Reuters: Zika Sex Research Begins Despite U.S. Congress Funding Impasse
It could take years to learn how long men infected with Zika are capable of sexually transmitting the virus, which can cause crippling birth defects and other serious neurological disorders. In the meantime, health officials have warned couples to refrain from unprotected sex for six months after a male partner is infected. The extraordinary recommendation, based on a single report of Zika surviving 62 days in semen, could affect millions. (Berkrot, 6/30)

The Hill: Senate Dems Pledge To Keep Fighting Over Zika
Senate Democrats on Wednesday pledged to keep fighting over funding to combat the Zika virus as lawmakers head toward a Fourth of July recess with no deal in sight. "It's the last thing Republicans should be playing politics with. We all know that Zika poses a serious threat," Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) told reporters. "Read our lips. Read our lips. ... We are not relenting." (Carney, 6/29)

Morning Consult: Senate Democratic Women Say Zika Bill Undermines Women’s Health
Four Senate Democratic women reiterated the caucus mantra Wednesday that they don’t intend to drop objections to a spending bill that would provide federal funding for the Zika virus. The senators said at a press conference that the bill undermines women’s health and is paid for irresponsibly. Unless the bill changes, they pledged not to relent when a procedural vote on the measure returns to the Senate floor next week. (McIntire, 6/29)

Politico Pro: Fauci: Zika Vaccine Research Will Soon Stop Without New Funding
The federal government’s leading infectious disease researcher is confident that a Zika vaccine is possible, but he said work on it will come to a screeching halt if Congress doesn’t fund the White House’s emergency spending request. “I am right now using [the unspent] Ebola money. I will very quickly run out of it,” said Dr. Tony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. “The vaccine effort will be blunted if not aborted if we don’t have the funding.” Fauci said that it would be possible to develop the vaccine if Congress approves $1.1 billion, which is short of the president’s $1.9 billion request but the current total being considered by lawmakers. But he stressed that development would be more difficult if lawmakers choose to pay for it from other HHS or NIH programs. (Haberkorn, 6/29)

The Hill: Zika Vaccine Trials Could Halt Without New Funds, Official Says
A top U.S. health official says that advanced trials of a Zika vaccine would be hindered or even stopped completely if Congress does not approve more funding. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of infectious disease research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), said he hopes to start a phase II trial of a Zika vaccine in early 2017, but that the effort requires more money. (Sullivan, 6/29)

Morning Consult: Health Experts Tell Senators They’re Hopeful Of Zika Vaccine, But There’s Much To Learn
Scientists and researchers are hopeful about a Zika vaccine, but there is much more research to be done on the disease, officials told lawmakers Wednesday. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee held a roundtable on how to prepare for and protect the nation from the Zika virus. ... Wednesday’s roundtable generally avoided partisan sparks and focused on both scientific and practical ways to combat Zika. These efforts center around both mosquito control and medical research and development. The problem is, relatively little is known about Zika. (Owens, 6/29)

Kaiser Health News: Most Americans Want More Federal Money To Stop Zika: Poll
A large majority of Americans want the federal government to increase funding to prevent Zika’s spread in the U.S. and also help women at risk in affected areas get access to abortion, contraception and family planning services, according to a poll released Thursday. The virus, which has reached epidemic levels in Latin America and the Caribbean and is likely to spread further this summer, has been linked to serious birth defects in babies born to infected mothers. (Galewitz, 6/30)

Media outlets report on Zika updates from the states —

The Associated Press: Zika Virus A Concern For Poor Urban Areas Along Gulf Coast
The poorest parts of Houston remind Dr. Peter Hotez of some of the neighborhoods in Latin America hardest hit by Zika. Broken window screens. Limited air conditioning. Trash piles that seem to re-appear even after they're cleaned up. On a hot, humid day this month, Hotez pointed at one pile that included old tires and a smashed-in television with water pooling inside. It was a textbook habitat for the mosquitoes that carry and transmit the Zika virus, and one example of the challenge facing public health officials. (6/30)

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Penn Team Invents Rapid, Low-Cost Zika Test
University of Pennsylvania engineers report they have developed a $2 field test that reliably detects Zika virus in saliva within 40 minutes. The existing test involves a common method called polymerase chain reaction, which requires the use of a laboratory and electricity -- a challenge in remote areas. (Avril, 6/29)

The New York Times: Travelers To Dominican Republic Lead New York City In Positive Zika Tests
More than half of those who have tested positive for the Zika virus in New York City had traveled in recent months to the Dominican Republic, the city’s health department said on Wednesday, releasing data from its latest round of testing. The results were a stark reminder that, as the summer travel season begins, many of the most popular destinations for New Yorkers in the Caribbean and Latin America pose a serious health risk, especially for pregnant women. (Santora, 6/29)

The Columbus Dispatch: Sweet And Deadly: City Has New Weapon In Fight Against Mosquitoes
Usually, the goal is to drive mosquitoes away, or to kill them in their tracks. Spray, bam, drop dead. But Columbus Public Health has one tool in its mosquito-destroying arsenal that doesn't quite work that way. Attractive toxic sugar bait, as it is so seductively called, actually lures mosquitoes with a gift of sweet syrup. Then it poisons them with surprise garlic oil. (Kurtzman, 6/29)

St. Louis Public Radio: Amid Zika Fears, Local Health Agencies Step Up Mosquito Prevention
Most preparations are well practiced after years of dealing with West Nile: health departments set traps, spray for mosquitoes, and encourage residents to wear long-sleeves and insect repellent. There have been no cases of Zika transmitted by local mosquitoes so far in the continental United States, but the northernmost ranges of the two mosquito species that carry Zika do cross through Missouri. Seven Missourians have been diagnosed with the virus after traveling to affected areas, including two pregnant women. (Bouscaren, 6/29)

The Tennessean: 1st Confirmed Case Of Zika Reported In Nashville
The Metro Public Health Department announced Tuesday that a Davidson County resident has tested positive for the Zika virus. According to health officials, the person recently returned to Nashville after traveling to Honduras where Zika disease is being transmitted by mosquitoes. The individual is expected to survive, health officials said. (Alund, 6/28)

Health News Florida: Gov. Rick Scott To Congress On Zika: 'Do Your Part'
Florida Governor Rick Scott stopped in Jacksonville Tuesday to warn residents about the Zika virus epidemic and meet with local officials. Scott also took the opportunity to slam congressional leaders for failing to pass a funding bill to combat the virus. (Benk, 6/29)

Sacramento Bee: California Military And VA Projects Stung In Congress’ Zika Fight
California military and veterans’ facilities are hostage to the congressional partisanship that’s hung up emergency Zika funding. Naval Air Station Lemoore, in rural Kings County, seeks millions of dollars for an engine repair facility. At Travis Air Force Base in Solano County, officials await money for a fuel system. (Doyle, 6/29)

KQED: California Congressional Republicans Urge Blocking Obamacare For Undocumented Immigrants
Several California congressional Republicans want the Obama administration to block the state’s request to sell health insurance to undocumented immigrants on the state’s exchange. The move comes after Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill earlier this month authorizing California to formally request a waiver from the Affordable Care Act provision that bars undocumented immigrants from any of the law’s benefits. ... Nine of California’s 14 Republican representatives have signed a letter to cabinet officials appealing to them to deny this waiver. The representatives called California’s request “a brazen attempt to circumvent the will of Congress.” (Aliferis, 6/29)

Morning Consult: California Reps Ask Feds To Reject Plan To Cover Illegal Immigrants
If California is granted such a waiver, it would be the first state granted the ability to offer insurance on its exchange to undocumented immigrants. Under the Affordable Care Act, undocumented immigrants are not eligible to purchase health insurance from states’ exchanges. ... The letter was signed by California Republicans Darrell Issa, Tom McClintock, Ken Calvert, Dana Rohrabacher, Duncan Hunter, Doug LaMalfa, Paul Cook, Ed Royce, and Mimi Walters. (McIntire, 6/29)

Politico: Why Lamar Alexander Wants A Deal On Obamacare
Sen. Lamar Alexander says he's more than happy to strike deals with Democrats — even on Obamacare. "Whoever the president is in January, we're going to have to take a good, hard look at Obamacare," the powerful chairman of the Senate HELP committee told POLITICO's "Pulse Check" podcast. "It can't continue the way it is." "I don't think Republicans can go another four years, whether we have a Republican president or not, and say just give us a couple more Republicans and we'll repeal Obamacare," he added. (Diamond, 6/29)

Politico Pro: Burwell Tour To Tout Delivery-Reform Success
The Obama administration next month will highlight three of the country's best delivery system reform models in an attempt to show off how Obamacare has begun to transform the health care system in measurable ways. HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell will visit three health systems or programs that the administration says are delivering better or more efficient health care. The Obama administration earlier this year marked that 20 million Americans had gotten insurance coverage through the health law — addressing the key problem of access to insurance. (Haberkorn, 6/29)

The CT Mirror: State Health Exchange Considers New Transition Fairs, Adds Hours
One week after the first pair of transition enrollment fairs drew just one attendee, Connecticut’s health insurance exchange announced Wednesday it plans to keep future fairs open for an additional hour and will consider scheduling new ones. The decision, which was announced by Access Health CT in an email Wednesday morning, comes after nobody attended its first fair in Danbury last Wednesday and only one person attended the second fair in Waterbury on Thursday. As many as 14,000 low-income parents will lose their state-sponsored Medicaid health insurance coverage after July. (Constable, 6/29)

Louisville (Ky.) Courier-Journal: Critics Turn Out At Hearing On Medicaid Plan
An overflow crowd filled a public hearing Wednesday, the second chance for people to comment on Gov. Matt Bevin's proposal to reshape the state's Medicaid plan into one he says could make people healthier and more responsible for their care. And for the second day in row the plan was slammed by opponents who said it will force too many people off Medicaid coverage by making the federal-state health plan too costly and overly complicated with premiums, deductibles and other demands. (Yetter, 6/29)

Lexington (Ky.) Herald Leader: Critics Find Much To Dislike In Gov. Bevin’s Medicaid Proposal
Bevin’s plan to drop Medicaid coverage for dental and vision care unless participants perform community service or other tasks to win “reward points” proved especially unpopular. “What I think you are doing is putting fiscal responsibility over what is good and right,” former Medicaid recipient A.J. Jones of Louisville told several of Bevin’s aides, who faced a packed hearing room in the Capitol Annex. “I don’t think it’s dignified to have to pick up trash on the side of the road to have a tooth pulled,” Jones said. “And I don’t think that you think it’s dignified to do that. If you did, then you would be picking up trash on the side of the road to get your tooth pulled.” (Cheves, 6/29)

Health News Florida: Federal Judge Signs Off On Medicaid Settlement
A Miami federal judge gave final approval Tuesday to a settlement agreement in a decade-long legal battle between the Florida Academy of Pediatrics and the state. ... Attorney Stuart Singer says the settlement agreement will require the state to pay qualifying doctors nearly double traditional Medicaid rates. (Ash, 6/29)

Health News Florida: Physicians Unhappy With Managed Medicaid System, Report Finds
Since 2014, Florida’s Medicaid program has been run not by the state but through private insurance companies. The Sarasota Herald-Tribune has written about problems with the managed care system and a recent report from Georgetown University surveyed pediatricians to determine how they feel about the system. Health News Florida Editor Julio Ochoa sat down with one of the report’s authors, Joan Alker, executive director of the Center for Children and Families at Georgetown University. (Ochoa, 6/29)

And in other news on Medicaid expansion issues —

Topeka (Kan.) Capital-Journal: Lack Of Medicaid Expansion Played 'Big' Role In Decision To Sell St. Francis, Hospital President Says
The lack of Medicaid expansion in Kansas played a “big” role in the decision to sell St. Francis Health, the hospital’s president said Wednesday, detailing how the organization faces financial pressure over the state’s unwillingness to increase program eligibility. The hospital forgoes up to $10 million in revenue each year because of non-expansion, David Setchel said. Owner SCL Health put the central Topeka hospital up for sale in May. (Shorman, 6/29)

Alaska Dispatch News: Legislative Council Drops Medicaid Lawsuit Against Gov. Walker
The Alaska Legislative Council voted Wednesday to end its lawsuit challenging the expansion of Medicaid, opting to not pursue an appeal of the decision it lost in Superior Court in Anchorage to Gov. Bill Walker. The vote by the Legislative Council, a House-Senate committee that conducts the Legislature's business, followed another ruling last week that the House could not continue the appeal to the Alaska Supreme Court on its own, as one of the 40 House members, Rep. Craig Johnson, R-Anchorage, had attempted. (Hanlon, 6/29)

The Washington Post: FDA Raises Questions About ‘Data Gaps’ Regarding Safety, Effectiveness Of Hand Sanitizer
The colorful gels have become the front lines in our fight against germs. Antiseptic hand sanitizers in greens, blues and reds are now ubiquitous in schools, workplaces and hospitals. They are must-haves in moms' pocketbooks. And they have been distributed in West Africa to fight Ebola and in South Korea against Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. Although these products were designed to be used when old-fashioned soap and water aren't available, many people use them multiple times a day even when a sink is nearby under the belief that they are killing more bacteria. (Cha, 6/29)

The Associated Press: FDA Has A Few Questions For Makers Of Hand Sanitizer
Federal health officials want to know whether hand sanitizers used by millions of Americans work as well as manufacturers claim — and whether there are any health risks to their growing use. The Food and Drug Administration is asking for new studies on how the antiseptic gels and rubs fight germs and get absorbed into the body, with a particular focus on children and pregnant women. The proposal unveiled Wednesday is part of an ongoing government effort to review decades-old chemicals that have never had a comprehensive federal review. (6/29)

The Wall Street Journal: FDA Seeks Proof Of Safety, Effectiveness Of Hand-Sanitizing Products
The FDA said it was particularly interested in accumulating evidence concerning the safety of long-term, repeated exposure, especially in pregnant women and children. “The idea of the rule is to fill in data gaps, particularly with safety,” said Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “We don’t know how much they’re absorbed into the body in maximum use.” Dr. Woodcock noted that such products used to be primarily at events such as lobster dinners, but are today omnipresent in sites such as elevator lobbies. (Burton, 6/29)

In other news from the FDA —

Politico Pro: New FDA Cancer Chief Seeks Both Speed And Quality For New Drugs
Speed versus quality. They're often talked about in health policy as two opposing concepts but FDA’s new Oncology Center of Excellence leader Richard Pazdur believes the agency can speed cancer drugs to patients while maintaining its commitment to quality and safety. What truly speeds drugs to patients? The answer, according to Pazdur, who has led FDA’s review of new cancer drugs for more than a decade, is not science. It's about management. (Karlin-Smith, 6/29)

Austin Statesman: Don't Ever Eat Raw Cookie Dough, FDA Warns
If you just can't resist eating the last bits of raw cookie dough from the bowl while baking, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has a message for you: don't. The FDA warned Tuesday against eating raw dough amid an E. coli outbreak that has caused 38 illnesses in 20 states. The outbreak started in December 2015. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention determined at least half of those who fell ill made something at home with flour. Subsequent tests linked the outbreak with General Mills flour produced in Missouri, and the company issued a voluntary recall of 10 million pounds of flour. (Cox Media Group, 6/30)

NPR: Heat On White House To Scrap Redo Of Human Research Rules
An influential federal panel has taken the unusual step of telling the Obama administration to withdraw a controversial proposal to revise regulations that protect people who volunteer for medical research. The proposal is "marred by omissions, the absence of essential elements, and a lack of clarity," according to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. The conclusions are part of a 283-page report released Wednesday. (Stein, 6/29)

Politico Pro: National Academies Report: Drop The Proposed 'Common Rule'
The federal government should withdraw its proposed update of a rule governing human research and appoint an independent commission to undertake a sweeping reexamination of the ethical and practical questions involved, according to a new report from the National Academies of Sciences. Last fall’s proposed overhaul of the so-called Common Rule “does not adequately or effectively address the breadth, depth and import of unanswered questions,” concludes the report, which was requested by the NIH and Department of Education. “[R]ather, its inadequacies signal a pressing need for a comprehensive review of the nation’s ethical, legal, regulatory and institutional frameworks for protecting human research subjects.” (Norman, 6/29)

The Texas Tribune: Supreme Court Takes Up Deaf Texans' Suit Against State
A group of deaf Texans fighting what they claim is discriminatory treatment is hoping the U.S. Supreme Court will step in and force the state to provide sign-language interpreters at classes young drivers must take to get licenses. The high court on Tuesday agreed to hear the case, Ivy v. Morath, involving a group of deaf Texans who sued the state in 2011. The state requires first-time driver's license applicants under age 25 to take classes that are typically conducted by private companies. The suit argues that since Texas requires the classes, it should make sure there are interpreters for deaf students. (Pattani, 6/30)

In other Supreme Court news, the cost of defending the Texas abortion case totals more than $1 million —

The Texas Tribune: Abortion Legal Fight Cost Texas More Than $1 Million
The legal battle to defend Texas' 2013 abortion restrictions — which the U.S. Supreme Court struck down as unconstitutional on Monday — cost Texas taxpayers more than $1 million, according to records obtained by The Texas Tribune. ... Legal costs associated with that case, formally known as Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt, totaled $768,722. That includes salary, overhead, travel expenses and other expenses incurred by the Texas Attorney General's Office, which defended the restrictions in court. The price tag for a previous lawsuit that targeted the admitting privileges provision — formally known as Planned Parenthood, et al v. Abbott, et al — was $311,355. (Ura, 6/29)

The CT Mirror: Merger Opponents Ask DOJ To Block Aetna-Humana, Anthem-Cigna Deals
Opponents of the planned Aetna-Humana, Anthem-Cigna mergers have asked the U.S. Justice Department to block them in a letter that alludes to the controversy over Connecticut Insurance Commissioner Katharine Wade’s lead role in state regulatory approval of one of the deals. Many of the 43 signers of the letter to Renata B. Hesse, head of the DOJ’s Antitrust Division, were state medical societies, including the Connecticut State Medical Society. The Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut, the Connecticut Citizen Action Group, several other consumer groups and the United Methodist Church also signed the letter. (Radelat, 6/29)

Politico Pro: Private Exchange Enrollment Lags Far Behind Expectations
Private exchanges were supposed to transform the way people got health insurance through work. As recently as three years ago, consulting firms were predicting that 40 million workers — about a quarter of the employer-based insurance market — would be enrolled in private exchange plans by 2018. ... But actual enrollment three years later has been nowhere near those rosy projections. Accenture estimates that just 8 million individuals, including retirees, are enrolled in private exchange plans this year. Just 2 percent of employers indicated they used a private exchange to provide coverage to employees last year, according to survey data from the Kaiser Family Foundation. (Demko, 6/29)

Kaiser Health News: Ga., Calif. Hospitals Sue Blue Cross Plan For Sending ER Reimbursements To Patients
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia faces separate lawsuits accusing it of sending reimbursement money for emergency room care directly to patients — and not to the hospital because it isn’t part of the insurer’s network. That’s costing the hospitals money since patients don’t always turn over the funds, according to the lawsuits, filed by Polk Medical Center in northwest Georgia and Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital in Los Angeles — 2,000 miles apart. Each suit also says some patients have sought to profit from receiving the direct payments for their ER care. (Miller, 6/30)

The Associated Press: HMO, EPO, PPO, OMG! How To Navigate Insurance Plans
Hunting for the right health insurance plan outside the workplace used to involve a much lower risk of losing hair — from tearing it out in frustration. If a shopper could get coverage, the chain of events was often straightforward: Pick a plan, see a doctor and then wait for the insurer to eat most of the bill for that visit. But rising health care costs and the Affordable Care Act are changing the health insurance market. (6/29)

The Associated Press: New Laws On Abortion Set To Take Effect Around The Country
New laws targeting abortion are set to take effect Friday in about one-fifth of the states, initiating another wave of restrictions just days after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Texas measure that led several clinics to close. Some of the laws limit when and how the procedure can be performed. Others restrict what can be done with tissue from aborted fetuses. Still others seek to block abortion providers from getting government funding. They are part of a raft of laws that are going on the books around the country with the start of the new fiscal year July 1. (Lieb, 6/29)

Orlando Sentinel: Planned Parenthood Asks Federal Court To Strike New Abortion Law
Parts of a new law that would end funding for Planned Parenthood and impose new regulations on abortion clinics set to take effect Friday could be struck down by a federal court judge. Judge Robert Hinkle heard arguments Wednesday from Planned Parenthood attorneys urging him to block the law, which would cut off money for their health clinics for non-abortion- related programs. (Rohrer,6/29)

Health News Florida: State Lawmakers Defend Abortion Law Ahead Of Court Date
With the U.S. Supreme Court striking down Texas abortion restrictions, attention is turning to Florida where a similar measure is set to take effect Friday. The law’s backers are confident their legislation will survive a court challenge of its own. (Evans, 6/29)

The Associated Press: Judge Faces Deadline For Decision On Indiana Abortion Law
A federal judge is facing a deadline for deciding whether to block a new Indiana law banning abortions sought because of fetal genetic abnormalities. U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt has said she will issue a ruling before Friday, when the law adopted this year by the GOP-dominated Legislature is set to take effect. (6/30)

New Hampshire Public Radio: Executive Council Reinstates Planned Parenthood Contract; Sununu Casts Deciding Vote
New Hampshire's Executive Council has approved state funding for Planned Parenthood. The 3-2 vote on a family planning contract comes ten months after the council rejected an almost identical contract by the same margin. In both cases, GOP councilor Chris Sununu cast the deciding vote. (Rogers, 6/29)

Morning Consult: New Hampshire Republican Flips In Favor Of Planned Parenthood
A year after voting against a state contract with Planned Parenthood, New Hampshire Executive Councilor Chris Sununu, now a Republican candidate for governor, voted for it Wednesday. In a statement, Sununu said things have changed since last year, when the women’s health care organization was embroiled in a controversy, led by conservative activists, over the legality of its practices. He said because the charges against the organization had been dismissed by a court, “they should be treated like any other organization.” (Yokley, 6/29)

The Washington Post: Biden Threatens Funding Cuts For Researchers Who Don’t Report Clinical-Trial Data
An impatient Vice President Biden threatened Wednesday to cut funding to research facilities that fail to report clinical-trial results quickly enough and took a swipe at drug companies that jack up the prices of cancer drugs. At an all-day cancer summit he convened at Howard University in Washington, Biden showed flashes of anger as he expressed concern that many medical institutions that receive millions of dollars in government grants weren't reporting results to a publicly accessible database in a timely fashion. (McGinley, 6/29)

Stat: Biden Threatens Funding Cuts For Researchers Who Fail To Report Clinical Trial Results
“Under the law, it says you must report. If you don’t report, the law says you shouldn’t get funding,” Biden said, citing a STAT investigation that found widespread reporting lapses. (Nather and Piller, 6/29)

Reuters: Biden Outlines 'Moonshot' Initiatives To Fight Cancer
Speaking at a cancer summit at Howard University in Washington, Biden made an impassioned plea for increased urgency in the fight against cancer. The event was part of a national day of action involving hundreds of researchers, patient advocates and data experts across the country. (Clarke, 6/29)

NBC News: Cancer 'Moonshot' Plan: Sharing Knowledge Can Speed Cures
Biden also attacked a profit motive that drives drugmakers to charges hundreds of thousands of dollars for some of their therapies — including hiked prices for older drugs. (Fox, 6/30)

The Dallas Morning News: Texans Want In On Biden's 'Cancer Moonshot'
UT Southwestern Medical Center is seeking funding from the National Institutes of Health to create a $70 million facility that it hopes will be the first U.S. location to focus on a promising new targeted form of cancer treatment called heavy ion radiotherapy. Details were laid out Wednesday as cancer experts gathered nationally to hear more about a broader initiative spearheaded by Vice President Joe Biden. (Rice, 6/29)

Los Angeles Times: Heart Disease And Cancer Are Responsible For Nearly Half Of All Deaths In The U.S., Report Says
What are the most common ways to die in America? The answer depends on how old you are, whether you’re a man or a woman, and your racial and ethnic background, a new report shows. Alzheimer’s disease accounted for 5% of deaths among U.S. women, for instance, but only 2.1% of deaths among men. Accidents and unintentional injuries caused 39.7% of deaths among people between the ages of 10 and 24, but only 7.4% of deaths for adults between the ages of 45 and 64. Diabetes was responsible for 4.3% of African American deaths and 2.7% of white deaths. (Kaplan, 6/29)

Los Angeles Times: Church Attendance Linked With Reduced Suicide Risk, Especially For Catholics, Study Says
Against a grim backdrop of rising suicide rates among American women, new research has revealed a blinding shaft of light: One group of women — practicing Catholics — appears to have bucked the national trend toward despair and self-harm. Compared with women who never participated in religious services, women who attended any religious service once a week or more were five times less likely to commit suicide between 1996 and 2010, says a study published Wednesday by JAMA Psychiatry. (Healy, 6/29)

The Wall Street Journal: Expats And Their Parents: How To Handle Aging Issues From Afar
When my family and I moved from White Plains, New York to Raanana, Israel in 2011, my then 74-year-old father had recently been diagnosed with dementia. It was a toss-up as to what weighed more—my mind or my heart. ... When, two years later, the diagnosis changed to early Alzheimer’s, I flew back to make sure paperwork and finances were in order and visit memory care facilities—just in case, for later. Eighteen months passed. He lost all short-term memory. I returned home to propose to my mother, one year younger but in good health and now the sole decision-maker for both of them, to move to Israel so my brother, also living here, and I could help in the years to come. (Lang, 6/29)

NPR: A Hospital Offers Frequent ER Patients An Out — Free Housing
For a lot of us, the hospital's emergency room is a stressful place. Not so for Glenn Baker. When Baker, 44, steps into the emergency room at the University of Illinois Hospital in Chicago, he's completely comfortable. ... Patty Zion, a nurse at the hospital on the West Side, says she knows Baker well: "He's one of our very famous patients who comes around and sees us quite often when he's not feeling well." ... Baker says that last winter he spent about 20 nights every month checked into different Chicago hospitals. ... In the medical world, patients like Baker are often called "superutilizers" or "frequent fliers" — people with a mix of chronic medical problems, mental health issues and homelessness that drive them to visit the hospital far more than the average patient. (Bryan, 6/29)

The Conversation: Concussions And Kids: Mind The Signs
Head trauma is a major public health concern in the United States, with indirect and direct health-care costs approaching nearly US$1 billion annually. Worse, head trauma also can cause short- and long-term health problems and, in children, problems with academics, headaches and behavioral health issues. One challenge has been determining just how widespread concussions are among children. (Zavorsky, 6/30)

KQED: Canned Food Increases Exposure To Toxic Chemical BPA, Study Finds
New research from Stanford University and Johns Hopkins University suggests a direct link between eating canned foods and levels of the chemical BPA found in the body. BPA or Bisphenol A is an industrial chemical used to make certain plastics and resins, like the lining that prevents bacteria from entering through dented cans. Small amounts of BPA in food packaging can transfer to food and drinks, which has raised concerns among health and environmental groups since the chemical is a known hormone disruptor. (Hoshaw, 6/29)

Chicago Tribune: Heroin's One-Two Punch
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) figures that 78 Americans die each day from an opioid overdose, largely due to the prevalence of opioid prescriptions for drugs such as Vicodin, Oxycontin and Hydrocodone; as well as the easy access there is to heroin. That deadly combination has produced staggering numbers of fatalities across the country, and the south suburbs of Chicago are no exception. (Lafferty, 6/29)

Chicago Tribune: Illinois' Heroin Crisis Act A Model For Other States
To address the state's heroin epidemic, Illinois adopted the Heroin Crisis Act in September 2015 which has been heralded as "groundbreaking legislation" and is now being modeled in other states across the country, according to the bill's sponsor, Rep. Lou Lang, D-Skokie. (Lafferty, 6/29)

The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Police Begin Carrying Overdose Drug Naloxone
Because seconds save lives, 115 Columbus police officers now have in their cruisers a drug that can prevent overdose deaths as they battle the heroin epidemic. Officers are using the nonaddictive drug naloxone — its brand name is Narcan — to quickly help an overdose victim to breathe again. ... So far, in the four weeks patrol officers have used naloxone, seven overdose victims have been resuscitated by spraying the drug into victims' nostrils. (Perry, 6/29)

Modern Healthcare: Northeast Providers Form Regional GPO
Members of a Northeast alliance of health systems are forming their own group purchasing organization to better manage procurement and sourcing of supplies. AllSpire Health Partners, an alliance of seven health systems in New Jersey, New York, Maryland and Pennsylvania, announced Wednesday that it would form AllSpire Health GPO. (Rubenfire, 6/29)

Georgia Health News: Report Scolds Georgia On Housing For People With Mental Illness
Georgia is not meeting its court-supervised obligations for creating housing for people with serious mental illness, according to a recently released report. State-run psychiatric hospitals, in fact, have discharged dozens of patients to homeless shelters, and many of them wind up being re-hospitalized, the report from an independent reviewer says. (Miller, 6/29)

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Study Shows Pharma Payments To Doctors At Area Hospitals
More than nine out of 10 doctors at the Hospital of the Fox Chase Cancer Center received payments from drug and medical-device firms in 2014, an analysis of Medicare payments data by ProPublica found. Its rate of 92 percent ranked Fox Chase highest in the Philadelphia region for the percentage of affiliated doctors accepting payments from pharmaceutical or medical-device firms, the data showed. (Brubaker, 6/30)

iNewsource: Many San Diego Hospitals Don’t Restrict Drug Industry Payments To Doctors
Doctors have accepted free meals, gifts, travel expenses and other payments from the drug and medical device industry for years. But because of concerns those payments might influence treatment decisions, the Affordable Care Act requires public disclosure. Now, investigative journalists with ProPublica have sorted the payments by each doctor’s primary hospital. Not only does the data show wide variation across the country, but the extent to which doctors accept those payments depends greatly on the hospital with which they’re affiliated. (Clark, 6/29)

The Texas Tribune: Abbott Appointee To Acupuncture Board Resigns Under Scrutiny
After questions about his own medical practice came to public attention, a member of one of Texas’ medical licensing boards has resigned from the position to which Gov. Greg Abbott appointed him last month. Daniel Brudnak, a family medicine and acupuncture physician from Gorman, last week resigned from the Texas Board of Acupuncture Examiners, one day after The Texas Tribune requested records about his appointment. Among other issues, Brudnak “inappropriately” prescribed stimulants and anti-anxiety drugs known as benzodiazepines without adequate evaluations, according to a 2011 order by the Texas Medical Board. (Walters, 6/29)

The Columbus Dispatch: 'Safety Net' Recommended To Keep Parents From Surrendering Kids
Saying that no family should have to surrender custody to obtain care for a child, a joint legislative committee put forth a series of recommendations on Wednesday to better serve Ohio youths with complex behavioral and developmental needs. Among the measures is a call for a "safety net of state level funding" that could be used to offset care and treatment costs not covered by private or public health insurance. The committee, which began meeting in January, heard the stories of families who had to sign their sons and daughters over to the child-protection system because there was no other way to pay for their expensive care. (Price, 6/29)

The Dallas Morning News: Woman Who Claimed To Blow Whistle On Health Care Fraud Is Herself Accused Of Fraud
Christine Craighead says she blew the whistle on a large health care fraud committed by a Dallas attorney who worked for her company, which has resulted in federal indictments. But the government refuses to acknowledge that fact, she says. That's because Christine Craighead and her brother-in-law, Garry Craighead, are themselves accused of plotting a large health care fraud at their former company. (Krause, 6/29)

Houston Chronicle: Vibrio-Related Infections In Texas Are Rare But Very Serious
Dr. Gregory Buck knows the potential danger posed by Vibrio vulnificus, the marine bacteria responsible so far this year for almost 30 cases of life-threatening infections in Texas and topic of concern among many of the hundreds of thousands of Texans anticipating visiting beaches and bays during the coming July Fourth weekend. (Tompkins, 6/29)

Wyoming Public Radio: 'The Aleppo Evil' Is Making A Comeback
When the first cases were reported in Syria 275 years ago, it was called "the Aleppo boil" or "the Aleppo evil." And for good reason: The parasitic illness spread by sand flies causes nasty skin lesions that leave victims scarred for life physically and can leave emotional scars as well. The disease, now known as Old World cutaneous leishmaniasis, or CL, is not unique to Syria. (Hallett, 6/29)

The Wall Street Journal: It’s Time To Radically Change How The FDA Approves Drugs
I’m a big fan of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the vital mission it has been performing since 1962: ensuring that all medications sold in the United States are both safe and effective. Everyone should want the FDA to succeed — now and in the future — because, without a strong FDA, being sick would be massively more horrible than it already is. But, although a fan, I think the FDA should change course. Specifically, the FDA should adjudicate new drug applications with a Consumer Reports approach, not its current approach, which copies Roman emperors who signaled a gladiator’s fate with either a thumbs-up or thumbs-down, and no other choice. (John Sotos, 6/29)

MSNBC: Fight Over Medicaid Expansion Reaches A Crossroads
Earlier this year, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) delivered on a key campaign promise and made his state the 31st in the nation to adopt Medicaid expansion through the Affordable Care Act. ... The question now is whether the number of Medicaid-expansion states will grow or shrink. South Dakota was one of a handful of states considering the policy, but Gov. Dennis Daugaard (R) couldn’t overcome opposition from his own party. And then there’s Kentucky, which was celebrated as a national model for ACA success, right up until Gov. Matt Bevin (R) was elected. (Steve Benen, 6/29)

The Des Moines Register: Republican Remedy For Health Law Disappoints
In the six years since the Affordable Care Act became law, Republicans in the U.S. House have voted dozens of times to repeal or dismantle it. Not once have they voted on legislation to replace it. Last week party leaders finally unveiled a 37-page blueprint of their alternative reforms. Written by a task force appointed by House Speaker Paul Ryan, the proposal is the fifth installment in a six-part “better way” agenda being rolled out by Republicans. It certainly does chart a new direction on health care for the country: Going backwards. The goal seems to be returning to a time when universal access to comprehensive health insurance didn’t exist. (6/29)

Modern Healthcare: House GOP Plan To Cap Medicaid Could Stir Up Stakeholders And Voters
State leaders would gain enormous freedom to reshape their Medicaid programs under the new House Republican healthcare plan (PDF) to repeal and replace Obamacare. But that freedom likely would come at the price of a big loss of federal dollars, reduced coverage for their residents, and less money to pay providers. (Harris Meyer, 6/28)

The Fiscal Times: Obamacare Insurers Are Looking For A Taxpayer Bailout
Insurers helped cheerlead the creation of Obamacare, with plenty of encouragement – and pressure – from Democrats and the Obama administration. As long as the Affordable Care Act included an individual mandate that forced Americans to buy its product, insurers offered political cover for the government takeover of the individual-plan marketplaces. ... Six years later, those dreams have failed to materialize. Now some insurers want taxpayers to provide them the profits to which they feel entitled -- not through superior products and services, but through lawsuits. (Edward Morrissey, 6/30)

The New York Times: Congress’s Failure To Fund Zika Response
In late February, the White House asked Congress for $1.9 billion in emergency money to stem the spread of the mosquito-borne Zika virus, which at the time had been tentatively linked to birth defects in South America. Since then, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has concluded that the virus does cause birth defects, including microcephaly. More than 2,600 people in American states and territories have been diagnosed with Zika. As of June 16, federal health officials were tracking 481 cases of pregnant women who appeared to be infected. (6/30)

Miami Herald: Rubio Can Be A Hero In The Zika Fight
On Tuesday, a woman gave birth to Florida’s first baby born with the now well-known birth defect associated with Zika. The mom, a citizen of Haiti, was infected outside of the United States, but her infant was born here with the abnormally small head that signals brain damage. Meanwhile, the U.S. Senate failed to pass long-overdue legislation to fight Zika with a $1.1 billion infusion that very same day. (6/29)

Miami Herald: How We Can Protect Ourselves From Zika
Here’s how to protect yourself from Zika right now: Wear long sleeves, use EPA-approved repellent, and get rid of containers that can become mosquito breeding grounds. Self-protection basics and additional tips you can find at http://news.ifas.ufl.edu/2016/06/ufifas-expert-has-five-tips-to-reduce-mosquitoes-around-your-home/ from the University of Florida come from decades of public scientists’ focus on the world’s deadliest animal. (Jack Payne, 6/29)

The Fiscal Times: Here’s Why Reforming Medicare Spending Is So Difficult
In a United States Senate bitterly divided along partisan lines, senators have come together on not one but two points of rare agreement: First, members of the Senate Finance Committee all agree that Medicare drug costs must be brought under control. Second, they tacitly agreed during a hearing on Tuesday, nobody wants to take the political risk of implementing a major change that might actually help reduce spending. The hearing was meant to examine a proposal by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to reduce the amount it reimburses healthcare providers for medicines, in part to eliminate a perverse incentive that could encourage doctors to prescribe more expensive medicines rather than cheaper alternatives that are just as effective. (Rob Garver, 6/29)

New Hampshire Union Leader: NH Can Do More To Address Substance Misuse
In March of this year, the Executive Council voted to accept the receipt of a donation of 171 naloxone, or Narcan, kits for use in each one of our high schools, and some school districts such as Manchester and Nashua have decided to accept these kits. The New Hampshire School Nurses Association has endorsed this program and school nurses and first-responders are trained to administer this overdose-reversing drug and are legally permitted to do so thanks to recent legislative action and the governor’s signature. (Joshua Bourdon, 6/30)

The Columbus Dispatch: Police Now Armed With Life-Saving Drug
Police officers see a lot of tragedy, but they must feel particularly helpless as they watch Ohio’s opioid epidemic killing so many young people. The scourge reaches from rural communities to affluent suburbs and poor urban neighborhoods. Because seconds count when someone has overdosed, Columbus police are stocking cruisers in targeted areas with an antidote: Naloxone, known best by the brand name Narcan, can help an overdose victim breathe again by blocking the effects of opiates, such as heroin. (6/30)

Concord Monitor: Today’s Planned Parenthood Vote Shows What’s At Stake This Election
For half a century, Planned Parenthood has been there for people in New Hampshire, no matter what. Every year, it provides care to almost 13,000 people who need access to services like counseling, contraception, and family planning. Many of these patients cannot afford to go anywhere else. Others choose the organization because it’s the provider they know and trust. (Hillary Clinton, 6/29)