First Edition: October 28, 2019

California Healthline: Farmworkers Face Daunting Health Risks In California’s Wildfires
Farm laborers in yellow safety vests walked through neatly arranged rows of grapes Friday, harvesting the last of the deep purple bundles that hung from the vines, even as the sky behind them was dark with soot. Over the hill just behind them, firetrucks and first responders raced back and forth from a California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection staging area, working to contain a wildfire raging through the rugged hills and canyons in northeastern Sonoma County. (Barry-Jester, 10/28)

Kaiser Health News: States Try A Gentler Approach To Getting Medicaid Enrollees To Work
Under pressure from the Republican-controlled Pennsylvania legislature to require Medicaid recipients to work as a condition for coverage, state health officials have devised a gentler approach to getting beneficiaries into jobs. Starting early next year, the Pennsylvania Medicaid agency under Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf will ask people when they enroll if they want job training assistance. It will then require its private Medicaid managed-care organizations to connect those who want help to local employment specialists and follow up to make sure they got it. (Galewitz, 10/28)

California Healthline: Snooze You Can Use: California Legislates More Sleep For Better Health
Teenagers don’t get enough sleep, and California’s effort to fix the problem may serve as a wake-up call to other states’ lawmakers. A law recently signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom that mandates later start times for most students — no earlier than 8 a.m. in middle school and 8:30 a.m. in high school — is the first statewide response in the United States to overwhelming evidence that chronic lack of sleep impairs teens. (Kreidler, 10/25)

The Wall Street Journal: Intraparty Disputes Dim Outlook For Drug-Price Legislation
Congressional lawmakers who pledged to lower drug prices are confronting the prospect that intraparty divides and possible impeachment proceedings may prevent them from getting anything major done this year. The White House, eager for a win as other drug-price initiatives have sputtered, is pushing Congress to compromise, but a plan in the Democratic-controlled House has become saddled with demands from progressives who say it doesn’t go far enough, and a bipartisan Senate bill is also on shaky ground, with some Republicans objecting to price controls. (Armour, 10/28)

Politico: Pelosi's Office Working To Kill Progressive Change To Drug Pricing Bill
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s staff is pushing to kill a progressive amendment to her sweeping drug pricing bill that would provide more Americans with financial protection from drug price increases, two sources familiar with the effort told POLITICO. The amendment, from Rep. Pramila Jayapal, co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, was adopted by the Education and Labor Committee during a markup of the drug bill last week. (Karlin-Smith and Cancryn, 10/26)

Stat: Democrats’ New Logic: Slightly Fewer Medicines OK If It Means Lower Prices
Democratic lawmakers in recent weeks have begun to advance an argument long seen as something of a third rail in U.S. politics: that slightly less biomedical innovation might be worth a dramatic reduction in drug prices. The surprising candor has come amid pushback to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s high-profile drug pricing bill, which the trade group PhRMA this month said represented “nuclear winter” for the development of new medicines. (Facher, 10/28)

The Hill: Vulnerable Republicans Balk At Trump-Backed Drug Pricing Bill
Vulnerable GOP senators up for reelection next year are giving the cold shoulder to a bipartisan bill aimed at lowering drug prices. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is pushing for passage of his measure with Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) to lower drug prices, something seen as a rare area for possible bipartisan agreement this year. (Sullivan, 10/26)

The Wall Street Journal: Trump Administration Makes It Harder For Immigrants To Claim Fee Waivers
Immigrants applying for citizenship or other legal status will no longer be able to use receipt of government benefits as a condition to seek a waiver of an application fee under a policy change announced Friday by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Under the change revealed Friday, which will take effect Dec. 2, reliance on public benefits such as Medicaid, food stamps or housing assistance would no longer qualify immigrants for the fee waiver. (Hackman, 10/25)

The Associated Press: Boxed In? Warren Confronts Tough Politics Of Health Care
For Elizabeth Warren, it was supposed to be one more big idea in a campaign built around them: a promise that everyone could get government-funded health care, following the lead of her friend and fellow White House hopeful Bernie Sanders. Instead, "Medicare for All" is posing one of the biggest challenges to the Massachusetts senator's candidacy. Persistent questions about whether she would raise taxes on the middle class to pay for universal health coverage have dominated her campaign in recent weeks. (Weissert, 10/26)

The Hill: Buttigieg: I 'Never Believed' In 'Medicare For All' That Ends Private Insurance
South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D) says that he has “never believed” in ending private insurance, denying charges that he has flipped his position on "Medicare for All." Buttigieg, who is running for president and is attacking his rival Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) over her support for Medicare for All, has taken criticism for his own tweet last year when he vowed, “I do favor Medicare for All.” (Sullivan, 10/25)

The Associated Press: 'Just Too Darn Old:' Sanders, Biden Confront Age Concerns
Bernie Sanders insists he feels better than ever less than a month after heart surgery, but his return to the campaign trail this week sparked new questions about the unusually old age of the Democratic Party's leading 2020 presidential candidates. Both Sanders, 78, and Joe Biden, 76, suggest their age isn't a major issue, but voters, particularly older voters, aren't so sure. (10/25)

The Associated Press: Frustrated Democratic Governors Find Ways To Sidestep GOP
Wisconsin Democratic Gov. Tony Evers tried for months to get the Republican-controlled Legislature to take up a pair of gun control bills, holding news conferences and touting polls showing strong public support. When Republicans wouldn’t budge, Evers turned up the heat by turning to other powers of his office, using an executive order — his 54th in less than a year — to call a special session on the issue. “We need an up or down vote,” Evers said. “We have to get this done, folks.” (Bauer, 10/27)

The Wall Street Journal: Proposed Tax On Gun Sales Faces Opposition In Tacoma, Wash.
Tacoma, Wash., could soon become one of a handful of U.S. cities to levy high taxes on gun sales, opening a new front in the battle over how much power local governments have to regulate firearms. Washington and 44 other states ban cities and towns from making their own gun laws. But the proposed tax in Tacoma, which would collect $25 per gun sale to fund violence prevention programs, is modeled on a law in neighboring Seattle that has already passed muster with the state supreme court. (Elinson, 10/28)

NPR: Behind The Scenes Of CDC's Vaping Investigation
When the first cases of vaping-related lung injuries came to the attention of scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this summer, they knew this was a potential curveball. Disease detectives, more accustomed to stopping food-borne illnesses or tracking the annual influenza cycle, realized that they'd need a unique approach to take on a health crisis that has so far sickened 1,604 and killed 34. (Harris, 10/25)

The Washington Post: CDC: Most People Who Died From Vaping-Linked Disease Used Products Containing THC
Most people who died from vaping-related injuries used products containing THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, federal health officials said Friday, offering another data point tying the outbreak of lung illnesses to products made with that compound. Based on data available from 860 of the 1,604 patients who have fallen ill with the disease, about 85 percent reported using THC-containing products, compared to about 10 percent who reported exclusively vaping nicotine-containing products, officials said. Many sick patients said they bought THC vape products on the black market, and those have come under increased scrutiny. (Sun, 10/25)

CNN: FDA Faces Pressure To Release Final E-Cigarette Flavor Policy
In a letter, a lawmaker is urging the US Food and Drug Administration to issue its compliance policy that would clear the market of unauthorized flavored e-cigarettes. The letter follows President Donald Trump's September 11 announcement that the FDA would be putting out "some very strong recommendations" regarding the use of flavored e-cigarettes in "a couple of weeks." (Howard and Hunt, 10/22)

The Associated Press: Health Official: No 'Short List' Of Vaping Illness Suspects
Health officials acknowledged Friday they are still looking at a wide range of products and chemicals that could be causing the U.S. vaping illness outbreak. A large majority of the more than 1,600 people who have been sickened said they vaped products containing THC, the high-inducing ingredient in marijuana, but it's likely something else — or perhaps several things — are to blame, officials say. (Stobbe and Johnson, 10/25)

NPR: Some States With Legal Weed Embrace Vaping Bans, Warn Of Black Market Risks
Around Washington state, cannabis shops are being required to hang signs warning customers of "severe lung injuries" and "deaths" associated with vaping. Kevin Heiderich, a co-owner of one such shop, House of Cannabis in Tacoma, Wash., believes the government response to vaping illnesses should focus on the black market." Something has just changed and no one really knows what it is," he says. (Stone, 10/26)

Los Angeles Times: Fruity Flavors Lure Teens Into Vaping Longer And Taking More Puffs, Study Says
Most experts agree that sweet flavors like cotton candy and mango help entice teens to try their first-ever puff on an electronic cigarette. But what keeps them coming back? Flavors appear to play a role in that too, according to a new study of Los Angeles high school students. Those who vaped with flavors other than tobacco and menthol were more likely to maintain their habit over the long term — and they took more puffs each time they reached for their device. (Baumgaertner, 10/27)

The Associated Press: Hearing Begins On Fate Of Missouri's Lone Abortion Clinic
The fate of Missouri's only abortion clinic is at stake starting Monday, when a member of the state's Administrative Hearing Commission will begin hearing arguments over whether the clinic can keep its abortion license. The hearing at a downtown St. Louis state office building is expected to last five days. Missouri officials have asked St. Louis police for heightened security since the licensing issue has generated protests from those on both sides of the debate. (10/28)

The Wall Street Journal: Hearing To Decide Fate Of Missouri’s Only Abortion Clinic
The hearing before the Administrative Hearing Commission is the latest salvo between the Reproductive Health Services of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Citing patient safety concerns, the health department declined to renew the clinic’s license earlier this year. After Planned Parenthood challenged the decision in a St. Louis Circuit Court, a federal judge kicked the case to the Administrative Hearing Commission in June. (Calfas, 10/27)

The Wall Street Journal: Why Starbucks Expanded Its Transgender Health Benefits
Seven years ago, Tate Buhrmester made the decision to come out as transgender while working as a supervisor at a Starbucks Corp. SBUX 0.24% store in Austin, Texas. “When I came out at work, I told my Starbucks partners [as the company calls its employees] to call me by my new name, Tate, and they were very accepting. I never had any problems,” he says. Two things eased Mr. Buhrmester’s transition: being able to choose his preferred pronouns and name, and being covered by the Seattle-based coffee chain’s medical benefits. (Sardon, 10/26)

The Wall Street Journal: New York Regulator Probes UnitedHealth Algorithm For Racial Bias
New York’s insurance regulator said it is launching an investigation into a UnitedHealth Group Inc. algorithm that a study found prioritized care for healthier white patients over sicker black patients. The state’s Department of Financial Services said it sent a letter Friday to UnitedHealth Chief Executive David Wichmann asking for the company to either show the algorithm isn’t racially discriminatory or stop using it. The New York Department of Health joined in sending the letter. (Evans and Wilde Mathews, 10/26)

The Wall Street Journal: Preterm Birth Treatment Isn’t Effective, Study Finds
The standard treatment to prevent women from having another preterm birth isn’t effective, according to the final results of a study. The finding has already led at least one maternal medicine group to revamp its guidelines. Doctors groups have long recommended a weekly injection of a synthetic progestin hormone called Makena, based on the results of a 2003 study. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the drug, now made by AMAG Pharmaceuticals, in 2011, contingent upon completing a follow-up study. The FDA has a public hearing and vote scheduled for Tuesday in which it will decide whether to leave the treatment on the market or not. (Reddy, 10/25)

NPR: Some Pregnant Women Use Weed For Morning Sickness But FDA Cautions Against It
Jennifer had a rough start to her pregnancy. "I had really intense food aversion and really intense nausea," says the 28-year-old mother of a five-month-old girl. "I wasn't eating at all." She was losing weight instead of gaining it, she says, and couldn't even keep down her prenatal vitamins or iron pills, which she needed to deal with anemia. (Chatterjee, 10/28)

The Associated Press: More Severely Obese Kids Should Get Surgery, MD Group Says 
Even some severely obese preteens should be considered for weight loss surgery, according to new recommendations. The guidance issued Sunday by the American Academy of Pediatrics is based on a review of medical evidence, including several studies showing that surgery in teens can result in marked weight loss lasting at least several years, with few complications. In many cases, related health problems including diabetes and high blood pressure vanished after surgery. (Tanner, 10/27)

CNN: Pediatricians Endorse Weight Loss Surgery For Severely Obese Kids And Teens: 'It Changed My Life'
"This policy statement focuses more upon acceptance of -- and access to -- appropriate care than anything else," said Dr. Kirk Reichard, surgical director of the Bariatric Surgery Program at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Delaware, who was a co-author of the policy statement. "Right now there's a lot of variability in what's paid for. There are certain plans that simply consider bariatric surgery under the age of 18 as experimental, which means they're not going to be covered," he said. "This policy statement specifically says that there's no specific age guideline. Furthermore, we recognize that severe obesity in children disproportionally affects racial and ethnic minorities, and the economically disadvantaged, especially for girls." (Howard, 10/27)

The Washington Post: Gaining Weight As You Get Older Isn't Inevitable
One of the most frustrating things about getting older is when the pounds pile up along with the years. Keeping weight off can be a challenge, even when you aren’t eating more or exercising less. But don’t be discouraged. Aging may be inevitable, but getting fatter need not be. Obesity affects about 40 percent of American adults, including the young and middle aged, an estimated 93.3 million adults, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is a serious public health problem, raising the risk of Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke and certain cancers. (Cimons, 10/27)

The New York Times: It’s Halloween. Beware Urban Legends (And Cars).
American children are more likely to be hit by cars on Halloween than on any other night of the year. But many of the concerns expressed each October — in the news media and among family and friends — are instead about the danger from candy poisoning by strangers. Almost all such cases have been found to be hoaxes or scares that lack substantiation. Some health centers even offer to X-ray treats to see if they’ve been tampered with. Studies have failed to show this does any good. If anything, the tests may provide a false sense of security. (Carroll, 10/28)

NPR: Sleepless In The U.S.: Rising Numbers Of Workers Not Getting Enough Sleep
If you often hit that mid-afternoon slump and feel drowsy at your desk, you're not alone. The number of working Americans who get less than seven hours of sleep a night is on the rise. And the people hardest hit when it comes to sleep deprivation are those we depend on the most for our health and safety: police and health care workers, along with those in the transportation field, like truck drivers. (Neighmond, 10/28)

The Associated Press: Cleaning Plant Troubles Could Lead To Hospital Tool Shortage
Hospitals could soon face shortages of critical surgical tools because several plants that sterilize the equipment have been shut down, government health officials said Friday. The Food and Drug Administration flagged the issue in an online statement to medical professionals, saying the result could be years of shortages of supplies used in heart surgery, knee replacements, C-sections and many other procedures. (Perrone, 10/25)

The New York Times: These Apps Say You May Have A Health Disorder. What If They’re Wrong?
Flo and Clue, two popular period-tracking apps, recently introduced health tools that evaluate a woman’s risk for the hormonal imbalance known as polycystic ovary syndrome. In September alone, more than 636,000 women completed the Flo health assessments, said the app’s developer, Flo Health. The app then recommended that 240,000 of those women, or about 38 percent, ask their doctors about the hormonal disorder. (Singer, 10/27)

The Washington Post: Filmmaker Asks How Adults Can Help Digitally Obsessed Teens Tackle Mental Health Challenges
Teens are more connected than ever. So why are they so depressed, anxious and stressed? Delaney Ruston, a physician, worried about her own teens’ mental well-being. Her 2016 documentary, “Screenagers: Growing Up in the Digital Age,” focused on how screentime affects young people. Now, she took her quest a step further, asking how adults can help teens tackle mental health challenges. (Blakemore, 10/26)

The Wall Street Journal: With No Boutique Gyms, She Gets Creative At The YMCA
Katie Gibson’s phone was getting in the way of her workouts. Looking to spend more time with her two children, she left her job as a speech pathologist and launched a skin-care company six years ago from home. The downside: She lived on her screen, even at the gym. “When my endorphins would start going, I’d get ideas and pull out Notes or start emailing,” she says. “I had a hard time compartmentalizing work and personal time. Plus, my workout felt stale, so I was easily distracted.” (Murphy, 10/27)

CNN: Sunday Sadness Is Real. Here's How To Battle The Pre-Workweek Blues
Many of us begin to groan and moan as our precious weekend comes to an end. It's not just the interruption of fun with friends and family that triggers the Sunday blues, or what some call the Sunday scaries. It's also anxiety and dread about the workweek to come. One study found 81% of more than 1,000 respondents said they became progressively more anxious as their restful Sunday came to a close. Psychologists call it "anticipatory anxiety." (LaMotte, 10/27)

The Washington Post: Many First Responders Struggle With PTSD
Certain smells can put Ken Dillon in a dark hole. When Dillon, a Connecticut state trooper, smells pizza, for example, his mind rewinds to Dec. 14, 2012 — pizza Friday — at Sandy Hook Elementary School, where 26 people, including 20 first-graders, were shot dead by a young man who then took his own life. “When everything happened, big trays of pizza were left out on the counter in the cafeteria,” Dillon explained. “Over the next week while we processed the scene it began to rot and smell really bad, and it blended with the other unfortunate smells, like blood just down the hallway — the smell of evil. After that, anytime I’d smell pizza, it would take me back to that time.” (Ebersole, 10/26)

NPR: Dog People Rejoice: Owning A Pup Is Good For Your Cardiovascular Health
Hugging a dog is one life's greatest joys. Getting to see fur on four legs and a wagging tail is like experiencing a love drug — quite literally. Dogs and humans that interact with one another get a jolt of oxytocin, the so-called "cuddle hormone." And, if you get to look at dogs and hug them every day, you just might live longer than people who don't have to clean animal hair off their clothes, according to a pair of studies out this month. (Chen, 10/26)

The New York Times: Fiber In Fruits And Grains Protects Against Diverticulitis
About a decade ago, Michael Valenti of Woodstock, N.Y., suddenly developed severe pain in the lower right side of his abdomen. He had a slight fever and thought he had appendicitis. So did his doctor, who sent him to the emergency room, where an M.R.I. revealed not appendicitis but diverticulitis, an infection in an outpouching of his colon he never knew he had. (Brody, 10/28)

The Washington Post: ‘This Baby Was Meant To Be Ours’: A Gay Couple’s Journey To Become Parents
When Kraig Wiedenfeld and Bill Johnson decided they were ready to start a family and wanted a baby biologically related to one of them, they did what a small but growing number of gay couples with their desire do: They found a surrogate to help them. As chronicled in The Washington Post last year, the two men, then married for four years, embarked on a journey both complicated and expensive that required: sperm from Weidenfeld, an anonymous egg donor and a young woman to carry the baby. (Page, 10/26)

The Washington Post: His First Job Was Training Service Dogs In Prison. The Dogs Go On To Transform Veterans’ Lives.
Last year, Al Moore was gulping down a dozen medications to cope with physical pain and sometimes crippling post-traumatic stress disorder that he developed during 30 years in the Marine Corps. Those drugs have been replaced by what Moore describes as “the most holistic medicine you can have.” “We call him ‘Kevin the wonder dog,’ ” Moore’s wife, Dawn, said Thursday, pointing to the Labrador retriever whose light brown eyes were fixed, as usual, on her husband. “He’s always wondering, ‘What can I do for you?’ ” (Chason, 10/27)

The Wall Street Journal: Using Horsepower To Fight PTSD And Veteran Suicide
M, a lifelong equestrian, first witnessed the healing power of horses while working after college on a ranch in Colorado, where she was teaching people to ride. A family had brought their 4-year-old son, a boy with Down syndrome who was uncommunicative. Something about the horse captivated him. Sitting in the saddle, he signed “horse”—the first word he had ever communicated. His mother started crying, which prompted his first spoken word too: “Mama.” Moved by the encounter, Ms. Hill-McQueeney began to learn about the then little-known concept of therapeutic riding or equine therapy. (Winkler, 10/26)

The New York Times: With Whipping Winds And Power Down, Californians Flee Fires
Erika Rivas could not sleep. The smell of smoke and the fear of encroaching flames kept pulling her back to that day two years ago when she realized her home in Santa Rosa was on fire. That night, she and her family fled their new house with no shoes or jackets. This weekend, amid overlapping crises of fire and blackouts, they have had to evacuate not once but twice. (Hepler, Del Real and Penn, 10/27)

The Associated Press: Widespread Evacuations, Power Outages Near California Fire
About 90,000 residents were ordered to evacuate towns near a massive Northern California wildfire Saturday, and the state's largest utility began power shut-offs for an estimated 2.35 million people due to forecasts of severe winds and extreme fire danger. Two previous blackouts in recent weeks were carried out amid concern that gusty winds could disrupt or knock down power lines and spark devastating wildfires. (Nguyen and Weber, 10/26)

The Washington Post: California Wildfires: Governor Declares Statewide Emergency As Evacuations Continue
California’s governor declared a statewide emergency Sunday as hurricane-force wind fueled wildfires across Sonoma County and prompted mass evacuations in communities to the Pacific Ocean. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) pledged to deploy “every resource available” as authorities fought blazes on both ends of the state and weather increased the danger. (Teague, Donosky, Epstein and Knowles, 10/27)

The Wall Street Journal: Northern California Wildfire Grows Overnight, Forcing Evacuations
“We are deploying every resource available, and are coordinating with numerous agencies as we continue to respond to these fires,” Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, said in his declaration. Firefighters confronted ferocious winds, with at least one gust clocking in at 102 miles an hour shortly after sunrise Sunday in the hills above the evacuated Sonoma County wine town of Healdsburg, according to the National Weather Service. (Carlton and Kusisto, 10/28)

Los Angeles Times: Gov. Newsom In Crisis Mode Amid Wildfires, Power Outages, Winds
Newsom said the state is working to ensure enough pharmacies are kept open on generators in communities without electricity so that residents have access to needed medications, an issue that was raised to him by people at evacuation centers over the weekend. “That’s why it’s important for me to be on the ground,” he said. (Gutierrez, 10/27)

The Washington Post: A New Clinic At Children’s National Hospital Treats Undocumented Kids With Diabetes. But They’re Hesitant To Seek Care.
She called them one at a time, working her way through medical records family by family, hoping to convince the undocumented and uninsured to bring their children back to the hospital. They could receive free care from doctors, nurses, nutritionists, she explained. They could finally get their children’s diabetes under control. All they had to do was show up. (Marissa J. Lang, 10/25)

The Associated Press: Medication Lockers Help Miami's Homeless Living With HIV
Ivette Naida says keeping tabs on her HIV medication can be a daunting task. Naida lives underneath a Miami highway overpass with several other homeless men and women. She has no safe place to keep her belongings. HIV-positive people who live on the streets are less likely to be successful in suppressing the virus with medication, according to a 2017 National Institute of Health study and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (10/26)

The Associated Press: Man Wins Lottery Prize On Way For Cancer Treatment
A North Carolina man won a $200,000 lottery prize while on the way to his last round of chemotherapy. WTVD-TV reports that Ronnie Foster bought the winning scratch-off ticket before getting treatment for colon cancer. Foster said he claimed the prize Friday at the lottery headquarters in Raleigh. He said he took home about $140,000 after taxes. Foster said he plans to use part of his winnings to pay his medical bills. (10/27)