The Washington Post: After Ruling, The Future Of Abortion Pills Rest With Biden Or Trump
The Supreme Court’s decision Thursday not to impose restrictions on a key abortion drug, while a victory for abortion rights advocates, crystallizes the stakes of the next presidential election for access nationwide. Because a president has enormous power to influence federal agencies that oversee abortion policy, a potential Trump administration could unilaterally choose to do what the Supreme Court did not: impose strict restrictions on mifepristone, one of two drugs used in over 60 percent of abortions — or even move to take the drug off the market entirely. (Kitchener and Scherer, 6/13)

KFF Health News: KFF Health News' 'What The Health?': SCOTUS Rejects Abortion Pill Challenge — For Now
The Supreme Court has dismissed a challenge to the FDA’s approval of the abortion pill mifepristone, ruling unanimously that the anti-abortion doctor group that filed the suit lacked standing. But abortion opponents are expected to pursue other strategies to ban or restrict the medication. ... Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF president and CEO Drew Altman about KFF’s new “Health Policy 101” primer. (Rovner, 6/13)

Politico: The Anti-Abortion Wins Buried In The Supreme Court’s Unanimous Ruling Against Them 
The Supreme Court on Thursday slapped down an attempt by conservative doctors to roll back access to a widely used abortion pill — a seemingly decisive defeat for the anti-abortion movement almost exactly two years after the court overturned Roe v. Wade. Yet tucked in the pages of the unanimous ruling were potentially useful hints for abortion opponents, laying out a path to mount similar challenges to the medication in the future and limit abortion access in other ways. (Ollstein, 6/13)

The Hill: Abortion Pill Ruling: What To Know And What Comes Next
The 9-0 decision was authored by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who was appointed by former President Trump.  The ruling was procedural, meaning it didn’t address the underlying regulatory or safety issues the plaintiffs raised. Instead, Kavanaugh wrote that the alliance couldn’t show that any of its doctors had been directly impacted by the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) actions. (Weixel, 6/13)

NPR: Medication Abortion Providers Shocked And Relieved At Ruling
Some abortion providers were stockpiling mifepristone. Others were preparing to use alternative drug regimens to terminate pregnancies. But the Supreme Court’s decision on Thursday to uphold the FDA’s rules on abortion medication means none of that is necessary, at least right now. "We continue business as usual,” says Lauren Jacobson, a nurse practitioner in Massachusetts who provides abortion pills, including mifepristone, by mail. (Nadworny and Simmons-Duffin, 6/13)

In related news about mifepristone —

CNN: What A Medication Abortion Is Like, According To A Doctor 
“While many women obtain medication abortion from a clinic or their OB-GYN, others obtain the pills on their own to self-induce or self-manage their abortion,” said Dr. Daniel Grossman, a professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at the University of California, San Francisco. “A growing body of research indicates that self-managed abortion is safe and effective,” he said. (LaMotte, 6/13)

Politico: House Votes To Overturn Pentagon Abortion Policy, Pushing Defense Bill Hard-Right 
A Republican proposal to block a Biden administration policy that shores up troops’ access to abortion was added to the House Pentagon policy bill Thursday, a move that will jeopardize bipartisan support and complicate efforts to pass the legislation. Speaker Mike Johnson allowed a vote on the anti-abortion measure and a laundry list of other conservative amendments to ensure Republican support for the National Defense Authorization Act. But the tactic also means losing Democrats who had previously supported the bill, and there’s no guarantee Republicans can pass the bill. (O'Brien, 6/13)

AP: GOP Women Who Helped Defeat A Near-Total Abortion Ban Are Losing Reelection In South Carolina
A near-total abortion ban was defeated in South Carolina with the help of the only three Republican women in the Senate, but after Tuesday’s primary, they’re losing their election bids. Voters handed the senators – and winners of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage award for people who risk their careers for the greater good – two losses and a runoff after they joined with Democratic women to defeat the measure, saying a pregnant woman shouldn’t lose control of her body as soon as an egg is fertilized. (Collins, 6/12)

The Baltimore Sun: Maryland Reproductive Freedom Amendment Is 'Trojan Horse,' Opponents Say
Abortion-rights advocates are in the midst of a campaign to enshrine abortion protections in a state constitutional amendment this fall. Parental rights advocates also are gearing up in opposition — door-knocking and sharing literature with voters, preparing for TV and radio advertisements and fundraising. They say the proposed amendment establishing a right to reproductive freedom isn’t what it seems, making the claim, disputed by abortion-rights advocates, that the amendment would open the door for children to receive gender-affirming care without their parent’s consent. (Conrad, 6/14)

Gallup: Record Share Of U.S. Electorate Is Pro-Choice And Voting On It
A record-high 32% of U.S. voters say they would only vote for a candidate for major office who shares their views on abortion. The importance of a candidate’s abortion stance to one’s vote is markedly higher among pro-choice voters than it was during the 2020 presidential election cycle, while pro-life voters’ intensity about voting on the abortion issue has waned. Also, voters’ greater intensity on the issue today compared with 2020 is explained mainly by Democrats, while Republicans and independents have shown little change. (Brenan and Saad, 6/13)

USA Today: Map Shows Where Abortion Is On The Ballot In Upcoming Elections
With the November general election a few months away, residents in Colorado, Maryland, South Dakota and Florida will be able to vote on ballot initiatives related to abortion. (Chernikoff and Hoff, 6/14)

Roll Call: Senate Falls Short On IVF Vote
The Senate on Thursday fell short of the votes needed to move forward on legislation that would protect access to and expand coverage of commonly used fertility treatments, with just two Republicans joining Democrats in support of the legislation. (Cohen and Raman, 6/13)

The New York Times: How Baptists And The G.O.P. Took Different Paths On I.V.F.
that frozen embryos were to be considered children under the law, Andrew T. Walker, an ethicist at a Southern Baptist seminary in Kentucky, called a friend with an idea: to spread Alabama’s argument beyond Alabama. The Alabama ruling, which had threatened access to in vitro fertilization and other reproductive services in the state, caught many Americans, including conservatives, off guard. (Graham, 6/13)

The Wall Street Journal: Abortion-Pill Ruling And IVF Battle Highlight Vulnerability For GOP
Reproductive-rights advocates saw some momentum during a dramatic week in which the Supreme Court maintained widespread access to abortion pills and Republicans were put on the defensive over whether they support in vitro fertilization. The rapidly unfolding events came as abortion and fights over related issues such as IVF and contraception are expected to drive turnout in the 2024 election. President Biden has campaigned aggressively on a pledge to protect abortion following the 2022 Supreme Court ruling that eliminated the right to the procedure. Former President Donald Trump has taken credit for appointing justices who joined that decision but has struggled to articulate a message and has warned fellow Republicans that the issue is perilous for them. (Lucey and Kusisto, 6/14)

On birth control restrictions —

San Francisco Chronicle: Despite Abortion Pill Ruling, Crusade Against Contraceptives Continues
Even though the U.S. Supreme Court declined to limit the use of the abortion pill mifepristone Thursday, Republicans lawmakers have made little secret of what they want to ban next: contraceptives. From Donald Trump to Congress to state legislatures, conservatives are trying to restrict or deny access to contraceptives, often by employing campaigns riddled with misinformation and lies, like equating IUDs and emergency contraceptives with abortion. (Garofoli and Stein, 6/13)

In other news about maternal health care —

Military.com: DoD To Reimburse Service Members Up To $1,000 For Shipping Breast Milk During Military Moves 
The Defense Department will now cover certain costs for service members to ship breast milk during a permanent change of station move. Service members breastfeeding an infant up to 12 months old can now be reimbursed up to $1,000 in shipping expenses as part of ongoing initiatives to alleviate out-of-pocket costs for troops during military-related travel. The benefit does not apply to military spouses or other family members who are nursing infants. (Kime, 6/13)

Roll Call: Post-Dobbs, Maternal Mental Health Care Is Even More Complicated 
When J.H. became pregnant in 2022, she was already a single mom grappling with a recent autism diagnosis for her youngest child. She was exhausted, physically and mentally. Overwhelmed by her situation and in need of emotional support, the Montgomery, Ala., woman connected with Access Reproductive Care-Southeast, a Georgia-based group that provides logistical support for women in the region seeking abortions. The experience changed both her feelings about abortion and her approach to mental health. (Raman, 6/13)

The Texas Tribune: Texas Panhandle Has Few Options For Maternal Care
Texas’ urban cities can offer women a luxe birthing suite, equipped with high-tech monitoring for mom and the baby, spacious rooms and a full team to handle any emergency. That isn’t the case in the Panhandle, where just eight hospitals are scattered in the 26,000 square mile region. Instead of high-tech monitoring, women are hooked up to the most basic medical equipment in a cramped and outdated room. There is no emergency team in the face of risks or complications, except in Amarillo. (Carver, 6/14)

PBS NewsHour: Miscarriage Is Common. These Researchers Are On A Mission To Better Understand Why
Up to a million pregnancies in the United States end in miscarriage every year. For many patients, there’s no answer about why. ... Yet in most cases, the cause is not investigated or identified until multiple pregnancy losses have occurred. As many as half of pregnancies that end in miscarriage and stillbirth have no explanation. And stigma and shame keep many people who experience miscarriage from discussing it. “It’s not something that people are willing to share. It’s often kept as a family secret.” (Norris and Liesendahl, 6/13)

Stat: Placenta-On-A-Chip Could Mimic Impact Of Drugs And Toxins
Early in her pregnancy in 2015, Nicole Hashemi wanted to know how much caffeine was safe for her to consume. Hashemi figured there ought to be a way for her to quantify how much caffeine from the tea or coffee she consumed would be transported to her growing baby. Her solution: to build a simplified model of the placenta that would show, using microfluidic technology, just how fluids move through channels and across barriers, in what amounts, and with what effects. (Balthazar, 6/13)

The Wall Street Journal: Medicare Will Recalculate Quality Ratings Of Medicare Advantage Plans
The federal government plans to redo this year’s quality ratings of private Medicare plans, a move that will deliver hundreds of millions in additional bonus payments to insurers next year. The decision by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services was announced late Thursday, after The Wall Street Journal reported the agency’s plans. It comes in the wake of two court rulings that faulted the agency’s ratings, in cases filed by insurers SCAN Health Plan and Elevance Health. (Mathews, 6/13)

Nation of Change: The Medicare Advantage Paradox: How Private Insurers Cost Taxpayers Billions
Medicare Advantage (MA) has recently reached a milestone with enrollment surpassing 30 million. The health insurance industry’s trade group claims MA is beneficial for both members and taxpayers. However, recent studies and reports from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) reveal that MA overpayments have significantly burdened taxpayers. MedPAC estimated that MA over payments added $82 billion to taxpayer costs in 2023 and $612 billion between 2007 and 2024. These over payments are driven by two main strategies: Diagnosis up-coding and avoiding enrollees who require costly care. (Jacobo, 6/13)

CMS headquarters is temporarily closed —

The Washington Post: Medicare Shutters Headquarters After Legionella Bacteria Detected 
The Baltimore-area headquarters of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is closed after bacteria linked to a serious pneumonia called Legionnaire’s disease was discovered in the water supply. Officials described the move as precautionary and said they were not aware of any staff members suffering health issues related to the bacteria. The General Services Administration found the Legionella bacteria when testing new plumbing fixtures before reopening construction sites at CMS headquarters, which has been undergoing renovations. The building was shuttered Friday. (Diamond, 6/13)

Stat: USDA Reports Suggest Containing Bird Flu Outbreak In Dairy Cows Will Be Challenging
The U.S. Department of Agriculture released two reports Thursday that lay out what has been learned about how H5N1 bird flu is moving among dairy cow herds in the United States. The reports do not shed much new light on the situation. Instead, they sum up what is known: that the outbreak was probably the result of a single “spillover” of the virus from wild birds into a dairy herd, likely late last year, and that movement of cows, farmworkers, and shared equipment appears to be responsible for the spread. (Branswell, 6/13)

CIDRAP: USDA Reports Reveal Biosecurity Risks At H5N1-Affected Dairy Farms 
Shared equipment and shared personnel working on multiple dairy farms are some of the main risk factors for ongoing spread of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian flu in dairy cows, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) said today in a pair of new epidemiologic reports. (Schnirring, 6/13)

USA Today: Bird Flu Has Spread To Dairy Farms In 12 States. Data Remains Thin
People and public officials should be "alert but not alarmed" about the current bird flu outbreak, federal authorities said in a Thursday call with reporters. In two new reports, released midday Thursday, officials added details about the spread and status of the outbreak of what is formally called the "highly pathogenic avian influenza." Cattle on more than 90 farms in 12 states have been infected since late last year, as well as three people who caught the disease from cattle. (Weintraub, 6/13)

Stat: Global Vaccine Expert Criticizes 'Ineptitude' Of U.S. Bird Flu Response
Seth Berkley, a longtime and widely respected global health leader, said Thursday that it has been “shocking to watch the ineptitude” of the U.S. response to the avian influenza outbreak among dairy cattle, adding his voice to a chorus of critics. In a presentation in London about vaccine development, Berkley, the former CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, raised the issue of H5N1 bird flu when discussing whether the world was ready for another pandemic following its experience with Covid-19. (Joseph, 6/13)

NBC News: FDA Recommends Covid Vaccine Update To Target KP.2 Strain
The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday it had advised drugmakers to update the Covid vaccines to target the KP.2 strain, a descendant of the highly contagious JN.1 variant that began circulating widely in the U.S. this winter. The announcement came just over a week after an FDA advisory panel voted unanimously to recommend that the Covid vaccines for the fall be updated to target the JN.1 variant or one of its descendants. (Lovelace Jr., 6/13)

Reuters: US Government To Fund Up To $500 Mln For Studies On Oral, Nasal COVID Vaccines 
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said on Thursday it will provide up to $500 million for mid-stage trials evaluating vaccines administered as a nasal spray or pill to protect against symptomatic COVID-19.The funding is part of Project NextGen, a $5 billion initiative led by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), to advance a pipeline of new, innovative vaccines and therapeutics providing broader and more durable protection against COVID-19 infection. (6/13)

Reuters: Moderna Says Next-Generation COVID Vaccine Efficacy Non-Inferior To Current Shot
Moderna said on Thursday its next-generation COVID-19 vaccine candidate showed it was not inferior in efficacy compared to its approved shot in a late-stage study. The experimental vaccine, which met the main trial goal, was being tested in more than 11,000 people aged 12 years and older. The shot showed superior efficacy in adults than the current vaccine sold under the brand Spikevax. (6/13)

Also —

CIDRAP: Low-Cost, At-Home Antibody Test Can Flag Low Immunity Against COVID-19, Researchers Say
An at-home antibody test can gauge users' immunity to COVID-19, alerting to the need for a vaccine booster dose, a University of North Carolina–led research team reports in Science Advances. The investigators evaluated the performance of the low-cost lateral-flow antibody test in 168 healthcare workers with weak COVID-19 vaccine responses. They also measured SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody and T-cell responses among all participants before and after a third vaccine dose. (Van Beusekom, 6/13)

Nature: What Causes Long COVID? Case Builds For Rogue Antibodies
Antibodies isolated from people with long COVID increase pain sensitivity and reduce movement in mice when transferred to the animals, research shows1. The findings suggest that antibodies might drive some symptoms of long COVID — although how that process works is unclear, and the results will need to be replicated in larger studies. “I think this will be a beacon of a paper that we can take forwards to further understand long COVID,” says Resia Pretorius, an immunologist at Stellenbosch University in South Africa. (Wong, 6/13)

Reuters: Pentagon Ran Secret Anti-Vax Campaign To Incite Fear Of China Vaccines
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. military launched a secret campaign to counter what it perceived as China’s growing influence in the Philippines, a nation hit especially hard by the deadly virus. The clandestine operation has not been previously reported. It aimed to sow doubt about the safety and efficacy of vaccines and other life-saving aid that was being supplied by China, a Reuters investigation found. Through phony internet accounts meant to impersonate Filipinos, the military’s propaganda efforts morphed into an anti-vax campaign. Social media posts decried the quality of face masks, test kits and the first vaccine that would become available in the Philippines – China’s Sinovac inoculation. (Bing and Schectman, 6/14)

In case you missed it —

The Economist: The Chinese Scientist Who Sequenced Covid Is Barred From His Lab
Since covid-19 emerged over four years ago in the central city of Wuhan, the Communist Party has made life miserable for those seeking to study the disease and share their findings with the world. Take Zhang Yongzhen, a Chinese virologist whose team sequenced the genome of the virus that causes covid in early 2020. Days later he granted permission for a British scientist to publish the groundbreaking work. This allowed the world to design covid tests and begin developing vaccines. But to party officials, hell-bent on deflecting blame for their missteps in managing the outbreak, it was a betrayal. Dr Zhang’s lab was investigated for wrongdoing. (5/2)

WION: Scientist Who Developed China’s First Vaccine Now Facing Disciplinary Charges, Expelled From Parliament 
The scientist who led the efforts to develop China’s first anti-Covid vaccine has now been expelled from the parliament and is facing serious charges, reported Hong-based media outlet South China Morning Post. Yang Xiaoming is a veteran researcher and former chairman of China National Biotec Group, a vaccine subsidiary of state-owned Sinopharm. It was only under his leadership that China developed Sinopharm’s BBIBP-CorV vaccine, China’s first coronavirus shot. (4/29)

CIDRAP: More COVID-19 Patients Died In Understaffed Hospitals, New Data Show
A new study in the International Journal of Nursing Studies suggests chronically understaffed US hospitals had higher rates of COVID-19 patient deaths early in the pandemic. "Our study found that individuals' likelihood of surviving was related to hospitals' investments in nursing services prior to the pandemic—in terms of hiring sufficient numbers of RNs [registered nurses], employing nurses with bachelor's educational preparation, and sustaining favorable work environments," said Karen Lasater, PhD, RN, the lead author of the study, in a press release from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. (Soucheray, 6/13)

Los Angeles Times: A Nurses Union In Riverside Fined Millions For Pandemic Strike 
The union representing nurses at Riverside Community Hospital has been ordered to pay more than $6 million to the hospital for the fallout from a 2020 strike. The unusual financial penalty was imposed by an arbitrator who found the 10-day work stoppage during the pandemic violated the terms of the labor agreement signed by HCA Healthcare, which operates the hospital, and Service Employees International Union Local 121RN. (Hussain, 6/13)

Modern Healthcare: Nursing Home Staffing Mandate Could Be Overturned In Congress
A congressional bid to overturn a regulation imposing staffing minimums on nursing homes is picking up momentum, with a key Democrat arguing Congress should vote within weeks, but the Republican leading the campaign says he wants a veto-proof majority. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services finalized a rule in April that mandates nursing homes provide at least 3.48 hours of nursing care per resident, per day. (McAuliff, 6/13)

The Baltimore Sun: Residents Unionize At University Of Maryland Medical Center
In a historic first for Maryland, residents and fellow physicians at the University of Maryland Medical Center have voted to unionize, according to election results shared Thursday night by the Maryland chapter of the American Federation of Teachers. (Roberts, 6/13)

CBS News: Ascension Cyberattack Caused After Employee Accidentally Downloaded Malicious File
Last month's cyberattack on Ascension hospitals nationwide happened because of what an investigation determined was a simple employee mistake. ... After bringing in a third-party company to investigate the attack, Ascension says the attacker gained access to its systems when an employee working at one of their facilities accidentally downloaded a malicious file, according to a release from Ascension. (Powers, 6/13)

Chicago Tribune: Criminals Likely Stole Personal Information In Ascension Cyberattack
Cybercriminals stole files from hospital system Ascension that likely contained personal information, Ascension said in a statement Wednesday, about a month after revealing it had fallen victim to a ransomware attack. Ascension said it now has evidence that the attackers took files from seven of the system’s 25,000 file servers. (Schencker, 6/13)

More hospital news —

CBS News: Chicago Hospital ER Closed To New Patients Due To Sweltering Heat Inside
The emergency room at Community First Medical Center in the Portage Park neighborhood was placed on bypass Thursday. This meant the hospital, at 5645 W. Addison St., would not accept any new patients—including those coming by ambulance. The Illinois Department of Public Health said this was because of sweltering temperatures inside the hospital. Earlier this month, staff at the hospital said they were working in 80- and 90-degree temperatures inside the ER. (Cramer, 6/13)

San Francisco Chronicle: Alameda Hospital Cuts Elective Surgeries; Are Emergent Surgeries Next?
The only hospital in the city of Alameda, the public Alameda Hospital, will no longer perform elective surgeries after June 30 and plans to send those patients to two sister hospitals in Oakland and San Leandro. Hospital leaders said the move to reroute elective procedures is to “ensure the long-term viability” of Alameda Hospital and help offset the cost of seismic upgrades the hospital must complete by 2030 to remain operational. But many nurses and doctors worry the move will compromise patient care. (Ho, 6/13)

KFF Health News: Indiana Weighs Hospital Monopoly As Officials Elsewhere Scrutinize Similar Deals
Locals in this city of 58,000 are used to having to wait at railroad crossings for one of the dozens of daily cargo trains to pass through. But a proposed merger between the two hospitals on either side of the city could exacerbate the problem in emergencies if the hospitals shut down some services, such as trauma care, at one site, which the proposal cites as a possibility. Tom High, fire chief of a nearby township, said some first responders would be forced to transport critical patients farther, risking longer delays, if they become what locals call “railroaded” by a passing train. (Liss, 6/14)

Modern Healthcare: Hospital-At-Home Sees Expansion With Medicaid Pay
Florida health systems are waiting for Medicaid hospital-at-home reimbursement to kick in as the state joins a growing group reimbursing for such services, though other states remain cautious about paying for a program with an uncertain future. Approximately 330 hospitals across 37 states offer at-home acute care services through a waiver the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services created during the COVID-19 pandemic for Medicare and fee-for-service Medicaid. (Eastabrook, 6/13)

Other health industry updates —

Bloomberg: Oracle Cerner Contract With US Veterans Affairs Extended For Another Year
Oracle Corp.’s massive contract to modernize the health records system with the US Department of Veterans Affairs has been extended 11 months following renegotiations. The extension will have “an emphasis on improved fiscal and performance accountability,” the VA said Thursday in a statement. The VA is working toward “resuming site deployments in fiscal year 2025,” it said. (Ford, 6/13)

The Colorado Sun: Denver-Area Community Health Center Merging With Mental Health Provider
Two large health care organizations that serve historically disadvantaged populations in the northwestern Denver metro area — one that focuses on physical health care, the other focused on mental health care — have announced plans to merge. (Ingold, 6/14)

Politico: Three Takeaways From POLITICO’s ‘Transforming Health Care’ Event 
Lawmakers, top agency officials and private sector leaders are bullish on the potential of new medical technology diagnostics to alter the health care system, but they acknowledge barriers remain. Those include artificial intelligence, next-generation diagnostic testing and precision medicine. And to examine their promise and potential roadblocks, POLITICO spoke with medical experts and government leaders at a summit in Washington on Thursday. (Leonard, 6/13)

The Wall Street Journal: Executives From ADHD Telehealth Startup Arrested, Charged With Fraud In Alleged Adderall Scheme
The founder and head doctor of telehealth company Done Global were arrested and charged with fraud, accused by federal authorities of conspiring to provide easy access to Adderall and other stimulants. Done founder Ruthia He and clinical leader David Brody allegedly arranged for the prescription of more than 40 million stimulant pills and targeted “drug seekers,” spending tens of millions of dollars on “deceptive” social-media advertising, according to the Justice Department. (Winkler, 6/13)

CNN: CDC Warns Access To ADHD Meds May Be Disrupted After Arrests Of Health-Care Startup Executives
People taking medications for ADHD, or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, may face disruptions in accessing treatment after the arrests of two executives of a telehealth company that distributed such drugs to adults across the United States. (Howard, 6/13)

More pharmaceutical developments —

Stat: FDA Seeks Public Input On Advisory Committees
The day an FDA advisory committee met to weigh the merits of an experimental treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis was one of the worst of Mitze Klingenberg’s life. Her son Matt had benefited, she said, from an ALS treatment under review for approval by the Food and Drug Administration. However, the expert panel voted against the therapy on that day, Sept. 27, 2023. (Keshavan, 6/13)

Modern Healthcare: Blue Cross Idaho, Amazon Pharmacy Launch Partnership
Blue Cross of Idaho said Tuesday it has partnered with Amazon Pharmacy to offer at-home delivery of prescriptions to its members. It's one of the latest Blue Cross Blue Shield plans to team up with the company. Through the arrangement, Blue Cross of Idaho members can transfer existing prescriptions to Amazon Pharmacy's platform to get at-home delivery. An Amazon Prime membership is not needed for this service, though users will need an Amazon account, according to the company. (DeSilva, 6/13)

Reuters: Employer Coverage For Weight-Loss Drugs Rises Sharply, Survey Finds
About one-third of U.S. employer health plans are offering coverage of GLP-1 drugs for both diabetes management and weight loss, up from last year, according to a survey of global employers released on Thursday by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. GLP-1 drugs for weight loss grew as a portion of employers' overall medical claims spending to 8.9% in 2024 from 6.9% in 2023, the trade group's survey found. Only about 26% of employers offered the drugs last year. (Niasse, 6/13)

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Gross-Tasting Medications Can Be A Barrier To Treatment. Philly Researchers Developed A ‘Bitter Blocker’ To Help
Peihua Jiang knows how difficult it can be to convince a child to take a sip of a bitter liquid medication. ... And as a neurobiologist, Jiang knew the medical issues at stake went beyond a minor inconvenience. Swallowing pills can be difficult for many young children and elderly people. Liquid medications are easier to consume, but their taste is often so off-putting that some patients will avoid them entirely — a significant barrier to good health for those who need to take lifesaving medications. (Whelan, 6/13)

Idaho Capital Sun: Biden’s Title IX Transgender Protections Blocked In Federal Court 
A federal judge has temporarily halted enforcement of new rules from the Biden administration that would prevent discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty of Louisiana issued a temporary injunction Thursday that blocks updated Title IX policy from taking effect Aug. 1 in Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi and Montana. In April, the U.S. Department of Education announced it would expand Title IX to protect LGBTQ+ students, and the four aforementioned states challenged the policy in federal court. (Larose, 6/13)

In health news from Florida —

Health News Florida: Enrollment In Florida’s Medicaid Program Drops Another 36,000 In May 
Enrollment in Florida’s Medicaid program continued to drop in May, with 4.423 million people receiving health care through the system, according to newly posted data on the state Agency for Health Care Administration website. (6/14)

Health News Florida: DeSantis' 2024-25 Budget Gives A High Priority To Health Care Measures 
This year’s legislative session flew under the banner of “Live Healthy," the name given to four prioritized initiatives to help grow Florida’s health care workforce, increase access and incentivize innovation. So, it’s no surprise that Gov. Ron DeSantis’ $116.5 billion budget for fiscal 2024-25, signed Wednesday in Tampa, weighed heavily in that direction. (Mayer, 6/13)

From California —

Politico: Top Newsom Adviser Steps Away From Healthcare Initiative Amid Standoff With Allies
California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s growing discomfort with a proposed ballot initiative sponsored by leading health care groups is spilling out into the public amid tense discussions over the November ballot and state budget. Jim DeBoo, a top consultant in Sacramento and a former chief of staff to Newsom, confirmed to POLITICO on Thursday that he’s stepped away from his leadership role on the campaign to use a tax on some health insurance to fund improvements in Medi-Cal. (Cadelago and Bluth, 6/13)

KFF Health News: California Lawmakers Preserve Aid To Older, Disabled Immigrants
California lawmakers on Thursday passed a 2024-25 budget that rejected Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal to cut in-home supportive services for low-income older, blind, and disabled immigrants lacking legal residency. However, the Democratic governor has not said whether he’ll use his line-item veto authority to help close the state’s $45 billion deficit. (Sánchez, 6/14)

ABC News: New Study Shows Up To 43% Of US Households Are Not Storing Guns Securely
Firearms are the leading cause of death in the United States for children aged 0-19 years, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting over 4,700 pediatric gun-related deaths in 2021. Many of those deaths are unintentional. A new study published by the CDC described how often guns are stored in different U.S. states. Up to 43% of households store loaded guns, which is not considered safe, while half of the households that store guns loaded with ammunition do not put them in locked containers, according to the study. (March and Parekh, 6/13)

Military.com: Army Doctor Tells Lewiston Shooting Commission That Oversight Of Mental Health Differs For Reservists 
A U.S. Army mental health expert told Lewiston shooting commission members Thursday that reservists in charge of Robert Card did not have to follow the same protocol for follow-up care as those who supervise active-duty military personnel. But Col. Mark Ochoa, a doctor stationed at Fort Liberty in North Carolina (formerly Fort Bragg) involved in the Army's psychological health program, also acknowledged under questioning that Card's commanders ultimately had the responsibility for ensuring he was being treated properly. (Russell, 6/13)

In cancer news —

Axios: Melanoma Skin Cancer Rates Rising Across U.S.
Doctors are diagnosing more people with melanoma. Although melanoma accounts for only about 1% of skin cancers, it's responsible for the large majority of skin cancer deaths, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). (Mallenbaum, 6/14)

Central Florida Public Media: More Cancer In Younger Adults? Experts Look For Answers In Colorectal Mystery
Erin Susino disconnected from reality when her doctors told her she had colorectal cancer. The 42-year-old is part of a growing trend of cancer diagnosis among people ages of 20 to 49. (Pedersen, 6/13)

CNN: Suntegrity Sunscreen Foundation Recalled Due To Possible Mold Contamination
Las Vegas-based skincare company Suntegrity is recalling nine lots of Impeccable Skin Sunscreen Foundation after tests revealed “higher than acceptable” levels of Aspergillus sydowii mold in some tubes, according to a notice posted on the US Food and Drug Administration’s website Wednesday. (Davis, 6/13)

In other health and wellness news —

CIDRAP: Survey Reveals Many Americans Don't Know Much About STIs Like Syphilis
Many US adults harbor misconceptions about sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as syphilis, despite its potential seriousness and cases rising around the world, the latest University of Pennsylvania Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) survey shows. Just over half of respondents (54%) knew that syphilis can be cured, most (84%) mistakenly believed that a vaccine to prevent the disease is available, and 45% said they weren't sure whether there is a vaccine. (Van Beusekom, 6/13)

CBS News: Safety Concerns Arise Over Weighted Baby Sleeping Products After Commission's Warning
Sleep-deprived new parents are increasingly turning to weighted sleep sacks and blankets to help their infants sleep better and longer. But the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Consumer Product Safety Commission have raised serious safety concerns. The AAP says these products are unsafe for infants, and the CPSC told CBS News investigating "multiple fatalities associated with" weighted infant products. (Werner and Novak, 6/13)

USA Today: Heat Wave In Forecast For USA: Cities Try To Keep Residents Safe
Forecasters warn a dangerous and potentially record-breaking heat wave will spread across much of the central and eastern U.S. next week, a moment health officials have been dreading and preparing for. The incoming heat could set records from Texas to New England and will put people not prepared for the extreme temperatures at risk. ... The stakes are high: Every day of extreme heat in the United States claims about 154 lives, according to a 2022 study. (Cuevas and Rice, 6/14)

The Wall Street Journal: Lilly’s Weight-Loss Drug Is A Huge Hit. Its CEO Wants To Replace It ASAP.
Dave Ricks is pushing his scientists to find an even more potent anti-obesity treatment. "Lilly’s got a lead, and we plan to exploit that lead." (Mendoza, Kwong and Loftus, 6/13)

Reuters: Olympic Athletes Turn To Diabetes Tech In Pursuit Of Medals 
Olympians including Dutch marathon runner Abdi Nageeye are using a new tool they hope will boost their medal chances this summer: tiny monitors that attach to the skin to track blood glucose levels. Continuous glucose monitors or CGMs were developed for use by diabetes patients but their makers, led by Abbott and Dexcom, also spy opportunities in sports and wellness. (Burger, 6/10)

Politico: Colorado’s Weed Market Is Coming Down Hard And It’s Making Other States Nervous
On Jan. 1, 2014, Iraq War veteran Sean Azzariti made headlines worldwide as the first person in the U.S. to buy legal weed. More than 10 years later, 3D Cannabis, the dispensary in Denver’s Elyria-Swansea neighborhood where the historic purchase was made, displays a makeshift sign announcing it is “temporarily closed.” ... Regulatory burdens, an oversaturated market and increasing competition from nearby states have all landed major blows, leaving other states with newer marijuana markets scrambling to avoid the same mistakes. (Zhang, 6/9)

Undark: Allergy Labels: This May Contain Peanuts (Or Maybe Not)
When Ina Chung, a Colorado mother, first fed packaged foods to her infant, she was careful to read the labels. Her daughter was allergic to peanuts, dairy, and eggs, so products containing those ingredients were out. So were foods with labels that said they may contain the allergens. Chung felt like this last category suggested a clear risk that wasn’t worth taking. “I had heard that the ingredient labels were regulated. And so I thought that that included those statements,” said Chung. “Which was not true.” (Beans, 6/10)

USA Today: 110-Year-Old's Brain Will Be Donated, Studied
Morrie Markoff, who died June 3, lived to the age of 110. His brain will be studied by scientists seeking to learn more about the aging process ‒ and why some people slide into dementia and cognitive decline but others, like Markoff, remain sharp to the end. (Trethan, 6/13)

The New York Times: 3 Days in Space Were Enough to Change 4 Astronauts’ Bodies and Minds
Space changes you, even during short trips off the planet. Four people who spent three days off Earth in September 2021 experienced physical and mental changes that included modest declines in cognitive tests, stressed immune systems and genetic changes within their cells, scientists report in a package of papers published on Tuesday in the journal Nature and several other related journals. (Chang, 6/12)

The New York Times: Ancient Genomes Reveal Which Children the Maya Selected for Sacrifice
Thousand-year-old DNA from Chichén Itzá offers eye-opening details of the religious rituals of ancient Maya. The search did not start as an exercise in ancient Maya rituals. In the mid-2000s, Rodrigo Barquera — now an immunogeneticist at the Max Planck Institute — was hoping to discover the genetic legacy of Mesoamerica’s deadliest pandemic. (Kreier, 6/12)

Stat: Telling New Stories Can Help People Get Beyond Vaccine Hesitancy
Nearly nine in 10 Americans strongly believe in the overall value of childhood vaccines. Reflecting the value communities place on them, every state and the District of Columbia require children to get vaccinated against certain diseases before they start school, including measles, mumps, polio, tetanus, whooping cough, and chickenpox. (Julie Sweetland, 6/14)

Stat: The Legal Battle Over Abortion Pills Has Harmed Pregnancy Care
The Supreme Court unanimously shut down one of many troubling tugs of war over access to abortion. By tossing out FDA v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, it quashed the utterly mistaken notion that the Food and Drug Administration improperly approved mifepristone, a drug used for medical abortion, nearly a quarter century ago. (Elizabeth Schmidt, 6/13)

The New York Times: The Abortion Pill Stays Legal. But For How Long? 
Rarely has a straightforward 9-to-0 decision at the Supreme Court felt as unsettling as it did on Thursday. (Jesse Wegman, 6/13)

Newsweek: To Address Infertility, It's Time To Give Real Reproductive Health Options 
Women should not spend years in pain struggling with "unexplained infertility" when restorative treatments could alleviate their pain and remove barriers to successfully conceiving and carrying children. Such methods may also increase a couple's success rates if they decide to still use IVF, too. (Natalie Dodson and Emma Waters, 6/13)

Stat: Certificate Of Need Laws Hurt, Not Help, Rural Health Care, Expert Says
News watchers around the U.S. have likely seen the warnings: without certificate of need (CON) laws, hospitals will be forced to close their doors when for-profit organizations open and cherry pick commercially insured patients, leaving those in rural areas without care. The reality is that even with certificate of need laws in place, rural patients are already without care. States with these laws have 30% fewer rural hospitals and 13% fewer rural ambulatory surgical centers. (Sofia Hamilton and Thomas Kimbrell, 6/14)