The Hill: House To Vote Next Week On Intervening To Defend ObamaCare In Court 
The House will hold a vote next week on intervening to defend ObamaCare in court against a GOP-led lawsuit, which Democrats hope will be a tough vote for many Republicans. A spokesman for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said the vote on having the House formally intervene in court to defend ObamaCare will come next week, in addition to a vote on Thursday on intervening in the lawsuit as part of the larger package of rules for the new session of Congress. (Sullivan, 1/2)

CQ: Democrats Plan Vote Next Week To Join Texas Health Lawsuit
By including the provision in the rules package, Democrats can say one of their first votes was to defend the popular provisions. “After two years of brutal attacks on health care and desperate GOP misrepresentations on the campaign trail, we’re not giving Republicans anywhere to hide,” said Henry Connolly, a spokesman for expected Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. “Republicans who survived the election on their tardy promises to protect pre-existing conditions will have to explain why they have once again been complicit in trying to strike down those life-saving protections.” (McIntire, 1/2)

The Hill: Trump Predicts Supreme Court Will Overturn ObamaCare 
President Trump on Wednesday predicted that the Supreme Court would declare ObamaCare unconstitutional and that Democrats and Republicans would have to work together on a new health plan. "That case from Texas should win in the Supreme Court," Trump said Wednesday during a televised cabinet meeting. "We should win at the Supreme Court, where this case will go. When we do, we will sit down with the Democrats and we will come up with great health care." (Hellmann, 1/2)

And the vote is just the start of the Democrats' health care plans for 2019 —

The Associated Press: Expect 2019 To Be Quiet In Congress For Small Business
Lawmakers were expected to introduce health care bills even before the federal court ruling last month that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional. Since that ruling, which is expected to be appealed and could reach the Supreme Court, House Democrats have said they plan to intervene in the defense of the law. Democrats expect to introduce bills to limit the use of low-cost short-term health plans that have limited coverage and bolster the ACA's coverage of people with pre-existing conditions. Republican opposition to Democratic efforts is likely, although many GOP lawmakers voiced support for pre-existing condition coverage during their election campaigns. (Rosenberg, 1/2)

CQ: 2019 Legislative Preview: Health Care
Fights over health care are set to grip Capitol Hill again this year, with the 2010 health care law and prescription drug prices on the agenda in both chambers. Lawmakers hope they’ll find ways to advance legislation through the Republican-controlled Senate and a Democratic-controlled House. Prescription drug prices may be their best bet, with incoming chairmen like GOP Sen. Charles E. Grassley of Iowa and Democratic Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. of New Jersey already calling that a focus. (Siddons and McIntire, 1/3)

The New York Times: What Is And Isn’t Affected By The Government Shutdown
Fear not, seniors of America: The Social Security checks are still coming. (And the Postal Service will still deliver them.) That’s because the Social Security Administration already received funding for the 2019 fiscal year, in September, according to Mark Hinkle, an agency spokesman. “Social Security services and offices will remain fully operational, and Social Security benefits will be paid on time,” he said in an emailed statement. It is not the only entitlement program spared from the shutdown. Medicare and Medicaid are also unaffected. (Chokshi and Caron, 1/2)

Kaiser Health News: How The Government Shutdown Affects Health Programs
There seems to be no end in sight for the current partial government shutdown, the third since the beginning of the Trump administration. For the vast majority of the federal government’s public health efforts, though, it’s business as usual. That’s because Congress has already passed five of its major appropriations bills, funding about three-fourths of the federal government, including the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Veterans Affairs. (Luthra, 1/3)

Los Angeles Times: Trump And Congressional Leaders Dig In Over Government Shutdown
The shuttered parts of the federal government were no closer to being reopened Wednesday after President Trump and congressional leaders met for the first time since the shutdown began nearly two weeks ago. “I don’t think any particular progress was made today, but we talked,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told reporters. “We’re hopeful that somehow in the coming days and weeks we’ll be able to reach an agreement.” (Wire, 1/2)

Stat: Trump Gets A Permanent Drug Czar — And His First Science Adviser
The Senate also confirmed James Carroll to lead the Office of National Drug Control Policy, giving the White House a top drug policy adviser amid a national epidemic in which 70,000 Americans die each year from drug overdoses. Carroll has filled the role in an acting position since February. The Trump administration has identified the opioid crisis as a top priority, but lost its first ONDCP nominee to scandal and has in many cases sidelined the office while devoting much of its portfolio to Kellyanne Conway, one of the president’s top political advisers. (Facher, 1/2)

Reuters: U.S. Senate Confirms Two FCC Commissioners, Science Adviser
In total, the Senate confirmed 77 nominees late Wednesday in the final hours of the 115th Congress, including Kelvin Droegemeier to be director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. President Donald Trump had gone 19 months before nominating a chief science adviser in July. Droegemeier, a meteorologist, was previously vice president for research at the University of Oklahoma. (Shepardson, 1/2)

The New York Times: A Trump County Confronts The Administration Amid A Rash Of Child Cancers
The children fell ill, one by one, with cancers that few families in this suburban Indianapolis community had ever heard of. An avid swimmer struck down by glioblastoma, which grew a tumor in her brain. Four children with Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare bone cancer. Fifteen children with acute lymphocytic leukemia, including three cases diagnosed in the past year. (Tabuchi, 1/2)

In other environmental health news —

The Washington Post: ‘Not A Problem You Can Run Away From’: Communities Confront The Threat Of Unregulated Chemicals In Their Drinking Water
The day this small town told its residents to stop drinking the water, Jennifer and Justin Koehler decided to sell their white clapboard house and move their two children elsewhere. Sara and Matt Dean, who had relocated several years earlier from Chicago, started worrying about the health of their young son and the baby arriving soon. And Tammy Cooper felt a welling indignation that would turn her into an activist — one who would travel to Washington to push for action on the chemicals contaminating her family’s drinking water and that of millions of other Americans. (Dennis, 1/2)

New Hampshire Public Radio: N.H. Proposes Lower Or Same Drinking Water Limits On 4 PFAS Chemicals
The state has released its plans for new limits on four types of likely harmful PFAS chemicals in public water systems. The new regulations would apply to four of the thousands of known PFAS chemicals. (Ropeik, 1/2)

Modern Healthcare: Tenet, Cigna Reach New Contract To End Network Dispute 
Cigna Corp.'s commercial members still have in-network access to Tenet Healthcare Corp. facilities after the major insurer and hospital chain announced they had reached a multiyear contract deal on Jan. 1. Contract negotiations had been stalled for almost a year, with both Bloomfield, Conn.-based Cigna and Dallas-based Tenet publicly blaming one another for the disagreement that threatened to leave Tenet's hospitals, outpatient centers and employed physicians out-of-network for Cigna members. The previous contract ended Dec. 31, 2018. (Bannow, 1/2)

In other health industry news —

Modern Healthcare: Sanford Health And Good Samaritan Close Merger
Sanford Health and the Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society completed their merger, the organizations announced Wednesday. Sanford, which has 45 hospitals, more than 1,300 physicians and 28,000 employees, adds Good Samaritan and its 200-plus post-acute, skilled-nursing, hospice, assisted-living, rehabilitation and home-health facilities to its network, along with Good Samaritan's 19,000 employees. Their combined footprint spans 26 states. (Kacik, 1/2)

The Star Tribune: Sanford Health Eyes Growth In Senior Care
Sanford Health officials are talking about the potential for growth after closing Jan. 1 on a deal to merge with Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society, another nonprofit group based in South Dakota that’s also a large operator of senior care facilities. Sioux Falls-based Sanford Health currently generates about $4.5 billion to $5 billion per year in revenue, while Good Samaritan sees annual revenue of $1 billion to $1.5 billion, said Kelby Krabbenhoft, the chief executive at Sanford, in an interview. (Snowbeck, 1/2)

Cincinnati Enquirer: Torrent Of Ohio Children Removed From Drug-Ravaged Families Peaks
A wave of Ohio children removed from their homes for neglect or abuse appears to have peaked, but the state's children's services system remains in crisis, a new report shows. That's partly because the number of kids rose so high that the decline is mild in comparison, and the system of care and services needs a change, according to the Public Children Services Association of Ohio. (DeMio, 1/2)

Chicago Tribune: Kane County Treatment Program Would Offer Drug Users Amnesty, 'A Way Out' Of Addiction 
With a focus on treatment rather than jail time, Kane County officials plan to launch a pilot program later this year that provides amnesty to drug addicts and links them directly to rehabilitative programs. The “A Way Out” program — which also runs in Lake and McHenry counties — allows anyone suffering from substance abuse to walk into the lobby of a participating police station and ask for help, Kane County Coroner Rob Russell said. They’ll be able to dispose of their unwanted drugs without receiving any possession charges. (Jones, 1/2)

The Associated Press: Commission OKs Recommendation To Arm Teachers In Florida
The commission investigating a shooting massacre at a Florida high school unanimously approved its initial findings and recommendations Wednesday, including a controversial proposal that teachers who volunteer and undergo training be allowed to carry guns. The 15-member Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission's 446-page report details what members believe happened before, during and after the Feb. 14 shooting attack that left 14 students and three staff members dead and 17 wounded. (Spencer, 1/2)

Reuters: Report Into Deadliest U.S. High School Shooting Calls For Arming Teachers, More Security
The 485-page report into the Parkland, Florida school massacre, that left 14 students and three adults dead at the hands of a lone gunman in February 2018, will be studied by Florida Governor Rick Scott, Governor-elect Ron DeSantis and a state commission charged with finding ways to prevent another school shooting massacre. The report, by the state-appointed Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission, finds a cascade of errors from law enforcement officers holding back as shots were fired and lax school security that allowed a former student with an AR-style semi-automatic rifle access to the campus. (McKay, 1/3)

NPR: Parents Feel Forced To Relinquish Custody To Get Their Child Mental Health Treatment
When Toni and Jim Hoy adopted their son Daniel through the foster care system, he was an affectionate toddler. They did not plan to give him back to the state of Illinois, ever. "Danny was this cute, lovable little blond-haired, blue-eyed baby," Jim says. Toni recalls times Daniel would reach over, put his hands on her face and squish her cheeks. "And he would go, 'You pretty, Mom,' " Toni says. "Oh my gosh, he just melted my heart when he would say these very loving, endearing things to me." (Herman, 1/2)

The New York Times: Where Doulas Calm Nerves And Bridge Cultures During Childbirth
Maria Hussein, who escaped the war in Syria, was many hours into labor in a Swedish hospital when the midwife realized her fetus was in distress, and called in an obstetrician to help. The doctor began giving Ms. Hussein instructions and reassurance in Swedish. Oksana Kornienko, who works as a doula culture interpreter for a nonprofit organization serving pregnant immigrant women, listened attentively, leaning over Ms. Hussein’s shoulder and translating the doctor’s words into Arabic. (Anderson, 1/2)

The New York Times: The Unbearable Heaviness Of Clutter
Do you have a clutter problem? If you have to move things around in order to accomplish a task in your home or at your office or you feel overwhelmed by all your “things,” it’s a strong signal that clutter has prevailed. And it might be stressing you out more than you realize. (Lucchesi, 1/3)

Kaiser Health News: Too High To Drive: States Grapple With Setting Limits On Weed Use Behind Wheel 
It used to be the stuff of stoner comedies and “Just Say No” campaigns. Today, marijuana is becoming mainstream as voters across the country approve ballot questions for legalization or medical use. In response, state governments are testing ways to ensure that the integration of this once-illicit substance into everyday life doesn’t create new public health risks. These efforts are sparking a difficult question: At what point is someone too high to get behind the wheel? (Luthra, 1/3)

Politico Pro: On-The-Ground Realities Hampering Ebola Response In Congo
A promising new vaccine and new therapies have the potential to stem the latest outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo — second only to an outbreak that claimed 11,000 lives in Western Africa from 2014 to 2016. But the country’s raging civil war is complicating efforts to deliver medicines and track cases, said Dr. Inger Damon, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s division of high-consequence pathogens and pathology. (Rayasam, 1/2)

San Jose Mercury News: Life After Football: NCAA Facing Legal Challenges Like NFL
The situation highlighted a long, soul-sapping mental decline that physicians diagnosed a year later as early onset Alzheimer’s, a disease the family attributes to the years Stensrud played high school and college football. On the eve of Monday night’s national championship at Levi’s Stadium, the Stensruds are one of four families suing the NCAA in wrongful death complaints that underscore the potentially high costs of the game. (Almond, 1/2)

NPR: Paramedics And EMTs Confront Unconscious Racial Bias In Medical Care
A recent study out of Oregon suggests emergency medical responders — EMTs and paramedics — may be treating minority patients differently from the way they treat white patients. Specifically, the scientists found that black patients in their study were 40 percent less likely to get pain medication than their white peers. (Foden-Vencil, 1/3)

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Experimental Treatment For Type 1 Diabetes Avoids Pancreas Transplant
In 2004, Penn became one of five federally sponsored centers to run a Phase 3 clinical trial of pancreatic islet transplantation – instead of whole pancreas transplants -- for people with complicated diabetes who couldn’t sense their own hypoglycemia. ...During an islet transplantation, specific cells from a deceased donor’s pancreas are separated from other digestive enzyme portions of the organ, and the highly purified human islets containing new beta and alpha cells are infused into the recipient’s liver. (Raymond Rush, 1/2)

Stat: Friends Ask Where James Watson's Attitudes About Race Came From 
[James] Watson’s many odious comments over the decades might be blamed on age (he is 90), or irascibility, or a privileged white man’s raging at a world that no longer winks at remarks like “some anti-Semitism is justified.” But in interviews with STAT, longtime friends offered another explanation for how Watson can believe something refuted by rigorous research, and how someone who cares deeply about history’s verdict can hold so tenaciously and publicly to unrepentant racism and sexism. (Begley, 1/3)

CNN: Mediterranean Diet Named The Best For 2019
If you're a fan of the Mediterranean diet, get ready to do a victory dance. For the first time, the Mediterranean diet has won the gold as 2019's best overall diet in rankings announced Wednesday by US News and World Report. The analysis of 41 eating plans also gave the Mediterranean diet the top spot in several subcategories: best diet for healthy eating, best plant-based diet, best diet for diabetes and easiest diet to follow. (LaMotte, 1/2)

The New York Times: Cholesterol May Be Higher After The Holidays
The holiday season may confer an unwanted gift: higher cholesterol. Danish researchers studied 25,764 people in Copenhagen whose average age was 59. All had blood drawn regularly to test lipid levels. None were on cholesterol-lowering medicines. Average total cholesterol in the group over the whole year was 205, just over the recommended guideline of 200. Average LDL, or “bad” cholesterol, was 116, just above the 100 level considered healthy. (Bakalar, 1/2)

The New York Times: Excess Weight Contributes To More Than 7 Percent Of Cancers
More than 7 percent of cancer cases in the United States are attributable to excess body weight, a new study reports. Previous studies have established an association between body fat and at least a dozen cancers, with the highest risks for liver, uterine and esophageal cancers. (Bakalar, 1/2)

WBUR: Activists Brace For 2019 Abortion-Rights Battles In The States
With a newly configured U.S. Supreme Court, the stakes are high for abortion-rights battles at the state level. Abortion-rights advocates and opponents are preparing for a busy year — from a tug-of-war over Roe v. Wade to smaller efforts that could expand or restrict access to abortion. (McCammon, 1/2)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Where You Live In Georgia Could Help Set Your Insurance Costs
In the battle of titans over health care money, drug and care prices soar. Hospital systems merge, giving them more bargaining power. Insurance companies narrow their networks, striking better deals but with fewer hospitals and doctors. Consumers may wind up paying more money, having fewer choices or, sometimes, both.In the case of metro Atlanta, two lower-income counties with lackluster hospital options found themselves in a tight spot in the eyes of insurance companies: Clayton and Rockdale. (Hart, 1/2)

The Associated Press: First Flu Deaths Of Season Reported In Delaware
Public health officials are reporting the first flu-related deaths in Delaware in the 2018-2019 flu season. Authorities said Wednesday that a 65-year-old man who was infected with Influenza A died last week, making him the first flu fatality. Officials say a 73-year-old man and a 77-year-old woman also died within the past few days after being infected with Influenza A. (1/2)

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Flu Is On The Rise In The Philly Area, But There Is Still Time To Get The Shot
In Pennsylvania, flu activity is categorized as widespread, and has increased in all regions with the highest rates reported in the southeast and northeast. There have been a total of 6,435 laboratory-confirmed influenza cases, including eight adult deaths from Sept. 30 to Dec. 29, according to the state Health Department. (Schaefer, 1/2)

Arizona Republic: MCSO Blew Off Investigation Into Abuse Of Migrant Kids
In mid-September, Southwest Key alerted the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, along with state and federal authorities, about several instances of possible abuse captured on security cameras at its shelter in Youngtown. ...Since when do the cops, called to investigate what appears to be child abuse, walk away without getting to the bottom of what is going on? (Laurie Roberts, 1/2)

KCUR: Kansas City Psychiatric Hospital Is Shutting Down, Laying Off 129 Employees
Two Rivers Behavioral Health System, a free-standing psychiatric hospital in south Kansas City, will close on Feb. 9 and lay off 129 nurses, therapists and other employees. The 105-bed facility at 5121 Raytown Road opened in 1986 and treated children, adolescents and adults for psychiatric and substance use disorders. Susan Fitzpatrick, the hospital’s business director, said the decision to close the hospital was made by its corporate parent, Universal Health Services of King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. (Margolies, 1/2)

The Washington Post: Transplant Links Baltimore Homicide Victim To Western Maryland Retiree
Charles McAtee turned 60 last month, and he hasn’t felt this good in years. He’s back to pushing a snowblower around his Western Maryland home. He feels half his age. In fact, his heart is. This holiday season, McAtee holds dear a Baltimore County woman responsible for the best gift he ever received: her son’s heart.In three hours and three minutes, that heart went from her son’s chest into McAtee’s. The two men matched height, weight and O Positive blood — that’s all. One was 27, one 57; one black, one white; one aspired to be a rapper, one retired from the Internal Revenue Service. Who could have expected the bond that would follow? (Prudente, 1/2)

Denver Post: Colorado Insurance Regulators Recovered Nearly $38.5 Million For Consumers Last Fiscal Year
Colorado’s Division of Insurance recovered nearly $38.5 million for consumers during the past fiscal year, a third of it from investigations into consumer complaints, the division recently announced. Even though the number of cases the division opened against insurers in the fiscal year ending June 2018 was 22 percent lower than the previous fiscal year, the state ramped up its collections on consumer complaints by 34 percent, according to division records. (Migoya, 1/2)

Arizona Republic: Arizona's Frayed Child Care Safety Net Leaves Parents With Tough Choices
Child-welfare advocates, as well as the state agency that administers the child care program, recognize that access to affordable and high-quality care are keys to not only keeping kids safe and families together, but also a good start in school. But the child care safety net the state provides for lower-income families is thin. (Pitzi, 1/2)

San Francisco Chronicle: It’s Now Legal To Sell Home-Cooked Food — But There’s A Catch
Jan. 1 was supposed to be the date when, thanks to a new law, California cooks could apply to their local health department for permits to sell food cooked in their home kitchens. But because of the wording in AB626, which Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law in September, Bay Area cooks may have to wait months or years for the opportunity to do so. (Kauffman, 1/2)

Denver Post: Denver's Every Child Pediatrics Served More Than 22,000 Kids Last Year
When Denver pediatrician Dr. Larry Wolk founded his nonprofit Rocky Mountain Youth Clinics in 1996, he scarcely could have foreseen the complex challenges facing Colorado kids nearly two decades later. Not only are there about 90,000 children in the state without a “medical home” — or a healthcare provider they see regularly — but the ever-expanding definition of pediatric wellness now includes everything from behavioral counseling and literacy to affordable housing and childcare options for working parents. (Wenzel, 1/2)

The Baltimore Sun: Maryland Board Of Public Works Approves Deal To Share With Outside Lawyers Any Money Recovered From Opioid Industry 
Maryland’s Board of Public Works on Wednesday approved a deal in which outside lawyers will help the state investigate the opioid industry for potential litigation — and receive a percentage of whatever money they help recover. The state spending panel approved a deal with three firms — Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd of San Diego, Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein of San Francisco and Silverman Thompson Slutkin & White of Baltimore — that will pay the lawyers from 3 percent to 8 percent of awards, depending on how much companies settle for or judges order paid in penalties. (Broadwater, 1/2)

Cleveland Plain Dealer: Westlake-Based Student Health Insurance Plan At 4 Ohio Colleges Shuts Down Abruptly
The student healthcare insurance provider for at least four Ohio colleges shut down in December, leaving schools and hundreds of students searching to find a replacement without lapses in coverage. The Westlake-based Student Educational Benefit Trust covered students at Ohio Dominican University, Hiram College, the University of Akron and the University of Toledo, according to its website. (Bamforth, 1/2)

New Orleans Times-Picayune: New Program Offers Support And Fresh Food For Breastfeeding Moms In New Orleans 
The program connects moms to local breastfeeding support groups such as the La Leche League, Café au Lait, Baby Bistreaux Nutrition Clinic and CHAMPS NOLA Baby Café. These groups provide an informal setting for new moms to receive support and ask questions to each other as well as certified lactation consultants who work with the groups. Moms who attend a monthly meeting with one of the support groups additionally receive a loyalty card that gives them $80 in Crescent City Farmers Market tokens each month over the course of six months. (Clark, 1/2)

Chicago Tribune: Black And Hispanic Women Less Likely To Be Referred To Chicago's Top-Tier Centers For Breast Cancer Diagnosis: UIC Study 
Black and Hispanic Chicago women are less likely than white women to get diagnosed with breast cancer early, when the illness is more treatable, in part because racial minorities are less likely to be diagnosed at high-performing centers of excellence in breast cancer care, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The study of 989 patients found that 35 percent of white patients were diagnosed at a relatively late stage, compared with 47 percent of black patients and 53 percent of Hispanic patients. (Schoenberg, 1/2)

Houston Chronicle: Sam Houston State Medical School Clears First Accreditation Hurdle
Sam Houston State University’s proposed osteopathic medical college has cleared its initial accreditation hurdle, keeping it on track for a targeted fall 2020 opening. The Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation granted “candidate status” to the SHSU proposal in December, following a hearing early in the month. It must still grant “pre-accreditation,” a longer process, before Sam Houston can begin admitting students. Full accreditation is only granted after the graduation of the first class. (Ackerman, 1/2)

St. Louis Public Radio: Missouri's Medical-Marijuana Program Has Long Road Ahead
The timetable imposed by Amendment 2 – which Missouri voters overwhelmingly backed in November – will likely give the state close to a year before pot in its various forms will be legally available for patients. Dr. Patricia Hurford, a Kirkwood-based physician, is optimistic that the wait will be worth it. She also practices in Illinois, which has had a medical-marijuana program in place for several years. (Mannies, 1/3)

Tampa Bay Times: Edible Marijuana Coming For Florida’s Largest Medical Pot Provider
The state's first and largest medical marijuana provider, Trulieve, signed an exclusive deal to bring high-end edible marijuana products to Florida, the company announced Wednesday. Binske, the Colorado-based company, began operations just two years ago, markets what they call a "commoditized high" through their top-shelf products. (Gross, 1/2)

Stat: Google Is Infiltrating Medicine — But What Rules Will It Play By?
With nearly 80 percent of internet users searching online for health-related information, it’s no wonder the catchphrase “Dr. Google” has caught on, to the delight of many searchers and the dismay of many real doctors.What’s received little attention from physicians or the public is the company’s quiet metamorphosis into a powerhouse focused on the actual practice of medicine. If “data is the new oil,” as the internet meme has it, Google and its Big Tech brethren could become the new OPEC. Search is only the start for Google and its parent company, Alphabet. Their involvement in health care can continue through a doctor’s diagnosis and even into monitoring a patient’s chronic condition for, essentially, forever. (Michael L. Millenson, 1/3)

Bloomberg: Drugmakers’ Price Increases Are A Hard Pill To Swallow
In a move that should surprise precisely no one, drugmakers welcomed 2019 with significant price hikes, ending an industry-wide effort that lasted all of six months to pause or roll back increases in response to angry tweets and threats from President Donald Trump. Dozens of pharmaceutical companies raised prices on hundreds of medicines, according to a Wall Street Journal report, with more increases to come. (Max Nisen, 1/2)

The Hill: The 116th Congress Can Improve Medicare And Social Security
The Democratic majority taking power in the U.S. House this week is cause for cautious optimism among older Americans. The incoming majority can function as a firewall against harmful cuts to Social Security and Medicare, which fiscal hawks have been threatening. But our allies in the House can also do more. The champions of Social Security and Medicare elected in November have an opportunity to expand both programs for the benefit of tens of millions of older Americans. (Max Richtman, 1/2)

New England Journal of Medicine: Reducing Protections For Noncitizen Children — Exacerbating Harm And Trauma
As part of an ongoing effort to deter immigrants from attempting to enter the United States, a new government proposal would permit the detention of noncitizen children and their families for indefinite periods in facilities without appropriate and independent monitoring. ...We believe that this proposal presents a grave and urgent risk to the health and well-being of noncitizen children and their families and would have important negative consequences for the United States. (Ryan Matlow and Daryn Reicherter, 1/3)

New England Journal of Medicine: The SUPPORT For Patients And Communities Act — What Will It Mean For The Opioid-Overdose Crisis?
Although SUPPORT is a step in the right direction, substantially altering the trajectory of the opioid epidemic requires a comprehensive, integrated, and public health–oriented response coordinated throughout all branches and levels of government. Every dollar spent on incarcerating a person who uses drugs is a dollar that is not spent on prevention or treatment, and every person removed from the Medicaid rolls is a person who is unable to receive evidence-based care. We have the tools and knowledge to reverse the unprecedented, and largely preventable, avalanche of overdose-related morbidity and mortality. The question is not how to end the crisis of opioid-related harm but whether we will choose to mount an effective, evidence-based, and equity-focused response. The lives of thousands of people depend on the answer. (Corey S. Davis, 1/3)

The New York Times: What A French Doctor’s Office Taught Me About Health Care
I am an accidental European. I developed breast cancer in 2009. With no continuing medical coverage in the United States, and in desperate need of it, I moved to Britain. Under the sponsorship of an acquaintance, I was granted “indefinite leave to remain” and received care through the National Health Service. When I moved to France four years ago, the French system quickly took over covering me. It has taken me nine years to grow accustomed to the idea that my health care won’t suddenly evaporate at the whim of a new government. Doctors here often ask how I landed in Europe. When I tell them, they shake their heads. American values are deranged, they say. (Erica Rex, 1/2)

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Young Invincibles Like Me Should Pay Our Fair Share For Health Care
I should have the freedom to buy and drive a car, and with that freedom comes the responsibility to purchase car insurance, just in case I crash my car into yours and can’t pay for your repairs. My decision to become uninsured is like choosing to rear-end the guy in front of me on the turnpike, because it increases his health-insurance premium, and yours, too. In that sense, it’s just as reasonable to require me to buy health insurance as it is to require me to have car insurance. (Jonathan Fried, 1/2)

The New York Times: The Dangerous Rise Of The IUD As Poverty Cure
Over the past decade, more and more women have begun using long-acting, reversible birth control methods like intrauterine devices and implants. These birth control methods are highly effective at preventing pregnancy but were previously not widely accessible because of high costs and lack of knowledge among health care providers. Increasing access to these methods, for women who want them, is a sign of progress. However, many researchers, advocates and policymakers aren’t selling their rise solely as a victory for women’s health. They claim IUDs and implants may be a powerful new tool to fight poverty. This sort of language should set off alarm bells because the idea that limiting women’s reproduction can cure society’s ills has a long, shameful history in the United States. (Christine Dehlendorf and Kelsey Holt, 1/2)

Tampa Bay Times: Stop Trump Rules Blocking Access To Contraceptives
The Trump administration issued new rules last year that are scheduled to take effect this month and would allow more employers to deny birth control coverage through their health plans. The rules are billed as “conscience protections” for employers with religious or moral objections to contraceptives, but where is the morality in denying millions of women basic health care? (1/2)

Georgia Health News: Maternal Death Rate Is A Problem That Needs A Factual Approach
In truth, neither the public nor the medical community knows the true scope of Georgia’s maternal mortality crisis. Georgia lacks standardized, rigorous reporting and collection of maternal mortality data, so the data reported in the article may be inaccurate. It suffices to say that the situation is grave. (Michael Lindsay and Jane Ellis, 1/2)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin Could Better Fight The Opioid Epidemic By Expanding Medicaid
Experts and the evidence agree, increasing access to MAT is one of the most important policy changes we could implement to combat the opioid epidemic. They also agree that Medicaid expansion is a key move that could be made to improve access; it is the largest source of funding for treatment. (Annie Stumpf, 1/2)

Miami Herald: With Florida’s High HIV Infection Rate, The State Should Become A Leader In Prevention
Florida can reduce the rate of new HIV infections by preventing them in high-risk populations. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) offers a solution. Fortunately, the Florida Department of Health started offering PrEP for free across the state in 2018. In 2019, we must connect individuals at risk of HIV infection with this service. (Daniel Bicknell, 1/2)

Tampa Bay Times: To Better Treat Patients, Hospitals Should Keep The Family Close
Oddly enough, people in the hospital are at particular risk of becoming lonely. Doctors, nurses and support staff may poke and prod them at all hours of the day or night. But they tend to lack meaningful interactions with family and friends, especially as the days in the hospital mount. That could have dire consequences for their recovery. (Dick Resch, 1/2)