First Edition: Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024

KFF Health News and InvestigateTV: Watch: How Patients Get Charged Hospital Prices For Doctor’s Office Care 
For five years, Caren Blanzy received the same treatment at the same medical office in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The regular injections gave her relief from involuntary muscle contractions caused by a neurological disorder, she said. Her insurance picked up the tab. Then, the health system that owns her doctor’s office changed how it billed for her treatment — no longer coding it as an office visit, but instead as outpatient hospital services. That change meant Blanzy owed more than $1,100 for one treatment. She said she stopped receiving injections because she could no longer afford them. (Jackman, 8/13)

KFF Health News: California Bill Would Require State Review Of Private Equity Deals In Health Care 
A bill pending in California’s legislature to ratchet up oversight of private equity investments in health care is receiving enthusiastic backing from consumer advocates, labor unions, and the California Medical Association, but drawing heavy fire from hospitals concerned about losing a potential funding source. The legislation, sponsored by Attorney General Rob Bonta, would require private equity groups and hedge funds to notify his office of planned purchases of many types of health care businesses and obtain its consent. It also reinforces state laws that bar nonphysicians from directly employing doctors or directing their activities, which is a primary reason for the doctor association’s support. (Wolfson, 8/13)

The New York Times: Older Adults Do Not Benefit From Moderate Drinking, Large Study Finds 
Even light drinking was associated with an increase in cancer deaths among older adults in Britain, researchers reported on Monday in a large study. But the risk was accentuated primarily in those who had existing health problems or who lived in low-income areas. The study, which tracked 135,103 adults aged 60 and older for 12 years, also punctures the long-held belief that light or moderate alcohol consumption is good for the heart. The researchers found no reduction in heart disease deaths among light or moderate drinkers, regardless of this health or socioeconomic status, when compared with occasional drinkers. (Rabin, 8/12)

CNN: Global Cancer Deaths Among Men Projected To Increase By 93% By 2050, Study Finds
Cancer cases and deaths among men are expected to surge by 2050, according to a study published Monday, with large increases among men 65 and older. For the study, published in the journal Cancer, researchers from Australia analyzed cases and deaths from 30 types of cancer in 185 countries and territories in 2022 to make projections for 2050. (Gumbrecht, 8/12)

Bloomberg: CVS, Walmart, Walgreens Brand Mucinex May Contain Cancer-Causing Benzene 
While it may seem like the only difference between extended-release Mucinex and its generic store-brand counterpart is the price tag, the latter potentially exposes users to a deadly cancer-causing chemical. Millions of Americans who buy the store-brand option at various major US chains are unknowingly choosing a drug that risks containing a potent carcinogen called benzene, according to a Bloomberg analysis of government data. Benzene can cause blood cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma. And while the inactive ingredients differ, benzene isn’t listed among them. It instead lurks in an inactive ingredient, a white powder called a carbomer. (Edney, 8/12)

ABC News: Abortion Access Will Officially Be On Arizona’s Ballot In November
An amendment that would create a right to an abortion in Arizona’s constitution will appear on the state’s ballot this November. Arizona for Abortion Access, a coalition supporting the amendment, announced on Monday night that the measure would appear on the state’s November ballot as Proposition 139, allowing voters in the swing state to decide on the issue this election cycle. ... If passed in November, the measure would establish a fundamental right to an abortion in the state. It would protect access to abortion up until viability, which is generally around 24 weeks, with exceptions after that if a “healthcare provider determines an abortion is needed to protect the life or physical or mental health of the patient.” Arizona law currently bans abortions after 15 weeks and includes exceptions in cases of medical emergencies. (Demissie and Oppenheim, 8/12)

The 19th: Texas Hospitals Wouldn’t Treat Their Ectopic Pregnancies. Each Lost A Fallopian Tube As A Result.
Two women have filed complaints with the federal government alleging that Texas hospitals denied them abortion care necessary to treat their ectopic pregnancies. The complaints were filed August 6 by Kelsie Norris-De La Cruz and Kyleigh Thurman against Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital and Round Rock-based Ascension Seton Williamson Hospital, respectively. Both women are represented by the Center for Reproductive Rights. (Luthra, 8/12)

News Service of Florida: Number Of Florida Abortions Are Down After The 6-Week Limit Goes Into Effect
More than 40,000 abortions had been reported this year in Florida as of Aug. 1, but the number being performed is down after a law took effect preventing abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, according to newly released state data. (Saunders, 8/12)

The Wall Street Journal: The Parties Where Volunteers Pack Abortion Pills For Red-State Women 
The women huddling around the conference table shuttled the small cardboard boxes along, assembly-line style. Into each went medical-information paperwork and a handwritten note proclaiming, “We wish you the best!” Then came the critical addition, a two-drug regimen that ends a pregnancy. This tiny Boston-area office represents a new bulwark in America’s abortion battle. Volunteers are mobilizing with growing frequency for pill-packing parties to help strangers in faraway states circumvent strict laws. On a recent Monday evening, the group filled 350 boxes—in-home abortion kits ready for mailing to women in states such as Texas and Florida with near-total or six-week abortion bans. (Calvert, 8/12)

The New York Times: I.V.F. Threats In Alabama Drive Clinics To Ship Out Embryos 
An emerging movement against in vitro fertilization is driving some doctors and patients in red states to move or destroy frozen embryos. The embryo migration is most striking in Alabama, where the State Supreme Court ruled in February that embryos were “unborn children.” Since then, at least four of Alabama’s seven fertility clinics have hired biotech companies to move the cells elsewhere. A fifth clinic is working with a doctor in New York to discard embryos because of concerns about the legality of doing so in Alabama. (Ghorayshi and Kliff, 8/12)

Politico: New Jersey Rep. Bill Pascrell Hospitalized Again 
New Jersey Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. is once again in the hospital, just days after being discharged following a lengthy stay and less than three months before Election Day, according to two people with knowledge of the situation. Pascrell, 87, was discharged from St. Joseph’s in Paterson Wednesday following a three-week stay for a respiratory infection and fever, at one point being placed on breathing assistance. He checked out and entered a rehabilitation facility but checked into St. Barnabas in Livingston on Sunday evening, according to one of the people. Both people were granted anonymity to discuss Pascrell’s health in advance of an official announcement. (Friedman, 8/12)

Axios: Lab Tests Can't Help Diagnose Long COVID, Study Shows
More than two dozen commonly available lab tests couldn't help diagnose long COVID in a study of more than 10,000 adults, leaving doctors still having to rule out other health conditions to confirm whether someone has the condition. (Bettelheim, 8/13)

CIDRAP: New Studies Estimate Long-COVID Rates, Identify Risk Factors 
New survey data from the landmark Women's Health Initiative (WHI) reveal that 34% of postmenopausal women [ages 50 to 79] infected with COVID-19 had symptoms lasting at least 8 weeks, while a separate 2-year telemedicine study shows that 84% and 61% of all infected patients still had symptoms 1 and 2 years later, respectively. (Van Beusekom, 8/12)

ABC News: More Than Half Of US States Reporting 'Very High' COVID Activity Levels: CDC 
More than half of U.S. states are reporting "very high" levels of COVID activity as the virus continues to spread and increase in many parts of the country, according to the latest wastewater data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At least 27 states are reporting "very high" levels and 17 states are reporting "high" levels of wastewater viral activity. The western region continues to see the highest levels followed by the South, Midwest and Northeast, respectively. (Benadjaoud, 8/12)

CIDRAP: Study Identifies Risk Groups For Severe COVID-19 By Patient Age
A new study in Open Forum Infectious Diseases analyzed the clinical features of and outcomes of pediatric and adult hospitalized COVID patients at five US sites, and found that teens were at greatest risk for severe disease among all children, and those 50 to 64 years old were at greatest risk among all adults. (Soucheray, 8/12)

Stat: Why U.S. Health Care Cybersecurity Laws Are Better At Protecting A Corpse’s Privacy Than Patients’ Lives
Two days into a cyberattack on his hospital system, Nate Couture reached the end of his cyber incident plan. “We make these incident response plans and we feel great about them,” Couture, the University of Vermont Health Network chief information security officer, told other heath care cyber professionals at a recent conference. “At the end of them, they have a box that usually says something like, ‘And then IT recovers the systems.’” But it would be 24 more days from where the plan ended until the Vermont health system was able to bring its electronic medical record system back online. It would be 110 days until they finished restoring software applications. And more than 200 days later, they’d still be dealing with the backlog of paper records. (Trang, 8/13)

Modern Healthcare: Home Health, Home Care Hiring Improves Amid Better Medicaid Pay
Hiring in home health and home care is bouncing back from the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic when thousands of workers left the industry. The turnaround in hiring comes as demand for in-home care is rising and hospitals struggle to discharge patients to home health or skilled nursing facilities due to staffing shortages. Still, uncertainty over Medicare pay rates next year could make it harder for companies to raise wages that are helping attract workers. (Eastabrook, 8/12)

Modern Healthcare: ACO REACH Model Revised To Fix Medicare Spending: CMS
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is making changes to its largest accountable care organization experiment to ensure it’s actually saving money. In a notice published on its website Aug. 1, CMS outlines a slew of planned updates to the ACO Realizing Equity, Access and Community Health, or ACO REACH, model in 2025. (Early, 8/12)

AP: How To Get Relief From Unexpectedly High Medical Bills 
Even if you don’t qualify for charity care or you’re not sure your bills are covered by the No Surprises Act, you may be able to reduce the charges. Medical billing is notoriously byzantine and rife with errors. Anytime you receive a bill, ask the hospital or healthcare provider for an itemized bill that includes the billing codes of all the care you received. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) mandates that providers share this information. (Lewis, 8/12)

Reuters: J&J Has Enough Support From Claimants For $6.5-Billion Talc Settlement, Bloomberg Reports 
Johnson & Johnson has cleared a key threshold of support for its proposed $6.5-billion settlement of tens of thousands of lawsuits alleging its baby powder and other talc products caused cancer, according to a Bloomberg report. More than 75% of claimants voted in favor of the proposal, according to Bloomberg, a hurdle J&J set for a third attempt at placing a subsidiary in bankruptcy protection to resolve the litigation. (Knauth, 8/13)

North Carolina Health News and The Charlotte Ledger: N.C.’s New Medical Debt Relief Plan: 11 Must-Dos For Hospitals
Every eligible hospital in North Carolina has opted in to Gov. Roy Cooper’s medical debt relief initiative, which promises extra payments to hospitals that agree to forgive old medical debt and beef up their charity care policies, state officials said Monday. The program calls for hospitals to wipe out about $4 billion in medical debt for nearly 2 million low- and middle-income patients across the state, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. (Crouch, 8/13)

WHYY: Crozer Health To Shutter Operating Room Services At Taylor Hospital By Sept. 1
Crozer Health, the four-hospital system in Delaware County, will shutter all operating room services at Taylor Hospital in Ridley Park by Sept. 1. A spokesperson for the financially distressed health system did not respond to a request for comment. The decision to end operating room services comes as Crozer’s parent company, Prospect Medical Holdings, scrambles to offload the system to New Jersey-based CHA Partners. In February, Prospect agreed to a court-approved deal to sell Crozer within 270 days. (Cooper, 8/12)

Health News Florida: Bankrupt Steward Health Care Delays Sales Hearing For Florida Hospitals
Steward Health Care, the hospital system entangled in Chapter 11 bankruptcy, has announced the postponement of a sales hearing for its Florida hospitals from Aug. 22 to Sept. 10. Attorneys for Steward filed documents to delay that hearing and two more involving hospitals in other states its hopes to shed as part of bankruptcy proceedings. (Mayer, 8/13)

Burlington Free Press: Vermont Says IV Therapy Clinics, Medical Spas Must Follow Rules
Vermont's Office of Professional Regulation (OPR) fired a warning shot across the bow of the state's IV therapy clinics and medical spas in a public statement last week, saying what they do "indisputably constitutes the practice of medicine," and requires them to follow strict rules governing prescriptions, drug compounding and the administering of IVs. The OPR and Board of Medical Practice said they have recently received "reports of inappropriate activities occurring at IV therapy clinics/spas, including out-of-scope practice and unlicensed practice of medicine." (D'Ambrosio, 8/13)

CalMatters: ‘We Gotta Be Somewhere’: Homeless Californians React To Newsom’s Crackdown
On a recent Wednesday morning, a man who goes by the nickname Spraq was packing his belongings onto a bike trailer, preparing for the sweep he thought might come later that day on Coral Street. Spraq, who ended up on the streets after the truck he was living in got repossessed about 10 years ago, was camping in the park until police kicked everyone out. He and his ex-girlfriend moved to a nearby street, and two days later, police found them, threw away his ex’s clothes and other possessions, and forced them to move on, Spraq said. So they moved into a parking spot on the street outside Costco – a place where they’d camped without issue many times before, he said. Again, police found them, said they couldn’t be there, and threw away their belongings, Spraq said. “They kept doing that until we had nothing,” he said.  (Kendall, 8/12)

CBS News: Mosquito Season Is Getting Longer, Which Could Lead To More Disease. How One City Is Preparing. 
A warmer climate means mosquito season is getting longer, prompting not only an increase in the pesky insects but also greater potential for them to spread diseases like West Nile virus. To help reduce the risk In New York City, expert "insect hunters" track the summer pests among the trees and marshes of parks that residents use to escape the summer heat. (Gounder, Winick and Moniuszko, 8/12)