The Associated Press: Dems Shift Line Of Attack, Warning Of GOP Threat To Medicare
With the GOP tax plan contributing to rising federal deficits, Democrats are warning that Republicans will seek cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security to balance budgets if they keep control of Congress in the November election. It's a familiar message for Democrats, who have for years campaigned on the idea that Republicans want to gut the "entitlement" programs. Republicans say they want to put those benefit programs on better financial footing and tame the deficit. (Mascaro, 10/17)

The Washington Post: As Midterms Near, Democrats Accuse GOP Of Plotting To Cut Medicare, Social Security
“A vote for Republican candidates in this election is a vote to cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid,” argued Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.). Van Hollen and other Democrats pounced on comments from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, in which the top Senate Republican blamed social programs for the growing deficit and said he hoped Congress would tackle spending on them “at some point here.” The Democrats’ alarm bells about deficits, which are reaching $1 trillion annually, came three weeks ahead of midterm elections that will decide control of Congress. President Trump himself expressed new concern about government spending Wednesday, telling members of his Cabinet that they should plan to cut 5 percent from their agencies’ budgets while offering few details except to say the Pentagon budget would largely be spared. As reporters looked on, Trump promised the cuts will “have a huge impact.” (Werner, Paletta and Weigel, 10/17)

The Washington Post: Trump Calls For 5 Percent Spending Cut In Some Programs
President Trump on Wednesday asked every major cabinet agency to draw up proposals to cut its budget by 5 percent next year, adding he could grant some exemptions to his request and suggesting he would not ask the Pentagon to cut the full 5 percent. “Get rid of the fat, get rid of the waste,” Trump said at a meeting with cabinet members. “I’m sure everybody at this table can do it.” ... Trump’s comments came one day after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) said a much different approach was needed to address the deficit. McConnell blamed programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security for driving the deficit, but he said changes to those programs can’t happen unless Democrats took control of either the House or the Senate, because it would take leadership from both parties. (Paletta and Kim, 10/17)

The Wall Street Journal: Trump Seeks 5% Budget Cuts From Cabinet Agencies
“There’s been a bipartisan reluctance to tackle entitlement changes because of the popularity of those programs,” Mr. McConnell told Bloomberg News. “Hopefully at some point here we’ll get serious about this. We haven’t been yet.” (Hughes and Rubin, 10/17)

The Hill: Cruz Softens ObamaCare Attacks, Underscoring GOP Shift 
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) pledged to protect people with pre-existing conditions at a debate Tuesday night, illustrating just how dramatically Republicans have changed their stance on the issue. Cruz is perhaps most well known for tenaciously opposing ObamaCare at every turn. But now, facing a surprisingly tough reelection race against Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D), he is speaking up in favor of one of ObamaCare’s core provisions: protections for those with pre-existing conditions. (Sullivan, 10/18)

The Associated Press: GOP On Defense To Explain Pre-Existing Condition Protections
In ads and speeches, Democratic U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill is pounding Missouri voters with a single message: Her Republican challenger wants to end health insurance protections for people with pre-existing conditions. The Republican, Attorney General Josh Hawley, says it's not true and has been forced to defend himself. (Ballentine, 10/17)

The Washington Post: Growing Number Of Republicans Sounding A Lot Like Democrats Ahead Of Elections
A growing number of Republican candidates are sounding a lot like Democrats as they face midterm elections, co-opting Democratic talking points on issues such as health care, education funding and the #MeToo movement. Republicans around the country have begun campaigning on safeguarding insurance protections for people with preexisting medical conditions, a pillar of President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act — even though the GOP spent years trying to repeal the law. (Werner and Weigel, 10/17)

Kaiser Health News: Health Care Tops Guns, Economy As Voters’ Top Issue
Health care has emerged as the top issue for voters headed into the midterm elections, but fewer than half of them say they are hearing a lot from candidates on the issue, according to a new poll released Thursday. Seven in 10 people list health care as “very important” as they make their voting choices, eclipsing the economy and jobs (64 percent), gun policy (60 percent), immigration (55 percent), tax cuts (53 percent) and foreign policy (51 percent). (Galewitz, 10/18)

Politico: Home Health Aides Test Political Clout In Georgia Governor's Race
The country's fastest growing sector of workers is mobilizing as a political force for the first time by rallying behind Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams’ bid to become the first black woman governor in the United States. The National Domestic Workers Alliance claims a membership of more than 2.5 million home health aides, nannies and housekeepers and has ambitions of one day matching the political footprint of labor unions that have long been a pillar of the Democratic Party. Leaders of the group see a logical ally in Abrams, who has championed expanding Medicaid, raising the minimum wage and strengthening funding for rural health care. (Ollstein, 10/17)

The Associated Press: In Governor's Race, Issues Of Age, Health And Forthrightness
Gubernatorial challenger Walt Maddox's introductory television ad aimed to convey crucial details to voters. He described rebuilding tornado-ravaged Tuscaloosa as the city's mayor and called his politics "pro-life and pro Second Amendment." He also emphasized his age. "I'm Walt Maddox. I'm 45 years old," Maddox said at the ad's start. (Chandler, 10/17)

The Associated Press: Kobach Proposes Tougher Work Rules For Welfare In Kansas
Republican Kris Kobach promised Wednesday to push for tougher work requirements for welfare and state health coverage recipients in Kansas, building on existing policies that have populist appeal but draw criticism as punitive toward the poor. Kobach outlined a plan to increase work requirements for able-bodied adults receiving food stamps and cash assistance. It would impose a work requirement — and drug testing — for the state's Medicaid program, which provides health coverage to the needy. (10/17)

Kaiser Health News: Children’s Hospitals Again Cry For Help From Voters. But Are They Really Hurting?
Back in 2004, California’s children’s hospitals asked voters to approve a $750 million bond measure to help fund construction and new medical equipment. In 2008, they asked for $980 million more. Now they’re hoping voters will agree on Nov. 6 to cough up an additional $1.5 billion. The state’s 13 children’s hospitals treat California’s sickest kids — including those with leukemia, sickle cell disease, rare cancers and cystic fibrosis — so approving their fund-raising requests is an easy “yes” for many voters. (Ibarra, 10/18)

Kaiser Health News: GOP Gubernatorial Candidate John Cox: Limit Government In Health Care
John Cox stood on a presidential debate stage and told the audience that he was glad abortion wasn’t legal in 1955.If it had been, he said, he wouldn’t have been born. “I wouldn’t be standing here before you today. This is personal to me,” Cox said in the 2007 GOP presidential primary debate, explaining that his biological father walked out on his mother. (Young, 10/17)

New Hampshire Public Radio: Libertarian Jarvis Opposes Medicaid Expansion, FMLA Legislation
Libertarian gubernatorial nominee Jilletta Jarvis supports job training as part of any initiative to combat the opioid epidemic in New Hampshire, but she's opposed to Medicaid expansion, which several state leaders say has been a critical tool in response to the health crisis. Morning Edition host Rick Ganley interviewed Jarvis to further discuss health care issues. (Ganley, 10/17)

Reuters: McConnell Says Senate Republicans Might Revisit Obamacare Repeal
Republicans could try again to repeal Obamacare if they win enough seats in U.S. elections next month, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said on Wednesday, calling a failed 2017 push to repeal the healthcare law a "disappointment." In a forecast of 2019 policy goals tempered by uncertainty about who would win the congressional elections, McConnell blamed social programs, such as Social Security and Medicare, for the fast-rising national debt. (Morgan, 10/17)

The Washington Post: McConnell: GOP May Take Another Shot At Repealing Obamacare After The Midterms
“If we had the votes to completely start over, we’d do it. But that depends on what happens in a couple weeks. . . . We’re not satisfied with the way Obamacare is working,” McConnell said. Republicans are optimistic about their chances of maintaining control of the Senate next month, while polls suggest that a Democratic takeover of the House is increasingly likely. (Sonmez, 10/17)

The Hill: McConnell: GOP Could Try To Repeal ObamaCare Again After Midterms 
While the House passed legislation last May that would repeal key parts of former President Obama's signature health-care law, Senate Republicans could not muster the votes needed to pass any of their plans. A last-ditch effort to pass a scaled-down repeal bill out of the Senate failed in July 2017 when the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) cast the deciding vote against it. (Hellmann, 10/17)

Meanwhile, a look forward at what could be coming from HHS —

CQ: HHS Seeks Changes On Exchange, Medicaid, Medicare And FDA Rules
The Trump administration plans to pursue regulatory changes in the next year that could affect health care insurance exchanges, patient privacy, Medicaid coverage and food labeling. The “unified agenda” published by the Office of Management and Budget Wednesday included 188 Health and Human Services Department rules that are administration priorities. Most are in the early stages of rulemaking, which involves soliciting public comments on initial proposals. But some are in the final stages and could be released soon. (Siddons, Clason and Williams, 10/17)

ProPublica: GOP Senator Pushed VA To Use Unproven “Brainwave Frequency” Treatment
Sen. Dean Heller, a Nevada Republican, pushed doctors at the Veterans Affairs medical center in Reno to adopt an experimental mental health treatment marketed by a company with ties to his office. On a Friday night last December in his Reno office, Heller, a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, introduced VA officials to representatives from a health care startup called CereCare. (Arnsdorf, 10/17)

In other veterans' health care news —

Reuters: U.S. Prepares For Biggest-Ever Agent Orange Cleanup In Vietnam
U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Wednesday visited a former American air base in southern Vietnam that will soon become the biggest-ever U.S. cleanup site for contamination left by the defoliant Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. Standing near a skull-and-crossbones warning sign meant to keep people away from toxic soil, Mattis was briefed by Vietnamese officials about the massive contamination area. (Stewart, 10/17)

WBUR: VA Struggles To Reach Other-Than-Honorable-Discharge Vets In Need Of Help
Onan is one of the thousands of veterans who have other-than-honorable (OTH) discharges. They don't typically qualify for VA benefits, even though many have service-related trauma. And as a group they have a high suicide rate. To address that, the VA last summer started a new program. It allows OTH vets to come into the VA to receive mental health care, at least for 90 days. (Walsh, 10/18)

The Wall Street Journal: Study Challenges Hospitals’ Use Of Accrediting Watchdogs
U.S. hospitals that pay to get accredited by federally approved organizations such as the Joint Commission don’t have lower mortality rates than those inspected by state agencies, according to a Harvard University study that raises questions about the benefits of the multimillion-dollar accrediting industry. (Armour, 10/18)

In other hospital news —

Modern Healthcare: Hospitals Poised To Report Weak Third-Quarter Admissions
Hospitals' upcoming earnings season is shaping up to be dominated by company-specific deals and turnaround plans rather than the usual broad industry trends. Analysts predict HCA Healthcare, the darling of the investor community, will outperform its peers in the third quarter of 2018, and they're eager for updates on turnaround plans and pending deals at chains like Community Health Systems, Tenet Healthcare and Universal Health Services. (Bannow, 10/17)

The Associated Press: Obituary For Woman With Opioid Addiction Inspires Donations
A powerful obituary for a Vermont woman with opioid addiction has inspired more than 100 donations to a local recovery center from around the country and as far away as Denmark. The family of 30-year-old Madelyn Ellen Linsenmeir posted an obituary for her after she died Oct. 7 that appeared in several newspapers and has been widely shared. (Rathke, 10/17)

The Washington Post: Madelyn Ellen Linsenmeir: Emotional Obituary Details Decline Into Opioid Addiction
There were 12 unforgettable days. Twelve days at home with her loved ones. Twelve days watching children’s movies and chatting around the dinner table. Twelve days Madelyn Ellen Linsenmeir remained mostly sober after a years-long on-again, off-again relationship with opioids. Twelve days that gave them all hope. “We believed as we always did that she would overcome her disease and make the life for herself we knew she deserved,” a family member wrote. “We believed this until the moment she took her last breath. “But her addiction stalked her and stole her once again. Though we would have paid any ransom to have her back, any price in the world, this disease would not let her go until she was gone.” (Bever, 10/17)

The Hill: Melania Trump Meets With Families Affected By Opioid Withdrawal In Newborns 
First lady Melania Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar on Wednesday met with families affected by neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), a condition that afflicts babies exposed to opioids in the womb. The meeting took place in Philadelphia, where Trump and Azar toured a neonatal intensive care unit. (Hellmann, 10/17)

KCUR: Recovering Addicts Say Rural Missouri's Meth 'Explosion' Is A Warning To The Country 
The sharp rise in opioid abuse and fatal overdoses has overshadowed another mounting drug problem: Methamphetamine use is rising across the country. “Usage of methamphetamine nationally is at an all-time high,” says Erik Smith, assistant special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Kansas City office. ...The reasons for that are twofold, he says. The drug is now stronger, and cheaper, than it used to be. Law enforcement agencies say drug cartels are pumping cheap, potent meth from so-called “Mexican super labs” through established heroin and cocaine distribution networks. (Morris, 10/17)

Cincinnati Enquirer: Is Teen Drug Use Spurred By Parents Using Opioids? Experts Say Yes.
For years, the adults using opioids and dying from overdose have been the spotlight of a public health crisis in the United States.For years to come, their children will take center-stage. They're collateral damage from the prescription painkiller-turned-heroin-turned-fentanyl epidemic. (DeMio, 10/17)

Cincinnati Enquirer: Experts: Treatment Methods For Teen Drug Use
For the other one: Nine out of 10 teens who use drugs do not get treatment, and that's a problem, experts say. Here are five evidence-based treatment methods to be aware of, should your child develop a substance-use disorder. (DeMio, 10/17)

Health News Florida: Hillsborough Allocates $13.7M To Fight Opioid Crisis
Hillsborough commissioners on Wednesday voted to spend $13.7 million dollars over the next year to combat opioid addiction. Most of the money will be spent on prevention and treatment but the county has also set aside funding for education and recovery. (Ochoa, 10/17)

Richmond Times-Dispatch: Second Needle Exchange Program Launches At Richmond Free Clinic With RPD Support
Virginia’s second needle exchange program — an initiative aimed at reducing the risk of spreading bloodborne disease by offering clean needles to injection drug users — was launched in Richmond this week. The Health Brigade, formerly the Fan Free Clinic, is offering what it calls a comprehensive harm-reduction program. (Balch, 10/17)

Los Angeles Times: What Is AFM? Everything You Need To Know About The Polio-Like Virus Suddenly Affecting Children Across The U.S.
It’s mysterious, it’s dangerous and it’s got parents on edge from coast to coast. It’s a medical condition called acute flaccid myelitis, or AFM. The disease causes sudden, unexplained paralysis, usually in children. Its resemblance to polio has caused the public to take notice. Federal health officials have confirmed 62 cases of AFM in the U.S. this year, and 65 more are under investigation. There are four suspected cases in California, according to the state’s Department of Public Health. (Karlamangla, 10/17)

The Baltimore Sun: What To Know About Acute Flaccid Myelitis, The Polio-Like Illness That's Affecting Children 
Five children in Maryland have contracted symptoms of an illness similar to polio this fall, according to state health officials. ...The CDC has not traced the illness to a specific virus, but the agency said it has a variety of causes including viruses, environmental toxins and genetic disorders. Viruses that can cause the disease include poliovirus, non-polio enteroviruses, adenoviruses and West Nile virus. (McDaniels and Meehan, 10/17)

Wyoming Public Radio: Colorado Is Home To Mysterious Neurological Disease, And Researchers Tracking It
A spike in cases of a mysterious neurological disease has been raising concern around the country this week. A group of researchers in Colorado has been leading the way in understanding it. ... Dr. Kevin Messacar of Children’s Hospital Colorado spoke to the Mountain West News Bureau about his research on the disease. His work suggests it’s a respiratory virus that ends up causing nerve damage. “We have a better understanding that this virus is likely causing an active infection in the spinal cord, in the rare cases that it’s causing paralysis,” Messacar said. (Neuman, 10/17)

Cleveland Plain Dealer: One Confirmed, Two Possible Cases Of AFM, Polio-Like Illness, Reported In Ohio
Ohio has one confirmed case of a rare polio-like condition called acute flaccid myelitis, or AFM, and two unconfirmed cases, health officials said Wednesday. Two children thought to have AFM were recently treated and released at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, officials said. (Washington, 10/17)

Columbus Dispatch: One Case Of Polio-Like Illness Confirmed In Ohio, Others Being Investigated
The Ohio Department of Health confirms one case this year of AFM, a rare, polio-like condition causing concern across the country. In Columbus, Nationwide Children’s Hospital reports several suspected cases. (Viviano, 10/17)

Boston Globe: Two Mass. Children Contracted Rare Muscle-Weakness Syndrome This Year
The Department of Public Health has confirmed the second Massachusetts case this year of a rare but potentially devastating illness that strikes mostly children and causes muscle weakness or paralysis. The other case of acute flaccid myelitis, or AFM, occurred in August, and four others are under investigation in Massachusetts. (Freyer, 10/17)

Georgia Health News: Rare Mystery Illness Hits 3 Georgia Kids This Year
Three Georgia children have been reported this year as having a rare, polio-like health condition, state officials said Wednesday. ...Dr. Sumit Verma of Children’s Healthcare noted that unfortunately there is no cure for acute flaccid myelitis, but he said there are ways to manage the symptoms and that rehabilitation can improve function and quality of life. “It’s very rare,’’ he added. “We don’t need to panic on this.” (Miller, 10/17)

Los Angeles Times: What Civil War Soldiers Can Teach Us About How Trauma Is Passed From Generation To Generation
An experience of life-threatening horrors surely scars the person who survives it. It also may have a corrosive effect on the longevity and health of that person’s children and, in some cases, on the well-being of generations beyond. The latest evidence of trauma’s long shadow comes from the families of American Civil War veterans. Focused on the children of Union soldiers who were held in Confederate prisoner of war camps, it offers tantalizing clues about the means by which a legacy of misery is transmitted from parent to child — as well as a way to disrupt that inheritance. (Healy, 10/17)

Stat: How 23andMe Thinks About Genetic Privacy In The Age Of Forensic Genealogy
These days, DNA testing is making headlines in politics and criminal justice — and genetic privacy is increasingly in the spotlight. At 23andMe, the industry’s best-known company, the executive tasked with thinking about safeguarding DNA is global privacy officer Kate Black. STAT recently sat down with Black at 23andMe’s headquarters here in Silicon Valley. Here’s what she had to say about her role, recent news stories, and 23andMe’s policies. (Robbins and Garde, 10/18)

Stat: New England Journal Pulls A Paper, Probes Two Others From Stem Cell Scientist 
The New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday retracted one paper from the lab of a controversial stem cell researcher and issued an “expression of concern” about two others published in its pages, dating to as long ago as 2001. The journal’s move comes three days after Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital told STAT and Retraction Watch they had recommended that 31 papers from Dr. Piero Anversa be retracted by medical journals. The medical school and the hospital did not name the journals where the work appeared. (Cooney, 10/17)

Bloomberg: Pot ‘Poster Child’ Eyes March Rollout For Alzheimer's Product
As Canada today becomes the second country to fully legalize the recreational use of marijuana, the “poster child of a cannabis bubble” sees big opportunity ahead. ...[India Globalization Capital], which turned heads in 2013 when it added a cannabis pharmaceuticals business to its existing infrastructure legacy, has applications pending for eight patents, with its Hyalolex formulation for Alzheimer’s its leading candidate. Its pharmaceutical products are based on a low-THC formulation, which has been shown to offer benefits like higher energy while slowing the build up of plaque in brains, a key characteristic in Alzheimer’s patients. (Wolf, 10/17)

The New York Times: High Blood Pressure Of Pregnancy Tied To Dementia Later In Life
Having pre-eclampsia — dangerously high blood pressure during pregnancy — is linked to an increased risk for dementia later in life, according to a new study. Up to 5 percent of pregnant women develop pre-eclampsia, usually after the 20th week. In addition to hypertension, the condition can include signs of diminished kidney or liver function. (Bakalar, 10/17)

NPR: Why Black Men Are Hesitant To Participate In Prostate Cancer Research
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer for men in the U.S. (other than non-melanoma skin cancer) and one of the most deadly. It's especially deadly for black men, who are more likely to get it and twice as likely as white men to die from it. Yet black men tend to be underrepresented in research for prostate cancer treatment. (Cohen, 10/17)

The New York Times: Omega-3s In Fish Oils Tied To Healthy Aging
Higher blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids, the fats found in fish, are linked to a healthier old age, according to a new study. Researchers tracked 2,622 adults, average age 74 and healthy at the start of the study, from 1992 to 2006, looking to see if they continued to live without chronic diseases and without mental or physical problems. The investigators measured blood levels of four common types of omega-3s: EPA and DHA, found in seafood; ALA, derived from plants; and DPA, which the body produces in small amounts. (Bakalar, 10/17)

MPR: Heard About Herd Immunity? Get A Flu Shot
Flu season has begun in Minnesota with the state health department reporting two hospitalizations for the week ending October 6th. Minnesota health officials hope it will be easier to convince more people to get immunized this year following a spike in influenza cases last year. (Zdechlik, 10/17)

The New York Times: Coffee May Tame The Redness Of Rosacea
Yet another reason to drink coffee: A new study suggests it can be good for the complexion. Researchers studied the effect of coffee drinking on the risk for rosacea, a chronic skin disease that causes facial redness in about 5 percent of the population. (Bakalar, 10/17)

California Healthline: Family Doctors ‘Not Doing Enough’ To Curb STDs
Julie Lopez, 21, has been tested regularly for sexually transmitted diseases since she was a teenager. But when Lopez first asked her primary care doctor about screening, he reacted with surprise, she said. “He said people don’t usually ask. But I did,” said Lopez, a college student in Pasadena, Calif. “It’s really important.”Lopez usually goes to Planned Parenthood instead for the tests because “they ask the questions that need to be asked,” she said. (Gorman, 10/17)

San Jose Mercury News: Why Do California Babies Have Syphilis In Numbers Rivaling Those Of Poor Nations?
About two decades ago, congenital syphilis was all but eradicated in California, the most populous state. But in the past six years, the number of cases has jumped from 33 to 283—almost a tenfold increase. It’s the highest number of cases in any state and accounts for the third-highest rate per live birth, behind Louisiana and Nevada. (Gorn, 10/17)

Stat: Apple Wants To Seize The Market For Patient Monitoring 
Apple’s EKG app stands out in a maze of health technologies for its ability to monitor a user’s heart function around the clock from any location, generating a stream of data that could personalize cardiology care and lead to the development of more effective treatments. But for Apple itself, the business impact is potentially even more far-reaching. It gives America’s dominant maker of consumer technologies a giant head start in the exploding market for patient monitoring devices — a field that could upend the way care is delivered not just in cardiology, but in countless other specialties as well. (Ross, 10/18)

PBS NewsHour: Nonprofit Helping Low-Income Patients Describes Itself As ‘Match.Com Meets The Peace Corps’
Physician shortages, as well as cost and distance, can make specialty care prohibitive for many low-income patients. A nonprofit aims to tackle those challenges by utilizing telehealth technology and retiring, volunteer doctors. (Wise, 10/17)

The CT Mirror: Connecticut Insurance Department Approves CVS-Aetna Merger
The Connecticut Insurance Department has approved CVS Health Corp’s $69 billion merger with Hartford-based Aetna Inc. The approval is contingent on Aetna completing the sale of its entire standalone Medicare Part D prescription plan business to a subsidiary of WellCare Health Plans, according to the insurance department’s decision issued on Wednesday. (Rigg, 10/17)

The Wall Street Journal: NYC Council Boosts Benefits For Pregnant Women And New Moms
In an effort to reduce maternal mortality in New York City and ease the postnatal transition for mothers, the City Council on Wednesday passed a package of bills addressing everything from the process of labor and delivery to child care. The legislation—which was introduced this year before Mother’s Day—authorizes studying how the city can provide subsidized child care for its employees. The bills will also require free wipes and diapers at homeless shelters and city-run child-care facilities, lactation rooms for mothers who visit jails or police precincts and revised procedures for reporting maternal mortality by the city health department. (West and Honan, 10/17)

The Associated Press: Virginia Lawmaker Settles Suit; Seeks Mental-Health Reform
A Virginia lawmaker whose son stabbed him before killing himself has settled a lawsuit over the young man's mental-health care. The Roanoke Times reports that Sen. R. Creigh (KREE') Deeds and his family will be paid $950,000 by the state's risk-management fund to settle their suit against Michael Gentry, a former mental-health evaluator with the Rockbridge Area Community Services Board. (10/17)

The Associated Press: Woman: Michigan Pharmacist Refused To Give Miscarriage Drug
A woman says a Michigan pharmacist refused to fill a prescription to help her complete a miscarriage, telling her it was against his religion. Rachel Peterson of Ionia tells the Detroit Free Press the pharmacist worked at a Meijer store in Petoskey. She and her husband were in northern Michigan in July following the miscarriage of their twins. (10/17)

Des Moines Register: Iowa Medicaid Transportation Shift Hurts Disabled Clients, Groups Say
Life for many disabled Iowans now features fewer outings, longer commute times and tighter living arrangements as a result of a state Medicaid policy change that affects their transportation to jobs and day services, a Des Moines Register investigation has found. The findings come less than a year after the Iowa Department of Human Services replaced a longtime "waiver" program used to pay for these transportation services. The change rolled the transportation payments into a new "tier rate" system that is supposed to be revenue neutral. (Clayworth, 10/17)

Dallas Morning News: Hospital Seeks To Vacate Judge's Ruling Keeping 9-Year-Old Girl Alive Through Monday
An extension of a temporary restraining order to keep a brain-dead 9-year-old alive through a ventilator should be vacated, attorneys for Cook Children's Medical Center said. The Fort Worth hospital petitioned the 2nd Court of Appeals in Fort Worth to vacate a ruling by state District Judge Melody Wilkerson that granted an extension through Monday for the Grand Prairie parents of Payton Summons, who was brought the hospital in cardiac arrest Sept. 25 and has been there ever since. Emergency room personnel restored her heartbeat, but she had to be put on a ventilator to breathe. (Brumfield, 10/17)

The Associated Press: Shoe-Shiner Who Gave $200K In Tips To Hospital Dies At 76
A part-time shoe-shiner who donated more than $200,000 in tips over 30 years to a Pittsburgh children's hospital died early Tuesday. Albert Lexie died of an undisclosed health condition, according to University of Pittsburgh Medical Center officials. He was 76. Every Tuesday and Thursday for more than three decades, Lexie left his home in Monessen around 5 a.m. to shine shoes at UMPC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh over 30 miles away. (10/17)

Houston Chronicle: Member-Based Health Care Aims To Upend Tradition In Woodlands 
First Primary Care is opening its second membership-based primary care practice in the Houston area as it seeks to upend the traditional business model of medicine. ...The primary care practice will offer same-day appointments for illness and injuries, wellness and preventative medicine, and chronic disease management a membership fee of $100 a month for individuals and $125 for seniors. It is part of burgeoning movement towards concierge-style medicine in this country, where patients are promised stronger and more direct relationships with their doctors for a set fee. Typically, like at First Primary Care, the arrangement is in lieu of traditional health insurance. (Deam, 10/17)

The Associated Press: $1.6M Grant Toward Development Of A Prostate Cancer Scanner
A researcher at Tulane University in Louisiana has secured a $1.6 million grant to try to develop a scanner that could rapidly check after prostate cancer surgery whether all traces of cancer have been removed. The four-year grant from the National Cancer Institute will let J. Quincy Brown work with engineers, mathematicians and medical doctors on developing a rapid microscopy scanner, according to a Tulane news release Tuesday. The team includes doctors in California and Maryland. (10/17)

St. Louis Public Radio: Anti-Smoking Advocates Urge 'No' Vote On Limited Ban In St. Charles County
Anti-smoking advocates in the St. Louis region will be encouraging their supporters to vote no next month on a proposed smoking ban in St. Charles County because they say it doesn’t go far enough. (Lippman, 10/18)

The Associated Press: California Surgeon, Girlfriend Face New Rape, Other Charges
A California surgeon and his girlfriend were charged Wednesday with crimes against five additional victims in addition to two women they were previously charged with drugging and sexually assaulting. (Taxin, 10/17)

Los Angeles Times: Newport Beach Surgeon Charged With Drugging And Raping 5 More Women
The accusations against the surgeon date to 2009. A woman, who was in her mid-20s at the time, told authorities she began dating Robicheaux after they met at a bar in Newport Beach in September that year. Prosecutors say the doctor raped her at his home after she told him she didn’t want to have sex. She told authorities that she knew Robicheaux had weapons and that she was afraid of him. The surgeon is accused of three felony counts of kidnapping with intent to commit a sexual offense, four counts of rape by use of drugs, two counts of assault with intent to commit a sexual offense, a count of forcible rape, a count of oral copulation by anesthesia or controlled substance, four counts of possession of a controlled substance for sale and two counts of possession of an assault weapon. Those charges could carry a sentence of more than 82 years in prison. (Winton and Sclafani, 10/17)

Texas Tribune: Austin Urges An Appeals Court To Allow Its Paid Sick Leave Ordinance To Take Effect
Saying that the city of Austin's paid sick leave ordinance would "undermine state sovereignty and upend constitutional structure," an attorney for the state of Texas joined lawyers for a conservative think tank on Wednesday in urging a state appeals court to uphold a temporary order blocking the ordinance from going into effect. Passed by the city council in February, the ordinance requires most employers to offer eight days of earned sick leave for a year of work; six days for businesses with fewer than 15 employees. (Lundstrom, 10/17)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinal: School Mobility Takes A Toll On Learning In Districts Beyond Big Cities
Three years ago, La Crosse County won a national award that local leaders could use for any project aimed at improving health.Instead of providing free flu shots or eye exams, organizers put the $10,000 toward something else: Working with two schools to stabilize families on the brink of enrolling their children elsewhere. (Richards, 10/17)

Cleveland Plain Dealer: The Homeless Need Support Services, Not Just Houses, To Keep From Returning To The Streets, Officials Say
Homeless advocate Sage Lewis has moved five people from a controversial tent encampment on property he owns on Broad Street to a house he has acquired, he said. Lewis, who filed a lawsuit Tuesday after the city denied him permission to run the so called Second Chance Village, said he also has asked the city to allow him to move five more homeless people into the house. (Conn, 10/17)

Miami Herald: Miami Beach Passes Rules To Keep E-Cigarettes Away From Teens
Amid skyrocketing teen e-cigarette use nationwide, the city of Miami Beach on Wednesday passed new rules designed to keep the devices away from minors. Although federal law prohibits the sale of e-cigarettes to anyone under 18, teens in Miami Beach say they have been able to order the devices online, get an unscrupulous adult to buy them, or find a smoke shop that doesn’t ask for ID. (Gurney, 10/17)

Iowa Public Radio: Manufacturer Unveils Iowa's First Legal Cannabis Products
MedPharm, Iowa’s only medical marijuana manufacturer, revealed the state’s first legal cannabis products Wednesday at its facility in Des Moines. ...MedPharm is making medical marijuana in the form of tinctures (drops under the tongue) capsules and creams. (Sostaric, 10/17)

Stat: We Need To Find A Better Place To Treat Mental Health Emergencies
When I walk through my hospital’s emergency department, I’m sometimes overwhelmed by the number of people languishing there as they wait for help with a mental health issue, like the woman clutching her chest as if she’s having a heart attack but is really suffering from a panic attack. It’s her third time here in a week. She is just one of the hundreds of patients who will be admitted this year to my emergency department in the Mat-Su Regional Medical Center in Palmer, Alaska, experiencing psychiatric emergencies. Many stay in the emergency department for hours; some even stay there for a few days. The practice, called psychiatric boarding, occurs when an individual with a mental health condition is kept in an emergency department because no appropriate mental health care is available. It’s rampant around the country. (Anne Zink, 10/18)

The Wall Street Journal: In The Battle Over Health-Care Costs, Food Could Be A Weapon
When it comes to health care, food pays. That’s the message from a growing body of evidence that should grab the attention of numerous health plans and facilities that accept financial risk for the cost of their patients’ care. (David Blumenthal, 10/17)

The Detroit News: Transparency, Competition For Health Care
It’s no secret Americans are worried about the rising costs of health care. Over the next decade, health care costs are projected to grow at an average rate of 5.5 percent per year and reach a total of $5.7 trillion by 2026, according to data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Additionally, a recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll indicates rising health care costs remain a primary issue for voters. ...One tried and true solution is increased transparency and competition within the health care industry, a strategy already embraced by some states looking to make health care more affordable and accessible. (Sarah Lee, 10/17)

USA Today: Medicare For All Won't Work. We Need Choices.
Under a “single safety net,” basic, government-funded health care is available to every American — with no holes in the net. The program could either be a single national program or have state variations. States would be required to pay a certain amount, but above that, could perhaps decide the level of funding that would determine what is covered, such as expensive drugs. The single safety net would not compete with private insurers. (Arthur "Tim" Garson Jr, 10/18)

Los Angeles Times: Trump's Plan To Reduce Drug Prices Might Be Unconstitutional. It Also Won't Help Much 
The Trump administration on Monday unveiled its latest proposal for reining in the cost of pharmaceuticals: requiring television advertisements for prescription drugs to display the price tag of the medication being promoted. For the 10 drugs seen most often on TV, the administration says, those list prices range from $535 to a whopping $11,000 per month or per course of treatment. Like the administration’s other efforts to address this issue, the mandate is a small response to an enormous problem. (10/17)

The Washington Post: How The Gun Debate In 2018 Has Changed
It has been just eight months since the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., brought the issue of guns to the top of the political agenda, and according to a new poll from Gallup, 61 percent of Americans think America’s gun laws ought to be made more strict. That’s down slightly from the 67 percent that Gallup recorded just after Parkland, but it’s still higher than the norm in the last decade. Which leads to the question: Why isn’t this a bigger issue in the 2018 election? (Paul Waldman, 10/17)

The Hill: Fetal Tissue Research Is The Victim Of Special Interest Politics 
As a biomedical researcher I am deeply troubled that the Trump administration is yielding to special interest groups and launching an attack on important biomedical research. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announcement that it will review all fetal tissue research runs the risk of playing politics with an important resource that’s key to developing new therapies to treat human disease. Fetal tissue has been essential in research used to develop therapies that have saved millions of lives and it continues to be necessary to understand how human tissues develop and are impacted by disease. An important fact is that the fetal tissue used in this research can only be used if it would otherwise be discarded. (Lawrence Goldstein, 10/17)

Bloomberg: Why Public Universities Are Getting Shortchanged 
Over the past decade, state government funding of higher education in the U.S. has fallen by $7 billion after inflation. The implications include increased tuition, which has received much public attention, but also a reduction in the relative quality of public higher education, which has gone largely unnoticed. Surprisingly, the most important driver of these trends at public institutions has little to do with education directly: it is instead the rising cost of health care. (Peter R. Orszag, 10/17)

Boston Globe: Stand Up For Equality: Vote Yes On 3
Two years ago, Massachusetts joined 17 states and Washington, D.C., by enacting protections for transgender individuals in any space — such as restaurants, libraries, and bathrooms — that serve the general public.Opponents have vowed to repeal the law since the day Governor Charlie Baker unceremoniously signed it . And here we are today. On the Nov. 6 ballot, Massachusetts voters face a simple decision: to uphold common-sense public accommodations protections for transgender individuals by voting yes, or to set back equal access by voting no. The Globe wholeheartedly endorses the Yes on 3 campaign. (10/18)

WBUR: A 'Yes' On Question 3 Is A Vote For Public Health
This November, Massachusetts voters will be given the chance to repeal a state law banning discrimination against transgender people in places of public accommodation. The law, passed in 2016, guarantees transgender people the same access to spaces like bathrooms, sports arenas, restaurants, movies theaters and parks enjoyed by populations who are less vulnerable to exclusion and harassment. The option of repeal will be presented to voters as Question 3 on the Nov. 6 ballot. (Sandro Galea, 10/17)

The Wall Street Journal: Bad Bedside Manner In Massachusetts
Massachusetts has some of the best medical care in the world, but a ballot measure next month could start its erosion by raising costs and reducing access. The culprit is the Massachusetts Nurses Association. (10/17)

Arizona Republic: Kyrsten Sinema Can't Protect Medicare By Doing Nothing
Kyrsten Sinema and her independent campaign allies claim that Martha McSally wants to cut Medicare, while Sinema vows to protect it. One could claim with equal veracity – which is to say, not much – that Sinema wants to cut Medicare hospitalization benefits by 22 percent. (Robb, 10/17)