First Edition: March 5, 2018

Kaiser Health News: Need A Medical Procedure? Pick The Right Provider And Get Cash Back
Laurie Cook went shopping recently for a mammogram near her home in New Hampshire. Using an online tool provided through her insurer, she plugged in her ZIP code. Up popped facilities in her network, each with an incentive amount she would be paid if she chose it. Paid? To get a test? It’s part of a strategy to rein in health care spending by steering patients to the most cost-effective providers for non-emergency care. (Appleby, 3/5)

Kaiser Health News: While Talk About Opioids Continues In DC, Addiction Treatment Is In Peril In States
Opioids were on the White House agenda Thursday — President Trump convened a summit with members of his administration about the crisis. And Congress authorized funds for the opioid crisis in its recent budget deal — but those dollars aren’t flowing yet, and states say they are struggling to meet the need for treatment. The Oklahoma agency in charge of substance abuse has been told by the state’s legislature to cut more than $2 million from this fiscal year’s budget. (Daley and Fortier, 3/5)

The New York Times: Wounds From Military-Style Rifles? ‘A Ghastly Thing To See’
Perhaps no one knows the devastating wounds inflicted by assault-style rifles better than the trauma surgeons who struggle to repair them. The doctors say they are haunted by their experiences confronting injuries so dire they struggle to find words to describe them. At a high school in Parkland, Fla., 17 people were recently killed with just such a weapon — a semiautomatic AR-15. It was legal there for Nikolas Cruz, 19, the suspect in the shooting, to buy a civilian version of the military’s standard rifle, while he would have had to be 21 to buy a less powerful and accurate handgun. (Kolata and Chivers, 3/4)

The Associated Press: Amid Mental Health Conversation, School Counselor Jobs Drop
The number of counselors in the Baltimore City school system has steeply declined, even as national attention focuses on student mental health in the wake of school shootings. The Baltimore Sun reports the district has seen a 30 percent drop since three years ago, with a current count of 84 counselors. The American School Counselor Association recommends a student-to-counselor ratio of 250 to 1; Baltimore’s is 900 to 1. (3/2)

Reuters: Florida Senate Rejects Ban On Assault Weapons, Votes To Arm Teachers
The Florida Senate rejected a proposal to ban assault weapons, and voted for a measure to arm some teachers, weeks after 17 people were killed in the deadliest high school shooting in U.S. history. An amendment that would have banned assault weapons attached to a wider bill failed on Saturday in a largely party-line vote, in response to the Feb. 14 killing of 14 students and three faculty at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in the Fort Lauderdale suburb of Parkland. (Woodall, 3/4)

The Associated Press: 2 Trump Gun Proposals Challenge Tennessee Governor GOP Field
In gun-friendly Tennessee, President Donald Trump's ideas to ban bump stocks and bar people under 21 from buying semi-automatic guns have put the leading GOP candidates for governor in a tough spot. In response, they have mostly avoided taking firm stances. Trump has added further uncertainty with his ongoing, unpredictable evolution on gun control. On Wednesday he suggested he would support requiring a review of firearm purchases online and at gun shows, ideas the powerful National Rifle Association opposes. (Mattise, 3/2)

The Washington Post: Gun-Control Issue Boils Over In Virginia House After Fiery Speech From Delegate
A fiery speech about gun rights brought the Virginia House of Delegates to a halt on Friday, with many Democrats walking out of the chamber and then calling for a recess to try to calm their anger. Del. Nick Freitas (R-Culpeper) set off the reaction with remarks that began by defending Republican resistance to gun-control measures in the wake of the Florida school shooting, but wound up blaming “the abortion industry” for fostering a broken society and castigating the Democratic Party for segregation and the Japanese internment camps of World War II. (Schneider, 3/2)

The New York Times: As Trump Pushes Medicaid Testing, The Grading Falls Short
The Trump administration is hoping to transform Medicaid by allowing states to test work requirements, premiums and other conservative policies, but a new government report says federal and state officials do not properly evaluate whether such experiments improve patient care or reduce costs. Evaluations “generally lacked rigor,” and the findings were often kept secret for years, so they were of little use to policymakers, the Government Accountability Office, a nonpartisan investigative arm of Congress, said in the report issued last month. (Pear, 3/4)

The Washington Post: Northam Threatens (Nicely) To Use Amendment To Muscle In Medicaid
Gov. Ralph Northam on Friday gently warned state budget negotiators to send him a spending plan that includes Medicaid expansion or he will add expansion as an amendment, a procedure that gives him a stronger hand in the Senate. If forced to go that route, Northam (D) said, he would have more power to shape an expansion deal already passed by House Republicans that calls for work requirements, co-pays and other conservative measures. (Vozzella, 3/2)

The Washington Post: Northam Urges Lawmakers To Expand Medicaid For Their Benefit
“If they don’t do Medicaid expansion and pass a budget, then obviously it would give me a lot more control than it would otherwise,” Northam said. The governor’s comments come at a key moment in the state’s effort to expand Medicaid under former President Barack Obama’s health care law to provide coverage for 300,000 low-income Virginians. After blocking Democratic efforts at expanding Medicaid for years, Republican resistance to the program is now split. (Suderman, 3/2)

Los Angeles Times: Killing Obamacare's Coverage Mandate Will Cut Enrollment But Leave California's Marketplace Stable, Study Says
California's individual health insurance market will probably see a sharp drop in enrollment but should remain stable after Congress eliminated the requirement for individuals to carry coverage, a Harvard-led study published Thursday found. The federal tax reform act in December removed the individual mandate and the financial penalties that consumers faced under the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, starting in 2019. (Cosgrove, 3/1)

The New York Times: Suit Calls Navy Board Biased Against Veterans With PTSD
Things got ugly for Cpl. Tyson Manker in Iraq. During a firefight in the confusion of the 2003 invasion, the 21-year-old Marine shot up a bus full of civilians. Later, during a chase, he dropped an Iraqi in a flowing white robe with a shot to the torso, only to discover afterward that he had hit a teenage girl. His squad beat detainees, and accidentally shot several other civilians. After his deployment, Corporal Manker was kicked out of the Marine Corps with an other-than-honorable discharge — not for anything that happened in combat, but for smoking marijuana to try to quiet his nerves when he got home. (Philipps, 3/2)

The Associated Press: Veterans With Mental Illnesses Sue Navy Over Discharges
Navy and Marine Corps veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan with post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health problems have accused the Navy of offering them less-than-honorable discharges that prevent them from getting Veterans Affairs benefits. The lawsuit filed Friday in federal court in Connecticut seeks class-action status for thousands of Navy and Marine Corps veterans. The veterans are represented by students from Yale Law School's Veterans Legal Services Clinic, which filed a similar lawsuit against the Army last year.Navy officials did not immediately return a message seeking comment Friday. (Collins, 3/2)

NPR: U.S. Immigration Policy Threatens Shake-Up In Home Health Aide Business
On a rare rainy night in Albuquerque, two dozen students are learning the proper way to care for older people. Teacher Liliana Reyes is reviewing the systems of the body — circulatory, respiratory and so on — to prepare them for an upcoming exam. These students are seeking to join a workforce of about 3 million people who help older adults remain in their homes. They assist these clients with things like bathing, dressing, and taking medication on time. (Jaffe, 3/5)

The Associated Press: US Makes Cuba Embassy Cuts Permanent After 'Health Attacks'
Citing mysterious "health attacks" in Havana, the United States said Friday it is making permanent its withdrawal of 60 percent of its diplomats from Cuba, extending an action that has hurt the island nation's economy and cramped Cubans' ability to visit the U.S. Last October, the State Department ordered non-essential embassy personnel and the families of all staff to leave Havana, arguing the U.S. could not protect them from unexplained illnesses that have harmed at least 24 Americans. But by law, the department can only order diplomats to leave for six months before either sending them back or making the reductions permanent. (3/2)

The Washington Post: Exercise Pill Could Someday Help Those Incapable Of Working Out
Not everyone can exercise. People with muscle-wasting diseases and movement disorders, the frail, the very obese and post-surgical patients are among those who face a significant challenge when it comes to working out. This can be frustrating, considering the well-established benefits of exercise. But what if a drug could stimulate the body into producing some of the same effects of exercise — more endurance and weight control, for example — without the need to run a single step? Such a pill may be on the way. Several scientists are testing compounds that apparently can do this — and people wouldn’t even have to move at all to benefit. (Cimons, 3/4)

The Wall Street Journal: Biogen And Abbvie Take Multiple Sclerosis Drug Off Market
Drugmakers Biogen Inc. and AbbVie Inc. said Friday they are pulling their new multiple-sclerosis treatment Zinbryta from all global markets after several European patients suffered serious inflammatory brain disorders. The European Medicines Agency, which regulates drugs in the European Union, said Friday it started an “urgent review” of the drug because eight MS patients experienced encephalitis and other brain inflammations after taking the injected drug. Seven were in Germany and one was in Spain. (Loftus, 3/2)

Stat: Despite Push For A Universal Flu Vaccine, The 'Holy Grail' Stays Out Of Reach
It is the Holy Grail of influenza science: a universal flu vaccine that could provide protection against virtually all strains instead of a select few. A burst of recent headlines have suggested that we might get one soon. Just last week, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases released a strategic plan for the development of a universal flu vaccine, prompting the White House science office to proclaim on Twitter that the goal is “closer than ever.” (Branswell, 3/5)

The Washington Post: Poor People Are More Likely To Get The Flu And Die From It, Recent Research Suggests
When their daughter was diagnosed with severe autism, Heather and Brandon Murray realized they’d have to protect her in ways they hadn’t with their other two children. They never left her alone. They raised the locks in their house beyond her reach, so she couldn’t get outside and hurt herself. They stuck a sign onto the back of their car: “In an emergency situation, please be aware child may . . . have no awareness of danger.” But it was the family who was unaware of the danger posed this winter, as the worst flu season in a decade hospitalized at least 23,000 people, killed thousands — including at least 114 children — and by the time it passes, probably will have hit poor families like the Murrays the hardest. (McCoy, 3/2)

The Hill: CDC: Worst Of Flu Season May Be Over 
The worst of the nation’s flu season may be over, according to new data from federal officials. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday said the 2017–2018 flu season peaked in early February and is now on the decline. While 45 states plus Puerto Rico continued to report widespread flu activity, that number is down compared to past weeks, the CDC said Friday. (Weixel, 3/2)

The Washington Post: This Deadly Flu Season Has Peaked, But A Late Bump Could Loom
The worst of the flu season is over, but increasing numbers of people are being infected by a secondary strain of the respiratory virus that could lead to a late-season bump, according to a federal health report released Friday. Public health officials have said this flu season is likely to continue until mid-April, and the intensity of illness has made it the worst since the swine flu pandemic of 2009-2010. An additional 17 child deaths were reported across the country for the week ending Feb. 24. That brings the total of child deaths to at least 114 for the 2017-2018 season. (Sun, 3/2)

NPR: The Widespread Flu Epidemic Has Finally Peaked And Is Slowing Down, Says The CDC
The disease is "widespread" in 45 states and Puerto Rico. But health officials in Oregon, Minnesota, Texas, New Hampshire, Hawaii and the District of Columbia report that they're seeing only regional or local flu activity. "That's a very good sign that activity is decreasing. There still is a lot of flu out there," says Dr. Alicia Fry who works in the influenza division at the CDC. (Harris, 3/2)

NPR: Opioid-Induced Hyperalgesia: When The Painkiller Intensifies Pain
When patients arrive in the emergency room, nearly all but those with the most minor complaints get an IV. To draw blood, give medications or administer fluids, the IV is the way doctors and nurses gain access to the body. Putting one in is quick and simple, and it's no more painful than a mild bee sting. (Dalton, 3/3)

The Washington Post: Sexting Is Becoming Common For Teens
haring sexually explicit photos, videos or messages — or sexting — seems to be increasingly common among teens today. About 27 percent of teens say they’ve received such an electronic message, or sext, according to a study in the journal JAMA Pediatrics that included more than 110,000 teens. Nearly 15 percent admitted to having sent a sext. About 12 percent also said they had forwarded a sext without permission. (Searing, 3/3)

The New York Times: Consent In The Digital Age: Can Apps Solve A Very Human Problem?
“No means no” began to give way to “yes means yes” as the credo of sexual consent decades ago, but the shift has been swiftly propelled in recent years by legislation and, most recently, by the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements. The concept of affirmative consent — the act of giving verbal permission clearly and often during intimate encounters — was pioneered at Antioch College, where an affirmative sexual consent policy was instituted in 1990. It was widely mocked then, but similar policies have since spread to campuses nationwide, and today, the concept is acknowledged well beyond university grounds. (Salam, 3/2)

The Washington Post: It's Dangerous To Not Use A Seat Belt In The Back Seat Of A Car
If you’re reading this story from the back seat of car, there’s a good chance you’re not wearing a seat belt. A recent survey by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, or IIHS, found that 28 percent of respondents don’t always click a seat belt when they’re in the back of a car. The most common reason for not buckling up in the back, according to the 1,172 survey respondents, is that there is no need, because the rear seat is safer than the front. But that’s not always true. “Adults have gotten the message that it’s safer for kids to ride in the back seat properly restrained, but when it comes to their own safety, there is a common misperception that buckling up is optional,” said Jessica Jermakian, a senior research engineer at IIHS. (Kritz, 3/3)

NPR: Personal Health Technology Is Getting Smarter
With sensors that can collect data on body movements, heart rate, blood pressure and other metrics, the list of health trackers that go beyond activity trackers like Fitbits gets longer each year. "There's definitely an explosion of these things," says Dr. Joseph Kvedar, the vice president for connected health at Partners HealthCare in Boston, and an associate professor of dermatology at Harvard Medical School. (Chen, 3/5)

The Washington Post: Why Stress Is Bad For You And What You Can Do About It
When people talk about harmful stress — the kind that can affect health — they usually point to big, life-changing events, such as the death of a loved one. A growing body of research suggests that minor, everyday stress — caused by flight delays, traffic jams, cellphones that run out of battery during an important call, etc. — can harm health, too, and even shorten life spans. One traffic jam a week isn’t going to kill you, of course. Psychologists say it’s the nonstop strains of everyday life that can add up. “These hassles can have a big impact on physical health and well-being, particularly when they accumulate and we don’t have time to recover from one problem before another hits us,” says California-based psychologist Melanie Greenberg, author of “The Stress-Proof Brain.” (Wallace, 3/3)

The New York Times: Elder Abuse: Sometimes It’s Self-Inflicted
The man was living alone with his two dogs, in a remote area outside San Antonio, when someone called the Texas state hotline to report that a supposed friend was financially exploiting him. So the state adult protective services agency sent a caseworker to the man’s home. She found an 86-year-old Vietnam veteran in a dirty, cluttered house full of empty liquor bottles. His legs swollen by chronic cellulitis, he could barely walk, so he used a scooter. (Span, 3/2)

Reuters: Nursing Home Chain HCR ManorCare To Sell Itself In Bankruptcy
The second-largest U.S. nursing home operator, HCR ManorCare, will file for Chapter 11 protection in the coming days and transfer ownership to its landlord, Quality Care Properties Inc, the latest sign of distress in the senior housing industry. Quality Care, a real estate investment trust, announced the agreement on Friday, saying it would become the full owner of Toledo, Ohio-based ManorCare's skilled nursing, assisted living, hospice and homecare businesses across the United States. (Rucinski and Roumeliotis, 3/2)

The New York Times: A Lost Son, A Mother’s Search, And Too Late, The Truth
On a November day in 1991, a 62-year-old mother, Ernestine Davis, and her daughter, Thandi Zwana, entered the imposing New York City brick fortress known simply by its street address — 1 Police Plaza — and sat down to a grisly task. Their search for Ms. Davis’s missing son, Kevin Germany, had brought them here, facing a book of photographs. The photos were of the corpses of unidentified black men. The police showed the pictures to families of missing people in hopes of matching a name to a body. (Wilson, 3/4)

The Hill: Washington State Legislature Votes To Require Insurers To Cover Abortion: Report
The Washington state Legislature on Saturday voted in favor of a measure requiring the state’s insurers to cover abortions and birth control. The Senate voted to pass the measure by a 27-22 vote, according to The Associated Press, after concurring on changes made in the House. The Senate passed an earlier version of the bill in January. (Anapol, 3/3)

The Washington Post: Houston Day-Care Teacher Raul Reyes Loses Foot To Flesh-Eating Bacteria
At first, Raul Reyes, 26, thought it was a blister from an injury at work. Then a yellowish mass spread across his right foot. The Houston day-care teacher is now coming to terms with the ravages of a flesh-eating infection that burrowed into his appendage. “He woke up the next day and the blister was covering his entire foot, so he went to the clinic, where they told him to get to the emergency room immediately,” his wife, Joseline, told the Houston Chronicle. He was admitted Feb. 23 at Ben Taub Hospital in Houston. (Horton, 3/4)

The Associated Press: Milk Co-Op Mailing Highlights Suicide Risk For Dairy Farmers
Accompanying the routine payments and price forecasts sent to some Northeast dairy farmers last month were a list of mental health services and the number of a suicide prevention hotline. The Agri-Mark dairy cooperative got the resources out to its 1,000 farmers in New England and New York following the suicide of a member farmer in January, and one the year before. “I know there’s a number of farmers out there that are under such tremendous stress that we’re worried about that same thing happening,” said Bob Wellington, an economist for Agri-Mar Inc., which owns Cabot Creamery. (Rathke, 3/3)