First Edition: May 15, 2017

Kaiser Health News: Trump Says He Knows About Health Care, But Some Of His Facts Seem Alternative
Lost in all the coverage of the firing of FBI Director James Comey last week were a pair of in-depth interviews President Donald Trump gave that included lengthy comments on health care — one with Time magazine and the other with The Economist. He acknowledged to Time interviewers that health care was not an area of expertise in his previous job. “It was just not high on my list,” he said. But he added that “in a short period of time I understood everything there was to know about health care.” Not really. (Rovner, 5/15)

Kaiser Health News: Planned Parenthood Funding Could Thwart GOP Efforts On Health Bill
If there’s anything congressional Republicans want to do more than “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act it’s defund Planned Parenthood, which provides health care to women around the country. But Senate rules could prevent lawmakers from accomplishing both of those goals in the same bill, as they intend to do. The American Health Care Act, passed by the House earlier this month to overhaul the federal health law, would bar funding under the Medicaid program for one year to any “prohibited entity” that “is primarily engaged in family planning services, reproductive health, and related medical care; and … provides for abortions” other than those for rape, incest or to protect the life of the woman. (Rovner, 5/12)

California Healthline: Fearing Deportation, Parents Worry About Undocumented Kids In Medi-Cal
Luz felt relieved and grateful when she learned that her 16-year-old son qualified for full coverage under Medi-Cal. Now, she worries that the information she provided to the government health program could put her family at risk of deportation. Luz’s son is one of nearly 190,000 children who have enrolled in Medi-Cal since California opened it to undocumented children last year. Luz, her husband and her son came to Merced, Calif., from Mexico without papers about 10 years ago. Luz asked that the family’s last name not be used, for fear of being identified by federal immigration authorities. (Ibarra, 5/15)

Kaiser Health News: Houston Hospital Checking To See If Patients’ Cupboards Are Bare
Sherry King had lost her job as a dental assistant and was stretching her food, sometimes going without any fresh fruit or vegetables. But the suburban Houston resident didn’t reach out for any help — even from her own relatives, whom she didn’t want to worry. Then she switched to a new doctor late last year. “They asked me, ‘Do I have enough food? Do I have access to nutritious food?’ ” the 51-year-old recalled. “When they asked me that, it made me cry.” That prompted the medical practice to take note of her situation, and a clinician soon introduced King to several local food banks that carry fresh produce and some meat, such as chicken. (Huff, 5/15)

Politico: Senators Hold Back-Channel Talks On Bipartisan Obamacare Fix
Sen. Bill Cassidy held up bright red posters in a mostly empty Senate chamber Thursday for a presentation on how his ideas would pass the "Jimmy Kimmel Test," by helping people with preexisting conditions. After the speech, Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia came to the floor and praised the wonkish Republican doctor from Louisiana. “I do applaud my colleague,” Kaine said. "Amen.” (Everett and Schor, 5/14)

The Wall Street Journal: Senate Conservatives Look To Cut Medicaid
Conservative Senate Republicans are weighing faster and steeper cuts to Medicaid that could drop millions of people from coverage and mark the biggest changes to the program in its 52-year history. The plan being pushed by lawmakers such as Mike Lee (R., Utah) is likely to face resistance from centrist GOP senators who are already concerned a health-overhaul bill passed by House Republicans would leave too many people uninsured. But the push for more aggressive Medicaid cutbacks indicates that if a bill ultimately passes both chambers, it could significantly scale back the federal-state insurance program that covers 73 million low-income or disabled Americans. (Armour and Peterson, 5/14)

USA Today: Obamacare Replacement Threatens Kids' Health Coverage
Samantha Bailey spends her days in a Phoenix hospital room with her 19-month-old son, Henry, waiting for a heart transplant and fretting about his health care once he gets it. Fears about health care for low income or special needs children in Arizona aren't theoretical or simply the product of an anxious mother's mind. Until last year, Arizona was the only state in the nation that wasn't enrolling children just above the poverty line into the free or low-cost Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).  A recession-induced budget crunch there led to a health coverage wait list for families earning between $27,000 to $40,000 a year for a family of three. (O'Donnell and Alltucker, 5/13)

The Associated Press: Changes In Medicaid Distributions Worry School Districts
For school districts still getting their financial footing after the Great Recession, the Medicaid changes being advanced as part of the health care overhaul are sounding familiar alarms. Administrators say programming and services even beyond those that receive funding from the state-federal health care program could be at risk should Congress follow through with plans to change the way Medicaid is distributed. They say any reduction in the estimated $4 billion schools receive in annual Medicaid reimbursements would be hard to absorb after years of reduced state funding and a weakened tax base. (Ho and Thompson, 5/15)

The Wall Street Journal: GOP Move To Ease Existing-Condition Health Coverage Mandate Could Endure
One of the most controversial provisions of the House Republican health-care bill had been expected to quietly disappear in the Senate. Now, some government budget experts think it might not. The provision would enable states to obtain waivers to opt out of certain Affordable Care Act regulations, which would let insurers offer skimpier but cheaper health plans. The waivers also would allow insurers to charge more to people with existing health conditions who had let their coverage lapse. (Peterson, 5/12)

The Washington Post Fact Checker: Health Insurance Premiums Will Keep Going Up, Under Either ACA Or AHCA
Advocates for the House Republicans’ health-care overhaul plan frequently say or suggest that premiums would go down under the proposal. There is, in fact, a line in the Congressional Budget Office report on the American Health Care Act that, at first glance, might suggest premiums will decline by 10 percent. But, as we have frequently explained, the reference in the report is compared to current law — the Affordable Care Act. What CBO does is measure the impact of a proposed law against a current law baseline. So average premiums by 2026 are projected to be rougher 10 percent lower than the baseline for the Affordable Care Act — but they still would go up. (Kessler, 5/15)

The Associated Press: In Swing Districts, Voters Vent Over Health Care, Fear Trump
Skeleton in hand, retired biology teacher Jeannie Scown delivered a message to her Republican congressman at his office northwest of Chicago. "Killed by Trumpcare Plague, May 4, 2017," her poster read. In a nod to House Republicans' recent vote to gut the health care law, Scown had no intention of sparing four-term Rep. Randy Hultgren with subtlety. (Barrow and Burnett, 5/14)

The New York Times: Why Some Can’t Wait For A Repeal Of Obamacare
For Linda Dearman, the House vote last week to repeal the Affordable Care Act was a welcome relief. Ms. Dearman, of Bartlett, Ill., voted for President Trump largely because of his contempt for the federal health law. She and her husband, a partner in an engineering firm, buy their own insurance, but late last year they dropped their $1,100-a-month policy and switched to a bare-bones plan that does not meet the law’s requirements. They are counting that the law will be repealed before they owe a penalty. (Goodnough, 5/12)

The Associated Press: AP Explains: How Lawmakers Get Their Health Care
Republican Sen. John McCain, a former Navy pilot who at 80 has had several health setbacks, gets his coverage from the Department of Veterans Affairs. House leaders, like Speaker Paul Ryan, get their coverage through the Affordable Care Act, as do many members of Congress. Congress voted to include itself in the law when it passed in 2010, and a bill passed by the House last week would continue that requirement in the new version. So how is it working for them? (Jalonick and Freking, 5/15)

Politico: Trump Calls For More Women's Health Care, Paid Family Leave Options
In a statement celebrating Women's Health Week, President Donald Trump on Sunday called on improving health care access for "quality prenatal, maternal, and newborn care," in addition to ensuring paid family leave for both mothers and fathers." Ensuring affordable, accessible, and quality health care is critical to improving women’s health and ensuring that it fits their priorities at any stage of life," Trump said in his statement, issued on Mother's Day. (Morin, 5/14)

Politico: Abortion Politics Hound Senators From Both Parties
The politics of abortion are already vexing vulnerable senators from both parties on the 2018 ballot. Two of the most endangered senators up for reelection next year, West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin and Nevada Republican Dean Heller, are being targeted by their opposition for stumbling over the issue recently. And there's plenty more in store: If the Senate calls up a bill to repeal Obamacare, controversy over Planned Parenthood funding will come to the fore — ensuring the 2018 campaign won’t lack for that perennial lightning rod. (Schor, 5/14)

The Washington Post: The White House Budget Director Dropped A Hint About How Trump Could Bring Drug Prices Down 
White House budget director Mick Mulvaney dropped a surprising clue Thursday about how President Trump might bring drug prices down, describing the kind of government intervention that traditionally has been supported by Democrats. Mulvaney explained at a Stanford University conference that drugmakers receive a “tremendous giveaway” from Medicare's prescription drug benefit because they do not have to pay a mandatory rebate off the average price, as they do in Medicaid. Instead, in Medicare's prescription drug benefit, private companies bargain with drug companies to win rebates for their members. (Johnson, 5/12)

The Associated Press: Anthem Gives Up Cigna Bid, Vows To Fight On Over Damages
Anthem has ended its soured, $48 billion bid to buy rival Cigna, but the nation's second-largest health insurer isn't giving up a fight over whether Cigna deserves a termination fee for the scrapped deal. Anthem said Friday that Cigna sabotaged the merger agreement and caused "massive damages" for Anthem, which provides Blue Cross-Blue Shield coverage in several states. It said it plans to "vigorously pursue" its claims against Cigna. (Murphy, 5/12)

The New York Times: A Shocking Diagnosis: Breast Implants ‘Gave Me Cancer’
Raylene Hollrah was 33, with a young daughter, when she learned she had breast cancer. She made a difficult decision, one she hoped would save her life: She had her breasts removed, underwent grueling chemotherapy and then had reconstructive surgery. In 2013, six years after her first diagnosis, cancer struck again — not breast cancer, but a rare malignancy of the immune system — caused by the implants used to rebuild her chest. (Grady, 5/14)

The New York Times: What You Need To Know If You Have Breast Implants
Nearly every case of the rare cancer that has been linked to breast implants — anaplastic large-cell lymphoma — involves those with a textured surface, not a smooth one, and most implants in the United States are smooth. The Food and Drug Administration says women with implants who are not experiencing any problems with them should stick to routine care, and do not need to have the implants removed. But symptoms like breast pain, swelling, fluid buildup or lumps should not be ignored. (Grady, 5/14)

The Associated Press: Appalachia’s Approach To Drugs At Odds With AG Policy
In Appalachian states hit hardest by the opioid epidemic, the tough-on-crime policy announced Friday by U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions runs counter to a recent emphasis on treatment and less prison time for low-level drug offenders. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul strongly opposed the Department of Justice directive, which reverses an Obama-era policy that prescribed leniency for nonviolent, low-level drug offenders. “We should treat our nation’s drug epidemic as a health crisis and less as a ‘lock ‘em up and throw away the key’ problem,” Paul said in a statement released shortly after Session’s announcement. (Lovan, 5/13)

The Associated Press: Virginia Gets Nearly $10M To Fight Opioid Crisis
Virginia is getting nearly $10 million in federal money to help in its fight against the opioid epidemic. Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s office announced Friday that the state has received a $9.76 million grant. It will be used to purchase medication, support the medical staff necessary to prescribe and oversee clinical treatment, and remove barriers to access, such as transportation. (5/13)

NPR: A Young Doctor Tends To His Patients In Rural Alaska
In rural Alaska, providing health care means overcoming a lot of hurdles. Fickle weather that can leave patients stranded, for one. Also: complicated geography. Many Alaskan villages have no roads connecting them with hospitals or specialists, so people depend on local clinics and a cadre of devoted primary care doctors. (Block, 5/13)

The Associated Press: A Suicide At Age 8? Very Rare, But Not Inconceivable
The death was startling even to the coroner: a boy only 8 years old apparently killing himself in his Cincinnati bedroom. Now Gabriel Taye’s January death is being re-examined, after it emerged that he was bullied and knocked unconscious at school two days before he died. (Peltz, 5/14)

Reuters: ADHD Treatment Tied To Lower Car Crash Risk
People with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder are at increased risk of motor-vehicle accidents, but it is significantly reduced when they are taking ADHD medication, a 10-year study finds. The researchers estimate that 1 in 5 of the accidents among more than 2 million people with ADHD during the study period could have been avoided if these individuals had been receiving medication the entire time. (5/12)

NPR: Racial Disparities Persist In Sudden Infant Deaths
American Indian and Alaska Native families are much more likely to have an infant die suddenly and unexpectedly, and that risk has remained higher than in other ethnic groups since public health efforts were launched to prevent sudden infant death syndrome in the 1990s. African-American babies also face a higher risk, a study finds. (Hobson, 5/15)

The Washington Post: Put Your Baby To Sleep In A Box? A Finnish Idea Is Winning Converts Here.
Although Ella Mae Formel works full time in Great Barrington, Mass., money is tight for the new mother. Her baby, Oliver, was born at the end of March, and making sure she had everything she needed to take care of him was important to her. So when she read a newspaper article before his birth about a program offering free baby boxes, she jumped at the opportunity. Her gift — a cardboard box where the baby can sleep for his first six months — came loaded with swaddles, a first-aid kit, a rubber duck thermometer to test water temperature, diapers, and tea and sanitary pads for her. (Eaton, 5/13)

NPR: Inflatable Beds: Dangerous For Infants, Attractive To Cash-Strapped Parents
Inflatable beds can be cheap, which is good news for consumers who want an alternative to pricey traditional mattresses. But their uneven, soft, impermeable surfaces are dangerous for babies, and can increase the risk of sudden infant death. The dangers may be particularly acute for low-income families, a recent essay in the American Journal of Public Health argues. (Hersher, 5/12)

The Associated Press: More States Allow Sunscreen At Schools Without Doctor’s OK
Susan Grenon makes sure her son is lathered with sunscreen before he leaves for school in the morning, but the fair-skinned 10-year-old can’t bring a bottle to reapply it without a doctor’s note. Many school systems categorize sunscreen as an over-the-counter medication requiring special paperwork, but several states have been pushing to loosen restrictions to make it easier for kids to protect themselves from skin cancer. (O'Brien, 5/14)

NPR: Yawning May Promote Social Bonding Even Between Dogs And Humans
Bears do it; bats do it. So do guinea pigs, dogs and humans. They all yawn. It's a common animal behavior, but one that is something of a mystery. There's still no consensus on the purpose of a yawn, says Robert Provine, professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Provine has studied what he calls "yawn science" since the early 1980s, and he's published dozens of research articles on it. He says the simple yawn is not so simple. (Trudeau and Greenhalgh, 5/15)

The Washington Post: Trump Thinks That Exercising Too Much Uses Up The Body’s ‘Finite’ Energy
President Trump reportedly eschews exercise because he believes it drains the body’s “finite” energy resources, but experts say this argument is flawed because the human body actually becomes stronger with exercise. Trump’s views on exercise were mentioned in a New Yorker article this month and in “Trump Revealed,” The Washington Post’s 2016 biography of the president, which noted that Trump mostly gave up athletics after college because he “believed the human body was like a battery, with a finite amount of energy, which exercise only depleted.” (Rachael Rettner, 5/14)

NPR: High School Students Try Nap Pods To Reduce Stress
When 18-year-old Hannah Vanderkooy feels extremely tired or anxious, she heads to a space-like capsule for a nap — during school. Like many teens struggling to get good grades and maybe even a college scholarship, Vanderkooy doesn't get enough sleep. And she's not alone. Various studies indicate that chronically sleepy and stressed-out teenagers might be the new normal among U.S. adolescents who are competing for grades, colleges and, eventually, jobs. (Neighmond, 5/15)

The Washington Post: Is It A Veto Or Not? McAuliffe And GOP Fight Over Language Blocking Medicaid Expansion.
Gov. Terry McAuliffe and the Republican legislature have escalated a long-running fight over whether a handful of his vetoes are valid — a battle that could determine whether the Democrat is able to pull off his marquee campaign pledge to expand Medicaid before leaving office in January. McAuliffe on Friday issued an executive order directing state agencies to recognize the state budget as he sees it — including five vetoes he made to various parts of the two-year spending plan. One of those vetoes, issued a year ago, rejects language that the General Assembly had inserted to prevent him from expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act without its permission. (Vozzella, 5/12)

The Wall Street Journal: New Jersey Governor Seeks More Control Over Big Health Insurer
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is waging an unlikely battle against the state’s largest health insurer in his administration’s waning months. Mr. Christie, a business-friendly Republican who has claimed credit for cutting corporate taxes and regulations during his nearly two terms in office, is calling for more state control of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, which covers 3.8 million people. (King, 5/14)

The Associated Press: Missouri Targets Doctor Dearth, Expands First-In-Nation Law
Numerous additional doctors from around the U.S. could become eligible to treat patients in Missouri’s underserved areas as a result of a planned expansion of a first-in-the-nation law aimed at addressing a pervasive doctor shortage. The newly passed Missouri legislation would broaden the reach of a 2014 law that sought to bridge the gap between communities in need of doctors and physicians in need of jobs. That law created a new category of licensed professionals — “assistant physicians” — for people who graduate from medical school and pass key medical exams but aren’t placed in residency programs needed for certification. (Lieb, 5/14)