African and European. They found that genes associated with African ancestry appear to affect certain brain cells in ways that could increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and stroke. (Hamilton, 6/12)

The Washington Post: Southern Baptist Convention Votes To Oppose In Vitro Fertilization
The Southern Baptist Convention on Wednesday approved a measure opposing in vitro fertilization as “dehumanizing” and asking “the government to restrain” the practice, a sign of the broadening effort by conservative evangelicals and the antiabortion movement since the fall of Roe v. Wade. The vote thrust the denomination into a national dispute over a medical procedure that is immensely popular among Americans and has already played a role in an intense election season. (Boorstein, 6/12)

Politico: Why The Southern Baptists' Vote Opposing IVF Could Change National Politics 
The move may signal the beginning of a broad turn on the right against IVF, an issue that many evangelicals, anti-abortion advocates and other social conservatives see as the “pro-life” movement’s next frontier — one they hope will eventually lead to restrictions, or outright bans, on IVF at the state and federal levels. The vote comes as Democrats in Washington, hoping to drive a wedge among Republicans, prepare to hold a vote on legislation to protect IVF, while former President Donald Trump struggles with how to message to evangelicals on abortion and other reproductive health issues that they would like to see him take stronger positions on in the post-Roe era. (Messerly, 6/12)

AP: Democrats Set To Force A Vote On Women's Right To IVF In Election-Year Push
Senate Democrats are seeking to highlight Republicans’ resistance to legislation that would make it a right nationwide for women to access in vitro fertilization and other fertility treatments, holding a vote on the matter Thursday as part of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s effort to drive an election-year contrast on reproductive care. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, a military veteran who has used the fertility treatment to have her two children, has championed the bill, called the Right to IVF Act. The bill would also expand access through insurance as well as for military members and veterans. (Groves, 6/13)

The Texas Tribune: Ted Cruz’s Bill To Protect IVF Blocked
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz’s effort to protect access to in vitro fertilization was blocked on Wednesday as Democrats instead rallied around their own version of the legislation. (Yu, 6/12)

Stat: Placenta-On-A-Chip Could Mimic Impact Of Drugs And Toxins
Early in her pregnancy in 2015, Nicole Hashemi wanted to know how much caffeine was safe for her to consume. Hashemi figured there ought to be a way for her to quantify how much caffeine from the tea or coffee she consumed would be transported to her growing baby. Her solution: to build a simplified model of the placenta that would show, using microfluidic technology, just how fluids move through channels and across barriers, in what amounts, and with what effects. (Balthazar, 6/13)

USA Today: Exclusive: Data Reveals Startling Fact About US Soldiers And Suicide
U.S. soldiers were almost nine times more likely to die by suicide than by enemy fire, according to a Pentagon study for the five-year period ending in 2019. The study, published in May by the Defense Health Agency, found that suicide was the leading cause of death among active-duty soldiers from 2014 to 2019. There were 883 suicide deaths during that time period. Accidents were the No. 2 cause with 814 deaths. There were 96 combat deaths. (Vanden Brook, 6/11)

CBS News: Are California's Mental Health Courts Successful? That Depends On Who You Ask Because There's No Reliable Data
There is growing concern about who is eligible to avoid a felony conviction by participating in California's Mental Health Diversion Court.  There are also many success stories and studies that point to the potential for reduced recidivism among successful mental health court candidates. However, critics worry that recent changes to the law are allowing some defendants to misuse California's recently expanded Mental Health Diversion Court program. (Watts, Sarwate and Manthey, 6/12)

Roll Call: FDA, DOJ Hammered On Response To Illegal Vapes 
Senators from both sides of the aisle took the Food and Drug Administration and Department of Justice to task Wednesday over what they described as a failure by both agencies to stop the sale of illegal e-cigarettes through online retailers, gas stations and vape shops across the country. (Hellmann, 6/12)

The Hill: Federal Judge Blocks Rule Closing 'Gun-Show Loophole' In Four States
A federal judge in Texas blocked the Biden administration’s attempt to close the so-called gun show loophole on Wednesday, expanding a prior temporary ruling to impact Texas, Louisiana, Utah and Mississippi. Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk ruled last month that the requirement to run a background check before purchasing a firearm could not go into effect in Texas. His final ruling Wednesday expands that injunction to the three other states. (Robertson, 6/12)

Reuters: Two Dozen Companies Working To Find Bird Flu Vaccine For Cows, US Agriculture Secretary Says 
Twenty-four companies are working to develop an avian flu vaccine for cattle, as the virus spreads among U.S. dairy herds, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told Reuters on Wednesday. Bird flu has infected 90 dairy herds across 12 states since late March, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Three dairy farm workers also have been infected with the virus, two in Michigan and one in Texas. (Douglas, 6/12)

CIDRAP: Wisconsin Orders Avian Flu Testing For Lactating Cattle Before Fairs And Exhibits
The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP) yesterday announced that lactating dairy cows must be tested for influenza A before movement to fairs and exhibits to prevent the spready of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian flu in cattle. So far, no H5N1 outbreaks have been reported in Wisconsin, but the virus has been detected in 12 states, including in neighboring Michigan, Minnesota, and Iowa. (Schnirring, 6/12)

CIDRAP: Study: Previous COVID-19 Infection May Protect Against Common Colds 
Infection with COVID-19 may offer protection against other, less severe endemic coronaviruses (eCOVs) that are often behind the common cold, according to a study today in Science Translational Medicine. COVID vaccines, however, don't appear to afford similar protection. (Soucheray, 6/12)

Axios: Ransomware Attacks Surged After Change Healthcare Hack
Ransomware attacks against health care organizations surged following the hack of Change Healthcare that crippled much of the U.S. health care system, according to cybersecurity firm Recorded Future. (Reed, 6/13)

Modern Healthcare: Ascension Cyberattack May Have Compromised Patient Data
Ascension said Wednesday it believes a recent cyberattack may have compromised patient data. Hackers stole files that may contain protected health information from seven servers used for daily tasks after an employee mistakenly downloaded a "malicious file," Ascension said in a news release. (Hudson, 6/12)

Stateline: States Struggle To Help Patients Navigate Insurance Hurdle Known As ‘Step Therapy’
Cassidy Yermal, 32, began experiencing debilitating migraines when she was 17 years old. As a teenager growing up in northeastern Pennsylvania, she saw numerous neurologists and tried a variety of medications before finding one that provided relief. ... In 2022, their new insurer told Yermal that it wouldn’t pay for her medication unless she tried several less expensive drugs first — or could prove that she already had. (Chatlani, 6/12)

CBS News: UPMC, Leaders Celebrate Acquisition Of Washington Health System
A major transition for health care on Wednesday with UPMC merging with Washington Health System, creating UPMC Washington and UPMC Greene hospitals. Local leaders celebrated the merger and praised UPMC for saving the 127-year-old hospital from closing. "We help people in Washington, Greene, Fayette counties, as far as West Virginia and the tri-state area. Without this hospital, we have problems," said JoJo Burgess, mayor of Washington. (Sorensen, 6/12)

Modern Healthcare: Healthcare Consolidation May Be Fought With Gilded Age Laws
An idea birthed in the Gilded Age is gaining traction as a way to counter increasing consolidation in the healthcare industry: banning the corporate practice of medicine. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, physicians and state legislatures grew concerned that corporations and monopolists were hiring and controlling company doctors whose first concern would no longer be the needs of their patients, but of their employers'. About two-thirds of states enacted laws that, to varying degrees, dictate that lay people may not own or control medical practices. (McAuliff, 6/12)

Modern Healthcare: URAC Accreditation Extends To Community Health Worker Programs
URAC, an independent quality and safety nonprofit, will accredit organizations that employ or contract with community health workers in an attempt to standardize their roles across the industry. The accreditation program, unveiled Wednesday, will be available to any entity with a community health worker program, including health systems, state and local governments, public health departments, insurers and community-based groups. (Devereaux, 6/12)

The Mercury News: New Sutter Health Medical Center Coming To Morgan Hill
Sutter Health has announced the lease of a medical center in Morgan Hill slated to open this winter and set to offer internal medicine, family medicine, and imaging services to the historically underserved region of south Santa Clara County. “Our expansion into Morgan Hill marks a milestone in our mission to continuously improve healthcare access and care delivery,” said Kevin Cook, Greater Silicon Valley president for Sutter Health in a news release. (Melecio-Zambrano, 6/12)

Los Angeles Times: Doctors At L.A. County-Run Hospitals To Get Bonuses Under Deal
Unionized doctors and dentists who work at hospitals and other health facilities run by Los Angeles County will get cost-of-living increases and bonuses under new agreements with the county, reached after more than two years of bargaining and threats of a strike. The tentative agreements with a pair of bargaining units represented by the Union of American Physicians and Dentists are expected to be voted on this month by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. (Alpert Reyes, 6/12)

The Boston Globe: Massachusetts Sees First Decline In Opioid-Related Deaths In Years
The number of people who died in Massachusetts from opioid-related overdoses fell by 10 percent in 2023, the largest decrease in the state in more than a decade, according to newly released state data. The news offered a hint of hope after two years of record-setting death rates. However, the total number of deaths for the year, 2,125, was still the third highest since 2001 according to the Department of Public Health, which released the data Wednesday. (Laughlin, 6/12)

Bloomberg: Michigan’s Largest Insurer To Drop Coverage For Obesity Drugs Like Wegovy
Weight-loss drugs from Novo Nordisk A/S and Eli Lilly & Co. will lose coverage under many plans run by Michigan’s largest health insurer as companies grapple with whether the drugs are worth the cost. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan will drop coverage of GLP-1 obesity drugs in fully insured large group commercial plans starting in January, a spokesperson said, a move that will affect nearly 10,000 people on the medications. (Swetlitz, Muller, and Smith, 6/12)

Stat: Pfizer's Gene Therapy For Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Fails Trial
Pfizer said Wednesday afternoon that a closely watched gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy failed to slow the disease’s progression in a Phase 3 trial. (Mast, 6/12)

Stat: Europe Shakes Up The Way It Values Drugs. Gene Therapy Makers Are Worried
A major shakeup in how the benefits of medicines are assessed in Europe is looming, and developers of treatments like gene therapies are already arguing that what they see as flaws in the new system could entrench the issues they’ve had getting their products to patients. (Joseph, 6/13)

ABC News: Oklahoma Girl Becomes 1st Pediatric Patient To Undergo Robotic Deep Brain Stimulation
An Oklahoma girl has become the first pediatric patient in the world to have robotic deep brain stimulation performed on her, two hospitals have announced. The patient, 8-year-old Karliegh Fry, suffers from rapid-onset primary dystonia, a neurological movement disorder that causes involuntary muscle contractions. (Kekatos, 6/12)

NPR: This New Brain-Mapping Device Could Make Neurosurgery Safer
A flexible film bristling with tiny sensors could make surgery safer for patients with a brain tumor or severe epilepsy. The experimental film, which looks like Saran wrap, rests on the brain’s surface and detects the electrical activity of nerve cells below. It’s designed to help surgeons remove diseased tissue while preserving important functions like language and memory. (Hamilton, 6/13)

Stat: AI For Biopsies Can Analyze Microscopy Images, Help With Diagnosis
To non-pathologists, the histology slide looked, as all histology slides do, like a sea of mottled lilac and burgundy. Oblong pink spots, like sprinkles on a cookie at a Barbie-themed birthday party, spotted the left side of the image. To LLaVA 1.5, an open-source artificial intelligence mode, the cells looked like they were from the cheek. LLaVA-Med, a version of LLaVA trained on medical information, told researchers the cells were from breast tissue. (Trang, 6/12)

CBS News: Michigan Researches Say Honey Bees Can Detect Lung Cancer
Researchers at Michigan State University have found that honey bees could detect lung cancer. Bees have long provided humans with honey, wax, and the pollination of around 80% of our flowering plants, but they could also sniff out cancer in the future. (Vaughen, 6/13)

CIDRAP: Federal Officials Report More Cucumber-Linked Salmonella Cases, Second Outbreak 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today reported 34 more illnesses linked to a multistate Salmonella Africana outbreak with a suspected link to cucumbers, raising the total to 196. Illnesses have also been reported in 3 more states, putting that total at 28 plus the District of Columbia. (Schnirring, 6/12)

NBC News: CDC Warns Of Illnesses Linked To Diamond Shruumz Mushroom Chocolates
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning the public to avoid Diamond Shruumz chocolates, cones and gummies following an outbreak of severe illnesses that has led to 10 hospitalizations. In an alert Wednesday to health care providers, the CDC said that a dozen people in eight states have gotten sick after eating the brand’s “microdosing” mushroom edibles. All but two needed to be hospitalized. (Bendix, 6/12)

The Washington Post: Sandwiches Recalled Across Seven States Over Listeria Concerns
Packaged sandwiches sold across seven states were recalled Monday by their manufacturer over possible listeria contamination. In a recall notice issued Monday, Ohio-based Classic Delight identified 25 sandwich, burger, breakfast and hot-dog products that may have been contaminated. The products listed in the notice were distributed to school cafeterias and convenience stores and produced between May 2023 and June 2024. (Ziegler, 6/12)

The Washington Post: At Least 20 E. Coli Cases Reported After Lake Anna Visits, Va. Health Says
Judy Inglett never dreamed her healthy 15-year-old daughter would end up on dialysis and undergo blood transfusions after swimming at Lake Anna State Park in Virginia over the Memorial Day weekend. Ava was there with family friends and neighbors who had invited her on their boat and rented a house, enjoying the festive recreation area as they have countless times before, her mother said. (Portnoy, 6/12)

Los Angeles Times: California Beach Tops List Of Nation's Most Polluted Beaches
California is home to one of the most polluted beaches in the country, according to a new study — a stretch of surf so toxic officials have made repeated calls for a state of emergency. Last year, the Surfrider Foundation tested thousands of water samples across the nation, as well as in Canada and Costa Rica, and found that 64% of the 567 sites tested had at least one sample with unsafe bacteria levels. (Tchekmedyian, 6/12)