The Associated Press: Judge Sides With House Republicans Against Health Care Law
In a setback for the Obama health care law, a federal judge ruled Thursday that the administration is unconstitutionally subsidizing medical bills for millions of people while ignoring congressional power over government spending. The ruling from U.S. District Judge Rosemary Collyer was a win for House Republicans who brought the politically charged legal challenge in an effort to undermine the law. (5/12)

The New York Times: Judge Backs House Challenge To A Key Part Of Health Law
Judge Rosemary M. Collyer sided with the House in its challenge to the administration’s funding of a program to help as many as seven million lower-income people pay deductibles, co-payments and other out-of-pocket expenses under the law. Congress never provided explicit authority for the spending, she ruled. “Such an appropriation cannot be inferred,” the judge said in her opinion. She blocked further spending under the program but said that order would be suspended pending an appeal by the Obama administration. No immediate disruption in the program was anticipated. (Hulse, 5/12)

USA Today: Federal Judge Strikes Down Obamacare Payments
Cost-sharing subsidies reduce consumers' insurance payments — an important feature of the Affordable Care Act, because deductibles are rising. Under the law, subsidies are available to people who earn between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty level, with extra assistance available for those up to 250%. For a family of four, that’s about $24,000 to $61,000. (Wolf, Korte and O'Donnell, 5/12)

The Washington Post: Judge Strikes Down Obama Health Law Insurance Subsidy In Victory For House GOP
The House GOP argued that the administration’s decision to subsidize deductibles, co-pays and other “cost-sharing” measures was unconstitutional because Congress rejected an administration request for funding in 2014. Obama officials said they withdrew the request and spent the money, arguing that the subsidies were covered by an earlier, permanent appropriation. House Republicans have tried repeatedly, without much success, to repeal parts or all of the health-care law, holding dozens of votes on the matter over the past five years. Thursday’s ruling may represent their most significant victory in trying to dismantle the ACA. (Hsu, Jaffe and Sun, 5/12)

NBC News: Judge Rules For House GOP In Challenge To Obamacare
The Obama administration argued that the provision was so tightly woven into the way Obamacare works that the appropriation was obvious, when the law is read as a whole. (Williams, 5/12)

Los Angeles Times: Federal Judge Rules Obamacare Is Being Funded Unconstitutionally
The 38-page opinion highlights the repeated complaint from Republicans that Obama and his administration have ignored constitutional limits on their authority. The Constitution says "No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law," Collyer noted, but the administration has continued to pay billions to insurers for their extra cost of providing health coverage. "Paying [those] reimbursements without an appropriation thus violates the Constitution," she wrote. "Congress is the only source for such an appropriation, and no public money can be spent without one." (Savage, 5/12)

Politico: House GOP Wins Obamacare Lawsuit
The ruling, if it stands, could be a significant financial setback for the millions of low-income Americans who benefit from the cost-sharing subsidies, which help people pay for out-of-pocket costs like co-pays at a doctor’s office. It would not be a fatal blow to the future of the president’s signature domestic policy achievement, but it could push insurance costs higher. (Haberkorn, 5/12)

The Wall Street Journal: Obama’s Health Law Wrongly Repaying Funds to Insurers, Judge Says
The White House had hoped to move beyond years of blockbuster court battles, most of which it won. The ruling gives a boost to GOP arguments that Mr. Obama has exceeded limits on his authority. And if it holds up on appeal, the decision could hobble the health law. White House spokesman Josh Earnest referred questions about an appeal to the Justice Department, but said the lawsuit was an unprecedented use of the courts to resolve a political dispute between the two parties. “It’s unfortunate that Republicans have resorted to a taxpayer-funded lawsuit to refight a political fight that they keep losing. They’ve been losing this fight for six years. And they’ll lose it again,” he said. (Kendall, Armour and Wilde Mathews, 5/12)

Reuters: White House Predicts Republicans Will Lose New Challenge To Healthcare Law
The White House said on Thursday the U.S. Department of Justice was still deciding whether to appeal a court ruling challenging President Barack Obama's healthcare law, but a spokesman predicted Republicans ultimately would lose the fight. (5/12)

Politico: Insurers Could Face Financial Blow If Obamacare Subsidies Struck Down
Health plans would likely feel the financial hit if the courts ultimately strike down Obamacare's cost-sharing subsidies. That's because those payments go directly to insurers to make up for lower payments from their poorest customers. A federal court ruled today that the Obama administration has been improperly funding the cost-sharing subsidies. The ruling is stayed pending appeal, so there will be no immediate fallout for health plans. But at stake is approximately $175 billion over a decade that insurers would receive to subsidize their Obamacare customers. (Demko, 5/12)

Bloomberg: Hospitals, Insurers Drop On Ruling Against Obamacare Funding
Hospital and insurer stocks dropped after a federal judge in Washington ruled that some of the funding for President Barack Obama’s signature health-care law is unconstitutional, potentially jeopardizing a source of their revenue. (Lauerman, 5/12)

The Associated Press: Ongoing Legal Challenges To Health Overhaul
More than six years after becoming law, the Affordable Care Act continues to face legal challenges, including the case decided Thursday by a federal district judge in Washington. Among the pending lawsuits: House of Representatives v. Burwell ... West Virginia v. Health and Human Services Department ... [and] Contraceptive mandate cases. (5/12)

Morning Consult: House GOP Mulling Medicare Age Changes And Taxation On Premiums
The details of House Republicans’ plan to replace Obamacare are beginning to emerge. ... The plan, even in its draft stages, touches on all aspects of the healthcare system. It discusses the individual insurance market, updates to Medicaid, and possible changes to Medicare. ... [Rep. John] Fleming said other topics discussed in Thursday’s meeting included the tax treatment of individual and employer insurance, which would likely be equalized under the GOP plan. ... Medicare changes discussed at the meeting included enhancing Medicare Advantage, the private alternative to traditional fee-for-service Medicare, and raising the Medicare eligibility age. (Owens, 5/12)

The Hill: GOP Closing In On ObamaCare Alternative, Lawmakers Say
Rep. Phil Roe (R-Tenn.), the co-chairman of the GOP Doctors Caucus, said the plan Republicans have drafted would address ObamaCare, Medicare and Medicaid. The plan will not be put into legislative text, however, meaning it will be less specific and the cost and effect on coverage levels will be harder to assess. Instead, the plan will be a “white paper,” according to Rep. Joe Pitts (R-Pa.). The proposal will include a version of Speaker Paul Ryan’s (R-Wis.) long-standing proposal to make Medicare more market-based, giving seniors a kind of voucher to use for private insurance, according to two Republican lawmakers who attended the meeting. (Sullivan and Ferris, 5/12)

A recent study looks at coverage of lower income children following the implementation of the health law —

Kaiser Health News: Health Coverage Rates For Lower Income Children Improving
Bolstered by the federal health care law, the number of lower income kids getting health coverage continues to improve, a recent study found. During 2014, the first full year of the law’s implementation, 91 percent of children who were eligible for Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program were enrolled, according to the study by researchers at the Urban Institute. In 2013, that figure was 88.7 percent and only 81.7 percent in 2008. (Andrews, 5/13)

And in insurance marketplace news from Kansas —

The Kansas Health Institute News Service: Selzer: Two More Companies File To Sell Insurance In Marketplace
Kansas Insurance Commissioner Ken Selzer announced Thursday that two companies have filed to sell health insurance plans in Kansas on the individual market, including the federal Affordable Care Act’s online marketplace. UnitedHealthcare’s announcement that it would be pulling out of the marketplace in 2017 opened the possibility that Kansans who shop there would be left with only one choice of insurer. (Marso, 5/12)

The New York Times: Senate To Consider 3 Proposals To Finance Fight Against Zika
The Senate next week will vote on three proposals for financing to combat the mosquito-borne Zika virus, which causes birth defects and which public health officials say will soon pose a major threat in the southern United States. Democrats and Republicans have been deadlocked over a request by the White House for $1.9 billion in emergency financing to combat the virus, with the Obama administration sharply criticizing Republican Congressional leaders for stalling and the lawmakers demanding that the White House better explain how it would use the money. (Herszenhorn, 5/12)

The Associated Press: Senate Deal Reached On Reduced Zika Funding Measure
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., told reporters that she still prefers Obama's proposal but has reached agreement with Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., on the smaller measure, which is likely to be added next week to a bill funding veterans and transportation programs. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., immediately set up a floor vote on the measure for next week. (5/12)

The Washington Post: Senate Reaches Deal On Zika Funding, Will Vote Tuesday
The Senate on Thursday reached a bipartisan deal that would provide $1.1 billion in funding to fight the Zika virus, breaking a months-long standoff over how much spending is needed to address the growing public health threat. The funding package was introduced as an amendment to a spending bill that is expected to be considered next week. Senators will also have the opportunity to vote on an option that would fully fund White House’s $1.9 billion request and a separate GOP-backed proposal that would use $1.2 billion in cuts to an Affordable Care Act program to offset the cost of $1.1 billion in Zika spending. (Snell, 5/12)

The Tampa Bay Times: Senate Deal Reached On Reduced Zika Funds, But Florida Senators Still Seek Full Amount
Florida's senators, Democrat Bill Nelson and Republican Marco Rubio, announced a plan to provide the full $1.9 billion in funding that President Barack Obama had requested. To get the full $1.9 billion, Nelson and Rubio will introduce an amendment to a military spending bill expected to come before the full Senate as early as next week. (5/12)

The Hill: Senate To Vote On Zika Funding
In the House, GOP leaders have also said they are working on a funding package. Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) said as recently as Wednesday that he is still waiting on answers from the Obama administration about how the funding will specifically be used. (Ferris, 5/12)

Meanwhile, a look at two areas particularly affected by the virus —

USA Today: Texas Border Towns Brace For Zika Outbreak
If the Zika virus were to spread through the USA, it could very well start here: a busy border city where thousands of people cross each day between the U.S. and Mexico, where the mosquito that transports the virus is found in abundance, and where poorer neighborhoods could foster its spread. Zika is already spreading through Mexico, but Texas may have two big advantages over its southern neighbor: the simple window screen and an abundance of air conditioning. (Jervis, 5/12)

PBS NewsHour: Its Economy In Shambles, Puerto Rico Also Stares Down The Zika Virus
As if a crumbling economy and crippling debt weren’t enough to handle, Puerto Rico is also in the throes of a new looming crisis: the mosquito-borne Zika virus is gaining ground. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control predicts an astounding 20 percent of the island’s 3.5 million people will likely contract Zika this year alone. Jeffrey Brown goes to the front line of the battle against the virus. (5/12)

The Associated Press: House, Senate Hope To Craft Quick Anti-Drug Abuse Compromise
Congress is ready to start crafting compromise legislation addressing the nation’s opioid abuse crisis, which should be an easier lift than other issues facing lawmakers. The reason: Both parties have an election-year incentive to show they’re tackling a problem that’s killing people in America’s biggest cities and smallest towns. The House approved three bills Thursday setting up federal grants and taking other steps to battle the drug epidemic, the last of 18 measures on the issue the chamber overwhelmingly passed this week. Members of both parties hailed the measures, though Democrats complained that none provided any money for the programs and anti-drug advocates called the bills a needed but modest first step. (Fram, 5/13)

The Wall Street Journal: House Passes Bills To Combat Opioid Abuse In U.S.
The House passed several bills Thursday to combat the country’s growing problems with painkiller abuse and heroin use, which health officials say are now causing more Americans to die from drug overdoses than traffic accidents. The bills, approved with broad bipartisan support, provide for substance abuse treatment, education and law enforcement efforts to tackle the opioid epidemic, among other provisions. They join related bills passed earlier in the week. (O'Keeffe, 5/12)

The Hill: Pelosi: Opioid Bills 'Not Effective' Without Funding
Legislation addressing opioid addiction is essentially useless as long as Republicans refuse to provide new funding, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) warned Thursday. Pelosi characterized the opioid proposals, which GOP leaders are pushing through the House this week, as "good bipartisan" bills. "However," she was quick to add, "Republicans are refusing to provide the emergency funding that is needed to make the difference. Just to have the statements is interesting — it's conversational — but it's not effective without the resources." (Lillis, 5/12)

Los Angeles Times: Lawmaker Calls For Scrutiny Of Drug Makers' Role Amid Opioid Abuse Epidemic
As Congress showed bipartisan support for legislation to address the nation's opioid abuse epidemic, a lawmaker urged colleagues Thursday to look closely at the role of pharmaceutical companies, citing a Los Angeles Times investigation into the manufacturer of OxyContin. In remarks on the House floor, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) called the marketing of painkillers by drug companies "the root cause of the problems." (Ryan and Levey, 5/12)

The Lake County News-Sun: Dold Bill To Increase Access To Heroin Antidote Gets House Approval
Chelsea Laliberte, whose brother Alex "Lali" Laliberte died of a heroin overdose in 2008, was in Washington, D.C. Thursday to see bipartisan legislation pass that will increase access to the life-saving heroin antidote naloxone. "We are getting closer to some very important progress," she said from the office of U.S. Robert Dold, R-Ill. (Abderholden, 5/12)

The Wall Street Journal: Donald Trump Adviser Signals Plan To Change Veterans’ Health Care
Donald Trump says the Department of Veterans Affairs’ health-care system is badly broken, and this week his campaign released some guidelines that would steer changes he would implement if he wins the presidency. While short on details, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee would likely push VA health care toward privatization and might move for it to become more of an insurance provider like Medicare rather than an integrated hospital system, said Sam Clovis, Mr. Trump’s chief policy adviser, in an interview. (Kesling, 5/12)

USA Today: White House Launches 'Microbiome' Initiative To Study Beneficial Bacteria
The White House will announce a new initiative Friday to kick start research into the microbes that shape life on Earth — including those in plants, animals, water, soil and air — as part of an effort to fight disease, grow more food and even reduce the greenhouse gases fueling climate change. With $121 million in federal dollars and $400 million in private funds, the National Microbiome Initiative will bring together researchers from a variety of disciplines. Government researchers will be joined by organizations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the University of Michigan and JDRF, formerly known as the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. (Szabo, 5/13)

The Associated Press: National Project To Harness Microbes For Health, Environment
We share our bodies and our surroundings with teeming communities of microbes that are crucial to the health of people and the planet, and now the Obama administration is beginning a major project to better understand those invisible ecosystems — even control them. (Neergaard, 5/13)

The Des Moines Register: Wellmark Plans 38% To 43% Increases For Some Customers
Tens of thousands of Iowans who buy their own health insurance are about to receive a shock in the mail. Wellmark Blue Cross & Blue Shield is sending letters this week telling about 30,000 customers it plans to raise their premiums by 38 percent to 43 percent next year. (Leys, 5/12)

Connecticut Health I-Team: Rates Of Rejection Rise For Mental Health Care
The rate of denials by the state’s largest managed care insurers of requests for mental health services rose nearly 70 percent between 2013 and 2014, with an average of about one in 12 requests for prescribed treatment initially rejected, a new state report shows. (Chedekel, 5/12)

The Wall Street Journal: U.S. To Post Employer Data About Workplace Injuries, Illnesses
A new federal regulation issued on Wednesday will reveal publicly the workplace injuries and illnesses employers have typically logged for their private use, triggering a clash with business groups that say the data could be misconstrued and exploited by unions and plaintiffs’ lawyers. The rule is the culmination of a long-running debate between workplace-safety regulators and businesses who have been at odds over what and how much safety information should be available to the government and the public. (Trottman, 5/11)

In other news —

The San Francisco Chronicle: Health Care Firm To Pay For Firing Woman Who Sought Medical Leave
A Walnut Creek health care company will pay more than $37,000 in back wages and damages to an employee who was fired when she asked for medical leave, the U.S. Labor Department announced Thursday. Latoya Blanche, a clerical employee with Muir Orthopedic Specialists for nearly two years, applied for four weeks of leave in June 2015 because of a serious health condition, the Labor Department said. It did not specify the condition. (Egelko, 5/12)

New Hampshire Public Radio: Politics In Real Life: Dying From Overdose While Waiting For Treatment
Courtney Griffin was addicted to heroin and ready to get help. She packed up her things, and her mom drove her to a residential treatment facility about an hour from their home in New Hampshire. There was a bed waiting for her. But unfortunately, that's not where her story ends. Ninety minutes after they arrived, Pamela Griffin said, her daughter was back in the waiting room, shaking her head. Their health insurance company declined to cover the treatment. (Keith, 5/12)

WBUR: State’s Opioid Epidemic Is Vividly Seen On Boston’s ‘Methadone Mile’
The ravages of the state’s opioid epidemic are perhaps nowhere more visible than in an area of Boston known as “Methadone Mile” — a one-mile stretch of Massachusetts Avenue in the shadow of Boston Medical Center. (Becker, 5/13)

St. Louis Public Radio: One Step Forward, One Step Back For Anti-Opioid Legislation In Missouri
Missourians working to reduce the impact of the opioid crisis are close to scoring one victory this legislative session: a measure expanding access to the opioid overdose antidote is on its way to the governor’s desk. But with one day left in the session, another tool many consider vital in the fight against opioids appears out of reach. Missouri is likely to remain the only state in the nation without a prescription drug monitoring database. (Phillips, 5/12)

The Columbus Dispatch: State Begins Awareness Campaign About Overdoses, Life-Saving Solutions
As the death toll from fentanyl soars in Ohio, health officials are getting the word out about naloxone, a drug that saves people from life-sapping overdoses. (Johnson, 5/12)

Meanwhile, Stat profiles Dr. Richard Sackler, whose secret testimony on OxyContin's marketing could soon be made public —

Stat: The Man At The Center Of The Secret OxyContin Files
A Kentucky judge’s order to unseal secret OxyContin records is putting the spotlight on a wealthy, publicity-averse doctor whose testimony about the marketing of the addictive pain pill is the most prized document in the court files. (Armstrong, 5/12)

And media outlets report on charges related to prescription pain killers —

The Associated Press: Louisville Doctor Sentenced For Overprescribing Pain Pills
A former doctor with offices in Louisville and southern Indiana has been sentenced to 100 months in prison for unlawfully distributing prescription drugs. Jamie Guerrero agreed to pay $827,000 in restitution to victims as part of a January plea agreement. U.S. District Judge Greg Stevens sentenced the former anesthesiologist on Thursday. (5/12)

The Associated Press: 3 Doctors Accused Of Selling $5M In Prescription Drugs
Federal prosecutors allege three doctors at a now-defunct clinic in Philadelphia that specialized in helping drug addicts actually sold them $5 million worth of prescription drugs. According to a federal indictment released Wednesday, the doctors sold prescriptions for controlled substances to drug dealers and addicts for cash while performing little or no treatment as required by law. (5/12)

Los Angeles Times: Despite Autism Fears, Here's Why Pregnant Women Should Keep Taking Their Prenatal Vitamins
Some preliminary findings presented this week at a meeting of autism researchers may have mothers-to-be fretting about their prenatal vitamins. The blockbuster statistic that sent tongues wagging was this: Women who got too much folate and vitamin B12 during pregnancy were 17.6 times more likely to have their children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. (Kaplan, 5/12)

The Orlando Sentinel: Autism Center Focuses On Hispanics
At first, when Marytza Sanz found out her 18-month-old grandson, Santiago, was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, she went into the bathroom and cried. (Miller, 5/12)

Stateline: Some States Lag Behind On ADHD Therapy
Federal health officials recommend that preschoolers with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder receive psychological counseling before they are put on medication. But states striving to promote the use of behavioral therapy have been hamstrung by a shortage of mental health providers. (Ollove, 5/12)

The Tampa Bay Times: A New Implanted Device, The Watchman, Is Lowering The Risk Of Stroke
Atrial fibrillation, also known as A-fib, can cause blood clots to form in a tiny pouch in the heart. If a clot migrates out into the bloodstream, it could become lodged in a vessel and cut off blood flow to the brain. (Maher, 5/12)

St. Louis Public Radio: WashU Research Could Someday Eliminate Need For Insulin Shots
After a meal, your blood sugar tends to rise. When it does, there are cells in your pancreas called beta cells that react by releasing insulin, which controls blood sugar. People who have Type 1 diabetes have damaged beta cells and can't produce insulin. To manage the disease, they either have to inject insulin or wear a pump all day. (Chen, 5/12)

The Charlotte Observer: Mecklenburg Health Director: Consider Keeping Fast-Food Restaurants Away From High Schools
Mecklenburg’s health director has proposed a provocative way to improve the health of teenagers: Restricting fast-food restaurants from opening near high schools. Marcus Plescia’s idea, presented to Mecklenburg commissioners Tuesday, is part of an overall plan to improve the health of county residents. It would be coupled with an effort to bring more fresh food and grocery stores to low-income neighborhoods. (Harrison, 5/12)

KQED: San Francisco Soda Tax Proponents Scrambling — Signatures Submitted Day Late
Soda tax proponents in San Francisco said at a City Hall press conference this morning that they had gathered twice the number of signatures needed to place a penny-per-ounce soda tax on the November ballot. (Aliferis, 5/12)

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Study: Subtle Blows To The Head May Harm Vision
College football players who received subconcussive blows to the head had measurable changes in vision even though they reported no symptoms, a new study found. The researchers, most of whom were from Temple University, concluded that vision might be a window into “subclinical brain damage and its recovery.” (Burling, 5/12)

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Philly Woman Surprised To Find Herself In Penn Study
A Philadelphia woman with unusually high "good" cholesterol levels was the impetus for a University of Pennsylvania research study published this year. But she did not realize that until after the research was described in a Philadelphia Inquirer article. (Avril, 5/12)

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel: South Florida Researchers Need Alzheimer's Patients To Test New Drug
Five clinical trial sites in South Florida are enrolling patients for a new study looking at a potential treatment for Alzheimer's disease. The MINDSET study is testing a drug called RVT-101 that increases the release of more acetylcholine, a chemical critical for cognitive function. Researchers are testing the treatment for people with mild to moderate-stage Alzheimer's when coupled with donepezil, marketed as Aricept, the most common medication for the neurological disorder. (Lade, 5/12)

Marketplace: Hospitals Use Mobile Clinics To Increase Access
There’s been a lot of talk about the mobile health revolution; making it possible to see your doctor from your living room or couch. But this is mobile health that doesn’t fit in a phone. In fact, it's 40 feet long and looks like a mix between an RV, a school bus and a doctor’s office. It’s a mobile health clinic. (Silverman, 5/12)

The Associated Press: In Budget Debate, House Picks Safety Net Hospitals Over Free College Tuition
Lawmakers in the Louisiana House reshuffled the dollars in a nearly $26 billion state operating budget proposal Thursday, choosing to protect the safety net hospitals for the uninsured at the expense of the TOPS free college tuition program. (DeSlatte, 5/12)

The Cleveland Plain Dealer: University Hospitals Reports 10.6 Percent Increase In Operating Income In 2015
University Hospitals' operating income increased 10.6 percent last year following the addition of three new medical centers that boosted its patient volume to more than 1 million, according to a new report by the hospital network. (Ross, 5/13)

The News Journal: No Violations Found After Death Near Psychiatric Hospital
A federal health agency has found no evidence of regulatory breaches at the Rockford Center following a suicide outside the Stanton psychiatric hospital in March. The investigation took one day to complete, according to the report, commissioned by the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and released by state health officials Wednesday. (Fishman, 5/12)

The Associated Press: Hospital That Treated Man Before Stabbing Bars Contractor
A hospital that treated a man before he fatally stabbed two people and wounded several others at a home and mall said Thursday that it was barring a state contractor that provides mental health evaluations. In a letter to state officials, Morton Hospital said the contractor, Norton Emergency Services, was putting patients at risk by not providing "critical and timely services." (Salsberg and Pratt, 5/12)

MLIve: Expanded Medicaid For Flint Water Crisis Not Limited To Residents
Gov. Rick Snyder along with officials from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced this week that people ages 21 and under and pregnant women who have been exposed to Flint water may be eligible for a Medicaid expansion program. ... The plan, which opened enrollment May 9, is at no cost to participants with incomes up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level. For example, Falk said a single person making $47,520 a year or less qualifies for benefits and a family of four earning about $92,000 or less also qualifies. (Johnson, 5/12)

WITF: CDC: 13% Of Pennsylvanians Don't Have Primary Care Provider
A primary care provider knows your health history, spots problems before they become major issues, and can monitor any chronic conditions. But some Pennsylvanians go without one: nearly 13 percent of Pennsylvanians didn't have a primary care provider in 2014. That's actually better than the national average of 17 percent, but it trails many northeastern states like New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. (Allen, 5/12)

The Associated Press: Doctor: Decision To Reverse Well Warning Made Under Pressure
North Carolina's state health director feared legislators would take away some of his authority before deciding in March to reverse warnings that hundreds of water wells near Duke Energy power plants were too contaminated to use, according to testimony provided by environmentalists Thursday. Dr. Randall Williams, the health director, was concerned that if the state didn't reverse its 2015 letter urging residents living hear Duke Energy coal ash pits against drinking their well water, the General Assembly might restrict his division's authority, according to a deposition state epidemiologists Dr. Megan Davies gave last week. (Dalesio, 5/12)

WBUR: Health Care And Civic Leaders Launch Serious Illness Care Coalition
A group of health care and civic leaders meets at the Kennedy Library Thursday morning with a mission: ensuring that Massachusetts residents live their final weeks or months as they choose. They’re launching a new statewide effort called the Serious Illness Care coalition. The aim of the group is to encourage patients, doctors and family members to talk about what type of care they want when facing a serious illness — the kind that could lead to death within a year. (Becker, 5/12)

The Star Tribune: Death Of Patient At Hopkins Nursing Home Linked To Medication Error
For the second time in just over a month, a Minnesota nursing home has been cited for neglect in the case of a patient who died after a medical transcription error. (Serres, 5/11)

The Boston Globe: Report Faults Cataract Surgery Errors
In recent years, more than two dozen Massachusetts patients have been victims of medical errors during cataract surgery — a wildly popular procedure that is now the most commonly performed operation in the country. (Kowalcyzk, 5/12)

Modern Healthcare: Postcard Triggers Ohio Mental-Health Privacy Mea Culpa
Ohio health officials are notifying 59,000 state residents that they were inadvertently identified as behavioral-health patients in mailed correspondence, resulting in a breach of protected health information. In February, the Ohio Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services sent postcards to former patients that read "Your Consumer Voice," strongly inferring that the recipient had used the agency's services. The agency received a complaint from a woman whose son received one of the 10,000 cards inviting patients to take an online survey. It was the only complaint, according to agency spokesman Eric Wandersleben. (Conn, 5/11)

Georgia Health News: Two New Health Care Laws You May Not Have Heard About
Two of these pieces of legislation did not attract much fanfare or criticism. They were approved by the Legislature with little media attention, and have won praise from patient advocates in Georgia. ... One measure, House Bill 1037, allows Georgians to file complaints against certified nursing assistants (CNAs) who work as caregivers in an individual’s home. ... Another bill hailed by patient advocates makes Georgia the second state, after Rhode Island, to license lactation consultants. These consultants help mothers who are having problems breastfeeding their babies. (Miller, 5/12)

The Cleveland Plain Dealer: Cleveland Clinic Mum On Details Of Alliance With Embattled Blood-Testing Company Theranos
It was supposed to be a pairing of America's medical elite. In October 2014, the Cleveland Clinic formed a strategic alliance with Theranos, then a fast-rising company from California whose 31-year-old chief executive was promising to revolutionize blood testing. (Ross, 5/12)

The Connecticut Mirror: A Handshake, Then A Vote On Connecticut’s Next Budget
The budget also moves approximately $3.9 million in public health programs currently funded through the state’s General Fund, the main source of operating money, to the Biomedical Research Trust Fund. The programs being shifted include those addressing children’s lead poisoning, children with health care needs, children’s health initiatives and a genetic diseases program. Under the budget deal reached between the Malloy administration and Democrats in the legislature last week, they would have been funded through the state’s insurance fund, which is paid for by insurance companies that generally pass the costs on to customers. (Phaneuf, Levin Becker, Rabe Thomas and Pazniokas, 5/12)

The News Service of Florida: Court Allows Case Against Pharmacy In Man's Death
A state appeals court Wednesday said a lawsuit can move forward against a compounding pharmacy in the death of an Ohio man who received a fatal dose of pain medication while on vacation in Southwest Florida. The 2nd District Court of Appeal, in a 2-1 ruling, reversed a circuit judge's decision to dismiss allegations against Professional Compounding Pharmacists of Western Pennsylvania. The case stems from the 2012 death of Darryl Ray Sorenson, who suffered back pain because of injuries from an auto accident. (5/12)

The Tampa Bay Times: Behind The Scenes At The Doctor's Office, A New Business Model Aims To Keep You Out Of The Hospital
Dr. Christopher Pittman's vein care practice looks like a typical doctor's office. Patients read magazines in a nicely appointed waiting area. Physicians scan medical charts and prepare for procedures. Under the hood, however, it is a unique operation. (McGrory, 5/12)

The New England Journal of Medicine: One-Year Outcomes In Caregivers Of Critically Ill Patients
Few resources are available to support caregivers of patients who have survived critical illness; consequently, the caregivers’ own health may suffer. We studied caregiver and patient characteristics to determine which characteristics were associated with caregivers’ health outcomes during the first year after patient discharge from an intensive care unit (ICU). ... A large percentage of [the 280] caregivers (67% initially and 43% at 1 year) reported high levels of depressive symptoms. Depressive symptoms decreased at least partially with time in 84% of the caregivers .... Variables that were significantly associated with worse mental health outcomes in caregivers were younger age, greater effect of patient care on other activities, less social support, less sense of control over life, and less personal growth. (Cameron et al., 5/12)

Pediatrics: Outpatient Rehabilitation For Medicaid-Insured Children Hospitalized With Traumatic Brain Injury
[Researchers sought to] describe the prevalence of postdischarge outpatient rehabilitation among Medicaid-insured children hospitalized with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and to identify factors associated with receipt of services. ... Among 9361 children, only 29% received any type of outpatient rehabilitation therapy during the first year after injury, although 62% sustained a moderate to severe TBI. The proportion of children receiving outpatient therapies declined to 12% in the second and third years. The most important predictor of receipt of outpatient rehabilitation was receipt of inpatient therapies or consultation with a rehabilitation physician during acute care. Compared with children of other racial/ethnic groups, Hispanic children had lower rates of receipt of outpatient speech therapy. (Jimenez et al., 5/6)

JAMA Surgery: Hospital And Payer Costs Associated With Surgical Complications
[N]umerous policy changes aimed at incentivizing high-quality care shift more of this burden [of the cost of surgical complications] to hospitals. ... We performed an observational study merging complication data from the Michigan Surgical Quality Collaborative and internal cost accounting data from the University of Michigan Health System from January 2, 2008, through April 16, 2015. ... The overall complication rate was 14.5% (744 of 5120) for all procedures .... For all studied procedures, mean hospital costs were $19 626 (119%) higher for patients with complications ($36 060) compared with those without complications ($16 434). Mean third-party reimbursement was $18 497 (106%) higher for patients with complications ($35 870) compared with those without complications ($17 373). Consequently, with risk adjustment, overall profit margin decreased from 5.8% for patients without complications to 0.1% for patients with complications. (Healy, 5/11)

Annals of Internal Medicine: Addressing Infection Prevention And Control In The First U.S. Community Hospital To Care For Patients With Ebola Virus Disease: Context For National Recommendations And Future Strategies
Health care personnel (HCP) caring for patients with Ebola virus disease (EVD) are at increased risk for infection with the virus. In 2014, a Texas hospital became the first U.S. community hospital to care for a patient with EVD; 2 nurses were infected while providing care. This article describes infection control measures developed to strengthen the hospital's capacity to safely diagnose and treat patients with EVD. ... The experiences of the authors and others informed national policies for the care of patients with EVD and protection of HCP, including new guidance for [personal protective equipment], a rapid system for deploying CDC staff to assist hospitals (“Ebola Response Team”), and a framework for a tiered approach to hospital preparedness. (Cummings et al., 5/10)

Georgetown University Health Policy Institute/Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Understanding The Consumer Enrollment Experience In Federally Facilitated Marketplaces
Of the 1,384 calls that [the Assister Help Resource Center] received between November 1, 2015 and January 31, 2016, the majority (546) requested help with the process of determining eligibility for marketplace financial assistance. ... one-on-one assistance is and will continue to be essential for many consumers, a large proportion of whom would not ultimately enroll into coverage without the guidance assisters provide. At the same time, marketplace assisters face a very steep learning curve, and no amount of training can prepare them for all of the different consumer interactions they are likely to have. ... Supporting assisters with policy and technical expertise and monitoring their interactions with consumers are both important marketplace functions. ... officials will need to prioritize areas of the greatest need. (Corlette, Ahn and Ellison, 5/9)

Kaiser Family Foundation: Fading Fast: Fewer Seniors Have Retiree Health Insurance
The Kaiser Family Foundation has been tracking trends in employer-sponsored health coverage, and has documented a significant drop in the share of large employers (200+ workers) offering retiree health coverage, from 66 percent in 1988 to 23 percent in 2015. Firms that continue to offer retiree health benefits have adopted various strategies to limit their liability for these costs, including: hard caps on their financial liability, a shift from a defined benefit to a defined contribution approach, and increases in premiums and cost-sharing requirements paid by retirees and their spouses. In recent years, some employers have elected to offer retiree benefits through contracts with Medicare Advantage plans and private health insurance exchanges. (Neuman and Damico, 5/6)

The Kaiser Family Foundation: ACA Coverage And The Changing Labor Market: Voices From The Field
This brief highlights voices from adult focus group participants with low and moderate incomes with Medicaid or Marketplace coverage following implementation of the ACA. ... Many participants spoke of a changing labor market in which they worked multiple part-time jobs and/or short-term contracts. ... Some had full-time jobs, but received few or no benefits from their employers or were offered health coverage that was unaffordable. ... ACA coverage supported some participants as they transitioned into new careers or were looking for work after being laid off. ... For others, access to health care through Medicaid or the Marketplace supported their ability to work. ... And though Marketplace coverage is not linked to employment, some still found that it was designed for those with traditional jobs and predictable incomes. (Majerol and Tolbert, 5/5)

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

Medscape: 'Weekend Effect' In Hospital Deaths Is Oversimplified
Two new studies published online today in the Lancet call into question previous reports that suggest weekend staffing at hospitals is linked to higher patient mortality. One study looked specifically at acute stroke care and found no weekend effect on mortality, but found quality of care is inconsistent throughout the week. Therefore, the authors say, addressing only weekend care oversimplifies the problem. The second study found no correlation between weekend specialty staffing and patient deaths. (Frellick, 5/10)

Reuters: Calorie Restriction May Have Some Benefit For Non-Obese
Even for people who are a healthy weight or only somewhat overweight, cutting calories for two years may lead to weight loss as well as improved mood and sexual drive, according to a new study. (Doyle, 5/3)

Reuters: Problem Drinking Starts Before Military Deployment
Binge drinking and alcoholism is a big issue in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, and the problem may begin even before sailors and marines deploy, a recent study suggests. More than a quarter of sailors and marines who were anonymously surveyed within two weeks before their deployment admitted to binge drinking regularly, and nearly 40 percent reported dangerous drinking. A small but significant number also reported that they had been drugged against their will. (Kennedy, 5/6)

MedPage Today: Distressed Patients Gain Insurance Coverage
In an analysis of data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), the number of uninsured adults ages 18 to 64 fell from 28.1% in 2012 to 19.5% in first 9 months of 2015, Robin Cohen, PhD, and Emily Zammitti, MPH, of the National Center for Health Statistics, reported in a Data Brief. But there was no change in the proportion of adults with serious psychological distress who had a usual place to go for medical care or who had talked to a healthcare provider in the past year, they reported. These figures hovered just under 80% and just under 90%, respectively. (Fiore, 5/4)

The Washington Post: House Of Representatives Prevails In Obamacare Suit, But Will Decision Withstand Appeal?
Today, a federal district court in Washington ruled in favor of the House of Representatives — and against the Obama administration — in House v. Burwell, concluding that funds to pay cost-sharing subsidies to health insurers under Section 1402 of the Affordable Care Act had never been appropriated by Congress. In her opinion, Judge Rosemary Collyer concluded that, insofar as such subsidies have been paid, it was unlawful for the executive branch to do so. This is a significant ruling, and one that is certain to be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. (Jonathan H. Adler, 5/12)

Los Angeles Times: The GOP's Scorched-Earth Approach To Obamacare Finally Pays Off – Except For The Poor Of Course
Six years after losing the battle in Congress over the Affordable Care Act, Republicans haven't stopped fighting to reverse the results. They've had little or no luck on Capitol Hill, even though they now control both the House and the Senate. On Thursday, however, they won a skirmish in court when a federal judge canceled funding for the subsidies that help millions of poor people pay the out-of-pocket costs of doctor visits, outpatient care and hospitalizations. The GOP win, if upheld, is a loss for many of their constituents. (5/13)

The Washington Post: Obamacare’s Financial Health Is Impaired
The most important political event today was not the Donald Trump/House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) pantomime, but rather, a critical court ruling against the administration on Obamacare. ... Ryan appeared to be ecstatic. In a written statement, he declared: “This is an historic win for the Constitution and the American people. The court ruled that the administration overreached by spending taxpayer money without approval from the people’s representatives. Here, the executive branch is being held accountable to We the People, and that’s why this decision is very good news.” Since Ryan had just stressed in his post-Trump presser the importance of restraint on the executive branch as a key component of conservatism, the timing could not have been better. (Jennifer Rubin, 5/12)

Modern Healthcare: Trump Adviser Now Says Medicare And Medicaid Changes Are On The Table
From the start of his race for the Republican presidential primary run last year, Donald Trump repeatedly has promised that unlike other Republican candidates, he would not touch Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security. It's been one of his core appeals to older working- and middle-class voters. “I was the first & only potential GOP candidate to state there will be no cuts to Social Security, Medicare & Medicaid,” he tweeted last May. As recently as this week, he told Fox Business that “I'm leaving (Medicare) the way it is.” (Harris Meyer, 5/12)

The New England Journal Of Medicine: Health As A Family Affair
If your parents are in their 80s, you probably have a conditioned response to middle-of-the-night phone calls: “What happened?” The first time, it may be your father who’s in trouble, and your mother is calling from the hospital. When he returns home, she becomes the de facto caregiver, despite being equally elderly and hardly up for the responsibility. The next phone call may be about your mother — perhaps she’s had a fall, and your sibling is calling from the hospital. Now, care becomes more complicated: the siblings negotiate, one of your sisters volunteers to take primary responsibility, even move in, and her life changes. She cuts back to part-time work and takes over managing your parents’ medications, appointments, and checkbook. Each successive call brings more responsibilities and decisions — a home health aide, a life alert bracelet, equipping their home with grab bars and nonslip floors, working out coverage during your sister’s trips and vacations. Resources become strained, emotional health is challenged, and sometimes physical health suffers. (Eve Wittenberg and Lisa A. Prosser, 5/12)

The Wall Street Journal: Streamlining Medicine And Saving Lives
As doctors, patients and former U.S. senators, we’ve seen firsthand how medical innovation benefits patients. Those on our operating tables and in our practices—and we ourselves when we’ve needed medical care—have benefited from breakthroughs in science and newly approved treatments that translate into better health and longer lives. (Bill Frist and Tom Coburn, 5/11)

The Des Moines Register: Medical Errors Are A Deadly Epidemic
Cancer and heart disease are the leading causes of death in the United States. People diagnosed with these illnesses turn to the medical community for help. But doing that presents yet another risk to their lives. Medical errors in hospitals and health facilities are now the third leading cause of death in this country, according to a new study. Mistakes made in the places we rely on for care claim 251,000 lives annually. That’s more than respiratory disease, accidents and strokes. It’s more than Alzheimer’s, diabetes and pneumonia combined. (5/12)

Stat: Rural America Needs Greater Access To Telemedicine Emergency Care
With the push of a button, a rural nurse, doctor, or other health provider can activate a telehealth system and be instantly connected to a board-certified emergency medicine physician, experienced critical care nurse, neurologist, cardiologist, trauma surgeon, or other specialists. Access to such specialists improves the quality of emergency health care in rural areas, facilitates interprofessional collegiality, and reduces the professional isolation experienced by some rural clinicians. (Clint MacKinney, 5/12)

Modern Healthcare: Unpopular Governors Have Fingerprints On Health Policy Decisions
A new survey puts the spotlight on the nation's most unpopular governors. A quick look at those governors' records shows many disliked decisions that impacted healthcare. Four of the 10 least popular governors highlighted in the Morning Consult analysis have not expanded Medicaid to more low-income people. Maine Gov. Paul LePage, a Republican who made the “bottom” 10, actually called Medicaid expansion “sinful” a couple years ago. Several other governors, including Republican Matt Bevin of Kentucky, have openly expressed their antipathy for the Affordable Care Act. (Bob Herman, 5/12)

Lexington Herald Leader: USDA Should OK Benefind Boost
One of the many unpleasant surprises accompanying the troubled debut of Benefind, the state’s new $100 million integrated benefits system, was the lockout of kynectors. This cadre of 500 highly-trained people, working in non-profit organizations and a contractor-run call center, have been key to helping 500,000 Kentuckians navigate new health insurance options under the Affordable Care Act and gain access to routine medical care. The U.S. Department of Agriculture can restore kynectors’ ability to help low-income Kentuckians by approving an exception to some privacy provisions in its Food and Nutrition Service programs. Such an exemption would jeopardize no one’s privacy because kynectors’ already know the financial information of the people who seek their help in applying for benefits through Kynect’s and now Benefind’s online self-service portals. (5/13)

The Boston Globe: This Is No Way To Negotiate Health Care Pricing
Narrowing the gap between the generous insurance reimbursements awarded to Massachusetts’ biggest medical centers and smaller payments made to community hospitals has long been the subject of debate. With every passing year, alarms about the underfunding of struggling hospitals grow louder. The state legislature’s failure to do its job and address this issue has produced two unpalatable options, which both have the potential to do further harm. (5/13)

Los Angeles Times: Why Many Hospice Doctors Like Me Won't Participate In Legal Physician Assisted Suicide
On June 9 California will join four other states — Oregon, Washington, Vermont and Montana — in allowing physician-assisted suicide. Meanwhile, my state, Arizona, and a dozen or so others are considering their own “right to die” laws. As a hospice physician, about twice a year I am asked by a patient to prescribe a lethal dose of a medication. Oncologists throughout the country report that up to half of their patients at least ask about it. But even if it were legal in Arizona, and I knew a patient met all the criteria established by law, I would still not hasten his or her death. That would be my right as a doctor, and it will be the right of doctors in California as well. (Ann Marie Chiasson, 5/12)