First Edition: September 21, 2017

Kaiser Health News: Podcast: ‘What The Health?’ Zombie Repeal-And-Replace Bill Rises Again
Republican efforts to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act are back, in a big way. And the “What the Health?” podcast is focused on Capitol Hill’s debate on the new bill by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.). (9/20)

Kaiser Health News: Caregivers Draw Support By Mapping Their Relationships
Every time Jacque Pearson tried to devise a plan to move her 81-year-old dad, who has Alzheimer’s, from his home in Boise, Idaho, to hers in Denver, she felt stuck. Then, two weeks ago, she had a breakthrough. It happened at an AARP-sponsored session in which Pearson created a “CareMap” — a hand-drawn picture showing all the people she cares for as well as the people surrounding those individuals and her own sources of support. (Graham, 9/21)

The Associated Press: Study: Most States Would Take A Hit From GOP Health Bill
Most states would take a stiff budgetary hit if the latest Senate GOP health care bill becomes law, according to an analysis released Wednesday. That would likely result in more uninsured Americans. The study by the consulting firm Avalere Health found that the Graham-Cassidy bill would lead to an overall $215 billion cut to states in federal funding for health insurance, through 2026. Reductions would grow over time. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 9/20)

The Washington Post: Under Latest Health-Care Bill, Red States Would Benefit Disproportionately
The latest Republican proposal for curtailing the Affordable Care Act was assembled with such haste that it may get a vote before a full cost estimate is finished. But it is not a new idea. At its core, the bill introduced by Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) would implement a decades-old conservative concept, capping the amount that taxpayers spend on Medicaid and giving states full control over the program. As he’s sold the legislation to conservative governors and activists, Graham has described it as a possible triumph for federalism, and a way to end the progressive dream of universal health care managed from Washington. (Weigel, 9/20)

The Washington Post: Cassidy-Graham Bill Would Cut Funding To 34 States, New Report Shows
More than half of the overall cuts in the legislation — named for its primary sponsors, Republican Sens. Bill Cassidy (La.) and Lindsey O. Graham (S.C.) — would come from Medicaid, the analysis shows. States with relatively low medical costs, skimpy Medicaid benefits and no program expansion would win out. Texas would gain more than any state, about $35 billion from 2020 through 2026. On the other hand, states with higher-priced medicine and generous benefits for their low-income residents, such as California and New York, would lose billions of dollars. (Goldstein, Weigel and Eilperin, 9/20)

The Hill: 34 States Would See Funding Cut From New ObamaCare Repeal Bill: Study
Cassidy, Graham and the other co-sponsors of the bill said the legislation is about fairness. It aims to redistribute money from high-spending Medicaid expansion states — like California — to states that rejected the expansion — like Texas. But it isn't just blue states that stand to lose under the Graham-Cassidy proposal. (Weixel, 9/20)

The New York Times: How The Latest Obamacare Repeal Plan Would Work
The latest Republican proposal to undo the Affordable Care Act would grant states much greater flexibility and all but guarantee much greater uncertainty for tens of millions of people. The legislation, proposed by two Senate Republicans, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, would not only reduce the amount of federal funding for coverage over the next decade, but also give states wide latitude to determine whom to cover and how. The result is a law that would be as disruptive as many of the Republicans’ previous proposals, but whose precise impact is the hardest to predict. (Abelson and Sanger-Katz, 9/20)

NPR: Republicans Try One Last Effort To Repeal Obamacare
Graham-Cassidy essentially deconstructs all of the major programs created by the Affordable Care Act, gathers up the money and hands it over to states to run their own health care programs. It gets rid of both the subsidies that help people buy individual health insurance policies and the reimbursements to insurance companies for offering price breaks on copayments and deductibles to the lowest-income customers. It rolls back the Obamacare Medicaid expansion that was adopted by 31 states and Washington, D.C., and it eliminates the Basic Health Program that was created under the ACA and implemented in New York and Minnesota. (Kodjak, 9/19)

Stat: Abortion Coverage Would Be Restricted Under New GOP Health Care Plan
The GOP health care overhaul barreling toward a possible Senate vote this month would restrict abortion coverage for some people as early as next year. Most of the major changes included in the package, from Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, wouldn’t take effect until 2020. That’s when the legislation would end the subsidies currently available to consumers who don’t get their health insurance through their job or a government program. It’s also when the legislation would overhaul — and cut — government contributions to state Medicaid programs. (Mershon, 9/20)

The Hill: GOP Takes Heavy Fire Over Pre-Existing Conditions
The new ObamaCare repeal measure from Senate Republicans would give states a way to repeal protections for people with pre-existing conditions, a controversial move that opponents of the bill are denouncing. The provision attracted widespread attention on Wednesday after late-night host Jimmy Kimmel blasted Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a lead author of the legislation. Kimmel said the senator is violating the “Jimmy Kimmel test,” which Cassidy coined as a way of saying that no one should be denied care because they can’t afford it. “This guy Bill Cassidy just lied right to my face,” Kimmel said. (Sullivan, 9/20)

The Hill: Blue Cross Warns GOP Repeal Bill 'Undermines' Pre-Existing Condition Rules
The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association warned against a new GOP ObamaCare bill on Wednesday, saying it would "undermine" protections for pre-existing conditions. "The bill contains provisions that would allow states to waive key consumer protections, as well as undermine safeguards for those with pre-existing medical conditions," the association said in a statement. (Sullivan, 9/20)

The Hill: Trump: New ObamaCare Repeal Does Cover Pre-Existing Conditions
President Trump argued Wednesday that the latest Republican effort to repeal much of ObamaCare does include coverage of pre-existing conditions. “I would not sign Graham-Cassidy if it did not include coverage of pre-existing conditions. It does! A great Bill. Repeal & Replace,” Trump wrote on Twitter, referring to the legislation being pushed by Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). (Shelbourne, 9/20)

Los Angeles Times: Republicans' New Repeal Bill Would Probably Leave Millions More Uninsured, New Analyses Suggest
“The vast majority of states lose money, and some lose truly jaw-dropping amounts,” said Jocelyn Guyer, managing director of Manatt Health, a consulting firm that has analyzed the Graham-Cassidy proposal. “That suggests coverage losses that are likely somewhere between significant and vast,” she said. (Levey, 9/20)

The Washington Post: McConnell Intends To Bring Repeal Bill To Senate Floor Next Week, Spokesman Says
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) plans to bring a bill to undo the Affordable Care Act to the Senate floor next week, a McConnell spokesman said Wednesday. His statement marked McConnell’s most concrete commitment yet to moving ahead with the bill from Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.). It signaled that a vote would be expected next week. (Sullivan, 9/20)

The Wall Street Journal: McConnell Plans Vote On GOP Health Bill Next Week
A spokesman for Mr. McConnell (R., Ky.) said it was “the leader’s intention to consider Graham-Cassidy on the floor next week,” referring to the bill sponsored by GOP Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana. The spokesman’s statement didn’t commit the Senate to a vote, which would need to happen before the end of next week for Republicans to pass the measure by a simple majority. (Peterson and Radnofsky, 9/20)

Politico: Senate Girds For Final Obamacare Repeal Vote
McConnell has told colleagues he will only bring up the bill if it will succeed. The statement does leave some wiggle room to not proceed with a vote. It's still anyone's guess whether the bill's backers can get to 50 votes. One Republican senator suggested that McConnell may ultimately decide to bring the bill up for another failed vote, in part to show GOP donors and President Donald Trump that the Senate GOP tried again. (Everett and Kim, 9/20)

The Associated Press: Trump: GOP Health Bill Short Of Votes Before Deadline
President Donald Trump said Wednesday the Republicans’ last-resort “Obamacare” repeal effort remains two or three votes short, forecasting days of furious lobbying ahead with a crucial deadline looming next week. (Werner, 9/20)

The Hill: Trump: 'Very Good Chance' Congress Repeals ObamaCare
President Trump on Wednesday voiced confidence that the latest Republican plan to repeal ObamaCare could become law. “It has a very good chance,” Trump told reporters when asked if the proposal will pass. (Fabian, 9/20)

Politico: The Unlikely Group Who Brought Obamacare Repeal Back To Life
Senate Republicans’ last-ditch attempt to repeal and replace Obamacare rests on the unlikely collaboration of a veteran senator who can’t stand health policy, a wonky freshman who has never passed major legislation and a former senator who lost his seat a decade ago. Together, Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum crafted the latest GOP repeal bill in hopes of delivering on the party’s seven-year-old campaign promise to repeal Obamacare. (Haberkorn and Bade, 9/21)

The Associated Press: Republicans See Political Necessity In Health Care Effort
It's divisive and difficult, but the Republican drive to erase the Obama health care overhaul has gotten a huge boost from one of Washington's perennial incentives: Political necessity. In the two months since Senate Republicans lost their initial attempt to scuttle President Barack Obama's statute, there's fresh evidence GOP voters are adamant that the party achieve its long-promised goal of dismantling that law. This includes conservative firebrand Roy Moore forcing a GOP primary runoff against Sen. Luther Strange, R-Ala., who's backed by President Donald Trump, and lots of money, plus credible primary challenges facing Republican Sens. Jeff Flake of Arizona and Nevada's Dean Heller. (Fram, 9/21)

The New York Times: ‘Chuck And Nancy,’ Washington’s New Power Couple, Set Sights On Health Care
When Representative Nancy Pelosi, the House Democratic leader, introduced Chuck Schumer to members of her caucus this month, she warmed up the room with a well-worn joke about her Senate counterpart: “You know they say the most dangerous place in Washington is between Chuck and a camera.” Mr. Schumer’s love of the spotlight aside, it has been behind the scenes where “Chuck and Nancy,” as President Trump calls them, have forged what may be the most surprisingly potent partnership in Mr. Trump’s Washington. (Stolberg, 9/20)

The Washington Post: Ready To Deal This Time? Alaska’s Murkowski Is In The Health-Care Spotlight. Again.
Lisa Murkowski walked briskly down a cavernous hallway on the first floor of the Capitol, awash in a small sea of reporters. Suddenly she paused, seemingly overcome by the pressure of the moment. “You guys — hold,” the Republican senator from Alaska said curtly. “Give me breathing room, please. It gets a little intense. I know you guys don’t feel it, but it’s like, whoa.” Another effort to replace the Affordable Care Act is underway, and in Washington that means one thing: Murkowski is at the center of it all — under the glare of the national spotlight and squarely on the minds of White House officials and Senate Republican leaders who are strenuously seeking her support. (Sullivan, 9/20)

The Hill: The Two Senators Who Will Likely Decide Fate Of ObamaCare Repeal
All eyes are on Sens. John McCain (Ariz.) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) as Republicans try to approve a new ObamaCare repeal bill in the next 11 days. The two were among the three Republicans who sank the last GOP effort to repeal ObamaCare, and President Trump and his allies probably can’t afford to lose either if they are to win a vote next week. (Hellman, 9/20)

Politico: Christie Says He Opposes Graham-Cassidy Bill
Gov. Chris Christie said on Wednesday that he opposes the latest Senate plan to repeal and replace Obamacare, deeming it “too injurious” to New Jersey. “I oppose Graham-Cassidy because it is too injurious to the people of New Jersey,” Christie told reporters standing outside an addiction treatment center in Somerset County. “I’m certainly not going to support a bill that takes nearly $4 billion from people in the state.” (Jennings, 9/20)

The Hill: Blumenthal: ObamaCare Repeal Bill One Of The ‘Most Cruel’ Acts In History
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said Democrats will use “all the tools and tactics” they can to stop the new Republican effort to repeal ObamaCare, legislation he called “the most cruel and outrageous.” “We are preparing and planning to use every tool and tactic available to us because we are on the precipice of one of the most cruel and outrageous legislative acts in recent history,” Blumenthal told CNN’s “The Situation Room.” (Shelbourne, 9/20)

The Hill: New Mexico Gov: GOP Healthcare Bill 'Still Needs Some Work'
New Mexico’s Republican governor is not yet persuaded to support the latest GOP effort to repeal ObamaCare. “While it’s encouraging that Congress is working on a healthcare solution, the governor is concerned this bill could hurt New Mexico and still needs some work,” a spokesman for Gov. Susana Martinez told The Albuquerque Journal. (Shelbourne, 9/20)

The Hill: Who Is For And Against The Senate ObamaCare Repeal Bill
Here is where key players and stakeholders stand. (Hellmann, 9/21)

The New York Times: Insurers Come Out Swinging Against New Republican Health Care Bill
The health insurance industry, after cautiously watching Republican health care efforts for months, came out forcefully on Wednesday against the Senate’s latest bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act, suggesting that its state-by-state block grants could create health care chaos in the short term and a Balkanized, uncertain insurance market. In the face of the industry opposition, Senate Republican leaders nevertheless said they would push for a showdown vote next week on the legislation, drafted by Senators Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana. (Pear, 9/20)

The Hill: Insurer Trade Group Blasts Latest ObamaCare Repeal Bill
In a letter to Senate leadership, America's Health Insurance Plans said a repeal bill sponsored by GOP Sens. Lindsey Graham (S.C.) and Bill Cassidy (La.) would have "real consequences on consumers and patients." The bill would further destabilize the individual market; cut Medicaid; pull back on protections for pre-existing conditions; not end taxes on health insurance premiums and benefits; and potentially allow government-controlled, single-payer health care to grow, wrote Marilyn Tavenner, the group's President and CEO. (Hellmann, 9/20)

The Hill: Insurers Are Scrambling To Keep Up With ObamaCare Drama
Insurance companies blindsided by the Senate GOP’s decision to pull the plug on bipartisan talks and move forward again with ObamaCare repeal are scrambling to figure out how to move forward. The death of the bipartisan push leaves them with no clear way to shore up fragile marketplaces ahead of the 2018 enrollment season, which begins Nov. 1. (Roubein, 9/21)

The Wall Street Journal: With Timing Tight For GOP’s Health-Law Repeal Effort, Opponents Rush To Mobilize
Opponents of a Republican plan to dismantle most of the Affordable Care Act are scrambling to ramp up a resistance campaign before a possible Senate vote next week on a bill many never expected would gain traction. With such a narrow window, consumer and other groups are seeking to pressure specific GOP senators they see as most likely to waver. They also assert that Republicans are trying to ram through a bill outside the normal process while reneging on a promise to preserve the ACA’s consumer protections, claims the bill’s sponsors reject. (Armour, 9/21)

Politico: Left On ‘Full War Footing’ To Stop Obamacare Repeal
The liberal activists roused into the streets by President Donald Trump are revving up for one last campaign to save Obamacare.The sudden resurgence of Republicans’ repeal push appeared to catch Democrats and their base by surprise. But ahead of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s plans to vote next week on a new bill to dismantle the health law, the Democratic grass roots is on what one leading activist called “full war footing.” (Schor, 9/20)

The Washington Post Fact Checker: Sen. Cassidy’s Rebuttal To Jimmy Kimmel: ‘More People Will Have Coverage’
Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel attacked Cassidy over the health-care repeal plan crafted by Cassidy and Sens. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.),  Dean Heller (R-Nev.) and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) as a last-ditch effort to replace the Affordable Care Act. Kimmel asserted, among other things, that the proposed law “will kick about 30 million Americans off insurance. ”Firing back, Cassidy flatly stated that “more people will have coverage … There are more people who will be covered through this bill than under the status quo.” (Kessler, 9/21)

The Washington Post: Republicans Tweak Sanders Over Health Care, But Cassidy-Graham Could Open A Path For His Bill
One short week ago, 16 Senate Democrats and dozens of progressive groups rallied with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) to celebrate the release of his Universal Medicare for All bill — a moonshot that they hoped would reset the national conversation on health care. Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) sounded downright giddy. His own legislation to curtail the Affordable Care Act, and block grant Medicaid, was released just a few hours before Sanders’s, to a smaller but just as skeptical group of reporters. (Weigel, 9/20)

The Associated Press: Obama: GOP’s Efforts To Repeal Health Care ‘Aggravating’
Former President Barack Obama on Wednesday called repeated Republican efforts to repeal his signature health care law “aggravating” as he urged people not to be discouraged by unsteady progress as they work on pressing global issues. Speaking at a summit hosted by billionaires Bill and Melinda Gates to coincide with the United Nations General Assembly, the Democrat said the real problems facing the world “can’t discourage any of us from the belief that individually and collectively, we can make a difference.” (Hajela, 9/20)

The Washington Post: Obama Says Repealing The ACA Would Inflict ‘Real Human Suffering’ On Americans
“It wasn’t perfect, but it was better,” the former president said of the ACA. “And so when I see people trying to undo that hard-won progress, for the 50th or 60th time, with bills that would raise costs or reduce coverage, or roll back protections for older Americans, people with preexisting conditions, the cancer survivor, the expectant mom, or the child with autism, or asthma, for whom coverage will once again will be unattainable, it is aggravating.” (Eilperin, 9/20)

Politico: Obama Calls Constant GOP Efforts To Repeal Obamacare 'Aggravating'
Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, one of the Republicans pushing the latest effort to undo Obamacare, said after Obama's speech that it would be "unrealistic" to expect the former president to acknowledge problems with his namesake law. "It’s no surprise President Obama opposes sending money and power back to the states and closer to where the patients live," Graham said in a statement. "Obamacare was designed with the exact opposite goal in mind — which is to consolidate health care power and decision-making in Washington." (Dovere, 9/20)

The Wall Street Journal: States Back Big Insurance Increases Amid Health Law’s Uncertainty
Many state regulators are approving sharp rate increases for Affordable Care Act insurance plans that will be sold next year, as they are forced to make decisions despite the latest uncertainty about the law’s future. The 2018 premiums for ACA plans are supposed to be locked in Wednesday, under a federal deadline, at the same time that Republicans in the Senate are moving toward a potential vote next week on legislation that would scrap most of the health law. (Wilde Mathews, 9/20)

The Wall Street Journal: Health-Law Repeal Push Could Jeopardize Children’s Program Funding
The 11th-hour push to dismantle major portions of the Affordable Care Act by the end of the month is imperiling funding for several popular bipartisan health programs that are set to expire Sept. 30. The top Republican and Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee brokered a deal last week to reauthorize funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, for five years, just as the program’s funding is set to phase out. (Hackman, 9/20)

The New York Times: Spokeswoman Cites ‘Demanding Schedule’ For Health Secretary’s Use Of Private Jets
Tom Price, the health and human services secretary, spent tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars to fly on private jets to attend routine public events instead of taking cheaper commercial airliners because he has an “incredibly demanding schedule,” his spokeswoman said Wednesday. Mr. Price, a physician and former Republican congressman from Georgia, chartered five work-related flights last week alone. In all, the private flights cost the federal government as much as $60,000, according to a report by Politico, citing internal department documents. (Thrush, 9/20)

The Wall Street Journal: HHS Defends Tom Price’s Use Of Private Jets
Politico reported late Tuesday on five recent trips taken by Dr. Price on charter flights estimated in the report to have cost tens of thousands of dollars apiece. These trips occurred in situations where driving, passenger rail or commercial flights were all viable options, according to the report. “The Trump administration treats taxpayer dollars like they are frequent-flier miles, while they try to take health care away from millions,” the Democratic National Committee said Wednesday. “These funds could be used to make health care more affordable and accessible, to help fund Medicaid, combat the opioid epidemic or increase ACA enrollment.” (Radnofsky, 9/20)

The Hill: Top Dem Asks Watchdog To Look Into Price Private Jet Travel
A top House Democrat is asking the inspector general of Health and Human Services (HHS) to look into a report that the head of the department took private jets to travel for official business. Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (N.J.), the top Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, released a statement Wednesday saying he would ask the HHS inspector general for a "full accounting" of Secretary Tom Price's travel. (Sullivan, 9/20)

The New York Times: Florida Nursing Home Listed Dead Resident As ‘Resting In Bed,’ State Says
A state agency has found that the Florida nursing home where eight residents died after it lost air-conditioning following Hurricane Irma “presents a danger to every person on its premises” and must close after staff at the facility failed to call 911 for its overheated patients, even as their temperatures began spiking as high as 109.9 degrees Fahrenheit. The agency also rebuked the nursing home for entering normal vital signs, or mildly elevated temperatures, into the medical records of several residents after they had already been evacuated or, in one case, had already died. Those entries, it said, were made “under dubious circumstances.” (Yee and Fink, 9/20)

The Associated Press: Florida Suspends License Of Nursing Home Over Irma Deaths
Florida officials have suspended the license of a nursing home that had nine patients die after Hurricane Irma knocked out its air conditioning. The Agency for Health Care Administration said Wednesday that it suspended the license of the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills. The agency previously banned the facility from admitting new patients and from receiving Medicaid. The home filed a lawsuit trying to block those orders. (9/20)

The Wall Street Journal: Florida Suspends License Of Nursing Home Tied To Eight Deaths
The latest order comes a day after the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills filed a lawsuit against the state to block two previous orders, both of which effectively shut down the home, claiming the orders weren’t justified. Under direction from Gov. Rick Scott, the state has taken several steps to stop operations at the Hollywood, Fla., facility following the deaths last week. The nursing home’s residents “did not receive timely medical care because the trained medical professionals at the facility overwhelmingly delayed calling 911,” Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration said, citing initial findings from an ongoing investigation. (Evans and Kamp, 9/20)

Stat: Mobile Dialysis Could Save Lives In A Disaster. But Is There A Cost To Safety?
The calls started coming in the days after Hurricane Sandy. Flooded dialysis centers had shuttered across New York and New Jersey. Some patients and practitioners didn’t know where to turn. So they dialed Anita Chambers. “It was difficult to hear stories of patients being driven four to eight hours to find a center that could take them,” Chambers, said recalling the 2012 superstorm. “There were centers open that had all the patients in the day — seeing these patients in the middle of the night.” (Blau, 9/21)

The Washington Post: Pfizer Sues Johnson & Johnson, Alleging Anticompetitive Practices To Maintain A Drug Monopoly
A legal brawl between two of the world’s largest drug companies could shape the future of a nascent market of copycat drugs that are intended to bring down the cost of the most advanced and expensive medicines. Pfizer filed a lawsuit Wednesday against fellow pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson for using “anticompetitive” tactics to quash its cheaper version of a powerful rheumatoid arthritis drug. Johnson & Johnson issued a statement saying the lawsuit had no merit. (Johnson, 9/20)

The Wall Street Journal: Pfizer Alleges J&J Thwarted Competition To Remicade, In Legal Test Of Biotech-Drug Copies
The complaint, filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia, says J&J’s “exclusionary contracts” for Remicade with health insurers, hospitals and clinics effectively prevented them from offering Pfizer’s lower-priced copy so they could retain rebates and other J&J perks. The lawsuit is the first antitrust action to surface amid the emergence of biosimilars, which are copies of popular biotech drugs, after years of litigation over patents and timing of launches. Pfizer’s Inflectra is the biosimilar of Remicade. (Rockoff, 9/20)

Stat: Advocacy Groups Get Some, But Not All, Trial Data On Gilead Hepatitis C Drugs
File this under, “Half a loaf.” After a two-year battle, a pair of public health advocacy groups obtained sought-after clinical trial data from regulators for two hepatitis C treatments sold by Gilead Sciences (GILD). But they failed to gain access to the most coveted information that would allow researchers to independently verify test results which were originally generated by the company. (Silverman, 9/20)

Stat: Pfizer Accuses J&J Of Illegally Stifling Coverage For Its Biosimilar
The move comes nearly a year after Pfizer launched its drug amid speculation that a price war with J&J would ensue, since prevailing wisdom says a lower price is needed to gain market share. But despite initially pricing Inflectra at a 15 percent discount to the $31,500 list price for Remicade, the drug generated just $172 million in sales during the first six months of this year. By contrast, Remicade notched $3.2 billion in global sales – and $1 billion in U.S. sales – during that time. (Silverman, 9/20)

The Wall Street Journal: CVS Health Moves To Limit Access To Opioid Painkillers
One of the largest managers of pharmaceutical benefits in the U.S. says it will start limiting the duration and dose of some prescriptions for opioid painkillers, in an effort to combat widespread addiction. (Whalen, 9/21)

The Associated Press: Lawsuit Challenges Law That Only Doctors Perform Abortions
The American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday that challenges a Maine restriction common across most of the U.S. that abortions be performed solely by physicians. The two groups were joined by four nurses and abortion provider Maine Family Planning in challenging the law that prevents advanced practice registered nurses, such as nurse practitioners and nurse midwives, from performing the procedure. (9/20)

Stat: As A Scientist, He Studied Trauma Victims. Then He Became One
Dr. Dennis Charney stepped forward to address the court here, the man who tried to kill him standing no more than 20 feet away. He stated his full name for the record and then began detailing what happened. How one morning as he picked up his iced coffee and lightly buttered bagel, he heard a shotgun boom and saw blood pouring from his shoulder and chest. How he spent five days in the intensive care unit and then was scared to sleep with the lights off. How even now, a year later, he carried buckshot in his body. (Joseph, 9/21)

The Washington Post: Could ADHD Be A Type Of Sleep Disorder? That Would Fundamentally Change How We Treat It.
Over the past two decades, U.S. parents and teachers have reported epidemic levels of children with trouble focusing, impulsive behavior and so much energy that they are bouncing off walls. Educators, policymakers and scientists have referred to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, as a national crisis and have spent billions of dollars looking into its cause. They've looked at genetics, brain development, exposure to lead, the push for early academics, and many other factors. But what if the answer to at least some cases of ADHD is more obvious? (Cha, 9/20)

NPR: Embryo Editing Yields DNA Clues To Early Human Development
For the first time, scientists have edited the DNA in human embryos to make a fundamental discovery about the earliest days of human development. By modifying a key gene in very early-stage embryos, the researchers demonstrated that a gene plays a crucial role in making sure embryos develop normally, the scientists say. (Stein, 9/20)

Los Angeles Times: Invasive Mosquito Population Up 330% In Orange County; Officials Urge Residents To Take Precautions
The Orange County Mosquito and Vector Control District alerted residents this week to a large spike in the number of invasive Aedes mosquitoes. Officials reported a 330% increase in the mosquito population across Orange County this year, with the largest numbers found in Santa Ana neighborhoods. (Tchekmedyian, 9/20)