First Edition: November 19, 2019

Kaiser Health News: The Startlingly High Cost Of The ‘Free’ Flu Shot
In the Byzantine world of health care pricing, most people wouldn’t expect that the ubiquitous flu shot could be a prime example of how the system’s lack of transparency can lead to disparate costs. The Affordable Care Act requires health insurers to cover all federally recommended vaccines at no charge to patients, including flu immunizations. Although people with insurance pay nothing when they get their shot, many don’t realize that their insurers foot the bill — and that those companies will recoup their costs eventually. (Galewitz, 11/19)

Kaiser Health News: For Newborns With Hearing Loss, Screening Opens Window To A World Of Sound
Four-year-old Betty Schottler starts each morning with the same six sounds: [m], [ah], [oo], [ee], [sh], and [s]. Her mom makes the sounds first, then Betty repeats them to check that her cochlear implant is working. Betty was born profoundly deaf and got her first set of glittery rainbow hearing aids at 6 weeks old. (Bluth, 11/19)

Politico: Does Gavin Newsom Have The Answer To Democrats’ Health Care Fights?
A year and a half ago, Gavin Newsom was in the same place as Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, running in a tough Democratic primary and vowing “it’s about time” for a single-payer health care system while dismissing his critics as “can’t-do Democrats” who refuse to think big. Now he’s in a different place. ... As governor, Newsom’s health care program has been more incremental than promised, annoying some allies in the single-payer movement while winning some unexpected praise from industry groups. But he also may have found something larger than his own agenda: A health care path that builds on past successes, enacts fresh reforms and may eventually lead to a single-payer system — without the political earthquake that so many predict under Sanders’ bill or Warren’s financing plan. (Hart, 11/19)

The Associated Press: Warren’s ‘Medicare For All’ Plan Reignites Health Care Clash
Elizabeth Warren’s proposal to gradually move the country to a government-funded health care system has further inflamed the debate over “Medicare for All,” likely ensuring the issue will play a significant role in this week’s Democratic presidential debate. The Massachusetts senator announced Friday that her administration would immediately build on existing laws, including the Affordable Care Act, to expand access to health care while taking up to three years to fully implement Medicare for All. That attempt to thread the political needle has roiled her more moderate rivals, who say she’s waffling, while worrying some on the left, who see Warren’s commitment to a single-payer system wavering. (11/18)

Stat: Warren's Health Care Evolution Earns Friends On The Left, Foes Back Home
[Sen. Elizabeth's] Warren’s hardline stance on [The 21st Century Cures Act] was the exclamation point on her yearslong health care transformation — a shift from a senator, sympathetic to her home state’s health care interests, to a national political figure with her sights on more sweeping policy shifts. That metamorphosis has bolstered her credentials as a progressive presidential candidate and leading advocate of “Medicare for All.” But her broadsides against drug companies have also angered Massachusetts health industry figures, who have accused her of “demonizing her constituents who work in biopharma.” (Facher and Goodwin, 11/19)

Politico: How Tom Steyer Would Secure Universal Health Care Coverage
Billionaire Tom Steyer's health care plan plants him among the centrists in the 2020 Democratic primary. He promises to expand access to health care through more Obamacare funding and a public option, while still envisioning a large role for private insurers — in contrast to the "Medicare for All" plans proposed by rivals like Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. (Luthi, 11/18)

The Washington Post: What You Need To Know About The November Democratic Debate
Ten candidates will be on stage Wednesday for the fifth Democratic presidential debate. That’s two fewer than were onstage for last month’s debate — one who was there, former congressman Beto O’Rourke, dropped out, and another, former HUD secretary Julián Castro, failed to hit the required polling levels. And while some candidates have left the race since the October debate, former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick has jumped in and former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg is looking at joining the already large field. (11/18)

The Hill: Democratic Group To Only Endorse Attorney General Candidates Who Back Abortion Rights 
The Democratic Attorneys General Association (DAGA) will only back candidates who support abortion rights, becoming the first national party committee to make that pledge. Beginning in 2020, Democratic candidates for attorney general seats who oppose abortion access will no longer receive financial support or other assistance from DAGA. (Hellmann, 11/18)

The Hill: Group Launches Seven-Figure Ad Buy Boosting Vulnerable Democrats On Drug Prices 
A Democratic group is launching $2 million in new digital ads highlighting vulnerable House Democrats’ efforts to lower drug prices. The ads from the group Protect Our Care illustrate how Democrats are seeking to keep their momentum going on health care after they focused on the issue in winning back the House last year. (Sullivan, 11/18)

Reuters: Trump Was Not Treated For Any Urgent Health Issues In Saturday's Exam: Physician
U.S. President Donald Trump's health examination on Saturday was "routine" and he was not treated for any urgent or acute issues, his physician said in a statement on Monday. Trump's unexpected trip to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in the Washington suburb of Bethesda, Maryland, led to a variety of rumors about the health of the 73-year-old president, who generally eschews exercise and has waved away advice to lose some weight. (11/18)

Politico: Trump’s Doctor Refutes Rumors Of A Serious Presidential Illness
Dr. Sean P. Conley, physician to the president, used a memo released by the White House late Monday night to refute speculation that Trump had suffered from chest pain or another serious issue that led him to suddenly depart the White House by motorcade on Saturday afternoon. ... Conley added in his memo that Trump also took a brief tour of the Bethesda, Md., medical center and met with staff. Trump also spoke with the family of a soldier going through surgery, then headed back to the White House. (Choi, 11/18)

The New York Times: White House Denies Trump Health Emergency
Mr. Trump was taken on Saturday to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in his motorcade in a trip that had not been listed on his public schedule. He stayed for about two hours for what White House officials said were routine tests, but since the visit had not been revealed in advance and came only nine months after his last annual physical, it touched off much discussion about whether the president had an undisclosed health issue. Mr. Trump, 73, is the oldest man ever sworn in for a first term as president, and he is not known for a healthy diet or exercise other than weekend golf. (Baker, 11/18)

The Wall Street Journal: Doctor Says Trump Exam Was Routine
White House officials denied that anything was wrong with the president. “The president remains healthy and energetic without complaints, as demonstrated by his repeated vigorous rally performances in front of thousands of Americans several times a week,” White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a statement Saturday. On Twitter, Ms. Grisham later called speculation about the president’s health irresponsible. In December 2014, President Obama made an unscheduled weekend trip to Walter Reed because of what the White House said was a sore throat that was determined to be caused by acid reflux. (Restuccia, 11/18)

The Associated Press: Trump’s Weekend Hospital Visit Draws A Skeptical Reaction
“The one thing you can be absolutely sure of is this was not routine and he didn't go up there for half his physical,” tweeted Joe Lockhart, a press secretary under President Bill Clinton, who was himself impeached for perjury and obstruction. “What does it mean? It means that we just won't know what the medical issue was.” (Freking, 11/18)

The Washington Post: Trump's Health Under Scrutiny Again After Unplanned Visit To Walter Reed
On Monday, he remained out of public view, holding his meetings behind closed doors. He met with Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell inside the White House residence rather than the Oval Office, according to a White House official familiar with the matter who was not authorized to speak publicly and requested anonymity. A common cold would normally not be enough to prompt a visit to Walter Reed because the White House has adequate equipment and facilities to treat most minor illnesses and conduct routine tests. More comprehensive testing can be performed at Walter Reed. (Olorunnipa and Gardner, 11/18)

The Wall Street Journal: Lawmakers Slam Trump For Delaying Proposed Vaping Restrictions
President Trump’s decision to hold off on a possible ban of flavored e-cigarettes drew a harsh response from some members of Congress, who say it appears the White House is doing an about-face. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D., Ill.), whose House subcommittee held a recent hearing on youth vaping, wrote Monday to the White House Office of Management and Budget and the Food and Drug Administration to inquire into the status of the proposed regulation on flavors. “The strong promises made by the President and his Administration to address the youth vaping epidemic were incredibly encouraging,” he wrote. “Now, however, the delay in finalizing the Administration’s compliance policy raises deep concerns.” (Burton and Leary, 11/18)

The Hill: House Democratic Chairman Demands Answers From Trump Admin On Vaping Flavor Ban 
The White House Office of Management and Budget completed regulatory review of a proposed rule about “electronic nicotine delivery systems” on Nov. 4, and canceled meetings with public health advocates as well as pro-vaping groups. But the rule was never published. Krishnamoorthi noted that under normal practice, when the White House regulatory agency completes its review, it sends the action back to the relevant federal agency, and the agency promptly publishes the final action. (Weixel, 11/18)

Reuters: California Sues E-Cigarette Maker Juul For Selling Nicotine Products To Youth
The state of California on Monday sued e-cigarette maker Juul Labs Inc, alleging the San Francisco company engaged in a "systematic" and "wildly successful" campaign to attract teenagers to its nicotine devices. The lawsuit draws on internal correspondence and other evidence, asserting the company did little to prevent sales to underage customers. It also claims that Juul used a "flawed" age-verification process for online sales. (Kirkham, 11/19)

The Wall Street Journal: New Government Tool Opens Window Into Nursing-Home Abuse
The federal government has begun flagging nursing homes with a history of resident mistreatment, opening a new window into abuse and neglect in as many as one in 20 elder-care facilities across the U.S. The government’s database, Nursing Home Compare, has for years allowed the public to search and compare nursing homes nationwide. But last month, the government began adding a small icon—a red circle with a white hand inside—by the name of nursing facilities recently cited for abuse or neglect. (Hayashi, 11/19)

The Washington Post: Trump Administration Ousts Top Homelessness Official As White House Prepares Broad Crackdown
A top federal homelessness official announced Friday that he has left his post at the Trump administration’s request, an unexpected move that comes as the White House plans a sweeping crackdown aimed at homelessness in California. Matthew Doherty, executive director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, wrote in an email to colleagues that the administration “no longer wishes to have me” in the position. Doherty also announced on Twitter that he was leaving at the administration’s request. (Stein, 11/16)

NPR: Many Native Americans Can't Get Clean Water, Report Finds
For many people, turning on the tap or flushing the toilet is something we take for granted. But a report released Monday, called "Closing the Water Access Gap in the United States," shows that more than 2 million Americans live without these conveniences and that Native Americans are more likely to have trouble accessing water than any other group. The nearest water station for Darlene Yazzie is 9 miles away at the Dennehotso Chapter House — a community center — in the Four Corners region of the Navajo Nation. On Tuesday, she counted her dimes and nickels to pay for water. It costs $1.10 plus gas money to fill up two 50-gallon barrels, and she has just been told the price is going up next month. (Morales, 11/18)

The Associated Press: US Prison System Long Plagued By Staffing Crisis, Violence
For years, the federal Bureau of Prisons has been plagued by systematic failures, from massive staffing shortages to chronic violence. But the largest agency in the Justice Department has largely stayed out of the public view. The death of billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein and the revelation that he was able to kill himself while behind bars at one of the most secure jails in America has cast a spotlight on the agency, which has also been besieged by serious misconduct in recent years. (Balsamo and Sisak, 11/19)

The Associated Press: New, Old Drugs May Offer Fresh Ways To Fight Heart Disease
Novel drugs may offer fresh ways to reduce heart risks beyond the usual medicines to lower cholesterol and blood pressure. One new study found that heart attack survivors benefited from a medicine long used to treat gout. Several experimental drugs also showed early promise for interfering with heart-harmful genes without modifying the genes themselves — in one case, with treatment just twice a year. (Marchione, 11/18)

ProPublica/Chicago Tribune: The Quiet Rooms
The spaces have gentle names: The reflection room. The cool-down room. The calming room. The quiet room. But shut inside them, in public schools across the state, children as young as 5 wail for their parents, scream in anger and beg to be let out. The students, most of them with disabilities, scratch the windows or tear at the padded walls. They throw their bodies against locked doors. They wet their pants. Some children spend hours inside these rooms, missing class time. Through it all, adults stay outside the door, writing down what happens. In Illinois, it’s legal for school employees to seclude students in a separate space — to put them in “isolated timeout” — if the students pose a safety threat to themselves or others. (Richards, Cohen and Chavis, 11/19)

ProPublica/Chicago Tribune: The Federal Government Collects Data On How Often Schools Seclude Children. The Numbers Don’t Add Up.
In fall 2015, Glacier Ridge Elementary School in Crystal Lake first used its Blue Room, a padded space that allows school workers to place students in “isolated timeout” for safety reasons. Students were secluded in that room more than 120 times during the 2015-16 school year, according to records obtained by ProPublica Illinois and the Chicago Tribune. Yet the district, in its required reporting to the federal government, said it hadn’t used seclusion at all that school year. (Chavis, Cohen and Richards, 11/19)

The New York Times: Poverty Impacts Access To Health Care. These Women Are Trying To Change That.
In the United States, wealth buys health. Consider: In 2000, in Boston’s upscale Back Bay community, a typical resident could expect to live nearly 92 years. But just a few miles away in the South Boston and Roxbury neighborhoods, the average person could not expect to celebrate a 59th birthday. Access to health care plays a big role in this disparity, said Howard Koh, a professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health who was an assistant secretary for health in the Obama administration. That’s why that administration pushed so hard for the Affordable Care Act, Dr. Koh said. “Poverty is the major driver of health inequities.” (Weintraub, 11/19)

Stat: Watchdog: No Evidence Fertility Supplements Help Women Get Pregnant
A health and science watchdog group petitioned federal regulators on Monday to take enforcement action against 27 manufacturers of dietary supplements marketed as helping women become pregnant, but for which the makers provided no scientific evidence of efficacy. In letters to the Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission, the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest said its nearly yearlong investigation of 39 “fertility” supplements — pills and powders with names such as Fertile CM, Pregnitude, FertilHerb for Women, OvaBoost, and Pink Stork — found no evidence they increase a woman’s chance of conceiving. (Begley, 11/18)

The Wall Street Journal: More Female Athletes Talk About A Taboo: Their Periods
In May 2017, elite marathon runner Shalane Flanagan tweeted a very personal piece of information. In all her years of training and competing against the best in the world, she wrote, she had never missed a menstrual cycle. Five months later, she won the New York City Marathon. Flanagan’s tweet was startling because many athletes don’t even talk to their coaches about their periods—much less the world. It was also surprising because of the long-held perception that it’s normal, even preferable, for women in distance sports to be so lean that they no longer menstruate. (Bachman, 11/18)

The Associated Press: Mailing Free Home HIV Tests Helps Detect More Infections
Mailing free home HIV tests to high-risk men offers a potentially better strategy for detecting infections than usual care. That’s according to a U.S. government study that resulted in many more infections found — including among friends with whom recipients shared extra kits. (11/18)

The New York Times: Dread The Holidays? Feasting Together Might Actually Help
Fall-into-winter: the time of year when we come together to light a candle, carve a bird, raise a glass. It’s a season that is cherished and dreaded often in equal measure. But while attending the company holiday party or fa-la-la-ing with family might seem like a chore, social scientists and other experts make a compelling case that there is strength in numbers: Gathering is good for our body and our spirit. (Sethi, 11/18)

The Wall Street Journal: P&G Pursues The Do-It-Yourself Health-Care Business
Americans’ growing fixation on self-care has them spending billions to treat conditions from insomnia to itchy skin without doctors or prescription drugs. Now Procter & Gamble Co. is trying to seize on the trend. The maker of Pampers diapers and Gillette razors, a decade after getting out of the drug business, is making a push into wellness and self-care—growing pockets of the health-care industry—with products such as vitamins and supplements, nonprescription sleep aids and all-natural menopause treatments. (Terlep, 11/18)

The Associated Press: Free E-Book Aims To Spark Talk On ‘Culture Of Health’
Roxane Gay, Pam Belluck and Martha Wells are among the contributors to a free e-book story compilation supported by the public health philanthropy the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The e-book is called “Take Us to a Better Place: Stories” and is intended to create a conversation about a “culture of health.” The book is a joint project between the foundation, a public health philanthropy, and the packager Melcher Media. (11/18)

The New York Times: Something In The Man’s Bed Was Making Him Sick
As the chill of the Scottish autumn set in, a 43-year-old man went to see a family doctor in 2016. For about the last three months, he was constantly tired and out of breath. The physician at the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary in Scotland thought the patient — who worked a desk job and didn’t smoke cigarettes — had an infection in his lower respiratory tract. At first the man got better. But then it got so bad that the patient had to take 14 days off work. The doctor looked at the man’s blood count, kidney and liver function, and took a chest radiograph — all of which seemed normal. (Yan, 11/18)

The New York Times: For Some Children With Autism, Dance Is A Form Of Expression
As soon as James Griffin gets off the school bus he tells his mom, “Go dance, go dance.” James is 14 and has autism, and his speech is limited. He’s a participant in a program for children on the autism spectrum at the University of Delaware that is studying how dance affects behavior and verbal, social and motor skills. One afternoon while dancing, he spun around, looked at his mother, smiled and shouted, “I love you.” (Hollow, 11/19)

The New York Times: She Takes A Hands-On Approach To Health Care
In 2014, when Ebola was raging across West Africa and terrifying the world, Sheila Davis had a comfortable desk job in Boston. But Dr. Davis, who holds a Ph.D. in nursing, could not sit and watch from afar. So, she headed to Liberia. She then used her experience in the Ebola wards to help the nonprofit she worked for, Partners in Health, figure out how to rebuild the region’s devastated health care system. (Weintraub, 11/19)

(Sioux Falls, S.D.) Argus News Leader: 'Meth. We're On It.': South Dakota Spends $449K On New Anti-Meth Ad Campaign
Gov. Kristi Noem has a message for South Dakota: "Meth. We're On It." Noem launched her new anti-meth campaign on Monday to bring awareness to the meth epidemic in South Dakota that will include a new TV ad, billboards, posters and website. The campaign's motto features the phrase, "Meth. We're on it," over an outline of South Dakota, and the ad and posters feature people of differing in ages and races saying, "I'm on meth." ... Broadhead Co., a marketing and ad agency in Minneapolis, created the "Meth. We're On It." campaign. The state's Department of Social Services paid the agency just short of $449,000 this fall, according to the state's finances website, open.sd.gov. (Kaczke, 11/18)

The Washington Post: South Dakota’s ’Meth. We’re On It.’ Ad Campaign Cost Nearly Half A Million Dollars
“South Dakota’s meth crisis is growing at an alarming rate. It impacts every community in our state, and it threatens the success of the next generation,” Noem said in a public service announcement. “This is our problem, and together, we need to get on it.” “Let’s get meth out of South Dakota,” she added. (Brice-Saddler, 11/18)

The New York Times: ‘Meth, We’re On It’: South Dakota’s Anti-Meth Campaign Raises Eyebrows
The idea for the campaign began last year after Governor Noem took office as the first female governor in the state’s history. A Republican, she has focused on addressing what she has called an “escalating meth crisis" in the state. “She wanted to do it in a way that got the attention of the citizens,” Laurie Gill, the state’s secretary for the Department of Social Services, said in an interview on Monday night. “We are looking for a way that would cause the citizens to stop, pay attention and understand that we do have a meth issue and that there are resources available.” (Zaveri, 11/18)

The Washington Post: Democrats File First Bills For The New Virginia General Assembly, Staring With Equal Rights Amendment
Democratic lawmakers rushed to file bills Monday as the legislative window opened for next year’s General Assembly session, setting out voting rights, gun control, LGBTQ protections and the Equal Rights Amendment as priorities for their newfound power in the majority. It was bad timing for Republican leaders, who traveled to Richmond Monday to officially shut down the special legislative session on gun control that they had cut short over the summer. (Schneider, 11/18)

The New York Times: 114,000 Students In N.Y.C. Are Homeless. These Two Let Us Into Their Lives.
The number of school-age children in New York City who live in shelters or “doubled up” in apartments with family or friends has swelled by 70 percent over the past decade — a crisis without precedent in the city’s history. By day, New York’s 114,085 homeless students live in plain sight: They study on the subway and sprint through playgrounds. At night, these children sometimes sleep in squalid, unsafe rooms, often for just a few months until they move again. School is the only stable place they know. (Shapiro, 11/19)

The Washington Post: Anthony ‘A.J.’ Hunt Gave Rachel Bandman Opioids To Die By Suicide And Was Sentenced To 24 Years
The 20 Xanax pills that Rachel Bandman’s friend had sold her were not enough, she wrote in a text message. The University of South Carolina student said she wanted to die and the medication hadn’t killed her. “I need more for it to happen,” Bandman texted Anthony “A.J.” Hunt in 2016, BuzzFeed News reported, citing court transcripts. Hunt, a drug dealer who had dropped out of the university, sold Bandman more of the sedatives, federal prosecutors said. (Iati, 11/18)

The Associated Press: Pennsylvania Families Demand Investigation Into Rare Cancers
The families of young people diagnosed with a rare childhood cancer confronted Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf on Monday over what they called his administration’s insufficient response to a health crisis they blame on pollution from the shale gas industry. Dozens of children and young adults have been diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma and other forms of cancer in a four-county region of southwestern Pennsylvania where energy companies have drilled more than 3,500 wells since 2008. (Rubinkam, 11/18)

The Wall Street Journal: Baltimore Fights To Clear Massive Backlog Of Asbestos Cases
The Baltimore court system is locked in a legal and political battle with a powerful Maryland lawyer who owns the Orioles baseball team over efforts to reduce one of the country’s largest backlogs of asbestos litigation. Baltimore’s courts have nearly 30,000 asbestos cases pending, a legacy of three decades of litigation during which the city became a leading venue for suing companies over illnesses tied to the dangerous fibers. (Randazzo, 11/18)

Los Angeles Times: Poll: Homelessness Is A Disaster Despite L.A.'s Attempts To Fix It
As homelessness has exploded in Los Angeles in recent years, taxpayers have been willing to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on housing, shelters and services to help get people off the streets. But a new poll shows that a broad majority of voters think the city and county have been ineffective in spending that money and that new policies are needed to address a crisis that they now equate with a natural disaster. (Smith and Oreskes, 11/18)

ProPublica: What Could Happen If A $9.4 Billion Chemical Plant Comes To 'Cancer Alley'
One evening in early July, a stream of people filed into a nondescript building on a bend of the Mississippi River in St. James Parish to fight over the permits to build a new chemical plant. Four years earlier, the Taiwanese plastics company Formosa had applied to build a $9.4 billion petrochemical complex about 20 miles north. If approved, it would be one of the largest and most expensive industrial projects in the state’s history. (Younes, 11/18)

CalMatters: California Wildfire Alerts And Evacuations Still Ad Hoc
When a fast-moving wildfire marched toward the town of Paradise more than a year ago, few who lived there were aware of it. Even though the community used the CodeRED automated emergency warning system, less than 40% of residents subscribed to the alerts. Only 7,000 of the 52,000 residents who eventually evacuated received the emergency alert to leave.The fire incinerated cell towers and communications equipment, revealing a vulnerability of the telephone-based disaster alert system. “The only notification systems left were emergency vehicle sirens and bull horns… word-of-mouth with families and neighbors… and immediate action,” the Butte County Grand Jury reported to the Superior Court earlier this year. (Cart, 11/15)

Los Angeles Times: PG&E Power Outage Was 'A Big Screw You' To California, Lawmaker Says
With the threat of another power outage looming, state lawmakers hammered Pacific Gas & Electric at the state Capitol on Monday for botching shut-offs that left millions of Californians in the dark this fall and blamed the company for failing to upgrade its system over time. During an all-day hearing that included testimony from California’s investor-owned utilities, state officials and representatives of communities affected by outages, state senators vented their frustrations as they tried to identify legislative solutions to problems caused by this year’s wildfire-prevention blackouts. (Luna, 11/18)