First Edition: Nov. 9, 2022

KHN: People With Long Covid Face Barriers To Government Disability Benefits 
When Josephine Cabrera Taveras was infected with covid-19 in spring 2020, she didn’t anticipate that the virus would knock her out of work for two years and put her family at risk for eviction. Taveras, a mother of two in Brooklyn, New York, said her bout with long covid has meant dealing with debilitating symptoms, ranging from breathing difficulties to arthritis, that have prevented her from returning to her job as a nanny. Unable to work — and without access to Social Security Disability Insurance or other government help — Taveras and her family face a looming pile of bills. (Ladyzhets, 11/9)

KHN: Ad Goes Too Far With Claim That Joe Biden Promotes Surgery For Trans Teens 
A radio ad targeting care for transgender youth began airing in cities around the country this fall — from Spanish-language stations in Corpus Christi, Texas, to sports talk shows in Tennessee to pop radio in Detroit. The ad, paid for by a political advocacy group founded by Stephen Miller, a longtime speechwriter and senior adviser to former President Donald Trump, were deemed so incendiary by one radio station owner that they were pulled in major markets. The minute-long script from America First Legal, titled “Not Anymore,” accuses President Joe Biden of “pushing radical gender experiments” with hormone therapy. (Farmer, 11/9)

The Hill: Voters Support Abortion Rights In All Five States With Ballot Measures
Voters in California, Vermont and Michigan on Tuesday approved ballot measures enshrining abortion rights into their state constitutions, while those in traditional red states Montana and Kentucky rejected measures that would have restricted access to reproductive care. The votes signal strength to effort to support abortion rights after the Supreme Court in June ruled to overturn the landmark 1973 case Roe v. Wade and the constitutional right to the procedure. (Dress, 11/9)

The Wall Street Journal: Abortion-Rights Supporters Prevail In Midterm Ballot Measures 
The midterm elections provided the first national temperature-taking on voter attitudes toward abortion since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in late June, ending federal constitutional protections for the procedure. The decision returned abortion policy to the states, creating a host of new battlegrounds. (Kusisto and Calfas, 11/9)

NPR: California Voters Approve Measure To Enshrine Right To Abortion
Proposition 1 was a direct response to the U.S. Supreme Court's Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization ruling. State Democratic leaders introduced the proposition language after a draft of the Dobbs decision leaked last spring. Following the high court's final decision in June, the Democratically controlled state Senate approved putting it on the ballot. (Fortier, 11/9)

Forbes: Medicaid Expansion Wins In Red State South Dakota
Voters in Republican-leaning South Dakota Tuesday approved a ballot measure to extend Medicaid benefits to more than 40,000 low-income adults. The vote by a wide margin of South Dakotans to expand Medicaid health insurance for low-income Americans under the Affordable Care Act is a political blow to Republican Gov. Kristi Noem, who opposed the ballot initiative. It’s also a setback for Republicans generally given their past unsuccessful efforts with Donald Trump to try to repeal the health law, also known as Obamacare. The Medicaid expansion measure known in South Dakota as “Constitutional Amendment D” had 56% support compared to 44% opposed with 90% of precincts reporting by early Wednesday morning, state election data showed. (Japsen, 11/9)

NPR: Democrat John Fetterman Beats Trump-Backed Dr. Oz In Pennsylvania Senate Race
Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman is headed to the U.S. Senate following a campaign full of personal health debates and a fight for control of one of the nation's battleground states. He defeated Trump-endorsed celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz. (Bustillo, 11/9)

Los Angeles Times: California Votes No On Prop. 29 For Dialysis Clinics Changes
Proposition 29 would have required dialysis clinics to have a doctor, nurse practitioner or physician assistant present while patients are receiving care at any of the state’s 600 dialysis centers. Clinics also would have been required to disclose if a physician had ownership interest in a facility and to report patient infection data. (Evans, 11/8)

Los Angeles Times: Flavored Tobacco Banned In California As Prop. 31 Passes
California voters on Tuesday passed a ballot measure to uphold a 2020 law that banned the sale of most flavored tobacco products, giving anti-tobacco advocates an expected victory in a multiyear fight against the industry to mitigate a youth vaping crisis. (Wiley, 11/8)

AP: Voters Approve Recreational Marijuana In Maryland, Missouri
Voters approved recreational marijuana in Maryland and Missouri but rejected it in two other states, signaling support gradually growing for legalization even in conservative parts of the country. The results mean that 21 states have now approved marijuana’s recreational use. Arkansas and North Dakota voters rejected legalization proposals in Tuesday’s elections. A similar initiative went before voters in South Dakota, but early Wednesday it was too early to call. (DeMillo, 11/9)

AP: 'Magic Mushrooms' Vote Too Early To Call In Colorado 
A vote to decide whether Colorado will become the second state, after Oregon, to create a legalized system for the use of psychedelic mushrooms was too early to call Tuesday. The ballot initiative would decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms for those 21 and older and create state-regulated “healing centers” where participants can experience the drug under the supervision of a licensed “facilitator.” The measure would establish a regulated system for using substances like psilocybin and psilocin, the hallucinogenic chemicals found in some mushrooms. It also would allow private personal use of the drugs. (Peipert, 11/9)

AP: Oregon Gun Control, Health Care Measures Too Early To Call 
Oregon voters appeared closely divided late Tuesday on measures that would add permitting and training requirements for new gun buyers and amend the state’s constitution to explicitly declare affordable health care a human right. With roughly 40% of the vote counted in the vote-by-mail state, the outcomes of both races were too early to call. (Flaccus, 11/9)

Axios: SCOTUS Seems Unlikely To Gut Suing Rights Of Medicaid Recipients
Supreme Court justices on Tuesday appeared unsympathetic toward an effort to bar Medicaid beneficiaries from suing for benefits the safety net program promises. (Moreno, 11/9)

Reuters: U.S. Supreme Court Weighs Barring Lawsuits Against Public Nursing Homes
The justices heard arguments in an appeal by Health and Hospital Corp of Marion County, an Indiana municipal corporation, of a lower court's ruling that let the family of Gorgi Talevski, a nursing home resident diagnosed with dementia, pursue a lawsuit claiming his rights were violated while at the facility. (Raymond and Chung, 11/8)

Indianapolis Star: SCOTUS Justice Brown Jackson Disputes Both Sides In Marion County Case
The U.S. Supreme Court’s newest member, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, grilled the attorney representing Marion County's public health agency Tuesday as she grappled with his controversial request to prohibit lawsuits against public agencies that violate federal nursing home law and welfare programs. (Magdaleno, 11/8)

Stat: Why Did SCOTUS Take Up Amgen Patent Case, But Not Similar Bristol Suit?
In a surprising move, the Supreme Court rejected a bid by a Bristol Myers Squibb unit to reinstate a $1.2 billion award it won in a contentious patent fight with a Gilead Sciences subsidiary over the lucrative market for gene therapies. (Silverman, 11/8)

The Washington Post: Over 1 Million Americans With Diabetes Rationed Insulin In Past Year
In the United States, an estimated 1.3 million adults with diabetes — 16.5 percent of those who have been prescribed insulin to manage their disease — have rationed their use of the medication in the past year, according to a report published last month in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. The researchers found that some people who ration insulin delay refilling their prescriptions, and others skip doses or take a smaller dose of insulin than needed. Insulin is a hormone, created by the pancreas, that helps the body turn food into energy and also helps control blood sugar levels. (Searing, 11/8)

The Wall Street Journal: How Does Flu Spread Compared With Covid? What To Know As Flu Cases Surge
Most scientists agree that influenza is transmitted most commonly through the air, but there is disagreement about whether the main vehicle is aerosols or droplets. Some scientists who study aerosol particles say flu mainly transmits through these tiny particles rather than through the larger droplets. That would mean you can get infected just by being in the same room with a contagious person—even far away—rather than having them sneeze on you or emit droplets while talking in proximity to them. (Ready, 11/8)

NBC News: Rhode Island Pediatric Beds Are 100% Full Amid Surge In Respiratory Viruses
Every one of Rhode Island’s pediatric hospital beds was full on Sunday and Monday, according to an NBC News analysis of data from the Department of Health and Human Services. (Bendix, 11/8)

CIDRAP: Risk Of Rare Heart Inflammation May Be Higher After Moderna Than Pfizer COVID Vaccine 
Myocarditis and pericarditis are rare after mRNA COVID-19 vaccination, but rates of the inflammatory heart conditions were twofold to threefold higher after receipt of the second dose of the Moderna vaccine than after the Pfizer/BioNTech formulation, suggests a head-to-head comparison in Canadian adults. (Van Beusekom, 11/8)

Los Angeles Times: COVID-19 Still A Leading Cause Of Death In L.A. County
According to an analysis from the county health department, COVID-19 was the second-leading cause of death in the first six months of 2022, illustrating the outsized impact the pandemic has had on mortality rates despite widespread availability of vaccines and the arguably less-severe Omicron strain. (Lin II, Money and Alpert Reyes, 11/8)

Modern Healthcare: Medicare Advantage Insurers Ramp Up Marketing Efforts
Health insurance agents set up enrollment booths at community events. In grocery stores, brokers offer prospective members sign-up sheets, often for private Medicare plans that are co-branded with the retailer. Insurers and their partners send letters to people who meet criteria for specialized plans. (Hartnett and Tepper, 11/8)

USA Today: Here's Why Private Medicare Plans Are Set To Pass Traditional Medicare Enrollment
Older Americans who sign up for private plans are enticed by lower monthly premiums and extra benefits not covered by traditional Medicare, such as vision, dental, hearing and gym memberships. Private plans also cap out-of-pocket expenses at $8,300 for 2023 coverage while traditional Medicare does not unless a person purchases supplemental coverage. (Alltucker, 11/8)

Modern Healthcare: Oscar Health's Medicare Advantage Business All But Shutters
Oscar Health has all but abandoned Medicare Advantage after attracting few policyholders during its four years in the market, CEO Mario Schlosser said during the company’s third-quarter earnings call with investors Tuesday. (Tepper, 11/8)

Crain's Detroit Business: Corewell Health Develops RN Apprentice Program With Community College
Corewell Health West, formerly Spectrum Health, is partnering with a West Michigan community college to create the state's first registered nurse apprenticeship program. Corewell's Ludington Hospital is partnering with West Shore Community College in Scottville, about 9 miles east of Ludington, for the program. (Walsh, 11/8)

Healthcare Dive: Half Of Nurses Consider Leaving The Profession, Survey Finds
Half of nurses have considered leaving the nursing profession, according to recent polls by staffing agency ConnectRN. Staffing shortages were the top reason nurses cited for planning to leave their jobs, followed by needing better work-life balance, the survey out Tuesday said. Nurses also said they planned to leave their roles because their mental health is at risk and they feel a lack of appreciation. (Mensik, 11/8)

Becker's Hospital Review: Nurse Who Called EMS On Own Hospital Speaks Out 
The nurse who called emergency services in response to staffing issues at Silverdale, Wash.-based St. Michael Medical Center spoke out about her decision and the events leading up to the call in a Nov. 8 opinion piece for Nurse.org. (Bean, 11/8)

Becker's Hospital Review: Glasses Chart Nurse Stress Levels At Texas Hospital
Researchers at College Station-based Texas A&M University are monitoring nurses' eye movements with special glasses. They hope the results will point to causes of stress and burnout, according to a Nov. 8 article on the university's news site. Farzan Sasangohar, PhD, associate professor of industrial and systems engineering, and his research team had nurses at Houston Methodist Hospital wear the glasses during their 12-hour shifts. They collected data on "gaze behavior" — number of eye fixations, gaze entropy and pupil diameter — as well as heart rate and skin temperature. These metrics help researchers understand the wearer's mental load at different points in their shift, according to the article. (Kayser, 11/8)

San Francisco Chronicle: UC Agrees To $6 Million Settlement With Family Who Accused UCSF Medical Staff Of Tearing Hole In Son’s Heart
A resolution has been found in the trial where a Santa Rosa family accused UCSF medical staff of tearing a hole in their son’s heart — leaving him permanently brain-damaged. (Vainshtein, 11/8)

CBS News: FDA Warns Of Risk Of Xylazine In Heroin, Fentanyl And Other Illicit Drugs Linked To Overdoses
The Food and Drug Administration released an alert Tuesday warning health care professionals to be "cautious" of an animal medication that has entered the illegal drug supply and been identified in overdoses. (Breen, 11/8)

USA Today: Tylenol, Pregnancy And Autism: Research Cautions Use Of Acetaminophen
Roberta Ness is on a mission to warn pregnant people to use less acetaminophen. The epidemiologist who helped convince jurors that baby powder likely causes ovarian cancer is now equally convinced of the dangers of frequent acetaminophen use during pregnancy. (Weintraub, 11/9)

The New York Times: How Well Do Antidepressants Work And What Are Alternatives?
Over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, rates of depression and anxiety soared, and many Americans turned to antidepressant medication to help them cope. Even before the emergence of Covid, 1 in 8 American adults was taking an antidepressant drug. According to one estimate, that number rose by 18.6 percent during 2020. Zoloft is now the 12th most commonly prescribed medication in the United States. Given this, you might assume that the question of how — and how well — these drugs work has been clearly answered. And yet recent papers have challenged their efficacy and actions in the brain. Some researchers even say the medications are barely better than a placebo and ask whether they warrant such widespread use. (Smith, 11/8)

The New York Times: Brain Stimulation Could Limit The Urge To Binge Eat, Study Says 
What if an uncontrollable urge to rapidly eat large amounts of food is rooted in an impaired brain circuit? If that were the case, people who live with binge eating disorder — a psychiatric diagnosis — might be no more at fault for overeating than a patient with Parkinson’s disease is for their tremors. That question led doctors to try a new treatment different from anything ever attempted to help people with this common but underreported eating disorder. At least 3 percent of the population has it, said Dr. Casey Halpern, a neurosurgeon at the University of Pennsylvania. (Kolata, 11/8)

Stat: Brain Implants That Turn Thoughts To Speech Closer To Reality 
In 2003, Pancho’s life changed forever. That’s when a car crash sent the 20-year-old farm worker into emergency surgery to repair damage to his stomach. The operation went well, but the next day, a blood clot caused by the procedure cut off oxygen to his brain stem, leaving him paralyzed and unable to speak. (Molteni, 11/8)

The New York Times: Do Concussions Cause CTE? Sports Doctors And Scientists Disagree
For the first time since 2016, one of the most influential groups guiding doctors, trainers and sports leagues on concussions met last month to decide, among other things, if it was time to recognize the causal relationship between repeated head hits and the degenerative brain disease known as C.T.E. Despite mounting evidence and a highly regarded U.S. government agency recently acknowledging the link, the group all but decided it was not. Leaders of the International Consensus Conference on Concussion in Sport, meeting in Amsterdam, signaled that it would continue its long practice of casting doubt on the connection between the ravages of head trauma and sports. (Belson, 11/8)