The New York Times: Bill To Repeal Health Law Passes Senate
The Senate approved legislation on Thursday night that would repeal President Obama’s landmark health care law, a goal of Republicans since the law was adopted in March 2010. The measure, which would also halt federal financing for Planned Parenthood, will now be sent to the House, which adopted a different version last month. The bill is ultimately expected to pass both chambers, but faces certain veto by Mr. Obama. (Herszenhorn, 12/3)

The Associated Press: Senate OKs Republican Bill Unraveling Health Care Law
With a House rubber stamp expected in days, the bill would be the first to reach Obama's desk demolishing his 2010 health care overhaul, one of his proudest domestic achievements, and halting federal payments to Planned Parenthood. Congress has voted dozens of times to repeal or weaken the health law and repeatedly against Planned Parenthood's funding, but until now Democrats thwarted Republicans from shipping the legislation to the White House. (Fram, 12/3)

Los Angeles Times: Under GOP Control, Senate Finally Passes Bill To Repeal Affordable Care Act
But yanking about 17 million Americans off health insurance may be easier as a campaign slogan than a policy initiative, and Thursday’s long-awaited vote to pass a repeal bill in the Senate – a first -- proved difficult until the final gavel. (Mascaro, 12/3)

USA Today: Senate Votes To Repeal Key Obamacare Provisions, Defund Planned Parenthood
Democrats say the 2010 Affordable Care Act — better known as Obamacare — has helped 17.6 million Americans gain medical coverage and has stopped insurance companies from refusing to insure patients with pre-existing conditions. "Everybody knows (repeal) is a gesture in futility," said Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., before the vote. "Let's move on from repeal and start making the Affordable Care Act work even better for the American people." Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Obamacare has raised health care costs, limited patients' ability to choose their doctors, and hurt the already struggling middle class. (Kelly, 12/4)

Politico: The Real Reason For The Obamacare Repeal
Republicans on Capitol Hill are sending their long-sought Obamacare repeal on a kamikaze mission to the president’s desk. The GOP has big reasons to move ahead with a doomed mission: to force the president to veto the bill, to fulfill a promise to its base and to lay the groundwork to truly repeal Obamacare under a Republican president in 2017. It’s not just optics. Republicans are carefully constructing a legislative strategy, based on Senate rules and precedents, to make it easier to unravel the health law in 2017 if a Republican wins the White House. (Haberkorn, 12/3)

The Wall Street Journal: Senate Votes To Defund Planned Parenthood, Gut Affordable Care Act
The Senate on Thursday passed legislation to strip Planned Parenthood Federation of America of federal funding for one year and repeal large chunks of the Affordable Care Act. The vote on the bill, known as a budget reconciliation measure, is symbolic because President Barack Obama is expected to veto it. ... Republicans spent weeks hammering out the strategy targeting Planned Parenthood and the Affordable Care Act. The legislation aims to deal with GOP objections to ACA and Planned Parenthood through reconciliation rather than the omnibus spending bill, where a standoff with Democrats could again raise the specter of a government shutdown. (Armour, 12/3)

The Washington Post: Senate Passes Obamacare Repeal, Planned Parenthood Defunding Bill, Putting Republicans On Record
Even before the vote occurred, Democratic operatives seized on it as evidence that the GOP-led Congress is too extreme. “The Republican-led Senate is spending the last few hours of its unimpressive working year to attack the health care services American women and families in every single state rely on,” said Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee national press secretary Lauren Passalacqua. “Next fall, voters will remember how their Senators ignored the problems that actually demand Congressional action to wage a dangerous ideological crusade.” (Snell, 12/3)

The Washington Post: Pelosi: Republicans Have Already Caved In Spending Fight Over Planned Parenthood
The Republican push to strip Planned Parenthood of federal health-care funding, which nearly prompted a government shutdown in October, appears to have been abandoned in the latest round of congressional spending negotiations. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told Reuters on Wednesday that Republicans “had purposefully taken the Planned Parenthood language out” of their latest proposal for a massive government spending bill that must be passed ahead of a Dec. 11 deadline. (DeBonis, 12/3)

The Wall Street Journal: Senate Forwards Effort To Repeal “Cadillac Tax”
In a 90-10 vote, lawmakers voted for the inclusion of an amendment axing the tax as part of a larger bill that would make deep cuts to stipulations in the Affordable Care Act. The tax, set to go into effect in 2018, would require businesses and municipalities pay a 40% tax on the excess cost of health care plans that exceed government-mandated thresholds. ... The Congressional Budget Office estimates the tax would raise a total of $87 billion by 2026, which will help defray the costs of the sweeping Affordable Care Act. President Barack Obama previously indicated he would veto legislation that would weaken the law. Albeit a small part of the nearly 1,000-page ACA, discussion of the tax is on the rise as the start date looms. (Johnson and Murphy, 12/3)

The Hill: Senate Votes To Repeal ObamaCare 'Cadillac Tax'
The Senate voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to repeal ObamaCare’s “Cadillac tax” on high-cost health plans, a rare area of bipartisan agreement around the healthcare law. The Senate voted 90-10 to include the amendment repealing the tax in a larger bill gutting ObamaCare. The larger bill, and the tax repeal included therein, will not become law, however; President Obama is expected to veto the attempt to dismantle his signature domestic achievement. (Sullivan, 12/3)

The Wall Street Journal: Republicans Resist Democrats’ Call For Tighter Gun Control
Republican leaders on Thursday resisted Democrats’ calls to tighten gun-control laws following Wednesday’s mass shooting in San Bernardino, Calif., saying they prefer to focus on overhauling the country’s mental-health system. ... In the Senate, Republicans blocked Democrats’ gun-related amendments to a health-care bill. One amendment, defeated in a 48-50 vote, would have expanded background checks to all gun sales online and at gun shows, with the goal of flagging people with criminal or mental-health histories that disqualify them from gun ownership. ... The president is expected to veto the underlying bill repealing large chunks of the health law. GOP leaders reiterated their call, first made after last Friday’s shooting at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado, for a focus on mental health. (Peterson, 12/3)

The Washington Post: Senate Rejects Gun Control Amendments Offered Following San Bernardino Shooting
The Senate on Thursday voted down two gun control proposals put forward by Democrats in response to this week’s deadly shooting in San Bernardino, Calif., in a series of votes that highlighted the intractable party divide over how to respond to gun violence. The Senate rejected a measure from Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) to expand background checks for guns purchased online and at gun shows on a 48 to 50 vote and an amendment from Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) to prevent individuals on the terror watch list from purchasing firearms on a 45 to 54 vote. The amendments were offered to an Obamacare repeal package currently being debated in the Senate and they needed 60 votes to be adopted. (Snell and Demirjian, 12/3)

The Hill: Senate Blocks Effort To Keep Guns From Terrorists
Senate Republicans on Thursday rejected an amendment to the ObamaCare repeal bill that would have tied it to a separate fight on blocking suspected or known terrorists from being able to buy guns. Senators voted 45-54 on procedural hurdle for the measure from Sen. Dianne Feinstein. The California Democrat's proposal, which she has also introduced as a separate piece of legislation, would allow the attorney general to block the sale or transfer of a gun or explosive to a suspected or known terrorist if the individual is believed to use the weapons in an act of terrorism. (Carney, 12/3)

Modern Healthcare: Democrats, Doctors Say Mass Shootings Need Public Health Approach
In the aftermath of one of the deadliest mass shootings in modern U.S. history, public health organizations and Democratic lawmakers are pushing to treat gun violence as a public health issue. A few hours before a shooting that killed 14 and wounded more than 20 others in San Bernardino, Calif., on Wednesday, a group of doctors appeared with some Democratic members of the House to ask Congress to allow research on gun violence in the country. (Muchmore, 12/3)

Reuters: U.S. House Speaker Ryan Says Obamacare Replacement Plan Coming Next Year
U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan said on Thursday that Republicans next year will unveil a plan to replace President Barack Obama's national health care program, widely known as Obamacare, in its entirety as part of a "pro-growth" Republican alternative to Democratic policies. ... "Next year, we are going to unveil a plan to replace every word of Obamacare," Ryan said in a speech at the Library of Congress, which his office billed as his first major address as Speaker, a job he has held for just over a month. (Cornwell, 12/3)

The Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire: Speaker Ryan Calls On GOP To Offer Detailed Election-Year Policy Plans
Republicans have pledged before to offer a detailed GOP alternative to the 2010 health law. In January 2014, then-House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R., Va.) said Republicans would vote on a detailed GOP health-care plan. While Republicans have proposed potential alternatives to the 2010 health law, the party has yet to coalesce around a particular plan. ... “Speaker Ryan said nothing new today – only more of the same, tired Republican plans to empower the wealthy and well-connected at the expense of seniors, children and working families,” said Drew Hammill, a spokesman for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) (Peterson, 12/3)

The New York Times: Ryan Throws Down Republican Gauntlet In Outlining House Agenda For ’16
With the speech’s sweeping oratory and careful stagecraft, it was clear Mr. Ryan was aiming to step decisively into the role of the Republican Party’s leader in Washington, and to set himself apart not just ideologically from Democrats but also in tone and substance from some of the recent coarse language of his own party’s presidential candidates. ... A bigger test now looms in negotiations over an omnibus spending measure, which must be adopted before a Dec. 11 deadline to prevent a government shutdown. While it seems unlikely that Mr. Ryan would want to disrupt his early momentum by risking a politically disastrous shutdown before Christmas, the negotiations over the bill have become ensnared in recent days by Republican demands to attach dozens of policy amendments that are opposed by the administration. (Herszenhorn, 12/3)

Los Angeles Times: Speaker Paul Ryan Tries To Shift GOP Message From Gloom To Hope
House Speaker Paul D. Ryan is not running for president, but as he delivers a speech Thursday loaded with the cheery conservatism of Ronald Reagan, it's hard not to imagine some Republicans wishing he would. ... "If you don’t have a job, we want you to be confident that you can find one — and take it. If you do have a job, we want you to be confident that that job will pay well. We want students to know that all that school — and all that debt — will be worth it. We want seniors to know that all those years of hard work — and all those years of paying taxes — will be rewarded. Medicare and Social Security will be there when you need them," he will say. (Mascaro, 12/3)

The Washington Post: Va. Hospitals Do About-Face, Giving McAuliffe Medicaid Bargaining Chip
Virginia’s hospitals reversed their position this week on a controversial bed tax, potentially giving Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) a path to the top priority of his administration: Medicaid expansion. Members of the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association have traditionally resisted efforts to pay additional fees, but a tax on beds — also known as a provider assessment — would draw down a federal match. (Portnoy, 12/3)

The Richmond Times-Dispatch: McAuliffe, Hospitals Leave Door Open For Provider Tax To Reap More Medicaid Money
A long-resisted tax on hospitals may be back as a proposed way to reap more federal Medicaid money for health systems and, perhaps, expand health care coverage for uninsured Virginians. Gov. Terry McAuliffe and the state hospital association opened the door Thursday to creating a “provider contribution” that hospitals and health systems would pay to collect additional federal Medicaid money to help pay for uncompensated care and graduate medical education. (Martz, 12/3)

The Associated Press: Utah Governor Awaiting Lawmakers' Next Steps On Medicaid
Gov. Gary Herbert will not propose another Medicaid plan and instead will wait to see what, if anything, legislators come up with, his office said Thursday. Lawmakers earlier this year rejected two plans backed by the Republican governor. They intend to tackle the issue again in 2016 after debating it for more than three years and failing to agree. (Price, 12/4)

Deseret News: House Speaker Reveals More Details On Newest Medicaid Expansion Plan
House Speaker Greg Hughes, R-Draper, outlined more details about the newest Medicaid expansion plan being sought by GOP legislators, explaining that it will focus on the "most vulnerable" Utahns and that lawmakers will look to hospitals — and possibly other Utahns — to fund it. Hughes spoke on a panel Thursday at a health care conference .... In response to an audience member who asked if legislators would consider a statewide tax voted on by ballot measure, Hughes said the idea "has not been delved into deeply, but that's a concept that's certainly worth talking about." (Chen, 12/3)

Indianapolis Star: Pence: U.S. Evaluation Of State’s Alternative Medicaid Plan Is Unfair
Gov. Mike Pence says the Obama administration has chosen a biased source to evaluate the state’s alternative Medicaid program. In a letter sent Thursday to Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell, Pence asks that the federal review be dropped as the state has contracted with an independent evaluator. ... Indiana is one of a handful of states that received permission to not follow some federal rules when expanding Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Indiana’s permission runs through Jan. 31, 2018. (Groppe, 12/3)

The Associated Press: Bevin Taps Health Insurance Lawyer To Lead Medicaid Program
Republican Gov.-elect Matt Bevin has chosen a Louisville attorney to lead his efforts to dismantle and replace the health care system put in place by his Democratic predecessor. Vickie Yates Brown Glisson will be the next secretary of the Health and Family Services Cabinet, Bevin announced Thursday. The agency operates the state's Medicaid program, which outgoing Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear greatly expanded under the federal Affordable Care Act. (Beam, 12/3)

In other health law news, Hawaii's troubled exchange is closing and The Washington Post reports on a connection to the Baltimore riots -

The Associated Press: Hawaii's Troubled Health Exchange Closing Its Doors
The Hawaii Health Connector spent $130 million in federal grant money, but will be closing its doors after failing to achieve financial sustainability. The last day for the state-based health insurance exchange will be Friday, and its customers are re-enrolling on the federal website healthcare.gov. So far, just 4,500 people in Hawaii have signed up on the federal website. Issues with healthcare.gov led to enrollment delays but those problems have improved, said Jeff Kissel, outgoing executive director of the Connector. (Bussewitz, 12/4)

The Washington Post: What’s The Connection Between The Baltimore Riots And The Affordable Care Act?
December is the month in which many people enrolled in “Obamacare” must reassess and renew their plans. As they do so, it’s a good time to evaluate the politics and economics behind those health-care costs. Hospitals and health care keep cities employed. Take away hospital and medical care jobs, and you are removing one of the engines of economic hope for urban areas. But the need to add jobs is directly at odds with the Affordable Care Act’s commitment to—well, to affordable health care. (Guian McKee, 12/3)

The Associated Press: Anthem, Cigna Shareholders Approve $48B Tie-Up
A $48-billion deal that would create the nation's largest health insurer inched closer to completion after shareholders of both Anthem and Cigna voted in favor of a buyout. The companies said that nearly all of their shareholders approved the deal, announced last July, when Blue Cross-Blue Shield coverage provider Anthem said it would pay $103.40 and a portion of its stock for each Cigna share. The boards of both companies have already approved the deal, and shareholder backing was widely expected, but the acquisition still has one more key hurdle to clear. (12/3)

Forbes: Anthem, Cigna Shareholders Approve Merger As Antitrust Hurdles Await
The Anthem and Cigna marriage comes amid unprecedented consolidation in the healthcare industry and among health plans in particular. This summer, Aetna (AET) announced plans to buy rival Humana (HUM) for nearly $40 billion. And while Aetna and Humana shareholders signed off on that deal less than two months ago, it has yet to be cleared by antitrust regulators either. (Japsen, 12/3)

Hartford Courant: Cigna, Anthem Shareholders Approve Merger
Both federal and state regulators are reviewing the combination, which would create an insurance company that would cover more than 50 million people. This deal and a proposed merger of Aetna and Humana have raised anti-trust concerns in part due to the negotiating leverage that the bigger insurers might gain over entities like health care providers. The insurers have said that the combinations pose little threat to competition because plenty of rivals will remain in individual markets. (12/3)

Indianapolis Star: Anthem Shareholders OK Cigna Deal
Anthem shareholders are so in favor of buying Cigna. 99 percent of Anthem Inc. shareholders voted Thursday to take the critical step of issuing shares to carry out the $54 billion acquisition. It's one of the biggest mergers in the history of the health insurance industry, and it stands to make Indianapolis-based Anthem one of the few remaining powerhouses in an industry that's rapidly consolidating. (Swiatek, 12/3)

The Chicago Tribune: Doc In A Box: IBM's Watson Using Data To Transform Health Care
IBM Watson once won $1 million playing "Jeopardy." Soon, it could be helping your doctor read your X-rays. IBM Watson Health aims to make sense of a growing pool of health care-related data to help patients and providers make better decisions. Deborah DiSanzo, former CEO of Philips Healthcare, was named its head and general manager in September. (Graham, 12/4)

STAT: Plastic Surgeons, Fearing Violence, Turn To Psychiatry For Patients
The operation went off without a hitch. Another successful nose job — or so Dr. Ira Papel thought. Until the patient came back to his clinic threatening to shoot himself and others. (Dolgin, 12/4)

The San Francisco Chronicle: Kamala Harris OKs Complex Deal To Save California Hospital Chain
State Attorney General Kamala Harris approved a deal Thursday that allows a New York hedge fund to manage Los Altos Hills’ Daughters of Charity Health System in what’s considered the largest and most complex nonprofit hospital transaction in the state’s history. The long-awaited deal and the money that BlueMountain Capital Management would infuse into Daughters of Charity could save a struggling Catholic hospital chain that includes Daly City’s Seton Medical Center, O’Connor Hospital in San Jose, St. Louise Regional Medical Center in Gilroy and two Southern California hospitals as well as Seton Coastside, a nursing center in Moss Beach. (Colliver, 12/3)

The San Jose Mercury News: California Attorney General Kamala Harris Grants Conditional Approval For Hospital Deal
Ending months of uncertainty, California Attorney General Kamala Harris late Thursday gave her conditional approval for the largest nonprofit hospital transaction in state history -- and the first to involve a hedge fund. Harris' provisional consent allows BlueMountain Capital Management to invest in the troubled nonprofit Daughters of Charity Health System, with an option to purchase the Los Altos Hills-based hospital chain after three years. (Seipel, 12/3)

The Associated Press: California AG Approves Transfer Of 6 Nonprofit Hospitals
California's attorney general has conditionally approved the transfer of a financially troubled chain of nonprofit hospitals to a for-profit entity. The terms outlined by Attorney General Kamala Harris on Thursday require the six hospitals of the Daughters of Charity Health System operate as nonprofit health centers for at least three years. After that, BlueMountain Capital Management can exercise an option to purchase the hospitals and turn them into for-profit centers. The agreement calls for BlueMountain to pay $100 million for the right to buy. (Hair, 11/4)

News outlets in Ohio and North Carolina report on other hospital news -

The Cleveland Plain Dealer: Cleveland Hospital Systems Agree To Stop Diverting ER Traffic By Next Year, Accept EMS Patients 24/7
In a breakthrough agreement, Cleveland hospital systems have struck a deal to stop the periodic closure of their emergency rooms to help ensure more timely and effective care for the region's patients, city and hospitals officials said. The accord means that by Feb. 15 of next year, emergency rooms in the city will be accepting EMS patients around the clock, regardless of their traffic volumes. (Ross, 12/4)

North Carolina Health News: Former Operator Of Yadkin Hospital Files Countersuit
The former operator of the Yadkin Valley Community Hospital has responded to a suit filed against it in May by the Yadkin County government and is countering with claims of its own. In June, that court found CAH to be in contempt for closing the 22-bed hospital when a temporary restraining order to keep it open was in effect. Judge Terrence Boyle ordered CAH to pay damages to Yadkin County for expenses the county incurred from the day the hospital closed until it reopens. Those expenses will include the cost of around-the-clock EMT personnel, maintenance costs, attorney and consultant fees and employee compensation. The for-profit CAH is now asking for a minimum of $75,000 from the county. It has also requested a jury trial. (Sisk, 12/3)

The Des Moines Register: Companies Challenge Iowa's Medicaid Recommendation
Two companies have appealed an administrative law judge’s recommendation that Iowa throw out one of the four contracts behind a controversial plan to privatize the state’s Medicaid program, documents filed this week with the state show. WellCare, the company that Judge Christie Scase last week recommend should lose its state contract because of an unfair public bidding process, is asking the state to disregard the judge’s proposal. (Clayworth, 12/2)

The Des Moines Register: Three Large Hospital Systems Sign Medicaid Contracts
Three of Iowa’s biggest hospital-and-clinic systems have signed contracts to provide care to patients who will be enrolled in new Medicaid managed-care programs, Gov. Terry Branstad’s office announced Thursday. UnityPoint Health, the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and Genesis Health System all have signed such contracts, Branstad said. The news comes amid concern that Medicaid patients would have few choices of health care providers when the new system is to take effect Jan. 1. (Leys, 12/3)

The Kansas Health Institute News Service: Former Kansas Medicaid Director Sees Need For Reform In Many States
A former Kansas Medicaid director has authored a paper proposing ways to streamline Medicaid programs that he says are too fragmented in many states. Andy Allison, who also previously ran the Arkansas Medicaid program, presented the paper last month at a conference of state Medicaid directors. Medicaid is public health coverage jointly funded by federal and state governments that serves Americans with disabilities, low-income children and pregnant women, and some adults with low incomes who lack private insurance. (Marso, 12/3)

Modern Healthcare: CMS Finalizes Rule Giving $3 Billion To States For Medicaid System Upgrades
The CMS has finalized a rule to permanently retain funding that helps states upgrade the technology they need to allow their residents to enroll in Medicaid. Nearly 25% of states are looking to modernize their aging, often very state-specific technology systems, many of which have experienced the stress of Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. (Dickson, 12/3)

Reuters: Illinois Judge Keeps Chicago Retiree Healthcare Case Alive
A lawsuit challenging Chicago's move to save money by phasing out lifetime subsidized healthcare for its retired workers can move forward in part, an Illinois judge ruled on Thursday. Cook County Circuit Court Judge Neil Cohen found that a portion of a constitutional claim in the lawsuit can proceed, according to Clint Krislov, an attorney for city retirees who filed the lawsuit. The ruling cited a 2014 Illinois Supreme Court decision that public sector workers' healthcare benefits are protected by the state constitution's pension clause. (12/3)

The Boston Globe: Health Care In Mass. Is 'Very Affordable,’ Partners CEO Says
Despite concerns about rising health care costs, the head of the state’s largest and most expensive network of doctors and hospitals said Thursday that health care is “very affordable” in Massachusetts. Partners HealthCare chief executive Dr. David Torchiana, in remarks to the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, acknowledged that health care costs are higher here than in other parts of the country, largely because Massachusetts is home to several large teaching hospitals whose training and research programs make them expensive to run. (Dayal McCluskey, 12/3)

The Associated Press: New Facility Has Options For Alzheimer's Patients
The substandard care that Cari Claussen's grandmother received in a Springfield nursing home when Claussen was a teenager spawned her passion for service. "It just broke my heart," said Claussen, 33, who plans to open an assisted-living center in March that specializes in the care of people with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. (Olsen, 12/4)

The Denver Post: Months After Brown's Compounding Closure, Employees Want Pay, Answers
The shutdown of Brown's Compounding Center is still cloaked in secrecy nearly six months after federal agents executed a search and seizure warrant at the drugmaker and pharmacy in Douglas County. The warrant remains under seal, and the U.S. Attorney's Office continues to be tight-lipped about the ongoing criminal investigation. For about 85 former employees, the stalemate hasn't been easy. They say their financial livelihoods are the collateral damage. (Wallace, 12/3)

The Associated Press: Owner Of Arkansas Health Firms Indicted On Bribery Counts
The owner of two Arkansas mental health companies that received more than $90 million in Medicaid funds was accused in an indictment released Thursday of bribing a former top official in the state's Human Services Department. A federal grand jury indicted Ted Suhl of Warm Springs on six bribery counts. The indictment accuses Suhl, 50, of paying thousands of dollars to former DHS Deputy Director Steven Jones to help his companies, which provide mental health services for juveniles, and to provide internal information about the agency to him. (DeMillo, 12/3)

The Wall Street Journal: Washington Divided On Response To Puerto Rico Debt Woes
The White House plan would also expand Medicaid subsidies and make federal tax credits available to the island’s residents. The breaks are designed to boost the island’s unusually low workforce participation rates, but are controversial as Puerto Ricans don’t pay federal income tax. (Timiraos and Kuriloff, 12/3)

The Associated Press: Restaurant Group Sues NYC Over New Salt-Warning Labels
New York City's new warning label for salt-laden chain restaurant food is headed for a court fight, after restaurateurs sued Thursday to argue that health regulators overstepped legal bounds to enact the first-of-its-kind requirement. The National Restaurant Association's suit came just two days after the rule took effect, compelling chain eateries to put a salt-shaker icon on menu items that top the recommended daily limit of 2,300 milligrams of sodium — about a teaspoon. The group had vowed to challenge the city Board of Health-approved rule, which will sprinkle salt warnings on some dishes ranging from burgers to pizzas to salads. (12/3)

Annals of Internal Medicine: Prevention Of Hepatitis C By Screening And Treatment In U.S. Prisons
The prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in U.S. prisoners is high; however, HCV testing and treatment are rare. Infected inmates released back into society contribute to the spread of HCV in the general population. [Researchers sough to] evaluate the health and economic effect of HCV screening and treatment in prisons on the HCV epidemic in society. ... Implementing risk-based and opt-out screening could diagnose 41 900 to 122 700 new HCV cases in prisons in the next 30 years. Compared with no screening, these scenarios could prevent 5500 to 12 700 new HCV infections caused by releasees, wherein about 90% of averted infections would have occurred outside of prisons. HCV screening could also prevent 4200 to 11 700 liver-related deaths. (He et al., 11/24)

Annals of Internal Medicine: Improving Adherence To Therapy And Clinical Outcomes While Containing Costs: Opportunities From The Greater Use Of Generic Medications: Best Practice Advice From The Clinical Guidelines Committee Of The American College Of Physicians
Efforts to maximize the value of our health care dollars have focused on situations where expensive therapies are used when less costly, equally effective options are available. The underuse of generic medications is an important example. Prescription drugs now account for more than $325 billion in annual spending in the United States and play a central role in the management of chronic disease, yet physicians and other providers frequently treat patients with more expensive brand-name products even when equally effective, well-proven, and less expensive generic therapies are available. The purpose of this article is to help guide internists and other clinicians in making high-value, cost-conscious decisions about the use of generic drugs. (Choudhry et al., 11/24)

Health Affairs: Bundled Payments For Care Improvement Initiative
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) gave the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) broad authority to test out new payment models that have the potential to reduce Medicare spending .... CMS is testing a variety of new approaches , including paying providers for episodes of care instead of for each service provided. The Bundled Payments for Care Improvement (BPCI) initiative tests four different models .... One model focuses on care provided during the hospital stay, while the other three models include postacute care provided once the patient is released from the hospital. ... This brief describes the different models being tested and CMS's experience with the project to date. (Cassidy, 11/23)

Urban Institute: Hospital Rate Setting Revisited: Dumb Price Fixing Or A Smart Solution To Provider Pricing Power And Delivery Reform?
The health sector is still characterized by (1) the predominance of fixed-rate payment incentives that fragment care ...; (2) a fragmented system of health care purchasers ...; and (3) a powerful provider sector that is increasingly consolidated and able to exert more leverage over prices .... Although insurers are also consolidating, there is little hope that ... would temper the “must-have” providers’ ability to negotiate rates that permit extravagant profits .... State-based rate setting can support a better-functioning health care market: it has a positive record of addressing both what hospitals can charge and receive in payment and protecting against the volume increases .... Successful all-payer systems require the development of a politically independent regulatory body that is free of conflicts of interest and resistant to both industry capture and political meddling. (Berenson, 11/17)

The Kaiser Family Foundation: Data Note: Are Nonprofits Requesting An Accommodation For Contraceptive Coverage?
[T]here is no centralized source of information that tracks what share of nonprofit employers have requested an accommodation [for religiously affiliated nonprofit employers that argue the health law's requirement to provide contraceptive coverage violates their religious rights] .... Based on employer responses in the Kaiser Family Foundation/Health Research & Education Trust (Kaiser/HRET) 2015 Annual Employer Benefits Survey, overall 3% of nonprofits offering health benefits (with 10 or more workers) reported that they elected the accommodation. Only 2% of very small nonprofits offering health benefits (with between 10 and 49 workers) reported that they elected the accommodation. ... 10% of nonprofits with 1,000 to 4,999 workers, and 10% of nonprofits with over 5,000 workers reported that they elected the accommodation. (Sobel, Rae and Salganicoff, 12/1)

The Kaiser Family Foundation: The Uninsured: A Primer
[This report] provides information on how insurance changed under the ACA, how many people remain uninsured, who they are, and why they lack health coverage. ... even with the ACA, ... millions of people [are left] without coverage. Approximately half of the remaining uninsured are outside the reach of the ACA either because their state did not expand Medicaid, they do not meet immigration rules, or their income makes them ineligible for financial assistance. The remainder are eligible for assistance under the law but may still struggle with affordability and knowledge of options .... For both eligible and ineligible remaining uninsured people, health care needs persist regardless of insurance status, underscoring the importance of safety net providers. (Majerol, Newkirk and Garfield, 11/13)

Here is a selection of news coverage of other recent research:

The New York Times' Well Blog: Minorities Get Less Pain Treatment In E.R.
White and black patients reported severe pain with the same frequency — about 59 percent. But after controlling for age, insurance status, income, degree of pain and other variables, the researchers found that compared with non-Hispanic white people, non-Hispanic blacks and other minorities were 22 percent to 30 percent less likely to receive pain medication. Patients were also less likely to receive pain medicine if they were over 75 or male, lacked private insurance or were treated at a hospital with numerous minority patients. The study is in the journal Medical Care. (Bakalar, 11/30)

NPR: Specialty Drugs Can Prove Expensive Even With Medicare Coverage
Medicare recipients who have arthritis, cancer or other complex conditions may find they have to pay thousands of dollars a year for their medications, even if their insurance plan covers most prescriptions. For 2016 the out-of-pocket costs can reach as high as $11,538 for a single drug — far more than the maximum catastrophic threshold of $4,850 for Medicare beneficiaries, according to an analysis of Medicare Part D drug coverage released Tuesday by the Kaiser Family Foundation and Georgetown University's Health Policy Institute. (Kodjak, 12/3)

Reuters: Diabetic Vision Loss Medication May Promote Return To Driving
After a year of treatment with the drug ranibizumab (Lucentis), some people with vision loss due to diabetes regain their confidence to drive and have vision good enough to do so, according to a new study. Seeing well enough to drive confidently is an important measure of independence, the authors write. Up to 45 percent of people in the U.S. with type 1 or type 2 diabetes have some level of vision loss, most commonly diabetic retinopathy. And half of those with retinopathy will develop diabetic macular edema (DME), a fluid build-up in the retina that affects sharp, straight-ahead vision, according to the National Eye Institute. (Doyle, 11/26)

Reuters: Misleading HPV Vaccine Websites Are Easy To Find
Parents who go online to find out about the vaccine for human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted disease that causes cervical cancer, may have a hard time finding accurate information, a recent U.S. study suggests. In the U.S., the HPV vaccine is recommended for children at age 11 or 12 years, with the goal of protecting them against the virus before they become sexually active, and also for teens and young adults who may not have previously been vaccinated. (Rapaport, 11/27)

Reuters: Female Cardiologists Are Rare, And Make Less Than Men
Fewer than 1 in 10 cardiologists in the U.S. are women, and those who do choose this male-dominated specialty earn less money, according to a new study. Researchers adjusted for differences in job characteristics, like how much time a doctor is on-call, the types of practices doctors worked in and other factors, and still found women cardiologists making slightly less. (Doyle, 11/18)

The Associated Press: Rising Cigarette Taxes Tied To Low Infant Deaths: Study
When it costs more to smoke, fewer babies die, according to a new study that links rising cigarette taxes with declines in infant mortality, especially among blacks. With nearly 4 million annual births nationwide, the results suggest that a $1 increase in cigarette taxes would be expected to lead to 750 fewer infant deaths each year, the researchers said. (Tanner, 12/1)

NPR: False Alarm Mammograms May Still Signal Higher Breast Cancer Risk
Women who have an abnormal mammogram should stay vigilant for cancer for for the next decade, even when follow-up tests fail to detect cancer, a study released Wednesday finds. That's because there's a "modest" risk that cancer will develop during the next decade, says lead author Louise M. Henderson of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine in Chapel Hill. (Neighmond and Neel, 12/2)

The Associated Press: Study: Skin Care Drug Prices Up 401 Percent Since 2009
The cost of prescription skin treatments has skyrocketed since 2009, as the burden of escalating drug prices increasingly weighs on family budgets. Retail prices have surged 401 percent since 2009 for brand-name drugs for skin conditions, according to research published in JAMA Dermatology, a medical journal. That compares to an overall inflation rate of just 11 percent during the same period. (Boak, 11/26)

Time: Binge Watching As A Young Adult Speeds Up Cognitive Decline: Study
Sitting around watching TV and not doing any physical activity as a young adult may cause a decline in brain functioning even earlier than scientists had thought, according to a new study. Researchers at the Northern California Institute for Research and Education analyzed data from a 25-year-long study of more than 3,200 18-to 30-year-olds. Those who reported watching the most TV (usually more than three hours a day) and doing the least physical activity (usually less than two and half hours a week) had the worst decline in cognitive functioning over the course of the study, even before the participants were middle-aged. (Luscombe, 12/2)

MedPage Today: Mandibular Devices Work For Lowering Sleep Apnea BP
Mandibular advancement devices are almost as effective as continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) for lowering blood pressure in patients with obstructive sleep apnea, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis. The analysis showed slightly greater systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP) reductions in patients treated with CPAP, but the difference was not statistically significant, wrote Daniel Bratton, PhD, of University Hospital Zurich, and colleagues, in the Journal of the American Medical Association. (Boyles, 12/2)

Bloomberg: Paul Ryan Has An Idea
If it's brave to state the obvious -- and in Washington, it often is -- then Paul Ryan may be the most courageous man in Congress. "If we want to save the country, then we need a mandate from the people," the Republican leader said in a speech Thursday at the Library of Congress. "And if we want a mandate, then we need to offer ideas. And if we want to offer ideas, then we need to actually have ideas." ... Ryan's ambition is the right one. He promised "a tax code that rewards good work instead of good connections," an overhaul of federal poverty programs, even an actual Republican plan to replace Obamacare (better six years late than never, as the saying goes). (12/3)

Huffington Post: GOP's New Plan To Repeal Obamacare Is Missing One Obvious Thing
Republicans would like Americans to believe they’ve come up with a kindlier, gentler way to repeal the Affordable Care Act. They haven’t. The Senate on Thursday approved a GOP bill that would eliminate key elements of President Barack Obama’s signature domestic policy achievement, wiping out the coverage expansion that has produced a historic decline in the number of uninsured Americans. ... Thursday’s vote was a first for the full Senate -- and that’s important, even though Obama has already said he’d veto the proposal. It’s a reminder that Republicans remain committed to repeal, even though it hasn’t figured prominently in the presidential campaign, and that they have lined up the necessary votes should one of their own become president in 2017. (Jonathan Cohn, 12/3)

Forbes: Ending Obamacare's Medicaid Policy Would Be Big Improvement
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is performing worse than expected when it became law: plans are less attractive, enrollment is lower, premium increases are higher, and risk pools are sicker. The Senate is now considering a reconciliation bill that contains several significant policy changes to the ACA, including repealing its new taxes like the individual and employer mandates as well as much of its new spending. One important change is to end the ACA’s elevated federal reimbursement rate for state Medicaid spending for generally able-bodied, working-age adults. (Brian Blase, 12/3)

The Wall Street Journal: The ObamaCare-Immigration Collision
The Justice Department last month asked the Supreme Court to review a preliminary injunction blocking the Obama administration from implementing the president’s immigration executive order, which would defer deportations for up to five million undocumented immigrants. When President Obama announced his executive action, he acknowledged in his televised speech the concern that such immigrants “would take our jobs” and “stick it to the middle class.” He assured us that this is “not what these steps would do.” But he didn’t consider how this new edict would interact with his other legal inventions, namely ObamaCare. (Andy Puzder, 12/3)

Bloomberg: Reckless Anti-Abortion Rhetoric
Abortion is an issue that divides Americans along fundamental principles. Opponents of the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision, and of the millions of abortions it has made legal, have every right to denounce that decision in passionate language. But when political leaders falsely equate fetal tissue research -- a morally and scientifically complex effort to advance medical discovery -- with the commercial sale of baby parts, they do nothing to support public debate. We don't know what specifically inspired the gruesome shooting at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs last week. But the setting should surprise no one. (12/2)

STAT: Performing Abortions Is My Life's Work. Terrorism Won't Stop Me.
The first death threats came at 3 a.m. It was November 1973 and I had just started performing abortions at a small nonprofit clinic in Colorado. ... I started sleeping with a rifle by my bed. I expected to be shot as I walked out the door in the morning or as I came home at night. ... Why do I continue doing abortions? Because it matters.The women need my help. ... Performing safe abortions in a humane, dignified, and caring atmosphere matters for the health and safety of the women. It matters for the health of their families. It matters for the health of our society. (Warren Hern, 12/4)

New Hampshire Union Leader: The Medicaid Lie: Expansion Won't Solve Drug Problem
“The single most effective way to combat the heroin epidemic is renewing bipartisan Medicaid Expansion now,” argues Senate Minority Leader Jeff Woodburn. New Hampshire Democrats echo this talking point, cynically exploiting the drug crisis plaguing the state to get more Medicaid money out of Washington. In truth, the expanded Medicaid program that sunsets 13 months from now has almost nothing to do with the drug problem. (12/3)

Los Angeles Times: My Struggle To Get Health Insurance Was More Irritating Than My Full-Body Rash
A few weeks ago, with very little warning, my skin burst into a mysterious full-body rash. Also, I quit my job. My two new conditions — persistent, inexplicable hives and unemployment — did not seem to be related, but they fit together like a hand in glove. What better time to suffer from a mysterious medical condition than when you have nothing better to do than search Google? I consulted the available literature: WebMD (see a doctor); Mayo Clinic (see a doctor); a passionate, 2,000 post message-board thread filled with fellow sufferers (avoid chemtrails). I decided to see a doctor. So far as I knew, I was insured: I'd signed up online for COBRA, the government program that allows the recently jobless to remain temporarily on their former employers' health plan. For around $400 a month, I could see any doctor in the United Healthcare Choice network. (Max Read, 12/3)

The Hill: Medicare Negotiating With Pharma Is Not The Answer
The concept of Medicare negotiating drug prices directly with manufacturers has been raised throughout 2015 by the Senate and the president, but never more vocally than over the last month by presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) .... Late last month, President Obama's nominee for Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner, Dr. Robert Califf, was questioned by members of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) on a variety of issues, including tackling rising prescription drug prices and the right of Medicare to negotiate [prices]. ... While Califf stressed pricing to be largely outside of the FDA's purview, there's no doubt that the FDA is falling short in several actionable areas within its purview and patients are suffering. (Joseph Gulfo, 12/4)