Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: Iowa's Insurance Commissioner To Step Down; South Fla. Leads Nation In Tally Of New HIV Cases
Des Moines Register: Insurance Commissioner Gerhart Stepping Down
Iowa’s outspoken insurance commissioner is stepping down. Nick Gerhart has resigned effective Dec. 23, the governor’s office announced Monday. Gerhart was appointed to the four-year post on Feb. 1, 2013. He said in an interview Monday that he decided not to seek another term. His wife, Jessica, is expecting their fourth child in early January, which led him to decide on a career change, he said. Gerhart, 41, oversaw regulation of all kinds of insurance, but he gained the most attention for helping guide the state through health-insurance changes wrought by the Affordable Care Act. (Leys, 12/5)
Health News Florida: South Florida Leads Nation In New HIV Cases, CDC Says
South Florida has the dubious distinction of leading the nation in new HIV cases. A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ranks the South Florida metro area as number one for HIV diagnoses in 2015. According to the CDC report, the national average for HIV diagnoses is about 12 cases per 100,000 people. (Mack, 12/5)
St. Louis Post Dispatch: Too Many Babies Are Dying In St. Louis And One Group Is Taking A Stand
A recent study commissioned by Generate Health found disturbing racial trends within infant mortality. African-American babies are three times as likely to die as white babies in St. Louis. Black women in Missouri are nearly 50 percent more likely to have a preterm baby than any other group, regardless of socioeconomic status. The study further found the majority of the region’s infant deaths occurred in the first month of life and correlated with significant incidents of high blood pressure among African-American mothers during pregnancy, nearly tripling their risk for babies with lower birth weights. And yet despite these pregnancy risks, more than a fifth of black mothers received inadequate prenatal care compared to just 5 percent of white mothers. Black mothers were 137 percent more likely to lose a baby in the first month of life than white mothers. (Cambria, 12/6)
The New York Times: Texas Releases Abortion Booklet Citing Refuted Cancer Links
A Texas state agency has released a new edition of a booklet for women considering an abortion that suggests there may be a link between terminating pregnancies and increased risks of breast cancer and depression. The Texas Department of State Health Services issued the new edition of "A Woman's Right to Know" on Monday. (12/5)
Cleveland Plain Dealer: Cleveland Embeds 'Violence Interrupter' In University Hospitals Emergency Room
The Cleveland Peacemakers Alliance, an agency dedicated to quelling violence in the city's most dangerous neighborhoods, soon will embed a "violence interrupter" in the emergency room at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center to counsel gunshot victims and deter retaliatory violence. The position will be funded by a $75,000 grant from the city of Cleveland. City Council approved the funding Monday night, and a number of members have pledged another $25,000 collectively for the program. (Atassi, 12/5)
Texas Tribune: Texas Lawmakers Push Bipartisan Effort For Tax-Free Tampons
Following the political lead of several northern states, six Texas lawmakers have filed bills to eliminate sales tax on feminine health products used for menstrual period hygiene, including tampons, sanitary napkins and menstrual cups. If passed during the 2017 legislative session, Texas would become the first southern state to implement tax cuts on tampons, joining New Jersey, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New York and Maryland. (Mejia Lutz, 12/6)
Boston Globe: PatientPing Raises $31 Million For Expansion
A Boston startup that makes patient-tracking software has raised $31 million from investors to help it expand nationally. PatientPing Inc. is set on Tuesday to disclose the new funding, led by Leerink Transformation Partners, a Boston-based fund, and Andreessen Horowitz of Menlo Park, Calif., which has invested in well-known companies such as Airbnb and Lyft. Chief executive Jay Desai said the infusion of cash will help PatientPing double its workforce of 50 and expand into new states. (Dayal McCluskey, 12/6)
Chicago Tribune: Northwestern, AbbVie Team Up On Cancer Research
Northwestern University and North Chicago-based pharmaceutical company AbbVie will spend the next five years working together researching ways to fight cancer, AbbVie announced Monday. AbbVie will fund research at Northwestern's Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center. The company will then get first pass on bringing resulting discoveries to market. Gary Gordon, AbbVie vice president of oncology development, said Monday he was not at liberty to disclose how much money AbbVie is giving to the cancer center. (Schencker, 12/5)
San Jose Mercury News: Hetch Hetchy Work Leaves Palo Alto With 'Musty' Water
Palo Alto residents were subject to drinking water in recent days that had “musty” or “earthy” overtones.City leaders said Monday the unpleasant smelling and tasting water is safe to drink and the city continues to conduct daily water testing. The noticeable difference resulted from a blending of the water supply that happens when the Hetch Hetchy water distribution system undergoes annual maintenance, City Manager James Keene said at the City Council meeting. (Lee, 12/5)
The Philadelphia Inquirer: Swarthmore Borough Council Approves Group Home For Cancer Patients
Despite opposition from nearly two dozen residents, the Swarthmore Borough Council voted Monday night to allow a seven-bedroom home steps from Swarthmore College to be turned into a temporary residence for cancer patients in the region to receive treatment. The unanimous vote by the all-Democratic council came after weeks of objection from neighbors who suggested that the nonprofit HEADstrong Foundation was using a "backdoor" way to open a property opponents say would operate similarly to a hotel, but in a residential neighborhood. (McCabe, 12/6)
Orange County Register: Prop. 64: Legalized Marijuana In California May Generate Less Tax Than Planned
Many medical marijuana patients were worried that a ballot measure legalizing cannabis for recreational use in California would make the price of their medicine go up.Instead, for some of them, pot just got cheaper, though maybe not for long. The Board of Equalization recently sent notice that anyone who has both a doctor’s recommendation for marijuana and a county-issued ID card identifying them as a patient no longer has to pay state sales tax thanks to Proposition 64. (Edwards Staggs, 12/5)
WBUR: 3 Things To Watch For That Could Delay Or Alter The Marijuana Law
Beacon Hill is abuzz over what changes might be made to the voter-passed law legalizing the recreational use of marijuana. Lawmakers, who opted not to take up legalization via legislation, are now considering how the law can be tweaked. Still to be determined is exactly what constitutes a tweak, and what would be a major change. (Brown, 12/6)
San Francisco Chronicle: Aging SRO Hotels Raise Health, Safety Issues For Housing Homeless
Most of the 75 complexes, which cost the city $112 million annually to operate, are considered generally safe and well-run. But a San Francisco Chronicle investigation into health and safety issues in those residences found persistent problems among the oldest — the century-old single-room-occupancy hotels, or SROs, that house more than 60 percent of the people in supportive housing. The Chronicle’s probe found chronic maintenance issues, health code violations and frustrated residents at a handful of these city-funded SROs. (Fagan and Palomino, 12/5)
