Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
From KFF Health News - Latest Stories:
KFF Health News Original Stories
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Alive And Limping: ACA In The Age Of Trump
In this special episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Joanne Kenen of Politico, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times and Alice Ollstein of Talking Points Memo take a deep dive into the state of the federal health law, what happened in 2017 and the Affordable Care Act's viability going forward.
Timeline: Despite GOP’s Failure To Repeal Obamacare, The ACA Has Changed
A look at the most consequential events that have reshaped the federal health law since President Donald Trump was inaugurated.
Summaries Of The News:
Opioid Crisis
FDA Chief: Big Players In 'Internet Ecosystem' Need To Do More To Curb Illegal Online Opioid Sales
The Washington Post: FDA Commissioner Calls On Internet Providers To Help Police Opioid Offerings
The head of the Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday called on Internet providers to help rid the Web of illegal offers of prescription opioids and illicit drugs such as fentanyl that have contributed to the nation's drug crisis. And on Thursday, the surgeon general is scheduled to recommend that more people keep on hand an antidote for overdoses — the latest examples of public health officials scrambling to respond to the opioid crisis. (Bernstein and Dwoskin, 4/5)
The Hill: FDA Commissioner Urges Social Media Sites, Internet Providers To Curb Illegal Opioid Sales
“I’m concerned that social media companies, internet service providers (ISP) firms that host websites, and others in the internet ecosystem haven’t been proactive enough in rooting out these illegal offers to distribute opioids from their respective platforms,” Gottlieb will say Wednesday evening at the annual National Rx Drug Abuse and Heroin Summit in Atlanta, according to his prepared remarks. (Roubein, 4/4)
The Wall Street Journal: FDA Wants Better Control Of Online Opioid Sales
The push for internet companies to police opioid sales adds to political pressure tech companies are facing over concerns they aren’t protecting users’ privacy. Federal regulators are investigating Facebook’s social-media privacy policies and 37 state attorneys general are demanding explanations after the company’s disclosure that an outside firm improperly accessed and retained user information. The FDA commissioner said the agency’s investigators are pursuing inquiries related to internet drug sales and that “we’ve also had some notable take-downs stemming from this work. (Burton, 4/4)
Stat: Gottlieb: Facebook, Other Tech Firms Must Do More To Stop Illicit Opioid Sales
Gottlieb and other Trump administration officials have long made preventing the sale and importation of illicit fentanyl a focus of their efforts to address the opioid crisis. But the comments thrust Gottlieb into a broader fight that has lately consumed Washington — one that is much more squarely focused on scrutinizing major technology companies and their responsibility for what happens on their platforms. (Mershon and Facher, 4/4)
In Rare Public Health Advisory, Surgeon General Urges Family And Friends To Carry Anti-Overdose Medication
The Associated Press: Surgeon General Urges Americans To Carry Overdose Antidote
The nation's chief doctor wants more Americans to start carrying the overdose antidote naloxone in an effort to combat the nation's opioid crisis. U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams is expected to speak on the new public health advisory Thursday morning at the National Rx Drug Abuse & Heroin Summit in Atlanta. (Rico, 4/5)
Stat: Surgeon General Urges Public To Carry Overdose-Reversal Medication
The recommendation comes in the form of a surgeon general’s advisory, a tool used to draw attention to major public health issues. The last one, focused on drinking during pregnancy, was issued in 2005. “What makes this one of those rare moments is we’re facing an unprecedented drug epidemic,” Adams told STAT in a phone interview Wednesday. (Joseph, 4/5)
NPR: Surgeon General Urges More Americans To Carry Opioid Antidote
Police officers and EMTs often have naloxone at the ready. Access to the drug for the general public has been eased in the past few years, too. The medicine is now available at retail pharmacies in most states without a prescription. Between 2013 and 2015, researchers found a tenfold increase in naloxone sold by retail pharmacies in the U.S. But prices have increased along with demand. Naloxone-filled syringes that used to cost $6 a piece now cost $30 and up. A two-pack of naloxone nasal spray can cost $135 or more. And a two-pack of automatic naloxone injectors runs more than $3,700. (Martin and Wilhelm, 4/5)
CQ: NIH Director Announces Opioid Initiative
National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins on Wednesday announced a new effort designed to target the opioid epidemic through scientific solutions. The Helping to End Addiction Long-term, or HEAL, Initiative will build on existing research like the development of drugs intended to curb opioid abuse and is made possible in part by a funding increase from Congress. Funding for opioid use disorder research increased from about $600 million in fiscal year 2016 to $1.1 billion in fiscal year 2018. (Raman, 4/4)
And in news from Capitol Hill —
The Hill: Senate Health Committee Releases Draft Of Bipartisan Opioid Bill
Senate Health Committee leaders released Wednesday a bipartisan discussion draft of a bill aimed at combating the opioid epidemic, legislation that's the result of six hearings over the past six months. The panel will hold a hearing next week on the draft aimed at stemming the crisis killing thousands of people each year. It includes measures attempting to make it easier to prescribe smaller packs of opioids for limited durations, spur the development of nonaddictive painkillers and bolster the detection of illegal drugs at the border. (Roubein, 4/4)
CQ: Senate Panel Unveils Draft Bill To Combat Opioid Addiction
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee plans to discuss this legislation at an upcoming hearing on April 11. The committee has already held six hearings on the opioid crisis thus far this Congress featuring representatives from agencies including the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as governors from states affected by the crisis. “We’ve been listening to the experts for the last six months on how the federal government can help states and communities bring an end to the opioid crisis, and the bipartisan proposals in this draft reflect what we’ve learned,” said committee Chairman Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn. (Raman, 4/4)
CQ: Senate Finance Eyes Action On Opioid Epidemic
The Senate Finance Committee plans to focus on the opioid epidemic when Congress returns from a two-week hiatus next week. Committee leaders are currently soliciting proposals from members on solutions to address the ongoing crisis, with an eye to holding a hearing in the coming weeks, according to a Democratic aide. The proposals, due this week, address issues such as prescription drug monitoring programs, sharing data, access to health screenings and information for prescribers, according to a lobbyist familiar with the talks. (Clason, 4/4)
With Congress' Purse Strings Newly Loosened, Pharma Poised To Make A Lot Of Money From Opioid Fight
Stat: Is Drug Industry Friend Or Foe? In Addiction Policy Circles, Depends Who You Ask
Increased attention to the epidemic, however, has created an undeniable business opportunity for many drug companies. A spending bill passed earlier this year added $3 billion in funding for initiatives specific to the opioid crisis. Budget caps allow for many more billions to be spent in 2020 — a significant chunk of which is destined to fund medications used to treat opioid use disorder. The bills Nickel testified about before the Energy and Commerce Committee are likely to authorize much of this spending. (Facher, 4/5)
The Associated Press: Opioid Addiction Costs Employers $2.6B A Year For Care
A new report shows large employers spent $2.6 billion to treat opioid addiction and overdoses in 2016, an eightfold increase since 2004. More than half went to treat employees' children. The analysis released Thursday by the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation finds such spending cost companies and workers about $26 per enrollee in 2016. Employers have been limiting insurance coverage of opioids because of concerns about addiction. The report finds spending on opioid prescriptions falling 27 percent from a peak in 2009. (4/5)
The Hill: Study: Cost Of Treating Opioid Addiction Soars
Opioid use on employer-based health plans peaked in 2009 with about 17.3 percent of enrollees receiving at least one prescription that year. It has since fallen to its lowest level in more than a decade — 13.6 percent, the Kaiser report shows. (Roubein, 4/5)
And in other news —
The Associated Press: Puerto Rico Sues Purdue Pharma Over Opioid Crisis
Puerto Rico's Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against Purdue Pharma accusing the drugmaker of causing an opioid crisis in the U.S. territory. Officials said Wednesday that they are seeking to hold the company responsible for all government costs incurred as a result of the damage opioids have caused. The suit also accuses the company of misrepresenting the risk of abuse and addiction, among other things. (4/4)
Wyoming Public Radio: Northern Arapaho Tribe Sues Opioid Companies
The Northern Arapaho Tribe on the Wind River Reservation has filed a lawsuit against some of the country’s biggest opioid manufacturers and distributors. The tribe says addiction to opioid medications has hit tribal communities harder than any other in the country. (Edwards, 4/4)
Government Policy
There Is No 'Medically Valid Reason' To Exclude Transgender People From Service, AMA Tells Defense Secretary
The Hill: AMA: Mattis Memo Distorted Medical Evidence On Transgender Troops
The country’s largest medical organization Wednesday told Defense Secretary James Mattis that it believes his recommendations on excluding most transgender people from military service “mischaracterized and rejected” evidence on treatment for gender dysphoria. “We believe there is no medically valid reason — including a diagnosis of gender dysphoria — to exclude transgender individuals from military service,” American Medical Association (AMA) CEO James Madara wrote in a letter to Mattis. “Transgender individuals have served, and continue to serve, our country with honor, and we believe they should be allowed to continue doing so.” (Kheel, 4/4)
Politico: ‘No Medically Valid Reason’ To Exclude Transgender Troops, AMA Chides Mattis
The letter from CEO James Madara, first obtained by POLITICO, also slams the suggestion that the cost of providing medical care to transgender troops should be a reason to keep them out of the military. “The financial cost is negligible and a rounding error in the defense budget,” Madara writes. “It should not be used as a reason to deny patriotic Americans an opportunity to serve their country. We should be honoring their service.” (Klimas, 4/4)
Administration News
Acting VA Secretary Steps In Amid Weeks Of Turmoil, Low Morale Following Shulkin's Departure
The Washington Post: VA’s Acting Secretary Takes Over: ‘I Don’t Think He Has Any Idea What He’s Gotten Himself Into’
Amid reports of slumping morale following last week’s ousting of Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin, the agency’s new acting head told employees Wednesday that he intends to refocus an organization beset by internal division. Robert Wilkie has been walking the halls of VA’s Washington headquarters, holding meetings with small groups of employees and inquiring about their duties, said a senior VA official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the person is not authorized to speak with the media. In a three-minute video distributed to employees Wednesday, Wilkie, 55, emphasized the agency’s sacred mission of caring for those who have fought the nation’s wars. (Wax-Thibodeaux, 4/4)
Marketplace
New Jersey Jury Will Be Latest To Weigh In On Baby Powder-Cancer Link
Bloomberg: J&J Jury Set To Weigh Banker's Claims Baby Powder Caused Cancer
Jurors are set to weigh an investment banker’s claims that using Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder for more than 30 years caused him to develop a deadly cancer linked to asbestos. A New Jersey jury will begin deciding Wednesday whether Stephen Lanzo III can legitimately blame J&J’s iconic product for his mesothelioma, an often-fatal cancer tied to asbestos exposure. Lanzo, a 46-year-old banker with U.S. Trust Corp., accuses the world’s largest health-care company of hiding that its talc-based products have contained asbestos for nearly a half century. (Feeley, 4/4)
In other industry news —
The Associated Press: CVS Health Eyes Kidney Patients For Next Expansion Into Care
CVS Health is now planning to treat kidney failure patients, as the national drugstore chain continues to branch deeper into monitoring and providing care. The company said Wednesday it will offer home dialysis for patients through its Coram business, and it is working with another unspecified company to develop a new device for that. A CVS spokeswoman declined to name the company or disclose how much CVS is spending on the venture. (4/4)
Public Health
Perpetrators Of Mass Shootings Typically Use Guns Taken From Family Members
The Wall Street Journal: In School Shootings, Most Guns Come From Home
A striking detail stands out in nearly three decades of American mass school shootings: The killers mostly use guns owned by a family member, not purchased on their own. As Congress, statehouses, school districts, retailers and various groups debate how to prevent a school shooting after a 19-year-old who legally bought guns left 17 dead in Parkland, Fla., much discussion centers on whether to raise the minimum age for gun purchases. But statistics suggest that a lack of gun safety at home also has played a big role in school shootings. (Hobbs, 4/5)
San Francisco Chronicle: Growing Voice Against Gun Violence: Trauma Surgeons
Less than two hours after Tuesday’s shooting rampage at YouTube’s San Bruno campus left three people wounded and the shooter dead, Dr. Andre Campbell walked out of the emergency room at San Francisco General Hospital, looking weary and ill-tempered. The shooting victims, a man and two women, had arrived at his hospital, the closest trauma center, within an hour of the attack. (Allday, 4/4)
Where Education Campaigns Fail To Improve Vaccination Rates, Small Behavioral Nudges Found To Help
The Washington Post: People Can’t Be Educated Into Vaccinations, But Behavioral Nudges Help, Study Finds
Vaccines were one of the great inventions of modern history. They helped stop America’s polio epidemic in the 1950s, when it was paralyzing thousands and killing at least 3,000 a year. They have prevented the deaths of millions worldwide from diseases such as diphtheria, smallpox, measles and tetanus. And yet many people are reluctant to get their shots or vaccinate their children. (Wan, 4/4)
Stat: SARS-Like Outbreak Among Pigs Renews Concern Virus Could Strike Humans
When a disease swept through southern China last year, killing off nearly 25,000 piglets over a period of months, scientists initially thought a diarrheal virus was to blame. They later determined it was something else: a dangerous coronavirus, the same family of viruses that 15 years ago caused a human epidemic of SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome. Scientists who went looking for those viruses in bats in China’s Guangdong and Yunnan provinces had found dozens that are closely related to the SARS coronavirus. In some places, they found people living nearby who had antibodies to these viruses, suggesting they had been previously infected. (Branswell, 4/4)
The Associated Press: Getting Kids To A Good Weight By 13 May Help Avoid Diabetes
There may be a critical window for overweight kids to get to a healthy level. Those who shed their extra pounds by age 13 had the same risk of developing diabetes in adulthood as others who had never weighed too much, a large study of Danish men found. Diabetes can develop when the body can’t properly use insulin to turn food into energy. Being overweight at any age raises the chances of the most common form, Type 2. But it’s not known whether or how much that risk is reduced if people lose weight, and when. (Marchione, 4/4)
Stat: How CRISPR Works, Explained In Two Minutes
Here at STAT, we spend a lot of time trying to imagine — and render — the invisible. We’ve gone inside of a developing embryo. We’ve flown inside our mouths to show the bacterial tribes that take root there. We’ve traveled through time and space to bring back to life a hallowed surgical theater. We’ve followed sound waves through our inner ears into our brains. Of all of these fantastic journeys, one of the hardest subjects to capture, visually, has been CRISPR. Others have tried to capture the essence of the powerful gene-editing technique with the use of analogies. (Delviscio, 4/4)
Los Angeles Times: This Retinal Implant May One Day Cure Blindness Caused By Macular Degeneration
For many of the 10 million Americans who are losing their vision to a thievish eye condition with no treatment, help may be on its way. In a very early clinical trial, researchers have implanted a stem cell "patch" to repair failing retinal cells in four patients with a condition called "dry" macular degeneration. Three of the four patients who got the bioengineered implant — all of whom had lost their central field of vision and were legally blind — reported some lightening in the previously dark center of their visual field, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal Science Translational Medicine. The three also saw some improvement in their ability to see shapes and focus on letters or other objects directly in front of them. (Healy, 4/4)
Stat: Monkey Study Suggests Zika Infection In Infancy Could Cause Brain Damage
A new study in primates raises the possibility that children infected with the Zika virus during infancy could be at risk of experiencing brain damage. Zika is known to destroy developing brain tissue when it infects a fetus in the womb. Scientists know less — next to nothing, essentially — about how the virus might affect the brain of an infant infected after birth. (Branswell, 4/4)
The New York Times: Bananas Vs. Sports Drinks? Bananas Win In Study
A banana might reasonably replace sports drinks for those of us who rely on carbohydrates to fuel exercise and speed recovery, according to a new study comparing the cellular effects of carbohydrates consumed during sports. It found that a banana, with its all-natural package, provides comparable or greater anti-inflammatory and other benefits for athletes than sports drinks. But there may be a downside, and it involves bloating. (Reynolds, 4/4)
State Watch
Past Surgery Patients At Denver Hospital Might Be At Risk For HIV, Hepatitis
Denver Post: Porter Adventist Hospital Surgery Patients Being Notified Of "Very Low" Potential Risk Of HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C
An infection-control breach involving surgical instruments at Porter Adventist Hospital may have put some surgery patients at risk for contracting hepatitis B, hepatitis C or HIV, hospital and state health officials said Wednesday. The breach may have affected patients who had orthopedic or spine surgery between July 21, 2016, and Feb. 20. The risk of getting HIV, hepatitis B or hepatitis C is “very low,” said Larry Wolk, the executive director and chief medical officer for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. (Hernandez, 4/4)
Modern Healthcare: Hospital Chain CHS In Trouble With Microsoft
Microsoft is suing Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems for alleged copyright infringement, claiming the provider has allowed hospitals it divested to continuing using Microsoft software without paying for it. The lawsuit filed in March in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee also states CHS has repeatedly failed to comply with Microsoft's audit of the hospital system's computer software use. A CHS spokeswoman declined to comment. Microsoft allows large companies like 126-hospital CHS to license its software for use across the entire business. Under a license agreement, CHS and its affiliated companies are prohibited from distributing or lending Microsoft software to others, according to the lawsuit. (Livingston, 4/5)
The Baltimore Sun: Baltimore's MedStar Franklin Square Hospital Closing Some Pediatric Services
MedStar Health said Wednesday that it is eliminating much of the pediatric services it offers at its Franklin Square Medical Center amid a decline in patients. Pediatric admissions to the east Baltimore County hospital have declined 40 percent in the past five years, MedStar said in a statement. Statewide they have declined 23 percent. (McDaniels, 4/4)
Houston Chronicle: Memorial Hermann Cypress Hospital Sets Plans For $25 Million Expansion
Memorial Hermann Cypress Hospital, a $168 million facility, is planning to expand just as the hospital nears its one-year anniversary in the Cypress community. The recently approved expansion will cost nearly $25 million and develop empty space already built on the Cypress campus. Expansion additions will include 24 licensed beds, including intensive care unit beds, as well as an additional catheterization lab for heart procedures and endoscopy suite for gastrointestinal procedures. (Bradley, 4/4)
Modern Healthcare: Dialysis Industry On Alert As Calif. Union Pushes For Reimbursement Cap
A California fight between dialysis clinics and a major hospital workers' union has healthcare industry investors and stakeholders jittery as the union gets ready to push a ballot initiative to cap private insurance reimbursements for dialysis. The Service Employees International Union–United Healthcare Workers West, one of the country's largest hospital workers' unions, has gathered more than 600,000 voter signatures for a statewide ballot measure to cut off dialysis clinics' commercial insurance reimbursement at 115% of care costs, which would slash their current rates. (Livingston, 4/5)
New Hampshire Union Leader: CMC, Mass. General To Team Up For New Salem Office
Catholic Medical Center wants to team up with Massachusetts General Hospital and a few others to occupy a medical office building offering specialty services in the new Tuscan Village in Salem. “Our goal was to create a super-regional medical destination,” Tuscan Village developer Joe Faro said in an interview Wednesday. (Cousineau, 4/4)
The Associated Press: Court Weighs Hospital's Blame In Killing By Ex-Patient
In 2012, a judge ordered Tu Nguyen to be civilly committed for up to six months. Eleven days later, he was released from the hospital, and within weeks had stabbed his neighbor to death in front of her 8-year-old granddaughter. Mary Miller's family is now asking Massachusetts' highest court to decide whether the hospital can be held responsible in a case that's stirring complex questions about whether mental health providers should be liable when former patients commit crimes. (4/4)
Arizona Republic: Banner Loses Legal Case That Pitted Religious Beliefs Against Science
The parents of a 14-year-old boy with bone cancer won a legal challenge against a Mesa hospital that attempted to override their religious objections to blood transfusions. The Arizona Court of Appeals on Tuesday ruled that a lower court's emergency hotline used by hospitals to authorize medical treatment on behalf of patients is not allowed under state law. (Alltucker, 4/4)
State Highlights: Maryland House Votes To Prohibit Gay Conversion Therapy; Missouri Legislators Focus On More Restrictive Abortion Bills
The Associated Press: Maryland Lawmakers Vote To Ban 'Gay Conversion Therapy'
Maryland lawmakers voted Wednesday to prohibit health professionals from practicing "gay conversion therapy" on minors, after a legislator spoke of the pain she experienced when her parents sought it for her. Just days earlier, the woman's father, a state senator, voted against the bill. The House passed the bill 95-27, sending the measure to Gov. Larry Hogan. A spokeswoman for Hogan said the governor supports the bill. (4/4)
St. Louis Public Radio: Missouri Republicans Push Several Abortion Proposals During Second Half Of 2018 Session
House Republicans are giving priority to bills that would place further restrictions on abortions as the 2018 session begins winding down. First, the House on Tuesday passed legislation designed to ban abortions on fetuses capable of feeling physical pain, which would in effect ban most of them at 20 weeks. (Griffin and Achenbach, 4/4)
The Associated Press: Baltimore Seeks US Supreme Court Review Of Abortion Ruling
Attorneys in Baltimore are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a ruling that struck down as unconstitutional an ordinance requiring pregnancy centers notify patients if they don't offer abortion or birth control services. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in January that the ordinance unconstitutionally compelled speech by Christian-based Greater Baltimore Center for Pregnancy Concerns Inc., which opposes abortion. (4/4)
The New York Times: California Family Gets $1.6 Million After 3-Year-Old Was Scarred By Bedbugs
A family in California whose son was permanently scarred by bedbug bites has been awarded nearly $1.6 million by a civil jury. It was the highest amount ever paid to a single family in a bedbug case in the United States, according to the family’s lawyer. (Caron, 4/4)
Health News Florida: Medicaid Changes And Other Health Legislation Highlights
From opioid prescription limits to an agreement on the regulation of trauma centers, it was a busy year for health care issues in the Florida Legislature. Health News Florida's Julio Ochoa sat down with Christine Sexton from the News Service of Florida to talk about what to expect from some of the new laws. (Ochoa, 4/5)
New Hampshire Public Radio: Bill Seeks Study Of Fairness In Asbestos Lawsuits, But Few Exist In N.H.
State lawmakers are considering a deeper study of asbestos issues in New Hampshire. It would look at how fairly and quickly people who were exposed to the toxic substance can get compensation. (Ropeik, 4/4)
WBUR: Mother Whose Son Was Fatally Shot By A Boston Cop Files A Civil Rights Lawsuit
A Boston woman whose son she says was unarmed when he was fatally shot by a Boston police officer is filing a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city. Terrence Coleman, a 31-year-old black man who suffered from paranoid schizophrenia, died on Oct. 30, 2016, after being shot twice in the abdomen by Officer Garrett Boyle. (Swasey and Rios, 4/4)
St. Louis Public Radio: Mining Company Ordered To Clean Up Lead Contamination In St. Francois County
In a settlement announced Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Justice, Environmental Protection Agency and the state of Missouri ordered metal and mining company Doe Run Resources Corporation to clean up lead contamination in more than 4,000 residential properties in St. Francois County.The work is estimated to cost a total of $111 million. (Chen, 4/4)
The Washington Post: After A Dramatic Failure, Effort To Diversify Maryland’s Medical Marijuana Industry Moves Closer To Passage
A bill to diversify Maryland’s medical marijuana industry received final approval in the state Senate on Wednesday — after a similar effort to bring in more minority-owned businesses faced a bitter defeat in the final minutes of last year’s session. About one-third of Maryland residents are African American, but none of the 14 companies that have lucrative licenses to grow medical marijuana are led by black executives. The bill would increase the number of licenses for growers and processors, and it specifies that those licenses will be awarded in a process that gives preference to minority-owned businesses. (Chason, 4/4)
The Associated Press: Maryland Senate Passes Medical Marijuana Bill
A measure passed by the Maryland Senate on Wednesday aims to create opportunities for minority business owners to become licensed medical marijuana growers and processors. The measure was approved 42-3. The House and Senate still have to reconcile some differences in the legislation before the session ends at midnight Monday to send the bill to Gov. Larry Hogan. (Columbus, 4/4)
Sacramento Bee: Federal Agents Are Seizing About 100 Homes They Say Are Used To Grow Pot For A Chinese Crime Syndicate
In the largest operation of its kind, federal agents swept across the Sacramento region Tuesday and Wednesday targeting about 75 homes serving as suspected marijuana growing sites that authorities say are operated by a Chinese organized crime syndicate. (Stanton and Kasler, 4/4)
Editorials And Opinions
Viewpoints: Time To Examine And Possibly Expand Scope Of Right-To-Die Laws; Don't Just Shuffle Leaders At VA
Los Angeles Times: California's Right-To-Die Law Is Working
When legislators in Sacramento passed a reasonable and conservative assisted-suicide law in 2015, California was only the fifth U.S state to allow terminally ill people to obtain a lethal prescription. Giving dying people who have six months or less to live an alternative to terrible pain and suffering was the compassionate and correct thing to do, so it's no surprise that Colorado and Washington, D.C., have passed similar right-to-die laws since then, and that more than two dozen states — from Hawaii to Maine — are now considering doing the same. California can't take credit for this trend. Oregon passed the first such law more than 20 years ago, establishing a successful model that California and other states have followed, setting strict rules to safeguard against abuse. (4/5)
Boston Globe: VA Leadership Requires More Than The Trump Shuffle
By now, Donald Trump’s process of filling key jobs in his administration should be mind-blowingly familiar. First, fire the incumbent by tweet — in this case, Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin, a respected physician appointed by President Obama with overwhelming bipartisan support. Next, apply beauty-pageant standards to the global search for a replacement. Affable and telegenic? Check. Has lavished praise for Trump’s intelligence, stamina, and robust health? Check. Military record with nary a bone spur deferment in sight? Check again. But Ronny Jackson, the newest winner in Trump’s round-robin reality show, should face heightened scrutiny from Congress, which must approve his nomination as head of the second-largest federal department — one that oversees the benefits, health care, and well-being of more than 9 million veterans. (4/4)
St. Louis Post Dispatch: Turning Veterans' Care Into A Private Profit Center?
President Donald Trump’s March 28 dismissal of Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin has focused attention on a major battle shaping up over the Veterans Health Administration. At issue is how much further should the nation go in allowing veterans to get taxpayer-funded health care from private doctors and hospitals. Access to private providers, particularly in rural areas, is a useful idea. But draining money from the current system to pay for it is like draining money from public schools to pay for private school vouchers: It helps the few at the expense of the many. (4/4)
The Washington Post: Why Do So Many Veterans Kill Themselves?
Why do so many soldiers continue to take their own lives at a higher rate than their civilian counterparts, whether young or old? I’ve spent a lot of time stewing about this over the past few days. It began Monday morning, when I got a note from a vet in a very dark place and contemplating the act. He’d served in Vietnam. His risk of suicide is about 22 percent higher than that of his non veteran peers, according to a report last year from the Department of Veterans Affairs. (Thomas E. Ricks, 4/4)
The New York Times: Ordering Five Million Deaths Online
Medicare officials have announced plans to crack down on prescriptions for opioids in an attempt to limit their use and thus their damage. But making it harder for people to get pain medication legally will most likely drive many to seek relief from far more dangerous and superpotent synthetic opioids. And they are surprisingly easy to obtain. (Richard A. Friedman, 4/4)
U.S. News: As Donald Trump Calls For War On Drugs, A Push For Safe Injection Sites
Amid a presidential call for ominous commercials and increased use of the death penalty to curb the U.S. opioid crisis, areas around the country are toying with a different idea to stop the deadly scourge: letting people use drugs freely, but under supervision. (Katelyn Newman, 4/3)
USA Today: More Choices For Small Business Under New Association Health Plan Rule
The Labor Department is set to issue a new rule that will lower health care costs and increase choices for millions of American small businesses, which have been among the hardest hit by rising health care costs including those caused by Obamacare. Following an executive order last fall from President Trump, the department will expand what are known as association health plans (AHPs) in the coming weeks. These plans allow small businesses to band together to purchase health insurance in bulk, lowering prices and mitigating risk. (Alfredo Ortiz and Thomas Price, 4/4)
The New York Times: The Formaldehyde In Your E-Cigs
Recently, there has been a shift away from calling e-cigarettes “e-cigs.” In public health circles, people now tend to call them by what they do: deliver nicotine to the inhaler. Thus, the term Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems, ENDS for short, has come into vogue. But I have a problem with that name. Nicotine isn’t the only thing e-cigs deliver; they also deliver formaldehyde, a carcinogen. It seems equally fair to call them Electronic Formaldehyde Delivery Systems. (Joseph G Allen, 4/4)
Des Moines Register: Iowa Lawmakers Work Together On Mental Health, Set Example For Future
The Iowa Legislature is regularly a dysfunctional, polarized disappointment. But every once in a while lawmakers listen to experts, pay attention to public opinion and do something right. This legislative session that something is House File 2456, signed last week by Gov. Kim Reynolds. The new law is intended to fill gaps in Iowa’s mental health system. Among its most significant provisions is directing the development of six access centers in the state. A December report from a work group of mental health stakeholders provides an example of how such centers can help make a difference for Iowans. (4/4)
Stat: Lab Animal Policies Can Be Simplified Without Weakening Welfare Standards
The NIH is accepting public comment until June 12, and it will issue its recommendations this December. The time is right for thoughtful reform. We urge federal decision-makers and the research community not to let legitimate and important concerns about administrative burdens obscure the crucial role that regulations can play in promoting the ethical and humane use of lab research animals. (Elisa A. Hurley, 4/4)
JAMA: Building On #MeToo To Enhance The Learning Environment For US Medical Schools
Surveys of graduating medical students in the United States annually document intimidation and harassment of student learners, often on the basis of sex, ethnicity, race, or gender identity, reflecting US culture as a whole but also the historical hierarchical, competitive culture of US medical schools. Of 14,405 US medical school doctor of medicine graduates in 2017 who answered the specific questions on the Association of American Medical Colleges 2017 graduate questionnaire, 33% reported personally experiencing sexist, racist, or other offensive comments; lower grades; or denial of training or awards based on sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, or ethnicity. (Karen Antman, 4/2)
JAMA: It Is Time For Women (And Men) To Be Brave: A Consequence Of The #MeToo Movement
It is telling that TIME Magazine’s Person of the Year honor was shared by “the silence breakers,” 61 women and men, from familiar actors to ordinary people, who came forward to report sexual assault and harassment, mostly in the workplace. Their stories are powerful and, sadly, not at all unfamiliar. From the perspective of a female surgeon, one of the first female chairs of surgery, and now as one of a handful of female medical center chief executive officers and medical school deans, it appears that US society is on the cusp of a change in addressing sexual harassment and abuse. (Julie A. Freischlag, 4/2)