First Edition: Oct. 4, 2022

KHN: Nursing Home Surprise: Advantage Plans May Shorten Stays To Less Time Than Medicare Covers 
After 11 days in a St. Paul, Minnesota, skilled nursing facility recuperating from a fall, Paula Christopherson, 97, was told by her insurer that she should return home. But instead of being relieved, Christopherson and her daughter were worried because her medical team said she wasn’t well enough to leave. “This seems unethical,” said daughter Amy Loomis, who feared what would happen if the Medicare Advantage plan, run by UnitedHealthcare, ended coverage for her mother’s nursing home care. The facility gave Christopherson a choice: pay several thousand dollars to stay, appeal the company’s decision, or go home. (Jaffe, 10/4)

KHN: Watch: Meet The Latest Fact-Checker — Your Doctor 
In a one-on-one conversation, KHN partnerships editor and senior correspondent Mary Agnes Carey talked with American Medical Association President Dr. Jack Resneck Jr. about how the current climate of misinformation affects doctors and their daily efforts to treat patients. This interview, which took place Sept. 29 as part of PolitiFact’s United Facts of America: A Festival of Fact-Checking, covered a range of topics — from how the debate over the safety of covid-19 vaccines played out in exam rooms across the country, to what needs to be done to help rebuild the nation’s trust in the public health system, and the misinformation that swirls around the abortion issue. (10/4)

The New York Times: CDC Ends Country-By-Country Covid Travel Advisories 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will no longer maintain a list of Covid-19 travel advisories for foreign countries, the agency said on Monday, another sign of the gradual shift toward prepandemic normalcy even as about 1,400 people around the world are dying each day from the virus. The agency said it would instead issue travel health notices only for “a concerning Covid-19 variant” or other situation that would change travel recommendations for a particular country, as it does with other diseases like monkeypox, polio and yellow fever. (Cameron, 10/3)

CNN: CDC Suspends Country-Specific Covid-19 Travel Notices 
The agency said that regardless of their destination, international travelers should stay up-to-date on their Covid-19 vaccines and follow CDC guidance for international travel. Being "up-to-date" means having all doses from the primary vaccination series as well as any boosters for which you are eligible. (Hunter and Brown, 10/3)

Reuters: Supreme Court Turns Away Challenge To U.S. Vaccine Rule For Health Workers 
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a challenge by Missouri and nine other states - mostly Republican-led - to President Joe Biden's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for workers in healthcare facilities that receive federal funds. (Chung, 10/3)

Reuters: U.S. Supreme Court Turns Away Biogen Bid To Reinstate MS Drug Patent 
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear Biogen Inc's bid to win reinstatement of a patent on the company's blockbuster multiple sclerosis drug Tecfidera in a dispute with Viatris Inc subsidiary Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Brittain, 10/3)

Reuters: Supreme Court Asks U.S. To Weigh In On Teva Patent Dispute With GSK
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday asked President Joe Biden's administration for its opinion on whether the court should hear Teva Pharmaceuticals USA Inc's challenge to a $235 million award for GlaxoSmithKline LLC in a patent dispute over generic heart medication. (Brittain, 10/3)

AP: Judge Who Voided Minnesota Abortion Limits Blocks Appeal Bid 
A Minnesota judge who struck down key restrictions on abortion in the state has rejected a bid by a county prosecutor who hopes to appeal the ruling. Ramsey County District Judge Thomas Gilligan ruled Tuesday night that Traverse County Attorney Matthew Franzese is not entitled to intervene in the case. Franzese had hoped to pursue an appeal after Attorney General Keith Ellison declined to challenge Gilligan’s previous ruling that Minnesota’s restrictions were unconstitutional. (Karnowski, 10/3)

AP: Indiana ACLU: No Rush To Halt Judge's Pause On Abortion Ban
Attorneys for Indiana abortion rights supporters argued Monday there is no rush to suspend a judge’s decision temporarily letting abortions continue in the state. It’s the latest legal step in the fight over the state’s recent abortion ban. ... In court documents Monday, lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana called the state’s motion “hastily filed” and argued the case does not need to go to the Supreme Court. That’s because lawyers for the state “have not established that an emergency exists that justifies departure from normal procedure and deliberation by the Court of Appeals,” the ACLU wrote. (Rodgers, 10/3)

AP: Planned Parenthood Plans Mobile Abortion Clinic In Illinois
Planned Parenthood officials on Monday announced plans for a mobile abortion clinic — a 37-foot RV that will stay in Illinois but travel close to the borders of adjoining states that have banned the procedure since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade earlier this year. (Salter, 10/3)

AP: Arizona Clinic Has Workaround For Abortion Pill Ban 
A Phoenix abortion clinic has come up with a way for patients who can end their pregnancy using a pill to get the medication quickly without running afoul of a resurrected Arizona law that bans most abortions. Under the arrangement that began Monday, patients will have an ultrasound in Arizona, get a prescription through a telehealth appointment with a California doctor and then have it mailed to a post office in a California border town for pickup, all for free. (Christie, 10/4)

Kansas City Star: Teen Denied ‘Lifesaving’ Meds Due To AZ Abortion Ban: Doctor
A 14-year-old girl in Arizona was denied the low dose of the “lifesaving” medication she takes to treat the debilitating symptoms of her arthritis, according to her doctor. (Baitinger, 10/3)

Columbus Dispatch: 538 Children In Ohio Had Abortions In 2021 As Total Numbers Increase
The nation was shocked when a 10-year-old Ohio rape victim was forced to obtain an abortion in Indiana after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June. ... How common are these abortions? New data from the Ohio Department of Health offer some insight: In 2021, 538 children ages 17 and younger legally obtained abortions in Ohio, including 57 who were younger than 15 years old. (Balmert, 10/3)

ABC News: White House Set To Highlight Republican-Led Abortion Restrictions In 100 Days Since Roe Was Overturned
A new Biden administration report on abortion access in the U.S. describes how widely the procedure has been curtailed in the roughly 100 days after Roe v. Wade was overturned, according to excerpts from the memo that were obtained by ABC News. (Haslett, 10/3)

Stateline: Privacy, Stigma May Keep Workers From Using Abortion Travel Benefits
“A lot of companies have talked big about it, but far fewer have actually implemented it,” said Bethany Corbin, senior counsel at health care specialists Nixon Gwilt Law. When companies do begin to offer abortion benefits, she said, she expects worker uptake to be minimal. (Vestal, 10/3)

AP: Herschel Walker Paid For Girlfriend's Abortion, Report Says 
Herschel Walker, who has vehemently opposed abortion rights as the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Georgia, paid for an abortion for his girlfriend in 2009, according to a new report published late Monday. The candidate called the accusation a “flat-out lie” and said he would sue. The Daily Beast spoke to a woman who said Walker paid for her abortion when they were dating. The news outlet reviewed a receipt showing her $575 payment for the procedure, along with a get-well card from Walker and her bank deposit records showing the image of a $700 personal check from Walker dated five days after the abortion receipt. (Barrow, 10/4)

The Washington Post: New Ad Shows Louisiana Congressional Candidate Giving Birth
If you watch until the end of this campaign ad, you’ll see a candidate giving birth. Katie Darling, a Democrat and business executive challenging House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), is out with a spot that documents the arrival of “someone else who’s going to be joining us” on the family farm. Darling narrates the ad, in which she relays her concerns about climate change, underperforming public schools and her state’s abortion ban. (Wagner, 10/3)

The Washington Post: As TV Doctor, Mehmet Oz Provided Platform For Questionable Products And Views 
Mehmet Oz looked directly into the camera and introduced his daytime television viewers to a “controversial” weight-loss approach: taking a hormone that women produce during pregnancy combined with a diet of 500 calories a day. “Does it really work? Is it safe? Is it a miracle? Or is it hype?” he asked in a 2011 episode of “The Dr. Oz Show” before introducing his audience to “human chorionic gonadotropin,” or HCG, and to a weight-loss doctor who promoted it. In fact, there was little uncertain about the HCG Diet. (Itkowitz and Bernstein, 10/3)

Modern Healthcare: UnitedHealth, Change Healthcare Complete $13B Merger
The healthcare conglomerate and the technology company had agreed to wait 10 days to finalize the deal after a federal judge last month declined the Justice Department’s challenge to the merger over antitrust concerns. The Justice Department technically has 60 days after that ruling to submit an appeal, but now would face the challenge of breaking up the combined company. (Tepper, 10/3)

Reuters: Anthem Must Face U.S. Government Lawsuit Alleging Medicare Advantage Fraud 
A federal judge ordered Anthem Inc to face a U.S. government lawsuit claiming it submitted inaccurate diagnosis data, enabling the health insurer to fraudulently collect tens of millions of dollars in annual overpayments from Medicare. In a decision released on Monday, U.S. District Judge Andrew Carter in Manhattan said the total alleged overpayment to Anthem appeared to be well over $100 million, making the government's financial costs "substantial and not merely administrative." (Stempel, 10/3)

Modern Healthcare: Trinity Health's Losses Near $1.5B In 2022
Trinity Health recorded a $1.43 billion net loss for the fiscal year that ended June 30, a steep drop from $3.85 billion in net earnings the prior year, the not-for-profit Catholic health system disclosed last week. (Hudson, 10/3)

Bloomberg: Tenet Healthcare Names Former US Senator Bob Kerrey As Chairman
Tenet Healthcare Corp. named former US Senator and Nebraska Governor Bob Kerrey as its chairman after Ronald Rittenmeyer stepped down from the role due to health reasons. (Lauerman, 10/3)

Modern Healthcare: Express Scripts-Kroger Contract In Jeopardy
Kroger is threatening to exit Express Scripts' network if the pharmacy benefit manager does not agree to a more “equitable and fair” contract. Kroger said it has attempted--to no avail--to negotiate more favorable rates with Cigna subsidiary Express Scripts dozens of times over the past eight months, the company said in a news release. Express Scripts’ proposal is “far out of line” with the industry standard, according to the supermarket company. (Tepper, 10/3)

Modern Healthcare: Healthcare Workforce Programs Get $346M
In a series of grants focused on equity and access to care, the Health and Human Services and Labor departments are awarding more than $346 million to train nurses, community workers and public health professionals. (Devereaux, 10/3)

Modern Healthcare: Hospitals Battle Bottlenecks From Post-Acute Staffing Gaps
On any given day, social workers and case managers at Adventist Health Tillamook call 15 to 20 post-acute care facilities trying to place patients ready to be discharged. Some facilities say they can’t accept new residents. Others don’t pick up the phone. “A lot of time is wasted in looking for facilities to try to take patients,” said Heather Thompson, patient care executive at the Oregon critical access hospital. (Christ, 10/4)

Detroit Free Press: University Of Michigan Nurses Approve Contract With $5K Bonuses, 22.5% Raises Over 4 Years
Michigan Medicine nurses have approved a four-year, $273 million contract with University of Michigan Health after months of working without a new agreement in place. (Hall and Jordan Shamus, 10/3)

Des Moines Register: Iowa Nursing Home Resident Suffocates While Suspended Upside Down
According to the inspectors’ report, Clarion Wellness had installed a grab bar — also known as an assistance handle or bed bar – on a resident’s bed in June 2021. The facility installed the device without first assessing the risk it might pose and without obtaining consent from the resident’s family, the inspector reported. (Kauffman, 10/3)

The Boston Globe: Brother Of Patient Who Died At New Hampshire Hospital Slams State Regulators
The brother of a New Hampshire woman who died in 2014 after heart surgery at Catholic Medical Center in Manchester told a legislative committee Monday that she wouldn’t have gone through with the operation had she known that the hospital had recently disciplined her surgeon for professional misconduct. (Saltzman and Fernandes, 10/3)

Post Bulletin: Medical Bills Can Be Crippling. Mayo Clinic’s Charity Care May Be Lacking
Every nonprofit hospital, including Mayo Clinic, is required by the Affordable Care Act to establish free or discounted care policies, known as “charity care” or “financial assistance,” for eligible, often low-income patients in order to maintain and justify the hospital’s tax-exempt status. With support from Dollar For, a nonprofit that works with patients to relieve medical debt, Bass applied for charity care through Mayo Clinic and was approved. However, only half of her bill was covered, so Bass submitted an appeal and awaits Mayo Clinic’s decision. Mayo Clinic responded that it cannot comment on an appeal in process. (Castle Work, 10/2)

The Wall Street Journal: Theranos Founder Elizabeth Holmes Gets Hearing On New Trial
Theranos Inc. founder Elizabeth Holmes is due back in court this month to make the case that she deserves a new trial based on her allegations that the government manipulated testimony from a key witness who testified against her. The hearing was granted Monday by the judge who presided over Ms. Holmes’s monthslong criminal-fraud trial. (Somerville, 10/3)

Stat: Get A Ph.D. In Health Policy — From A Single Powerpoint Slide
Looking for an actually concise explanation of a half-century’s worth of research and arguments about health care spending in the U.S.? You’re in luck: Government budget wonks, against all odds, condensed it down to a single PowerPoint slide. (Herman, 10/3)

The Wall Street Journal: World’s Most Expensive Drugs Can’t Cure What Ails This Biotech 
Bluebird Bio is about to become the seller of the two most expensive drugs in the U.S., and by extension the world, each fetching nearly $3 million. While the high price tag is already leading to public backlash, one would think the company and its investors would at least see a huge payoff as the drugs finally hit the market. Not quite. Two approvals by the Food and Drug Administration this past summer might have rescued the company from the financial abyss, but the Boston-area-based Bluebird, which in April announced significant cost cuts to stay afloat, is going to be cash-strapped for a while. (Wainer, 10/3)

Stat: Many Trials To Confirm Benefits Of Drugs Granted Accelerated Approvals Are Running Late 
Amid heightened debate over a regulatory program for speeding the approval of some medicines, a new government analysis finds extensive delays in the clinical trials that drug makers are required to conduct after approvals. (Silverman, 10/3)

Stat: CAR-T Therapy Doesn’t Always Work For Cancer. Now There Are Clues Why
When CAR-T therapy works against blood cancer, it can work spectacularly, but cancer still returns for many patients. In lymphoma, scientists are just beginning to work out why over half of treated patients don’t experience lasting remission, depending on the product. (Chen, 10/4)

CIDRAP: Study: Hospital Floors, Healthcare Workers' Shoes May Spread MRSA
A study conducted at a Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital in Ohio suggests that hospital floors and shoes of healthcare workers are potential sources for dissemination of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and other healthcare-associated pathogens, researchers reported late last week in the American Journal of Infection Control. (10/3)

CNN: Dementia Diagnosis Increases Suicide Risk For Those Under Age 65, Study Finds
A diagnosis of dementia more than doubles the risk of suicide in the first three months after a patient is told the news, according to the latest research. (LaMotte, 10/3)

CNN: Antidepressant Use During Pregnancy Doesn't Harm Child Development, Study Says
Antidepressant use during pregnancy was not associated with autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), behavioral disorders, developmental speech, language, learning and coordination disorders or intellectual disabilities, according to a study of over 145,000 women and their children across the United States followed for up to 14 years. (LaMotte, 10/4)

The Washington Post: How To Tell If Mental Health Advice On Tiktok And Instagram Is True 
Mental health tips on social media are a mixed bag. Your favorite online creator might give valid advice on managing anxiety symptoms or drawing boundaries with family members. They also might spread wrong information or use their platform to promote dubious products. (Hunter, 10/3)

San Francisco Chronicle: San Francisco Could Turn To Hydromorphone To Curb Opioid Deaths
San Francisco might study prescribing a little-known narcotic that’s not approved for treatment to people struggling with opioid addiction as part of its effort to stem the carnage from drug overdoses. The city already doles out doses of buprenorphine and methadone, two of three opioids approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat addiction to other opioids, which have been shown to cut drug deaths by up to half. (Moench, 10/3)

Inside Climate News: Amid The Devastation Of Hurricane Ian, A New Study Charts Alarming Flood Risks For U.S. Hospitals 
It was a scene that played out in cities and towns along the path of Hurricane Ian as it roared ashore last week: nurses, physicians and other medical personnel working feverishly to evacuate hospitals that were at risk of flooding or worse. According to a team of Harvard researchers, that harrowing reality may become even more commonplace in the decades to come. Scientists have found that roughly a third of the metropolitan areas on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts are at risk of seeing at least half of their hospitals experience some form of flooding during a hurricane. (St. Martin, 10/3)

USA Today: Mental Health In Puerto Rico: Hurricane Fiona Reveals 'Pain And Anger'
Puerto Ricans may be facing a mental health crisis, experts say, as hurricanes, earthquakes, and a global pandemic have traumatized island residents, destroyed homes and ripped families apart over the last five years. (Rodriguez, 10/3)