First Edition: June 19, 2019

Kaiser Health News: ‘An Arm And A Leg’: Can You Shop Around For A Lower-Priced MRI?
An MRI is one of those standard tests that doctors order routinely. But the price you’ll pay can be unpredictable. Sometimes the price tag depends on where you live: It could reach $10,000 in San Francisco. Or be as low as $1,000 in St. Louis — if you’re willing to haggle. And the kind of imaging center you choose often makes a difference: Was it a fancy specialty hospital linked to a university or a standalone facility at the mall? (Weissmann, 6/19)

Kaiser Health News: Senators Agree Surprise Medical Bills Must Go. But How?
There was also broad support among the witnesses for some of the legislation’s transparency measures, especially the creation of a nongovernmental nonprofit organization to collect claims data from private health plans, Medicare and some states to create what’s called an all-payer claims database. That could help policymakers better understand the true cost of care, these experts told the committee. (Bluth, 6/18)

Kaiser Health News: Why You Should Take A Peek At Your Doctor’s Notes On Your Health
When Pamela DeSalvo read the clinical note from her doctor’s visit, the words on the page hit her hard: “clinically morbidly obese.” She knew she was overweight, but seeing those three words together shocked her. It also inspired her to start losing weight.“ I needed to see it in black and white, what I actually in my heart already knew. It forced me to get honest with myself,” DeSalvo said.“Reading that note saved my life.” Studies show that, indeed, reading your doctor’s notes can improve your health. (Knight, 6/19)

Kaiser Health News: Good Health Goes Beyond Having A Doctor And Insurance, Says AMA’s Equity Chief
Part of Dr. Aletha Maybank’s medical training left a sour taste in her mouth. Her superiors told her not to worry about nonmedical issues affecting her patients’ quality of life, she said, because social workers would handle it. But she didn’t understand how physicians could divorce medical advice from the context of patients’ lives. “How can you offer advice as recommendations that’s not even relevant to how their day-to-day plays out?” Maybank asked. (Heredia Rodriguez, 6/19)

California Healthline: California Vaccine Bill Amended To Appease Governor
The measure still would make it easier for the Medical Board of California to investigate and sanction physicians who write medical exemptions that don’t conform with accepted medical standards. (Barry-Jester, 6/18)

The New York Times: We Put 21 Democrats On The Spot: Here Are 7 Takeaways
We spent hours interviewing the enormous Democratic presidential field on subjects ranging from climate change and border control to fast food and personal humiliation. And while many Democrats agree on a broad set of political ideas, there were some telling differences and disclosures that emerged from our conversations. Here are a few of our takeaways. (Burns and Ember, 6/19)

The New York Times: 2020 Democrats On Health Care
Single-payer health care is a dividing line in the race, separating Democrats who want to replace the private insurance system from those who favor improving it. Some candidates — like Bernie Sanders and Michael Bennet — picked a clear side. Others, like Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris, took a middle path. (6/19)

The New York Times: Trump, At Rally In Florida, Kicks Off His 2020 Re-Election Bid
President Trump delivered a fierce denunciation of the news media, the political establishment and what he called his radical opponents on Tuesday as he opened his re-election campaign in front of a huge crowd of raucous supporters by evoking the dark messaging and personal grievances that animated his 2016 victory. ... At times, Mr. Trump seemed like any other incumbent president, ticking off a laundry list of claimed accomplishments on veterans’ health care, funding for the military, abandoning the Paris climate accords and defending gun rights. The frenzied crowd seemed to lose some of its passion during those moments. (Haberman, Karni and Shear, 6/18)

The Associated Press Fact Check: In 2020 Debut, Trump Exaggerates Growth
Trump and other Republicans say they'll have a plan to preserve protections for people with pre-existing conditions, but the White House has provided no details. Obama's law requires insurers to take all applicants, regardless of medical history, and patients with health problems pay the same standard premiums as healthy ones. Bills supported in 2017 by Trump and congressional Republicans to repeal the law would have undermined those protections by pushing up costs for people with pre-existing conditions. (Woodward and Yen, 6/18)

The Hill: Trump Takes Credit For Passing Veterans Bill That Passed Under Obama
President Trump at his 2020 campaign kickoff rally on Tuesday took credit for passing a veteran's health care bill that was signed into law by former President Obama. "We passed VA Choice," he said, referring to a bill that allows veterans to seek health options outside the Veterans Affairs-run system. "You go out now, you get a doctor, you fix yourself up, the doctor sends us the bill, we pay for it. And you know what? It doesn't matter because the life and the veteran is more important, but we also happen to save a lot of money doing that." (Frazin, 6/18)

The Wall Street Journal: Democratic Senate Candidates Have A 2018 House Vibe
The still-growing field of Democratic candidates running for Senate seats in 2020 looks a lot like the Democratic candidates who ran for the House in 2018. While the race is very early, prominent candidates in several races share some key characteristics. Several are military veterans or small-business owners, and the announcement videos each emphasize health care. Many veterans and national security professionals won competitive House seats for Democrats in 2018, and health care was a central issue in the 2018 midterms. (Duehren, 6/18)

The Hill: Planned Parenthood Head Readies For 2020 
If Donald Trump weren’t president of the United States, Dr. Leana Wen might not be the head of Planned Parenthood. Wen, 36, almost didn’t return the call when Planned Parenthood’s search committee approached her about potentially replacing departing President Cecile Richards. She was a new mom serving as Baltimore’s health commissioner, considered by some one of the best public health advocates in the U.S. (Hellmann, 6/18)

Politico: ‘They’re All Fighting Him’: Trump Aides Spar With Health Secretary
White House officials have soured on HHS Secretary Alex Azar, a deepening quarrel that threatens to derail President Donald Trump’s health care agenda as he gears up for his 2020 reelection campaign. The divide has led to stalled projects, disputes over Medicaid and fetal tissue research, duplicated work on Trump’s drug pricing priorities — and bitter personal attacks, say a dozen current and former White House and HHS officials as well as multiple other people familiar with the conversations. (Diamond, Kumar, Pradhan and Cancryn, 6/18)

Bloomberg: Will Medicare For All Raise Taxes? Americans Think So, Poll Says
Most Americans think that ‘Medicare for All’ will drive up income taxes, according to a survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation, ahead of the Democratic presidential debates next week. While health care is a leading topic on the minds of Democrats and left-leaning independents before the debates kick off next Wednesday, 78% of U.S. citizens surveyed across party lines believe that a single payer system, known as Medicare for All, would drive taxes higher, according to the poll. (Flanagan, 6/18)

The Associated Press: House Votes To Block Military Transgender Ban
The Democratic-controlled House voted Tuesday night to block President Donald Trump's move to restrict transgender men and women from military service. The House passed, by a 243-183 vote, an amendment to block Trump's transgender ban from remaining in effect. The move still faces an uphill battle and a Trump veto threat against the underlying $1 trillion spending bill, which includes the military budget. (Taylor, 6/18)

Politico: House Votes To Block Trump's Transgender Troop Ban
During debate on a $1 trillion spending package, lawmakers voted 243-183 to adopt an amendment from Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) to block funding to implement the new policy, which Democrats slammed as discriminatory and arbitrary. "The president and his administration wrongfully argue that it's about military readiness and unit cohesion, but these arguments are the same ones that were made to keep the military racially segregated," said Rep. Anthony Brown (D-Md.). (O'Brien, 6/19)

The Hill: Democrats To Pass Spending Bill With Hyde Despite 2020 Race Uproar
The House is poised to pass spending legislation on Wednesday that includes the Hyde Amendment, the decades-old ban on federal abortion funding that recently created an uproar in the Democratic race for the White House. Weeks after former Vice President Joe Biden flip-flopped from supporter to opponent of the amendment under heavy pressure from his party’s liberal base, the Democratic House will vote in favor of a package that retains Hyde — which progressives say disproportionately hurts poor and minority women. (Hellmann, 6/19)

The Hill: Warren Introduces Universal Child Care Legislation
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Rep. Deb Haaland (D-N.M.) introduced legislation Tuesday that would use federal funds to establish universal child care. The Universal Child Care and Early Learning Act seeks to combat the rise of rising child care costs in the face of stagnated wages with a focus on low-income families. The bicameral bill is cosponsored by Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) — like Warren, a 2020 White House hopeful — and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Democratic Reps. Barbara Lee (Calif.), Mark Pocan (Wis.), Jamie Raskin (Md.), John Larson (Conn.), Grace Meng (N.Y.) and Stephen Horsford (Nev.), as well as Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.). (Axelrod, 6/18)

The Washington Post: Jon Stewart Responds To Mitch McConnell's Criticism Over 9/11 Activism
Comedian Jon Stewart delivered a searing response Monday night to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who said earlier in the day that he didn’t know why the former host of “The Daily Show” was “all bent out of shape” over the future of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. “I’m bent out of shape for them,” Stewart said during an appearance on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” referencing the victims and first responders who were injured or became ill because of the 9/11 attacks. “These are the first heroes and veterans and victims of the great trillions of dollars war on terror, and they’re currently still suffering and dying and in terrible need.” (Chiu, 6/18)

The Washington Post: Low Prices Of Some Lifesaving Drugs Make Them Impossible To Get
When Andrew Archuleta’s bladder cancer returned two years ago, his doctor prescribed periodic treatments of a powerful immunotherapy designed to stave off another recurrence. But the latest round, scheduled for May, was abruptly canceled because of a severe shortage of the drug. “I keep calling the clinic and saying, ‘Is my treatment still canceled?’ and they say, ‘Yes,’ ” said the 65-year-old Colorado resident. Now he fears the cancer might come back in an even more aggressive form, endangering his bladder — or even his life, if the disease were to spread. With his anxiety and blood pressure rising, he temporarily took Prozac. (McGinley, 6/18)

The Associated Press: Missouri Cites 'Failed Abortions' In Clinic License Dispute
Missouri's case for not renewing the license of its lone remaining abortion clinic includes a claim that three "failed abortions" there required additional surgeries and another led to life-threatening complications for the mother, according to a now-sealed court filing that Planned Parenthood alleges state officials made public in violation of patient privacy laws. (6/18)

The Associated Press: Louisiana Governor: Abortion Ban Decision Wasn’t Political
Gov. John Bel Edwards, the only Democratic governor in the Deep South, said Tuesday that he’s not concerned about losing support among his party’s voters in Louisiana because of a strict abortion ban he signed into law. The governor, seeking a second term on the October ballot, said he knows some people “were disappointed” that he supported the ban on abortion when a fetal heartbeat is detected — as early as six weeks into a pregnancy. (Deslatte, 6/18)

The Associated Press: California Governor, Lawmaker Alter Proposed Vaccine Rules
California public health officials would have oversight of doctors and schools with high numbers of medical exemptions for vaccinations under a legislative compromise announced Tuesday. Gov. Gavin Newsom and the bill's author disclosed the deal aimed at cracking down on fraudulent exemptions issued by sympathetic doctors. The updated measure by Sen. Richard Pan removes a provision that would have required health officials to consider every exemption requested and expands the criteria for granting exemptions. (Thompson, 6/18)

Los Angeles Times: California Vaccine Bill Undergoes Major Changes And Wins Support Of Former Critic Newsom
“The Governor would like to thank Dr. Pan for his leadership and for partnering with the Administration on these amendments,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Mark Ghaly, referring to Sen. Richard Pan, in a statement. These amendments, Ghaly added, will ensure the bill “protects the doctor-patient relationship, strengthens the state’s ability to target doctors who abuse the medical exemption process and gives state public health officials the tools to identify and protect schools and communities where herd immunity is in danger.” (Gutierrez, 6/18)

The Associated Press: Retired Oklahoma Judge To Mediate Opioid Settlement Funds
A former Oklahoma State Supreme Court justice will attempt to resolve a dispute over how to disburse an $85 million settlement of a state lawsuit with Teva Pharmaceuticals. Cleveland Count District Judge Thad Balkman said Monday that retired Judge Steven Taylor will serve as special master to help find a way to handle the funds arising from a lawsuit that accused drug companies of contributing to the opioid epidemic. (6/18)

Stat: 'Alexa, Are You Listening?' A Research Tool Warns Of Cardiac Arrest 
When someone’s heart stops beating, there is little time to waste. Half of the people hit by cardiac arrest are outside a hospital, and more than 90% of them die unless they are lucky enough to be near a bystander who can start CPR or call 911. What if the bystander was a smartphone or a digital assistant like Amazon’s Alexa? Researchers from the University of Washington tested that idea, training their digital tool to alert such devices to the gasping sounds  — called agonal breathing — that about half of people make shortly after cardiac arrest. Their proof-of-concept study appears Wednesday in NPJ Digital Medicine. (Cai, 6/19)

The New York Times: An Anti-Aging Pill? Think Twice
A popular diabetes drug sometimes taken to slow aging may diminish some of the expected health benefits of aerobic exercise in healthy older adults, according to a new report. The drug, metformin, can blunt certain physical changes from exercise that normally help people to age well. The results raise questions about the relationship of pills and physical activity in healthy aging and also whether we know enough about how drugs and exercise interact. The results are particularly disconcerting given that healthy, active people may be considering taking the drug to slow aging. (Reynolds, 6/19)

Los Angeles Times: Suicide Rates For U.S. Teens And Young Adults Are The Highest On Record
The rate at which young Americans took their own lives reached a high-water mark in 2017, driven by a sharp rise in suicides among older teenage boys, according to new research. In that year alone, suicide claimed the lives of 5,016 males and 1,225 females between 15 and 24 in the United States, researchers reported Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Assn. (Healy, 6/18)

Los Angeles Times: Obesity Rates Are Falling For Young Children On WIC, Study Says
Preschoolers on government food aid have grown a little less pudgy, a new study found, offering fresh evidence that previous signs of declining childhood obesity rates in the U.S. weren't a fluke. Obesity rates dropped steadily to about 14% in 2016 — the latest data available — from 16% in 2010, a team from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Assn. (Tanner, 6/18)

The New York Times: People Are Taking Emotional Support Animals Everywhere. States Are Cracking Down. 
A 26-year-old Starbucks barista in the suburbs of Tampa known as Vayne Myers has suffered from anxiety ever since he was a child. A co-worker suggested he try an emotional support animal. So Mr. Myers bought a duck and named it Primadonna. The snow-white bird has worked wonders for his state of mind. “Whenever I felt like I didn’t matter in the world,” he said, Primadonna would waddle over and remind him that “something does love you.” (Stockman, 6/18)

The Associated Press: Marijuana Use Doubles In US Pregnant Women To 1 In 14
Pot use in pregnancy has doubled among U.S. women and is most common during the first trimester, government research shows. Overall, 7% of pregnant women, or 1 in 14, said they used marijuana in the past month. That's from a nationally representative health survey in 2016-17 and compares with a little over 3% in 2002-03. (Tanner, 6/18)

The New York Times: New York Set To Ban ‘Gay Panic’ Defenses In Murder Cases
Since as early as the 1960s, defense lawyers have introduced the idea that people accused of violent crimes against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people had acted in a state of temporary insanity caused and justified by their victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity. The legal strategy, known as the “gay panic” or “transgender panic” defenses, was not always effective, and as attitudes toward L.G.B.T. people shifted, it was used less often. But it has still been deployed in recent years by lawyers hoping to win a jury’s sympathy, lessen a defendant’s charges or shorten a sentence. (Gold, 6/19)

The Wall Street Journal: Afraid Of Missing The Next School Shooter, One Prosecutor Charged 216 Kids. Now He’s Rethinking.
In the tense aftermath of last year’s massacre in Parkland, Fla., prosecutors around the country vowed to go after any student who made threats against schools, hoping to keep their communities from suffering a similar fate. Now, some are moving away from the zero-tolerance approach, saying they want to avoid overcharging students in school threat cases that don’t turn out to be serious. “Obviously, we’re all petrified of the next school shooter. But our mission should be to protect kids, not arrest kids,” said John Jordan, chief juvenile prosecutor for the district attorney of Harris County, Texas, which includes Houston. (Frosch and Hobbs, 6/19)

Los Angeles Times: Cancer Patient Says UCLA Gynecologist Sexually Assaulted Her, Faults University Inaction
A cancer patient sued UCLA and Dr. James Heaps on Tuesday, accusing the former campus gynecologist of repeatedly sexual assaulting her during her two years of treatment. The 44-year-old woman was battling mesothelioma when, in October 2015, she went to Heaps for surgery, she said. During four visits that stretch to June 2017, the woman alleges Heaps abused his position of trust to improperly touch her clitoris repeatedly, fondle her breasts and squeeze her nipples — all under the guise of medical examination. (Winton, 6/18)

The Hill: San Francisco Votes To Ban E-Cigarettes Not Approved By FDA
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously voted to ban the sale of e-cigarettes in city limits if they are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The decision brings San Francisco one step closer to becoming the first U.S. city to ban the sale and distribution of e-cigarettes. A final vote is required before it becomes law. (Daugherty, 6/18)

The Associated Press: Hospital Largely Cleared In Newborn Cut From Womb Case
Investigators have largely cleared a hospital for how it dealt with a Chicago woman accused of cutting a baby from his mother's womb and claiming him as her own, despite questions from the victims' family over why it took the hospital more than two weeks to tell child services that the woman had shown no signs of having just given birth. (6/18)

NPR: In Rural Wyoming, This Program Is Designed To Help Patients Manage Medical Needs
Managing chronic pain can be particularly difficult for people in rural areas because of the necessity of frequent doctor visits. Volunteers in rural Wyoming are trying to help. (Mullen, 6/18)