The New York Times: ‘Medicare For All’ Gets Much-Awaited Report. Both Sides Can Claim Victory.
The Congressional Budget Office published a much-awaited paper about the possible design of a single-payer or “Medicare for all” system in the United States. The budget office most often provides detailed estimates about the cost of legislation. But anyone looking for many numbers in Wednesday’s long report would be disappointed. Instead, the nonpartisan office noted the many ways that legislators could devise such a system, outlining the cost and policy effects of a wide range of difficult choices. It also noted that such a system would be so different from the country’s current situation that any hard estimates would be difficult, even with all the specifics laid out. (Sanger-Katz, 5/1)

The Associated Press: Budget Office: Caveats To Government-Run Health System
"The transition toward a single-payer system could be complicated, challenging and potentially disruptive," the report said. "Policymakers would need to consider how quickly people with private insurance would switch their coverage to a new public plan, what would happen to workers in the health insurance industry if private insurance was banned or its role was limited, and how quickly provider payment rates under the single-payer system would be phased in from current levels." (Alonso-Zaldivar and Fram, 5/1)

The Washington Post: Medicare-For-All Plans Get A Reality Check
The analysis, issued Wednesday by the Congressional Budget Office, offers a reality check on the campaign slogans that have characterized a growing crop of Democratic presidential aspirants who champion the idea of Medicare-for-all. The report lays out “opportunities and risks” of moving every American into a single government plan that covers all or most medical services. On the plus side, it says, such a plan would produce universal coverage and probably a more efficient health system. Among the negatives: higher government spending and taxes — and potentially longer waits for some treatments and technologies. (Goldstein, 5/1)

The Wall Street Journal: Medicare For All Could Trim Costs, Impede Care, Report Says
The report serves as a yardstick laying out possible pitfalls and advantages of instituting such a Medicare for All system, as well as the policy questions lawmakers would have to address. By consolidating administrative tasks, the report says, their costs would likely fall under the new health system. But the design of the system would determine whether it lowers overall health-care spending. A Medicare for All system would create incentives, such as access to expanded preventive care and other benefits that may improve people’s health, the report said. But it also said that extending coverage to more Americans could produce longer wait times and reduced access to care if there weren’t enough health workers. (Armour, 5/1)

Kaiser Health News: CBO’s Report On Single-Payer Health Care Holds More Questions Than Answers
Notably, the single-payer report avoids a question that critics frequently surface: How much would this cost? How would you pay for it? That’s because there’s no uniform cost estimate for single-payer and no easy formula to apply. For one thing, the price tag depends on what services are covered — something like long-term care would make the idea much more expensive. (Luthra, 5/1)

Modern Healthcare: CBO Warns Of Complexities, Disruption Of A Single-Payer System
Independent analyses have put the price tag of single payer at roughly $32 trillion over a decade. Yet in highlighting the potential economic disruption of a single payer overhaul, the agency pointed to one of the key reasons Medicare for All is gaining traction: the costs in the status quo. "Because healthcare spending in the United States currently accounts for about one-sixth of the nation's gross domestic product, those changes could significantly affect the overall U.S. economy," the report said. (Luthi, 5/1)

Modern Healthcare: Humana CEO Spurns Medicare For All Proposals
Louisville, Ky.-based insurer Humana reported higher revenue and profit in the first quarter of 2019 as it experienced explosive growth in its individual Medicare Advantage plans during the latest annual open-enrollment period. So it's no surprise that Humana CEO Bruce Broussard talked up the privatized Medicare Advantage program during the company's Wednesday conference call with investment analysts, just a day after U.S. House of Representatives members held a first-ever congressional hearing on Medicare for All. Some single-payer proposals would eliminate private insurance for almost all medical care. (Livingston, 5/1)

Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill —

The Hill: House Democrats Introduce Moderate Medicare Expansion Plan 
House Democrats on Wednesday unveiled a more moderate proposal for expanding health care coverage than "Medicare for All" legislation that has been advocated by a number of the party's 2020 presidential candidates. The Medicare for America Act, sponsored by Reps. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) and Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), was released a day after Democrats held the first hearing about Medicare for All. (Weixel, 5/1)

The New York Times: Trump Administration Files Formal Request To Strike Down All Of Obamacare
The Trump administration formally declared its opposition to the entire Affordable Care Act on Wednesday, arguing in a federal appeals court filing that the signature Obama-era legislation was unconstitutional and should be struck down. Such a decision could end health insurance for some 21 million Americans and affect many millions more who benefit from the law’s protections for people with pre-existing medical conditions and required coverage for pregnancy, prescription drugs and mental health. (Hoffman and Goodnough, 5/1)

The Associated Press: Trump, GOP States Ask Appeals Court To Kill 'Obamacare'
The "Obamacare" opponents hope to persuade the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans to uphold U.S. District Court Judge Reed O'Connor's ruling late last year striking down the law. If the ruling is allowed to stand, more than 20 million Americans would be at risk of losing their health insurance, re-igniting a winning political issue for Democrats heading into the 2020 elections. President Donald Trump, who never produced a health insurance plan to replace "Obamacare," is now promising one after the elections. (McGill and Alonso-Zaldivar, 5/1)

The Wall Street Journal: Trump Administration Now Urges Court To Strike Down Entire Health Law
At earlier stages of the case, the Trump-era Justice Department argued against several central provisions of the ACA, but it didn’t ask the court to strike down the whole law. The department signaled its change of heart in a one-paragraph letter submitted to the Fifth Circuit in March, but it didn’t lay out its new position at the time. “Once those core provisions are excised, the balance of the ACA cannot continue to operate as intended,” the Justice Department said in Wednesday’s filing. “Instead of rewriting the statute by picking and choosing which provisions to invalidate, the proper course is to strike it down in its entirety.” (Kendall and Armour, 5/1)

In other news on the health law —

Modern Healthcare: CMS, Treasury Want More Ideas To Boost State Uptake Of ACA Waivers
The Trump administration is soliciting new ideas to improve the 1332 waiver system that allows states to bypass parts of the Affordable Care Act, the latest move to get more states interested. The request for information issued Wednesday comes after the CMS and Treasury Department in October relaxed the process for states to get a waiver, which were created under the ACA to enable states to provide alternative coverage approaches. (King, 5/1)

The Hill: Sanders Criticizes Biden Health Plan: 'It Doesn't Go Anywhere Near Far Enough' 
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) criticized his 2020 Democratic presidential rival Joe Biden’s health care plan on Wednesday, saying it falls short of needed changes. “It doesn't go anywhere near far enough,” Sanders told reporters in the Capitol when asked about the former vice president’s plan. “It will be expensive, it will not cover a whole lot of people.” The remarks mark relatively rare direct criticism of a rival candidate in the early stages of the Democratic presidential primary. (Sullivan, 5/1)

Des Moines Register: 2020 Iowa Caucus: John Delaney Wants To Focus On Mental Health Care
John Delaney says Democrats are talking too much about "Medicare for All" and not enough about mental health care.  The former Maryland congressman running for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination said Wednesday that his fellow Democrats should reframe their discussions rather than centering on "Medicare for All" and single-payer health care — policies he opposes. (Cannon, 5/1)

Kaiser Health News: Booker’s Argument For Environmental Justice Stays Within The Lines
As part of Sen. Cory Booker’s presidential primary campaign, the New Jersey Democrat talks about “environmental justice” — which seems to mean addressing the environmental factors that disproportionately affect people who are low-income and from minority backgrounds. One issue he’s highlighting: the impact of so-called Superfund sites, hazardous waste sites that are especially prevalent in Booker’s home state, and usually located in the same neighborhoods as low-income residents, often African American or Hispanic. (Luthra, 5/2)

PolitiFact and Kaiser Health News team up to truth-squad health care claims made by politicians and policymakers leading up to the 2020 election. Check here for past coverage. 

The New York Times: Guatemalan Boy Dies In U.S. Custody After Illness, Officials Say
A 16-year-old Guatemalan boy who was placed in a Texas shelter for migrant children and teenagers after entering the United States has died in federal custody, officials said on Wednesday. The boy, who died on Tuesday, was considered an unaccompanied minor who had entered the United States. Officials refused to comment on how long he had been in the country, where his parents were or whether he entered illegally. But his death is sure to highlight the risks for the surge of Central American families who have crossed the southwestern border in recent months, overwhelming federal facilities and resources. (Kanno-Youngs, 5/1)

Reuters: Teenage Guatemalan Migrant Dies In Texas While In U.S. Custody
He entered the United States near the border city of El Paso, Texas and was detained by U.S. border patrol agents on April 19, according to a statement from Guatemala's foreign ministry. The boy was then sent to a shelter nearly 700 miles away in Brownsville, the statement added, where he was "beginning the process of family reunification." (5/1)

Texas Tribune: Immigrant Teen Dies While In Federal Custody In South Texas
Evelyn Stauffer, a spokesperson for the Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families, said the teenager showed no signs of illness after first arriving to the shelter but then developed fever, chills and a headache. Shelter personnel took the teen to a hospital emergency room, which treated and released him back to the shelter later that day. “The minor’s health did not improve after being transferred back to the shelter so on the morning of April 22, 2019 the minor was taken to another hospital emergency department via ambulance," Stauffer said in a written statement. "Later that day the minor was transferred to a children’s hospital in Texas and was treated for several days in the hospital’s intensive care unit.” (Aguilar, 5/1)

In other news on immigration —

The Washington Post: Trump Says The Border Crisis Is About Criminals And Gangs. His Administration Says It Is About Families And Children.
Faced with rising numbers of migrants at the southern border, President Trump has regaled supporters with increasingly apocalyptic warnings of an “invasion” populated by criminals with face tattoos who look fearsome enough to be “fighting for the UFC.”... But on Wednesday, in an emergency plea to Congress for $4.5 billion, his administration described the migrants as vulnerable families and children whose dire situation requires the resources “to sustain critical and lifesaving missions.” “Immediate emergency action is required . . . to safely, securely, and humanely process and care for this at-risk migrant population,” Russell T. Vought, the acting director of the Office of Management and Budget, wrote in the emergency request to lawmakers. (Nakamura, 5/1)

Miami Herald: Homestead Migrant Shelter Operator Gets Big No-Bid Deal
The Homestead shelter for unaccompanied migrant children has been shrouded in secrecy and cloaked in controversy from the moment it was reactivated in February 2018. Lawmakers scornful of President Trump’s immigration policies have been blocked from visiting. Because it sits on federal land, Florida’s child welfare agency is barred from investigating allegations of abuse. Rather than close it, as activists have demanded, the feds just gave the operator, Comprehensive Health Services, a brand new contract — one worth $341 million. (Madan, 5/1)

The Wall Street Journal: Bill Would Deny U.S. Pensions To Convicted Child Molesters
A U.S. senator is seeking to ban convicted child molesters from receiving government pensions after a U.S. Indian Health Service doctor was revealed to be drawing a six-figure retirement income following his conviction for sexually abusing patients. The Wall Street Journal and the PBS series Frontline reported in March that the doctor, longtime Indian Health Service pediatrician Stanley Patrick Weber, stood to get more than $1.8 million in U.S. pension payments during his prison sentence, which began in September. (Weaver and Frosch, 5/1)

The Hill: Dems Turn Black Maternal Deaths Into Powerful 2020 Issue 
Democratic presidential candidates led by Sens. Kamala Harris (Calif.) and Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) are talking about an issue that hasn’t historically received much attention on the campaign trail: the high rates of pregnancy-related deaths among black women. For black women — a key voting bloc in the Democratic Party — issues of maternal mortality and racial disparities in health care have particular resonance, and that hasn’t gone unnoticed by some of the top 2020 candidates, including Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) (Hellmann, 5/2)

Reuters: CVS Health Raises Full-Year Profit Forecast On Aetna Strength
CVS Health Corp on Wednesday raised its full-year profit forecast and reported first-quarter earnings that topped Wall Street estimates due to growth in its Aetna health insurance business, and as drug prices fell within its expectations. Shares rose more than 5 percent to $57.35. They had fallen 17 percent this year, hurt by a weak forecast in February and a cut to rival Walgreen Boots Alliance's full-year outlook last month due to lower generic drug prices. (5/1)

The Wall Street Journal: CVS Eases Concerns About Aetna Deal
The first-quarter results mark a shift from February when the Woonsocket, R.I.-based company offered a downbeat earnings projection for 2019 that sent shares tumbling. The latest performance also distinguishes CVS from rival Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc., which reported weaker profits in the most recent quarter and lowered its forecast citing weaker profit from generic-drug sales. “Considering that expectations have been low, we see this as the first positive catalyst that restores investor confidence in this management team,” SVB Leerink analyst Ana Gupte said. (Terlep and Wilde Mathews, 5/1)

Modern Healthcare: CVS Health's First-Quarter Earnings Get A Boost From Aetna
CVS piloted three "HealthHUB" stores in Houston earlier this year and now plans to expand them to the rest of the Houston market. The stores are meant to help manage patients' care in between physician visits by offering a range of healthcare services, digital tools, on-demand health kiosks, and chronic care management services. The Houston stores also include an in-house dietitian who offers personal and group nutrition counseling. "These new store formats illustrate how CVS Health is evolving and differentiating to address the changing healthcare landscape," Merlo said. "And while it is early we are very encouraged by the initial results in our Houston stores. The various product and service offerings are performing at or above our expectations."(Livingston, 5/1)

Reuters: Fitbit Results Beat Street As Demand For Wearable Devices Climb
Wearable device maker Fitbit Inc reported better-than expected first-quarter results and reaffirmed its full-year revenue forecast on Wednesday, as it sells more smartwatches and wearable devices that track health at affordable prices. Shares of the company rose 1.5 percent to $5.45 in late trade. Fitbit, which helped pioneer the wearable devices craze, posted year-over-year trackers growth for the first time in three years, getting a boost from its new Inspire line. Smartwatch sales also more than doubled in the quarter. (5/1)

The Wall Street Journal: CEOs In Health Care Discuss Challenges Of Working With Artificial Intelligence
Technology is reshaping health care, from pharmaceutical research to detecting opioid addiction, but the magnitude and pace of change isn’t always as dramatic as some had hoped a few years ago, industry leaders said at The Wall Street Journal Health Forum on Tuesday. Novartis AG Chief Executive Vas Narasimhan said that for now, the opportunities presented by artificial intelligence are on the margin. “It’s another tool in the toolbox,” he said. (Walker, Loftus and Abbott, 5/1)

Modern Healthcare: Walgreens To Train Pharmacy Staff In Mental Health First Aid
Walgreens Boots Alliance launched a training program for pharmacists to learn how to better identify warning signs of mental health and substance use problems in their patients and help them during crisis situations. The retailer partnered with the American Pharmacists Association and the National Council for Behavioral Health to create an online version of the Mental Health First Aid program, which was developed in 2001 in Australia to provide individuals who weren't clinicians with strategies to help someone experiencing a mental health crisis. (Johnson, 5/1)

Modern Healthcare: Former HMA CEO To Pay $3.5 Million Over False Billing Allegations
The former CEO of Health Management Associates has agreed to pay nearly $3.5 million to settle false claims and kickback allegations, the U.S. Justice Department announced Tuesday. The False Claims Act settlement resolves the government's assertion that Gary Newsome oversaw unnecessary patient admissions and the subsequent billing of government healthcare programs for more expensive services. It also settles allegations that Newsome caused HMA to pay kickbacks to emergency department physicians in return for referrals. (Bannow, 5/1)

Stat: A Theranos Scientist-Turned-Whistleblower, On Jail Time For Elizabeth Holmes
She joined Theranos fresh out of the University of California at Berkeley, a self-described “starry-eyed’’ 22-year-old chemist and biologist who saw Elizabeth Holmes as a role model: the CEO who would revolutionize the blood testing industry. Seven months later, Erika Cheung quit her job as a lab associate at the company and became a disillusioned whistleblower, her life now enveloped by one of the biggest business scandals in American history. She was among those who had made clear to federal regulators that she viewed Holmes as a liar who had put patients at risk. (Holmes, and her company’s former president, Ramesh Balwani, have been indicted on charges of defrauding investors out of hundreds of millions of dollars as well as deceiving hundreds of patients and doctors.) (Berke, 5/1)

Topeka Capital Journal: Kansas Senate Narrowly Dismisses Effort To Put Medicaid Expansion In Play
The Kansas Senate narrowly shot down an attempt Wednesday to put Medicaid expansion in play, striking a blow to one of the best last chances for expansion supporters who hope to pass a plan this session. Lawmakers returned to action after a three-week hiatus and confronted a maneuver from Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley, D-Topeka, who forced lawmakers to take action on legislation that previously passed the House. Hensley’s motion fell one vote shy of the 24 votes needed to pull the bill out of committee. (Smith, 5/1)

Kansas City Star: Kansas Senate Denied Medicaid Expansion Debate By One Vote
Democrats tried to use a procedural motion to override Senate leaders and keep expansion alive in the waning days of the legislative session. But the 40-member chamber needed 24 votes and the motion failed 23-13 after Senate majority leader Jim Denning, a Republican from Overland Park, voted “pass” rather than “aye” or “nay.” “I’m not saying no,” Denning said. “I’m saying this policy isn’t ready.” (Marso and Shorman, 5/1)

POLITICO Pro: Kansas Senate Defeats Medicaid Expansion Plan
“I understand the pressure that my colleagues are under and I’m thankful that we will be able to review this bill in the interim and look at changes that the federal government is making in applications and waivers, and put out a bill that Kansans can afford,” said state Senate President Susan Wagle, who opposes expansion. (Pradhan, 5/1)

KCUR: Kansas Medicaid Expansion Fails To Get A Vote, But Supporters Threaten Budget To Force One 
Sen. Barbara Bollier, a former Republican who switched to the Democratic Party before the start of the session, said the refusal by Republican leaders to allow a vote on expansion “is abhorrent to me and should be to the entire state.” “Kansans have lost today,” she said. (McLean, 5/1)

Bangor (Maine) Daily News/Maine Public: Expanded Medicaid Has Increased Access To Opioid Treatment, But Waitlists Have Ballooned
When Janet Mills ran for governor, she promised to expand Medicaid to help combat the opioid crisis. Her campaign estimated that 25,000 Mainers couldn’t access treatment for substance use disorder either because of a lack of capacity or a lack of insurance. Now, four months into expansion, providers say they’re seeing a dramatic increase in access, but many are concerned Maine doesn’t have the capacity to meet the pent up demand. (Wight, 5/1)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: GOP Plans To Strip Medicaid Expansion, Marijuana From Evers Budget
Republican lawmakers plan to vote next week to remove the pillars of Democratic Gov. Tony Evers' state budget — including his plans to expand health care under the Affordable Care Act, establish nonpartisan redistricting, legalize medical marijuana, cap enrollment in voucher schools and provide driver's licenses to people who are here illegally. Sen. Alberta Darling of River Hills and Rep. John Nygren of Marinette, who lead the GOP-controlled budget-writing committee, said Wednesday they also would seek to remove Evers' plan to increase the minimum wage and his proposal to eliminate the state's right-to-work law, which bans labor contracts that require workers to pay union fees. (Beck and Marley, 5/1)

Meanwhile —

Modern Healthcare: Hospitals Ask Justice Department To Stop Centene-WellCare Merger
The American Hospital Association urged the Trump administration on Wednesday to halt Centene's $17.3 billion acquisition of WellCare Health Plans, claiming it will reduce competition in Medicaid managed-care and Medicare Advantage services. Centene and WellCare are both major players in government-sponsored health plans, with both having a presence in Medicaid and on the Affordable Care Act's exchanges. All told the two insurers would cover nearly 22 million people in Medicare, Medicaid and the exchanges. (King, 5/1)

The New York Times: Measles Outbreak: Why A Bid To End Religious Exemptions For Vaccines Has Stalled
As New York has emerged as the epicenter of a national outbreak of measles, local lawmakers and health officials have struggled to compel some ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities, where most of the cases have been found, to drop their resistance to vaccinations. Public health emergencies have been declared in New York City and Rockland County; summonses have been issued to those not abiding by vaccination requirements; and schools have been closed. (McKinley, 5/1)

Reuters: Merck Steps Up U.S. Measles Vaccine Production With Increased Demand
Merck & Co said on Wednesday it has increased production of the measles vaccine to meet an uptick in demand in the United States in the midst of the country's biggest outbreak in 25 years. Merck, the sole U.S. supplier of measles vaccines, said the increased demand was noticeable, but did not amount to a surge, and has not required a significant increase in distribution across the country. (Erman, 5/1)

The New York Times: Cruise Ship Quarantined In St. Lucia After Measles Case Is Reported
The Caribbean nation of St. Lucia has quarantined a cruise ship on the island after identifying a confirmed case of measles on board, a health official said. Passengers and crew aboard the large ship were not permitted to leave, Dr. Merlene Fredericks-James, the nation’s chief medical officer, said on Tuesday. The highly infectious disease, which can be prevented by a common vaccination, is in the midst of its largest outbreak in a quarter century in the United States, with more than 700 cases reported. (Victor, 5/2)

The Washington Post: Measles On Cruise Ship: Hundreds Quarantined In St. Lucia
Authorities confirmed the case Tuesday morning, said Merlene Fredericks James, St. Lucia’s chief medical officer. The vessel was locked down later that day, an attempt to stymie any potential spread of the highly contagious disease that is sickening people in the United States at a record pace, fueled by anti-vaccination misinformation. “No one was allowed to leave the ship,” Fredericks James said in a statement. “Because of the risk of potential infection, not just from the confirmed measles case but from other persons who may be on the boat at the time, we thought it prudent to make a decision not to allow anyone to disembark.” (Thebault, 5/1)

The Hill: 'Avengers: Endgame' Crowd May Have Been Exposed To Measles, California Health Officials Warn 
Health officials in Orange County, California are warning moviegoers that they could have been exposed to measles last week after a woman who went to a viewing of “Avengers: Endgame” reported having been diagnosed with measles. According to a local NBC affiliate, the woman was diagnosed with the virus shortly after she attended a late-night showing of the blockbuster film last week at an AMC theater in Fullerton. (Foley, 5/1)

San Jose Mercury News: ‘Avengers’ Screening Among Measles Exposure Sites In Orange County
A Placentia woman in her 20s who went to see “Avengers: Endgame” during the opening weekend is the first confirmed case of measles in Orange County in 2019, health officials announced Tuesday, April 30. The Orange County Health Care agency advised people of potential exposure locations, including the AMC Theater on Lemon Street in Fullerton, between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m. April 25, at a showing of “Avengers.” (Bharath and Smith, 5/1)

Arizona Republic: An Out-Of-State Visitor Exposed Arizonans To Measles. What You Should Know
A traveler with measles exposed Arizonans to the virus after flying into Tucson from New York last month, the director of the Arizona Department of Health Services said Wednesday. Anyone who was at Tucson International Airport on April 29 from 6 a.m. to 10:40 p.m. may have been exposed to the virus, ADHS Director Cara Christ said. (Price, 5/1)

Arizona Republic: Some Adults Born Before 1989 May Need A Measles Vaccine Booster Shot
Adults born before 1957 were most likely exposed to measles and should have immunity, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. But adults vaccinated before 1989 — and particularly those born between 1957 and 1967 — could be more vulnerable. (Innes, 5/1)

And in other vaccination news —

Bloomberg: Glaxo’s Shingles Vaccine Helps Boost Earnings Over Estimates
GlaxoSmithKline Plc’s shingles vaccine helped counter new competition for its aging asthma treatment as the U.K. drugmaker posted first-quarter earnings that beat analysts’ estimates. Shingrix, the shot that’s become a key growth driver for Glaxo, handily exceeded expectations, according to a statement Wednesday. The company said the vaccine, approved in late 2017, will likely generate significantly more than 1 billion pounds ($1.3 billion) in sales this year. (Paton, 5/1)

The New York Times: Saving The Teeth Of Patients With Special Needs
Many dentists can’t — or won’t — treat patients with disabilities. Some cannot physically accommodate a large wheelchair, “or they don’t feel comfortable treating the patients,” said Dr. Rita Bilello, the dental director at Metro Community Health Centers in Brooklyn, Staten Island and the Bronx. Historically, pediatric dentists were taught how to treat patients with special needs, but general dentists weren’t. That means a child with autism might get regular checkups, but not necessarily an adult. However, in 2006, a new standard for dental programs went into effect. The Commission on Dental Accreditation mandated all students had to be able to competently assess the treatment needs of special-needs patients. But as of 2012, less than three-quarters of dental schools have predoctoral students actively involved in their treatment, according to a study in the Journal of Dental Education. (Saint Louis, 5/2)

The Associated Press: School Safety At Forefront Of Teacher Rally After Shooting
North Carolina's public school teachers and their supporters showed up in force Wednesday to demand an overhaul of the state's education priorities, bringing thousands to a march and rally in the state's capital. Chanting "Whose schools? Our schools! Whose voice? Our voice," they rallied in Raleigh for the second year in a row. They want more money for student support staff, such as counselors and nurses — features now included in the state House budget written by Republican legislators. (5/1)

The Wall Street Journal: Fossil Points To A Vanished Human Species In Himalayas
A fossil jaw found in the Himalayan highlands of Tibet belongs to a vanished human species called Denisovans, deepening the mystery of human evolution in Asia, scientists said Wednesday in a new study probing the roots of humankind. Discovered by a local Buddhist monk, the fossil shows these archaic human relatives lived on the roof of the world in the rarefied air at almost 11,000 feet—an altitude that would leave many people today starved for oxygen. They settled at these frigid heights at least 160,000 years ago, more than 120,000 years before modern humankind arrived, said the scientists, who published their work on the fossil in the journal Nature. (Hotz, 5/1)

The New York Times: Pay Tuition Or Eat Dinner? Nearly Half Of All State College Students Go Hungry
In the coming weeks, thousands of college students will walk across a stage and proudly accept their diplomas. Many of them will be hungry. A senior at Lehman College in the Bronx dreams of starting her day with breakfast. An undergraduate at New York University said he has been so delirious from hunger, he’s caught himself walking down the street not realizing where he’s going. A health sciences student at Stony Brook University on Long Island describes “poverty naps,” where she decides to go to sleep rather than deal with her hunger pangs. (Laterman, 5/2)

NPR: In 'Mind Fixers,' Anne Harrington Explores Role Of Drug Marketing In Mental Illness
Historian and Harvard professor Anne Harrington believes that pharmaceutical companies have played an oversized role in determining how mental illness is treated in the United States — leading to a rise in the use of antidepressant drugs. Harrington's new book, Mind Fixers: Psychiatry's Troubled Search for the Biology of Mental Illness, chronicles the history of psycho-pharmaceuticals, such as Prozac and Xanax, which have been used to treat depression and anxiety, as well as lithium, the first drug to treat what is now called bipolar disorder. (Gross, 5/2)

The New York Times: Anti-Infective Drugs Tied To Eating Disorders
Girls who have serious or repeated infections in childhood are at higher risk for developing eating disorders in adolescence, a new study has found. The study, in JAMA Psychiatry, tracked 525,643 girls — every girl born in Denmark from 1989 through 2006. The researchers recorded all prescriptions that were filled for antibiotics and other anti-infective medications, as well as hospitalizations for infection, through 2012. There were 4,240 diagnoses of eating disorders during that time. (Bakalar, 5/2)

The New York Times: Premature Birth Raises Risk Of Kidney Disease
Premature birth increases the risk for chronic kidney disease later in life, a new study reports. Researchers used a database of 4,186,615 singleton live births in Sweden from 1973 to 2014, following the people into mid-adulthood. The analysis, in BMJ, found 4,305 cases of chronic kidney disease. (Bakalar, 5/1)

The Washington Post Fact Checker: Trump’s Claim Of ‘Amazing’ Success In Cutting Opioid Prescriptions
During a recent speech on the administration’s efforts to ease the opioid crisis, President Trump asserted that his administration had already achieved its goal of cutting nationwide opioid prescriptions by one-third. Trump’s original goal, made on March 19, 2018, was to reach this target within three years. So obviously we were curious about whether the claim about already reaching the milestone within a year was valid. (Kessler, 5/2)

Stat: State AGs Criticize A Government Task Force Over Opioid Prescribing 
As the opioid crisis continues unabated, a federal task force meets next week to review a draft report on managing pain, but dozens of attorneys general worry the final version may be used to unravel prescribing guidelines already issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The draft from the Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force covers a lot of ground in attempting to find ways to address acute and chronic pain management: medicines, other medical approaches, overdose prevention, insurance coverage, and treating different patient populations, among other things. (Silverman, 5/1)

Stat: Development Of New Antibiotics Will Require New Incentives, Experts Say
The market for combating superbugs, in theory, is substantial. In the U.S. alone, some 2 million people are infected with antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria annually, and 23,000 people die. Globally, about 700,000 people die each year thanks to antimicrobial resistance, according to a UN committee report. By 2030, the authors believe superbugs may kill up to 10 million people each year. Yet companies continue to bow out of the antimicrobial field. (Keshavan, 5/2)

Stat: Even Many Who Support Trump’s Drug Rebate Plan Don’t Support It In Medicaid
Medicaid advocates have a lot of opinions about the Trump administration’s rebate rule. Namely, that it makes no sense. The Trump administration’s controversial proposal to eliminate the drug rebates that pharmacy middlemen and insurers use to negotiate down the price of certain drugs doesn’t stop with that massive change — it proposes eliminating some of the rebates in Medicaid, too. The administration argues that in both programs, the policy will force pharmacies to pass rebates directly to the consumer, meaning lower prices at the pharmacy counter. (Florko, 5/2)

Stat: FDA Approves The First Vaccine For Dengue Fever, But With Major Restrictions
The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved the first vaccine against dengue fever, one that protects against a common disease but has generated significant controversy due to evidence it can increase the risk of severe infection in some people. The agency ruled that Dengvaxia, manufactured by Sanofi Pasteur, can only be used in individuals aged 9 to 16 living in parts of the United States where the dengue virus is endemic — in other words, where it circulates on an ongoing basis. Dengue is found only in Puerto Rico and a few other U.S. offshore territories and protectorates. (Branswell, 5/1)

WBUR: Alabama Lawmakers Move To Outlaw Abortion In Challenge To Roe V. Wade
In what would likely become the most restrictive abortion ban in the country, the Alabama House Tuesday passed a bill that would make it a crime for doctors to perform abortions at any stage of a pregnancy, unless a woman's life is threatened. The legislation is part of a broader anti-abortion strategy to prompt the U.S. Supreme Court to reconsider the right to abortion. (Elliott, 5/1)

Pioneer Press: Minnesota Senate Spars Over Late-Term Abortion, ‘Gay Conversion Therapy’ 
Minnesota’s GOP-controlled Senate debated bans on late-term abortion and “gay conversion therapy” before passing a two-year, $14 billion health and human services budget early Wednesday. The Senate voted to ban abortions after 20 weeks unless the mother is at risk of death or serious harm. The provision is intended to protect a fetus once it can feel pain. (Magan, 5/1)

The Associated Press: Kansas Lawmakers Fail To Override Abortion 'Reversal' Veto
Republican lawmakers in Kansas narrowly failed Wednesday to override Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly's veto of a bill requiring abortion providers to tell patients about a disputed treatment to stop a medication abortion after it's been started. It was a second major loss in less than a week for abortion opponents in a state where they became accustomed to enacting new restrictions easily under Kelly's conservative GOP predecessors before she took office in January. (5/1)

Miami Herald: Teachers Can Carry Guns Under Bill Approved By FL Lawmakers
After about seven hours of angry, sometimes deeply painful debate about race and gun violence that spanned two days, the Florida House passed a bill Wednesday that would allow classroom teachers to be armed, expanding a program lawmakers created last year after the Parkland shooting. The debate reached emotional heights that had Democrats shouting or tearing up as black lawmakers delved into details about their personal experiences with racism and their deep-seated fears about minority children being targeted by teachers who have guns. (Mahoney, 5/1)

Miami Herald: Protesters Disrupt FL House Session Over Criminal Justice
About a dozen groups protesting “anti-civil rights” bills on topics from immigration to school vouchers to restoration of felons’ voting rights briefly halted a House floor session Wednesday afternoon. As the House took up a bill to create a state hemp program in Florida, two groups of protesters unfurled banners in the public galleries above the chamber and shouted at the lawmakers below. They were forcefully removed by the House sergeants. (Gross and Koh, 5/1)

Iowa Public Radio: Children's Mental Health System Signed Into Law
Gov. Kim Reynolds has signed a law (HF690) laying the groundwork for the state’s first comprehensive mental health system for children. It initially requires the state’s mental health regions to determine how to fix gaps in existing programs, although they won’t receive extra money this year to make changes. (Gerlock, 5/1)

KQED: How Powerful Lawmakers Are Killing California Bills — Without A Peep
Under a rule the California Assembly put in place at the start of the current session, committee chairs can decide whether to bring a bill assigned to their committee up for consideration. As key deadlines came and went this month for bills to move out of committee, chairs used the new power to quash bills by just not scheduling them for a public hearing.No hearing, no debate, no vote. (Rosenhall, 5/1)

State House News Service: Consent Laws Fail To Protect Patients And Detainees, Lawmakers Say
Warning that existing state law leaves dangerous loopholes, some lawmakers are pushing to crack down on cases of sexual assault involving medical and law enforcement professionals that they say misuse consent. Several bills on the topic contributed to a packed agenda at Tuesday's Joint Committee on the Judiciary hearing, where sponsors argued that further action is needed to punish abusers who exploit their professional status to take advantage of victims. (Lisinski, 5/1)

Tampa Bay Times: Regulators Still Not Satisfied With All Children’s Progress
Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital announced Tuesday that it has not yet corrected key problems identified by regulators early this year and said it has entered a binding agreement with the federal government requiring it to take special steps to avoid being cut off from public funding. This is the second time the hospital has needed an extension from regulators since January, when inspectors from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services wrote a scathing report describing widespread violations of federal hospital safety rules. (Bedi and McGrory, 5/1)

Houston Chronicle: Study: Texas Rate Of Uninsured Children Double National Average 
Texas led the nation in both the number and percentage of uninsured children in 2017, more than doubling the national rate, according to national findings released Wednesday. More troubling is that the percentage of Texas children without health coverage is on the rise, growing to 10.7 percent in 2017 from 9.8 percent the previous year. (Deam, 5/1)

The Oregonian: Oregon Mental Hospital Is ‘World’s Most Expensive Homeless Shelter,’ State Health Director Says
The state official who oversees Oregon’s public psychiatric hospital said Wednesday the facility has become “the world’s most expensive homeless shelter.” His remarks came in the context of a court hearing raising hard questions about ways the state manages resources to help those suffering from mental illness. About 60 percent of defendants admitted to the state mental hospital in Salem were homeless prior to their arrest, Patrick Allen, the Oregon Health Authority director, said in court testimony Wednesday. Those defendants were sent to the Oregon State Hospital to get treatment for the illnesses that prevent them from aiding in their defense at trial. (Friedman, 5/1)

New Orleans Times-Picayune: University Of Holy Cross, LCMC Health Team Up To Launch Physician Assistant Program 
The University of Holy Cross has partnered with LCMC Health to launch a new Master of Science graduate degree for physician assistants. The inaugural program will launch in Fall 2020 and will include on-the-job training for UHC students by doctors and other medical professionals at three of LCMC Health’s five hospitals in and around New Orleans, according to a joint news release from the school and the healthcare provider. In a statement Tuesday (April 30), LCMC Health CEO Greg Feirn said partnering with the university will help educate the next generation of healthcare professionals. (Nobles, 5/1)

The Associated Press: Ohio State Wants Info On '96 Doc Investigation Made Public
Ohio State University asked a judge Wednesday for permission to publicly share information about a confidential state medical board investigation involving the team doctor accused of decades-old sexual misconduct against more than 150 former students. The Perkins Coie law firm has spent a year investigating the men's allegations against Richard Strauss for Ohio State, and its findings are expected soon. The school plans to release that report, which it said will reference information provided by former OSU employees during the 1996 medical board investigation. (5/1)

The Associated Press: Conflict In Michigan AG's Office Over Flint Water Records
A civil war of sorts is developing in the Michigan attorney general's office over 23 boxes of records found in a state basement and what role — if any — they have in the Flint water criminal investigation. Prosecutors led by Fadwa Hammoud, a senior official in the office, want a six-month delay in the involuntary manslaughter case of former state health director Nick Lyon in order to conduct a review of the boxes. But another lawyer in the office took an extraordinary step Wednesday, telling a judge there's "no indication" that the boxes were connected to Lyon and that prosecutors last week had made a series of statements in a court filing that were "not true." (5/1)

Pioneer Press: Duluth Nursing Facility Client Dies After Swallowing Cleaner 
A Duluth nursing facility was responsible for maltreatment of a client who died after swallowing a chemical cleaner, according to a state agency. Westwood of Duluth, an assisted living facility that’s part of the Benedictine Living Community of Duluth, “failed to implement safety precautions when the client had (a) history of climbing over the kitchen gate” and “failed to otherwise secure chemical cleaners,” according to the report from Kathie Siemsen, a special investigator with the Minnesota Department of Health’s Office of Health Facility Complaints. (Lundy, 5/1)

The Washington Post: Homelessness Drops For Third Straight Year In D.C., City Officials Say
The number of homeless people counted on the streets and in the shelters of the nation’s capital has dropped for the third straight year, D.C. officials announced Wednesday. There were 6,521 homeless people in the District, a 5.5 percent decline from last year, according to the annual count performed by the city. The trend was driven by a 15.6 percent reduction in family homelessness, while the number of homeless, single adults increased by 2.8 percent. (Jamison, 5/1)

Sacramento Bee: Resident Physicians Urge UCD Health To Recognize Their Union
State Sen. Maria Elena Durazo rallied Wednesday alongside physician residents and fellows at the UC Davis Medical Center, urging UCD Health’s leaders to recognize the union that residents voted to represent them: the Committee of Interns and Residents. ...Leaders of the UC Davis Medical Center released a statement, saying the university is obligated, under law, to remain neutral until a union is certified by the state to represent an employee group. (Anderson, 5/1)

Los Angeles Times: O.C. Doctor Told Deputies He Found His Wife Dead At The Bottom Of The Stairs. Now He’s Charged With Murder
Dr. Eric Scott Sills, a successful Orange County fertility specialist, told investigators he awoke early on a November morning in 2016 to find his wife dead at the bottom of the stairs of their $1-million San Clemente home. Initially, it appeared that 45-year-old Susann Sills had fallen to her death, but prosecutors say an investigation that has spanned more than two years suggests more sinister circumstances. (Fry, 5/1)

Columbus Dispatch: Audit May Help Explain Sudden Collapse Of Columbus Mental-Health Nonprofit
Just a few years ago, the Columbus Area Integrated Health Services Board of Trustees was looking toward a bright future for the nonprofit, a cornerstone provider of mental health care in the black community for more than half a century. ...Bivens said that he and other trustees are awaiting the results of an audit of Columbus Area’s books to help explain how the nonprofit organization’s finances collapsed so swiftly and thoroughly last month, prompting it to ask the Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Board of Franklin County to take over Tuesday. (Price, 5/1)

WBUR: Some Boston Doctors Bring Climate Change Into The Exam Room — Warily
For Rice, connecting those consequences — heatwaves, more pollen, longer allergy seasons — to her patients' health is becoming routine. She is among a very small but growing number of doctors and nurses who discuss those connections with patients, in the exam room. (Bebinger, 5/1)

MPR: Premature Death Rate In MN Higher For Low-Income People And People Of Color
State officials say the rate of potentially preventable deaths was more than twice as high for Minnesotans living in high poverty and racially-diverse areas compared to those in majority white or higher income areas. The Minnesota Department of Health examined longevity in census tracts and found people in "higher income, majority white census tracts lived an average of 57 years, while those living in low-income, majority white census tracts lived 54 years. (Zdechlik, 5/1)

The Star Tribune: Minnesota's Premature Death Toll Is Over Twice As High In Poor, Minority Areas 
Minnesotans are less likely to die prematurely from conditions such as stroke and heart disease than people in other parts of the country, but the state’s protective benefits don’t appear to extend to poor and minority residents. Premature deaths — those that might be avoided with proper medical care — were more than twice as likely in regions of the state with the largest impoverished and minority populations, the Minnesota Department of Health reported Wednesday. While racial and economic health disparities have been documented in the state for decades, the size of the gap in death rates still shocked the state researchers. (Olson, 5/2)

MPR: Task Force Takes On Rural Stress In Minnesota
The University of Minnesota has established a new rural stress task force to address a wide range of socioeconomic issues. University of Minnesota Extension Dean Bev Durgan said the effort comes in response to the stress on farm families and rural communities brought on by several years of low farm income. (Gunderson, 5/1)

CNN: 'Vampire Facial' At New Mexico Spa Tied To 2 HIV Cases, Health Officials Say
Health officials are investigating two cases of human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, among clients who received injection-related procedures, including "vampire facials," at an Albuquerque spa. The New Mexico Department of Health announced on Monday that laboratory tests indicated that the two clients were infected with the same virus, increasing the likelihood that the infections may have resulted from a procedure at the spa. (Howard, 4/30)

Boston Globe: Eight Takeaways From The Spotlight Series On The State’s Burgeoning Marijuana Industry
Here are eight takeaways from the Spotlight Team’s three-part series on the state’s new marijuana industry. ...The Globe found that two companies, TILT Holdings and Acreage Holdings, bragged to investors about plans to open as many as a dozen marijuana stores in Massachusetts through complex networks of corporations. (Wallack, 5/1)

JAMA Internal Medicine: Comparative Analysis Of Medicines Safety Advisories Released By Australia, Canada, The United States, And The United Kingdom.
National regulatory agencies’ decisions to approve new drugs are based on limited safety evidence collected during clinical development. Often, only when a drug enters general use do rarer or longer-term adverse events become known or better understood, prompting regulators to issue safety advisories. We examined how often medicines regulators in 4 countries with similar medical traditions, population health, and demographics—Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States—were concordant in their decisions to issue safety advisories on approved prescription medicines. (Perry et al, 4/29)

Pediatrics: Parents’ Perspectives Regarding Age Restrictions For Tackling In Youth Football
A majority of US parents across sexes would support age restrictions for tackling in football. This information should inform discussions when guidelines about tackling in youth football are revisited. (Chrisman, 5/1)

Pediatrics: Breastfeeding In Infancy And Lipid Profile In Adolescence 
Breast milk has higher cholesterol than formula. Infants who are breastfed have different cholesterol synthesis and metabolism in infancy than infants who are formula fed. Little is known as to whether breastfeeding is associated with subsequent lipid profile, independent of adiposity. We assessed the association of breastfeeding in early infancy with lipid profile and adiposity at ∼17.5 years in a setting where exclusive breastfeeding is not associated with higher socioeconomic position. (Hui et al, 5/1)

JAMA Psychiatry: Association Of Maternal Neurodevelopmental Risk Alleles With Early-Life Exposures.
Early-life exposures, such as prenatal maternal lifestyle, illnesses, nutritional deficiencies, toxin levels, and adverse birth events, have long been considered potential risk factors for neurodevelopmental disorders in offspring. However, maternal genetic factors could be confounding the association between early-life exposures and neurodevelopmental outcomes in offspring, which makes inferring a causal relationship problematic. (Leppert et al, 5/1)

Bloomberg: Medicare For All’s Peril And Promise In One Crazy Chart 
The Congressional Budget Office — a nonpartisan group that analyzes the cost of legislation for Congress — released a much-anticipated report Wednesday that analyzes the potential design and implementation of a single-payer health-care system along the lines of “Medicare for All.”  Many on both sides of the health-care debate were hoping the report would include numbers with which to assail or support the plan; instead, they were disappointed. The report doesn’t estimate the cost of any specific proposal or come to a conclusion about the rather foundational issue of whether a single-payer system would save the U.S. money. That’s because the only correct answer to that question is, it depends. (Max Nisen, 5/1)

The Wall Street Journal: ‘Medicare For All’ Isn’t Medicare
More than 100 House Democrats have endorsed Rep. Pramila Jayapal’s Medicare for All Act of 2019. Fourteen Democratic senators have co-sponsored a similar bill from Sen. Bernie Sanders. The title is deeply misleading. It implies that the current Medicare system would be extended to all Americans. In fact, Medicare for All differs from Medicare in fundamental ways—with much broader coverage, no cost sharing, and fewer choices of health-care plans. While America needs a debate about health care, it should be based on an accurate description of the alternatives. (Robert C. Pozen, 5/1)

The Hill: Surprise Health Billing Illustrates How Illogical The American Health System Is 
This month, Congress and the Trump administration are considering what to do about the problem of surprise health-care bills. They would be wise to use Connecticut as an example, where one of the most comprehensive sets of reforms was instituted two years ago.Surprise bills, or “balanced bills," are the difference between what the out-of-network physician charges and what the insurance company will pay. (Kathleen Silard, 5/1)

Stat: Revealing The Real Prices Insurers Pay Can Save Health Care 
A bold proposal to publish tightly held secrets about health care prices could unleash the power of markets to lower health care costs. The Department of Health and Human Services has released a request for information on a proposal to create public access to real price information in health care under the regulatory framework of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Unlike the mandate earlier this year from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that requires hospitals to publish their so-called chargemaster prices, the HHS proposal would shed light on the secret negotiated prices insurance companies pay. (Marty Makary and Ge Bai, 5/2)

Kansas City Star: He Said, She Said On Kansas Medicaid Expansion Talks
The most recent of our umpteen editorials in favor of Medicaid expansion accused Kansas Republicans of “delaying as long as possible, playing games and pulling stunts.” Republican Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning declined an interview request before the piece ran, but after its publication decided to tell us his version of events.In an interview Monday, he accused Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly of threatening him, expressing “viciousness towards me personally,” and saying she’d compromised all she intended to on this issue. (4/30)

The Wall Street Journal: The Complicated Truth About Vaccines
Why are people afraid of vaccines? The already strong evidence of their safety got stronger in March with the release of a large Danish study that addressed several objections to previous studies and found that the measles vaccine poses no additional risk of developing autism. Yet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported April 26 that there have been 704 cases of measles so far this year. “The suffering we are seeing today is completely avoidable,” Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said Monday. “We know vaccines are safe because they’re among some of the most studied medical products we have.” (Michael Segal, 5/1)

Boston Herald: Democrats Avoid Taking Shot At Vaccination Stance
Why does Mayor Pete want to force Muslim parents to inject their babies with pork? ...There are currently no Sharia-compliant, or “halal,” forms of the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine available. They all contain traces of pork. Last August, the Indonesian Ulema Council issued a fatwa against the vaccine before backing down under government pressure and declaring the shots “mubah” — something Muslims can use if necessary, but should avoid if possible.As a result, MMR immunization rates are lower in places like Indonesia, Pakistan and Malaysia, and many parents cite religious objections as the reason they avoid the shots. The London Telegraph reports that “the race is on” for a halal MMR immunization, but many Muslims sincerely believe that getting the shots today is a violation of their faith. (Michael Graham, 5/2)

Houston Chronicle: How To Improve Black Americans’ Health 
Solutions are available. It will take a multipronged, team approach to close the gaps in African-American health outcomes. Organizations across all sectors must work together — government and businesses to make equitable investments in black communities, health care to make concerted efforts to build trust, and community-based organizations to make improving health a priority.This will not be easy. But I am an optimist, and I believe that together, we can make black American health inequities history. (Sherri Onyiego, 5/1)

The Hill: Colorectal Cancer Harms Minorities At A Higher Rate — But CMS Can Help
As we mark the end of National Minority Health Month, we must continue to highlight the health disparities that affect minority communities year-round. One disease that takes a disproportionate toll on African-Americans and Latinos is colorectal cancer.Minority communities have a higher rate of colorectal cancer and diagnosis at a later stage than Caucasian communities. Currently, both Latinos and African Americans are less likely to be screened for colorectal cancer. Only 45 percent of Hispanics and 57 percent of African Americans receive preventive screening tests, compared to 61 percent of Caucasians. (Cecelia Brewington, 5/1)

The Washington Post: The Latest Shooting Attacks Show How The U.S. Stands Apart From The World 
So far this year — that’s some 120 days — there have been more than 100 other mass shootings, more than 4,500 gun deaths (not counting suicides) and more than 8,400 gun injuries. And so there is no question that is more pertinent than the one asked by that terrified UNC Charlotte student: “Why?” We, of course, know the answer: There are too many guns. Americans make up about 4.4 percent of the global population but own 42 percent of the world’s guns. Access to firearms — even weapons made for war such as the one wielded by the sociopath who fired on the California worshipers celebrating Passover — is pretty much unfettered. (5/1)

Austin American-Statesman: Commentary: Medication Stability Means Stability For Mental Health Patients And Communities
For many mental health patients, it takes months or even years of trial and error before they find an effective therapy for their condition. For example, a person with bipolar disorder may experience years of chaos: difficulty with relationships, struggles at work, school dropouts, hospitalizations, homelessness, substance abuse and even incarcerations. However, once they find the right treatment and become stable, most people diagnosed with bipolar disorder can and do get better.So when insurance companies switch people off their medications, it drastically complicates the picture, resulting in negative consequences for patients and those around them. (Greg Hansch, 5/1)

Boston Globe: Being A Foster Child Is Traumatic Enough. Let’s Stop Making It Worse
The current shortage of long-term homes means the children are placed in a series of “hotline homes,” way stations on the path to a permanent placement. Kids can often get shuttled to two or three different homes before finding that long-term home. They get to relive their separation trauma over and over. (Stan Rosenberg, 5/1)

Boston Globe: Thinking Big On DCF Reforms
Reporting by the Globe’s Kay Lazar shows that kids under state care bounce from one temporary foster care home to another and often wait months for mental health services. In a state touted as a technology hub, DCF still relies partly on an old-school, paper-based system to match children with available foster homes. And in a world of instant text messaging, foster parents say this agency is a poor communicator, leaving them without crucial information about the children they take in as well as other support measures. (4/30)