First Edition: Nov. 16, 2022

KHN: The Player-Coaches Of Addiction Recovery Work Without Boundaries
Sarah Wright stops by her peer support specialist’s hotel room-turned-office in this Denver suburb several times a day. But her visit on a Wednesday morning in mid-October was one of her first with teeth. The specialist, Donna Norton, had pushed Wright to go to the dentist years after homelessness and addiction had taken a toll on her health, down to the jawbone. Wright was still getting used to her dentures. “I haven’t had teeth in 12½, 13 years,” she said, adding that they made her feel like a horse. A new smile was Wright’s latest milestone as she works to rebuild her life, and Norton has been there for each step: opening a bank account, getting a job, developing a sense of her own worth. (Bichell, 11/16)

KHN: How Optimism Can Close The Medicaid Coverage Gap
More than 2 million low-income people — half of them in Florida and Texas — are uninsured because they are stuck in a coverage gap: They earn too much to qualify for Medicaid, but because of a quirk of the Affordable Care Act, they earn too little to qualify for a subsidized ACA marketplace plan. The problem affects people in 11 states that haven’t expanded Medicaid. (Galewitz and Chang, 11/16)

KHN: Watch: As Health Costs Spike, The Role Of Hospitals Often Gets Overlooked 
The documentary “InHospitable” explores the role hospitals play in a fractured U.S. health care system and how they have driven up costs. It presents stories of patients and activists who protested practices at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, a behemoth health system headquartered in Pittsburgh. They asserted that UPMC was making vital care unaffordable and sometimes unattainable for hundreds of thousands of vulnerable patients as it fought a business dispute with a rival health system. (11/16)

AP: Judge Overturns Georgia's Ban On Abortion Around 6 Weeks 
A judge overturned Georgia’s ban on abortion starting around six weeks into a pregnancy, ruling Tuesday that it violated the U.S. Constitution and U.S. Supreme Court precedent when it was enacted three years ago and was therefore void. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney’s ruling took effect immediately statewide, though the state attorney general’s office said it filed an appeal. The ban had been in effect since July. (Thanawala, 11/15)

The Washington Post: Judge Overturns Georgia’s Six-Week Abortion Ban 
After Tuesday’s decision, abortion access in Georgia reverted to the pre-ban level of up to 22 weeks of pregnancy. Andrew Isenhour, a spokesman for Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R), said in a statement that the ruling “places the personal beliefs of a judge over the will of the legislature and people of Georgia.” The Georgia attorney general’s office immediately filed an appeal to the Georgia Supreme Court. (Bellware and Roubein, 11/15)

Politico: New Jersey Democrats Moving Toward Putting Abortion On The 2023 Ballot
New Jersey Democrats are expected to soon begin the process of asking voters to enshrine abortion rights in the state Constitution, with the goal of putting the measure on the ballot next year, when all 120 state legislative seats will be up. Democratic legislative leaders were already considering putting the question on the 2023 ballot prior to the federal midterm elections, in which the U.S. Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade helped Democrats fend off Republicans in many Senate and House races, giving their party a far better midterm showing than many predicted based on historical and economic headwinds. (Han and Friedman, 11/15)

The New York Times: US Catholic Bishops Elect Leaders For Anti-Abortion Fight 
A week after bruising losses for anti-abortion forces in the midterm elections, America’s Roman Catholic bishops rededicated themselves to ending abortion and elected a slate of new leaders to support that goal during their annual meeting on Tuesday. ... The bishops chose Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, who leads the Archdiocese for the Military Services, as their new president. Archbishop Broglio supported religious exemptions for military service members who did not want to receive the Covid-19 vaccine “if it would violate the sanctity of his or her conscience.” (Dias, 11/15)

The 19th: Support For Abortion Measures Was Greater Than Support For Democratic Candidates In Some States
Ballot measures expanding abortion access and reproductive rights outperformed Democratic candidates in the three states they were put to voters in the 2022 midterms, while anti-abortion ballot measures lagged Republican politicians in two states, a 19th News analysis found. (Panetta, 11/15)

NPR: March Of Dimes Report Shows An Increase In Pre-Term Births, Racial Disparities
On Tuesday, the nonprofit March of Dimes released its 2022 Report Card, which grades the whole country as well as individual states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico on measures related to the health of moms and babies. The report found that the U.S. preterm birth rate reached 10.5% of live births in 2021, marking a 4% increase from the previous year's rate, and the highest rate since 2007. (Treisman, 11/15)

NPR: A Nonprofit Says Preterm Births Are Up In The U.S. — And It's Not A Partisan Issue
Preterm births are a leading cause of infant deaths and can have long-term effects on a child's health and development. And, according to a new report, they're on the rise. On Tuesday, the nonprofit March of Dimes released its 2022 Report Card, which grades the whole country as well as individual states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico on measures related to the health of moms and babies. (Treisman, 11/15)

Reuters: FDA To Review Baby Formula Production Rules To Prevent Bacterial Illness
The U.S. health regulator said on Tuesday it would review guidance and rules about manufacturing infant formula as part of its strategy to prevent bacterial illness similar to Abbott Laboratories' products this year. The Food and Drug Administration will also consider whether to establish a dedicated group of investigators and realign staff across two of its divisions to better support regulatory oversight of infant formula, among other measures, it said. (11/15)

Newsweek: Ossoff Report: ICE Subjects Women To 'Excessive' Gynecological Procedures
Women held under Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention were repeatedly subjected to "excessive, invasive, and often unnecessary gynecological procedures," according to a report issued this morning by the U.S. Senate. The report comes after a bipartisan investigation conducted over an 18-month period carried out by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs' Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, led by its Chair, Senator Jon Ossoff, a Georgia Democrat, and Ranking Member Senator Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican. (Rouhandeh, 11/15)

The Washington Post: ICE Failed To Stop Medical Mistreatment Of Female Detainees In Georgia, Report Finds 
The inquiry did not substantiate claims that women at the facility, operated by the for-profit company LaSalle Corrections, had been subjected to mass hysterectomies, as advocates initially claimed. But the investigation found that Georgia physician Mahendra Amin appeared to have performed “excessive, invasive, and often unnecessary gynecological procedures” on dozens of women detained for deportation proceedings between 2017 and 2020. (Sacchetti and Miroff, 11/15)

AP: Amazon Plans New Virtual Care Offering Based On Messaging
Amazon is stepping back into virtual care with a new service that uses secure messaging to connect patients with doctors for help with nearly two dozen conditions. The retail giant said Tuesday it will launch “Amazon Clinic” in 32 states to provide medication refills and care for conditions like allergies, erectile disfunction, hair loss, migraines and urinary tract infections. That list does not include the flu, COVID-19, ear infections or other urgent care conditions for which patients often seek help through telemedicine. (11/15)

Stat: Amazon Jumps Into Direct-To-Consumer Telehealth, Launching A Rival To Ro And Hims
Amazon’s reach could set it apart. Amazon already has reams of data on its existing customers, and millions of people using its website and products every day, said Matt McCoy, a medical ethics and health policy researcher at the University of Pennsylvania. “I’d guess that the combination of these factors — having a massive existing customer base that it already knows a lot about — will give Amazon an advantage over competitors when it comes to steering people towards its telehealth partners,” he said, though the impact depends on how Amazon Clinic is advertised. (Palmer, 11/15)

USA Today: Marijuana May Be More Harmful To Lungs Than Cigarettes, Study Suggests
Smoking marijuana may do more damage to lungs than cigarettes, a new study suggests. The study, published Tuesday in the peer-reviewed journal Radiology, found marijuana may be linked to an increased risk of emphysema over smoking tobacco alone. (Rodriguez, 11/15)

NBC News: Smoking Marijuana Can Raise Risk Of Lung Disease, Chest Scans Indicate
The analysis by Canadian researchers, published Tuesday in Radiology, compared the chest scans of marijuana smokers and tobacco-only smokers who were matched according to age. They found that twice as many of those who inhaled cannabinoids developed paraseptal emphysema as people who smoked cigarettes only. (Carroll, 11/15)

Politico: White House Seeks $48B For Ukraine, Covid-19 Needs 
The White House is urging congressional leaders to provide nearly $48 billion in emergency cash this fall for Ukraine and to battle Covid-19 and other infectious diseases. The Biden administration sent a letter to Congress on Tuesday outlining nearly a $38 billion request to help Ukraine continue fending off Russian attacks. The administration is also asking for $10 billion in emergency health funding, with more than $9 billion going toward Covid vaccine access, next-generation Covid vaccines, long Covid research and more. About $750 million would be spent on efforts to control the spread of monkeypox, hepatitis C and HIV. (Emma, 11/15)

The Texas Tribune: Federal Judge Blocks U.S. From Using Title 42 To Expel Migrants At Border
A federal judge on Tuesday blocked the federal government from continuing to use an emergency health order known as Title 42 to immediately expel migrants at the southern border after they have entered the United States. (Garcia, 11/15)

Stat: White House’s Jha Isn’t Predicting A Severe Covid Surge This Holiday
Ashish Jha, the White House Covid-19 coordinator, predicted Tuesday that the United States will not be heading toward another Covid-19 surge driven by holiday gatherings akin to the Omicron wave in 2021. (Florko, 11/15)

Stat: ‘I Pushed Back’: Fauci On Becoming ‘Public Enemy No. 1’
As he faces the possibility of increased scrutiny from what is likely to be a Republican-controlled House, Anthony Fauci on Tuesday signaled he is willing to go to the mat to justify the government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic and viral research programs. “I’d be more than happy to discuss anything that we’ve done over the last several years with this outbreak, since I have nothing to hide and I can defend everything we’ve done,” Fauci said at the annual STAT Summit. (Joseph, 11/15)

Modern Healthcare: Leapfrog Reports Hospitals Safety Improved Before COVID-19
Data from before the COVID-19 pandemic show promising improvements in hospital-acquired infection rates. Central line-associated bloodstream infections decreased 43%, MRSA cases declined 22% and Clostridioides difficile cases went down 8% between 2012, when the Leapfrog Group began grading hospitals on these measures, and 2019. (Devereaux, 11/16)

Reuters: U.S. FDA Authorizes Roche's Monkeypox Test 
The U.S. health regulator on Tuesday issued an emergency use authorization to Roche's (ROG.S) test for the detection of DNA from monkeypox virus in swab specimens collected from people suspected of the virus infection. ... The Food and Drug Administration said testing will be limited to laboratories that meet the requirements to perform moderate or high complexity tests. (11/15)

CIDRAP: Jynneos Vaccine Not Linked To Hospitalization, Serious Adverse Outcomes 
A non-peer-reviewed retrospective cohort study of 2,126 Jynneos monkeypox vaccine recipients identified 10 cardiac events that all had alternative explanations, and no hospitalizations or serious adverse outcomes were attributed to vaccination. The authors used vaccine recipients in the Kaiser Permanente Northwest system who were vaccinated with at least one dose of Jynneos between Jul 14 and Oct 10, 2022. (11/15)

CNN: RSV Hospitalization Rate For Seniors Is 10 Times Higher Than Usual For This Point In The Season 
This season, about 6 out of every 100,000 seniors has been hospitalized with RSV, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s significantly lower than the rate for children but still uncharacteristically high. In the years before the Covid-19 pandemic, hospitalization rates for seniors were about 10 times lower at this point in the season. (Christensen, 11/15)

The Washington Post: Parents Are Missing Work At Record Rates To Take Care Of Sick Kids
A new round of viral infections — flu, RSV, covid-19 and the common cold — is colliding with staffing shortages at schools and day cares to create unprecedented challenges for parents and teachers. More than 100,000 Americans missed work last month because of child-care problems, an all-time high that’s even greater than during the height of the pandemic, according to new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. (Bhattarai, 11/15)

The Washington Post: Children's Hospital Doctors Rally Over Working Conditions Amid RSV 
Dozens of [hospital] residents and their supporters rallied Tuesday evening outside Children’s National Hospital in Northwest D.C. ... as union negotiations continue with the Top 5 children’s hospital. Residents stood under makeshift tents in the driving rain across from the hospital as ambulances screamed by, carrying signs that read, “I’m tired,” “Children deserve healthy doctors” and “Fair contract = physician wellness,” highlighting the challenges providers face as respiratory illnesses stress the health-care system. (Portnoy, 11/15)

CNN: Hearing Loss: 1 Billion People At Risk From Unsafe Listening
Turning down the racket isn’t just for disgruntled parents — a new study has shown it could protect more than 1 billion people at risk for hearing loss. (Holcombe, 11/15)

NPR: Devices, Loud Venues Could Cause Hearing Loss In 1 Billion Young People
More than 1 billion young people could be at risk of facing hearing loss, a new study shows. "It is estimated that 0.67–1.35 billion adolescents and young adults worldwide could be at risk of hearing loss from exposure to unsafe listening practices," according to the study, which was published in BMJ Journal on Tuesday. (Archie, 11/16)

Reuters: Opioid Overdose Reversal Drug Likely Safe For OTC Use, Says FDA
Opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone may be safe and effective for over-the-counter use in some forms, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday, potentially paving the way for its use federally. The FDA would still require data on individual products from manufacturers for them to be available over the counter at a federal level. (11/15)

Stat: Fentanyl Is Making It Harder To Start Addiction Treatment 
Doctors are reporting a troubling trend when it comes to fentanyl. The powerful drug, they say, isn’t just causing overdoses — it’s also making it more difficult to begin addiction treatment. In particular, fentanyl appears more likely to cause severe withdrawal symptoms for patients put on buprenorphine, a key medication used to treat opioid use disorder. (Facher, 11/16)

The Courier-Journal: Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear Signs Order To Partly Legalize Medical Marijuana
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear signed an executive order Tuesday to legalize the possession and use of medical marijuana by certain eligible individuals in the state, so long as it was purchased legally outside Kentucky and amounts to less than eight ounces. Kentucky is currently one of just 12 states to still outlaw marijuana for both medical and recreational purposes, despite public polling showing the legalization of medical marijuana is quite popular among its residents. (Sonka, 11/15)

AP: Voters In Oregon Pass Gun Control, Health Care Measures 
Oregon voters have narrowly passed measures that would strengthen gun laws and mandate health care as a human right. ... The health care proposal, Measure 111, makes Oregon the first state in the nation to change its constitution to explicitly declare affordable health care a fundamental human right. The amendment reads: “It is the obligation of the state to ensure that every resident of Oregon has access to cost-effective, clinically appropriate and affordable health care as a fundamental right.” It does not define “cost-effective, clinically appropriate and affordable,” nor does it say who would foot the bill. (11/15)

AP: Veterans Home COVID-19 Outbreak Results In $58M Settlement
A federal judge has approved a nearly $58 million settlement in a class-action lawsuit filed in response to the deaths of dozens of veterans who contracted COVID-19 at a Massachusetts veterans home. “It was with heavy hearts that we got to the finish line on this case,” Michael Aleo, an attorney for the plaintiffs said Tuesday, the day after the settlement was approved by a judge in U.S. District Court in Springfield. (11/15)

The Washington Post: Decades Of Neglect In Nursing Homes Spur Biden Plan For Staff Mandates 
Lisa Cabrera saw the warning signs of poor care at her father’s California nursing home — the bug bites on his back, the facial injuries from a fall, the times he was soaked in urine instead of being ready for trips to church. Still, she believed repeated assurances that the staff had inspected the pressure sore on his heel and changed the bandages. But her dad, Louie Sira, 67, a disabled former janitor, kept gesturing to his right leg, indicating he felt pain. Finally, Cabrera peeled the dressing back herself, which had grown worse since the last time she looked. (Rowland, 11/15)

Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Measles Outbreak Grows To 15 Cases At Child Care Facilities
A measles outbreak confirmed last week has swelled from four cases to 15 among children. So far, 15 cases have been reported at five child care facilities in the Columbus area, said Kelli Newman, spokeswoman for Columbus Public Health, which is investigating the outbreak. All cases were reported in unvaccinated children under the age of 4. (Filby, 11/15)

AP: 'Jeopardy!' Champ Says Ohio Bill Would Endanger Trans Youth
“Jeopardy!” champion Amy Schneider is opposing Ohio legislation that would ban gender-affirming procedures and therapies for minors. The Dayton native, who was the first transgender person to qualify for Jeopardy’s “Tournament of Champions,” is expected to attend a hearing on the bill Wednesday morning at the Ohio Statehouse. (Hendrickson, 11/16)

The Colorado Sun: Colorado Paramedics Endure Delays In Ambulance Deliveries
Chris Marsh typically orders two new ambulances every year for Eagle County Paramedic Services. That keeps a steady flow of the crucial vehicles rolling into his stable of 14 ambulances that provide 24-hour service out of five stations in Eagle County from Vail to Gypsum. But no new ambulances were delivered this year. And it’s not likely any will come next year. (Blevins, 11/16)

The New York Times: Frustrations Grow Over Philips’s Response To CPAP Device Recalls
By 2015, Philips Respironics knew its breathing devices had a problem: Foam inside the CPAP machines, which help people with sleep apnea breathe at night, was breaking off into black flecks and blowing into the mouths and noses of users. The company did nothing at the time. Years went by as complaints mounted, and the company made cursory efforts to examine the problem, according to an investigation conducted later by the Food and Drug Administration. (Jewett, 11/15)

The Washington Post: For Sleep Apnea, Cut Back On Junk Food And Alcohol, Research Shows 
Every night, millions of people lose sleep because of obstructive sleep apnea, a chronic disorder that causes periodic disruptions in nighttime breathing. But a growing body of research suggests that improving your eating habits by cutting out ultra-processed foods, cutting back on alcohol and increasing your daily steps can reduce symptoms of sleep apnea and potentially even eliminate it. (O'Connor, 11/15)

The Boston Globe: Teens And Young Adults Are Self-Diagnosing Mental Illness On TikTok. What Could Go Wrong?
But too often, experts say, suggestible people mistake having one or two symptoms with having the disorder itself. “If I were to go through the DSM” — the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders — ”and take a tiny snapshot of every diagnosis, we would all relate and self-diagnose,” said Alex Chinks, a licensed clinical psychologist in Needham. “A symptom of depression is fatigue. Well, I was fatigued all week.” (Teitell, 11/15)