The Associated Press: Dem-Led House Moves To Join Health Care Law Case
The new Democratic-controlled House has moved toward defending former President Barack Obama's health care law against a federal court ruling that the statute is unconstitutional, part of the party's effort to use the issue to embarrass Republicans. The House has filed papers seeking to intervene in the case, Democrats announced Friday, which by itself is unlikely to have a substantial impact on the litigation. The House action's greatest impact is likely to be political. (Fram, 1/4)

Kaiser Health News: Democrats Fight Back Against Lawsuit Threatening Health Law
They approved language authorizing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi “to intervene, otherwise appear, or take any other steps in any other cases involving the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,” better known as the ACA. House Democrats also filed a motion to intervene in the defense of the ACA against the GOP-led lawsuit. Republicans on the House floor were not impressed. “That effort does not preserve preexisting conditions,” Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.), now the ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said on the floor. Walden, who helped lead the GOP’s unsuccessful “repeal-and-replace” effort in the last Congress, suggested that lawmakers should instead pass a law reaffirming the preexisting condition protections. (Rovner, 1/4)

CQ: House Files To Intervene In Texas Health Law Case
The House’s filing argues that Congress has the authority to defend federal laws when a federal agency does not. The Justice Department declined to defend the part of the law protecting coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. The judge stayed the ruling pending appeals. (McIntire, 1/4)

Politico Pro: Plaintiffs In ACA Suit Won't Say If They Bought 2019 Coverage
The two Texas men at the center of the Obamacare lawsuit won't say if they bought federal exchange plans this year — a detail that could be crucial when the appeals court reviews a judge's decision overturning the health care law. The men, who along with 20 conservative states are plaintiffs in the case, contend they have the legal standing to bring the lawsuit because they've faced higher premiums and fewer choices of health care providers under the Affordable Care Act. (Rayasam, 1/4)

The Associated Press: California Attorney General Leads Trump Resistance Into 2019
Xavier Becerra became perhaps the nation’s most influential attorney general when he was named California’s top lawyer two years ago, and he has since used his post atop what some call the “Resistance State” to pummel President Donald Trump’s administration with dozens of legal actions. Heading into 2019, he may turn up the heat even more, buoyed by his overwhelming endorsement from voters, a Democratic U.S. House and a more aggressive governor who takes office Monday. Becerra kicked off the new year on Thursday by leading a coalition of 17 Democratic attorneys general in appealing a recent ruling by a conservative federal judge in Texas that declared the Obama-era Affordable Care Act unconstitutional. (Thompson, 1/4)

And in other health news from Capitol Hill —

The New York Times: Why A ‘Passive’ Health Approach Can Produce The Most Action
A $100 billion dollar health care package was proposed by congressional Republicans this past summer, and afterward endorsed by some Democrats. It aims to save money by encouraging you to make big life changes. But the package will probably fail to achieve its goals for a simple reason: scarcity. Chances are you don’t have the time, money or bandwidth to follow through. The legislation is expected to be reintroduced in the first quarter this year, and it has laudable goals. It encourages exercise by treating gym memberships as tax-deductible medical expenses. It would help cover out-of-pocket costs for high-deductible health plans by allowing people to deposit more money in tax-shielded health savings accounts. (Frakt and Benavidez, 1/7)

Modern Healthcare: State Policy Experimentation Could Create Uncertainty For Providers 
The coming year will be one of state health policy experimentation that could lead to even wider healthcare disparities across the country. State initiatives could drive larger differences in insurance coverage rates, access to care and consumer protections. States already vary widely in their uninsured rates, ranging from 2.8% in Massachusetts to 17.3% in Texas in 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. (Meyer, 1/5)

Modern Healthcare: Healthcare In 2019: Divided
Year one of a divided government in the Trump era begins with the Affordable Care Act again in legal peril. Political rhetoric around the law and healthcare generally will only intensify in the lead-up to the 2020 election cycle, but the industry is most closely watching how the administration will use executive authority to try to beat down soaring costs. A Texas judge's decision to overturn the ACA closed out a year where, despite congressional gridlock on healthcare, the Trump administration gained ground on systemic attempts to trim hospital payments and pharmaceutical prices, as well as reshape insurance markets. (Luthi, 1/5)

Dallas Morning News: Fewer Texans Enrolled In The Affordable Care Act This Year, But Dip Was Lower Than Some Expected
A little over 1 million Texans will be covered under the Affordable Care Act this year, a slight drop from 2018. During the six-week sign-up period on HealthCare.gov, 1,089,636 Texans enrolled, down from 1,126,838 last year. Nationally, enrollment fell about 300,000 to 8.5 million. The administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Seema Verma, credited the Trump administration with taking steps to promote a more stable and competitive health insurance market. She said the enrollment numbers showed the administration’s efforts were working. (Stone, 1/5)

The Star Tribune: Affordable Care Act's Fate Worries Many In Minn. 
Affordable health insurance has been the difference between having a life and just scraping by for Bruce Ario, a Minneapolis man with schizophrenia and diabetes. A low-income worker who supervises mailrooms for two federal agencies, he was spending $1,000 a month for medical coverage before Congress passed the Affordable Care Act in 2010. Today he pays $300. (Olson and Howatt, 1/6)

The New York Times: Toll On Science And Research Mounts As Government Shutdown Continues
One of the first sessions of the American Meteorological Society’s annual conference in Phoenix this weekend seemed like just the sort to attract plenty of government scientists: “Building Resilience to Extreme Political Weather: Advice for Unpredictable Times.” But the conference, where more than 700 federal employees had been expected, will have few federal scientists in attendance. Many are barred from participating during the partial government shutdown, just one of the numerous consequences for the science community during the capital’s latest spending standoff. (Blinder, 1/5)

The Washington Post: As Shutdown Drags On, Trump Officials Make New Offer, Seek Novel Ways To Cope With Its Impacts
Trump administration officials began taking extraordinary steps to contain the fallout from the partial federal government shutdown Sunday, as the budget impasse between the president and congressional Democrats showed no signs of nearing a breakthrough. As agencies sought to deal with cascading problems across the federal bureaucracy, acting White House budget director Russell T. Vought sent congressional leaders a letter detailing the administration’s latest offer to end the shutdown. (Costa, Eilperin, Paletta and Miroff, 1/6)

The Washington Post: U.S. Towns With Federal Workers Brace For Impact As The Shutdown Continues
The snowy streets of Ogden are quiet these days. Parking lots are half-empty. Restaurant sales have dropped. Without federal workers to serve, Bickering Sisters cafe has cut the hours of its lunch service. More than 4,000 federal employees who work for the Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Forest Service have been furloughed from their jobs in this outdoorsy haven north of Salt Lake City as part of the partial government shutdown. (May, Gowen and Achenbach, 1/6)

Wyoming Public Radio: Government Shutdown Strikes Home On Wind River Reservation
The Wind River Reservation's tribes signed treaties with the government in the late 1800s, giving up vast expanses of land in exchange for health care, police services and other basic needs like food. Eastern Shoshone councilor Leslie Shakespeare said, already some seasonal transportation employees had to be laid off because of the shutdown. (Edwards, 1/4)

CBS News: SNAP Benefits And The Shutdown: Millions Could Face Severe Cuts To Food Stamps Due To Government Shutdown And USDA Underfunding
The partial government shutdown glided into its third week Saturday with no end in sight. If the government is not reopened before February, millions of Americans who receive benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) -- the nation's food stamp program — could have their assistance disrupted. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees SNAP at the federal level, is one of the agencies unfunded during the partial government shutdown. Although SNAP is automatically renewed, it has not been allocated funding from Congress beyond January. Congress has appropriated $3 billion in emergency funds for SNAP distribution, but that would not cover all of February's obligations. (Segers, 1/6)

NBC News: Prolonged Shutdown Could Leave Millions Without Food Stamps And Hit Small Businesses
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP or food stamps, costs an average of around $4.8 billion per month, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. But because of the government shutdown, the program has only $3 billion in emergency reserves for February. More than 19 million households in the United States receive food stamps, accounting for nearly 39 million people. Each household receives on average $245.28 per month. (McCausland, 1/5)

Huffington Post: Millions Could Lose Food Assistance If Government Shutdown Continues
The USDA has said only that it has enough leftover money to pay for January’s benefits. Its reserve fund amounts to less than the total projected cost of February’s benefits. After February, it’s possible there would be nothing. Other food programs that serve seniors, mothers and children could also be affected. Spokespeople for the USDA did not respond to requests for comment on Saturday. (Delaney, 1/5)

Newsweek: Trump's Government Shutdown Could Hit Poorest Americans As Food Stamps Face Cuts
Dottie Rosenbaum, a senior fellow at the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, told NBC News that the average of the ... shortfall across the estimated 19 million households currently on food stamps is a cut of around $90 per month. It constitutes a large chunk of the average monthly amount each family receives, which is about $245. "Even if the President and Congress resolve the shutdown by February, depending on the decisions the Administration makes in the coming one to two weeks, households could experience a substantial delay in receiving their full SNAP allotment for February because of the operational challenges that states and EBT contractors face," she said. (Zhao, 1/6)

KPLC: Louisiana Food Stamps Still Being Accepted Despite Government Partial Shutdown
Food stamps are still being accepted at Louisiana vendors despite an ongoing partial shutdown of the federal government. Concerns grew on social media that the shutdown would impact food stamp availability following reports of an Indiana grocery store denying customers' EBT cards. Store management learned the denial was because of the government partial shutdown, which is entering its 15th day. (Leake, 1/6)

Dayton Daily News: Government Shutdown: Food Banks To Bear Food Storage Costs
As the government shutdown reaches the two-week mark, local food banks are bracing for an increase in demand while paying thousands of dollars in costs typically covered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Foodbank in Dayton and Second Harvest Food Bank in Springfield receive frozen meats, fresh produce, milk and other foods through the USDA’s Emergency Food Assistance Program and the Commodity Supplemental Food Program. The local nonprofit organizations say they will continue receiving shipments of food through February, but the cost to store and transport the commodities now will fall on them. (Wilson, 1/5)

The New York Times: Inquiry Into Migrant Shelters Poses Dilemma: What Happens To The Children?
A difficult situation for migrant children in government custody could grow more challenging if the largest provider in the overburdened shelter system were to lose its grants. The provider, Southwest Key Programs, faces mounting pressure after a video of staff members abusing children surfaced last month and the Justice Department opened an investigation into its finances. State and federal officials have cracked down on suspected malfeasance at shelters in the past year, closing multiple facilities, including two run by Southwest Key, and moving children elsewhere. (Barker and Kulish, 1/5)

The New York Times: The Price Of Trump’s Migrant Deterrence Strategy: New Chaos On The Border
At a migrant shelter near the Mexican border, three girls from Guatemala — sisters aged 10, 9 and 6 — coughed and sniffled. One of them clung to both a teddy bear and a large bottle of Pedialyte, to soothe her dehydration and flu. The girls’ mother, Nelcy, 28, said her daughters got sick not during their long journey to the border in the back of a pickup truck, but during the 12 days they spent at two crowded government detention facilities before arriving at the privately run shelter in Texas. “It was very cold, especially for the children,” said Nelcy, who would only be identified by her first name. “My children got sick. They gave us aluminum blankets, but it wasn’t enough.” (Fernandez, Dickerson and Villegas, 1/4)

Politico Pulse Check: Inside HHS: A Former Official Defends Crisis Response
Thousands of migrant families were separated at the border by the Trump administration last year. One of the HHS officials involved in putting them back together: Chris Meekins — a Trump appointee who normally helped oversee emergency preparedness, but was tapped as part of HHS' broader response. (1/7)

WBUR: Tent City Housing Migrant Children To Close As Kids Are Released To Sponsors
A controversial, government-contracted shelter for migrant children in the West Texas desert will shut down later this month, a result of sweeping changes to the rules that govern the custody of youngsters. Nationwide, the number of children in the government's care has stopped growing and begun to fall. In the last two weeks, some 2,200 child migrants — mostly teenage boys from Central America — have been discharged from shelters and allowed to join family already in the U.S. (Burnett, 1/4)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Mexican ICE Detainee Hanged Himself After Monitoring Lapse
Authorities failed to monitor a mentally ill detainee as often as they were required before he hanged himself with a pair of socks in an immigration detention center in southwest Georgia last year, according to documents obtained through Georgia’s Open Records Act. This is not the first time this has happened at Stewart Detention Center, a sprawling federal complex located just outside the city of Lumpkin. (Redmon, 1/4)

In other news on government policy —

Reuters: U.S. Court Rules For Trump On Transgender Military Limits 
A U.S. court on Friday ruled in favor of a Trump administration policy barring certain transgender people from serving in the U.S. armed forces, handing the president his first legal victory on the issue after several defeats. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit overturned a decision by a federal judge in Washington, D.C., that blocked the policy, saying it likely violates the constitutional rights of transgender recruits and service members. (1/4)

The New York Times: F.D.A. Accuses Juul And Altria Of Backing Off Plan To Stop Youth Vaping
The Food and Drug Administration is accusing Juul and Altria of reneging on promises they made to the government to keep e-cigarettes away from minors. Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the agency’s commissioner, is drafting letters to both companies that will criticize them for publicly pledging to remove nicotine flavor pods from store shelves, while secretly negotiating a financial partnership that seems to do the opposite. He plans to summon top executives of the companies to F.D.A. headquarters to explain how they will stick to their agreements given their new arrangement. (Kaplan, 1/4)

BBC News: Juul: The Rise Of A $38B E-Cigarette Phenomenon
Juul has all the qualities of a standard Silicon Valley success - fat profit margins, explosive growth, and even the cultural cachet to make its name a verb. But the three-year-old start-up is not a simple technology company: it sells addictive e-cigarettes. Its popularity among teens has provoked a backlash from authorities, and the announcement last month that it would join forces with Altria, which makes Marlboro cigarettes, has only ramped up the controversy. (Sherman, 1/6)

The Wall Street Journal: Blood Pressure, Baby’s Pulse, Sperm Potency: Home Health Devices Are Tracking More Than Ever
Companies are planning to get personal—very personal—at the 2019 CES technology show this week in Las Vegas. The annual event for showcasing the latest in consumer technology will feature self-driving shuttle buses, 5G wireless hubs, artificially intelligent ovens and more, but exhibitors will also be displaying their ability to intuit deeper health data directly from users, often with cheap, even wearable, devices. (Bindley, 1/6)

Stat: At Glitzy Tech Show, Chronic-Disease Gadgets To Take Center Stage
An exploding array of digital health companies will converge on Las Vegas this week to showcase the latest advances in using data and algorithms to try to solve the world’s toughest health problems. The annual Consumer Electronics Show — a sort of Sundance Film Festival of must-have gadgets — has become an increasingly popular venue for health technology firms looking to make a splash in the $7 trillion global medical industry. And this year’s event will be no different, bringing a particular focus on chronic disease, an area where purveyors of new software and wearables see breakthrough potential. (Ross, 1/7)

The Wall Street Journal: Health Startups Take Down Data Silos That Block AI Adoption
The medical field’s lofty dreams of unleashing the power of artificial intelligence have set off a race to rework the way health-care specialists make use of their data. Although technology exists to make AI a potent tool, there is a snag. Data relevant to answering specific questions often reside in various locations, from hospitals to diagnostic labs to pharmaceutical companies. These information silos are typical in the health-care field, leaving scientists and other medical professionals at a disadvantage to harness the full predictive power of AI. (Gormley, 1/6)

Columbus Dispatch: As Surgeons Tout Robot-Assisted Breast Cancer Surgeries, Safety Remains A Question
Now, robot-assisted surgery — the most high-tech, high-cost version of minimally invasive technology — is being introduced for breast cancer treatment. But rigorous clinical trials have not been done to compare the safety of robotic approaches with conventional methods. (McCullough, 1/6)

Marketplace: Want To Know The True Price Of A Hospital Procedure?
The cost of health care in the United States is an ongoing conversation. As a way to create transparency around the price of medical procedures, back in April the health and human services secretary, Alex Azar announced a provision that requires hospitals to post the prices of their services online. ...Not everyone agrees with the proposal, including Martin Gaynor, professor of economics and health policy at Carnegie Mellon University. He believes the new regulation won’t help consumers in the long run. (Adams, 1/4)

San Jose Mercury News: Hospital Prices: New Federal Rule Requires Costs To Be Online
Hoping to empower consumers who are shouldering more and more of their health care costs each year, the federal government this year is requiring hospitals across the country to post their standard price lists on their websites. Consumer advocates and industry experts applaud the move as a step toward price transparency in the Byzantine world of medical billing that can help keep a lid on costs by pressuring hospitals to be more competitive in their prices. (Woolfolk and Bartley, 1/6)

Stateline: Some Drug Users In Western U.S. Seek Out Deadly Fentanyl. Here’s Why.
More than half of drug users here purposely seek fentanyl, despite its dangers, according to harm reduction workers who talk to hundreds of drug users every day. Fifty times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine, the synthetic opioid was rarely detected in U.S. illicit drug markets or in the bodies of fatal overdose victims just a decade ago. Now it has become the biggest killer in the nation’s raging drug overdose epidemic. (Vestal, 1/7)

In other news on the epidemic —

The Associated Press: Drugmakers Seek Sanctions Over '60 Minutes' Comments
Several drug manufacturers targeted in lawsuits over the opioid epidemic have asked a federal judge in Cleveland to sanction the man who is Ohio's attorney general and governor-elect, along with two other lawyers, for statements they made in recent television interviews. Friday's motion said statements by Republican Attorney General and Gov.-elect Mike DeWine and the others on an episode of CBS' "60 Minutes" were calculated to taint potential jury pools, Cleveland.com reported. (1/6)

Richmond Times-Dispatch: Police Try New Approach To Stem Drug Addiction Epidemic
Courtney Nunnally scrolled on her phone in the back of the Richmond police SUV. The fluorescent lights from the strip centers, gas stations and cheap motels lining Midlothian Turnpike shined through the tinted window, barely cutting the darkness that had already descended by 5:30 p.m. on the Wednesday before Christmas. Officer Ben Frazer scanned the illuminated parking lots as he drove, looking for familiar faces. (Balch, 1/4)

Arizona Republic: Authorities Investigate Possible Sex Abuse At Phoenix Nursing Facility
Hacienda HealthCare in Phoenix is under heightened security after a patient with intellectual disabilities reportedly became pregnant and gave birth Dec. 29. Azfamily.com on Thursday reported that a woman who was left in a vegetative state after a near-drowning more than 10 years ago became pregnant while she was a patient at Hacienda HealthCare in south Phoenix. (Pitzi and Innes, 1/4)

The New York Times: Police Investigate Sexual Assault Allegations After Woman In Vegetative State Gives Birth
A spokeswoman at the Arizona Department of Health Services said that the agency was aware of the allegations and had sent inspectors to check on patients at the institution, which is about seven miles south of downtown Phoenix. The facility is part of Hacienda HealthCare, which its website describes as an organization for some Phoenix-based health care programs and services. “During this time, the agency has required heightened safety measures be implemented at the facility, including increased staff presence during patient interactions; increased monitoring of the patient care areas; and increased security measures with respect to visitors at the facility,” the spokeswoman, Melissa Blasius-Nuanez, said on Friday. (Haag, 1/4)

The Associated Press: Woman In Vegetative State For Decade Reportedly Gives Birth
According to some reports, the woman was a victim of a near-drowning more than 10 years ago. Her identity hasn't been reported, and it's not known if she has family or a guardian. Sources quoted in the reports said the woman was heard to be moaning and that the baby's head was starting to emerge when a nurse came in. (1/5)

The Washington Post: Hacienda HealthCare Assault: Woman In Vegetative State Gives Birth
The birth — and the sexual assault of a vulnerable individual that must have preceded it — has cast a harsh glare on conditions at a nonprofit organization that bills itself as a leading provider of health care for Phoenix’s medically fragile. (Wootson, 1/6)

The Hill: Police Investigating Alleged Sexual Assault After Woman In Coma For 14 Years Gives Birth: Report 
Police in Phoenix, Ariz., are investigating after a woman in a coma for more than 14 years gave birth at a nursing facility. A local CBS News affiliate, Arizona's Family, first reported the incident Thursday. According to their report, the victim, who remains unnamed, gave birth to a healthy baby boy on Dec. 29. A whistleblower, who remains anonymous, told the CBS News affiliate that none of the staff knew she was pregnant.  (Seipel, 1/4)

The Washington Post: African American Men Are More Likely Than White Men To Develop And Die Of Prostate Cancer.
Like any plumber, James Lyles, 73, wanted to know what was going on beneath the surface. Two years ago, not long after he had a heart attack, his primary-care physician asked him whether he wanted to take a PSA test — a blood test for a “prostate-specific antigen” that helps physicians diagnose prostate cancer in its early stages. Not seeing a downside, Lyles agreed — and the test showed he did have cancer. Now, in the middle of radiation treatments, he says he is feeling okay. In his view, a $25 blood test helped keep him alive. (Moyer, 1/5)

The Washington Post: 10 Important Questions To Ask If You’re Diagnosed With Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer often presents unique challenges to patients and physicians alike. It can be indolent and nonaggressive — or life-threatening and everything in between. Unlike most cancers that have a dedicated road map for treatment, prostate cancer revolves around opinions and biases. To help patients navigate the land mine of the disease, here are 10 basic questions to ask your doctor when diagnosed with it. (Rahman, 1/5)

NPR: Laws Intended To Protect Firefighters Who Get Cancer Often Lack Teeth
Doctors told Steve Dillman the throat cancer he was diagnosed with in 2008 came from smoking. He knew it didn't. "I thought it had to be job-related because I've never smoked a day in my life. I don't chew. I don't drink excessively ... and that's the three main criterias," he says. But Dillman did spend 38 years as an Indianapolis firefighter — and that included running into burning buildings. (Bavis, 1/4)

The New York Times: Jazmine Barnes Case Shows How Trauma Can Affect Memory
Imagine being held up at gunpoint. Do you trust you could remember the perpetrator’s face? The gun? Or would you have a better recollection of how loud the birds were chirping at that moment? “The memory does not operate like a videotape machine faithfully recording every single detail,” said Richard J. McNally, a professor of psychology at Harvard University and the author of “Remembering Trauma.” “The thing that is happening is that you’re focusing on the most dangerous thing,” he said. “That is the function of fear: to alert you to imminent threats.” (Garcia, 1/6)

Politico: Health Advocates Say Schizophrenia Should Be Reclassified As A Brain Disease
Mental health advocates are lobbying Congress to help them get schizophrenia classified as a brain disease like Parkinson’s or Alzheimers, instead of as a mental illness, a move that could reduce stigma and lead to more dollars for a cure. Federal health officials, scientists and doctors say conditions that cause psychosis, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, are poorly understood and, in the public mind, often associated with violent behavior. Patients are more likely to be homeless, incarcerated, commit suicide and die younger than those with any other neurological diseases. (Ehley, 1/5)

The New York Times: Dementia May Never Improve, But Many Patients Still Can Learn
He was a retired factory worker, living with his wife outside a small town in Wales, in the United Kingdom. Once outgoing and sociable, engaged in local activities including a community choir, he’d been jolted by a diagnosis of early dementia. A few months later, at 70, he wouldn’t leave the house alone, fearful that if he needed help, he couldn’t manage to use a cellphone to call his wife. He avoided household chores he’d previously undertaken, such as doing laundry. When his frustrated wife tried to show him how to use the washer, he couldn’t remember her instructions. (Span, 1/4)

The Washington Post: Blast From The Past Broadcasts About Health — And Communist Brainwashing
In the 1950s, the health interventions we may consider routine were still revolutionary. Antibiotics had only recently become available, and chemotherapy was still new. Even the ideas that children had distinct personalities and that child development was worth studying were novel. And in those days of the Cold War, midcentury Americans had to wonder: was it possible for the communist world to brainwash them? (Blakemore, 1/5)

The New York Times: One In 10 Adults Have A Food Allergy. Many More Say They Have One.
Many more Americans say they have a food allergy than actually have one. Researchers surveyed 40,000 adults about food allergies, carefully eliciting details about which foods produced the allergies and what specific symptoms they had. (Bakalar, 1/4)

The Wall Street Journal: Five Top Ideas About Aging From The Experts In 2018
In 2018, the WSJ Experts wrote about some of the ways people can age in better health and with more financial security than ever before. Below are five of the most-popular Experts blog posts about aging well from 2018. And you can read what they had to say throughout the year here. (1/4)

Columbus Dispatch: Benefits Of A Plant-Based Diet: Why Experts Say You Should Eat More Fruits, Veggies
Programs like those offered at the Comprehensive Cancer Center, which includes the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital, seek to encourage people to pile plates with plant foods — everything from cauliflower and peaches to quinoa, lentils and nuts. Some steer patients toward plant-heavy meal plans; others say the way to go is to exclusively eat foods that grow from the ground. (Viviano, 1/6)

The Wall Street Journal: A Medical-Screening Checklist For Older Adults
A good topic to start the New Year. Figuring out just what illnesses you should be poked and prodded for, and when, is one of the most important ways you can take care of yourself. Unfortunately, many of us probably know more about the tests and shots our pets need than the ones we need. Example: Men and women who are at average risk for colon cancer should first be screened at age 45, according to the American Cancer Society. But only 58% of Americans age 50 to 64 have been tested. (Ruffenach, 1/6)

The Washington Post: A New And Safe Blood Test Is Transforming Prenatal Care, Doctors Say.
During Carrie Wells’s first OB/GYN visit after learning she was pregnant this summer, the 30-year-old was surprised when her doctor suggested a blood test that could detect her baby’s risk of Down syndrome and other chromosomal abnormalities as early as 10 weeks. At her age, she hadn’t been worried about conceiving a child with a genetic disorder. Wells’s obstetrician/gynecologist explained that the test, called a “cell-free DNA” screen, analyzes the fetal genetic information that travels from the mother’s placenta and poses no risk to the baby. The doctor had been routinely prescribing it for her patients who were older and higher risk, now she was prescribing it to younger women, as well. (Richards, 1/5)

NPR: Is It The Flu Or Just A Nasty Cold?
It's that time of year again. You wake up with a scratchy throat, stuffy nose, a little achy — maybe a fever. Is it a classic head cold, or do you need to be more concerned? Could it be the flu? "There's lots of confusion out there, because both are viral respiratory illnesses," says Dr. Yul Ejnes, an internal medicine specialist in private practice in Rhode Island and spokesperson for the American College of Physicians. "No one likes to get a cold, but people are more fearful of the flu." (Neighmond, 1/6)

Los Angeles Times: At The Peak Of The Holocaust, Nazis Murdered More Than 14,000 Jews A Day, Scholar Says
In the ledger of evils perpetrated by humans, Operation Reinhard holds a distinct place. Over 21 months starting in March 1942, Nazi forces and their collaborators rounded up 1.7 million Jews from 393 Polish towns and ghettos and dispatched them in tightly packed rail cars to three camps in German-occupied Poland — Sobibor, Treblinka and Belzec. At these three killing centers, members of Poland’s once-thriving Jewish community were murdered with such efficiency and ruthlessness that, of roughly 1.5 million Jews who passed through their gates, a mere 102 would survive to bear witness. By November 1943, when Operation Reinhard ended, essentially no Polish Jews were left for the Germans to kill. (Healy, 1/5)

The New York Times: The Mavericks’ Key To Keeping Players Fresh? Blood Samples
Whether they are trying to keep their 34-year-old playmaker Jose Juan Barea spry or aiming to help their 19-year-old phenom Luka Doncic dodge the infamous rookie wall, the Dallas Mavericks turn to the same resource: A blood test. It is not just any blood test. The Mavericks import frequent testing from the Irish company Orreco, which is in its third season making personalized recommendations for Mavericks players regarding athletic workloads and diets, largely through the study of blood analysis. (Stein, 1/7)

The Washington Post: Typing And Keyboard Injuries Are Best Treated By Prevention
After a busy stretch of work this fall, I found myself with both a sense of accomplishment and an unexpected problem: pain in my hand that made me wince every time I typed an ‘O’ or ‘L.’ I’m a veteran of muscle soreness and joint damage from a lifetime of sports. But an injury from sitting at my computer? It seemed so boring. (Sohn, 1/6)

Denver Post: Colorado Democrats Introduce Public Option Health Care
Creation of a public option health care plan is one of the most ambitious changes Colorado Democrats proposed Friday as they kicked off a new session of the General Assembly in control of both chambers for the first time in four years. The first five bills introduced in each chamber — indicators of lawmakers’ top priorities for the year — largely relate to health care and education costs. A Senate bill would create a public option health insurance plan that Coloradans who live in the highest-cost areas — mainly the Western Slope — could buy instead of their current insurance starting in the fall of 2019. A House bill would expand that program to the entire state by the fall of 2020. (Staver and Garcia, 1/4)

Health News Florida: Governor-Elect Ron DeSantis’ Transition Team Plans Health Policy
Governor-elect Ron DeSantis received recommendations Thursday for changes to the state’s health care policies. Lieutenant Governor-elect Jeanette Nunez and committee members from the healthcare industry discussed ways to improve the affordability and accessibility of care for some of Florida’s most underserved patients including seniors, patients with disabilities, and patients with mental illness and substance abuse disorders. (Prieur, 1/4)

Miami Herald: Trump Medicaid Official To Run Florida’s Healthcare Agency
Governor-elect Ron DeSantis has tapped Mary Mayhew, a top Medicaid official in the Trump administration who has long opposed expansion under the Affordable Care Act, to run the state’s healthcare agency. Mayhew, who was chosen to lead the safety-net program at the federal level in October, will now head up the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), which oversees the state’s Medicaid program as well as hospitals and other healthcare facilities. (Koh, 1/4)

Boston Globe: A Bill To Ban Toxic Chemicals Should Be A No-Brainer. Why Is It Stirring Debate?
To environmentalists, it was a no-brainer bill that would ban furniture, bedding, and children’s products containing potentially toxic flame-retardant chemicals from being made or sold in Massachusetts. But the state’s largest business trade group is objecting, not just because its leaders believe the measure would hurt manufacturers and retailers, but because it was passed on New Year’s Day, during an informal, sparsely attended legislative session. (Lazar, 1/4)

Cleveland Plain Dealer: Pink Tax, Heartbeat Bill And 5 Other Ohio Statehouse Bills Affecting Women: Where They Stand Now
Remember the pink tax bill? The bill in the Ohio Statehouse would have eliminated state sales tax on feminine hygiene products like tampons.Although it passed the House last month, the Senate never took a vote. So the legislation is dead. And the heartbeat bill? That didn’t become law, either. (Kilpatrick, 1/4)

The Washington Post: Sensing An Opening, Virginia Governor Revives Push For Gun Control
Gov. Ralph Northam (D) is making an aggressive push to revive gun-control proposals that GOP lawmakers killed in last year’s General Assembly session, seizing what he senses to be Democratic momentum as the legislature convenes next week. Flanked by fellow Democrats from the House of Delegates and state Senate, Northam rolled out a package of bills Friday that would require universal background checks for firearms purchases, ban assault weapons and resurrect individuals’ purchase limits to one handgun per month, among other proposals. (Schneider and Vozzella, 1/4)

Pioneer Press: Budget, Health Care, Gun Control, Legal Pot — MN Legislature Has A Long To-Do List 
Here’s an example of when doing nothing is akin to doing something. A 2 percent tax on health care providers that is expected to raise nearly $700 million this year will expire at the end of the year. The tax has been on the books since 1992, but lawmakers agreed to sunset it during tense budget talks back in 2011 when the state faced a deficit. Democrats and Walz support extending the tax, which they say is critical to keeping health care affordable and accessible and funding MinnesotaCare, the state health program for the working poor, they want to expand. Republicans call it a “sick tax” and want it to end. They say it drives up medical costs and that federal funds cover most of the current MinnesotaCare costs. (Magan, 1/6)

Texas Tribune: State Sen. Charles Schwertner Asks To Give Up Committee Chairmanship
After facing an allegation of sexual harassment, state Sen. Charles Schwertner has told the Senate's leader he no longer wants his post as chair of the powerful health and human services committee. In a letter sent to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Friday and obtained by The Texas Tribune, the Georgetown Republican indicated he planned to remain in the Senate but no longer wished to serve as a chairman during the upcoming legislative session. (Ura, 1/4)

Columbus Dispatch: Ohio Must Find $200 Million To Maintain Health Coverage For 225,000 Poor Children
Ohio will need to pay an additional $200 million over the next two years to maintain health coverage for about 225,000 low-income children. Outgoing Medicaid Director Barbara Sears sounded the alarm in a recent submission for the upcoming two-year state budget, warning that the federal contribution to the State Children’s Health Insurance Program was dropping. (Candisky, 1/5)

The New York Times: Donors Of Rare Blood Type Sought To Save A Miami Toddler
Zainab Mughal, a 2-year-old girl from Miami, needs blood transfusions for her cancer treatment but she has a blood type so rare that so far only four donors worldwide have been identified. In August, doctors determined Zainab had neuroblastoma, a cancer that develops from immature nerve cells and most commonly occurs in young children. Frequent blood transfusions are required for Zainab’s treatment, but finding enough blood has been a challenge because she is missing the Indian-B antigen, a molecule found on the surface of most people’s red blood cells. (Caron, 1/6)

The Associated Press: Some Fear Groundwater Near Georgia Military Bases Is Toxic
Groundwater near Georgia military bases remains contaminated from a toxic firefighting foam used for decades by the U.S. Air Force, prompting fears among residents about their exposure to the chemicals. Recent tests at Georgia's three air bases show extensive environmental contamination of groundwater, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. (1/5)

The Wall Street Journal: In Age Of Mass Shootings, Boy Scout Projects Hope To Keep Schools Safe
Boy Scouts’ projects to earn the coveted Eagle Scout rank have long been wholesome efforts to clean up parks, build bike racks and give blankets to the needy. But in an age of fear of school shootings, some have a new focus: preparing for armed killers. Andrew Leccese, a 17-year-old senior at Glen Ridge High School in New Jersey, wants his small suburban school district to be ready for such an attack and other emergencies. He raised money to give its four schools bleeding-control kits this month so that in a crisis staff could try to keep gunshot victims from bleeding to death while waiting for professional rescue teams. (Brody, 1/6)

The New York Times: 2 Mental Health Patients Drowned In A Sheriff’s Van During Florence. Now The Deputies Face Charges.
Two former sheriff’s deputies in South Carolina were charged on Friday in the deaths of two mental health patients who became trapped in a van and drowned during Hurricane Florence. The deputy who was driving the van, Stephen Flood, 66, was charged with two counts of reckless homicide and two counts of involuntary manslaughter after the authorities said he disregarded travel instructions and drove into floodwaters. (Mervosh, 1/4)

St. Louis Public Radio: Missouri Auditor Finds Changes To Home Health Care Saved Far Less Than Expected
Controversial changes to Missouri's home health-services program by former Gov. Eric Greitens and the Republican-controlled Legislature saved only one fourth of the $43 million lawmakers had expected, according a state audit. The Republican governor and state lawmakers didn’t take rising costs and sicker patients into account, concluded the report from State Auditor Nicole Galloway, a Democrat. (Fentem, 1/7)

The Washington Post: New Hearts Forge New Friendship For Transplant Recipients
A suburban Detroit woman and South Side Chicago man are recovering in a Chicago hospital following rare triple transplant surgeries that gave them the healthy heart, liver and kidney each needed — and a new friendship they never expected. University of Chicago Medicine doctors announced Friday that they successfully completed the triple organ transplants on Sarah McPharlin, a 29-year-old woman of Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan, and Daru Smith, a 29-year-old father from Chicago’s South Side, within 30 hours of one another. (Seitz, 1/4)

The New York Times: 11-Year-Old Boy’s Death In Brooklyn May Have Been Caused By Airborne Fish Proteins
An 11-year-old boy who died on New Year’s Day after visiting family members in Brooklyn may have had a fatal reaction to fish proteins released into the air while his relatives cooked. The sixth grader, Cameron Jean-Pierre, had asthma and was allergic to fish and peanuts, his father, Steven Jean-Pierre, said on Thursday in an interview with WABC. (Caron, 1/5)

Cleveland Plain Dealer: High-Quality Pre-K Doesn’t Get Most Lead-Poisoned Children Ready For Kindergarten
Looking at children who attended high quality preschool for at least 18 months (a “high dose”) among more than 35,000 Cleveland and 11 inner-ring suburban kindergartners, the researchers found that children with a history of lead exposure above the threshold of concern set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were half as likely as their peers to score “on track” in language and literacy when they reach kindergarten. The CDC’s threshold, 5 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood, is the level at which public health actions should be taken, including education of parents on how to minimize exposure, follow-up testing, and routine dietary and developmental monitoring. (Zeltner, 1/6)

New Hampshire Public Radio: N.H. DES Says New PFAS Standards Could Cost Millions; Advocates Want Stricter Limits
The state’s public water systems might have to pay millions of dollars to comply with new proposed limits on certain industrial chemicals in drinking water – even as advocates say the proposals aren’t strict enough. The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services released new details Friday on proposed standards for four likely harmful PFAS chemicals – known as PFOA, PFOS, PFHxS and PFNA. (Ropeik, 1/4)

Kansas City Star: Missouri’s Two Rivers Psychiatric Hospital Closing Feb. 9
A private psychiatric hospital in southeast Kansas City is closing, resulting in 105 fewer mental health beds in the city and 129 laid off employees. Two Rivers Behavioral Health System, 5121 Raytown Road announced it will close Feb. 9 — at a time when both Kansas and Missouri are dealing with shortages in mental health care. (Marso, 1/4)

Kaiser Health News: After Bitter Closure, Rural Texas Hospital Defies The Norm And Reopens
Five months ago, the 6,500 residents of Crockett, Texas, witnessed a bit of a resurrection — at least in rural hospital terms. A little more than a year after the local hospital shut its doors, the 25-bed facility reopened its emergency department, inpatient beds and some related services, albeit on a smaller scale. (Huff, 1/7)

Sacramento Bee: Who Are New CalPERS Board Members?
The board that oversees the nation’s largest public pension fund will get at least three new faces in 2019, marking unusual turnover at the California Public Employees’ Retirement System. Two of the newcomers were decided in recent elections. Gov. Jerry Brown this week created a third vacancy when he removed CalPERS board member Richard Costigan from the pension fund. (Ashton, 1/7)

San Jose Mercury News: California Insurance Commissioner Hires Ex-Lobbyist For Company Being Investigated
One of two people leading state Sen. Ricardo Lara’s transition as California’s newly elected Insurance Commissioner worked until last month as the Sacramento lobbyist for a major drug maker that is the subject of an investigation by the Department of Insurance that Lara soon will head. (Morain, 1/6)

The Oregonian: Measles Patient Visited Hood River, The Dalles Area
A case of measles has led health authorities to a select group of people in Hood River and The Dalles. The person with measles visited the OHSU Hospital emergency room in Portland on Wednesday. The virus was confirmed Thursday. The infected person traveled from out of the county to Hood River and The Dalles. Since diagnosis, the person has taken recommended precautions not to continue to spread the highly contagious virus. (Harbarger, 1/4)

Cleveland Plain Dealer: Two Flu Deaths In Cuyahoga County Reported Amid Uptick In Cases, Hospitalizations
Two Cuyahoga County residents died of flu-related illness in the past week, amid an uptick in flu cases, emergency room visits and hospitalizations, the County Board of Health reported today. A 52-year old Cleveland man and a 76-year-old Broadview Heights man died. There have been no pediatric deaths in Ohio so far this flu season, and 13 children have died of flu nationwide. (Zeltner, 1/4)

Health News Florida: Transgender Inmate Care Spurs Appeals Court Fight
Attorneys for a transgender inmate and the Florida Department of Corrections are battling in a federal appeals court about whether the state’s treatment of the inmate violated her constitutional rights. The Department of Corrections took the case to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in September after U.S. District Judge Mark Walker sided with inmate Reiyn Keohane, who contends that her rights have been violated, at least in part because she has not been allowed to wear women’s undergarments and groom as a woman. (Saunders, 1/4)

KCUR: North Kansas City-Based Hospital Network Falls Behind On Payroll And Other Payments 
Rural hospitals affiliated with North Kansas City-based EmpowerHMS are struggling to meet their financial obligations, leaving employees and vendors holding the bag. Various news outlets have reported that EmpowerHMS hospitals in Kansas, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Arkansas have failed to meet payroll or defaulted on their rent and utility payments. (Margolies, 1/4)

New Orleans Times-Picayune: Orleans School Board Joins Program To Support Students’ Mental Health 
The Orleans Parish School Board on Friday (Jan. 4) announced a new partnership designed to address gaps in mental health support for New Orleans public school students. The OPSB will work with the Center for Resilience, previously known as the New Orleans Therapeutic Day Program, to expand mental health services to children in grades 9-12, according to a news release. The agencies will also explore the feasibility of launching a residential group home to serve students, the release said. (Nobles, 1/4)

The Hill: US Health Care Is An Ongoing Miserable Failure
The state of U.S. health care is catastrophic. In no other area is the U.S. lagging so far behind the European Union. Average U.S. life expectancy is 78.7 years to compare with 81 in the 28 countries of the European Union. U.S. life expectancy has fallen for the last three years, while it rises all around the world. U.S. infant mortality is 5.6 per 1,000 life births, but only 3.6 on average in the EU. American maternal mortality is 14 per 100,000 births and rising. Compare that with a mere 3 deaths per 100,000 births each in Finland, Greece and Poland. As if to add insult to injury, U.S. health-care costs 18 percent of GDP while the cost is limited to barely 9 percent of GDP in Europe. (Anders Aslund, 1/5)

RealClearHealth: New Study Championing Medicare For All Is Bogus
Sen. Bernie Sanders' 2017 Medicare for All bill (S.1804) would guarantee exceptional care to all Americans while reducing health spending by $5.11 trillion. At least that's what a new study from researchers at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst’s Political Economy Research Institute, which is co-directed by Professor Robert Pollin, claims.Sound too good to be true? It is. The study's assumptions are completely unrealistic. Medicare for All would be a disaster for patients and taxpayers alike. An analysis from the Urban Institute pegged the cost of Sen. Sanders' 2016 plan at $32 trillion over 10 years in new federal spending. And Charles Blahous at the Mercatus Center analyzed his 2017 bill and estimated it would cost $32.6 trillion over 10 years, after accounting for lower administrative and drug costs. (Sally C. Pipes, 1/3)

The Hill: Health Care In 2019: 3 Predictions For The Year Ahead
If the 2018 midterm elections proved anything, it’s that health-care remains a top issue – if not the top issue – for millions of Americans across both sides of the aisle.In one poll released right before election results rolled in, a whopping 71 percent of voters said the issue of health care was “very important” to their voting decision. The next closest issue, the economy, came in seven points behind that. (Michael Strazella, 1/4)

Stat: Our Daughter's Deadly Disease: Trisomy 18. We Wanted To Protect Her
Is she in pain?” I asked quietly as the pearlescent baby-shaped image on the screen folded its legs and then extended them.The radiologist doing my ultrasound had just finished pointing out a cluster of alarming abnormalities in our developing daughter, using a slew of medical terms my husband and I, both medical students, were grimly familiar with. Pleural effusion: fluid surrounding one of her lungs, preventing it from expanding and developing properly. Ascites: excess fluid inside the abdomen, surrounding her organs. Cystic hygroma: a large, fluid-filled mass on her neck, strongly associated with chromosomal abnormalities.Something was very wrong with our baby. (Allison Chang, 1/7)

The Wall Street Journal: When Your Daughter Defies Biology
A reader contacted me under a pseudonym a few months ago. She turned out to be a prominent Southern lawyer with a problem she hoped I’d write about. Her college-age daughter had always been a “girly girl” and intellectually precocious, but had struggled with anxiety and depression. She liked boys and had boyfriends in high school, but also faced social challenges and often found herself on the outs with cliques. The young woman went off to college—which began, as it often does these days, with an invitation to state her name, sexual orientation and “pronouns.” When her anxiety flared during her first semester, she and several of her friends decided their angst had a fashionable cause: “gender dysphoria.” (Abigail Shrier, 1/6)

The Washington Post: CBD Is All The Rage. Here's What You Should Know About It
Not that long ago, I would not have been able to tell you what the acronym “CBD” stood for, let alone what it was used for. CBD, or cannabidiol, is most commonly extracted from hemp, but it can also come from marijuana plants, which is why it is sometimes confused with its trippy chemical cousin THC. Unlike CBD, THC produces a high when smoked or eaten. (Steven Petrow, 1/5)

The New York Times: Can A Corpse Give Birth?
In the fall of 2013, Marlise Muñoz was 14 weeks pregnant with her second child when she collapsed in her North Texas home. Her husband, Erick Muñoz, woke to the sound of their 15-month-old son, Mateo, crying and found his wife lying motionless, face down on the kitchen floor.Ms. Muñoz had suffered a pulmonary embolism stemming from a blood clot. Her condition was grave. As her husband, who was a paramedic, told the makers of the recent documentary film “62 Days”: “They showed us a CT of her brain. I’d seen enough to know how bad it was, even before the doctor actually told us she was brain-dead.” (12/28)

The Hill: Hitch HIV Prevention To A Rolling Wagon
 HIV is making a comeback, threatening to infect minority communities en masse. But our nation has yet to mount an adequate response. If our incoming congressional representatives want to truly deliver on their social justice promises, they need to prioritize this issue in 2019. A practical way to do so is to collaborate with other initiatives that are already receiving widespread media attention and bipartisan support. (Maggie Salinger, 1/5)

The Washington Post: Why Did D.C. Officials Take So Long To Tackle The Opioid Epidemic?
The recent announcement by D.C. officials of a plan of action to tackle the District’s opioid epidemic prompts two questions. What took them so long? And, what are the chances for success given the city’s sorry performance to date in responding to this public-health crisis? Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) in December released a 22-page report that maps out the creation or expansion of programs aimed at cutting the number of opioid overdose deaths in the District by 50 percent by the year 2020. Release of the report came after a Post investigation detailed the city’s laggard response in implementing treatment and prevention programs — even as the number of deaths soared. (1/6)

Austin American-Statesman: Recognizing Signs Essential To Preventing Tragedy
Despite a higher prevalence than more commonly known health issues, like cancer and diabetes, we often fail to recognize mental illness as the treatable health issue it is. With the right treatment and supports, individuals impacted by mental illness can and do recover. In fact, the earlier the treatment begins after initial onset, the better the outcome. (Karen Ranus and David Evans, 1/4)

USA Today: How One Indiana Town Is Recovering From A Drug-Fueled HIV Outbreak.
I knew many of the 200 marchers from more than three years of covering their town of just over 4,000 people, epicenter of rural America's worst HIV outbreak caused by IV drug use. I met some during their struggles with addiction. But on the late-August evening of the Fed Up! march, everyone was celebrating recovery. (Laura Ungar, 1/5)

Miami Herald: Malaria Has Come Roaring Back In Venezuela, Which Puts The Region, Including South Florida, At Risk
In Florida, mosquitoes are an irritating part of everyday life. But they used to be deadly.Thanks to U.S. leadership, malaria no longer is a daily threat to Floridians. But that doesn’t mean the fight is over.In the past, the Americas were a leader in the global fight against this disease. But that’s changing. In fact, there’s been a recent spike in malaria cases in our region of the world. (Ander Crenshaw, 1/1)

Sacramento Bee: For California’s New Governor, Big Mistakes Will Lead To Greatness
“I’m only an hour from Sacramento, so Gavin, do not screw up.” — Gov. Jerry Brown, November 2018. Gavin, screw up. Please. Make mistakes. Big ones. Because your state needs more screw-ups. Over the last eight years, Jerry Brown made a fetish out of his own caution. (Joe Mathews, 12/24)