The New York Times: Obama Says Enrollment In Affordable Care Act Reaches 20 Million
President Obama said on Thursday that enrollment in health coverage under the Affordable Care Act had reached a new high, 20 million, and he called the law an overwhelming success in [Milwaukee] and around the nation despite Republicans’ implacable opposition. “Congressional Republicans have tried and failed to repeal Obamacare about 60 times,” Mr. Obama said to an audience [in Milwaukee]. “They have told you what they would replace it with about zero times.” He continued, his voice rising: “If they got their way, 20 million people would have their insurance taken away from them. Twenty million people!” (Harris, 3/3)

The Washington Post: Obama: 20 Million People Gain Coverage Under 2010 Health Law
The administration described the drop in uninsured numbers as “historic.” In a statement, Sylvia Mathews Burwell, secretary of health and human services, said, “We have seen progress in the last six years that the country has sought for generations.” The new findings show that more than 6 million adults ages 19 to 25 have gained insurance under the law. Gains in coverage among previously uninsured adults were strong across all racial and ethnic groups, according to the report. (McGinley, 3/3)

The Associated Press: Obama Cites Gains In Health Coverage During Milwaukee Visit
Congratulating local leaders in Wisconsin for winning a national health insurance enrollment contest, Obama acknowledged that millions more are eligible to enroll but have yet to do so. He attributed some of that to acrimony over the law, saying people haven't always known what's true and what's not. Obama was introduced at the event by Brent Brown of Mosinee, Wisconsin, who said he's a Republican who never voted to elect Obama and worked to ensure he would not be president. But he said the health care law saved his life after he was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease and ran out of money for treatment. Brown called on Republicans to quit trying to repeal the law. "Swallow your pride as I am doing right now," he said. (Freking, 3/3)

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: Man Cites Own Experience With ACA In Obama Introduction
It's not very often that President Barack Obama gets upstaged. But that's what happened Thursday at the Bruce-Guadalupe Middle School when Brent Brown of Mosinee, a Republican who voted against the president in two elections, came out to introduce Obama. (Glauber, Spicuzza and Johnson, 3/3)

The Washington Post: Trump Was Center Of Attention And Attacks In GOP Debate
Billionaire Donald Trump entered Thursday night’s GOP debate as the race’s front-runner – but he spent much of the night on the defensive, struggling to explain his positions to skeptical moderators, arguing with his rivals, even trying to drown out their arguments with shouted insults. “I won 10 states,” Trump said at one point, reasserting his dominance on a night when it seemed to be under assault. “I am by far the leader!” ... Moderator Chris Wallace had one of most powerful moments of the early going, pressing Trump to explain a claim that he would save $300 billion from Medicare drug purchases, when the U.S. only spends $78 billion total on Medicare drug purchases. Trump seemed to dodge the question, despite Wallace’s repeated efforts to pin him down. (Fahrenthold, 3/3)

The Washington Post: Fact-Checking The 11th GOP Debate
Fox News aired the 11th GOP presidential debate on March 3, a prime-time event starring the four remaining aspirants for the Republican nomination. Not every candidate uttered statements that are easily fact checked, but the following is a list of 14 suspicious or interesting claims. ... “I’m not only talking about drugs, I’m talking about other things. We will save $300 billion a year if we properly negotiate. We don’t do that. We don’t negotiate. We don’t negotiate anything," Trump said. This is the first time that Trump has said that his repeated claim that he would save $300 billion on prescription drugs in Medicare actually was supposed to mean negotiating for a range of products in the Medicare system. As we have noted previously, his earlier statements made no sense because total spending in Medicare Part D (prescription drugs) in 2014 was $78 billion. But the $300 billion pledge doesn’t make much sense either. Projected Medicare spending in 2016 is $560 billion, so Trump unrealistically is claiming he will cut spending nearly 55 percent. (Kessler and Lee, 3/4)

The Associated Press Fact Check: Claims From The GOP Debate
"Because of the fact that the pharmaceutical companies are not mandated to bid properly, they have hundreds of billions of dollars in waste," [Donald Trump said at Thursday's debate]. This relates to Trump's unachievable promise to save $300 billion by allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices. That's impossible because the entire country — Medicare, private insurance, individuals and other government programs — spends about $300 billion on drugs ($297.7 billion in 2014). Trump's promise could only be fulfilled, in essence, if drugs were free. (3/3)

The Associated Press: Does Trump Have A Health Care Plan? Does It Matter?
Donald Trump's evolving ideas on health care do not amount to a full plan, and some proposals could mean new political and policy dilemmas for the Republican presidential front-runner and his party. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 3/3)

NPR: Trump Health Plan Recycles GOP Staples And Adds A Populist Wrinkle
Republican front-runner Donald Trump released a seven-point plan to change the country’s health care system that includes several familiar GOP proposals and one that puts him in agreement with, believe it or not, Democratic hopeful Bernie Sanders. Right off the bat, Trump calls for the elimination of the Affordable Care Act, ringing the repeal bell that has been popular among a wide swath of Republicans and that has fueled dozens of votes to overturn Obamacare in Congress, including another failed attempt when lawmakers reconvened first thing in January. (Hensley, 3/3)

STAT: Donald Trump's Health Plan Included Just One Number. Here's What's Wrong With It.
When Donald Trump put out his health care plan late Wednesday, he mentioned just one number: $11 billion. He claims that’s the annual cost of providing health care to undocumented immigrants — and an opportunity for big savings, if those here illegally could just be deported or prevented from coming to the United States in the first place. But experts say that’s nonsense. (Robbins, 3/3)

Los Angeles Times: Trump Promised A 'Beautiful' Healthcare Plan, But It's Pretty Basic
Donald Trump has at various times promised a healthcare plan that would be “beautiful,” “terrific” and “unbelievable.” But the healthcare outline his campaign released Wednesday mostly highlights standard, if vague, Republican proposals, several of which conservatives themselves say will have little impact on patients’ health or their pocketbooks. (Levey, 3/3)

CNN Money: Trump's Health Care Plan: What He Promises And What It Really Says
On the campaign trail, Donald Trump proudly said he supports health care policies that Republicans don't usually embrace. Over the past few months, he said he wants to protect people with pre-existing conditions and likes the individual mandate requiring everyone to get health insurance. He also said he supports letting Medicare negotiate drug prices and wants to prevent people from dying in the street. (Luhby, 3/3)

The Fiscal Times: After Stumbling Badly Over Health Care, Trump Now Has A Plan
Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida mocked billionaire Donald Trump at the last GOP presidential debate for failing miserably to explain his plans for repealing and replacing Obamacare, other than to encourage interstate competition among insurers to expand the availability of reasonably priced coverage. (Pianin, 3/3)

Stateline: States, CDC Seek Limits On Painkiller Prescribing
Now, in the throes of the deadliest drug epidemic in U.S. history, governors, presidential candidates and major health care organizations — from insurance companies to physician associations — are calling for limits on the number and strength of opioid pills prescribed. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is close to taking the unprecedented step of issuing national guidelines to curb liberal opioid prescribing practices widely blamed as the cause of the epidemic. “It isn’t drug dealers that are on our South American border that are our biggest challenge,” Democratic Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin said last month at a meeting of the National Governors Association. “It is our drug dealers who are FDA-approved selling the stuff in every pharmacy in America.” (Vestal, 3/3)

The Hill: Senate Moves To Wrap Up Opioid Bill
The Senate is hoping to finish its work on a bipartisan opioid bill next week. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) moved to end debate on the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) and a key substitute amendment on Thursday evening. (Carney, 3/3)

Morning Consult: Are Drugmakers Getting A Pass On The Opioid Problem?
The opioid issue has landed squarely in the middle of the Senate’s election year legislative agenda with a bipartisan bill on the verge of passage, and more coming down the pike. Opioid abuse has become arguably the most unifying issue in Washington. ... Some lawmakers are now suggesting that drugmakers need to accept at least some responsibility for the country’s addiction problem. (Owens, 3/3)

Reuters: U.S. Senator Calls For GAO Probe To Protect Babies Born Drug-Dependent
The ranking Democrat on the U.S. Senate subcommittee on children and families wants a congressional watchdog agency to investigate whether states are complying with a federal law meant to protect newborns in drug withdrawal and help their families. In a letter sent this week to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, Senator Robert Casey of Pennsylvania asked that the probe examine what steps Congress or the Obama Administration could take "to improve compliance and save the lives of vulnerable infants." (3/3)

And one woman's story tells the tale of an ever-growing epidemic —

The Kansas City Star: Kansas City Woman's Opioid Abuse Reflects US Epidemic
Sitting in a back room at a Kmart, Rachelle Allen came face to face with the woman she'd become. There she was on the store's security video, shoplifting a pair of tennis shoes. The blank-faced woman on the screen had matted, unwashed hair. On that cold winter night two years ago, she wore nothing but flip-flops, tattered jeans and a hoodie. As she watched, a security guard rummaged through her purse, finding illegal pills and drug paraphernalia. (Bavley, 3/4)

Marketplace: Health Care Takes On The Fight Against Trafficking
Trafficking can mean being locked in a room, having an RFID chip injected under your skin, or something like your employer holding your passport. It’s found in industries from prostitution to manufacturing to domestic service. Breaking this cycle of violence traditionally has been left to law enforcement. But in the last three years, people in healthcare are waking up to the fact that they can play a critical role. (Gorenstein, 3/2)

Marketplace: This Is What Happened When A Trafficking Victim Finally Got The Chance To Run
Traffickers often are master manipulators, using whatever leverage to keep victims under control. It can be flattery, gifts, even affection. In this case, 50-year old Darrell controlled 19-year old Jolene through fear – threatening her and threatening to hurt the few people close to her. ... To Jolene, the only thing that did matter was getting out of this life. And one night the stars seemed to align. After a botched ear piercing, Jolene had a serious infection. Darrell dropped her off at an ER in Boston. She was alone. Here it was, Jolene’s chance to escape. (Gorenstein, 3/3)

The Associated Press: Florida Children Of Legal Immigrants May Get Health Care
Thousands of immigrant children living legally in Florida may soon get access to subsidized healthcare. The Florida House voted unanimously Thursday to make children of legal immigrants immediately eligible for Florida Kidcare. Florida Kidcare includes both Medicaid and a subsidized children's health insurance program. There's currently a five-year waiting period. (3/3)

Arkansas Online: Baby Wait List For Medicaid Mostly Gone
In the past month, the state Department of Human Services has reduced by more than half the number of infants whose applications for Medicaid have been pending more than 45 days, a department official told state lawmakers on Thursday. Mary Franklin, who became interim director of the department's Division of County Operations in January, told the Legislature's House and Senate public health committees during a joint meeting that she expects to have eliminated the backlog by the end of the month. (Davis, 3/4)

And on Medicaid expansion —

New Hampshire Union Leader: House Committee Approves Extending Medicaid Expansion
Extending the state’s Medicaid expansion program for two more years took another step forward Thursday when the House Finance Committee voted 18-8 to approve House Bill 1696. The committee did amend the bill to shift $1.5 million in administrative costs from the Department of Health and Human Services to hospitals and insurance companies which are paying a majority of the state’s share of the cost beginning Jan. 1, 2017, when the federal government stops paying 100 percent of the program. (Rayno, 3/3)

The New York Times: Michigan: Medicaid Is Extended To 15,000 Exposed To Lead In Flint
The Obama administration approved Michigan’s request to extend Medicaid coverage to about 15,000 more children and pregnant women in Flint, where the water supply has been contaminated with lead. Children and pregnant women who were exposed to Flint water in their homes, workplaces, schools or day care facilities will be eligible for free health care if their household incomes do not exceed 400 percent of the poverty level, or about $97,000 for a family of four. (Goodnough, 3/3)

The Associated Press: Feds Extend Medicaid Health Coverage In Flint
The federal government is extending Medicaid health insurance to Flint residents up to age 21 and to pregnant women who were exposed to lead in the city’s water supply. Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell says 15,000 people will qualify and 30,000 current Medicaid recipients will be eligible for more services. They’ll qualify for lead monitoring of their blood as well as behavioral health services. (3/3)

Detroit News: Feds To Expand Medicaid For Flint Kids, Expectant Moms
Medicaid has specific guidelines for screening for lead poisoning, and a case manager is assigned to work with the qualified children, follow their progress and ensure access to other medical, social, nutritional and educational support services, [Sen. Debbie] Stabenow said. “Connecting children to primary care providers who can follow their health as they grow and develop is a critical component of this response and recovery effort,” said Dr. Nicole Lurie, who is leading the federal response and recovery effort in Flint on behalf of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (Burke, 3/3)

ML.com: Pregnant Women, Kids Affected By Flint Water Crisis Covered Under Medicaid Waiver
In February Congressman Dan Kildee, along with U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters, wrote to the Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell asking for them to "swiftly accept" Michigan's waiver for additional coverage for Flint's children. ... Flint Mayor Karen Weaver said the city is grateful the waiver will be issued. She said this means that children and pregnant women in Flint will have access to health care after their possible exposure to lead. (Emery, 3/3)

Meanwhile, NPR looks at how the lead problem isn't just limited to Flint, Michigan —

NPR: America's 'Lead Wars' Go Beyond Flint, Mich.: 'It's Now Really Everywhere'
Flint, Mich., isn't the only American city with a lead problem. Though the health crisis in Flint has highlighted the use of lead in water pipes, author David Rosner tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross that lead, which is a neurotoxin, can be found throughout the U.S. on walls, in soil and in the air. "The problem with lead is that it's now really everywhere, and we've created a terribly toxic environment in all sorts of ways," he says. (3/3)

Los Angeles Times: 21 To Smoke? California Assembly Approves Raising Smoking Age
Breaking a political logjam, the state Assembly on Thursday approved a package of anti-tobacco bills, including measures that would raise the legal smoking age from 18 to 21 in California and ban the use of electronic cigarettes in restaurants, theaters and other public places where traditional smoking is prohibited. Lawmakers cited the health risks of tobacco in approving six bills and sending them to the state Senate, which had previously acted on the smoking-age and vaping bills but must now vote on minor amendments. (McGreevy and Mason, 3/3)

San Jose Mercury News: Tobacco Laws: California Assembly Votes To Raise Smoking Age, Regulate E-Cigarettes
After months of inaction, the state Assembly on Thursday approved a package of sweeping tobacco-control bills that would regulate the manufacture and sale of electronic cigarettes and make California the nation's second state to increase the legal smoking age from 18 to 21. Lawmakers also approved bills that would allow counties to enact local cigarette taxes, close loopholes in existing smoke-free workplace laws and require that all K-12 schools be tobacco-free. (Calefati and Early, 3/3)

The Wall Street Journal: California Lawmakers Approve Bill To Raise Tobacco-Purchase Age To 21
California lawmakers Thursday approved a bill that would raise the tobacco purchase age to 21, setting it on the path to be the first major state to adopt the measure. The legislation was part of a package of tobacco measures—including restrictions on electronic cigarettes—that stalled last year. The bills were revived by their authors after Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown called a special session to address statewide health-care issues. (Mickle and Lazo, 3/3)

The Associated Press: Lawmakers Unveil Bill To Raise Age To Buy Cigarettes To 21
A statewide ban on the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products to anyone under the age of 21 cleared a [Massachusetts] legislative committee on Thursday, and supporters said they were hopeful for final passage within months. Boston recently raised the legal age for tobacco purchases from 18 to 21, joining dozens of communities around the state that have made the change in recent years and building momentum for a uniform statewide law. (Salsberg, 3/3)

The Associated Press: Malloy Putting Hospital Payments On Hold Due To Budget Woes
Connecticut hospitals are being notified they may not receive about $150 million in anticipated payments because of state budget problems. Office of Policy and Management Secretary Ben Barnes informed hospital chief financial officers this week the Department of Social Services will hold off until Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's administration finds ways to address the budget deficit. His letter was released Thursday. (3/3)

The Connecticut Mirror: Malloy Suspends $140 Million In Payments To CT Hospitals
Responding to shrinking tax revenues, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s administration suspended about $140 million in payments to Connecticut’s acute-care hospitals this week. (Phaneuf, 3/3)

The Connecticut Mirror: Prospect Of Detox, Psychiatric Bed Cuts Worries Hospital Officials
As they try to cut more than $34 million from their budget, officials at the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services say they anticipate reducing the number of treatment beds available – a prospect that worries hospital officials and mental health professionals. (Levin Becker, 3/4)

The Associated Press: Psychiatric Hospital Overpays Doctor Almost $72,000
A state fraud investigation released Thursday found that a physician at Western State Hospital was paid almost $72,000 for hours that he did not work and that the hospital has failed to adequately monitor its doctors' attendance. The findings by the Washington state Auditor's Office are the latest in a series of reports that are critical of the way the 800-bed psychiatric hospital is being run. The facility is under threat of losing millions in Medicare and Medicaid funds after federal investigators found safety violations that placed patients at risk. It also is under a federal injunction for failing to provide timely competency services to mentally ill defendants. (Bellisle, 3/3)

The Richmond Times Dispatch: House Health Care Deregulation Bill Advances To Full Senate
A House bill that gives something to both sides on the health care deregulation debate advanced to the full Senate on Thursday with provisions to set up a charity care fund and a funding mechanism to offset some expected financial losses of hospitals. House Bill 350, sponsored by Del. Kathy J. Byron, R-Bedford, would remove MRI and CT scan imaging services and lithotripsy from under the decades-old state certificate of public need review system. (Smith, 3/3)

NPR: Puerto Rico's Growing Financial Crisis Threatens Health Care, Too
A nearly decade-long recession has taken a severe toll on the island's economy. Half of [San Jorge Children's Hospital's] patients are on Medicaid now, up from a fifth just a few years ago. And, for decades, the U.S. government has capped Medicaid reimbursements in Puerto Rico at a level far below what states receive. [Vice president of operations, Domingo Cruz Vivaldi] says that cap has forced his hospital and many others to cut services — he's had to close two wings and 40 rooms. He only managed to avoid staff layoffs, he says, by freezing 100 open positions — doctors, nurses, technicians and support personnel. And last year, when Puerto Rico ran out of money and couldn't make a $250 million payment to hospitals, San Jorge was forced to reduce hours and cut pay for all employees. (Allen, 3/3)

The Associated Press: New Hampshire Revamps Health Care Cost Comparison Site
New Hampshire consumers can now compare prices on dental care and prescription drugs in addition to medical procedures through a state government website designed to help them save money on health care costs. The New Hampshire Insurance Department has added features to its NH HealthCost online tool. The update announced Thursday includes information on 31 new medical procedures, including physical therapy and behavioral health, 16 dental procedures and 65 prescription drugs. (Ramer, 3/3)

The Associated Press: Mobile Dental Care Program Hits 30K Patient Visit Mark In SD
A mobile dental program operated by Delta Dental has reached a milestone after ... seeing its 30,000th patient visit. Delta Dental of South Dakota says its mobile dental program has given care to young patients in 78 communities since it began in 2004. The company says the value of the free care the mobile program has provided amounts to $14.5 million. (3/3)

The Associated Press: Utah Clinic Settles Suit After Inmate Missed Dialysis, Died
A University of Utah clinic has quietly settled a lawsuit with the family of an inmate who died after a dialysis provider didn't show up to give him treatment for two days. Attorney Robert Sykes said Thursday he can't reveal the details of the settlement reached last month due to a confidentiality agreement, but says Ramon C. Estrada's family is pleased. (3/3)

Reuters: New York State's 'Tampon Tax' Targeted In Class-Action Suit
New York state's "tampon tax" reflects a double standard that applies the sales tax to menstrual products used by women while exempting items typically used by men, such as Rogaine and condoms, according to a class-action lawsuit filed on Thursday. "It's a tax on women for being women. And that's wrong," said Ilann Maazel, a lawyer representing the five women who filed the class action in state Supreme Court in Manhattan. (Goldberg, 3/3)

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Penn-Rutgers Study: 'Digital Hood' Has Frightening Aspects
Kids from rough neighborhoods can't escape real-world violence when they use social media. Instead, a new academic study finds something that families, schools, and police have learned the hard way: Negative experiences from the streets spill over into the "digital hood" -- and can even start there. (Burling, 3/3)

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Penn Researchers: Try Twitter To Recruit Clinical Trial Volunteers
Recruiting enough adults to participate in clinical trials to test new medical treatments is often one of the biggest barriers researchers face. In fact, only about 5 percent of adult cancer patients participate in trials, which are essential to getting new drugs approved. Physicians at Penn, writing this week in the journal JAMA Oncology, think Twitter could be the solution. (Wood, 3/3)

Health Affairs: Understanding Characteristics Of Likely Marketplace Enrollees And How They Choose Plans
In 2015, adults likely to have enrolled in the Affordable Care Act Marketplace were predominantly non-Hispanic whites and, on average, older and more aware of the availability of Marketplace subsidies than adults who remained uninsured. Enrollees were also significantly more likely than adults who remained uninsured to rely on some type of application assistance instead of exclusively looking for information through the Marketplace website. (Blavin, Karpman and Zuckerman, 3/2)

Georgetown University Health Policy Institute: Getting Enrollment Right For Immigrant Families
[M]eeting the goal of enrolling the remaining seven million people who are eligible for marketplace coverage but are still uninsured ... will require not only targeted, effective outreach with groups that are eligible but unenrolled, but also improved systems to make the application process work better .... The recommended action steps to reach immigrant families ... include: Refining the federally-facilitated health insurance marketplace immigration status and citizenship status verification protocols ... so that valid document numbers are more likely to be electronically verified and immigrants who are not eligible for Medicaid or CHIP are not routed unnecessarily to the state Medicaid agency .... Developing an alternative process to confirm identity. Boosting resources for communication in languages other than English and Spanish. (Schwartz and Brooks, 2/24)

The Kaiser Family Foundation: A Closer Look At The Remaining Uninsured Population Eligible For Medicaid And CHIP
Recent analysis shows that 27% or 8.8 million of the 32.3 million non-elderly uninsured are eligible for Medicaid coverage. This issue brief provides a closer look at key characteristics of the uninsured who are eligible for Medicaid .... This 27% (8.8. million) includes 18% (5.7 million) who are Medicaid-eligible adults and 10% (3.2 million) who are Medicaid or CHIP-eligible children. ... The uninsured and eligible for Medicaid and CHIP (referred to as the uninsured and eligible for the rest of this brief) include both adults made newly eligible for the program by the expansion and individuals who were already eligible under pre-ACA rules but had not enrolled. Among the remaining uninsured, 9% fall into the “coverage gap” because they live in one of the 19 states that have not adopted the Medicaid expansion and the ACA does not provide financial assistance to people below poverty for other coverage options. (Rudowitz et al., 2/22)

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Vital Signs: Preventing Antibiotic-Resistant Infections In Hospitals — United States, 2014
CDC assessed health care–associated infections (HAI), including Clostridium difficile infections (CDI), and the role of six AR (antibiotic resistant) bacteria of highest concern nationwide in several types of health care facilities. ... In 2014, the reductions in incidence in short-term acute care hospitals and long-term acute care hospitals were 50% and 9%, respectively, for central line-associated bloodstream infection; 0% (short-term acute care hospitals), 11% (long-term acute care hospitals), and 14% (inpatient rehabilitation facilities) for catheter-associated urinary tract infection; 17% (short-term acute care hospitals) for surgical site infection, and 8% (short-term acute care hospitals) for CDI. ... The likelihood of HAIs caused by any of the six resistant bacteria ranged from 12% in inpatient rehabilitation facilities to 29% in long-term acute care hospitals. (Weiner et al., 3/3)

The New England Journal of Medicine: Declines In Unintended Pregnancy In The United States, 2008–2011
We calculated rates of pregnancy for the years 2008 and 2011 according to women’s and girls’ pregnancy intentions and the outcomes of those pregnancies. ... Less than half (45%) of pregnancies were unintended in 2011, as compared with 51% in 2008. The rate of unintended pregnancy among women and girls 15 to 44 years of age declined by 18% .... Rates of unintended pregnancy among those who were below the federal poverty level or cohabiting were two to three times the national average. Across population subgroups, disparities in the rates of unintended pregnancy persisted but narrowed .... The percentage of unintended pregnancies that ended in abortion remained stable during the period studied (40% in 2008 and 42% in 2011). (Finer and Zolna, 3/3)

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

Reuters: Mom And Dad Often Catch Hospital Errors Doctors Missed
Parents often catch medical errors that their child’s doctor missed, according to a U.S. study that suggests families may be an untapped resource for improving hospital safety and preventing mistakes. Roughly one in ten parents spotted mistakes that physicians did not, according to the study of safety incidents observed on two pediatrics units at a hospital in Boston. (Rapaport, 2/29)

Medscape: Induction Does Not Up Cesarean Delivery Rate In Older Mothers
Inducing labor in pregnant women aged 35 years or older at or near term does not increase the rate of cesarean deliveries, nor does it have adverse short-term effects on maternal or neonatal outcomes, a randomized controlled trial has shown. (Phillips, 3/2)

Reuters: Patients Get Mixed Reactions From Docs Over Mail-Ordered Genetic Tests
Patients who order direct-to-consumer genetic tests report mixed experiences when they take the results to their doctors, a new study found. About a quarter of people who ordered direct-to-consumer genetic testing from companies like 23andMe reported discussing the results with their primary care doctors. But nearly one in five were not at all satisfied with the conversations, researchers report. (Seaman, 2/29)

The Wall Street Journal: Donald Trump’s Health-Care Plan And Where The ‘Repeal And Replace’ Slogan Falls Short
The health-care plan detailed by Donald Trump begins with the repeal of Obamacare, which it would replace with a series of changes Mr. Trump hopes that Congress would enact. They include: allowing the sale of insurance across state boundaries, turning Medicaid into block grants to the states, allowing people to deduct the cost of their health insurance from their taxes as businesses do, expanding health savings accounts, and–in what I think would be a first–allowing those accounts to be passed on tax-free to heirs. Mr. Trump and some media outlets have characterized the plan as a replacement for the Affordable Care Act, in the spirit of “repeal and replace.” Whatever the pros and cons of these proposals–and they have both, as do the ideas put forward by Democrats–they are not a replacement for the ACA. To be clear: They do not accomplish the same goals through other means; they seek to repeal the ACA and substitute an alternative that has very different objectives. (Drew Altman, 3/3)

The New York Times' Upshot: Donald Trump’s Talk On Health Care Is Not Matched By His Plan
When Donald Trump talks about health care, he sounds as if he wants to do something different from the rest of the Republican field. But his health care plan, released Wednesday night, looks a lot like what his competitors have already presented. On the stump, Mr. Trump has tended to buck Republican anti-Obamacare orthodoxy. He has always called for repealing the health law, which he describes as a bureaucratic disaster and an economic drag. But he has repeatedly expressed enthusiasm for some of its ideas and ambitions. (Margot Sanger-Katz, 3/3)

Forbes: The Most Important Thing About Donald Trump's Health Reform Plan Is That Trump Didn't Write It
[A]ll you need to know to understand this plan is that it bears little relation to the things Trump has actually said on healthcare ... When it comes to health reform, Donald Trump has been all over the place. (Avik Roy, 3/3)

Forbes: Hillary Clinton Revives The Public Option — But As An Experiment
[A]doption of Hillary’s public option is likely to disrupt insurance markets and healthcare rather than improve them, but it is not such an obvious Frankenstein of an experiment that conservatives ought to stand in the way of its voluntary adoption by states beguiled by the program’s apparent benevolence. (Seth Chandler, 3/3)

U.S. News & World Report: A Shameful 'Wall Of Shame'
Americans are extremely sensitive about their health histories. They consider their health records and medication information to be more sensitive than the content of their phone conversations, texts and email messages. Given these concerns, the Office of Civil Rights at the Department of Health and Human Services is assigned with the delicate and important task of protecting patients' health information privacy rights through the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act or HIPAA, a part of which includes data breach protections. (Niam Yaraghi, 3/3)

Bloomberg: Weird Science Fights Cancer
What kinds of research should be included in the $1 billion “moonshot” proposal to cure cancer? Since President Obama announced the idea in his last State of the Union address, Vice President Joe Biden, who is heading the effort, has talked of getting more patients enrolled in clinical trials and finding more efficient ways of sharing data. But what about less obvious steps, such as a recent experiment on zebra fish with green glowing skin tumors? (Faye Flam, 3/3)

The Philadelphia Inquirer: How Tired Should Your Surgeon Be?
Recently, the New England Journal of Medicine published results of a study comparing the effect on patient safety of different work schedules for surgical residents who are receiving training in hospitals. The study is known as Flexibility in Duty Hour Requirements for Surgical Trainees, or FIRST. It compared the current system in which working schedules are capped at 80 hours a week and overnight call is limited with an unrestricted system. The purpose of the research was to determine whether patients are better off receiving care from the same doctor whose hours are unlimited or from a fresh doctor who has picked up their care when the first one went off-duty. (Maryanne McGuckin, 3/4)

The Wall Street Journal: Match Day, The NFL Draft Of Medicine
On March 18, thousands of fourth-year medical students, including me, will take part in what some have dubbed the NFL draft of medicine: Match Day. Each spring the National Resident Matching Program matches graduating medical students with residency programs at hospitals and universities across the nation. The NRMP uses an algorithm to determine where budding physicians will train for up to seven years after graduation. (Nathaniel P. Morris, 3/3)

Lexington Herald Leader: Is Punishing Ky. Women Pro-Life?
The booby prize for petty partisanship in this legislative session goes to Rep. Kim King, R-Harrodsburg, whose anti-abortion poison-pill is bottling up a Democratic-sponsored protection for pregnant women that many pro-life groups support. King’s amendment serves a useful purpose, though, by helping clarify that the onslaught of attacks on reproductive rights stems not so much from concern for children or women, despite politicians’ insistence that they must protect Kentucky women from their own decisions. What’s driving this train is an age-old urge to punish women. (3/3)

Tampa Bay Times: Florida Needs New Surgeon General
There is no reason the Florida Senate should confirm Dr. John Armstrong as the state's surgeon general. As disappointing as the rejection would be for this former Army surgeon and the person who appointed him, Gov. Rick Scott, Armstrong has not demonstrated the independence or urgency needed in this position. Florida's Department of Health needs a new, permanent leader who has the confidence of the legislative branch and the public — and the governor needs to get the message that the state's chief health advocate works for all Floridians. (3/3)

Bloomberg: A Fix For Flint, And Other Cities Too
Congress has finally come up with a sensible way to help Flint, Michigan, clean up its drinking water -- and its plan could also benefit any American city that needs to get the lead out of its water supply. Flint’s problem is a special emergency, but lead pipes are a persistent concern for many other cities. The Environmental Protection Agency doesn’t have an exact count, but between 6 million and 11 million American homes still draw their water through lead pipes, some dating back to the 19th century. (3/3)

The Chicago Sun-Times: Even In Chicago, Beware Of Lead In Drinking Water
Flint, Michigan’s poisonous water is just one instance, and not a particularly new or shocking one, of our nation’s deteriorating infrastructure. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, American infrastructure is crumbling fast, and many cities are heading for problems that will rival Flint, or surpass it. Chicago, in particular, is prone for big trouble. (3/4)