The Wall Street Journal: Bare-Bones Health Policies Are Cheaper Than ACA Plans—And Riskier Too
Sales are growing for a type of bare-bones health policy that offers a cheaper alternative to traditional insurance but leaves buyers risking big bills if they have major medical needs. Known as fixed indemnity plans, the products offer limited help, typically paying set amounts toward the cost of doctor visits, hospital days or other services. They generally carry restrictions on people with pre-existing conditions, and they aren’t considered true health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. But insurance agents say individuals are increasingly purchasing the plans as a substitute for ACA coverage, which has become far more costly for many people who don’t get federal subsidies. (Wilde Mathews, 4/18)

The Hill: Dem Senators Unveil Expanded Public Option For Health Insurance
A group of Democratic senators on Wednesday introduced an expanded public option for health insurance as the party debates the next steps to build on ObamaCare. The new proposal, called the Choose Medicare Act, was introduced by Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), both seen as potential presidential contenders, though Murphy has said he is not running in 2020. (Sullivan, 4/18)

The CT Mirror: Murphy Introduces 'Medicare For More' Health Plan Option
Sen. Chris Murphy on Wednesday introduced legislation that would allow individuals and businesses to purchase Medicare coverage. A Medicare option would be available in all state and federal Affordable Care Act exchanges, according to Murphy’s bill, which was co-sponsored by Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore. Medicare, a government-run health plan, is currently limited to Americans 65 years old and older. (Radelat, 4/18)

And in the states —

The Star Tribune: HealthPartners Reports Sharply Higher Income For 2017 
Improvement in the state's troubled market where individuals buy health insurance boosted financial results last year at HealthPartners as the Bloomington-based health system continued to generate most of its net income from hospitals and clinics. In 2017, HealthPartners posted net income of $175.5 million, an increase of roughly 75 percent over the previous year when the health insurance business provided even more of a financial drag. (Snowbeck, 4/18)

The Hill: Senators Push HHS To Negotiate Lower Prices On Opioid Overdose Reversal Drug 
A group of senators is urging the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to take measures to reduce the price of a potentially life-saving medication reversing the effects of an opioid overdose. An estimated 115 people die per day of an overdose involving an opioid. Sens. Angus King (I-Maine) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and 13 Democratic senators signed a letter from Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) to call on HHS to negotiate a cheaper price for naloxone, which comes in the form of an injection or a nasal spray and is used to reverse opioid overdoses. (Roubein, 4/18)

CQ: Congress Weighs Approach On Opioids As House Schedules Markup
"No police officer, no firefighter, no public health provider, and no person should be unable to save a life because of the high price," the letter reads. "By bringing down the cost, we can get this life-saving drug in the hands of more people as called for by the Surgeon General. Doing so will save countless lives." The senators also urged Azar to "ensure affordable coverage for individuals with health insurance, including Medicare, Medicaid, and individual and employer sponsored plans." (Raman, 4/18)

The Hill: Republicans Refuse To Back Opioids Bill Sponsored By Vulnerable Dem 
Republicans are declining to back Democratic measures that would crack down on suspicious opioid shipments — including legislation offered by Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), one of the most vulnerable members up for reelection this year. McCaskill said she has approached multiple Republicans about backing her bill, and all have refused.  (Sullivan, 4/18)

The Hill: Warren, Cummings Seek $100B To Fight Opioid Epidemic
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) introduced a bill to provide $100 billion in funding over 10 years to address the opioid crisis. This legislation would amount to a significant infusion of new federal dollars aimed at curbing the opioid crisis, which is leading to thousands of deaths each year. (Roubein, 4/18)

Stat: NIH Shifts Course On Industry Opioids Partnership After Ethics Flags Raised
It’s been touted by health officials for almost a year: a planned opioids research partnership worth roughly $400 million. Ideally, the National Institutes of Health and the pharmaceutical industry would each pick up half the tab, NIH Director Francis Collins has said, to fund research aimed at addressing the opioid epidemic. Collins reiterated last month: Dozens of drug companies were on the verge of teaming up with the agency, which researchers hope will lead to the discovery of new medicines to treat addiction or serve as alternatives to opioids. (Facher, 4/19)

USA Today: Surgeon General, Public Health Corps Fights Opioids -- In Dress Blues
They get mistaken for military officers. But they can rightly accept the praise when strangers say, "Thank you for your service." They're the U.S. Public Health Service's Commissioned Corps, a 6,500-strong group of pharmacists, engineers, dentists and others with a broad range of health expertise and a common desire to serve their country, especially the most vulnerable. (O'Donnell, 4/17)

Kaiser Health News: Nation’s Top Doc Wants The Overdose Antidote Widely On Hand. Is That Feasible?
When Surgeon General Jerome Adams issued an advisory calling for more people to carry naloxone — not just people at overdose risk, but also friends and family — experts and advocates were almost giddy. This is an “unequivocally positive” step forward, said Leo Beletsky, an associate professor of law and health sciences at Northeastern University.And not necessarily a surprise. Adams, who previously was Indiana’s health commissioner, was recruited to be the nation’s top doctor in part because of his work with then-Gov. Mike Pence, now the vice president. (Luthra and Bluth, 4/18)

Reuters: Kentucky Accuses J&J Of Contributing To Opioid Epidemic
Kentucky's attorney general on Wednesday sued Johnson & Johnson, accusing the pharmaceutical manufacturer of devising a deceptive marketing scheme that mischaracterized the risk of opioid abuse and addiction. The lawsuit by Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear was his fifth to date seeking to hold a drug manufacturer or distributor responsible for its role in the national opioid epidemic. (Raymond, 4/18)

Minnesota Public Radio: Lawmakers Call On Big Pharma To Pay Up In Fight Against Opioid Abuse
Even as prospects dim for a bill to charge pharmaceutical companies a fee for every opioid they sell in the state of Minnesota, supporters of the proposal remain defiant. There are signs that the issue of opioids may become a campaign issue this November. (Collins, 4/18)

Miami Herald: Miami Sues Opioid Makers, Distributors For False Marketing
Miami officials filed the civil lawsuit in Miami-Dade County on Monday, alleging deception and false marketing by a number of manufacturers and distributors of prescription painkillers, including Purdue Pharma, Teva Pharmaceuticals and Walgreens. The lawsuit alleges the companies created a public nuisance by falsely marketing opioids and unlawfully supplying them in Miami, unjustly enriching them at the expense of the city and its residents. (Chang, 4/18)

KQED: San Francisco's Newest Tool To Prevent Opioid Overdoses Tests Drugs, Starts Conversations
While California has made some positive strides in the fight against opioids (the latest data show that prescriptions in the state are down), deaths from one particularly powerful opioid, fentanyl, are up. As this opioid increasingly shows up in street drugs, California is fighting back with a new tool: easy-to-use test strips that can detect the presence of fentanyl in other drugs or substances. (Klivans, 4/18)

The Washington Post: ‘We Should See If It Works’: Lawmakers Want Veterans Affairs To Study Whether Pot Is Safer Than Painkillers
A bipartisan measure introduced this week in the House would authorize the Department of Veterans Affairs to research whether marijuana is a viable substitute for highly addictive opioids in treating former military personnel suffering from post-traumatic stress and chronic pain. The VA Medicinal Cannabis Research Act of 2018 would initiate a five-year study to examine the drug’s safety and efficacy, and require VA researchers to compile annual status reports for Congress. The bill was introduced by Rep. Phil Roe (R-Tenn.), chairman of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, and Rep. Tim Walz (D-Minn.), the ranking minority-party member of the committee, along with 35 co-sponsors — including seven Republicans. Companion legislation is under review by leaders of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. (Wax-Thibodeaux, 4/18)

In other news —

The Associated Press: Ahead Of 420, Advocates And Critics Reflect On Pot In The US
America's marijuana supporters have a lot to celebrate on this 420 holiday: Thirty states have legalized some form of medical marijuana, according to a national advocacy group. Nine of those states and Washington, D.C., also have broad legalization where adults 21 and older can use pot for any reason. Michigan could become the 10th state with its ballot initiative this year. Yet cannabis remains illegal under federal law, and it still has many opponents. (4/19)

The Hill: Lawmakers Pressed To Act As US Struggles With Maternal Deaths 
Health experts think they know how to tackle the issue of rising pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S. The challenge is getting Congress to listen. While rates of maternal mortality have declined in other industrialized countries, they have dramatically increased in the U.S. since 2000. About 700 to 900 women die in the U.S. every year from mostly preventable complications related to pregnancy, such as blood loss and high blood pressure. (Hellmann, 4/19)

In other news on women's health —

Modern Healthcare: Humana Launches Bundled-Payment Model For Maternity Care 
Humana announced Wednesday it has contracted with five physician practices across the U.S. on a new bundled-payment model for maternity care.Humana's Maternity Episode-Based Model, which began in January, is a retrospective shared-savings program. Physicians enrolled in the model will receive savings based on their costs and quality performance for Humana members with low- to moderate-risk pregnancies. There is currently no downside risk if the physicians don't meet the targets. (Castellucci, 4/18)

Reuters: U.S. Appeals Court Says Ohio Cannot Block Planned Parenthood Funds
A federal appeals court on Wednesday blocked an Ohio law that would cut federal taxpayer funding to 28 Planned Parenthood clinics, holding that conditions it imposed that denied funds to abortion providers were unconstitutional. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati upheld a lower-court judge's ruling enjoining a law Republican Governor John Kasich signed in 2016 that would strip funding that Planned Parenthood received for non-abortion services. (Raymond, 4/18)

The Washington Post: HHS Secretary Readmitted To Hospital For Further Treatment Of Diverticulitis
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar was readmitted to an Indiana hospital Tuesday evening for further treatment and observation of a case of diverticulitis, according to department officials. The readmission came about 48 hours after Azar was admitted overnight to St. Vincent’s Hospital in Indianapolis after receiving intravenous antibiotics — and slightly more than a day after he had been discharged with plans to return to Washington. (Goldstein and Sun, 4/18)

The Wall Street Journal: HHS Secretary Azar Hospitalized Again For Diverticulitis
Mr. Azar was first hospitalized Sunday night following a “minor infection” for observation and intravenous antibiotics “out of an abundance of caution,” HHS said Sunday. He was discharged Monday from St. Vincent hospital in Indianapolis. “I’m grateful for the incredible doctors & nurses who provided me with excellent care during my one-night stay at @StVincentIN,” Mr. Azar tweeted Monday. “Also thankful for my wife, who insisted that I call my primary care doctor when I wasn’t feeling well. Glad to be back at work for the American people.” (4/18)

Bloomberg: HHS Secretary Azar Back In The Hospital For Intestinal Issue 
Azar, 50, has been dealing with diverticulitus, a condition where pouches form in the colon wall and can become inflamed or infected. After being hospitalized over the weekend, his doctor recommended he be readmitted for additional treatment and observation, HHS spokeswoman Caitlin Oakley said Wednesday. “Secretary Azar has been and will continue to be in regular contact with HHS leadership, the White House, and members of Congress as he remains fully engaged with the responsibilities of his job,” Oakley said. (Edney, 4/18)

CQ: Health And Human Services Secretary Back In Hospital
Azar isn't the only high-profile Republican to recently be treated for diverticulitis. Arizona Sen. John McCain had surgery to address the infection, his office announced on Monday, adding that he is in stable condition. McCain is in Arizona being treated for brain cancer. (McIntire, 4/18)

Bloomberg: Cigna-Express Scripts Deal To Face Justice Department Review 
Cigna Corp. confirmed that its proposed $54 billion acquisition of Express Scripts Holding Co. will be reviewed by the U.S. Department of Justice, which has raised the bar for approving deals that don’t combine direct competitors. The health insurer has been telling investors since at least early April about the review, but hadn’t made a public statement until late Wednesday. Analysts at Credit Suisse sent an alert to clients on April 5, saying Cigna Chief Executive Officer David Cordani told investors during an event in Europe that the deal would be looked at by the Justice Department. (Tracer and McLaughlin, 4/18)

And a look at where the new head of AHIP wants to take the organization —

Politico Pulse Check: Meet America’s Next Top Insurance Lobbyist
The incoming leader of America’s Health Insurance Plans discusses how he’ll set the agenda, whether AHIP has lost influence and what the Trump administration is doing to the nation’s insurance markets. (4/17)

The Associated Press: Spouses Can Boost Early Detection For Melanoma Patients
There's an extra bonus to marriage for melanoma patients: They tend to be diagnosed in earlier more treatable stages than patients who are unmarried, widowed or divorced, a new study says. Spouses may be apt to notice suspicious moles on their partners that could signal melanoma, the most dangerous type skin cancer. More importantly, they may also be more inclined to nag their partners to get those moles checked out, the researchers said. (4/18)

The New York Times: Married People Less Likely To Die From Melanoma
“The take-home point is not only that people should get regular skin exams, but also to bring someone with you to the visit,” said the senior author, Dr. Giorgos C. Karakousis, an associate professor of surgery at the University of Pennsylvania. “Having someone with you can help you make good decisions. And maybe dermatologists should alter their treatment strategy by suggesting more frequent visits for single people.” (Bakalar, 4/18)

Stat: A 'Breakthrough In Organ Preservation' Raises Hopes For Tranplants
For decades, transplant surgeons have treated organs as if they were beers for a camping trip: You just pack them in a cooler and hit the road. But livers, it turns out, aren’t much like lagers, and might benefit from a different sort of travel. The alternative that researchers have come up with is a machine designed to mimic the environment of the human body, keeping the organ warm and breathing as it’s being shuttled from donor to recipient. Now, after comparing the two, a team has shown that this contraption not only kept livers safer for longer than cold storage, but also allowed surgeons to transplant organs that might otherwise have been thrown out. (Boodman, 4/18)

The Associated Press: Warming, Not Cooling, Donated Livers May Improve Transplants
The transplant community isn't ditching affordable ice chests for the far pricier approach just yet. But proponents hope that storing organs in a way that mimics the body might eventually increase the number of transplants — by keeping precious donations usable for longer periods, and allowing use of some that today get thrown away. (4/18)

Los Angeles Times: Liver Transplants Are Better All Around When You Hold The Ice
For 30 years, newly harvested livers have been flushed with preservation fluid, then stored on ice until their prospective recipients were ready for surgery. The new technique, called "normothermic preservation," keeps the liver at body temperature and nourishes it with a continuous flow of oxygenated blood and other nutrients.The researchers — known as the Consortium for Organ Preservation in Europe — tested the two methods in a rigorous, first-of-its-kind clinical trial. (Healy, 4/18)

Stat: Scientists Create A Biomedical Tattoo To Monitor For A Sign Of Cancer
Scientists have designed a biomedical tattoo that changes color when calcium in the blood is too high — a tool that they say could one day be used to monitor for the earliest signs of disease. Some types of cancer increase the amount of calcium in the blood before symptoms appear. So researchers engineered cells that turn dark like a tattoo when calcium is too high. They published a proof-of-concept paper on the work Wednesday in Science Translational Medicine. (Thielking, 4/18)

The Wall Street Journal: Gene Therapy Shows Promise In Patients With A Blood Disorder
Researchers have used an experimental gene therapy developed by biotech company bluebird bio Inc. to reduce the number of blood transfusions needed in 22 people with beta-thalassemia, an inherited blood disorder. The results are another sign of the promise of gene therapy, which aims to deliver beneficial genes to patients’ cells to replace defective ones. (Toy, 4/19)

NPR: Beta-Thalassemia Treatment With Gene Therapy Reduced Transfusions
"We're extraordinarily excited about these early results," says Alexis Thompson, a professor of pediatrics at the Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, who helped with the study released Wednesday. "For the first time ever, we have a treatment that we might offer to all our patients," says Mark Walters of the University of California, San Francisco, who also helped conduct the study. (Stein, 4/18)

The New York Times: Concussions May Increase The Risk For Parkinson’s Disease
A traumatic brain injury, even a mild concussion, increases the risk for Parkinson’s disease, a new study reports. Researchers identified all patients diagnosed with T.B.I. in a Veterans Health Administration database — 162,935 men and women — and matched them with the same number of people with similar health and behavioral characteristics but who had not had a brain injury. The study is in Neurology. (Bakalar, 4/18)

NPR: Of Monkey Calls And Human Sound Processing
The words "dog" and "fog" sound pretty similar. Yet even a preschooler knows whether you're talking about a puppy or the weather. Now scientists at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, D.C., have identified a two-step process that helps our brains learn to first recognize, then categorize new sounds even when the differences are subtle. And it turns out the process is very similar to the way the human brain categorizes visual information, the Georgetown team reports Wednesday in the journal Neuron. (Hamilton, 4/18)

The Washington Post: Homeopath Treated 4-Year-Old's Behavior Problems With Saliva From Rabid Dog
A Canadian naturopath claims she treated a 4-year-old boy's behavioral problems with a controversial homeopathic remedy — this is, saliva from a rabid dog. The recent claims have caused concern in the medical community and prompted questions about why the saliva — known as lyssinum, lyssin or hydrophobinum — has been approved by the Canadian government as a legitimate homeopathic product. (Bever, 4/18)

Chicago Sun Times: Researchers Look To Chicago Families To Help Trace The Roots Of Autism 
Chicago researchers are spearheading efforts to find the complex biological underpinnings of autism — a brain disorder that affects one in 68 American children. The work, aimed at developing drugs and other targeted, personalized treatments, is underway at the same time as World Autism Month (April) boosts awareness of the challenges faced by people on the autism spectrum. (Guy, 4/18)

NPR: Nurses Help 911 Dispatchers Triage Calls
D.C. has the highest rate of 911 calls in the U.S., and one in four of those calls is not an actual emergency — instead, it's a twisted ankle, or a cough or a rash. The new triage program aims to improve those numbers by diverting needs that aren't urgent to medical care that doesn't involve an ambulance or an emergency room. (Simmons-Duffin, 4/19)

The Washington Post: Nurses Will Be In D.C.’s 911 Center In Latest Attempt To Cut Emergency Call Volume
Registered nurse Ogechi Ukachu spoke into a telephone headset at the District’s 911 center, fielding an emergency call from a woman complaining about wrist pain. Ukachu asked yes or no questions to determine the caller’s pain level, any blood loss and other symptoms that could pinpoint the extent of the injury. After about a dozen answers, Ukachu determined the woman needed a trip to an urgent-care center — not a ride in a D.C. ambulance. (Williams and Lang, 4/18)

San Francisco Chronicle: Single Payer Will Take Years To Implement In California, Gavin Newsom Says
Among California’s gubernatorial candidates, none has been a more exuberant supporter of transitioning to a single-payer, Medicare-for-all health care system than Democratic Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom. So exuberant that the politically powerful California Nurses Association put his picture on its traveling campaign bus under the words, “Nurses Trust Newsom.” (Garofoli, 4/18)

Dallas Morning News: 'We Failed': Texas Social Services Czar Apologizes Profusely For Contract Flubs 
Gov. Greg Abbott's top appointee over social services profusely apologized to legislators Wednesday for his agency's failure to take care of the basics as it awards lucrative health-insurance and other contracts to private companies. On two recent contracts, bid evaluators and other officials at the Health and Human Services Commission botched their job of "tabulating scores, quality control and making sure that people obtain the appropriate approvals prior to moving forward" with a bid solicitation, Executive Commissioner Charles Smith told a legislative panel. (Garrett, 4/18)

Des Moines Register: Democrat McGuire Focuses On Health Care Access In First Television Ads
Andy McGuire, a physician and health care management executive, is the latest gubernatorial candidate to hit the airwaves, launching an ad highlighting her focus on expanding health care access across the state. "Let’s face it, we’ve got to tackle the mental health crisis head on," McGuire says in the 30-second spot, which shows her in a white physician's coat working with patients. "I’ve got a plan to do just that. Our health care system is broken. It’s time we fixed it." The campaign will air $19,600 worth of ads in Des Moines and $12,000 in Cedar Rapids, a spokeswoman said. The 30-second spot will air online and on television. (Pfannenstiel, 4/18)

New Orleans Times-Picayune: To Fully Fund TOPS, Here's What A Louisiana House Committee Cut 
The Louisiana House Appropriations Committee approved a state budget Monday (April 17) that fully funded the TOPS college scholarship, but would eliminate several critical health care services for thousands of people and jeopardizes medical schools and residency programs in the state, according to officials. Louisiana recently saw revenue projections for state government climb $346 million, thanks mostly to an increase in personal income taxes that resulted from new federal tax laws. (O'Donoghue, 4/18)

Houston Chronicle: Parents Of La Porte ISD Elementary Alerted After Meningitis Case
La Porte ISD authorities recently alerted parents of children attending Bayshore Elementary School that a prekindergarten student who attends the campus had been hospitalized for bacterial meningitis. District officials said that after the school was notified of the case on April 12, they began contacting parents of any students who may have been at risk for exposure to the disease, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says is caused by inflammation of protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. No other cases have been confirmed, according to Harris County Public Health. The identity of the child who was hospitalized was not released, and further information on that student’s condition was unavailable. (Shafter, 4/18)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Release Programs For Sick And Elderly Prisoners Could Save Millions. But States Rarely Use Them.
A Wisconsin program that allows elderly and severely ill prisoners to be released early from prison could save state taxpayers millions of dollars a year. But thousands of the state’s elderly prisoners — many of whom prison officials acknowledge pose little or no risk of committing new crimes — aren’t allowed to apply, a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel investigation found. (Barton, 4/18)

Texas Tribune: Texas Health Official Resigns Amid Contracting Errors
The state official who oversees information technology and contracting at the Texas Health and Human Services Commission – which has had a series of contracting mishaps — resigned Wednesday, according to the agency. Heather Griffith Peterson, chief operating officer for the commission, is leaving as the agency continues to get hit by auditors over mismanagement of state contracts. (Evans, 4/18)

Orlando Sentinel: Orange County Health Department Begins Offering Free HIV Prevention Drug
Orange County health department has started offering free HIV prevention drug Truvada as part of a state-wide initiative that was launched last year. ...To be prescribed the medicine, individuals first undergo comprehensive evaluation, which includes HIV, HCV and liver function tests. (Miller, 4/18)

Reuters: Miami Among Cities At Risk From Yellow Fever Spread
Miami is at risk of a deadly yellow fever outbreak because the disease could thrive there but the city has no checks on travelers arriving from endemic zones, a study to be published by the World Health Organization showed. Yellow fever is spread by the same mosquito that causes Zika virus, which spread through the Americas after being detected in Brazil in 2015 and has been reported in southern Florida and southern Texas. (Miles, 4/18)

Kaiser Health News: Power Outages In Puerto Rico Make Life Worse For Chronically Ill In Remote Areas
Helicopters from the power company buzz across the skies of this picturesque valley, ferrying electrical poles on long wires to workers standing on steep hillsides. The people of Castañer, an isolated village in Puerto Rico’s central mountains, watch warily. Crews have come and gone, and people living along the mountain roads don’t expect to get power until late summer, if ever. Power finally started flowing to the center of town last month, but the electrical grid remains unstable — an island-wide blackout Wednesday disrupted progress — and the hospital continues to use its own generator. (Varney, 4/19)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Cancer Survivor Thanks Governor For Stepping In On Deal Between BCBS And Piedmont Health
A day after Gov. Nathan Deal announced a “handshake agreement” from both Blue Cross/Blue Shield and Piedmont Healthcare in an ongoing contract dispute, there still is no signed final contract between the two sides. That leaves close to 600,000 people, mostly state employees, with doctors who could be out-of-network. (Elliot, 4/18)

Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Considering Hookah Lounge Regulations, Including Earlier Closings And No Tobacco Sales To Teens
Columbus is considering new regulations that would force hookah lounges to close earlier and more clearly link their business practices to the city’s law prohibiting tobacco sales to people under the age of 21. At a public hearing Wednesday, hookah lounge owners said the proposed regulations that the Columbus City Council will vote on Monday would be unfair, pointing to gas stations and grocery stores that sell tobacco but are open into the early morning. (Rouan, 4/18)

Georgia Health News: A Slip Or A Blip? After Improvements, Air Quality In Metro Atlanta Slightly Worse
After years of improvement, metro Atlanta’s air quality has grown worse in terms of ozone and short-term particle pollution, according to a new American Lung Association report, using data from the years 2014 through 2016. The organization’s 2018 State of the Air report, released Wednesday, shows metro Atlanta with an increase in ozone. (Miller, 4/19)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Ascension Puts Plan To Stop Services At St. Joseph Hospital On Hold
Facing growing criticism, Ascension Wisconsin said Wednesday that it was putting its plan to provide only limited services at St. Joseph hospital on hold. The health system had planned to no longer provide surgical and other services at the hospital in a largely low-income neighborhood in Milwaukee. (Boulton and Hauer, 4/18)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Parts Of Milwaukee Region Get Failing Grade In Air Quality
The American Lung Association has given failing grades to Milwaukee, Ozaukee and Kenosha counties for a key measure of air pollution in its annual national report card on the state of air quality. The poor marks for the three counties are for smog — a summer air pollutant that can reach levels that are unhealthy, even for healthy people and those working or exercising outdoors. (Bergquist, 4/18)

Arizona Republic: 3 Arizonans Among 53 Sickened In Nationwide E. Coli Outbreak
The Arizona Department of Health Services confirmed Wednesday that two people in Maricopa County and another in Pinal County became ill from the strain of E. coli blamed for dozens of illnesses in 16 states. (Anglen, 4/18)

The Star Tribune: Shriners Hospital For Children Planning To Shift To Outpatient Care Only
Shriners Hospital for Children in Minneapolis, which provides free orthopedic treatment, is developing plans to move away from hospital care and focus instead on same-day surgeries and outpatient services, according to a statement issued by its board chairman. The 95-year-old hospital nearly closed in 2003 as part of a systemwide restructuring, but a local spokeswoman said that the facility is in no danger of closing and will continue to provide same-day services, which represents the bulk of its care. (Howatt, 4/18)

Chicago Tribune: Doctor Working For Cook County Tallied $248K In Unauthorized Expenses — Including Piano, Flights, ITunes Charges 
A Cook County doctor quietly resigned after a government watchdog uncovered $248,322 in unauthorized spending, some of which benefited him personally, records and interviews show. Cook County Inspector General Patrick Blanchard concluded in 2016 that Bala Hota had improperly taken grant money and spent it for his “personal benefit.” The case illustrates how bureaucracy in Cook County can slow investigations for years. Hota repaid the money last year — more than three years after he resigned amid the inspector general’s investigation. He has not been charged with a crime nor disciplined by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. (Pratt, 4/18)

Seattle Times: Anti-Vaccine Misinformation Denies Children’s Rights
This spring’s violence in Parkland, Florida, cast a spotlight on the rights of children and adolescents deserving protection. But in recent weeks we have also learned about another major lapse in child protection. Failing to take children’s well-being seriously is causing increases in deaths and serious illnesses from vaccine-preventable diseases.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that at least 97 children in the United States died from influenza during this flu season. Even though the influenza vaccine helps protect children from dying, most deaths this season occurred in unvaccinated children. (Arthur L. Caplan and Peter J. Hotez, 4/18)

The New York Times: The Menopause-Alzheimer’s Connection
In the next three minutes, three people will develop Alzheimer’s disease. Two of them will be women. There are 5.7 million Alzheimer’s patients in the United States. By 2050, there will probably be as many as 14 million, and twice as many women as men will have the disease. And yet research into “women’s health” remains largely focused on reproductive fitness and breast cancer. We need to be paying much more attention to the most important aspect of any woman’s future: her ability to think, to recall, to imagine — her brain. (Lisa Mosconi, 4/18)

USA Today: Veterans Say Marijuana Eases Their Pain, Why Won't VA & Sessions Help?
The current buffet of federal benefits veterans have earned under federal law is broader than ever, yet many continue to suffer from conditions like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), at times and too often dying tragically from suicide because available medical treatments are ineffective. We must do all we can to make sure our veterans aren't barred from the health care treatments that work for them. The use of medical marijuana has entered the national discussion as a viable treatment option and a growing number of voices are calling for it to become available to veterans for medical use. Some national veterans organizations, such as the American Legion, want the government to allocate money to study its medical efficacy and potential as a life altering benefit to ease the effects of PTSD, chronic pain and other disorders. (Roger Stone and Christopher Neiweem, 4/18)

Seattle Times: Hold The Applause On President Trump’s Promises On Pot
President Donald Trump’s vow that he will not interfere with Colorado’s pot industry is welcome news for all states that have legalized marijuana, including Washington. Yet state officials are wise to view this new development with caution. Sadly, it’s too soon to tell what Trump’s pledge really means. Will he stay the course in reversing the stricter approach to pot enforcement that Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced in January? (4/18)

The Hill: Sanders's Proposed Opioid Legislation Is Too Focused On The Past
This week, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) released proposed legislation that would restrict the activities of companies that manufacture and distribute opioid pain medications. While these commonsense measures would have some impact, they respond to a problem that is largely in the past. And by themselves, they profoundly fail to address the current opioid epidemic and meaningfully curtail its impact. (Lawrence Greenblatt, 4/18)

Stat: Falsehoods And Facts About Drugs And The People Who Use Them
A new survey of Americans shows that many regard addiction as a behavioral failing, and most would not welcome those suffering from addiction into their neighborhoods, workplaces, or families. Such attitudes toward addiction, which mirror those in many other countries, perpetuate the abundant false narratives about drugs the world over. Misrepresentations about drugs fuel stigma and discrimination towards the people who use them. I see this all the time in my work as a member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy. This hinders effective reform and undermines human dignity and the rule of law. (Jose Ramos-Horta, 4/19)

The Hill: Achieving Health Care’s Best Future Means Getting Fundamentals Correct Now
George Orwell wrote, “To see what is in front of one’s nose needs a constant struggle.” This is health care’s problem.We have spent — and will continue to spend — billions of dollars developing, buying and marketing state-of-the-art technology designed to create care that is transparent, cost-effective and patient-centered. However, in our pursuit of the future, we’re overlooking foundational elements that make the health-care system patients deserve more difficult to achieve. (Russ Thomas, 4/17)

The Hill: Republicans Have A Long Way To Go Toward Fully Repealing ObamaCare
As Republicans careen toward the midterms with tax reform under their belts and not much else, rumor has it that a small group of Republican senators are working with the White House and former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) to revive the debate over ObamaCare repeal. Their purpose is laudable. But, privately, conservatives across Capitol Hill are expressing concern that the proposal may not do enough to dismantle ObamaCare’s regulatory structure, reduce its colossal spending, or allow freedom to innovate outside the law’s stifling framework. (Rachel Bovard, 4/18)

Stat: Artificial Intelligence Will Put Premium On Physicians' Knowledge, Judgment
The FDA’s announcement last week that it approved artificial intelligence software that can identify diabetic retinopathy, a common eye disease, without the need for an eye specialist likely shook some doctors already concerned about this new technology. I don’t think they have anything to worry about.Artificial intelligence, sometimes called AI, is not a dramatic and revolutionary development in the history of medicine. It’s but the latest in a long line of breakthroughs that have made it possible for caregivers to better diagnose and treat illness. We should be wary of the hype surrounding this advance, which is leading to broad misconceptions that AI will replace doctors. What it will actually do is put a premium on physicians’ knowledge and decision-making skills. (Marschall S. Runge, 4/19)

Detroit News: Flint Raises Stakes In Race For Governor
Two years after Gov. Rick Snyder issued a full-blown apology for presiding over one of the biggest public health disasters in the state, in which roughly 10,000 kids in Flint were exposed to lead in their drinking water for 18 months, the city is still waiting for a clean bill of health. A majority of the lead pipes have not been replaced and the city’s children are still being tested for lead. Even after Snyder vowed a full recovery, the question of reconstruction now falls on to the next governor, which makes Flint an important factor in the 2018 gubernatorial race. (Bankole Thompson, 4/18)

The Wichita Eagle: Welfare Reform Once Again
President Trump last week signed an executive order, the purpose of which is, according to a White House news release, to reduce poverty in America “by promoting opportunity and economic mobility.” ...Conservatives like to say they measure success not by how many people receive government assistance, but by how many don’t. It is more than a sound bite. Helping people become independent of government is real compassion. (Cal Thomas, 4/18)

New England Journal of Medicine: Time Out — Charting A Path For Improving Performance Measurement
Performance measurement in the U.S. health care system has expanded dramatically over the past 30 years. The National Quality Measures Clearinghouse now lists more than 2500 performance measures. These measures are used in various quality-reporting, accountability, and payment programs sponsored by commercial payers, government agencies, and independent quality-assessment organizations. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) aims to base 90% of Medicare fee-for-service payments to clinicians on “value” by the end of 2018 by using performance scores. (Catherine H. MacLean, Eve A. Kerr and Amir Qaseem, 4/18)