Stat: Bill Cassidy Dismisses ACA Repeal, Site Neutral Payments Policy 
A key Senate Republican dismissed the idea that the Affordable Care Act can be repealed next Congress, despite former President Trump’s interest in the issue. If Republicans take control of the Senate after November’s election, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) would likely be in charge of the Senate’s health committee, which would share responsibility for changes to the Affordable Care Act. He said Wednesday morning that any comprehensive health care reforms would have to be bipartisan, and noted that repealing the Affordable Care Act would be a nonstarter among Democrats. (Zhang, 9/11)

NBC News: After Years Of Threats, Trump Still Doesn't Have A Plan To Replace Obamacare
Experts doubt it would happen under a second Trump administration either, given the difficulty of coming up with a policy that satisfies all parties and the former president’s lack of a specific plan. (Lovelace Jr., 9/11)

Axios: Trump's Undelivered Health Care Plan
A second term would give Trump the opportunity to implement a replacement for the ACA, but his longstanding promise of a new policy in the works has so far remained undelivered. (Habeshian, 9/12)

KFF Health News: Trump, Harris Spar Over Abortion Rights And Obamacare In Their First Face-Off
When Vice President Kamala Harris walked across the debate stage Tuesday night to shake the hand of former President Donald Trump, it was the first time the two had met in person. But that was the rare collegial moment in a face-off otherwise marked by false and sometimes bizarre statements by the former president. (9/11)

Also —

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Why Georgia Is Using Federally Banned Companies On Its Affordable Care Act Website
Companies under suspicion of misleading customers and improperly exporting their data to other countries are approved to be among the insurance enrollment companies allowed to sell Georgians Affordable Care Act health insurance plans beginning in November. (Hart, 9/11)

AP: More Women Had Their Tubes Tied After Roe V. Wade Was Overturned 
More women chose to have their tubes tied after Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, a new study shows, and the biggest increases were in states that ban abortion. A research letter published Wednesday in JAMA examined insurance claims data from 2021 and 2022 for around 4.8 million women who got tubal ligations, which are surgeries to close the fallopian tubes so the patient can no longer get pregnant. The data came from 36 states and Washington, D.C., and researchers categorized these places as “banned,” “limited” or “protected,” based on their abortion policies. (Ungar, 9/11)

Reuters: Indiana Judge Refuses To Broaden Medical Exception To Abortion Ban 
An Indiana judge on Wednesday refused to broaden the medical exception to the state's near-total abortion ban, ruling against a lawsuit brought by Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers. Judge Kelsey Hanlon of Monroe County Circuit Court acknowledged that the ban, which makes an exception for a "serious health risk" to the mother, put providers in "the incredibly unenviable position" of providing care in a "politically charged environment" under threat of criminal prosecution or loss of their licenses. However, the judge said the plaintiffs had not shown that the exception would prohibit an abortion in violation of women's rights under the state constitution. (Pierson, 9/11)

CalMatters: Project 2025 To California: Report Abortion Data Or Lose Billions In Medicaid
Project 2025, the 900-page conservative playbook for the next Republican president, issues an ultimatum for California: track and report abortion data to the federal government or risk losing billions in Medicaid funding for reproductive health. California is one of only three states that do not report abortion data to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  (Madan, 9/11)

The Atlantic: What Abortion Bans Do To Doctors 
Kylie cooper has seen all the ways a pregnancy can go terrifyingly, perilously wrong. She is an obstetrician who manages high-risk patients, also known as a maternal-fetal-medicine specialist, or MFM. The awkward hyphenation highlights the duality of the role. Cooper must care for two patients at once: mother and fetus, mom and baby. On good days, she helps women with complicated pregnancies bring home healthy babies. On bad days, she has to tell families that this will not be possible. Sometimes, they ask her to end the pregnancy; prior to the summer of 2022, she was able to do so. (Zhang, 9/12)

WUSF: Florida Abortion Restrictions Drive These College Students To Activism
Among the priorities of students advocating for abortion rights: expanding access to contraception and promoting Amendment 4, which would allow abortions in Florida until fetal viability. (Colombini, 9/11)

On pregnancy —

Roll Call: For Many, Incomplete Answers On Mental Health Care And Pregnancy
Eighteen U.S. states have enacted laws that exclude mental health or risk of suicide among the medical reasons a woman can have an abortion. But women who spoke to CQ Roll Call faced obstacles finding answers on how to treat mental illness during pregnancy even when they were not considering abortion. (Raman, 9/12)

CBS News: Extreme Heat Is Linked To Pregnancy Complications, Including Stillbirths And Miscarriages — And The Risk Is Growing
Our warming planet is putting those who are pregnant at higher risk — and the impacts go far beyond heat-related illnesses. Research shows that along with the dangers presented to the general population, extreme heat puts pregnant people — and their unborn fetuses — at risk of life-threatening conditions. During pregnancy, expectant moms are more vulnerable to viruses and environmental conditions. And one of the threats comes from tiny insects: mosquitoes that can carry a handful of diseases.  (Cohen, Wholf and Jurica, 9/11)

The Wall Street Journal: Medical Group Accused Of Seeking To Collect Organs From Patient Who Was Still Alive 
An organ-procurement group in Kentucky pressured its personnel to retrieve organs from a hospital patient who was awake and later left the facility alive, an advocate for overhauling the U.S. organ-transplant system told lawmakers. The allegation, which came during a House subcommittee hearing Wednesday on the U.S. organ-transplant system, was among several made by witnesses who said procurement groups in various states have pushed workers and surgeons to secure organs from patients who were still alive. (Bernstein, 9/11)

Stat: 5 Takeaways: Congress Aims To Fix Troubled U.S. Transplant System 
On Wednesday, two transplant doctors, one watchdog and a nephrologist-turned-advocate sat before members of Congress to talk about the nation’s troubled organ transplant system. For over two hours the House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations ran through allegations of inefficiency, inertia, negligence and corruption in the groups charged with coordinating transplants throughout the U.S. New, jaw-dropping claims also came to light. (Cueto, 9/11)

The Guardian: ‘For Me, There Was No Other Choice’: Inside The Global Illegal Organ Trade 
They travelled at night, for what seemed like hours, but it was difficult to tell. Yonas was blindfolded and drowsy from the Xanax he had been given. He wasn’t sure where he was, but he could smell salt in the air when the car stopped. Yonas heard Ali, the other passenger, wind down his window and light a cigarette. The driver sat motionless, breathing heavily. Several minutes passed in silence. Then Yonas heard a pinging noise. Someone’s phone had received a message. (Columb, 9/10)

On the use of AI —

Stat: FDA Commissioner: Health Systems Have To 'Step Up' On AI Regulation
Amid heated discussions on how artificial intelligence should be regulated and who should be involved in health care AI governance, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration commissioner said that health systems need to take a leading role. (Trang, 9/11)

The New York Times: The Chatbot Will See You Now 
Americans are already turning to A.I. for health information in large numbers, new research suggests. (Rosenbluth, 9/11)

A trademark dispute in St. Louis —

St. Louis Public Radio: A Judge Dismissed A Black Nursing Group’s Lawsuit For The Rights To Homer G. Phillips’ Name
A St. Louis County judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by Homer G. Phillips Nurses Alumni Inc., a local nursing organization, against a three-bed north St. Louis health center using the civil rights advocate’s name. Judge Heather Cunningham ruled on Aug. 30 that the alumni organization for the former Homer G. Phillips nursing school and the newly constructed Homer G. Phillips Memorial Hospital do not provide the same level of health care services and that someone looking for the organization would not be confused between the two. (Henderson, 9/11)

AP: Sen. Bernie Sanders Said He Is Set To Pursue Contempt Charges Against Steward CEO
Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders said Wednesday he is prepared to pursue contempt charges against Steward Health Care CEO Ralph de la Torre if he fails to show up at a hearing Thursday despite being issued a subpoena. Sanders said de la Torre needs to answer to the American people about how he was able to reap hundreds of millions of dollars while Steward Health Care, which operated about 30 hospitals nationwide, had to file for bankruptcy in May. (LeBlanc, 9/11)

Bloomberg: Bankrupt Steward Health To Hand Off Hospital Operations Under Pact With MPT
Bankrupt Steward Health Care won initial approval of a settlement with its landlord Medical Properties Trust Inc. that will resolve billions of dollars in lease obligations and hand over more than a dozen hospitals to new managers, averting their potential closing. Judge Christopher Lopez said Wednesday he’d give interim approval to the settlement, a critical step to transitioning Steward hospitals to new operators. (Randles, 9/11)

On the high cost of health care —

Axios: Americans Could See Relief From Surprise Ambulance Bills Under New Proposal
Patients could be spared huge, unexpected bills for ambulance rides under a new plan aimed at closing a gap in the surprise billing law. Many Americans avoid calling 911 when they're having a medical crisis because of cost concerns. Others get stuck with massive unanticipated bills that are a major driver of medical debt in the U.S. (Goldman, 9/12)

Modern Healthcare: Medicare Advantage Inpatient Rule Prompts DSH Pay Lawsuit
Hospitals allege in a new lawsuit that the federal government unlawfully changed Medicare disproportionate share hospital payment calculations to include care provided to Medicare Advantage patients, and facilities lost billions of dollars in the process. Eighty hospitals on Monday sued the Health and Human Services Department over how the agency factors inpatient care for Medicare Advantage patients into DSH payments, which are meant to bolster providers that treat many low-income patients. (Kacik, 9/11)

KFF Health News: At Catholic Hospitals, A Mission Of Charity Runs Up Against High Care Costs For Patients
When Jessica Staten’s kidney stones wouldn’t pass, she said, her doctor suggested a procedure to “blow ’em up.” She went to have it done last November at St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham, Washington, one of nine hospitals that the Catholic health system PeaceHealth operates in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. ... What came next shocked her: PeaceHealth sent a bill for $5,313.63 and, she said, told her she didn’t qualify for help to lower the cost. Staten said she asked about financial assistance but was told she earned slightly too much. (Pradhan, 9/12)

Military.com: Vets With Rare Lung Disease Could Get Benefits More Easily Under Proposed Changes, VA Says 
Veterans with a rare lung disease could have an easier time collecting Department of Veterans Affairs disability benefits under proposed changes announced by the agency Wednesday. The ailment, called constrictive bronchiolitis, or CB, is one of the burn pit-related illnesses covered under the PACT Act, the sweeping law passed two years ago that aimed to make it easier for veterans with certain diseases linked to toxic exposure to get VA care and benefits. But veterans with CB have reported still facing unique challenges to getting their benefits approved by the VA. (Kheel, 9/11)

Also —

Health News Florida: Surgeon Leaves Patient Care Behind To Shine Light On A 'Broken' Medical System
After she stepped away, Dr. MaryAnn Wilbur embarked on a project to conduct interviews with doctors who had either recently left their practice or were strongly considering doing so. (Kiniry, 9/11)

The New York Times: England’s Health Service Is in Deep Trouble, Report Finds
England’s National Health Service, one of the country’s most revered institutions, is in “critical” condition, according to a government-commissioned report that cited long waits for treatment, crumbling hospitals, mental health patients in “vermin-infested cells” and far fewer M.R.I. scanners than in comparable countries. (Castle, 9/11)

The Boston Globe: High Adderall Doses Increase Risk Of Psychosis, McLean Researchers Say
High doses of Adderall, the widely prescribed drug for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, were associated with more than a fivefold increased risk for a first-time episode of psychosis or mania, according to a study released Thursday by McLean Hospital. The risk was greatest for patients who took doses exceeding 40 milligrams, according to Dr. Lauren V. Moran, lead author of the paper and a psychiatrist who studies the benefits and perils of prescribed drugs. (Saltzman, 9/12)

Stat: ‘Sarepta’s Like A Curse On Me’: FDA Commissioner Califf Says
At an event with journalists Tuesday outside of Boston, U.S. Food and Drug Administration commissioner Robert Califf dismissed criticism that the agency is lowering standards for new drug approvals, even when clinical trials fail. (Trang, 9/11)

Stat: Abbvie Migraine Ad With Serena Williams Was Misleading, FDA Says
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has scolded AbbVie for making false and misleading claims in a TV ad about a migraine pill that features Serena Williams, the third time this year the agency has taken a major pharmaceutical company to task for its marketing. (Silverman, 9/11)

Modern Healthcare: 340B Contract Pharmacy Lawsuits May Lead To Supreme Court
States continue to notch victories in legal battles with pharmaceutical manufacturers over the use of contract pharmacies to dispense 340B drugs, potentially setting up a Supreme Court showdown. Last week, a federal judge in Maryland denied drug manufacturers' motion for a preliminary injunction to block a state law requiring drugmakers to distribute discounted medications to pharmacies that contract with hospitals, federally qualified health centers and other 340B-covered providers that treat low-income patients. (Kacik, 9/11)

Reuters: Weight-Loss Market To See 16 New Drugs By 2029, Report Estimates
The market for weight-loss treatments is expected to see 16 new drugs vying for a slice of the lucrative business currently dominated by Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, according to estimates from analysts at Morningstar and Pitchbook. In a joint report published on Monday, analysts estimated the market for obesity treatments could expand to $200 billion by 2031. The 16 drugs could launch by 2029, with roughly $70 billion of the GLP-1 market coming from these new challengers. (9/11)

Stat: Black And Middle Eastern People Wrongly Excluded In Cancer Trials: Study
One of the most important measurements for cancer patients is the neutrophil count. Certain cancer therapies like chemotherapy can be harsh on these white blood cells, so cancer patients need their neutrophil count to be in a given range when undergoing those treatments or before enrolling in particular clinical trials. That can be a problem for people who have a natural blood variation called the Duffy-null phenotype. (Chen, 9/11)

The Boston Globe: Rhode Island Reports First Case Of EEE
Rhode Island has recorded its first case this year of eastern equine encephalitis, the mosquito-borne disease known as EEE, public health officials announced Wednesday. The virus was detected in a person from Providence County who is in their 70s, marking the first emergence of the potentially fatal disease in the Ocean State since 2019, the state Department of Health said in a statement. Since 1983, the state has documented 11 cases. (Gavin, 9/11)

Alaska's News Source: Alaska Records 1st Infant Death From Whooping Cough, State Health Officials Confirm
Alaska’s state health department confirmed that an infant has died from the ongoing pertussis — or whooping cough — epidemic that is currently sweeping Alaska. Details about the child’s exact age or hometown are not being released to protect the family’s anonymity, although health officials say most of the current cases have been reported in Southcentral Alaska. (Maxwell, 9/11)

CIDRAP: H5N1 Confirmed In 3 More California Dairy Herds 
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) today announced that a state lab has detected highly pathogenic avian influenza in cows on three more dairy farms in the Central Valley, which raises the state’s total to six. (Schnirring, 9/11)

Bloomberg: Bavarian Nordic Vaccine 58% Effective Against Mpox, Study Shows
Bavarian Nordic A/S’s smallpox vaccine was moderately effective in preventing mpox infection after a single dose, according to a study in Ontario, Canada, where the shot probably helped curb a 2022 outbreak. One vaccination provided about 58% protection against mpox infection, researchers found in the study. It was conducted from mid-June to late October 2022 among gay and bisexual men — the group most affected during a global outbreak sparked by the clade IIb strain of the monkeypox virus. (Gale, 9/11)

On the covid pandemic —

USA Today: 'Very High' COVID-19 Levels Reported In Half The US, CDC Shares
The most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that last month nearly half of the United States have reported "very high" levels of COVID-19 activity. As concerns with COVID have waned across the U.S., the CDC has come to rely on wastewater data to track the virus, which often lags several weeks behind current case counts. (Forbes, 9/11)

Bluefield Daily Telegraph: Virginia Releases New Online Dashboard To Track Respiratory Illness, Including COVID
Now that cases of the flu and Covid-19 are being reported once again, the Virginia Department of Health has introduced a new online dashboard to track respiratory illnesses. The new online dashboard was launched Tuesday by the Virginia Department of Health, and tracks respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19, the flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). (Owens, 9/12)

Axios: Hospitals Are Safer Than They Were Before The Pandemic: Study
Improved safety practices led 200,000 more patients to survive hospitalization in 2023 and 2024 than they would have four years earlier, per a new analysis on patient safety from the American Hospital Association and Vizient. (Reed, 9/12)

The Washington Post: Calif. Official Facing Censure For Allegedly Siphoning Covid Relief Funds
A California county leader on Tuesday was removed from his committee assignments and regional board positions after allegations that he helped funnel millions in pandemic relief funding into a nonprofit run by his daughter. (Somasundaram, 9/11)

Reuters: Utah Law Restricting Youth Social Media Use Blocked By Judge 
A federal judge has blocked Utah from enforcing a new law aimed at protecting the mental health of young people by requiring social media platforms to verify users' ages and impose restrictions on minors' accounts. (Raymond, 9/11)

Inside Higher Ed: College Students’ Mental Health Takes a Turn—For the Better
Student mental health—long a top concern of higher education leaders—now appears to be improving, according to the latest edition of the annual Healthy Minds study. It found that 38 percent of undergraduates surveyed in the 2023–24 academic year experienced moderate or severe depression symptoms—down from the peak of 44 percent two years prior. To be sure, the decrease is relatively slight, and the share of college students experiencing depression still hovers slightly above pre-pandemic rates: In fall 2019, 36 percent of students reported depressive symptoms. (Alonson, 9/11)

The Texas Tribune: Texas Leads Push For Faster Certification Of Mental Health Professionals
Aspiring Texas psychologists hope to earn certification and start work faster under a new licensing examination that would be created by the state. The plan, which is catching the eye of other states, calls for Texas boards to conduct state certification tests, eliminating the need for more expensive and time-intensive national certification tests. (Simpson, 9/12)

NBC News: Jon Bon Jovi Praised For Talking Woman Off The Ledge Of A Nashville Bridge
Police in Nashville, Tennessee, praised singer Jon Bon Jovi for helping prevent a tragedy by speaking to a woman who was on the ledge of a bridge Tuesday. The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department said Bon Jovi and his team were at the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge as a woman stood precariously over the Cumberland River. Bon Jovi and others talked to the woman and helped her come back onto the bridge, police said. (Madani, 9/11)

In related news about substance abuse —

Fox News: Lack Of Sleep Among Children Could Lead To Drug, Alcohol Use: Study
A good night’s sleep has many proven benefits — potentially including a healthier future for kids. New research from Penn State University analyzed how childhood sleep patterns could be linked to future substance use. Researchers at the university found that adolescents who went to bed later and slept fewer hours during their childhood were more likely to have consumed alcohol or marijuana by the age of 15. (Stabile, 9/12)

The Baltimore Sun: Maryland To Launch Youth Residential Treatment Program
A new residential treatment program for young people struggling with substance and opioid use disorders will open in Baltimore, the Maryland Department of Health said Wednesday. While the program will be overseen by the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, it will provide inpatient treatment to people statewide who are under the age of 21. (Roberts, 9/11)

If you need help —

Dial 988 for 24/7 support from the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It's free and confidential.

North Carolina Health News: Legislature Approves Medicaid Money But Less Than DHHS Request
The state legislature approved funding Wednesday to meet higher costs for NC Medicaid in the current fiscal year. But their number came in below what state health officials had been asking for — by about $81 million. (Vitaglione, 9/12)

Gothamist: NY Orders Health Plans To Collect Info On Race, Sexual Orientation, Gender 
New Yorkers could soon get questionnaires from their health insurers asking for their race, ethnicity, gender, preferred language and sexual orientation as part of a state initiative that seeks to address disparities in health care. State officials are proposing a new rule Tuesday that would require health insurance plans to collect demographic details as they sign people up for insurance or renew their coverage, although the information would be optional for New Yorkers. (Lewis, 9/10)

San Francisco Chronicle: California Faces High Risk For Valley Fever, Connected To Weather
A potentially deadly fungal infection known as valley fever has dramatically risen in California, with the number of reported cases nearly quadrupling in the last decade, from around 2,300 cases in 2014 to over 9,000 in 2023. A new scientific study describes where and when valley fever took off across the state over the past two decades. Swings between wet and dry conditions, expected to intensify with global warming, were associated with the highest case counts. (Lee, 9/11)

KFF Health News: In Montana, 911 Calls Reveal Impact Of Heat Waves On Rural Seniors
Missoula is one of Montana’s largest cities but is surrounded by rural mountain communities where cattle ranching is king. Despite the latitude and altitude, in recent years this region has experienced punishing summer heat waves. It has been difficult for residents to adapt to the warming climate and new seasonal swings. Many don’t have air conditioning and are unprepared for the new pattern of daytime temperatures hovering in the 90s — for days or even weeks on end. (Bolton, 9/12)

ScienceDaily: Genes With Strong Impact On Menopause Timing Also Link To Cancer Risk 
New research has found four genes with some of the largest known effects on the timing of menopause discovered to date, providing new insight into links between menopause timing and cancer risk. (University of Exeter, 9/11)

CIDRAP: Studies Show Safety, Efficacy Of RSV Preventive Drug In Kids 
Two studies published in Pediatrics demonstrate safety and efficacy for the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) preventive drug nirsevimab in kids and infants. (Soucheray, 9/11)

ScienceDaily: Light Pollution A New Alzheimer's Risk Factor 
Outdoor light at night could be a significant risk factor in Alzheimer's disease, according to new research from Rush. (Rush University Medical Center, 9/11)

CIDRAP: Study Highlights Hefty Global Burden Of Upper Respiratory And Ear Infections 
A new study illustrates the substantial global burden of upper respiratory and ear infections, researchers reported this week in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. (Dall, 9/11)

The New York Times: It's An Invasive, Painful Procedure. Why Don't We Treat It Like One?
An intrauterine device, or IUD, insertion can be very, very painful. Not for all women, but for many. In recent TikTok videos documenting the experience, women grimace, cry and clutch the exam table. Often a provider can be heard in the background reminding a woman to breathe, or chirping, “Almost done, OK?” (Christine Henneberg, 9/12)

Bloomberg: The Best Treatment For Covid Is Still Too Hard To Get
We’re still asking people with Covid to jump through far too many hoops to get their hands on Pfizer Inc.’s Paxlovid. (Lisa Jarvis, 9/11)

Scientific American: PFAS In Pesticides Could Pose A Greater Multigenerational Threat Than DDT 
When the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ended most uses of the notorious pesticide DDT back in 1972, it wasn’t just because of the poison’s then suspected links to cancer and serious reproductive effects in humans. Evidence also suggested that the chemical would bioaccumulate in living things and persist in the environment for centuries, threatening the health of our children, our children’s children and beyond—a disturbing reality confirmed by recent research. (Nathan Donley and Kyla Bennett, 9/11)

Dallas Morning News: Gov. Abbott, Here’s A Way To Save On Medical Care For Migrants
Gov. Greg Abbott has made it clear that he wants the federal government to pick up more of the cost of medical care for undocumented immigrants. We have some concerns about the way the governor is going about it, specifically by ordering hospitals to collect information from patients about whether they are in the country legally. (9/12)

Stat: BIOSECURE Act Needs To Come With Funding For Biotech, Pharma 
In a rare display of bipartisan agreement, Congress is getting serious about addressing China’s influence in key industries. This spring’s “TikTok ban” is the most obvious example of this effort. Legislation currently under debate would extend these same principles to the life sciences sector, with major implications and opportunities for the country. (Kendalle Burlin O'Connell, 9/12)