First Edition: Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024

KFF Health News: Indiana Hospitals Pull Merger Application After Pushback Over Monopoly Concerns
Two rival hospitals in Terre Haute, Indiana, pulled back their merger application Monday, just days before the state was due to rule on the deal amid growing backlash to such medical monopolies. The proposed merger between Union Health and Terre Haute Regional Hospital, the only acute care hospitals in Vigo County, Indiana, would have left Terre Haute’s 58,000 residents and those in the surrounding region with a single hospital operator. Although federal laws prohibit monopolies, the hospitals sought the merger under a state provision known as a “Certificate of Public Advantage” law, or COPA. (Liss, 11/26)

KFF Health News: Florida’s Deloitte-Run Computer System Cut Off New Moms Entitled To Medicaid
In mid-May, Mandi Rokx had a 3-month-old baby and a letter from a Florida agency warning that they both would be cut from Medicaid, the health insurance program for people with low incomes or disabilities. Under a Florida law passed in 2021, Rokx was supposed to receive 12 months of continuous coverage after giving birth. But the letter from Florida’s Department of Children and Families said their coverage would end May 31. The explanation: “You failed to complete or follow through with your Medicaid renewal.” (Chang and Liss, 11/26)

KFF Health News: Make America Healthy Again: An Unconventional Movement That May Have Found Its Moment
Within days of Donald Trump’s election victory, health care entrepreneur Calley Means turned to social media to crowdsource advice. “First 100 days,” said Means, a former consultant to Big Pharma who uses the social platform X to focus attention on chronic disease. “What should be done to reform the FDA?” The question was more than rhetorical. Means is among a cadre of health business leaders and nonmainstream doctors who are influencing President Donald Trump’s focus on health policy. (Armour, 11/26)

KFF Health News: Immigration Detention Center Contractor Sues Over California Health Inspections
GEO Group, one of the nation’s largest private prison contractors, filed a federal lawsuit last month against California officials to strike down a state law allowing local public health officials to inspect immigration detention facilities. The Florida-based company argued in a filing that California’s law, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in August, is unconstitutional because it steps on the federal government’s authority to manage detention centers. By extension, GEO claimed intergovernmental immunity as a contractor. (Sánchez, 11/26)

Politico: Trump Weighing O’Neill For HHS Deputy Secretary 
President-elect Donald Trump is considering nominating Jim O’Neill, an associate of billionaire investor and early Trump backer Peter Thiel, as HHS deputy secretary, three people familiar with the deliberation granted anonymity to discuss transition planning told POLITICO. O’Neill held several roles at HHS during the George W. Bush administration including principal associate deputy secretary — but he does not have formal medical training. (Lim, Cancryn and Gardner, 11/25)

The Hill: Biden COVID Response Coordinator: Trump Picks For FDA, NIH ‘Pretty Reasonable’
Ashish Jha, the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and former White House coronavirus coordinator under President Biden, said President-elect Trump’s picks to lead the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) are “pretty reasonable.”  ... “While RFK Jr is an absolutely terrible choice for HHS Secretary, I think Marty Makary at FDA, Dr. Oz at CMS and Jay Bhattacharya at NIH are all pretty reasonable,” Jha posted Sunday morning on social platform X. “I have plenty of policy disagreements with them. They are smart and experienced. We will need them to do well.” Stanford University-trained physician and economist Jay Bhattacharya is rumored to be the top pick for the NIH. (Haner, 11/25)

The Wall Street Journal: Sexual-Misconduct Allegations Sank One Trump Nominee and Loom Over Kennedy
Allegations of sexual misconduct helped sink Matt Gaetz’s bid for attorney general. Now they threaten to complicate the confirmation of other nominees, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be America’s top health official. Senators from both parties said they expect Kennedy will face questions about incidents from years ago that recently have drawn attention. Kennedy, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for Health and Human Services secretary, has been accused of sexual assault in the late 1990s by a woman who is willing to testify before the Senate. Kennedy has said he is “not a church boy.” (Whyte and Peterson, 11/26)

The Washington Post: Vivek Ramaswamy’s Push For FDA Changes Could Boost His Wealth 
Vivek Ramaswamy, an outspoken ex-biotech executive turned fierce critic of the industry’s main regulator, is now in a position to reshape the agency he derides as the “Failed Drug Administration” in ways that could benefit him personally. ... “It’s an obvious conflict of interest,” said Diana Zuckerman, president of the nonpartisan think tank National Center for Health Research, who said that the FDA has already lowered its standards considerably to speed novel drugs to market. “Some people might think, ‘He’s a knowledgeable person.’ He’s a knowledgeable person with a vested financial interest in what he’s saying.” (Gilbert, 11/25)

The Atlantic: The COVID-Revenge Administration
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is on the precipice of leading our nation’s health-care system as secretary of Health and Human Services. The Johns Hopkins professor Marty Makary has been tapped to lead the Food and Drug Administration. And the Stanford professor Jay Bhattacharya is expected to be picked to run the National Institutes of Health. These men have each advocated for changes to the systems and structures of public health. But what unites them all—and what legitimizes them in the eyes of this next administration—is a lasting rage over COVID. (Mazer, 11/25)

AP: CDC Chief Urges Focus On Health Threats As Agency Confronts Political Changes 
The outgoing head of the nation’s top public health agency urged the next administration to maintain its focus and funding to keep Americans safe from emerging health threats. “We need to continue to do our global work at CDC to make sure we are stopping outbreaks at their source,” Dr. Mandy Cohen, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in an interview Monday with The Associated Press. “We need to keep that funding up. We need to keep the expertise up. We need to keep the diplomacy up.” Cohen, 46, will be leaving office in January after about 18 months in the job. (Stobbe, 11/25)

The Washington Post: Trump And GOP Eye New Limits On Consumer Financial Protection Bureau 
President-elect Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress are weighing vast changes to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, seeking to limit the powers and funding of a federal watchdog agency formed in the wake of the 2008 banking crisis. ... By design, the CFPB has a broad mandate to protect Americans from unfair, deceptive or predatory financial practices. Its current Democratic leader, Rohit Chopra, has been aggressive, pursuing a host of rules to shield people from medical debt, make it easier for them to switch banks, and limit the fees they face from overdrawing their checking accounts. (Romm, 11/23)

Politico: Could Trump Sideline Government Watchdogs? Some Are Already Quitting. 
Two in-house investigators at U.S. intelligence agencies recently quit their jobs. There’s growing fear in Washington that they could be the start of an exodus — or a purge — of government watchdogs. A wave of departures by inspectors general would give President-elect Donald Trump the opportunity to nominate or appoint people of his choice to the watchdog posts — leaving dozens of federal departments, agencies and offices subject to oversight by people who would owe their positions to Trump. (Gerstein and Toosi, 11/25)

Military.com: Trump Reportedly Weighs Immediate Discharge Of All Transgender Troops. Here's What That Would Mean.
President-elect Donald Trump's transition team is developing an executive order that would medically discharge the estimated 15,000 transgender service members from the military, according to several international news outlets. The sudden dismissal of so many troops would prove chaotic, advocates supporting LGBTQ+ service members say, and the military services would be forced to fill gaps and compensate for a loss of experience at a time when recruiting remains a struggle. Trump transition team spokesperson Karoline Leavitt did not deny the accuracy of the reports when emailed by Military.com, but said that "no decisions on this issue have been made." (Toropin and Novelly, 11/25)

St. Louis Public Radio: Missouri Judge Upholds State’s Ban On Transgender Care 
A Missouri judge has upheld a 2023 state law that bars transgender minors from receiving cross-sex hormones, surgeries and other gender-affirming care treatments. Lambda Legal, the ACLU of Missouri and St. Louis-based law firm Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner last year sued the state, arguing the law discriminates against transgender minors and violates the rights of parents to decide what treatment is best for their children. (Fentem, 11/25)

The New York Times: Judge Allows San Jose State Transgender Volleyball Player To Compete
A transgender volleyball player at San Jose State University can continue to compete on the women’s team, a judge ruled Monday, despite complaints from other players who object to the participation of an athlete who is transgender. The decision by a federal judge in Colorado came two days before a conference tournament involving the team was set to begin. It is the latest chapter in the fierce national debate about whether transgender athletes, particularly transgender women, should be allowed to compete on teams that align with their gender identity. (Nostrant and Selig, 11/25)

The New York Times: Transgender Activists Question The Movement’s Confrontational Approach
Facing diminishing public support, some activists say all-or-nothing tactics are not working. “We have to make it OK for someone to change their minds.” (Peters, 11/26)

ProPublica: A Third Woman Died Under Texas’ Abortion Ban. Doctors Are Avoiding D&Cs and Reaching for Riskier Miscarriage Treatments.
Porsha Ngumezi died after not receiving a standard D&C procedure following complications from a miscarriage. More than a dozen doctors said the 35-year-old’s death was preventable. (Presser and Surana, 11/25)

AP: Legal Challenges Loom As Abortion Is Enshrined In Arizona's Constitution 
Arizona top officials certified the state’s election results Monday, including voters’ approval of a measure that expands abortion access from 15 weeks to the point of fetal viability. The victory for reproductive rights groups sets the stage for their next battle: challenging other laws on the books in Arizona they say are too restrictive. The 15-week cutoff, for example, allows exceptions only when the mother’s life is at risk. (Govindarao and Sandoval, 11/25)

MPR News: Minnesota Laws On Abortion Access Challenged In Federal Court 
Minnesota has some of the most accommodating laws granting access to abortion. A lawsuit filed late last week seeks to upend them. It was brought by a group of plaintiffs that includes women who have had abortions they say weren’t voluntary, anti-abortion organizations and “crisis pregnancy centers,” which counsel clients against having abortions. They argue that Minnesota’s process for abortion consent is too loose and that its legal protections for medical providers are too lenient. For decades, New Jersey-based attorney Harold Cassidy has brought lawsuits on behalf of people who he has said “regretted having abortions.” (Roth, Haecherl and Sepic, 11/25)

The City: NYC Abortion Providers Brace For New Florida Influx 
As one of the five employees who disperses financial assistance to abortion seekers through the New York Abortion Access Fund, Chelsea Williams-Diggs has witnessed firsthand the consequences of Florida’s strict anti-abortion laws. “It was a really big blow to our broader movement and to how we understand New York’s ecosystem as well,” she  told THE CITY last week. “After Florida enacted their six-week ban, which was in May of this past year, NYAAF immediately saw a spike — a huge increase in Floridians traveling to New York to access abortion care.” According to her data, the increase was around 460%. (Kahn, 11/25)

Missouri Independent: For Activists Who Wanted More From Missouri Abortion Amendment, The Work Is Far From Over 
Supporting Amendment 3 was never an option for Justice Gatson. As the leader of the Reale Justice Network, a reproductive justice organization based in Kansas City, she had a simple explanation for her decision: the amendment didn’t go far enough in expanding abortion access. So when voters approved Amendment 3 — which lifts Missouri’s near-total abortion ban but allows legislators to regulate the procedure after viability — Gatson didn’t stand by. The day after the election, she was among a number of organizers and activists who released an accountability plan called “What’s Next.”  (Spoerre, 11/25)

The 19th: The Biden Administration Has Two Months Left To Take Action On Abortion
With two months left before President Joe Biden leaves office, there are some areas where legal scholars and attorneys suggest the outgoing administration could still take action, even if the impact may be narrow or short-lived. (Luthra, 11/25)

CNN: Trump Says He’ll Leave Abortion To The States. It Won’t Be So Simple 
Despite his campaign promises to leave the issue to the states, President-elect Donald Trump’s administration will shape the national landscape around abortion and reproductive health. “Maybe Trump thinks he’ll face less backlash if he lets these nationwide attacks on abortion play out in court rather than in his agencies — but if Trump’s DOJ stops defending mifepristone in court, he’s reneging on his promise to voters just the same,” said Julia Kaye, a senior staff attorney with the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project. Those in the anti-abortion movement argue there are policy changes Trump can adopt that wouldn’t violate his campaign pledges. They’re calling for, at the least, the reversal of Biden-era moves and a return to certain anti-abortion policies pushed in his first term. (Sneed, 11/25)

NPR: The Man Who Helped Roll Back Abortion Rights Now Wants To 'Crush Liberal Dominance'
Leonard Leo may not be a household name, but odds are most people in the country know his signature achievement: Leo was a key architect of the conservative supermajority on the Supreme Court that rolled back the federal right to an abortion. The conservative activist advised President-elect Donald Trump during his first term on the nominations of Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. The three picks gave conservatives their 6-3 majority on the high court. And all of them voted to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion rights decision. (Inskeep and Manuel, 11/25)

Modern Healthcare: Medicare Advantage Prior Authorization Bill Is Stuck In Congress
A popular bipartisan bill to curb the use of prior authorization in Medicare Advantage has everything it needs to pass Congress this year, except that it probably won't, and lawmakers who would like to move it are not sure it ever will. Enthusiastic senators and representatives rolled out the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2024 last summer, promising to increase transparency in Medicare Advantage prior authorization requests and mandate speedier responses. (McAuliff, 11/25)

The Wall Street Journal: Medicare Pays Wildly Different Prices For The Same Drug 
Medicare is paying wildly different prices for the same drug, even for people insured under the same plan. As a result, people covered by Medicare can be on the hook for thousands of dollars in additional out-of-pocket costs depending on where they live and which drug plan they choose. Take commonly used generic versions of prostate-cancer treatment Zytiga. They have more than 2,200 prices in Medicare drug plans. The generics ring in at roughly $815 a month in northern Michigan, about half of what they cost in suburban Detroit, while jumping to $3,356 in a county along Lake Michigan, according to a recent analysis of Medicare data. (Hopkins and Ulick, 11/26)

Modern Healthcare: Centene Cuts Some Medicare Advantage Commissions
Centene is joining the ranks of Medicare Advantage insurers cutting pay to marketers that direct new customers their way. The insurer notified brokers and agents on Monday that it will no longer compensate them for enrolling new members into eight Medicare Advantage plans sold in New York state and Washington state beginning Wednesday, said Betsy Seals, co-founder and CEO of Rebellis Group, a Medicare consulting firm. (Tepper, 11/25)

The Boston Globe: Steward Health Care News: Feds Seize Phones Of 2 Top Execs
Federal agents briefly detained former Steward Health Care CEO Ralph de la Torre early last week, served him with a search warrant, and seized his phone — the latest sign that a federal corruption probe is focused on the health care chain’s embattled founder, according to three people briefed on the matter. Another Steward executive, Armin Ernst, a Brookline resident who leads Steward’s international entity, was also recently visited by federal investigators and had his cellphone seized, two of the people briefed told the Globe. (Krueger, Serres and McCarthy, 11/25)

The Boston Globe: Steward Closures Are Worsening Massachusetts ER Overcrowding
After weeks of increasing worry about her mother’s chronic stomach issues, Lynn Bourgeois finally took a day off from work to bring her mother, Angela Aupperlee, to the emergency department at Leominster Hospital. They arrived around 7:30 a.m. on Oct. 28. Almost seven hours later, the women hadn’t gotten any further than the waiting room, where they sat alongside dozens of others, some so sick that staff gave them bags to vomit into, Bourgeois said. “You lose all your humanity in the waiting room,” she said. (Laughlin, 11/25)

Crain's Detroit Business: Pontiac General Hospital Files For Bankruptcy For The Third Time
Days after laying off most of its staff, the troubled Pontiac General Hospital has filed for bankruptcy protection for the third time. The for-profit hospital, which is officially named Oakland Physicians Medical Center LLC, had its Medicare reimbursement stripped by the feds yesterday for a variety of noncompliance in nursing, medical staff, patient rights and other issues. Neither the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services nor Pontiac General have elaborated on the violations. (Walsh, 11/25)

The Boston Globe: St. Joseph's Hospital In Providence Will Go Up For Sale Again
After an abandoned effort to turn it into a public school, the former St. Joseph’s Hospital in South Providence will be put up for sale by real estate developer Joseph R. Paolino Jr., who hopes it will be turned into badly-needed housing. The listing is set to go live on Tuesday through real estate company Cushman & Wakefield, which will conduct an auction. There is no asking price, said Paolino, who is seeking proposals. (Machado, 11/25)

Health News Florida: AdventHealth Agrees To Purchase ShorePoint Hospitals In Charlotte County 
AdventHealth has signed a definitive agreement with affiliates of Community Health Systems to purchase a pair of Charlotte County hospitals, one that remains closed to inpatient care due to hurricane damage. The deal to acquire 254-bed ShorePoint Health Port Charlotte and 208-bed ShorePoint Health Punta Gorda was valued at $265 million. (Mayer, 11/25)

Modern Healthcare: Mount Sinai Health Opens AI Center For Research, Development 
Mount Sinai Health System has opened a $100 million building dedicated to artificial intelligence. The Hamilton and Amabel James Center for Artificial Intelligence and Human Health is dedicated to the research and development of AI tools that can be used across the eight-hospital system, Mt. Sinai said Monday. The facility is housed in a 65,000-square-foot building on New York City’s Upper East Side near the system's main campus. It will centralize Mount Sinai's AI efforts in genomics, imaging, pathology, electronic health records and clinical care. (Perna, 11/25)

The New York Times: Trial Of Controversial Alzheimer’s Drug Halted After Disappointing Results 
Cassava Sciences, a small biotechnology company based in Austin, Texas, announced it would stop the advanced clinical trial for an experimental Alzheimer’s drug, ending a long-contested bid for regulatory approval. The company announced on Monday that the drug, simufilam, did not significantly reduce cognitive decline in people with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease in the trial, which enrolled more than 1,900 patients. (Rosenbluth, 11/25)

Stat: Roche Drug Fails In Lung Cancer, Raising Questions About Its Target
An experimental cancer treatment from Roche failed to improve survival in a major lung cancer study, the company said Tuesday, a result that will further stoke doubts about the drug’s target. (Joseph, 11/26)

MedPage Today: Philly's Tax On Sugary Drinks Did Not Trim Kids' Obesity 
Philadelphia's beverage tax on sugary drinks was not associated with changes in pediatric weight outcomes 2 years after it took effect, researchers found. Among 2- to 18-year-olds with BMI measured both before and after the $0.015/oz tax was implemented in 2017 on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and artificially sweetened beverages, standardized body mass index (zBMI) dropped by only a nonsignificant 0.004 between youth in Philadelphia and those in surrounding counties who served as controls without the tax, reported Emily Gregory, MD, MHS, of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and colleagues. Philadelphia's tax led to a 30% increase in price and a 35% decrease in overall sales of sweetened drinks.(Henderson, 11/25)

Iowa Public Radio: USDA Rejects Iowa’s Food Box Plan, And Anti-Hunger Advocates Ask Reynolds To Accept Summer EBT
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds’ request to send monthly food boxes to low income families over the summer, instead of sending them money for food, has been denied by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, leaving summer food assistance for at least 240,000 Iowa kids hanging in the balance. (Sostaric, 11/25)

The Washington Post: In D.C., A Unique Shelter For The Homeless Will Serve Couples, Families
After more than a year of delays, D.C. officials on Monday celebrated the opening of the Aston — a former college dormitory that has become the city’s newest shelter for the homeless despite ongoing opposition from some neighbors. In May 2023, George Washington University selected the D.C. government among a pool of bidders for the 67,000-square-foot graduate student housing building at 1129 New Hampshire Ave. NW. And after closing on the $27.5 million purchase months later, the administration of Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) began to more fully detail its plan to transform the Aston into D.C.'s first shelter allowing couples and mixed-gender adult families to stay together. (Brice-Saddler, 11/25)

The Boston Globe: Earned Sick Time In Massachusetts Now Covers Reproductive Losses
Many workers in Massachusetts are now entitled to sick time if they or their spouse experience a miscarriage or an unsuccessful attempt at assisted reproduction, surrogacy, or adoption. The change in state law, which was enshrined in the maternal health bill that Governor Maura Healey signed in August and took effect Nov. 21, covers most Massachusetts workers, who are typically eligible for up to 40 hours in earned sick time per year for events like illnesses, medical appointments, or recovery from domestic violence involving themselves or their families. (Gerber, 11/25)

Wyoming Public Radio: A K-12 Mental Health Policy Failed On A Tie Vote. So What’s Next For Wyoming’s Youth? 
The legislature’s interim Education Committee tied in a vote to move forward a draft bill that would have created a K-12 mental health policy for the state. Under Wyoming legislature rules, a tie means it fails. The bill was researched and written by the Mental Health and Vulnerable Adult Task Force. (Kudelska, 11/25)

San Francisco Chronicle: Golden Gate Bridge Nets After 1 Year: Are They Effective?
The scene played out many times at a general hospital in Marin County, always with palpable urgency. An ambulance would radio from the Golden Gate Bridge, reporting that someone had jumped from the rail – and miraculously survived. At MarinHealth Medical Center, doctors would marshal all resources, said trauma surgeon John Maa.“ There was always a great level of preparation and concern whenever someone was brought in,” Maa recalled. “And a sense of dread.”  (Swan, 11/25)

The Boston Globe: Illnesses On Flights Into Logan Prompt Massport To Alert CDC
Two flights came into Logan International Airport on Sunday carrying multiple people stricken with “various illnesses,” prompting officials to alert the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a cautionary measure, according to airport operator Massport. “Massport responded to two flights (Delta and Avianca) that came in around the same time yesterday afternoon with various illnesses,” said Massport spokesperson Jennifer Mehigan. “We reached out to the CDC out of an abundance of caution.” (Andersen, 11/25)

Houston Chronicle: Texas Sees Largest Number Of Dengue Fever Cases Since 2002
Texas has seen the worst annual spike of dengue fever, a mosquito-borne illness that can be fatal, in more than 20 years, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. The state also saw its first report of a locally acquired ... case of dengue fever this year in a resident of Cameron County, according to the department. The Texas DSHS has tracked 106 confirmed travel-related cases of dengue fever and at least one death so far this year, making it the worst year for the disease in Texas since 2002. (Lomax V, 11/25)

NPR: Long COVID Patients Push For NIH Research Funds To Focus On Treatments
Erica Hayes, 40, hasn't felt healthy since November 2020 when she first fell ill with COVID. Hayes is too sick to work, so she's spent much of the last four years sitting on her beige couch, often curled up under an electric blanket. "My blood flow now sucks, so my hands and my feet are freezing. Even if I'm sweating my toes are cold," says Hayes, who lives in Western Pennsylvania. She misses feeling well enough to play with her 9-year-old son, or attend her 17-year-old son's baseball games. (Boden, 11/25)

CIDRAP: What Happens To Road-Killed Deer, And Does It Help Stem CWD Spread?
Roughly 1.8 million deer-vehicle crashes are reported each year in the United States, typically peaking during mating season and the end of Daylight Saving Time in November, although the vast majority—typically those that don't involve motorist injuries or extensive vehicle damage—likely go unreported. The disposal of those deer carcasses could have implications for both human and animal health, but management practices vary widely by jurisdiction, with state, county, and city officials often taking different, usually budget-based approaches with differing levels of effectiveness, a concept that is itself only vaguely defined. (Van Beusekom, 11/25)