Tampa Bay Times: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Signs 6-Week Abortion Ban Late Thursday Night
Late Thursday night, in a private ceremony in his office, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill to ban most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. His office announced the signing in a highly unusual news release sent out after 11 p.m., then updated his schedule to say the ceremony happened at 10:45 p.m. Just hours before, the Florida Legislature sent the bill to his desk after it was passed by the Florida House. The legislation prohibits abortion in most cases after six weeks, with exceptions for rape, incest and human trafficking. In those cases, women with documentation showing evidence of the crime may have abortions up to 15 weeks of pregnancy. (Mahoney, 4/13)

AP: DeSantis Signs Florida GOP’s 6-Week Abortion Ban Into Law
The law contains some exceptions, including to save the woman’s life. Abortions for pregnancies involving rape or incest would be allowed until 15 weeks of pregnancy, provided a woman has documentation such as a restraining order or police report. DeSantis has called the rape and incest provisions sensible. Drugs used in medication-induced abortions — which make up the majority of those provided nationally — could be dispensed only in person or by a physician under the Florida law. Separately, nationwide access to the abortion pill mifepristone is being challenged in court. (Thomas, 4/13)

The Washington Post: Ron DeSantis Signs Florida Six-Week Abortion Ban Into Law 
Patients from across the South have been traveling to Florida for abortions since the Supreme Court decision in June, which triggered abortion bans across the region. Over 82,000 people got abortions in Florida in 2022, more than almost any other state. Nearly 7,000 of those traveled to Florida from other states, a 38 percent increase from the year before. ... Because so many people live in Florida, a six-week ban there could put intense strain on clinics in states where abortion is still legal. “If people from Florida are now going to be flooding into the Carolinas and Illinois … that is taking spots that Alabamians and Mississippians need right now,” said Robin Marty, director of operations at West Alabama Women’s Center, a clinic that provided abortions before Roe was overturned. “That’s a crisis that’s going to ripple all across the entire country.” (Rozsa and Kitchener, 4/13)

The New York Times: Florida Legislature Passes Six-Week Abortion Ban
According to data compiled by Caitlin Myers, an economist at Middlebury College, the average driving distance to the closest abortion provider in Florida is 22 miles, or about half an hour. A six-week ban makes it 607 miles, or more than nine hours. (Mazzei, Chen and Glorioso, 4/13)

The Hill: White House Blasts ‘Extreme And Dangerous’ Florida Abortion Bill 
The White House on Thursday condemned Florida lawmakers for passing a law to outlaw abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, warning of broader consequences for women across the southern U.S. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement that the “extreme and dangerous” bill “flies in the face of fundamental freedoms and is out of step with the views of the vast majority of the people of Florida and of all the United States.” (Samuels, 4/13)

In other state abortion news from New Hampshire and Nebraska —

AP: New Hampshire Senate Rejects Lifting Abortion Ban Penalties
The penalties associated with New Hampshire’s 24-week abortion ban will remain in place after the state Senate on Thursday killed legislation that would have removed them. The Republican-led Senate voted 14-10 along party lines to reject a bill that would have removed the civil and criminal penalties from the 2021 ban on abortion after the 24th week of pregnancy. It also rejected adding an explicit right to abortion up to 24 weeks to state law. Both bills had passed the House, where Republicans hold a narrow 201-196 majority. (Ramer, 4/13)

The New Republic: Nebraska Republican Says Six-Week Abortion Ban Is Necessary Because White People Are Being Replaced
A Nebraska Republican state senator argued Wednesday for a six-week abortion ban by claiming there are too many foreigners living in the state, invoking a racist conspiracy theory. Since Roe v. Wade was overturned, abortion is allowed in Nebraska up to 21 weeks and six days of pregnancy. But on Wednesday, the Senate began debating a bill that would ban abortion after six weeks, before many people even know they are pregnant. ... “Our state population has not grown except by those foreigners who have moved here or refugees who have been placed here,” Senator Steve Erdman told the chamber. Erdman also said that all of the aborted fetuses “could be working and filling some of those positions that we have vacancies.”

CNBC: Key Court Ruling Does Not Restrict Abortion Pill Access In 17 States, Federal Judge Says
A U.S. district judge in Washington state on Thursday said access to the abortion pill mifepristone is not affected by a federal appeals court ruling that imposed restrictions on the medication this week. Judge Thomas Rice of the state’s U.S. Eastern District last Friday ordered the Food and Drug Administration to preserve access to mifepristone in 17 states and the District of Columbia which sued to protect the drug in those jurisdictions. Rice reiterated in a court order on Thursday that the FDA cannot roll back access to the drug, despite a decision by the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals this week that imposed restrictions on how the medication is dispensed and used by patients. (Kimball, 4/13)

Another Supreme Court battle is coming —

Stat: Abortion Drug Battle Heads To SCOTUS After Appeals Court Decision
The Justice Department said Thursday that it will take the battle over abortion pill access to the U.S. Supreme Court after an appeals court allowed it to stay on the market with restrictions. (Joseph and Owermohle, 4/13)

NPR: Justice Department Will Ask The Supreme Court To Restore Full Access To Abortion Pill
"The Justice Department strongly disagrees with the Fifth Circuit's decision in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA to deny in part our request for a stay pending appeal. We will be seeking emergency relief from the Supreme Court to defend the FDA's scientific judgment and protect Americans' access to safe and effective reproductive care," Attorney General Merrick Garland wrote in a statement announcing the Justice Department's action. (Belluck and Liptak, 4/13)

The New York Times: What Happens Next In The Mifepristone Abortion Drug Case 
Even as a federal appeals court said late Wednesday that it would allow the abortion pill mifepristone to remain on the market, it sided with a federal judge in Texas by limiting distribution and access to the drug. The move potentially makes it much harder for many Americans to get the pill, which is part of a two-drug regimen that now accounts for more than half of the abortions in the United States. Here’s what is at stake and what could happen next. (VanSickle, 4/12)

More on the legal fight over abortion pills —

NPR: Pharma Execs Argue In Favor Of Mifepristone Access
With the future of a commonly used abortion medication on its way to the Supreme Court, the pharmaceutical industry has escalated its warnings: If court orders to limit or undo the Food and Drug Administration's approval of mifepristone are allowed to stand, industry executives and law experts say, the effects could reach far beyond abortion. The lawsuit, filed last November by a coalition of anti-abortion groups and doctors, takes aim at nearly every step of the FDA's regulatory process — including its original approval of mifepristone for use up to seven weeks of pregnancy in 2000, along with the agency's later decisions to expand approval to 10 weeks of pregnancy and allow the drug to be dispensed by mail. (Sullivan, 4/14)

KFF Health News: KFF Health News' 'What The Health?': The Confusing Fate Of The Abortion Pill 
The abortion pill mifepristone is now ground zero in the abortion debate. Late Wednesday night, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals said the drug should remain on the market but under restrictions on distribution that were in effect before 2016, which ban prescribing by mail or by telemedicine. The restrictions would make it even more difficult for patients in states where abortion is illegal or widely unavailable. (4/13)

NPR: Here's What Really Happened During The Abortion Drug's Approval 23 Years Ago
When a federal judge in Texas ruled that the Food and Drug administration shouldn't have approved the abortion pill mifepristone in 2000, he agreed with arguments by plaintiffs who oppose abortion rights in ruling that the agency improperly used a process of accelerated approval that didn't fully assess the drug's risks and benefits. An appeals court stayed the part of the lower court's decision that would have invalidated the FDA approval, but the matter could ultimately be decided by the Supreme Court. (Lupkin, 4/14)

The Washington Post: With Appeals Court Ruling, Abortion Pills Will Be Harder To Get 
Even while preserving the availability of abortion pills in states where abortion remains legal, a U.S. court of appeals has allowed curbs on the pills’ distribution that will make it significantly harder for patients to gain access. A three-judge appeals court panel for the 5th Circuit, based in New Orleans, essentially dialed back the regulatory clock seven years on mifepristone, the first of two pills that are prescribed to induce an abortion. (Rowland, 4/13)

Politico: What Last Night's Abortion Pill Twist Means For Access — Even In Blue States 
Should the ruling stand, retail pharmacies will no longer be authorized to dispense the drug. Physicians will not be able to prescribe the drug via telemedicine; instead, patients will have to make multiple in-person office visits to get a prescription. Additionally, non-physicians will not be able to prescribe or administer the drug, and prescribers will have to resume reporting “non-fatal adverse events” related to mifepristone to the federal government. The decision also suspends FDA approval of the company GenBioPro’s generic version of mifepristone, another blow to access. (Goldberg and Ollstein, 4/13)

Reuters: Some U.S. Abortion Pill Providers Curb Availability After Appeals Court Ruling
U.S. telehealth and in-person abortion providers scrambled on Thursday to keep medication abortion services available after a federal appeals court ruled that the abortion pill mifepristone could be distributed amid ongoing litigation but with significant restrictions. (Harte and Bernstein, 4/13)

AP: Abortion Providers Scramble As Courts Restrict Pills
Doctors, clinics and telehealth providers across the country are scrambling to figure out how they will continue to provide the most common type of abortion after a federal appeals court imposed new restrictions on a key abortion medication. One telehealth provider would have to shut down for two weeks. Some abortion clinics in Ohio are considering ditching the drug altogether. Meanwhile, other doctors are looking for legal loopholes to dispense the drug, called mifepristone. (Ungar and Seitz, 4/13)

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Planned Parenthood Says It Won't Change Its Practice On Medication Abortions
Staff at Planned Parenthood’s clinic in southern Illinois say they will continue to provide medication abortions as usual, despite a federal appeals court decision late Wednesday restricting access. The latest court decision states that the abortion pill mifepristone can be used for now, but only before seven weeks of pregnancy instead of 10 or 11; and the drug can no longer be sent by mail or prescribed via telehealth. (Munz, 4/13)

AP: Biden Says He's Expanding Some Migrants' Health Care Access 
President Joe Biden announced Thursday that hundreds of thousands of immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children will be able to apply for Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance exchanges. The action will allow participants in the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, to access government-funded health insurance programs. “They’re American in every way except for on paper,” Biden said in a video released on his Twitter page. “We need to give Dreamers the opportunities and support they deserve.” (Miller, Seitz and Balsamo, 4/14)

The Hill: Biden Announces Medicaid, ObamaCare Access For DACA Recipients 
DACA beneficiaries are not currently eligible for those benefits because their immigration status does not meet the current definition of “lawful presence” required to enroll in Medicaid and the ObamaCare exchanges. Under the administration’s plan, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is preparing a new rule to amend that definition by the end of the month. (Bernal, 4/13)

The Wall Street Journal: DACA ‘Dreamers’ Would Be Eligible For Government Healthcare Under New Rule 
The proposal angered Republicans, who oppose both the DACA program—which they consider an illegal use of the government’s immigration authority—as well as expanding most federal health benefits, particularly the Affordable Care Act. For years, Republicans campaigned on repealing the Obama-era health law before failing to overturn it in 2017. ... It isn’t clear how broad of an impact the administration’s proposal will have if completed. Because the criteria for the program haven’t been updated since 2012, most DACA recipients are now in their 20s and 30s, and most receive healthcare through their jobs or through universities. Still, 34% of the nearly 600,000 young immigrants enrolled in the program are currently uninsured, according to an HHS estimate. (Hackman, 4/13)

In other ACA news —

Fierce Healthcare: DOJ Calls For Stay On ACA Preventive Services Ruling
The Department of Justice (DOJ) wants a federal judge to ensure that preventive care coverage requirements in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) remain available while it appeals a ruling striking the provisions down. The DOJ filed on Wednesday a request with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas for a partial stay of an earlier judgment from Judge Reed O’Connor that strips the preventive care coverage requirements for insurers. (King, 4/13)

The Hill: Top Democrats Ask Health Insurers For Response To ObamaCare Preventive Care Ruling
Democrats in key House and Senate health committees have requested information from a dozen major health insurance companies and trade groups on how they plan to respond to the ruling from Texas that struck down the preventive services provision in the Affordable Care Act. The lawmakers sent out letters to major insurance providers including Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Humana and UnitedHealth Group. The letters asked whether consumers would experience interruptions in their coverage in light of the ruling issued by U.S District Judge Reed O’Connor last month. (Choi, 4/13)

KFF Health News: A Smart Move On Tax Day: Get Health Insurance Information Using Your State’s Tax Forms
A growing number of states — including Colorado, Massachusetts, and Massachusetts — are using tax forms to point people toward the lower-cost coverage available through state insurance marketplaces; by next year, it will be at least 10, including California, Maine, and New Jersey. Illinois is working on a program as well. (Boden, 4/14)

Stat: Medicare Advisers Endorse Reforms To Lower Drug Spending
In the latest move to address prescription drug pricing, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission unanimously approved three recommendations to address the cost of certain medicines covered by the program. (Silverman, 4/13)

Bloomberg: Biden Medicare Chief Chiquita Brooks-LaSure Is Planning Drug-Price Negotiations 
A top Biden administration official planning Medicare’s first drug-price negotiations is talking directly with pharma executives and consulting with other agencies that buy medications for the government to begin hammering out details of the new policy. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure didn’t name which chief executive officers she’s met with but said the conversations have been collaborative. Her comments contrast with the drug industry’s confrontational public stance against the policy. (Tozzi, 4/13)

In other Medicare news —

NPR: Medicare's Hospice Experiment: Putting Private Insurers In Charge
Hospice doctor Bethany Snider sees the writing on the wall: "The hospice care we've known and loved won't be the same 10 years from now." Hosparus Health, the Louisville-based hospice agency where Snider serves as chief medical officer, is one of more than 100 provider organizations partnering with some of the country's largest health insurers on a federal experiment that could transform hospice care for millions of people. (Walker and Gorenstein, 4/13)

Bloomberg Law: Hospitals Battle Formula For Medicare Payments For Treating Poor
Roughly 200 acute care hospitals on Friday will press their challenge to the rule used in Medicare to compensate them for treating low-income patients. ... How the Department of Health and Human Services calculates the annual supplemental payments, known as disproportionate share hospital (DSH) adjustments, is a contentious issue. At stake are billions of dollars for thousands of hospitals. (Shetty, 4/13)

Mississippi Today: Days After Being Named Mississippi’s First Rural Emergency Hospital, Holly Springs Hospital’s Designation Is Rescinded
Mere days after being approved as the state’s first rural emergency hospital, the federal government rescinded the designation for Alliance Healthcare System in Holly Springs. Now, it’s not clear how the hospital will move forward — the conversion to rural emergency hospital is intended to be a lifeline for hospitals on the brink of financial collapse. At a state board of health meeting on Wednesday, State Health Officer Dr. Dan Edney said the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services awarded the hospital the designation, and then took it away.  (Bose, 4/12)

Military.com: You Now Need A Credit Card In Most Cases To Get Access To DoD, VA Benefits Websites
Andrew Langer was pretty sure his daughter was on the wrong website when she tried to apply for new credentials to access Tricare, the military health program, from their home near Fort Eustis, Virginia. As part of the online validation process for the Defense Department's MHS Genesis electronic health records system, Langer's daughter was told she would need to furnish the last eight digits of a credit card and undergo a "soft" credit check to gain access. (Kime, 4/13)

In other health care developments —

Stat: Express Scripts Launches New Pricing Plan Amid Scrutiny Of PBMs
Amid increasing scrutiny of pharmacy benefit managers, Express Scripts is launching a new pricing plan that is designed to provide a clearer view on what its clients are paying for prescription medicines. (Silverman and Wilkerson, 4/13)

Stat: Group Studying Ambulance Surprise Bills Will Meet — 4 Months Late
The federal committee in charge of finding ways to stop surprise billing from ground ambulances and health insurers will officially meet for the first time on May 2 and 3, the federal government said Thursday. The 17-person committee was supposed to meet in January, but the meeting was postponed. A rescheduling for March also never came to pass. (Herman, 4/13)

The Lund Report: Legacy Reverses Course On Closure Of Gresham Birth Center
Legacy Health will reopen the maternity unit at its Gresham-based hospital weeks after closing it over the objections of lawmakers, community members and state health officials. Bahaa Wanly, president of Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center, announced in an email to staff on Tuesday that “Legacy will welcome pregnant patients at the Mount Hood Family Birth Center within the next 90 days.” In a public statement, Portland-based Legacy did not explicitly explain its reversal of course from the March 19 closure of the facility. But it did note that the state had denied its application for approval of its plan to close the center— a condition of the hospital’s license. (Thomas, 4/12)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Tower Adds To Layoffs By Penn Medicine, Rothman, And Crozer
Tower Health told employees Thursday that it was laying off 45 people and eliminating an additional 55 positions that are either vacant or will be soon as people retire or leave voluntarily. The announced cuts add to a string of relatively small Philadelphia-area health-care layoffs, as the industry attempts to adapt to higher costs for wages, pharmaceuticals, and other supplies that have not been fully offset by increases in government and private insurance payments. (Brubaker, 4/13)

AP: Doctor Acquitted In 14 Patient Deaths Sues Health System
An Ohio doctor acquitted in the deaths of 14 patients who died after they were given painkillers has filed a lawsuit against a national Catholic health system that operates the hospital where he worked in the intensive care unit. William Husel claims malicious prosecution and names Trinity Health Corp. in a complaint filed Wednesday in federal court in Detroit. He is seeking a jury trial and at least $20 million in damages. (4/13)

Stat: Why Many Home Health Aides Struggle With Mental Health
On most days around 2pm, home health aide Duane Crichlow can be found in an apartment in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, playing catch with his client — a man in his 30s with a developmental disability who is quick to give Crichlow hugs and kisses. If it’s nice outside, Crichlow will walk his client, who is nonverbal and in a wheelchair half the time, down three flights of stairs, hauling the wheelchair back and forth separately. (Ryder, 4/14)

On health care technology —

Stat: Google Will Let Health Care Customers Test Its Generative AI Model
Accelerating medicine’s AI race, Google is releasing a version of its generative language model to health care customers who will begin testing its ability to perform specific tasks in medical and research settings, STAT has learned. (Ross, 4/13)

Stat: AI Researchers Have A Plan To Fix Flawed Algorithms
There are a lot of ways that artificial intelligence can go awry in health and medicine. A new article, published Thursday by a team of researchers in the journal Science, argues that these kinds of problems can only be averted if AI research uses more detailed performance metrics to root out bias and improve accuracy. (Trang, 4/13)

Modern Healthcare: Salesforce Health Cloud Expands At-Home Capabilities
Salesforce is targeting home health with its latest healthcare software capabilities, the San Francisco-based company said Thursday morning. (Turner, 4/13)

Reuters: FDA Mandates New Safety Warnings For Opioid Pain Medicines
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Thursday it will require new safety warnings to be added in the prescribing information on labels for opioid pain relievers, including a warning about increased sensitivity to pain. FDA said data suggests patients who use opioids for pain relief after surgery often have leftover tablets, which puts them at risk for addiction and overdose. (4/13)

In other news drug use and addiction —

AP: Nurse Pleads Guilty To Replacing Fentanyl With Saline
A nurse who previously worked at a Florida outpatient surgical center has been convicted of stealing fentanyl and replacing the powerful pain medication with saline. Catherine Shannon Dunton, 54, pleaded guilty Tuesday to tampering with a consumer product in Fort Pierce federal court, according to court records. She faces up to 10 years in prison at a June 27 hearing. (4/13)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Community Groups, City Police Union Once Are Mobilizing Against Safehouse And Its Proposed Supervised Injection Site In Philly As Negotiations Continue
As ongoing settlement talks could soon clear the way for the opening of Philadelphia’s first supervised injection site, civic organizations and elected officials opposed to the idea say they are growing increasingly concerned that they’re being cut out of the process. The city’s police union and a coalition of 19 community groups accused the U.S Justice Department this week of effectively “switch[ing] sides” after a years-long legal battle fighting to block such a facility in the city. (Whelan and Roebuck, 4/13)

The Star Tribune: Klobuchar, Craig Join Local Leaders To Highlight Efforts To Combat Fentanyl Abuse
Addressing the opioid crisis, including the growing fentanyl problem, will require work on multiple fronts to curb drug trafficking, educate youth and make treatment for addiction available. That was the message at a news conference in Inver Grove Heights on Thursday that brought together U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, U.S. Rep. Angie Craig, Dakota County Sheriff Joe Leko and local families and activists. (Adler, 4/13)

Marijuana Moment: Texas House Passes Bill To Allow Medical Marijuana As An Opioid Alternative And Replace THC Limit, Sending It To Senate 
The Texas House of Representatives has passed a bill to allow medical marijuana as an opioid alternative for people with chronic pain and also replace the state’s THC limit, sending the legislation to the Senate for consideration. (Jaeger, 4/12)

Scientific American: These Doctors Fought The Federal Bureau Of Narcotics To Treat Addiction--With Drugs
In the early 1960s a trio at the Rockefeller Institute started a bold experiment to change the way heroin addiction was treated, and they did so using a drug originally created by “the devil’s chemist.” (Hafner and Lewis, 4/13)

AP: Missouri To Limit Gender-Affirming Care For Minors, Adults 
Missouri’s attorney general announced new restrictions Thursday on gender-affirming care for adults in addition to minors in a move that is believed to be a first nationally and has advocacy groups threatening to sue. Attorney General Andrew Bailey announced plans to restrict health care for transgender people weeks ago, when protesters rallied at the Capitol to urge lawmakers to pass a law banning puberty blockers, hormones and surgeries for children. But the discussion was focused on minors, not adults. Missouri Attorney General spokeswoman Madeline Sieren clarified in a statement later in the day that adults also would be covered. (Ballentine and Hollingsworth, 4/14)

AP: Nebraska Trans Care Ban For Minors Advances -- With A Twist 
Omaha Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh, who has been among the most vocal in opposing the bill, sobbed on the mic. “I am sorry,” she cried, addressing parents of transgender children. “I’m sorry there’s nothing more I can do in my power. You are loved. Your children are loved. You matter.” The bill has proved to be the session’s most contentious, with Cavanaugh leading an effort to filibuster every bill before the Nebraska Legislature for weeks to protest it. That effort has largely hamstrung the body’s work. While lawmakers have managed to advance a number of bills, it had not passed a single bill by Thursday. (Beck, 4/13)

Them: A Nebraska Senator Has Spent Seven Straight Weeks Filibustering An Anti-Trans Bill
Nebraska state senator Machaela Cavanaugh just hit her seventh week filibustering against an anti-trans bill. ... Nebraska’s rules regarding filibusters are also unique, allowing for sitting and bathroom breaks and letting lawmakers discuss basically anything. This means that Cavanaugh is on the floor for up to 12 hours a day, which she described in a recent interview with NPR as “mentally and emotionally tiring." (Factora, 4/12)

On the gun violence epidemic —

The Hill: Whitmer Signs Gun Safety Bills In Wake Of School Shootings
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) signed a number of bills on Thursday aimed to implement gun safety measures in the state amid the recent rise of school shootings across the United States. ... Senate Bill 79 will protect children by requiring an individual to keep firearms stored in locked boxes or containers. It also establishes a range of penalties if violated. Senate Bill 80 also updates the state’s criminal code for safe storage of firearms to prevent child from gaining access to the weapons. Senate Bills 81 and 82 will lower the costs of firearm safety devices to ensure owners can safely store their guns. (Oshin, 4/13)

Iowa Public Radio: Iowa House Extends Gun Carry Rights To School, College Parking Lots
As part of a bill passed Wednesday in the Iowa House, a gun owner with a permit to carry would be allowed to keep their weapon in their car at a public university or community college, or while visiting a public school. Legal gun owners could keep a pistol or revolver in their car while dropping off or picking up a student from a K-12 school, for instance. (Gerlock, 4/13)

In other health news from across the U.S. —

The Texas Tribune: Texas Senate Passes Child Mental Health Funding Bill
The Texas Senate passed a bill Thursday that would create a $15 million “Innovation Grant” program designed to expand access to mental health services for children and families statewide. (Simpson, 4/13)

Colorado Sun: Colorado’s Maternal Death Rate Is Rising. A New Report Says The Answer Is Equitable Prenatal Care And Mental Health Screenings.
About a quarter of Colorado pregnant women on Medicaid insurance do not go to a doctor’s appointment during the first trimester, a statistic that likely contributes to the state’s rising maternal death rate. That’s according to the latest “maternal health equity report” from the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, which matched health records with 2020 birth certificates across the state. The Medicaid program, called Health First Colorado, covers 40% of all births in the state, or nearly 26,000 births in 2020. (Brown, 4/13)

CNN: The Fire At An Indiana Plastics Recycling Plant Has Been Extinguished, Though Residents’ Health Concerns Remain
After firefighters spent two days battling an inferno fueled by plastics in eastern Indiana, the fire has been fully extinguished, officials said. “We’re now able to turn our attention to collecting air and water samples to determine when the evacuation order can be lifted,” Richmond Mayor Dave Smith told CNN Thursday night. (Yan, Wolfe, Murphy and Alvarado, 4/13)

Bloomberg: World Has 28% Risk Of New Covid-Like Pandemic Within 10 Years
There’s a 27.5% chance a pandemic as deadly as Covid-19 could take place in the next decade as viruses emerge more frequently, with rapid vaccine rollout the key to reducing fatalities, according to a predictive health analytics firm. Climate change, growth in international travel, increasing populations and the threat posed by zoonotic diseases contribute to the risk, according to London-based Airfinity Ltd. But if effective vaccines are rolled out 100 days after the discovery of a new pathogen, the likelihood of a deadly pandemic drops to 8.1%, according to the firm’s modeling. (4/13)

More on long covid and the virus spread —

NPR: You're Less Likely To Get Long COVID After A Second Infection Than A First
If you've gotten COVID more than once, as many people have, you may be wondering if your risk for suffering the lingering symptoms of long COVID is the same with every new infection. The answer appears to be no. The chances of long COVID — a suite of symptoms including exhaustion and shortness of breath — falls sharply between the first and second infections, according to recent research. (Stein, 4/14)

U.S. News & World Report: Long COVID-19 Is Sticking Around. What’s Causing It?
At least 65 million people across the world are suffering from long COVID. At this stage in the pandemic, health officials have mostly shifted their attention away from preventing coronavirus infections, instead focusing on stopping hospitalizations and deaths. The strategy means that people will continue to get infected and reinfected with the coronavirus as long as it is circulating. It also means that long COVID isn’t going away anytime soon. (Smith-Schoenwalde, 4/14)

San Francisco Chronicle: Rogue COVID Testing Sites Have Returned To San Francisco Sidewalks
For many pedestrians strolling by, it was an easy way to make $5 cash. All they had to do was swab themselves for COVID and show their photo ID. But several testing sites that popped up on San Francisco sidewalks this week appear to be unscrupulous operations that are not properly licensed through a laboratory and whose workers do not follow basic public-health rules. (Gardiner, 4/13)

CIDRAP: Higher-Dose Corticosteroids Tied To 60% More Deaths In Low-Oxygen COVID Patients
Higher-dose corticosteroids are linked to a 60% increased risk of death in hospitalized COVID-19 patients with low oxygen levels, finds a randomized, controlled trial published yesterday in The Lancet. ... The authors had already shown that low-dose corticosteroids reduce deaths among COVID-19 patients needing supplemental oxygen. (Van Beusekom, 4/13)

Scientific American: How Often Should People Get COVID Boosters? 
The CDC and FDA have decided that one updated COVID booster is enough for now, in contrast to recommendations from other countries and global health organizations. (Young, 4/13)

CNN: Almost 90% Of US Mpox-Related Deaths Were In Black Men, And Nearly All Had Weakened Immune Systems, CDC Reports
Almost 90% of mpox-related deaths in the United States were among Black men, and nearly all had weakened immune systems, according to a new report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. From May 2022 to March 2023, 30,235 people in the US were diagnosed with mpox, previously known as monkeypox. Thirty-eight deaths were linked to mpox; 36 of them were men, and 33 were Black men. The average age of those who died was 34. (Russell, 4/13)

Medical Xpress: Why Did The Mpox Epidemic Wane? Belgian Researchers Offer A Theory
Did the recent mpox outbreak end because of "network immunity"? That's the theory being put forward by Belgian researchers at this year's European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases in Copenhagen, Denmark (April 15-18). (4/13)

In updates on dengue, metapneumovirus, and blastomycosis —

CIDRAP: Florida Reports Second Local Dengue Case In Miami-Dade County 
Florida, which reports sporadic local dengue infections, has confirmed two cases so far for 2023, both in Miami-Dade County, according to the latest surveillance update from the Florida Department of Health (Florida Health). In 2022, Florida reported 68 local dengue cases, mostly from Miami Dade County. The state had eliminated local dengue transmission in the 1930s, but experienced outbreaks in Key West in 2009 and 2010. (Schnirring, 4/13)

CBS News: What Is Human Metapneumovirus, The Infectious Respiratory Disease Spiking This Year?
In the year 2000, Dutch scientists went on a mission of exploration – not to discover lands or riches, but to identify unknown causes of acute respiratory infections. These illnesses, from the common cold to pneumonia, have been a plague on mankind throughout history. Most are caused by viruses, so if you've ever been told "you probably have a virus" by a clinician, they were likely correct. However, respiratory illnesses can be much more severe than simple colds. (Williams, 4/12)

ABC News: Everything You Need To Know About The Rare Fungal Infection That's Infected Nearly 100 People In Michigan
Nearly 100 cases of a rare, fungal infection have been linked to a Michigan paper mill. Public Health Delta & Menominee Counties (PHDM) said 19 cases of blastomycosis have been confirmed while another 74 are suspected. (Kekatos, 4/13)

On HIV/AIDS —

Dallas Morning News: North Texas HIV Nonprofit Lays Off Staff, Halts Community Testing As Revenue Declines
Prism Health North Texas, which runs five health clinics in the Dallas area focused on HIV and AIDS services, is laying off about 15% of its employees and ending certain community programs as it deals with inflation and revenue losses. Prism Health CEO Dr. John Carlo told The Dallas Morning News that roughly 30 employees were let go Thursday, mostly from administrative and executive tiers. After years of growth, the nonprofit will end its community STI testing — which he said tested between 3,000 and 4,000 people each year — and a program in which staff taught others about proper HIV treatments. (McGaughy, 4/14)

ABC News: Paul Edmonds, 5th Person Apparently Cured Of HIV, Steps Forward To Share His Story
One of only five people in the world to achieve full remission of HIV is stepping forward to share his story in an ABC broadcast exclusive. Paul Edmonds’ journey into medical history began decades ago. He was diagnosed with AIDS in 1988 - a time when it was a potential death sentence. Thanks to his own perseverance and advances in treatment, he survived - even thrived - after his diagnosis. (Salzman and Zepeda, 4/13)

On malaria —

BBC News: Ghana First To Approve 'World-Changer' Malaria Vaccine 
Ghana is the first country to approve a new malaria vaccine that has been described as a "world-changer" by the scientists who developed it. The vaccine - called R21 - appears to be hugely effective, in stark contrast to previous ventures in the same field. Ghana's drug regulators have assessed the final trial data on the vaccine's safety and effectiveness, which is not yet public, and have decided to use it. The World Health Organization is also considering approving the vaccine. Malaria kills about 620,000 people each year, most of them young children. (Gallagher, 4/13)

NPR: For The Millions Who Get Recurring UTIs, A Breakthrough Sheds Light On Why
Research published in Nature Microbiology ... suggests that UTIs can actually change the DNA in the cells lining the urinary tract. Those cells can then change size and start an immune response that actually makes them more susceptible to repeated infections. (Barnhart, 4/13)

CNN: Study Reveals How Treating Hearing Loss Could Impact Dementia Risk
Treating hearing loss could mean reducing the risk for dementia, according to a new study. Hearing loss may increase the risk for dementia, but using hearing aids lowered the risk so it’s similar to those without hearing loss, according to the study published Thursday in The Lancet. (Holcombe, 4/13)

Stat: Scientists Studying Bears Find Path To Treat Deadly Blood Clots
Like many cardiologists, Manuela Thienel spends most days in the chlorinated, temperature-controlled halls of a large hospital. But one week in February 2019, her work brought her to a snowy Swedish forest, where she stood shuddering in a winter coat, looking on as veterinarians and rangers walked into a bear den to drug a hibernating bear and retrieve its blood. Thienel believed hibernating bears may hold an answer to an ailment that kills up to 100,000 Americans every year. (Mast, 4/13)

The Washington Post: That Weed You Bought Might Not Be As Potent As Promised, Study Finds
The weed you’re buying might not make you as high as you hoped. A study conducted by researchers at the University of Northern Colorado tested samples of cannabis sold at several Colorado dispensaries. Overall, they found that the product labels promised a potency higher than what was actually in the bags. (Amenabar, 4/13)

AP: First QB Helmet Designed To Help Reduce Concussions Approved 
The first quarterback-specific helmet designed to help reduce concussions has been approved for use by the NFL and NFLPA, the AP has learned. The helmet, manufactured by Vicis, reduces severity of helmet-to-ground impacts, which league data says account for approximately half of quarterback concussions. (Maaddi, 4/13)

The Wall Street Journal: In A Civilian Hospital, Military Medicine Is Kept Alive
Army Spc. Hannah Broman cut into the patient’s chest and put her finger in to feel his ribs and lung to check the pathway for a chest tube needed in hospital surgeries like this—or after a soldier is shot in combat. Dr. Chris Derivaux, a thoracic surgeon at Cooper University Hospital and an Army reservist, watched closely to make sure Spc. Broman made the incision properly for a procedure she might someday have to do on a battlefield. Spc. Broman, a licensed practical nurse assigned to Fort Belvoir in Virginia, was one of a handful of young soldiers on a two-week rotation recently at Cooper University Hospital in Camden, where she is spending the bulk of her time in the trauma center learning how to treat the worst injuries the hospital sees as well as assisting in surgeries. (Kesling, 4/9)

Politico: Covid Battle Lines Moving From Emergency Room To Courtroom
The worst of the pandemic’s death toll might be behind us, but the battlelines have moved from the emergency room to the courtroom. Much like the post-9/11 lawsuits filed against the government by sickened first responders, cases challenging mask and testing mandates, vaccine requirements, quarantine measures, and medical malpractice make up a growing — and lucrative — area of U.S. civil law. “We got 30, 40, 50 calls a day,” said Ralph Lorigo, whose practice sued hospitals in 40 states that refused to give Covid patients ivermectin, a drug the NIH recommends against using. “We saved lives — and we also made money.” (Mahr, 4/9)

The Washington Post: Research With Exotic Viruses Risks A Deadly Outbreak, Scientists Warn 
When the U.S. government was looking for help to scour Southeast Asia’s rainforests for exotic viruses, scientists from Thailand’s Chulalongkorn University accepted the assignment and the funding that came with it, giving little thought to the risks. Beginning in 2011, Thai researchers made repeated treks every year to remote caves and forests inhabited by millions of bats, including species known to carry diseases deadly to humans. The scientists collected saliva, blood and excrement from the wriggling, razor-fanged animals, and the specimens were placed in foam coolers and driven to one of the university’s labs in Bangkok, a metropolis of more than 8 million people. (Willman and Warrick, 4/10)

The New York Times: To Freeze Their Eggs, Some Women Travel For A Better Deal And A Vacation 
It’s hardly uncommon for Americans to travel to London over the summer, where they watch tennis at Wimbledon, say, or take pictures of Big Ben or dine on champagne and scones at Claridge’s. But the women whose trips are being planned by a new company called Milvia are going for a different reason: to freeze their eggs. Every detail of their trip, from their flights to their hormonal medication to their doctor’s appointments, is being arranged by Milvia, whose focus is to make egg freezing more accessible by bringing women to places where the procedure is cheaper. (Krueger, 4/8)

The New York Times: Why Oral Hygiene Is Crucial To Your Overall Health
A growing yet limited body of research, for instance, has found that periodontal disease is associated with a range of health conditions including diabetes, heart disease, respiratory infections and dementia. (Seo, 4/6)

The Washington Post: What SuperAgers Show Us About Longevity, Cognitive Health As We Age 
Aging often comes with cognitive decline, but “SuperAgers” are showing us what is possible in our golden years. “These are like the Betty Whites of the world,” said Emily Rogalski. She is a cognitive neuroscientist at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine and associate director of the Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease. She was part of the research team that coined the term “SuperAgers” 15 years ago. It describes people older than 80 whose memory is as good as those 20 to 30 years younger, if not better. (Sima, 4/13)

Reveal: Havana Syndrome: A Team Of Reporters Tries To Get To The Bottom Of The Mystery Surrounding A Bizarre Illness.
A sharp sound. Followed by body numbness. Difficulty speaking. Extreme head pain. Since 2016, U.S. officials across the world – in Cuba, China and Russia – have reported experiencing the sudden onset of an array of eerie symptoms. Reporters Adam Entous and Jon Lee Anderson try to make sense of this confusing illness that has come to be called Havana syndrome. This episode is built from reporting for an eight-part VICE World News podcast series by the same name. The reporters begin by tracking down one of the first people to report Havana syndrome symptoms, a CIA officer working in Cuba. (Anderson and Entous, 4/8)

Bloomberg: Abortion Pill Ruling Will Lead To Later, More Painful Pregnancy Terminations 
By rolling back the clock, the appeals court’s ruling increases the number of medical consultations required; bars the use of telehealth or mail-order pharmacies to fill prescriptions; and says mifepristone can be used only through seven weeks of pregnancy, rather than 10. (Sarah Green Carmichael, 4/13)

The Washington Post: Fifth Circuit’s Action On Abortion Pill Mifepristone Is A Travesty 
Do not be confused by headlines that a federal appeals court has allowed the abortion drug mifepristone to remain available. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit’s action is a defeat for the rule of law, for scientific expertise and for reproductive health. (Ruth Marcus, 4/13)

Bloomberg: When Supreme Court Considers Abortion Pill, Kavanaugh Will Be Swing Vote 
The core of the 5th Circuit’s opinion, the part that is both legally outrageous and tactically clever, has mostly to do with the FDA’s decision in 2016 to extend approval of mifepristone from seven weeks of pregnancy to 10; and the agency’s Covid-era decision to allow the drug to be mailed to patients. (Noah Feldman, 4/14)

Chicago Tribune: A Texas Judge’s Assault On Abortion Access Was Wrong. So Was The GOP’s Silence. 
U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk of Texas is a household name now. He’s the judge who ignored scientific evidence in favor of partisan politics and invalidated the Food and Drug Administration’s 23-year-old approval of mifepristone, the pill that has become the most common method of abortion in the U.S. (4/13)

Los Angeles Times: The Only Thing Certain About Medication Abortion Is The Confusion Over How To Get It 
A federal appeals court has ruled that mifepristone, one of two drugs used in medication abortion, can remain on the market as a court case over whether it was properly approved by the FDA continues. That isn’t as good or as straightforward as it sounds. (4/14)

Bloomberg: New Parkinson's Test Will Lead To Earlier Diagnoses 
Parkinson’s researchers have been desperate for a simple test for the neurodegenerative disease — particularly one that could diagnose it early, when therapies could have the biggest impact. A new study suggests scientists might have landed on the right diagnostic. (Lisa Jarvis, 4/13)

Bloomberg: Red-Flag Gun Laws Are The Best Hope Against Mass Shootings
Monday’s mass shooting at the Old National Bank in downtown Louisville is the latest reminder of America’s worsening epidemic of gun violence. It should be more than enough to spur elected officials to pass common-sense measures to keep guns away from unstable individuals. (4/13)

USA Today: Black Women Are More Likely To Die In Pregnancy. This OBGYN Knows Why
This was my first pregnancy, and I was scared. On my way to the hospital, I mentally cataloged my symptoms to figure out what could be going on, and I tried to console myself that it was unlikely anything was seriously wrong. After all, I thought, “you’re healthy. You don’t have risk factors for preterm labor.” (Dr. Veronica Gillispie-Bell, 4/14)

Chicago Tribune: Now Is The Time To Build Up Public Health Departments, Not Shrink Them Further 
In 1900, average life expectancy in the United States was 47 years. By 1999, it was 77. The medical breakthroughs of the 20th century were remarkable but not primarily responsible for the increase. Advances in public health — such as safer food, cleaner water and lower tobacco use — accounted for 25 of those 30 additional years. (Allison Arwady and Julie Morita, 4/13)

East Bay Times: 'I'm Sorry, But You No Longer Have Health Insurance'
“I’m sorry. You no longer have health insurance.” Up to 14 million Americans are now at risk of hearing those words at the worst possible moment — in the ER clutching their pained chest or bleeding from an accident, or at their doctor’s office seeking to stabilize a spike in their asthma or diabetes. (Mongoven, 4/13)

The CT Mirror: Safe Staffing Of Nurses Saves Lives. Here' How.
If you knew your loved one wasn’t going to get the appropriate care and treatment they needed to survive, would you still send them to that hospital to be cared for? Nurses are feeling the burden of working short-staffed day in and day out. When will this end? When graduating from nursing school and starting their careers as bedside nurses, newer nurses are not staying at the bedside. But why you may ask? To put it simply: lack of staff and support. (Stephanie Annes, 4/13)

The CT Mirror: CT's Health Care System Is Broken. Here's How.
There are roughly 30 million Americans of all ages without health insurance in the United States. That is roughly 9.2% of the U.S. population. That percentage translates in New Haven where there is a population of 135,081, to about 12,157 people living without health insurance. That also means that when any of this population gets sick, it is possible that they will use the emergency room of Yale New Haven Hospital as their primary care facility. (Nancy Alderman, 4/14)