The Wall Street Journal: Biden Has Passed A Big Piece Of His Agenda. Will It Move Voters?
President Biden has often said that America wanted to see big legislative accomplishments. Now that he has delivered on some of his goals, he will find out if those wins give him a boost with voters. The passage along party lines of the $700 billion climate, healthcare and tax bill in the House Friday capped a run of legislative victories for the Democrats and the White House in recent months that also included bipartisan bills to boost U.S. semiconductor manufacturing, support veterans’ healthcare and address mass shootings. With November’s midterm elections looming, Mr. Biden and Democrats hope to use these victories to appeal to the electorate as they seek to defend their narrow majorities in Congress. (Lucey and Thomas, 8/14)

The New York Times: A Detailed Picture Of What’s In The Democrats’ Climate And Health Bill 
Democrats in Congress have had to scale back their legislative ambitions since last year, but the Inflation Reduction Act, passed by the House on Friday and sent to President Joseph R. Biden Jr. for his signature, is still a substantial piece of legislation, which will make big investments in the environment and health care, and increase taxes on some key groups. This table describes everything in the bill, including the prices. (Paris, Parlapiano, Sanger-Katz and Washington, 8/13)

Stat: House Sends Drug Pricing Reforms To President Biden’s Desk
Fifteen years later, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is fulfilling one of her first campaign promises. When she first took the speaker’s gavel in 2007, Pelosi promised six policy accomplishments, on national security, energy, education, and health care. She passed six bills within 100 hours of assuming power. The only promise that didn’t become law was allowing Medicare to negotiate for prescription drugs — until Friday, when the House passed a major health care, tax, and climate package by a vote of 220 to 207. (Cohrs, 8/12)

What the legislation will mean for Americans —

CNBC: Passage Of Inflation Reduction Act Gives Medicare Historic New Powers Over Drug Prices
There is no official, publicly available list of drugs that HHS plans to target for negotiations. But Bank of America highlighted some potential Medicare D candidates based on how much Medicare spent on them in 2020, including Eliquis, Xarelto, and Keytruda. (Kimball, 8/12)

CNET: Inflation Reduction Act: 3 Ways The Bill Could Save You Money On Your Health Care Costs 
The Inflation Reduction Act would extend expiring subsidies for Affordable Care Act health insurance through 2025 and give Medicare the power to negotiate prescription drug prices for the first time ever. Here's how the Inflation Reduction Act could save you money on your health care costs. (Avery, 8/12)

Axios: Employers And The Government Will Soon Pay Different Prices For Prescription Drugs
Democrats are on the cusp of their most significant health policy victory since passage of the Affordable Care Act, but the legislative wrangling it took to get here came at a steep cost: The prescription drug pricing reforms included in the health, tax and climate package are limited to Medicare and exclude the millions of Americans with private insurance. (Owens, 8/15)

Vox: How Will The Inflation Reduction Act Affect You?
Despite the name, the bill won’t immediately lower inflation, but it should mean lower drug costs for those with Medicare, cleaner air (some estimates put emissions reduction at 40 percent by 2030), stable health care premiums for millions, and significant savings on power bills for most Americans, among other things. Here’s what the bill could mean for you. (Ioanes, 8/12)

KHN: For Medically Vulnerable Families, Inflation’s Squeeze Is Inescapable 
Deborah Lewis rose from bed before dawn and signed in to her phone so she could begin delivering fast food, coffee, and groceries to residents in this western patch of the Mojave Desert where test pilot Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier generations ago. Lewis prayed she would earn $75, just enough to fill the tank of her Kia sedan so she could drive her 8-year-old daughter, Annabelle, 80 miles south to Los Angeles to receive her weekly chemotherapy treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Just a year ago, the same tank of gas would have cost $30 less. (de Marco, 8/15)

When will people start to see changes? —

Reuters: Explainer: When Will Americans Feel The Inflation Reduction Act's Impact?
Affordable Care Act premiums: At the end of this year, 13 million Americans would have seen their Affordable Care Act premiums increase, after subsidies expanded in COVID-19 spending bills expired. The bill extends those subsidies until 2024, and President Joe Biden's Democrats say they will save each individual $800. (8/12)

The Hill: When Will Americans Feel The Impact Of The Inflation Reduction Act?
On health care, some provisions take effect next year. Others, like most of the drug pricing provisions, won’t kick in for years. The enhanced subsidies for ObamaCare plans are already in effect, and the legislation will extend them for another three years. If the House doesn’t pass the bill, those subsidies will expire on Dec. 31, putting Americans on the hook for major premium increases. (Chalfant and Weixel, 8/12)

On the insulin pricing cap removed from the bill —

The Hill: Democrats Hit Rubio, Johnson With Ad On Insulin Cap Vote
Senate Democrats are out with a digital ad targeting GOP senators Sens. Marco Rubio (Fla.) and Ron Johnson (Wis.) over their votes against putting a $35 per month cap on out-of-pocket insulin costs for patients without Medicare coverage. The vote took place on an amendment to the Democratic climate, tax and health care package approved by the Senate last week. The amendment itself was blocked by Republicans. (Vakil, 8/15)

AP: Idaho Supreme Court Won't Block Strict Abortion Bans 
Idaho’s strict abortion bans will be allowed to take effect while legal challenges over the laws play out in court, the Idaho Supreme Court ruled Friday. The ruling means potential relatives of an embryo or fetus can now sue abortion providers over procedures done after six weeks of gestation — before many people know they are pregnant. Another stricter ban criminalizing all abortions takes effect later this month. (Boone, 8/12)

AP: Louisiana Supreme Court Rejects Appeal In Abortion Ban Case 
The Louisiana Supreme Court on Friday denied an appeal filed by plaintiffs in the ongoing legal battle over the state’s abortion ban, allowing the ban to stay in effect. The ruling marked a major blow to abortion-rights advocates and providers, who had hoped the ban would be blocked for a third time, allowing Louisiana’s three abortion clinics to begin performing procedures again. (Cline, 8/12)

In abortion updates from New York City —

Bloomberg: NYC Mayor Adams Signs Six Bills Aiming To Bolster Abortion Care
The legislation includes a mandate for clinics operated by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to provide free abortion medication. It also prohibits the use of city resources to detain people for performing the procedure, and forbids city agencies from cooperating with out-of-state law enforcement about abortions performed in New York. (Sheinerman, 8/12)

In related news about reproductive health care —

ABC News: Abortion Clinics In Embattled States Face Another Challenge
When Katie Quinonez, the executive director of an abortion clinic in West Virginia, saw the Supreme Court decision that overturned the federal guarantee of the right to an abortion, the first word she uttered was an obscenity. The nonprofit Women's Health Center of West Virginia, located in Charleston, faced the immediate risk of prosecution under a state abortion ban from 1882, so Quinonez and a coworker made 60 calls to patients canceling procedures scheduled for the ensuing three weeks, said Quinonez. (Zahn, 8/15)

NPR: Without Roe, Minors Who Need Parental Permission For An Abortion Are In Limbo
For decades, young people have faced major barriers to abortion because of state laws requiring parental involvement in the decision to terminate a pregnancy. But now that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled on Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization — and the federal right to an abortion is gone — access is even more complex for adolescents. (Burbank, 8/13)

Axios: Half Of U.S. Employers Plan Abortion Travel Benefits
More than a third (35%) of U.S. employers already offer travel and lodging benefits for elective and medically necessary abortions and another 16% are considering offering it next year, according to a survey from human resources consultancy Willis Towers Watson. (Reed, 8/12)

The Washington Post: Anti-Abortion Groups Take Aim At Medicated, At-Home Abortions
In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, 14 states now ban or partially ban the use of mifepristone and misoprostol, which are used in more than half of all abortions. But the drugs remain widely available, with multiple groups working to help provide them even to women in states with abortion bans. Students for Life of America and National Right to Life Committee, which have played leading roles in crafting antiabortion laws, hope to change that with new legislation. (Kindy, 8/14)

NPR: How Gender-Affirming Care Is Affected When Clinics That Offer Abortions Close
When someone set ablaze the only Planned Parenthood health clinic in Knoxville, Tenn., earlier this year, the center was immediately inundated with patients' questions of what will happen to their care – but it wasn't just about abortion services. (Kim, 8/14)

The New York Times: Vasectomies Among The Young And Childless May Be On The Rise
In March, Mike Pridgen, a 28-year-old comedian based in New Jersey, got a vasectomy and posted the process on TikTok. His doctor, off camera, can be heard saying “little pinch here” and Mr. Pridgen winces, his eyes shut tight behind his glasses, bracing for pain. “Oh,” Mr. Pridgen says. “That’s not nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be.” (Gupta, 8/12)

Also —

The Hill: Lacking Power, Supreme Court’s Liberals Find Voice In Dissent
Outnumbered 6-3, the Supreme Court’s liberals are increasingly likely to find themselves on the losing side of landmark rulings, as happened repeatedly this term, most notably with the historic overruling of Roe v. Wade. As a result, the dissenting opinion — a quintessentially American form of discourse — has taken on heightened symbolic significance. Although in no way binding, the dissents are serving as a platform for articulating the role of liberal judicial ideas in public life, and laying down a historical marker in an era of conservative-led legal upheaval. (Kruzel, 8/14)

KHN: Journalists Scrutinize Retail Giants’ Push Into Health Care And Government’s HIV Surveillance
On Aug. 5, KHN chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner discussed CVS Pharmacy’s plan to offer more primary care services and Amazon’s offering to buy One Medical on Peacock/NBC’s “NOW Tonight With Joshua Johnson.” She also discussed the Kansas ballot measure, rejected by voters, that would have stripped abortion rights from the state constitution on WAMU/NPR’s “1A” on Aug. 5. ... KHN correspondent Sam Whitehead discussed the potential harm of genetic HIV surveillance by the government on NPR’s “All Things Considered” on Aug. 4. (8/13)

AP: Kansas To Recount Abortion Vote By Hand, Despite Big Margin
Kansas’ elections director says the state will go along with a request for a hand recount of votes from every county after last week’s decisive statewide vote affirming abortion rights, even though there was a 165,000-vote difference and a recount won’t change the result. (Hanna, 8/12)

The Kansas City Star: Activist Offers To Pay For Kansas' Recount Of Abortion Vote 
A credit card belonging to the Kansas Republican Assembly was provided to advance a statewide recount of the abortion amendment vote expected to cost more than $229,000, said Mark Gietzen, the group’s president and a strident anti-abortion activist. The amendment, called Value Them Both, would have stripped abortion rights from the Kansas Constitution. Instead the measure suffered a landslide 59% to 41% defeat, with 165,000 more voters rejecting the proposal than supporting it. (Shorman and Swain, 8/14)

In other election news —

The New York Times: Why Abortion Has Become A Centerpiece Of Democratic TV Ads In 2022
All across America, Democrats are using abortion as a powerful cudgel in their 2022 television campaigns, paying for an onslaught of ads in House, Senate and governor’s races that show how swiftly abortion politics have shifted since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in late June. (Goldmacher and Glueck, 8/14)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: The Jolt: Doctors At Democratic Event Slam New Abortion Law: ‘A Crime Against Humanity’
At a roundtable sponsored by the Democratic Party of Georgia Thursday night, OB-GYNs talked the confusion the law has caused for patients and doctors, as well as the limits the law creates for women experiencing miscarriages or high-risk pregnancies. (Murphy and Bluestein, 8/12)

And the 2022 "Hawaii Physician of the Year" wins the Democratic primary for governor —

AP: Physician Green Wins Hawaii Democratic Primary For Governor
For their 16th wedding anniversary, Democrats in Hawaii gifted Josh Green and his wife, Jaime, a comfortable margin of victory in the gubernatorial primary Saturday. Green, the state’s current lieutenant governor, handily defeated former first lady Vicky Cayetano and Kaiali’I Kahele, who decided to seek the governor’s office instead of a second term in the U.S. House. ... Green was a state senator and representative before serving as lieutenant governor. He was a doctor in rural areas on the Big Island before entering politics. He has continued working part time as a physician while in the state Legislature and as lieutenant governor. (McAvoy, 8/14)

The Hill: WHO Renames Two Monkeypox Variants To Avoid Geographic References 
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced Saturday that it renamed variants of the virus monkeypox as it looks to counter concerns about the original naming conventions. “Newly identified viruses, related diseases & virus variants are given names to avoid causing offence to any cultural, social, national, regional, professional, or ethnic groups, & minimize the negative impact on trade, travel, tourism, or animal welfare,” the WHO said in its announcement.  (Mueller, 8/14)

Bloomberg: Monkeypox Virus: WHO Asks Public To Submit New Name Ideas In Online Portal
The World Health Organization is asking for the public’s help in renaming the monkeypox virus, part of an ongoing effort to discourage harmful misconceptions associated with the current name. “WHO is holding an open consultation for a new disease name for monkeypox. Anyone wishing to propose new names can do so,” the organization said in a statement. (Muller, 8/12)

On the monkeypox vaccine rollout —

The New York Times: ‘Frustration And Stress’: State Officials Fault Rollout Of Monkeypox Vaccine
Roughly 5,000 doses of monkeypox vaccine intended for Fort Lauderdale, Fla., left the national stockpile’s warehouse in Olive Branch, Miss., on July 19. They somehow ended up in Oklahoma. Then Tennessee. Then Mississippi again. Then, finally, Florida. In Idaho, a shipment of 60 vaccine doses disappeared and showed up six days later, refrigerated rather than frozen, as needed. Another 800 doses sent to Minnesota — a significant portion of the state’s total allotment — were unusable because the shipment was lost in transit for longer than the 96-hour “viability window.” (Mandavilli, 8/15)

Fox News: COVID Sites In NYC Transition To Respond To Monkeypox Virus
New York City will transition some of its COVID-19 vaccination sites for children under the age of 5 next week. The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene cited a recent decrease in demand for the sites, as well as greater access to coronavirus vaccines. (Musto, 8/12)

CalMatters: California Monkeypox: Bumpy Response In State With 2nd Highest Number Of Cases
“What we learned from COVID is that speed is everything. When we look at the response of monkeypox later on, we’ll see speed is the main thing we take issue with,” said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, infectious disease specialist at UC San Francisco and member of the state’s scientific advisory committee for monkeypox. (8/14)

Detroit Free Press: Michigan Monkeypox Cases Quadruple In 3 Weeks. What You Need To Know
Dave Garcia couldn't get a dose of the Jynneos monkeypox vaccine before he left Michigan for vacation at the end of June. Supply was so limited, even people at high risk for contracting the virus weren't able to get it. The federal government was distributing Jynneos from the Strategic National Stockpile only to states with outbreaks, and Michigan's first known case wasn't identified until June 29. (Jordan Shamus and Hall, 8/14)

The story behind Tpoxx —

Stat: A Monkeypox Drug Was Approved Under The 'Animal Rule.' STAT Explains
Take a look at the list of conditions that have treatments available thanks to what’s known as the “Animal Rule” and you’ll see a rogues’ gallery of plagues you hope never see the light of day. There’s smallpox, anthrax, and, well, the actual plague. (Joseph, 8/15)

More on the spread of monkeypox —

Vox: Why Monkeypox Is A Repeat Of The Data Mistakes Made With Covid-19 
The US declared monkeypox a public health emergency this month, but the decision may have come too late. Though states are now required to report cases, and commercial labs have an approved test, a testing bottleneck persists, and cases — which passed 10,000 confirmed cases this week — are likely still being underreported. Any effective public health response to an infectious disease is dependent on having accurate data. If the virus spreads to other populations, such as college dorms — where cases have already been reported — the testing bottleneck could ultimately make it impossible to contain the spread. Reliable demographic information is key to making the right choices for allocating limited tests and vaccines. (Dixon-Luinenburg, 8/14)

San Diego Union-Tribune: For Monkeypox, San Diego LGBTQ Community Turns To Old Lessons
Four decades after a very different health crisis put a spotlight on the gay community, some San Diegans feel as though they’ve been time-warped back to the 1980s. They’re also calling on the support networks they have built since. “Monkeypox has certainly transported me back to a time where I was scared for my life — not only because of AIDS, but because of the stigmas that came with it,” said Craig Bertrand. (Alvarenga and Wilkens, 8/14)

The Washington Post: Colleges Warn Students About Monkeypox Risk As Fall Term Approaches
One by one, cases of the painful viral infection popped up this summer at George Washington, Georgetown and American universities. Now these schools in the nation’s capital and others across the country are warning their communities to be on guard against the potential spread of monkeypox in the coming weeks when students return to campus for the fall term. (Anderson, 8/13)

Politico: Monkeypox May Be Here To Stay 
It may be too late to stop monkeypox from circulating in the U.S. permanently. The Biden administration was caught off-guard when the CDC confirmed monkeypox in a Massachusetts man on May 18. It was part of the first major outbreak outside parts of Africa where the virus is endemic, an unusual event that quickly spun into a global health crisis. ... Epidemiologists, public health officials and doctors now fear the government cannot eliminate the disease in that community, and they’re warning that they are running out of time to stop the virus from spreading in the U.S. population more broadly. (Mahr, Messerly and Foley, 8/14)

Slate: Monkeypox And Kids: The Risk Is Low.
Of the three ways that monkeypox is capable of spreading, direct contact with viral skin lesions is what’s really driving the outbreak. And “direct contact” does not mean just a fleeting touch. “This virus is in the lesions, and it’s on the surface of lesions. You have to rub the lesion enough on somebody so that enough virus finds a break in their skin, or finds a mucous membrane to cross,” says Susan McLellan, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. The best way for the virus to do this, McLellan said, is sex. (Requarth, 8/13)

AP: Clark County School District Confirms 1st Case Of Monkeypox 
Nevada’s largest school district has its first case of monkeypox. The Clark County School District in Las Vegas announced Friday that someone at Palo Verde High School has been diagnosed with monkeypox. District officials did not say whether the person was a student or school staffer. (8/12)

TribLive.com: UPMC Children's Hospital Employee Diagnosed With Monkeypox 
A UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh employee who works in an outpatient clinic has been diagnosed with monkeypox, officials said Friday. “Precautions to prevent transmission were already in place and were followed, so we believe there is very low risk of exposure,” said Beth Mausteller, a spokeswoman for the UPMC health care system. (Guza, 8/12)

CIDRAP: Maine Announces Pediatric Case Of Monkeypox
Maine, which has confirmed only four monkeypox cases, today reported a case of the virus in a resident under the age of 18. No further details were released by the Maine Centers for Disease Control. Maine now joins California and Florida as states with pediatric cases. Also, researchers in Spain detail a possible human-to-dog case. (8/12)

Kansas City Star: Some Kids Under 18 Years Old Are Eligible For Monkeypox Vaccine. 
Previously the Jynneos vaccine was only available to those who were 18 years and older. Now the vaccine will be available to kids who are determined to have a higher risk for severe disease. (Phillips, 8/15)

Newsweek: Dog With Monkeypox Sparks Questions About Human-To-Animal Transmission
A recent report from The Lancet showed evidence that two patients, both male who lived together, contracted monkeypox and most likely gave the virus to their 4-year-old Italian greyhound. ... The report said that 12 days after the onset of symptoms, their dog appeared to have the same scabs and lesions that coincide with monkeypox. Using PCR testing protocol and comparing monkeypox virus DNA sequences from the dog with one of the dog's owners, it was confirmed that the dog had monkeypox. (Mayer, 8/12)

Click On Detroit: Monkeypox Can Spread Between People And Pets: Steps To Take If Pet Owner Becomes Sick
If you have monkeypox, you should avoid contact with your pets and wildlife to prevent spreading the virus. It can spread through close contact including, petting, cuddling, hugging, licking, sharing sleeping areas and sharing food. If you can, have a friend or family member who lives in a different home take the pets and care for them until the person with monkeypox recovers. After the person with monkeypox has recovered, you’ll have to disinfect your home before bringing the animals back. (Clarke, 8/10)

BuzzFeed News: Here’s What To Know About Monkeypox Risk For Dogs (Or Cats)
It's unclear if the dog has since recovered, but the researchers said more study is needed to better understand how this virus might affect pets and what isolation protocols are necessary to keep pets safe from infection altogether. Dogs and cats can contract other orthopoxviruses, too, such as the vaccinia virus, which is used in the smallpox/monkeypox vaccines, but this isn’t a concern at the moment. It’s unknown if less conventional pets like gerbils, guinea pigs, and hamsters can become infected with the virus. The CDC says domestic adult rabbits can “possibly” be infected, as well as mice and rats. Chinchillas and hedgehogs, other less popular pets, can catch monkeypox. (Camero, 8/12)

Also —

San Francisco Chronicle: Exotic Pets First Brought Monkeypox To The U.S., And 19 Years Later, We Still Barely Regulate Them
Nineteen years ago, a 3-year-old from Wisconsin, Schyan Kautzer, was hospitalized; her small body was covered with a strange rash. Underneath a mop of red hair, her face was warm with a 103-degree fever. A photo from the time shows the girl, wearing a pink Winnie the Pooh shirt, next to her mother, Tammy, who cradles a small pet prairie dog, a gift from Mother’s Day. Barely noticeable is the tiny scab on the child’s index finger where the prairie dog had bitten her. The cause of her sickness? Monkeypox. (Linder, 8/15)

Reuters: AstraZeneca Says Data Confirms Enhertu Benefit In Breast Cancer Patients
AstraZeneca said a late-stage trial had confirmed the benefit of breast cancer drug Enhertu in patients with an advanced form of the disease who had been previously treated with another therapy. (Grover and Aripaka, 8/15)

FiercePharma: AstraZeneca's Enhertu Wins Approval In HER2-Mutant Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo's Enhertu is on fire with two key FDA approvals in as many weeks. Friday, the drug scored an accelerated approval in patients with HER2-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have received a prior systemic therapy. With the nod, the HER2-directed antibody drug conjugate becomes the first drug specifically approved for HER2-mutant NSCLC, the FDA says. (Becker, 8/12)

In other pharmaceutical developments —

FiercePharma: Two Zolgensma Deaths Bring Gene Therapy Safety To Spotlight
Novartis has recorded two deaths after treatment with its spinal muscular atrophy gene therapy Zolgensma, once again bringing gene therapy’s safety into attention. Two children in Russia and Kazakhstan died about five to six weeks after receiving Zolgensma, Novartis confirmed to Fierce Pharma. Both patients died of acute liver failure, a known side effect of Zolgensma that’s included in a boxed warning on the one-time therapy’s label. Both had received corticosteroids to restore liver function. (Liu, 8/12)

NBC News: Fungal Infections Are Developing Drug Resistance
Aspergillus and another fungus, Candida auris, are growing resistant to the treatments frequently used to fight them — in particular, a class of drugs called azoles. "If we lose that drug class because of resistance, we’re in for big trouble," said Darius Armstrong-James, an infectious disease physician at Royal Brompton Hospital in the U.K. (Bendix, 8/13)

NBC News: Fitness Influencers Pull Back The Curtain On Steroid Use Among Bodybuilders
The once-taboo topic of anabolic steroid use in the fitness and bodybuilding communities has become its own internet content genre. (Traylor, 8/13)

Slate: Wait, Have I Been Vaccinated Against Polio?
The majority of adults in the US are vaccinated against polio, thanks in large part to the fact that most schools have polio vaccine mandates. But the virus can still find places to spread. According to the Centers for Disease Control, Rockland County has a polio vaccination rate of about 60 percent among two-year-olds (the age by which kids should have had three doses). This is much lower than the statewide average of nearly 80 percent, and the national average of 93 percent. In New York City, 86 percent of children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years old have gotten a full course of the polio inoculation. (Docter-Loeb, 8/12)

CBS News: Did I Get The Polio Vaccine? How To Know If You Are Protected Against The Virus 
To double-check which immunizations you have received, the CDC suggests asking parents or caregivers, locating old documents from your childhood, or even asking former schools, doctors and employers, as they may have kept a record of proof of immunization. ... Most adults do not need the vaccine, as they were likely vaccinated when they were children. But the CDC says some adults at higher risk for polio — including health care workers who may be exposed to the virus, lab workers and people traveling to certain parts of the world where polio occurs — may want to consider vaccination. And of course, unvaccinated adults are considered high-risk. (O'Kane, 8/12)

BuzzFeed News: Polio Is In New York, So Now People Are Texting Their Parents Asking If They Are Vaccinated
As if we don't already have enough to deal with, the announcement Friday that the virus that causes the potentially deadly disease polio was detected in New York wastewater has sent a lot of people scrambling to find out if they have been vaccinated. And that meant a whole lot of text messages to moms. (Skinner, 8/12)

San Francisco Chronicle: Polio Threat Virtually Nonexistent To Vaccinated People In Bay Area
Despite concern over a case of polio being found in New York state in July, Bay Area infectious disease experts say the risk to the vaccinated public is virtually nonexistent — although the fact that any case at all popped up underscores the need to make sure people, particularly children, have had their shots. (DiFeliciantonio, 8/13)

More on the spread of polio —

Los Angeles Times: U.S. Polio Case Sparks Alarms From New York To California
Delays in getting children vaccinated during the COVID-19 pandemic and antivaccination sentiment in general may be fueling the most serious threat of polio in the U.S. in years, raising alarms from New York to California. (Lin II and Money, 8/13)

AP: What To Know About Polio Spreading In New York
U.S. children are still routinely vaccinated against polio and the shots are considered to be highly effective. Federal officials recommend four doses: to be given at 2 months of age; 4 months; at 6 to 18 months; and at age 4 through 6 years. Some states require only three doses. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s most recent data, about 93% of 2-year-olds had received at least three doses of polio vaccine. (8/12)

Financial Times: Polio Virus Reappears In Rich Economies, Exposing Gaps In Immunization
Its re-emergence in Europe and the US, along with the disruption of inoculation programmes — by the Covid-19 pandemic, and by war in places such as Ukraine and Afghanistan — have caused public health officials to raise the alarm. “There has been a huge dip globally in the routine immunisation coverage, as countries were engaged in the Covid-19 pandemic response. If you scratch the surface, this shows the vulnerability of countries’ immunisation systems,” said Siddhartha Datta, the World Health Organization’s regional adviser for vaccine-preventable diseases in the European region. (Smythand Gilbert, 8/14)

Bloomberg: CDC Takes Back Control Of Pandemic Hospitalization Data Despite Criticism
The US won’t renew its contract with TeleTracking Technologies Inc., a private company that took over Covid-19 hospitalization data collection from CDC in 2020, according to an email seen by Bloomberg News. Hospitals will resume reporting the data to the CDC in mid-December, with TeleTracking’s contract expiring on Dec. 31. (Griffin, 8/12)

In news about long covid —

CIDRAP: COVID's Long Shadow: Symptoms May Last 2 To 18 Months 
A pair of studies published Friday detail long COVID, with US researchers finding that more than one in four pediatric patients hospitalized for COVID-19 or multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) had persistent symptoms or impaired activity 2 to 4 months later, and a Norwegian study revealing that nearly half of patients with mild COVID-19 still had symptoms after 1 year. MIS-C is a rare but serious post-infectious complication of COVID-19. (Van Beusekom, 8/12)

Politico: ‘Left To Rot’: The Lonely Plight Of Long Covid Sufferers 
Thousands of long Covid patients across the globe are urging their governments to provide more help for the growing number of people facing lingering symptoms after infection. At least 90 long Covid groups exist around the world in 34 countries. Most are pushing for more research, improved clinical treatments and increased access to disability benefits, while others offer support and advice. (Payne, 8/14)

In covid news from Nevada, Colorado, and Massachusetts —

Las Vegas Review-Journal: COVID-19 Reinfections Rising In Nevada
If you’ve gotten COVID-19 twice, you’re in good – and growing – company. Even if you’ve had COVID four times, you’re not alone. And if you think vaccination necessarily prevents reinfection, think again. COVID-19 reinfections represented more than 14 percent of cases reported statewide in June, up from about 9 percent in March. (Hynes, 8/12)

The Colorado Sun: Colorado Department Of Corrections To Review COVID Vaccine Mandate
Colorado Department of Corrections officials are revisiting a policy requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for employees as the department scrambles to fill nearly 1,800 open positions. (Gutierrez, 8/15)

The Boston Globe: Even Without A COVID Surge, State’s Largest Hospitals Suffer Multimillion-Dollar Losses
The state’s two largest health systems reported multimillion-dollar operating losses for the three months ending in June, a troubling bellwether of the immense financial strain facing hospitals just weeks after the Massachusetts Legislature failed to approve critical relief funding. (Bartlett, 8/12)

San Francisco Chronicle: Kaiser Mental Health Workers Set To Strike Monday In Northern California
The union said it was moving ahead with the strike Monday morning because Kaiser officials in negotiations Saturday shot down its members’ proposal to increase staffing and “end dangerously long waits for mental health therapy appointments.” (Flores, 8/14)

San Francisco Chronicle: Kaiser Canceling Mental Health Appointments Ahead Of Strikes, Union Says
The health care union organizing an upcoming strike of more than 2,000 Kaiser Permanente mental health workers said Thursday that the health care giant was illegally canceling appointments ahead of the planned labor action. (Echeverria, 8/12)

In other news about health care personnel —

Modern Healthcare: Physician Assistant Role Sees Record Growth
Nearly 11,000 physician assistants earned their certification in 2021, a new record for a profession that has grown by nearly 30% in the past five years. The National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants said the number of newly certified professionals rose 10.4% in 2021. Altogether, there were 158,470 certified physician assistants in the U.S. last year. (Devereaux, 8/12)

Oregon Public Broadcasting: Central Oregon Hospital Overpaid Employees By $2 Million. Now, It Wants That Money Back
St. Charles Health System accidentally overpaid thousands of employees a total of $2 million across a few months and is now demanding employees pay that money back, according to a hospital spokesperson. Employees were notified Thursday of the total amounts they allegedly owed. Scott Palmer of the Oregon Nurses Association said the amounts range from less than $100 to as much as $3,000 for some employees. (8/12)

USA Today: Missouri Hospitals Failed To Provide Staff With Health Insurance
As the hospitals collapsed, Lovell and the facilities’ doctors, nurses, and patients saw evidence that the new owners were skimping on services — failing to pay for and stock surgical supplies and drugs. For example, in Callaway County, Missouri, state inspectors deemed conditions in the hospital to be endangering patients. What was less apparent, former workers said, was that Noble had also stopped paying for employee health, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits. They were unknowingly uninsured. (Jane Tribble, 8/15)

Modern Healthcare: Signify Health Cutting Nearly 500 Employees
Signify Health is laying off nearly 500 employees, beginning Oct. 1. The value-based care technology company notified the Connecticut Department of Labor it planned to cut 489 employees, including 147 who work in one of the company’s five offices and 342 who work remotely. (Perna, 8/12)

Wyoming Public Radio: First Ever First Responder Mental Health And Wellness Conference Hopes To Increase Awareness Of Need
The state legislature allocated $25,000 of the budget to address high rates of suicides among first responders in the state. This money was taken by the Wyoming Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) and utilized to create the first ever First Responders Health and Wellness Conference that will take place August 22-24 in Casper. (Kudelska, 8/12)

Modern Healthcare: The Joint Commission To Add Health Equity Standards To Accreditations
The Joint Commission has established new accreditation standards to accelerate equity efforts within healthcare organizations. As of Jan. 1, accreditation programs for primary care clinics, behavioral health centers, critical access facilities and hospitals will include new mandates for their leaders. The updated standards include designating an officer to lead a strategy for reducing health disparities and screening patients for social determinants of health. (Hartnett, 8/12)

In other health care industry developments —

Modern Healthcare: Humana Invests In Medicaid Plan As Dual-Eligible Market Share Rises
Humana will pay an undisclosed sum to buy Wisconsin-based Medicaid managed-care company Inclusa, cementing its foothold in the increasingly competitive market for dual-eligible patients. Inclusa provides long-term care services to approximately 16,600 older adults and individuals with disabilities, according to Humana. The deal, announced Friday, is subject to regulatory approval. (Tepper, 8/12)

AP: 2 Radiation Incidents Investigated At Salem Health 
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued two “event notifications” for incidents involving Salem Hospital’s radiation oncology department earlier this year. One incident involved hospital employees, while the other involved patients. Investigations to-date have shown no injuries, the Statesman Journal reported. (8/13)

Stat: Private Equity Is Shortchanging Kids With Autism, Parents, Clinicians Say
When a new person comes into his living room, a giggly “E” smiles and passes a balloon her way. His fifth birthday was a few weeks ago, and these half-filled remnants still loiter around his suburban house. (Bannow, 8/15)

On health care costs and price transparency —

Bangor Daily News: Maine Hospitals Still Aren't Complying With Federal Price-Transparency Law
The Bangor Daily News looked at the price transparency options included for the 36 members of the Maine Hospital Association and found that all had some consumer information available. But many appeared to be lacking information making them fully compliant, while others had entries that appeared to obscure data. (Andrews, 8/15)

Stat: Cancer Patient Who Pushed For Drug Pricing Reform Isn't Done Yet 
After six years of relentless advocacy work, David Mitchell was finally on the cusp of defeating his Goliath — the pharmaceutical industry. (Cohrs, 8/14)

KHN: Community Health Centers’ Big Profits Raise Questions About Federal Oversight 
Just off the deserted town square, with its many boarded-up businesses, people lined up at the walk-up pharmacy window at Genesis Health Care, a federally funded clinic. Drug sales provide the bulk of the revenue for Genesis, a nonprofit community health center treating about 11,000 mostly low-income patients in seven clinics across South Carolina. (Galewitz and Sable-Smith, 8/15)

KHN: Watch: How Nursing Homes Put Friends And Families On The Hook For Residents’ Debts 
Barbara Robinson was just trying to help her mother’s friend sign up for Medicaid and move into the Monroe County nursing home in Rochester, New York. But because Robinson signed the admissions form, the nursing home considered her financially responsible for the woman’s care, Anna Werner reported for CBS News. After the woman died, the county sued Robinson for $21,000 in unpaid bills. This report was done in partnership with a KHN-NPR investigation of America’s medical debt crisis. Noam N. Levey, KHN senior correspondent, wrote about Lucille Brooks, another woman sued by Monroe County, this time over her brother’s nursing home bill. (8/12)

C-HIT.org: State Officials Nixed Health Information Network Computer Software They Spent $20M Developing
When Connecticut needed a computer system for its planned health information network, it came up with a novel solution. (Hoffman, 8/14)

In health news from Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, and Missouri —

Health News Florida: U.S. Supreme Court Has Been Asked To Hear A Case On A Florida Health Coach Giving Dietary Advice
A woman who operated a health and nutrition coaching business asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday to take up a First Amendment challenge to a Florida law that blocked her from providing dietary advice to clients. (Saunders, 8/13)

Politico: The Medical Crisis That Finally Convinced Republicans In North Carolina To Expand Medicaid 
The early days of Courtney Smith’s pregnancy were dark. She bled for six weeks, a common but frightening experience during the first trimester of pregnancy. Doctors in Louisiana, where Smith was living at the time, made matters worse by suggesting she might miscarry. After diagnosing her with hypertension, diabetes and depression, the doctors “threw pills at me,” Smith says. Medicaid paid for her care, but the care was poor: Her Prozac dose was too high, her blood pressure medication was too low, and they gave her medication to control her diabetes without giving her a way to monitor her blood sugar. Meanwhile, her boyfriend made it clear he wasn’t interested in being a father. By the time she was eight weeks pregnant, she was ready to drive into the bayou and end her life. (Rab, 8/14)

Columbus Dispatch: Mike DeWine Made Mental Health In Ohio His Priority. What's Been Done?
Before COVID-19, one of the bigger highlights under DeWine was establishing "wellness dollars" ‒ used by school districts to help provide wraparound services for students. Those amounts were increased last year, and Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services Director Lori Criss said they've supported more than 1,300 services focused solely on mental health. (Wu, 8/14)

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Nashville Family Travels To St. Louis To Meet Recipient Of Loved One's Donated Heart 
Not all organ transplant recipients want to write to the donor families. The gratitude for a life-saving gift can be difficult to convey to strangers — strangers whose immeasurable loss is the source of your survival. But Darren Garmer said he felt a nudge, from the pit of his stomach, to reach out to the family of Cheston Miller. (Munz, 8/14)

The Wall Street Journal: Pandemic-Era Free School Meals Expire, Leaving Some Districts Seeking Solutions
Millions of school children are heading back to class this month without free breakfast or lunch for the first time in two years, to the disappointment of many parents and school administrators who are facing rising costs of food and supplies due to inflation. Some federal pandemic-era provisions that allowed schools to serve universal free meals will expire when districts start school for the fall, leaving many districts unprepared to make up the difference and urging parents to apply for a free or reduced-price lunch. While the provisions were always meant to be temporary, the expiration comes as supply-chain disruptions and rising food prices are pushing school-meal prices higher. (Sarraf, 8/14)

In other health and wellness news —

Detroit Free Press: Water Flow Restored But Boil Water Advisory Still In Effect For 133K
Water flow has been restored to all affected areas after the water main break at the Great Lakes Water Authority's Lake Huron Water Treatment Facility. Though the flow is not at normal levels, there will be enough flow for sanitary purposes. Crews were able to accomplish this after changing the direction of water pumping in the transmission. (Raza, 8/14)

CIDRAP: More H3N2v Flu Cases Linked To West Virginia Fair
The CDC reported two more variant H3N2 (H3N2v) flu infections in West Virginia, both with links to the same agricultural fair as the initially identified case. In its weekly flu report, the CDC said the two new cases involve people ages 18 and younger. Neither was hospitalized, and both have recovered. So far, no human-to-human spread has been identified. (8/12)

CBS News: Recall Of Oatly, Grumpy's And Other Beverages Expands
Lyons Magnus, a maker of coffee and nutritional drinks, is expanding a recall of dozens of different products over potential bacterial contamination that could cause botulism poisoning. (Ivanova, 8/12)

USA Today: Study: How Many People Have Tinnitus? What Causes Ringing In Ears?
Tinnitus, commonly described as a ringing in the ears, may affect about 750 million people around the world, according to new research based on about 50 years of data. The study, published this week in the research journal JAMA Neurology, suggests tinnitus is perceived as a major problem by more than 120 million people, most of whom are 65 or older. (Fernando, 8/13)

On the health effects of gun violence —

KHN: ‘Still A Lot Of Pain’: Four Years After Mass Shooting, Texas Community Grapples With Fallout 
In May 2018, after a high school shooting killed 10 people, the Santa Fe Resiliency Center opened in a church. Any resident could see a counselor, attend a support group, and take part in a healing mandala coloring class, music therapy, or a workshop on emotional first aid — all free of charge. Today the center sits in a strip mall sandwiched between a seafood restaurant and vacant storefronts. On a recent evening, instead of patients filling the waiting room, counselors saw clients over video from their offices. The center looks empty but, according to therapists, the need is still there. (Rayasam, 8/15)

AP: School Shooter's Brain Exams To Be Subject Of Court Hearing
A defense mental health expert in the penalty trial of Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz can pinpoint when he realized the 23-year-old mass murderer still has “irrational thoughts” — the two were making small talk when Cruz began describing plans for an eventual life outside prison. Wesley Center, a Texas counselor, said that happened last year at the Broward County jail as he fitted Cruz’s scalp with probes for a scan to map his brain. The defense at hearings this week will try to convince Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer that Center and other experts should be allowed to testify at Cruz’s ongoing trial about what their tests showed, something the prosecution wants barred. (Spencer, 8/14)

Chicago Tribune: Highland Park Shooting: How July 4 Unfolded At Local Hospital
It was relatively quiet the morning of July Fourth at Highland Park Hospital. About half a dozen patients were in the emergency department of the more than 100-year-old hospital, which sits in a leafy neighborhood of the normally peaceful suburb. (Schencker, 8/14)

Bloomberg: Covid, Polio, Monkeypox, Langya Are A Warning On Disease Spread 
 Scientists have identified a new virus named Langya henipavirus, or LayV. The good news is that we’re talking about just 35 cases since 2018, and it doesn’t look like human-to-human transmission is possible (shrews are thought to be natural carriers of the virus). (Lara Williams, 8/14)

The Washington Post: ‘Long Covid’ May Haunt 1 In 8 People, Netherlands Study Finds 
The term “long covid” came from early patients who called themselves “long-haulers” when their pandemic maladies lingered for months. It is now increasingly apparent that long covid presents a potential tidal wave of suffering — afflictions stemming from covid-19 that refuse to go away. The scope of the problem is still unknown. But a new study from the Netherlands offers important clues. (8/14)

The Atlantic: It's Not Just Long COVID
Several months into the pandemic, a new aspect of COVID-19 started gaining attention from scientists, journalists, and health-care professionals. Instead of feeling better two weeks after contracting the virus, some people were reporting prolonged, life-disrupting symptoms such as “brain fog” and fatigue. Patients needed to fight for skeptical doctors to take them seriously. (Hank Balfour William Hoffman, 8/12)

NPR: Why Does The FDA Want Us To Take So Many COVID Self-Tests?
So you had dinner – indoors – with a friend and the next day got a call from your dining companion: "I hate to tell you – but I'm now testing positive for COVID." Uh oh, did you catch it from your friend? (Max Barnhart, 8/12)

The New York Times: The C.D.C. Continues To Lead From Behind 
In an ideal view of how expertise informs society, C.D.C. guidelines would track the evolving nature of the pandemic closely and provide a road map back to normalcy. (Ross Douthat, 8/13)

Also —

Scientific American: Telehealth Is Key To Trans Health Care  
We know that gender-affirming health care improves the health and well-being of transgender and gender-diverse youth. Despite this, several states, including Texas, Florida and Alabama are doing their best to make lifesaving gender-affirming care illegal. (Dallas Ducar and Scott Hadland, 8/12)

The Atlantic: Serving Patients Through A Screen
My patient’s trip to the clinic had taken her nearly two hours—a subway, a bus, and enough traffic to jack up her blood pressure by an additional 10 points. Plus, she was missing a day of work—and pay—as a contract cleaner.  When I asked her if she would prefer a televisit for our next meeting, she nodded gratefully. (Danielle Ofri, 8/15)

The Boston Globe: Pro-Life Pregnancy Centers Shouldn’t Be Allowed To Manipulate Women 
Pull up a crisis pregnancy center’s website and you might find an offer for a “free abortion consultation” or a rundown of the “facts” about the “abortion pill.” But these centers are not what they appear. (8/15)

Stat: 'Is An Abortion Medically Necessary?' Is Not A Question For Ethicists 
Abortion raises many ethical questions. Determining whether an abortion is needed to save a pregnant person’s life or health is not among them. That’s a factual question requiring medical — not ethical — judgment. (Holly Fernandez Lynch, Steven Joffe and Emily A. Largent, 8/15)

Columbus Dispatch: What Will Be The Impact Of Ohio's Abortion Law On Kids?
As Ohio pediatricians, we were appalled when we learned about the 10-year-old girl who was raped and, unable to receive legal abortion care in Ohio, received an abortion in Indiana, where the procedure was legal. This is the future we had feared, unfolding before us, having caused additional hardship and unwarranted publicity for this girl who had already been traumatized. (Margaret Stager and Elise Berlan, 8/15)

Also —

The New York Times: Big Changes Are Coming for Health Care Costs
Even in their pared-down form passed by Congress, the changes to the U.S. health care system in the Inflation Reduction Act are momentous, politically and for the many patients struggling with drug costs. The Inflation Reduction Act is the biggest health reform initiative since passage of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, more than a decade ago. And the fact that this new legislation passed despite the opposition of the drug industry — which, along with most insurance companies and hospitals, largely supported the A.C.A. — makes it, in a sense, even more of a statement about what’s politically possible in reforming the health system. (Larry Levitt, 8/13)

The New York Times: Successful Addiction Treatment Looks Like This 
On a chilly spring evening in 2021, Tim Nolan set up a portable addiction clinic next to a McDonald’s dumpster, and he waited. His desk was the dashboard of his grey Prius, his office this parking lot, which smelled like frying oil and trash. The hatchback of the nurse practitioner’s car was full of hepatitis C testing kits, clean needles, fentanyl test strips — and pizzas. (Beth Macy, 8/15)

Bloomberg: The Doctor Won't See You Now: The UK's Cost-Of-Surviving Crisis
The prized and troubled National Health Service now has a backlog of 6.6 million patients waiting to see GPs, get scans or have operations. Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, the two candidates vying to replace Boris Johnson, have both pledged vaguely to address the issue, but they’ve spent most of the campaign arguing about tax cuts. (Therese Raphael, 8/15)

Stat: More People Should Be Tested For PFAS 'Forever Chemicals' 
Nearly every American has been exposed at some point to a class of compounds known as perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS for short. (Ned Calonge, Jane Hoppin and Alex R. Kemper, 8/15)