The Washington Post: CDC Reports 805 Cases Of Vaping-Related Lung Injury
Federal officials said Thursday that at least 805 people in 46 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands have fallen sick with mysterious vaping-related lung injuries as the growing outbreak stretches to include virtually all of the United States. Twelve deaths have been confirmed in 10 states: California (two), Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas (two), Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri and Oregon. (Sun, 9/26)

The New York Times: Vaping-Related Illnesses Climb To 805, C.D.C. Says
Based on 373 cases where data on the patients was available, the C.D.C. says that nearly three-quarters were male, two-thirds were 18 years to 34 years old and 16 percent were younger than 18 years. (Grady, 9/27)

The Wall Street Journal: Vaping-Related Lung Illnesses Rise 52%, CDC Says
“All reported cases have a history of e-cigarette product use or vaping,” the CDC said in a release. The CDC, the Food and Drug Administration and local authorities have opened up investigations into lung injuries linked to vaping over the past few weeks. The FDA is conducting a criminal probe. (Chin, 9/26)

USA Today: Cases Of Vaping Lung Disease Jump To 805 With 12 Deaths, But Cause Remains A Mystery, CDC Says
The inquiry will focus on the products, where they were purchased and how they were used. "We do not yet know the specific cause of these lung injuries," the CDC said in a statement. "The investigation has not identified any specific e-cigarette or vaping product (devices, liquids, refill pods, and/or cartridges) or substance that is linked to all cases." (Stanglin, 9/26)

The Associated Press: US Vaping Illness Count Jumps To 805, Deaths Rise To 13
Over the summer, health officials in a few states began noticing reports of people developing severe breathing illnesses, with the lungs apparently reacting to a caustic substance. The only common factor in the illnesses was that the patients had all recently vaped. As a national investigation started and broadened, reports have increased dramatically. (Stobbe, 9/26)

The Hill: Over 800 Cases Of Vaping Illnesses Reported To CDC 
Dr. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the CDC, told Congress this week it hasn't ruled out any products or substances that could be causing the illnesses. The Food and Drug Administration and state health departments have found vitamin E acetate in the THC vaping products. (Hellmann, 9/26)

Stat: CDC Reports Another Surge In Number Of Cases Of Vaping-Related Illness
Many of the patients said they had vaped THC, but many also vaped both THC and nicotine. Some patients have said they only used e-cigarettes for nicotine products, but health officials have noted that some patients are hesitant to disclose THC use. Health officials still have not identified a culprit or culprits behind the recent spate of illnesses. (Thielking, 9/26)

Georgia Health News: Vaping-Linked Lung Illnesses Jump Nationally; Georgia Death Reported
The [CDC] ... also said there have been 12 deaths in 10 states, including one reported in Georgia on Wednesday. The CDC’s director, Dr. Robert Redfield, told an Atlanta health care conference Thursday that vaping products — which mimic cigarettes but generate inhalable vapors instead of actual smoke — have “significant health consequences.’’ He said the public assumption that e-cigarettes are safer than regular cigarettes has helped drive the vaping trend. (Miller, 9/26)

The Associated Press: NY Could Add Menthol To Flavor Ban As Vaping Groups Sue
New York officials want to add menthol to the state’s first-in-the-nation ban on the sale of flavored e-cigarettes as the vaping industry seeks to block it, according to the governor’s office. Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he’s directing his administration to take steps to include menthol in a ban that currently excludes tobacco and menthol flavors. The state health commissioner could hold an emergency meeting as soon as next week to update the ban, according to Cuomo’s office. (9/26)

POLITICO Pro: Cuomo Directs Officials To Add Menthol To State's Flavored Vape Ban
New York will extend its temporary ban on flavored e-cigarette and e-liquid sales to include menthol-flavored vaping products, following new recommendations from state health officials. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Thursday that he has reviewed and accepted Health Commissioner Howard Zucker’s recommendation to add menthol-flavored vape products to the emergency ban, which took effect last week. (Young, 9/26)

Boston Globe: Juul’s Local Lobbying Effort Goes Up In Smoke
So that big lobbying push on Beacon Hill hasn’t worked out so well for Juul Labs — or for Martha Coakley. Governor Charlie Baker blindsided the vaping industry Tuesday when he declared e-cigarettes a public health emergency and blocked their sale for four months. Other states have imposed limits on flavored e-cigs. But Massachusetts became the first and only state so far with a blanket ban. (Chesto, 9/26)

Boston Globe: Danvers Mall Vape Shop Sues State Over Temporary Ban
A vape shop located in a Danvers mall Thursday filed a lawsuit challenging the state’s four-month ban on the sale of vaping products, saying it is unenforceable and enacted without sufficient notice. The complaint filed in Suffolk Superior Court, comes two days after Governor Charlie Baker declared a public health emergency and applied the ban to both tobacco and marijuana vaping products. (McDonald, 9/26)

Los Angeles Times: San Joaquin County D.A. opens investigation into Juul
San Joaquin County Dist. Atty. Tori Verber Salazar said Thursday that she is opening an investigation into e-cigarette company Juul Labs to look into what she said was “knowingly false and misleading” advertising that hooked young people on nicotine. The investigation could lead to a suit from the county, which is east of San Francisco. (Karlamangla, 9/26)

KQED: San Joaquin County DA Investigating Juul Labs For Allegedly Marketing To Teens
The San Joaquin County district attorney said Thursday that her office is opening an investigation into e-cigarette maker Juul Labs, looking at whether the company improperly marketed e-cigarettes to teenagers. (Klivans, 9/26)

Los Angeles Times: Why Flavored Vaping Products Are This Era’s Big Tobacco Menthol Cigarettes
High schoolers rallying in downtown Los Angeles this week chanted “Fight the flavor” as they showed their support for banning the flavored tobacco products that health experts say are fueling an epidemic of nicotine addiction among youths. Among the demonstrators was Jennyfer Cortez, 16, who said she tried an e-cigarette for the first time five years ago because it tasted like blueberries, her favorite fruit. She didn’t like vaping because it made her cough, but she has seen her peers vape at their lockers, in the school bathroom and sometimes even in class. (Karlamangla, 9/26)

The Hill: House Panel Asks E-Cigarette Companies To Cease All Advertising 
A House panel is calling on e-cigarette manufacturers to cease all television, radio, print and digital advertising in the United States, in the wake of an unprecedented spike in youth vaping. The request from Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy, comes after market-leader Juul announced it would cease all advertising, effective immediately. (Weixel, 9/26)

Bloomberg: Juul Wants Wave Of Vaping Lawsuits Sent To San Francisco 
Juul Labs Inc., maker of the top-selling e-cigarette device in the U.S., asked a federal court panel in Los Angeles to send dozens of lawsuits it faces over the almost daily revelations of the health risks of its product to a judge in its hometown of San Francisco. Austin Schwing, a lawyer for Juul, made the pitch Thursday at a hearing before the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multi-District Litigation, which determines whether suits filed in federal courts across the U.S. are similar enough that pre-trial proceedings involving information exchanges and evidence gathering should be managed by a single judge. (Pettersson and Feeley, 9/26)

Bloomberg: What's In A Weed Vape? Not Even Nobel-Winning Chemists Know 
The vaping health crisis sweeping the U.S. is highlighting how little scientists and health officials know about the marijuana being consumed on a daily basis by millions of Americans. That lack of research, which stems from a longstanding federal prohibition on marijuana, is becoming a problem for the $10 billion legal weed industry, where vaping products have been the fastest-growing area. (Giammona and Owram, 9/26)

The Associated Press: Marijuana Vape Sales Lag As Lung Illnesses Rise In US
Vaping products, one of the fastest-growing segments of the legal marijuana industry, have taken a hit from consumers as public health experts scramble to determine what’s causing a mysterious and sometimes fatal lung disease among people who use e-cigarettes. The ailment has sickened at least 805 people and killed 13. Some vaped nicotine, but many reported using oil containing THC, marijuana’s high-inducing ingredient, and said they bought products from pop-up shops and other illegal sellers. (Flaccus and Peltz, 9/26)

The Associated Press: Senate Sends Trump Stopgap Spending Bill, Averting Shutdown
The Senate passed a temporary government-wide funding bill on Thursday that staves off the risk of a government shutdown through Nov. 21. The measure would buy additional time for lawmakers to work to unclog a $1.4 trillion bundle of yearly spending bills that is hung up amid fights over President Donald Trump’s border wall and abortion. Those measures face a variety of obstacles, and it’s not clear whether Congress will pass them. (Taylor, 9/26)

The Wall Street Journal: Senate Passes Short-Term Spending Measure
The stopgap bill, which passed the House last week, would keep the government open through Nov. 21 as lawmakers of both parties try to pass new annual-spending legislation. A White House official said Mr. Trump would sign the temporary bill by Tuesday, but the exact timing was unclear. The measure also extends a number of health-care programs and other expiring measures, including the National Flood Insurance Program. (Duehren, 9/26)

PoliticoPro: Medicaid Drug Rebate Bill Heads To Trump's Desk
A bipartisan bill to help ensure drug companies don't overcharge taxpayers for drugs in the Medicaid program is headed to President Donald Trump's desk as part of the continuing resolution to fund the government through Nov. 21. The Fair and Accurate Medicaid Pricing Act, H.R. 3276 (116), cleared the Senate today as part of the continuing resolution. It is expected to save about $3.1 billion over the next decade by closing a loophole that allowed authorized generic drug prices to be used when calculating a brand drug's Medicaid rebates. (Karlin-Smith, 9/26)

The Hill: Democrats To Force Vote On Trump Health Care Rule
Senate Democrats took action this week that will force a floor vote on a Trump administration rule that loosens ObamaCare waiver restrictions. The move by Democrats, led by Sen. Mark Warner (Va.), paves the way for a recorded vote on whether to roll back a rule that makes it easier for insurance plans to qualify for waivers from ObamaCare’s requirements. (Carney, 9/26)

CQ: Consumer Groups Launch Ads Backing Surprise Billing Legislation
Consumer groups launched a campaign Thursday calling on Congress to end surprise medical bills, seeking to counter a push from private equity-backed physician staffing firms against legislation. The coalition of 14 groups is urging lawmakers to swiftly vote on legislation to prohibit surprise medical bills, which patients receive for unexpected out-of-network care. While lawmakers and the Trump administration have called for legislation, the effort has essentially stalled since two congressional committees approved legislation over the summer and industry groups have criticized the measures. (McIntire, 9/26)

The Washington Post: Should Federal Employees Have Paid Family Leave? The Senate Says No — For Now.
The Senate defeated a bid to authorize paid family leave for federal employees but on a narrow vote that supporters view as leaving an opening for the benefit to yet be approved. The Senate voted 48-47 on Wednesday against accepting House-passed language to turn into paid time the unpaid leave available to federal workers under the Family and Medical Leave Act. That law entitles them, along with many other workers, to up to 12 weeks per 12 months of unpaid time for parental leave and personal or family medical conditions. (Yoder, 9/26)

PoliticoPro: Houses Passes Bill To Improve Medical Screening At Border
The House passed a Democratic bill Thursday, 230-184, to improve medical screening of migrants in U.S. Customs and Border Protection custody by directing research and creating a DHS electronic health record system. (Mueller, 9/26)

Atlanta Journal Constitution: The Jolt: Tom Price Joins The Hunt For Georgia’s Senate Seat
Former Health Secretary Tom Price entered the sweepstakes to be Georgia’s next U.S. Senator by submitting his resume with Gov. Brian Kemp’s office for the soon-to-be-vacated seat held by Johnny Isakson. Price, a former six-term congressman, confirmed to the AJC that he applied, making him the latest high-profile figure to formally seek the spot. Other applicants include U.S. Rep. Doug Collins and Public Service Commissioner Tim Echols – and many more are expected to join them. (Bluestein and Hallerman, 9/26)

Politico: Tom Price Angling For Georgia Senate Appointment
Price, a former six-term Republican congressman, was appointed by President Donald Trump to serve as HHS secretary at the outset of his administration. He resigned in September 2017 after POLITICO revealed his use of private and government planes for travel. (Arkin, 9/26)

The Associated Press: Georgia's Price Seeks Senate Appointment After HHS Downfall
Kemp will soon get to pick a replacement for retiring Republican Sen. Johnny Isakson, who is stepping down in December because of health issues. Price is an orthopedic surgeon from Atlanta’s northern suburbs who represented Georgia’s 6th Congressional District from 2005 to 2017, before stepping down to join President Donald Trump’s administration. He served for roughly seven months as health secretary before being forced out in September 2017 over the travel expenditures. Trump was also angry with Republicans’ failure to repeal former President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul. (Nadler, 9/26)

The Wall Street Journal: Democratic Presidential Candidates Compete To March To California’s Drum
On a Thursday evening in June, Governor Gavin Newsom signed a budget making California the first state to expand government health care to some adult immigrants living Illegally in the U.S. That same night, thousands of miles away at a presidential primary debate in Florida, all 10 Democratic candidates on stage raised their hands to signal that they would like to do the same nationwide. ... In the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, California has become a rallying point, with its liberal policies that frequently defy those of the Trump administration, serving as a proxy for the direction candidates would like to take the nation. (Lazo and Glazer, 9/27)

Detroit Free Press: GM Reverses On Health Care, Says It Will Cover UAW Strikers
In a significant reversal, General Motors has told the UAW that it will continue to pay for health coverage of striking workers. GM told the union after it went on strike Sept. 16 at company sites nationwide that it was kicking health care costs to the union, a move that UAW leaders said blindsided them, even though they had anticipated picking up those costs at some point through the strike fund. GM said Thursday it "has chosen to work with our providers to keep all benefits fully in place for striking hourly employees, so they have no disruption to their medical care, including vision, prescription and dental coverage. (Lawrence, 9/26)

The Associated Press: GM Reverses Course, Says Strikers Will Keep Health Coverage
“This is an attempt to do what’s right for our employees,” GM spokesman Dan Flores said. It’s normal procedure in strikes for the cost of health care to shift from the company, which is largely self-insured, to the union. It says on the union website that the UAW will pick up the cost of the premiums. But the timing of when GM ends the health care and when the union takes over is at issue. The UAW said the benefits lapsed, but did not give a date. (Krisher, 9/26)

The New York Times: G.M. Restores Workers’ Health Coverage As Strike Continues
In a letter to G.M. on Thursday, Terry Dittes, the union vice president leading the negotiations, complained that the automaker was “toying” with the lives of union members with the back and forth on health coverage. “There is no doubt that public sentiment sees these actions of G.M. as a shameful act!” Mr. Dittes wrote. In the contract talks, the union is pushing G.M. to increase pay for temporary and less-senior workers, reopen plants it has idled and allot more future production to factories in the United States instead of those it operates in Mexico. G.M. would like to limit wage increases and cut health care costs. (Boudette, 9/26)

Bloomberg: GM And The UAW Spar Over Health Care, Revealing Tension In Talks 
“There is no doubt that public sentiment see these actions of GM as a shameful act!” Dittes wrote to GM management. “It is time for GM to come to the bargaining table with an offer that reflects the hard work of our members who make you successful and will settle this strike on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of UAW families, and stop toying with our families’ health and well-being.” (Welch, 9/26)

Sacramento Bee: EPA Demands Newsom Fix California’s Water Pollution Problems
The Trump administration continued pounding California officials over the environment Thursday, blaming San Francisco and Los Angeles’ homelessness for polluting their cities’ water and demanding Gov. Gavin Newsom address a wide range of shortcomings with drinking water supplies. Andrew Wheeler, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, skewered Newsom in a bluntly-worded letter about California’s polluted water. (Kasler, 9/26)

The New York Times: E.P.A. Accuses California Of ‘Significant’ Air And Water Problems
It is the latest in a series of aggressive actions that the Trump administration has taken against California since the state surprised the E.P.A. by signing a deal with four automakers that opposed a federal plan to roll back a national vehicle tailpipe pollution standard. (Friedman, 9/26)

Los Angeles Times: EPA To California: You're Also 'Failing' To Meet Water Pollution Standard
In a letter to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler threatened possible enforcement action if the state did not improve the way it deals with lead, arsenic and human waste in its water. Wheeler wrote that officials in San Francisco, Los Angeles and the state as a whole “do not appear to be acting with urgency to mitigate the risks to human health and the environment that may result from the homelessness crisis.” (Díaz and Phillips, 9/26)

The Wall Street Journal: Trump Administration Fires Another Volley At California
The EPA letter escalates the president’s feud with California, the country’s most populated state with roughly 40 million residents. He recently visited the Bay Area for the first time since his election. Mr. Trump has repeatedly attacked San Francisco over its homelessness problem. The city is represented in Congress by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.), who routinely clashes with the president. Mr. Trump has suggested that California policies are to blame for the crisis, in keeping with his broader clash with Democratic leaders in the state on issues such as immigration and climate change. (Stech Ferek, 9/26)

The Washington Post: EPA Tells California It Is ‘Failing To Meet Its Obligations’ To Protect The Environment
“The agency is aware of the growing homelessness crisis developing in major California cities, including Los Angeles and San Francisco, and the impact of this crisis on the environment,” Wheeler wrote. “Based upon data and reports, the agency is concerned that California’s implementation of federal environmental laws is failing to meet its obligations required under delegated federal programs.” Under extraordinary circumstances, the EPA can take over enforcement of federal pollution laws. (Eilperin, Dennis and Dawsey, 9/26)

The Associated Press: Trump Administration Accuses California Of Water Pollution
San Francisco’s mayor disputed any connection between homeless people and water quality, and she and others accused President Donald Trump of using the Environmental Protection Agency to punish the heavily Democratic state. (Flesher, 9/26)

NPR: Trump's EPA Blames California Homeless Crisis For Poor Water Quality
Wheeler asked Newsom to respond in 30 days about what the state plans to do about it. A spokesman for the governor also responded to the letter. "The president is abusing the powers of the presidency and weaponizing government to attack his political opponents. This is not about clean air, clean water or helping our state with homelessness," said Nathan Click, spokesman for Newsom. "This is political retribution against California, plain and simple." (Fessler and Zialcita, 9/26)

The Washington Post: NIH Awards Nearly $1 Billion In Research Grants To Battle Addiction, Chronic Pain 
The National Institutes of Health awarded nearly $1 billion on Thursday to battle addiction and chronic pain, the largest financial commitment to one program ever by the government’s premier biomedical research center. About 50 million adults suffer from chronic pain, and in 2018 about 10.3 million people aged 12 and older abused opioids, including heroin, NIH said. “We have effective tools, such as medication-assisted treatment, but we still need better ways to treat opioid addiction and manage pain in an effective, personalized way,” Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said in a news release. (Bernstein, 9/26)

CQ: NIH Could Do More To Address Foreign Threats, Reports Say
The National Institutes of Health should do more to ensure that investigators and grant reviewers aren’t susceptible to foreign influence, according to a trio of reports from the Health and Human Services inspector general released Friday. The inspector general recommended that the NIH enhance its vetting processes for the independent researchers who review grant applications. The agency could also do more to ensure that research institutions comply with requirements to ensure that investigators disclose all of their funding sources. (Siddons, 9/27)

Stat: FDA Clarifies How It Will Regulate Digital Health, Artificial Intelligence 
The Food and Drug Administration has issued new guidelines on how it will regulate mobile health software and products that use artificial intelligence to help doctors decide how to treat patients. The guidelines, contained in a pair of documents released Thursday morning, clarify the agency’s intent to focus its oversight powers on AI decision-support products that are meant to guide treatment of serious or critical conditions, but whose rationale cannot be independently evaluated by doctors. (Ross, 9/26)

Modern Healthcare: HHS Liver Allocation Policy Survives Appeal Challenge
A federal appeals court late Wednesday ruled that HHS properly handled the recent overhaul of the nation's system for distributing livers to transplant candidates, but stopped short of upholding the changes. Three judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit determined that HHS did't need to follow a public notice-and-comment process to alter its liver transplant allocation policy. But a federal district court will need to determine whether the changes affect hospitals' due process rights and other legal standards. (Luthi, 9/26)

Stat: FDA Slams Drug Maker For Not Telling Docs Its Sleeping Pill Is A Controlled Substance
At a time of heightened concern over abuse and dependence issues surrounding medicines, the Food and Drug Administration slammed a small drug maker for sending an email to physicians that appeared to “intentionally” omit any mention that its insomnia pill is a controlled substance. In a Sept. 13 warning letter sent to Galt Pharmaceuticals, the agency complained to the company that the email made numerous claims about the benefits of its Doral pill for treating insomnia. But the email completely failed to mention the warning and precaution language in the prescribing label about the withdrawal syndrome associated with benzodiazepines, such as Doral. (Silverman, 9/26)

Kaiser Health News: KHN Files Lawsuit To Force Feds To Disclose Medicare Advantage Audits
Kaiser Health News is suing the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to release dozens of audits that the agency says reveal hundreds of millions of dollars in overcharges by Medicare Advantage health plans. The suit, filed late Thursday in U.S. District Court in San Francisco under the Freedom of Information Act, seeks copies of 90 government audits of Medicare Advantage health plans conducted for 2011, 2012 and 2013 but never made public. CMS officials have said they expect to collect $650 million in overpayments from the audits. Although the agency has disclosed the names of the health plans under scrutiny, it has not released any other details. (Schulte, 9/27)

Miami Herald: Premiums On Medicare Advantage Plans Go Down In Florida
Florida residents enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans will continue to pay little to no monthly premiums next year as more people flock to the program known locally for its competitive market, with providers offering “white-glove” services including such perks as Cuban coffee and bingo. Medicare Advantage is the private component of the public program in which the federal government allocates a certain amount of funding per person per month to private insurance providers running the plans. (Conarck, 9/26)

Cleveland Plain Dealer: Federal Judge In Cleveland Won’t Remove Self From Opioid Litigation Because ‘No Reasonable Person Can Legitimately Question My Impartiality’
A federal judge in Cleveland denied a request by several drug companies to remove himself from the massive opioid litigation ahead of a trial next month, saying nothing he has done in the past two years has shown any favor toward cities and counties seeking money for the nation’s devastating drug epidemic. (Heisig, 9/26)

The Associated Press: Judge In Opioid Litigation Won't Remove Himself From Case
Judge Dan Polster said in his order that he has done nothing over the past two years to favor cities and counties seeking money from the pharmaceutical industry to cover their costs of fighting the deadly crisis. Polster said he has merely acknowledged the massive toll of the opioid crisis and the responsibility, as opposed to the legal liability, of many parties in the epidemic. (Carr Smyth, 9/26)

Bloomberg: Opioid Trial Judge Denies He’s Biased, Refuses To Step Down 
The Cleveland judge overseeing more than 2,000 federal lawsuits over alleged opioid abuses refused to disqualify himself from a bellwether trial set to start next month, rejecting a request by drug distributors and pharmacies who say he is biased against the companies. ...The first federal trial of the opioid litigation is set to begin Oct. 21 in Cleveland, and the outcome could serve as a benchmark for claims that about two dozen companies are liable for a national epidemic of addiction and overdoses. States and local governments are seeking billions of dollars in damages to help fund treatment programs and police. (Griffin, 9/26)

In other legal news related to the opioid epidemic —

The Associated Press: Johnson & Johnson Appeals Oklahoma's $572M Opioid Ruling
Consumer products giant Johnson & Johnson is appealing an Oklahoma judge’s $572 million order against the company and its subsidiaries for helping fuel the state’s opioid crisis. The company filed an appeal with the Oklahoma Supreme Court on Wednesday, arguing the ruling was an “unprecedented interpretation of Oklahoma public nuisance law.” (Murphy, 9/26)

The Associated Press: Tennessee, Virginia Hospitals File Opioid Lawsuit
A group of hospitals in Tennessee and Virginia have filed a lawsuit against the manufacturers, distributors and retailers of opioid-based drugs. Twenty-six hospitals in eastern Tennessee and seven hospitals in southwestern Virginia are involved in the civil suit. The complaint was filed in July, but it wasn’t publicized until Thursday. (9/27)

The Advocate: Amid An Opioid Crisis In Louisiana, Governor Candidate Ralph Abraham Has History As A Prescriber 
Though Louisiana ranks No. 5 among states in the rate of opioid prescriptions, a crisis that has caused thousands of deaths in the state has received little attention during the governor’s race this year. But one of the three candidates has a record on opioids that extends beyond position papers and policy proposals: U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham was a medical doctor as well as a pharmacy owner in northeast Louisiana, so he has a record as an elected official and a prescriber as well as a buyer and a seller. (Karlin and Bridges, 9/26)

The Associated Press: Military Sees Frustrating Trend As Suicides Spike
Military suicides surged this year to a record high among active duty troops, continuing a deadly trend that Pentagon officials say is frustrating and they are struggling to counter. The Army, Navy and Marine Corps all saw the rate of suicides go up as well as the overall numbers, with only the Air Force showing a decrease, according to data released by the Pentagon Thursday. Suicides among members of the Reserves and the National Guard also grew. (Baldor, 9/26)

The Wall Street Journal: Suicide Rate Among Active U.S. Troops Climbs 13%
Acting Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy and Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville called the report “disheartening and disappointing” in a joint statement. Veteran suicide rates rose 2% in 2017, according to the latest Department of Veterans Affairs numbers released last week. (Kesling, 9/26)

The Washington Post: Military Suicides: Pentagon Again Sees Rise In Suicide Rates Among Active-Duty Troops
Some 541 service members died by suicide in 2018, including 325 active-duty troops, the report said. The active-duty suicide rate was about 24.8 per 100,000 service members, up from 21.9 in 2017 and 18.7 in 2013. “Although the suicide rate among most of our military populations is comparable to civilian rates, this is hardly comforting, and our numbers are not moving in the right direction,” Elizabeth Van Winkle, the Pentagon’s executive director of force resiliency, told reporters on Thursday. (Lamothe, 9/26)

And, in other news related to the VA —

The New York Times: Woman Trying To End Sexual Assault At V.A. Centers Says She Is Attacked In One
A senior policy adviser on female veterans issues for the House said she was assaulted last week at the V.A. Medical Center in Washington by a man who slammed his body against hers and then pressed himself against her in the center’s cafe. The woman, Andrea Goldstein, a reserve Navy intelligence officer and a lead staff member for the Women Veterans Task Force on the House Veterans Affairs Committee, was waiting for a smoothie at a cafe in the busy center, which has one of the most celebrated women’s clinics in the Department of Veterans Affairs health system. (Steinhauer, 9/26)

The Wall Street Journal: Discount Retailer Fred’s Strikes Deals To Sell More Pharmacy Assets
Discount retailer Fred’s Inc. has reached two separate deals to sell some of its pharmacy assets, including 10 drugstores and inventory, to Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. and ExpressRx Co. for a total of about $16.4 million. Walgreens is looking to buy pharmacy inventory from Fred’s for about $9.4 million, according to a filing Thursday in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Del. ExpressRx has agreed to purchase 10 Fred’s pharmacies for about $7 million. (Al-Muslim, 9/26)

Seattle Times: Seattle Startup 98point6 Puts Medical AI To Work With Sam’s Club 
Walmart’s Sam’s Club announced a pilot program Thursday in partnership with Seattle-based telehealth startup 98point6 and health-care company Humana to offer affordable health-care services to its members. Early next month, Sam’s club members in Michigan, Pennsylvania and North Carolina can buy one of four bundles ranging from $50 to $240 annually to access primary care, alternative medicine, optical, and dental services for up to six family members. The program later may expand to members in other states, according to a Sam’s Club news release. (Hellmann, 9/26)

POLITICO Pro: Sticker Prices On Some Drugs Continue To Soar Despite State, Federal Efforts
Sticker prices for drugs ranging from chemotherapy medications to Viagra have soared since 2017 despite state and federal efforts to lower pharmaceutical costs, according to the first public release of historical data required by a recent California drug price transparency law. The data provides the first-ever national pricing snapshot for brand-name and generic drugs that saw significant price spikes, drug experts said. (Hart, 9/26)

Miami Herald: Ranitidine Recall At Walmart, Walgreens And Rite Aid
For the second time this week, a drug manufacturer has recalled several lots of Ranitidine for too much NDMA, which laboratory tests have classified as a probable cancer-causing ingredient. But unlike Sandoz’s recall of Ranitidine capsules, Apotex’s recall of all sizes of 75 mg and 150 mg Ranitidine Hydrochloride Tablets names its retailers: the house brands of Walmart, Walgreens and Rite Aid. (Neal, 9/26)

Modern Healthcare: New CMS Rules Cut Red Tape, Mandate Discharge Planning
The CMS on Wednesday released final rules that cut regulatory burdens for Medicare and Medicaid providers and modify discharge planning requirements for hospitals, critical access hospitals and home health agencies. The agency's new burden rule delivers regulatory relief and $843 million in savings in the first year to a wide range of providers, amounting to more than $8 billion in reduced costs over 10 years. It's part of the CMS' Patients Over Paperwork initiative, which the agency created in 2017 as a response to President Donald Trump's request to cut red tape. (Brady, 9/25)

Modern Healthcare: CMS Finalizes Hospital Antibiotic Stewardship Requirements
The CMS on Wednesday finalized a rule requiring all hospitals to have antibiotic stewardship programs, which experts say is a big step forward in the fight against superbugs. The rule was first proposed in 2016 and requires all acute-care and critical access hospitals that participate in Medicare or Medicaid to develop and implement an antibiotic stewardship program as part of their infection control efforts. (Johnson, 9/26)

Modern Healthcare: Providers Push Back On Loosening Patient Privacy For Criminal Investigations
Some providers have come out against a recent HHS proposal that would expand law enforcement's access to patient records that involve addiction treatment information, worrying it could deter people from seeking care. The proposal from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration would allow courts to authorize disclosure of these patient records when investigating certain crimes, including alleged drug trafficking. Senior officials have described these regulations, known as CFR Part 2, as "so complex" that they have deterred clinicians from getting involved in treating addiction, despite the escalating need. (Cohen, 9/26)

In Georgia and Missouri —

Georgia Health News: Vidalia Hospital May Join HCA Healthcare Chain
National hospital chain HCA Healthcare has signed a letter of intent with a Vidalia hospital to discuss a possible combination of the two organizations. The agreement, announced this week, could lead Meadows Regional Medical Center in Vidalia to become the Tennessee-based company’s 10th hospital in Georgia. (Miller, 9/26)

St. Louis Post Dispatch: Despite Legal Fight With St. Louis, Paul McKee Wants TIF Money For Health Care Facility 
Though they're on the outs with City Hall, developer Paul McKee and his associates are still hoping the St. Louis Board of Aldermen will approve $6.42 million in subsidies for a three-bed health care facility across the street from the future western headquarters of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. The project, called Healthworks, has been on the drawing board for years, with aldermen approving an ordinance allowing the $6.42 million in tax increment financing, or TIF, assistance in early 2017. TIF funds allow new taxes generated from a development to be reinvested into the project. (Barker, 9/27)

Pioneer Press: Can Minnesota Lawmakers Solve The Insulin Problem? Both Party’s Plans, Explained. 
Minnesota Democrats and Republicans are in agreement that the cost of insulin has skyrocketed and something needs to be done to help diabetics who cannot afford the life-saving medicine. The soaring cost of insulin has become a hot-button issue across the nation with a 10-day supply now costing as much as $300. But the two parties have yet to hammer out a compromise. They could not agree on an insulin bill before the legislative session adjourned in May, and not much has changed since — House Democrats and Senate Republicans held separate hearings on competing insulin assistance programs this week. (Faircloth, 9/26)

The Associated Press: Tennessee's Abortion Waiting Period Trial Goes To Judge
A federal judge will have to decide which experts to believe in a trial over Tennessee’s 48-hour waiting period law for abortions. Over the course of a four-day trial in Nashville that concluded Thursday, the state tried to show that the law, which requires women to make two separate trips to a clinic at least 48 hours apart, benefits women by allowing them time to reflect on their decisions. Attorneys representing five of the state’s seven abortion clinics argued the law provides no benefits and causes significant burdens. (Loller, 9/26)

The CT Mirror: Connecticut To Play Direct Role In Negotiating Health Care Prices
State government is looking to take a more direct role in negotiating the prices hospitals and other providers can charge for treating public-sector employees and retirees. Comptroller Kevin P. Lembo announced a new bidding process Thursday that he said would radically reshape Connecticut’s healthcare market. (Phaneuf, 9/26)

Dallas Morning News: More Texas Kids Are Uninsured For The Third Year In A Row, New Census Data Shows
The number of uninsured Texas children increased for the third year in a row, according to data released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau. And policy experts and advocates say that in Texas — where an estimated 1.5 to 1.6 million children live with at least one noncitizen parent — the chilling effect around the Trump administration’s revamped “public charge” rule could be playing a key role in some parents taking their children off public health insurance. (Manuel, 9/26)

The Wall Street Journal: Comptroller Blasts New York City Over Lead-Inspection Failures
New York City agencies charged with preventing lead poisoning in children didn’t always go far enough to share information that would trigger in-home inspections for possible lead exposure, according to a report by Comptroller Scott Stringer. The findings, which were released Thursday and examine city data from 2013 through late 2018, show that the city didn’t inspect 9,671 buildings for lead where nearly 12,000 children lived and tested positive for elevated blood-lead levels. (West, 9/26)

Politico Pro: Virginia Work Requirement Stalled By Funding Dispute With CMS
The Trump administration’s review of Virginia’s proposed Medicaid work requirement has been bogged down by a dispute over the state’s request of federal funds for job-related services meant to reduce coverage losses, POLITICO has learned. Virginia officials are threatening to drop the state’s work requirement if CMS officials refuse to provide funding for activities like job and financial literacy training, or education-related subsidies. (Pradhan, 9/26)

Health News Florida: Appeals Court Upholds ‘Red Flag’ Law
An appeals court Wednesday rejected a constitutional challenge to Florida’s “red flag” law, which passed after the 2018 mass shooting at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and allows guns to be removed from people found to pose a threat to themselves or others. The ruling by a panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal came in a case in which the Gilchrist County Sheriff’s Office believed that one of its deputies, Jefferson Eugene Davis, posed a threat after he suspected infidelity by his longtime girlfriend. (Saunders, 9/26)

Modern Healthcare: North Carolina Blues CEO Conway Resigns Following Arrest Backlash
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina's CEO Dr. Patrick Conway resigned on Thursday amid mounting backlash over his arrest in an alcohol-related car accident and criticism over how the company handled the situation. In a statement, the North Carolina insurer's board of trustees said it asked Dr. Patrick Conway for his resignation after new details emerged, including notes from arresting officers and information from their investigative files. The board named chief operating officer Gerald Petkau as interim CEO. (Livingston, 9/26)

The Advocate: Four Candidates Vie For Open Seat In House District 67 In Baton Rouge; Focus On Education And Health Care 
Education and health care are the major issues in the House District 67 race, were four candidates are running to fill the open seat. The four contenders — three Democrats and one Republican — are vying to succeed Rep. Patricia Haynes Smith, who is in her third four-year term and is now running for the state Senate in District 14. (Paterson, 9/26)

Los Angeles Times: Stem Cells Of 56 Child Cancer Patients Lost At Children’s Hospital After Freezer Malfunction
A freezer malfunction at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles resulted in the loss of 56 children’s blood stem cells that were harvested at the beginning of each patient’s oncology therapy and stored in the event they could prove useful in the future. “We apologize for any distress or confusion that this has caused our patients and their families,” the hospital wrote in a statement. “If you have not received a letter or phone call from our team, your child is not impacted.” (Shalby, 9/26)

Los Angeles Times: Mold Discovery Halts Elective Surgeries At L.A. County-USC Medical Center
Health officials have abruptly halted all elective surgeries at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center after the discovery of mold contamination in a room used to sterilize surgical equipment. The Boyle Heights hospital, which is part of the L.A. County Department of Health Services system that serves as the safety net for millions of the county’s poorest and most vulnerable residents, will be unable to perform surgery and many other medical procedures for an estimated two weeks, according to an internal hospital email obtained by The Times. (Dolan and Mejia, 9/26)

Cleveland Plain Dealer: Pharmaceutical Company Reps, Cleveland-Area Doctors Charged In Kickback Scheme To Increase Prescriptions For Neurological Drug
Four Ohio residents, including two doctors and two drug company representatives, were named in a federal indictment that say the doctors received kickbacks from the representatives to increase prescriptions for a medication that treats a neurological condition. The crimes centered on the prescription drug Nuedexta. (Heisig, 9/26)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Georgians Charged In Federal Health Care Fraud Sweep
Federal authorities have charged seven Georgians as part of a batch of several dozen health care-related crime cases announced Thursday by the U.S. Department of Justice. Altogether the authorities charged 67 people in Georgia and Florida, largely in Miami. (Hart, 9/26)

San Francisco Chronicle: Mentally Ill Man Moved From Jail To Treatment So Health Department ‘Wouldn’t Have To Appear’ In Court
San Francisco’s health department has long struggled to find treatment beds for mentally ill people in jail — leaving many to languish behind bars for months while they wait for appropriate treatment. After the public defender’s office challenged the long wait times this month, an official admitted the department finally moved an incarcerated man into mental health care treatment after an eight-month wait so officials “wouldn’t have to appear” at a court hearing, according to a transcript obtained by The Chronicle. (Thadani, 9/26)

Tampa Bay Times: Man Who Ran ‘Deplorable’ Homes For Mental Patients Indicted In $1.27 Million Fraud
A St. Petersburg landlord who ran assisted living centers for mental health patients is accused in a federal indictment of using the identities of former employees to defraud the government of nearly $1.27 million in Medicaid money. Marcus Lloyd Anderson, 34, was supposed to use the money to provide counseling and psychiatric services to his residents, according to federal court records. He faces seven counts of health care fraud and six counts of identity fraud. (Varn, 9/26)

St. Louis Public Radio: Missouri Governor Is Last Hope For Death Row Inmate
Missouri is scheduled to execute Russell Bucklew by lethal injection on Tuesday, but his advocates want Gov. Mike Parson to stop it because they say a medical condition would make him endure needless pain. The Cape Girardeau man was convicted of murder, rape and kidnapping in 1997. His lawyers and advocates are not challenging his guilt, but instead say Bucklew’s rare medical condition would cause him to suffer a cruel and unusual punishment. (Driscoll, 9/26)

JAMA Internal Medicine: Association Between Having An Automatic Reenrollment Option And Reenrollment In The Health Insurance Marketplaces 
Of the 11.4 million US health insurance marketplace enrollees in 2019, 3.4 million were automatically reenrolled based on their marketplace coverage in 2018. Marketplace enrollees are automatically reenrolled in their current health plan the following year unless they actively change their enrollment status by discontinuing their coverage or selecting a new plan. Enrollees who actively select a plan have been reported to make better plan choices; however, requiring enrollees to make a plan selection each year may be associated with their becoming uninsured. In January 2019, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services requested public comments on eliminating automatic reenrollment for marketplace enrollees. While evidence suggests that administrative barriers to reenrollment are associated with reductions in Medicaid coverage, it is unknown whether elimination of automatic reenrollment is associated with decreases in reenrollment in the marketplaces. (Drake and Anderson, 9/23)

Urban Institute: Are Medicare Advantage Plans Using New Supplemental Benefit Flexibility To Address Enrollees’ Health-Related Social Needs?
Beginning in plan year 2019, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) increased flexibility for Medicare Advantage plans to allow them to cover new benefits to help address enrollees’ health-related social needs or long-term care needs. This brief describes interviews with 10 Medicare Advantage plans, Medicare Advantage experts, and social service providers to discuss new benefits added under this flexibility and additional policy changes that may be needed to encourage wider adoption of these optional benefits. We also assess the resources available to provide these new benefits using publicly-available data from CMS. (Skopec, Ramos and Aarons, 9/19)

USC-Brookings Schaeffer Initiative For Health Policy: California Saw Reduction In Out-Of-Network Care From Affected Specialties After 2017 Surprise Billing Law
While this analysis cannot provide a definitive answer as to the impacts of California’s surprise billing policy, we do observe a modest shift toward claims from in-network service providers across all the affected specialties timed to the law’s implementation, and we do not see similar changes for emergency medicine, which was unaffected by the law. That these shifts toward in-network care are consistent across the affected specialties contradicts CMA’s claim of widespread diminishing network breadth. Moreover, the timing and magnitude of the changes we observe provide some suggestive evidence that California’s law may have reduced the share of services delivered out-of-network by the affected specialties. Notably, such a decline in the frequency of out-of-network care after California’s 2017 law would comport with predictions from economic theory, as the law reduces the rewards to remaining out-of-network. (Adler, Duffy, Ly and Trish, 9/26)

RAND: Access To Office-Based Buprenorphine Treatment In Areas With High Rates Of Opioid-Related Mortality: An Audit Study 
Improving access to treatment for opioid use disorder is a national priority, but little is known about the barriers encountered by patients seeking buprenorphine-naloxone ("buprenorphine") treatment. ...Many buprenorphine prescribers did not offer new appointments or rapid buprenorphine access to callers reporting active heroin use, particularly those with Medicaid coverage. Nevertheless, wait times were not long, implying that opportunities may exist to increase access by using the existing prescriber workforce. (Beetham, Saloner, Wakeman et. al., 9/23)

The Hill: The Surgeon General's Deafening Silence On Gun Violence
Last week the head of the Association of American Medical Colleges called gun violence a “public health crisis” in America. To address it, Dr. David J. Skorton wrote, “[t]hose of us in the health care field have a central role to play.” His voice adds to the increasing chorus of leading medical organizations, including the American Medical Association, American Public Health Association, American Academy of Family Physicians and the American College of Surgeons, demanding action on the issue. Yet there is one high-profile figure conspicuously absent from this growing symphony of doctors calling for change: The Surgeon General of the United States. (Lyndon Haviland, 9/26)

JAMA: High Unintended Pregnancy Rate Spurs Efforts To Ease Contraceptive Access
Although the US rate of unintended pregnancies has declined in the last few years, it’s still at 45%, with inconsistent use and lack of use of contraception the main causes. That’s why efforts are under way to make birth control pills—for years the most popular reversible contraceptive method—and other hormonal contraceptives more easily accessible in the United States. One of the biggest obstacles to obtaining oral contraceptives has been the need for a clinic or physician’s office visit and a prescription, requirements that would be eliminated if birth control pills were sold over the counter (OTC), as they are in most of Africa, Asia, and Central and South America. (Rita Rubin, 9/25)

The New York Times: Trump’s E.P.A. Chooses Rodents Over People 
This month, Andrew Wheeler, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, announced that the agency would significantly curtail its reliance on the use of mammals in toxicological studies conducted to determine whether environmental contaminants have an adverse impact on human health. Under this plan, the E.P.A. will reduce its requests for, and funding of, mammal studies by 30 percent by 2025 and eliminate them altogether by 2035, though some may still be approved on a case-by-case basis. The new policy is likely to have adverse impacts on public health. (Richard L. Revesz, 9/26)

Stat: Research On Concussions Can't Say If Football Is Bad For The Brain
Awareness about concussions has never been greater among high school athletes and coaches, thanks to the spotlight shone on some former NFL players who’ve experienced problems later in life. But a downside to this heightened awareness is the fear it has sown among parents that their children who play sports like football, soccer, or hockey may end up the same way. (Munro Cullum, 9/27)

JAMA: Integrating Social Care Into The Delivery Of Health Care
It has long been known that social factors influence health. However, a recent upsurge of interest in addressing social needs within the context of health care delivery has emerged,1-3 driven in part by a recognition that achieving high-quality, high-value health care may require attention to nonmedical factors such as housing, food, and transportation. Addressing social determinants of health may be important for any person during periods of increased need (eg, after discharge from the hospital) and particularly important for addressing health disparities in communities with greater social need.A new report4 from a consensus committee of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine provides recommendations to guide practice and policy discussions in this area. (Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, 9/25)

The Wall Street Journal: Big Tobacco Needs An E-Cigarette Crackdown Too
Worries about vaping are starting to hit tobacco giants’ financial results. Tighter regulations are now in their best interest. Imperial Brands , which owns Rizla rolling paper and the Davidoff cigarette brand, on Thursday said revenue and profit for the year through September would be lower than expected. A “marked slowdown” in U.S. vaping sales is a key reason. Revenue from its portfolio of so-called next-generation products, which includes blu e-cigarettes, will increase by roughly 50% over the period, half the rate of earlier estimates. (Carol Ryan, 9/26)

Boston Globe: Two Cheers For Walmart 
Could Walmart, that category-killing, land-grabbing, union-busting retail behemoth, be growing a social conscience? The corporate colossus declared last week that it will stop selling all e-cigarettes in its US stores, amid concerns of a new generation becoming addicted to nicotine products and an uncertain regulatory environment. This comes on the heels of Walmart’s decision earlier this month to stop selling ammunition that can be used in assault-style weapons, and to discourage its customers from openly carrying guns inside its stores, even in the 40 states where doing that is legal. Walmart is also engaged in an effort to reduce carbon emissions all along it supply chain by one gigaton (one billion tons) by 2030; it joined the “We Are Still In” commitment after the United States pulled out of the Paris climate accords; and last year it diverted 78 percent of its global waste from landfills and incinerators. (Renée Loth, 9/26)

Cleveland Plain Dealer: Ban Flavored E-Cigarettes In Ohio
Lawyers for Gov. Mike DeWine are researching whether he has the authority to ban flavored e-cigarettes in Ohio by executive action. If he doesn’t, then the General Assembly should give him that authority. A ban is needed. (9/27)

St. Louis Post Dispatch: Missouri Won't Track Opioids Or Restrict Guns. Death Rates Surge Accordingly.
Missourians’ average life expectancy dropped by about one-tenth of a year in 2018, says a new state report. It sounds insignificant but for this detail: Virtually all that change comes from deaths among young people. For Missourians 15 to 44, life expectancy has dropped by an astounding 30% since 2012 — with the bulk of it attributable to opioid overdoses and firearms. In all, Missouri’s life-expectancy rate is fully 1½ years shorter than the national average.In the dry language of data, the report by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services’ Bureau of Vital Records presents an alarming portrait of a state in which people die too young from drugs and gun violence run amok. (9/26)