The Associated Press: About 1.6M Drop-Outs From Health Law Coverage This Year
About 1.6 million people who signed up for coverage this year under President Barack Obama's health care law dropped out by the end of March, according to administration figures released late Thursday. The report from the Health and Human Services department said some 11.1 million people were still signed up. But that's a drop of nearly 13 percent from the 12.7 million who initially enrolled for subsidized private coverage this year. Those dropouts failed to seal the deal by paying their premiums. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 6/30)

Modern Healthcare: ACA's Risk Adjustment Hammers Small Plans Again
Small, regional health insurers and upstart co-op plans again incurred large charges under the Affordable Care Act's risk-adjustment program, according to new data the CMS released Thursday. Calendar year 2015 marks the second year of risk adjustment, and many smaller insurers have had to pay into the program both years. (Herman, 6/30)

The Associated Press: NY Regulators Want Insurer Risk-Adjustment Program Changed
New York insurance regulators say the federally mandated program for adjusting financial risk under the Affordable Care Act unduly affects the finances of newer and smaller insurers. Department of Financial Services Superintendent Maria Vullo says in a letter to federal authorities there should be immediate changes in the risk-adjustment program, which transfers pooled funds to plans with higher-risk clients. (6/30)

The Associated Press: Louisiana 1st State In Deep South To Expand Medicaid
Louisiana is becoming the first state in the Republican-dominated Deep South to expand its Medicaid program, with more than 233,000 people already enrolled in the government-financed insurance coverage that begins Friday. Medicaid expansion fulfills one of Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards' main campaign promises, embracing the health law championed by President Barack Obama after years of GOP stonewalling in Louisiana. (Deslatte, 6/30)

New Orleans Times-Picayune: Louisiana Medicaid Expansion And The Promise Of Economic Security
Most of the people eligible for Medicaid expansion work jobs that don't offer sick days. For those working in the hospitality industry missing work due to illness means a loss of income. Most newly eligible Medicaid recipients earn between $16,395 and $33,534 (the household income level can be as high as $44,961 for a family of six). James Comeaux, a vice president at Access Health Louisiana, said that means that nearly everyone in that category loses money when they miss work. (Litten, 6/30)

New Orleans Times-Picayune: New Orleans Clinics, Hospitals Help Pay For Signing Up New Medicaid Clients
Hospitals and clinics throughout the New Orleans area are helping the state cover the costs of enrolling more people in Medicaid, a result of lawmakers being unwilling to pay for workers to assist with Medicaid expansion. The hospitals and clinics say these workers are crucial to ensuring the state can add the 375,000 recipients now eligible for the federally subsidized health care program. (Litten, 6/30)

Louisville (Ky.) Courier-Journal: State: Feds Likely To OK Ky Medicaid Changes
Gov. Matt Bevin's week-old proposal to overhaul the state Medicaid program already is under fire from critics, who say it will cut benefits and reduce health care for some of Kentucky's poorest citizens. But a team of officials promoting Bevin's plan on Thursday told a group of health executives that they are confident of winning the required federal approval for a "waiver" to enact changes that the governor pledges will transform the $10 billion-a-year federal-state health plan that serves nearly one-third of the state's citizens. (Yetter, 6/30)

Modern Healthcare: CMS Renews Tennessee's Medicaid Waiver On The Day It Expired
The CMS granted Tennessee a two-month temporary extension on a Medicaid managed-care waiver that expired Thursday. TennCare, the state's managed-care Medicaid system, was authorized in 2002 under an 1115 waiver. TennCare members mostly are low-income pregnant women, children and individuals who are elderly or have a disability. ... The CMS' has increasingly resisted paying for healthcare for the uninsured now that most of them have access to coverage under the Affordable Care Act. That issue has been a hurdle in renewing 115 waivers in other states, including California, Texas and Florida. California, Florida, Tennessee and Texas have relied on the waiver's pools of money that pay for the hospital stays of patients who can't afford it. (Dickson, 6/30)

The Tennessean: Feds Expected To Extend TennCare Talks
State and federal officials are concurrently negotiating the future of uncompensated care pools, which help hospitals offset costs. An extension of negotiations has been expected, observers said. ... Uncompensated care pools have come under review by federal officials over the last year because more people were supposed to be covered under expanded Medicaid programs using federal funds under the Affordable Care Act. Insure Tennessee, Gov. Bill Haslam's coverage plan using federal Medicaid funding, failed in the 2015 and 2016 legislative sessions. (Fletcher, 6/30)

The Tennessean: Beth Harwell Task Force Pitches TennCare Expansion Plan
TennCare would be expanded via a phase-in program that places priority on veterans and people with mental health or substance abuse disorders under a proposal from the health care task force commissioned by House Speaker Beth Harwell. The proposal from the 3-Star Healthy Task Force outlines a two-step program that encourages people to develop relationships with physicians, get behavioral health treatment in tandem with physical health treatment and includes a work and education component to help people into positions lucrative enough to finance commercial coverage. (Fletcher and Evert, 6/30)

The Associated Press: Planned Parenthood Seeks Repeal Of Abortion Laws In 8 States
Planned Parenthood says it will work with its abortion-rights allies in eight states to repeal laws that may be vulnerable following the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down tough abortion restrictions in Texas. The repeal campaign, announced Thursday, will initially target laws in Arizona, Florida, Michigan, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Virginia, as well as measures in Texas that were not directly addressed by the Supreme Court ruling. Laws in other states may be targeted later. (Crary, 6/30)

The Wall Street Journal: Abortion-Rights Supporters To Take Clinic Fight To 8 States After Supreme Court Ruling
Monday’s 5-3 ruling struck down parts of a Texas law regulating abortion clinics, saying courts must independently examine abortion rules to determine if they offered health benefits to women that outweighed hurdles they might pose to access. Abortion-rights advocates believe the opinion is an opportunity to challenge hundreds of state laws passed since 2010 by antiabortion legislators. (Radnofsky, 6/30)

Los Angeles Times: Planned Parenthood Targets Eight States' Abortion Restrictions
In addition to Texas, five other states have enacted laws with surgical center requirements, including Michigan, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Tennessee, where the law was temporarily blocked by a judge, according to the New York-based Center for Reproductive Rights. The group noted nine other states had passed laws that require abortion providers to have admitting privileges at local hospitals: Alabama, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Wisconsin. But until this week, the laws had been blocked by the courts in all but Missouri, North Dakota and Tennessee. (Hennessy-Fiske, 6/30)

The New York Times: Federal Judge Blocks Indiana Abortion Law
A federal judge on Thursday blocked an Indiana law that would have banned abortions based solely on a fetus’s disability or genetic anomaly, suggesting that it was an illegal limit on a woman’s long-established constitutional right. Judge Tanya Walton Pratt, of Federal District Court for Southern Indiana, also held up a state ban on abortions motivated solely by a fetus’s race or sex. In the preliminary injunction, Judge Pratt said limiting the reasons for an abortion was “inconsistent with the notion of a right rooted in privacy concerns and a liberty right to make independent decisions.” (Smith and Eckholm, 6/30)

The Associated Press: Federal Judge Blocks New Florida Abortion Law
A federal judge late Thursday put on hold key portions of a new Florida law that would block public funding for Planned Parenthood and greatly increase inspection requirements for abortion clinics. U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle issued his ruling just hours before the law passed by the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature was due to take effect. (Fineout, 7/1)

The Associated Press: Missouri Won't Immediately Halt Planned Parenthood Funding
Planned Parenthood facilities in Missouri will continue to receive government funding for women's health services for a while, despite a new budget provision attempting to stop it. Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon said Thursday that state officials will eventually implement the budget's ban on Medicaid money going to organizations that provide abortions. But the prohibition won't start when the budget takes effect Friday, as Republican lawmakers had intended. (Lieb, 6/30)

Politico Pro: Abortion Rights Group Plasters Cleveland With Its Message
An abortion rights group is plastering Cleveland with billboards ahead of the Republican National Convention to taunt Donald Trump and the party over their opposition to abortion. The National Institute for Reproductive Health is putting up six billboards this week that picture women in a police lineup with the text, “When the RNC platform makes abortion illegal, how much time will we serve?” The line is a tie to Trump’s comment in March that women should be punished for getting an abortion. He later said that he was referring to punishment only if the procedure were made illegal — and that the physician, not the woman, should be punished. (Haberkorn, 6/30)

Also in the news, abortions in Texas dropped sharply under the provisions the Supreme Court just struck down —

The Associated Press: Texas Abortions Fell Sharply Under Law Supreme Court Voided
Abortions in Texas plummeted about 15 percent during the first year after approval of tough restrictions that the U.S. Supreme Court has since struck down — a decline that activists say shows how hard it had become to get an abortion in America's second-largest state. The health department released the statistics Thursday, after lengthy delays it blamed on finalizing the data. But providers and abortion-rights groups spent months complaining that officials were intentionally stalling, and the American Civil Liberties Union even recently accused the state of "concealing" the information. (Weissert, 7/1)

Austin Statesman: Texas Abortions Fell 14% In First Year Under Tougher Regulations
The number of abortions performed in Texas fell 14 percent in 2014, the first full year under House Bill 2, the law that implemented tougher regulations that forced abortion clinics to close across the state. The decline, amounting to almost 9,000 fewer abortions, was far greater than the 6.5 percent drop in abortions in 2013 and the 5.8 percent decrease in 2012. (Lindell, 6/30)

Kaiser Health News: 5 Things To Know About The Supreme Court’s Texas Abortion Decision
Kaiser Health News staff writer Julie Rovner reports: "The Supreme Court this week delivered its strongest affirmation of a women’s right to abortion in two and a half decades. By a margin of 5-3, it struck down two key provisions of a Texas law restricting the procedure. But where does the decision in Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt fit into the court’s long history of outlining abortion rights and restrictions? And what impact might the case have on similar laws in other states and this fall’s elections? Here are five insights about the case that provide some context." (Rovner, 7/1)

Politico: Anti-Opioid Bill Touted By Vulnerable Republicans Hits Snag
Republicans looking to pass legislation addressing the nation’s opioid crisis and Zika epidemic before skipping town to campaign for the summer are running into a nettlesome problem: Senate Democrats. The Senate minority blocked a $1.1 billion Zika funding proposal due to what they called “poison pill” riders earlier this week. And now, as Republicans try to wrap up House and Senate conference negotiations on fighting the spread of heroin and prescription pill addiction, Democrats are demanding that Republicans plow new funding into combating opioids. ... Democrats’ renewed demands for appropriating new spending, rather than authorizing spending but not actually providing new funds, could have serious political implications for Republicans. (Everett and Haberkorn, 6/30)

In other news, the U.S. Department of Agriculture secretary has kicked off a nationwide tour on opioid abuse, CVS settles with the government over fake painkiller prescriptions and a New Hampshire drug treatment program has been approved for inmates —

The Associated Press: Vilsack, McAuliffe, Haslam Convene On Drug Abuse Issue
Kicking off a national tour on opioid addiction, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack brought together the governors of Tennessee and Virginia on Thursday to talk about stemming Appalachia's drug abuse epidemic. The town hall reinforced President Barack Obama's call for Congress to pump $1.1 billion more into substance abuse treatment. It also was an opportunity to show that governors of opposite parties want to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, despite Republican efforts to stop them. (Mattise, 6/30)

The Boston Globe: CVS Pays $3.5M To Settle Claims It Filled Fake Painkiller Prescriptions
Drugstore giant CVS has reached a $3.5 million settlement with the federal government after investigators found that pharmacists in Massachusetts and New Hampshire filled hundreds of forged prescriptions for painkillers at the height of the opioid crisis, the US attorney’s office announced Thursday. (Wang, 6/30)

New Hampshire Union Leader: Drug Treatment Program Coming For Jail Inmates
Valley Street jail Superintendent David Dionne said he will move slowly to implement a drug treatment program for his inmates, after Hillsborough County leaders this week approved the program for the coming budget year. Dionne said a last-minute cut of $70,000 will have some effect on how quickly he can get the Substance Abuse Treatment Community for Offenders, or SATCO, program operating. (Hayward, 6/30)

Bloomberg: Anthem-Cigna Meltdown Might Spark Deals For Smaller Health Plans
A breakup of Anthem Inc.’s $48 billion bid for Cigna Corp., under scrutiny by U.S. antitrust regulators, could spark new deals for smaller health plans in a continued wave of industry consolidation. Smaller insurers could become targets for Cigna, including WellCare Health Plans Inc., Centene Corp. and Molina Healthcare Inc. Anthem, meanwhile, may chase after assets that might be sold by industry rivals Aetna Inc. and Humana Inc. as they seek approval for their $35 billion tie-up. (Tracer and McLaughlin, 6/30)

The CT Mirror: Comptroller Says Wade Should Recuse Herself On Cigna Merger
Comptroller Kevin P. Lembo publicly urged Insurance Commissioner Katharine L. Wade on Thursday to recuse herself from Connecticut's review of the Anthem-Cigna merger, saying even a positive legal ruling from ethics officials would not overcome the appearance of a conflict of interest. "At present, I do not believe the current review process will ensure an unbiased decision based on the facts," Lembo told Wade in a letter released to reporters. "The strong ties between you as the regulatory authority and one of the merger applicants, combined with the secretive nature of the proceedings, at the very least, create the appearance of a favored outcome." (Pazniokas, 6/30)

Meanwhile, another suit adds to Anthem's legal troubles —

Kaiser Health News: Anthem, Express Scripts Face Legal Challenge Over Prescription Drug Prices
Anthem and its pharmacy manager Express Scripts overcharged patients with job-based insurance for prescription drugs, alleges a lawsuit that seeks class action status for what could be tens of thousands of Americans. It’s the latest wrinkle in a battle that has already pitted the major national insurer and its pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) against each other in dueling legal actions — and further illustrates the complicated set of factors that determine what consumers pay for prescription medications. (Appleby, 7/1)

The New York Times: Zenefits Compensates Investors Over Past Misconduct
Zenefits investors are getting a larger piece of the troubled human resources start-up because they overpaid for their stakes, unaware that the company’s sales teams flouted regulations to enhance growth, Zenefits announced on Thursday. The move will cut the company’s valuation in half, to about $2 billion. The unusual agreement comes after months of turmoil at Zenefits, once a high-flying company that helps small businesses buy insurance. (Benner and Isaac, 6/30)

The Wall Street Journal: Zenefits Investors Cut Valuation By Half
Embattled health-benefits broker Zenefits on Thursday said it struck a deal with some investors to cut its valuation by more than half to $2 billion, giving them additional shares in exchange for releasing the company of potential legal claims. Zenefits, a once highflying startup that in just two years after its founding was valued at $4.5 billion, has been reeling from regulatory investigations, stalled sales, layoffs and management missteps. On Thursday, Zenefits’s recently installed chief executive, David Sacks, said the company has been trying to work out a deal with investors to move past the problems. (Winkler, 6/30)

Reuters: Scandal-Hit Zenefits Slashes Own Valuation As It Cuts Deal With Investors
Software startup Zenefits has cut a highly unusual deal with investors to increase their ownership while slashing the once-hot firm's valuation as it seeks to avoid litigation and mend damage in the wake of revelations of cheating. The deal, a concession to investors in the firm's latest funding round, will boost the investors' combined stake to about 25 percent from about 11 percent but cuts the Zenefits' valuation by more than half to $2 billion from $4.5 billion. (Somerville and Todd, 7/1)

The Washington Post: Americans Were More Worried About Ebola Than They Are About Zika
The global spread of the Zika virus and its links to severe birth defects have yet to worry most Americans, and few are taking measures to limit their exposure to the mosquito-borne disease, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. Two-thirds of Americans say they are “not too” or “not at all” worried about Zika infecting them or a family member, while one-third are at least “somewhat worried.” Fewer Americans are concerned about Zika infections today than were worried about the deadly Ebola epidemic at its height. (Dennis, Sun and Clement, 6/30)

The Hill: Poll Shows Broad Support For More Zika Funding
Nearly three-quarters of respondents in a new national survey — including a majority of Republicans — believe the federal government should spend more to prevent the Zika virus from spreading in the U.S. The new figures, released by the Kaiser Family Foundation Wednesday morning, could up the pressure on congressional leaders as they look to break a weeks-long impasse over Zika funding. (Ferris, 6/30)

The Hill: Senate Dems: No August Break Without Zika Deal
Top Senate Democrats lashed out at Republicans Thursday, arguing they shouldn't leave for a seven-week recess without reaching a deal to fund the fight against the Zika virus. "We're going on a seven-week vacation ... and unless the Republicans become sensible, the Zika virus will have no work done," Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) told reporters. "This is really outrageous that we're going to go on vacation while this national emergency is pending." (Carney, 6/30)

Reuters: More U.S. Babies With Zika-Related Birth Defects Reported By Health Agency
Three more babies have been born in the United States with birth defects likely linked to Zika virus infections, while another lost pregnancy was linked to the virus, according to figures updated by health officials on Thursday. (Berkrot, 6/30)

KQED: Here’s Where Zika Mosquitoes Are Likely Found In California
The first thing to know about the mosquito that can carry Zika is that it is not widespread in California. Most of California’s 58 counties do not have — and have never had — any infestation of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the most worrisome carrier when it comes to Zika. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has crunched data from across the country and created a national map showing where the Aedes aegypti mosquito has been found any time over the past two decades. We asked CDC for the county-specific data in California. Click on the map above to see how your county fares. (Aliferis, 6/30)

WBUR: Physician Weighs In On Zika Risk As Athletes Drop Out Of Rio Olympics
The world’s top-ranked golfer, Jason Day, has joined a group of athletes, mainly golfers, who have dropped out of the Olympics because of fears over the Zika virus. The group also includes the American cyclist Tejay van Garderen. The athletes cite family planning concerns as their primary reason for bowing out. The World Heath Organization is advising pregnant women not to travel to countries with Zika outbreaks, but all the athletes canceling their Olympic bids are male. (Young, 6/30)

In other news, scientists for the first time may have unlocked a mystery surrounding Ebola —

The Washington Post: First-Of-Its-Kind CDC Study Finds Clues About Why Only Some Survive Ebola Virus
The most terrifying aspect of Ebola may not be how it kills but how many. In the outbreak in West Africa that peaked in 2014, about half of people infected with the virus survived. Scientists have been mystified about what distinguishes the lucky ones from the less fortunate. Now, for the first time, a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides some clues about what may be going on in people’s bodies, and it turns out that those with severe disease experienced an out-of-control inflammatory response. (Cha, 6/30)

The Washington Post: Unregulated Stem-Cell Clinics Are Proliferating Across The United States
For years, American "stem-cell tourists" have flocked to unregulated clinics in Mexico, the Caribbean and China in search of everything from heart treatments to facelifts. But now, these kinds of clinics are popping up across the United States. According to a new study, at least 351 companies with 570 clinics are marketing unapproved treatments for conditions such as osteoarthritis, Alzheimer's, autism and injured spinal cords, as well as for cosmetic enhancements. (McGinley, 6/30)

Los Angeles Times: Hundreds Of Companies In The U.S. Are Selling Unproven Stem Cell Treatments, Study Says
From coast to coast, at least 351 businesses at 570 locations are marketing stem cell therapies that have not been fully vetted by medical researchers or blessed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Cell Stem Cell. Paul Knoepfler, a bona fide stem cell researcher at UC Davis with a doctorate in molecular pathology, and Leigh Turner, a bioethicist at the University of Minnesota who studies the ramifications of medical tourism, scoured the Internet to find companies advertising all sorts of stem cell treatments directly to patients and their families. They used nearly 100 search terms to identify as many websites as they possibly could — and turned up a lot more than they thought they would. (Kaplan, 6/30)

Kaiser Health News: American ‘Stem Cell Tourists’ Don’t Have To Travel Abroad, Study Says
Through their searches, Turner and Knoepfler found great variation in these clinics. The treatments they offered ranged from anti-aging and other cosmetic applications to therapies for diabetes, cardiac and ophthalmological diseases as well as Parkinson’s and other degenerative conditions. Most clinics advertised stem cell treatments for orthopedic uses, followed by pain relief and sports injuries. Thirty-three clinics made marketing claims regarding muscular dystrophy and nine clinics each promoted stem cell treatments for autism and cerebral palsy, targeting parents and family members of patients. (Tan, 7/1)

The Washington Post: New Study Shows Chronic Fatigue Syndrome May Have To Do With Gut Microbes
Chronic fatigue syndrome, perhaps more than any other disease, has a bad rap. It makes you debilitatingly tired from normal tasks but no amount of rest can help. There's no blood test or other easily read biomarkers, so many doctors are reluctant to diagnose the condition no matter how bad things get. Scientists have finally shed some light on the condition, finding that your gut bacteria and inflammatory agents in the blood may have something to do with it. (Cha, 6/30)

Rome-News Tribune: Untreated Lyme Disease Can Mimic Early Alzheimer’s Symptoms
While Lyme disease can lead to serious health problems, confirmed cases are relatively rare in Northwest Georgia. Logan Boss, a spokesman for the Northwest Georgia Health District, said no cases have been confirmed so far this year in Northwest Georgia. There were fewer than five cases reported in 2015 and two cases reported in 2014 and 2013. (Walker, 6/30)

California Healthline: For This Man, Reducing Gun Violence Is A Life’s Mission
As the ancient Chinese proverb says, from crisis comes opportunity. That is certainly true for Garen Wintemute, a leading gun-violence researcher and emergency room doctor who finds “teaching moments” in the grief-filled days and weeks following mass shootings in America. He is currently seizing a window of opportunity recently opened by the recent mass shooting in Orlando, Florida. Wintemute, once named a “hero of medicine” by Time magazine, has led the Violence Prevention Research Program at the University of California, Davis Medical Center for 25 years. (Craft, 7/1)

KQED: Epigenetics: The Woes Of Your Ancestors May Remain For Generations To Come
The most notable effect from the experiment: The rats put under restraint whose great-great-grandparents were exposed to toxic chemicals fared much worse than the rats who were restrained but whose legacy was toxic-free. Rats with toxicity in their ancestry and who got restrained suffered altered brain anatomy and performed poorly on anxiety tests. The experiment falls within the field of epigenetics; this is the study of molecular changes that don’t alter DNA code but, rather, influence which genes get turned on or off—in other words, which genes get expressed. (Lovett, 6/30)

NPR: For Centuries, A Small Town Has Embraced Strangers With Mental Illness
At the center of Geel, a charming Belgian town less than an hour's drive from of Antwerp, is a church dedicated to Dymphna, a saint believed to have the power to cure mental disorders. It's a medieval church with stone arches, spires and a half-built bell tower, and it has inspired an unusual centuries-old practice: For over 700 years, residents of Geel have been accepting people with mental disorders, often very severe mental disorders, into their homes and caring for them. It isn't meant to be a treatment or therapy. The people are not called patients, but guests or boarders. They go to Geel and join households to share a life with people who can watch over them. Today, there are about 250 boarders in Geel. (7/1)

Austin Statesman: Lawmakers Launch Last-Ditch Effort To Block Texas Medicaid Cuts
In a last-ditch effort to stave off $350 million in cuts to a state Medicaid program that provides therapy to disabled children, federal and state lawmakers are asking the federal government to intervene. Families that have sued the state to stop the cuts before they go into effect July 15 have also asked the Texas Supreme Court to block the cuts by next Friday. (Chang, 6/30)

The Texas Tribune: More Lawmakers Call On Texas To Postpone Therapy Cuts
With two weeks to go before Texas seeks to slash a program's funding that pays for speech, physical and occupational therapy for children with disabilities, therapy providers are announcing new support from state lawmakers in an effort to postpone the budget cuts. It’s the latest development in a last-minute campaign to stop a $350 million cut to Medicaid, the federal-state insurer for the poor and disabled, that state lawmakers ordered in 2015 but has been tied up in court for nearly a year. (Walters, 6/30)

The Dallas Morning News: Therapy Providers Hire Former Chief Justice, Ask Texas Supreme Court To Halt Looming Medicaid Cuts
A group of six disabled children and the home care companies that supply their therapy services have asked the Texas Supreme Court to block looming Medicaid rate cuts. The plaintiffs, who suffered a setback in April when a state appellate court threw out their lawsuit, have hired former Supreme Court Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson to appeal the decision. (Garrett, 6/29)

In other Medicaid news —

Kansas Health Institute: Kansas Hospitals Seek Federal Intervention To Stop Medicaid Cuts
The Kansas Hospital Association is urging federal officials to stop Gov. Sam Brownback from implementing $56.4 million in Medicaid cuts set to take effect Friday. Brownback ordered the cuts in May to cover shortfalls in the fiscal year 2017 budget approved by the Legislature. The hospital association is asking the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to immediately intervene to stop the cuts, which include a 4 percent reduction in provider payments. (McLean, 6/30)

The Baltimore Sun: State Health Department Seeks Medicaid Funding For Residential Drug Treatment
The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is asking the federal government for new funding to cover residential drug treatment at small community facilities and private institutions, such as Sheppard Pratt in Towson. Medicaid now pays only for inpatient treatment at hospitals. (McDaniels, 6/30)

CBS News: N.M. Supreme Court: Doctors Can't Help Patients End Their Lives
The New Mexico Supreme Court has ruled that terminally ill patients cannot end their lives with help from doctors. In a 5-0 opinion issued Thursday, the high court overturned a previous district court decision that doctors could not be prosecuted under the state's assisted suicide law, which classifies helping with suicide as a fourth-degree felony. (6/30)

The Des Moines Register: Too Sick To Sue: Terminally Ill Iowan Gives Up Pursuing Right-To-Die Case
Jennifer Holm is giving up her plan to sue the state of Iowa for the right to obtain doctor assistance in ending her life...Holm, 45, has two terminal illnesses that she has battled for years. She hasn’t been given a specific timeline from doctors but she can tell that the diseases are advancing. She cites her dwindling energy, which has left her sleeping 14 hours or more most days, as the reason for her decision not to pursue a lawsuit against Iowa.

California Healthline: California Nurse Practitioners Lose Battle For Independent Practice, Again
Legislation to allow California’s nurse practitioners more independence in treating patients has fizzled for the year — and it’s not the first time. A proposed bill to expand the scope of nurse practitioners was scheduled to be heard by an Assembly committee this week, but was pulled by the measure’s author, state Senator Ed Hernandez (D-West Covina), after he determined that it did not have the votes needed to pass. (Bartolone, 7/1)

Concord Monitor: Staffing Changes Begin At New Hampshire Hospital
The labor dispute is the latest obstacle for New Hampshire Hospital, which has faced a nursing shortage in recent months and had to delay the opening of a new 10-bed crisis unit. The unit, which was completed last July, is set to launch Tuesday. It is meant to ease pressure on emergency rooms, where patients often wait for a bed to open up at New Hampshire Hospital. (Morris,6/30)

Georgia Health News: Piedmont, United Fail To Reach New Deal As Clock Runs Out
Eleventh-hour contract talks between Piedmont Healthcare and UnitedHealthcare ended Thursday evening without an agreement. So starting at midnight, five Piedmont hospitals, along with Piedmont physicians, would be out of network to tens of thousands of United members. That means they will face higher out-of-pocket costs to visit those facilities. (Miller, 6/30)

Atlanta Journal Constitution: Brian Kemp Tries To Quell A Nurses Revolt
If Secretary of State Brian Kemp runs for higher office, he first needs to quell a rebellion among one of Georgia’s most important constituencies. Our AJC colleague Chris Joyner reports Thursday that Kemp removed the head of the state nursing board, which is steadily clearing a backlog of complaints against nurses, without consulting the agency’s board members. And he’s replacing him with a less experienced director from the cosmetology board. (Galloway, Hallerman and Bluestein, 6/30)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Madison Health Care Systems And Insurance Companies Form New Collaborations
UW Health and UnityPoint Health said Thursday that they had agreed to explore combining their operations in Madison. The agreement would align UW Health's University Hospital and its physicians with UnityPoint Health-Meriter and its physicians. It also would combine Physicians Plus Insurance Corp., part of UnityPoint Health, with the health insurance company created by the recent merger of Unity Health Plans Insurance Corp., an affiliate of UW Health, and Gundersen Health Plan, part of Gundersen Health in La Crosse. (Boulton, 6/30)

San Antonio Express-News: Texas MedClinic Back In Blue Cross’ Network
Texas MedClinic, which runs urgent care centers in San Antonio, New Braunfels and Central Texas, will become an in-network provider for patients covered by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas health insurance plans Friday. (O'Hare, 6/30)

The Philadelphia Inquirer: HealthRight Is Buying HealthNext In Deal Between Two Area Firms
HealthRight L.L.C., of Conshohocken, has agreed to acquire HealthNext L.L.C., a Philadelphia company that offers employers roadmaps for reducing health-care costs, HealthRight said Thursday. The price was not disclosed, but John Palumbo, chief executive of HealthRight, which provides consumer health services online, estimated the combined value of the two companies at $100 million. (Brubaker, 6/30)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Vet Links Health Problems To Camp Lejeune
Baker and his older brothers Wayne and Walter all joined the Marines right out of high school. Wayne was sent from boot camp to Vietnam in 1972, followed a short time later by Walter, who helped bring back equipment from the war. ...All three were stationed at Camp Lejeune, the sprawling Marine base in North Carolina where authorities now acknowledge the drinking water was contaminated by chemicals for decades. (Jones, 6/30)

San Jose Mercury News: California's Vaccine Law: Opponents Moving, Home Schooling To Avoid Controversial Mandate
Senate Bill 277, which last year triggered one of the most contentious debates in the state Capitol in years, takes effect Friday. But tens of thousands of Californians still remain vehemently opposed to a mandate they consider a violation of their parental rights. The law, however, is being hailed by its proponents as a victory for public health. They say state records show it is already achieving measurable results in raising the number of vaccinated children. (Seipel, 6/30)

Marketplace: GMO Labels Are About To Hit Vermont Shelves
Grocery market shelves are about to look a lot different in Vermont beginning Friday because of a new state law that requires all food labels there to say whether products contain genetically modified ingredients. It’s been the source of fights within the industry, including a last-minute effort to supersede Vermont’s law with a national one that would make GMO disclosures through codes on labels that are readable by smartphones. With the state law set to take effect, however, producers have had to prepare strategies for selling in Vermont. (Kim, 6/30)

KQED: Northern California Has Highest Costs In The U.S. To Deliver A Baby
Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area ranked as the most expensive places to have a baby of 30 major metropolitan regions in the U.S. according to an analysis released Thursday. Sacramento came in first (congrats to you) where a vaginal birth cost $15,420 on average. The San Francisco Bay Area was a close second at $15,204. Minneapolis trailed in third place by almost $4,000, coming in at $11,527, and the least expensive of the 30 largest metropolitan areas surveyed was Kansas City, Missouri, where a vaginal delivery costs an avery $6,075. (Aliferis, 6/30)

The California Health Report: Maternal Mortality Has Declined In California, But Disparities Persist
California women are significantly less likely to die from childbirth complications than mothers nationwide, but racial disparities persist, according to a new report. There were 7.3 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in California in 2013, according to the California Health Care Foundation report released Wednesday. Nationwide, during the same year there were 22 maternal deaths for the same number of live births. (Guzik, 6/30)

MInnesota Public Radio: Success, Concerns Mark First Year Of Minnesota Medical Cannabis
Friday marks a year since medical marijuana became available to Wyatt (Hauser) and other Minnesotans. (Jessica) Hauser and others who pushed state lawmakers to allow it say the drug has changed many lives for the better. ... Overall, while most patients report seeing benefits from the drug the past year, others are still having a hard time finding doctors who would certify them. Many say it's too expensive, so they end up getting marijuana off the black market. (Feshir, 7/1)

San Francisco Chronicle: November Ballot Crowded With Weighty Measures
California voters will face a long and weighty list of statewide ballot measures this November — 17 measures in all made Thursday’s fall election deadline and they include big decisions on the death penalty, marijuana use and taxes on the wealthy. “It’s incredible the amount of substance and complexity on the November ballot,” said Mark Baldassare, president of the Public Policy Institute of California. “It’s going to be overwhelming for voters to deal with.” (Gutierrez, 7/1)

Morbidity and Mortality Weekly (CDC): Assessment Of Staffing, Services, And Partnerships Of Local Health Departments — United States, 2015
Beginning in 2008, the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) periodically surveyed local health departments (LHDs) to assess the impact of the economic recession on jobs and budgets .... Overall [in 2015], LHDs reported 3,400 jobs lost; 25% of LHDs reported budget decreases; 36% reported a reduction in at least one service area; and 35% reported serving fewer patients in clinics [compared to 2014]. In addition, up to 24% of LHDs reported expanding population-based prevention services, and LHDs reported exploring new collaborations with nonprofit hospitals and primary care providers (PCPs). ... Since 2008, LHDs have collectively lost 51,700 jobs because of layoffs and attrition. For many LHDs, the cumulative effects of budget cuts and job losses experienced during and after the recession have not been reversed as the economy recovered. (Newman et al., 7/1)

JAMA Pediatrics: Association Between Trauma Center Type And Mortality Among Injured Adolescent Patients
Although data obtained from regional trauma systems demonstrate improved outcomes for children treated at pediatric trauma centers (PTCs) compared with those treated at adult trauma centers (ATCs), differences in mortality have not been consistently observed for adolescents. ... Among 29 613 injured adolescents ..., most were treated at ATCs (20 402 [68.9%]), with the remainder at MTCs [mixed trauma centers] (7572 [25.6%]) or PTCs (1639 [5.5%]). ... Mortality among injured adolescents was lower among those treated at PTCs, compared with those treated at ATCs and MTCs. (Webman et al., 6/27)

George Mason University Mercatus Center: Affordable Care Act Turmoil
This study presents data from the 174 insurers that offered qualified health plans (QHPs)—plans that satisfy the ACA requirements and are certified to be sold on exchanges—in both the individual and small group markets in 2014. QHPs in both markets are essentially the same and are governed by nearly identical regulations, making possible a better-controlled analysis of the performance of insurers participating in the two markets. Average medical claims for individual QHP enrollees were 24 percent higher than average medical claims for group QHP enrollees. Moreover, average medical claims for individual QHP enrollees were 93 percent higher than average medical claims for individual non-QHP enrollees. As a result, insurers made large losses on individual QHPs despite receiving premium income that was 45 percent higher for individual QHP enrollees than for individual non-QHP enrollees. (Blase et al., 6/28)

The Kaiser Family Foundation: Modifying Medicare's Benefit Design: What's The Impact On Beneficiaries And Spending?
Proposals to modify the benefit design of traditional Medicare have been frequently raised in federal budget and Medicare reform discussions .... Typically, benefit design proposals include a single deductible for Medicare Part A and B services, modified cost-sharing requirements, and a new annual cost-sharing limit, combined with restrictions on “first-dollar” Medigap coverage. ... This report examines the expected effects of four options to modify Medicare’s benefit design and restrict Medigap coverage .... Proposals to modify the benefit design of traditional Medicare have the potential to decrease—or increase—federal spending and beneficiaries’ out-of-pocket spending, depending upon the specific features of each option. These options can be designed to maximize federal savings, limit the financial exposure of beneficiaries, or target relief to beneficiaries with low-incomes, but not simultaneously. (Cubanski et al., 6/29)

The Kaiser Family Foundation: Medicare Advantage Hospital Networks: How Much Do They Vary?
This report, the first broad-based study of Medicare Advantage networks, takes an in-depth look at plans’ hospital networks, examining their size and composition. The analysis draws upon data from 409 plans, including 307 HMOs and 102 local PPOs, serving beneficiaries in 20 diverse counties that together accounted for about one in seven (14%) Medicare Advantage enrollees nationwide in 2015. Key findings include: On average, Medicare Advantage plan networks included about half (51%) of all hospitals in their county. Most plans (80%) included an Academic Medical Center in their network, but one in five did not. Two in five plans in areas with an NCI-designated cancer center did not include the center in their networks. Almost one-quarter (23%) of Medicare Advantage plans in our study had broad hospital networks in 2015. About one in six plans (16%) had narrow or ultra-narrow networks. (Jacobson et al., 6/20)

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

Reuters: Doctors Less Satisfied, More Burned Out With Electronic Records
Most doctors who use electronic health records and order entry software tend to be less satisfied with how much time they spend on clerical tasks and are at higher risk of burnout than others, according to a new study. Electronic health records – EHR for short - are “focused on documentation for billing as opposed to efficient and effective documentation of clinical care,” said Dr. Ann O’Malley of Mathematica Policy Research in Washington, D.C., who was not part of the new study. This makes the EHR less useful for actual patient care, which can be frustrating for doctors, she told Reuters Health by email. (Doyle, 6/28)

JAMA: As Walking Movement Grows, Neighborhood Walkability Gains Attention
[T]oday there are almost 250 Walk with a Doc chapters around the country, with roughly 3000 physicians and other health professionals and more than 200 000 community members participating in regular group walks. “We look at it almost like a bonfire on a beach that has continued to grow,” said [Dr. David] Sabgir, who today sees heart patients at Mount Carmel St Ann’s Hospital outside Columbus. Many of the group’s doctors and community members are starting to advocate for “walkability” improvements in their neighborhoods, Sabgir said. (Abbasi, 6/29)

Reuters: Racially Biased Cancer Doctors Spend Less Time With Black Patients
Racial bias on the part of a doctor can lead to poor communication and medical treatment for black cancer patients, a U.S. study suggests. Researchers who analyzed video-recorded discussions between oncologists and African-American patients found that biased doctors spent less time with patients, and patients had a harder time remembering the contents of the conversation. (Doyle, 6/24)

The Wall Street Journal: The Next Big Debate In Health Care
With 91% of the population now covered by some form of health insurance, and the coverage rate higher in some states, the next big debate in health policy could be about the adequacy of coverage. That particularly means rising payments for deductibles and their impact on family budgets and access to care. This is about not just Obamacare but also the many more people who get insurance through an employer. (Drew Altman, 6/30)

The Baltimore Sun: America's Public Health Crisis: Gun Violence
This week, the National Summit on Preventing Youth Violence convened over 600 Justice Department officials, police chiefs, school leaders, health officials and young people from more than 30 cities in Baltimore to discuss our city's strategy for reducing youth violence. (Leana S. Wen, 7/1)

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Zika Becomes A Congress-Borne Disease
Just when you thought congressional misfeasance couldn’t get any worse, along comes political gamesmanship to sink funding to fight a public health menace. Somewhere today, probably in Florida, are pregnant women who’ve been bitten by mosquitoes carrying the Zika virus. In coming months, they’ll give birth to babies with severe birth defects. And they’ll have Congress to thank. (6/30)

Stat: Biden Should Take A Note From The ‘Original Moonshot’
The National Cancer Moonshot, an initiative headed by Vice President Joe Biden, sounds like it aims to cure cancer once and for all. Look at the details, though, and you’ll realize it lacks that noble goal and the singular focus of Present John F. Kennedy’s original moonshot — putting a man on the moon by 1969. Here’s how the vice president could reshape his initiative to match the focus of the original moonshot and make a real difference: aim to cure a single currently untreatable type of cancer. A key figure in American history links both the real moonshot and the one I am proposing: Neil Armstrong, the astronaut who first set foot on lunar soil. (Anil Adyanthaya, 6/30)

The New York Times: The Illicit Perks Of The M.D. Club
One of my patients recently had her request for a relatively common medication for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, Vyvanse, denied by her insurance provider. I tried to appeal the decision, but her father — the chief executive of a health care company who purchased insurance for hundreds of employees — had better luck. He called up the head of the insurance company and got the drug approved. Last year, my 5-year-old fractured her ankle. The bill for the 12-minute orthopedist’s appointment was $1,125, and about half of it was covered by insurance. I wrote the doctor a letter — please revise this bill, as it is clearly erroneous — and included my “M.D.” Instead, the doctor left me a message saying he was waiving the bill entirely as a professional courtesy. (Vatsal G. Thakkar, 6/30)

The Washington Post: As A Psychiatrist, I Diagnose Mental Illness. And, Sometimes, Demonic Possession.
I’m a man of science and a lover of history; after studying the classics at Princeton, I trained in psychiatry at Yale and in psychoanalysis at Columbia. That background is why a Catholic priest had asked my professional opinion, which I offered pro bono, about whether this woman was suffering from a mental disorder. This was at the height of the national panic about Satanism. (In a case that helped induce the hysteria, Virginia McMartin and others had recently been charged with alleged Satanic ritual abuse at a Los Angeles preschool; the charges were later dropped.) So I was inclined to skepticism. But my subject’s behavior exceeded what I could explain with my training. She could tell some people their secret weaknesses, such as undue pride. She knew how individuals she’d never known had died, including my mother and her fatal case of ovarian cancer. Six people later vouched to me that, during her exorcisms, they heard her speaking multiple languages, including Latin, completely unfamiliar to her outside of her trances. This was not psychosis; it was what I can only describe as paranormal ability. I concluded that she was possessed. Much later, she permitted me to tell her story. (Richard Gallagher, 7/1)

Sacramento Bee: Will Pot Initiative Energize Sanders Supporters To Vote In November?
What’s next for Sanders supporters in the wake of a disappointing loss? They will find ballot initiatives – and one in particular – of great interest in California’s November election. For this reason, we expect to see the Sanders voters return to the polls and have a broad impact on election outcomes. First and foremost is an initiative that would legalize the recreational use of marijuana. (Mark Baldassare, 6/30)

The Des Moines Register: First Non-Physician Leads Medical Board
The Iowa Board of Medicine took a big symbolic step forward this month to enhance its public accountability when it seated the first non-physician to chair the board that has overseen the licensure and regulation of Iowa’s physicians for 130 years. Diane Clark of Lake Mills was elected chair at the board’s organizational meeting in April and presided over her first meeting June 2-3 without fanfare. Gov. Terry Branstad appointed Clark to the board in 2011 and reappointed her in 2014. For the past three years, she has served on the board’s executive committee and was chair of the licensure committee. (Mark Bowden, 6/30)

The Kansas City Star: Tragedies Of Lead-Polluted Water Go Well Beyond Flint
The drinking water calamity in Flint, Mich., has drifted off the radar screen for many Americans. Yet the Flint mess — a massive failure of responsible government — is far from being permanently fixed. And its lessons go well beyond Michigan. CNN recently reported that some 5,300 water systems in the U.S. violate the Environmental Protection Agency’s lead and copper contamination rules and that’s a conservative estimate. (6/30)

Concord Monitor: A Strong Stance On Prescriptions
A footnote in a letter from Gov. Maggie Hassan last September to the state Board of Medicine pointed to a “glaring example” of the outdated guidelines doctors were using when prescribing controlled drugs. The state’s opioid crisis is fueled in part by overuse and abuse of these addictive prescribed painkillers, the governor wrote, but the guidelines are “mere recommendations” that by their own admission are even “weak” in some parts. She cited “concerning language” in a patient consent form: “I am aware that the chance of becoming addicted to my pain medication is very low.” (7/1)

Cleveland Plain Dealer: New Hope For Reducing Children's Risks Of Autism, ADHD And Intellectual Disabilities
For some time, many families have either feared or dealt with the impact of their children having autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, and/or intellectual disabilities. Options to reduce the chance of one's child developing such neurodevelopmental disorders have been limited. (Arthur Lavin, 7/1)

Louisville Courier-Journal: Camp Offers A Refuge For Kids With Cancer
At 17, Patrick talks of medical procedures like many kids his age discuss video games. Experimental T-cell therapy. Genetically engineered. Reinfusions. The patient sounds like a doctor. A cancer diagnosis will do that to you, even at a young age. Since he was 5, Patrick has battled lymphoblastic lymphoma five separate times. In the past, chemotherapy and stem cell transplants have weakened his body. (Amanda Beam, 6/30)