Stat: FDA Authorizes Pfizer's Covid-19 Booster For People Over 65 Or At High Risk
The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday granted an emergency use authorization to Pfizer and BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine booster, though for now the FDA said use of the booster should be restricted to people over the age of 65, adults 18 and older at high risk of severe Covid, and those who, like health care workers, are at higher risk of infection because of their jobs. That list includes teachers. (Branswell, 9/22)

AP: FDA Backs Pfizer COVID-19 Boosters For Seniors, High-Risk
However, more regulatory hurdles lie ahead before the dispensing of boosters can begin. Advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention opened a two-day meeting Wednesday to make their own, more specific recommendations about who should get the extra shots and when. And in their first day of discussions, some experts were so perplexed by the questions surrounding the rationale for boosters that they suggested putting off a decision for a month in hopes of more evidence. The uncertainties were yet another reminder that the science surrounding boosters is more complicated than the Biden administration suggested when the president and his top aides rolled out their plan at the White House last month. (Perrone, Neergaard and Stobee, 9/23)

The New York Times: F.D.A. Authorizes Pfizer Booster Shot For Higher-Risk People 
Dr. Janet Woodcock, the acting F.D.A. commissioner, said that the authorization would allow for booster doses “in certain populations such as health care workers, teachers and day care staff, grocery workers and those in homeless shelters or prisons, among others.” Her statement suggested that agency leaders took a permissive view of the subgroups it deemed eligible for an extra injection. (Weiland and LaFraniere, 9/22)

Also —

The Wall Street Journal: Pfizer Covid-19 Booster Shouldn’t Be For Moderna, J&J Vaccine Recipients, Health Official Says 
A federal health official said Wednesday there isn’t enough data to support giving a Pfizer Inc.booster dose to people who have received other Covid-19 vaccines. Doran Fink, a deputy director in the Food and Drug Administration’s vaccines division, made the remarks at a meeting of a key vaccine advisory panel that would recommend who should get an additional dose of the vaccine from Pfizer and partner BioNTech SE. (Schwartz and Hopkins, 9/22)

Politico: Covid-19 Boosters: 5 Takeaways From CDC's Big Vaccine Meeting
The CDC panel's role begins once the FDA authorizes the booster dose. The CDC's vaccine advisers will refine exactly who is eligible — in this case, that will likely involve defining "high risk." Those discussions are set to culminate on Thursday afternoon, but only if FDA authorizes the shot by that morning. Here are five key takeaways from the first day of the CDC vaccine meeting. (Gardner, 9/22)

AP: Biden Doubles US Global Donation Of COVID-19 Vaccine Shots
President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that the United States is doubling its purchase of Pfizer’s COVID-19 shots to share with the world to 1 billion doses as he embraces the goal of vaccinating 70% of the global population within the next year. The stepped-up U.S. commitment marks the cornerstone of the global vaccination summit Biden convened virtually on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, where he encouraged well-off nations to do more to get the coronavirus under control. It comes as world leaders, aid groups and global health organizations have growing increasingly vocal about the slow pace of global vaccinations and the inequity of access to shots between residents of wealthier and poorer nations. (Miller, 9/22)

The New York Times: At Covid Summit, Biden Sets Ambitious Goals For Vaccinating The World
President Biden, declaring the coronavirus an “all-hands-on-deck crisis,” set out ambitious goals on Wednesday for ending the pandemic and urged world leaders, drug companies, philanthropies and nonprofit groups to embrace a target of vaccinating 70 percent of the world by next year. But the course that Mr. Biden charted, at a virtual Covid-19 summit meeting that he convened on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, may be difficult to turn into reality. And pressure is mounting on the president to lean harder on U.S. pharmaceutical manufacturers, which are resisting sharing their Covid-19 technology with poorer countries. (Stolberg, 9/22)

NPR: U.S. Will Donate More COVID Doses And Asks Other Rich Nations To Pitch In
Biden's goal fell short of what global health advocates have been pushing for. Those tensions came out during the summit. During his remarks, which were not open to the press, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres reiterated a call for a more ambitious goal: vaccinating 40% of people in all countries by the end of this year and 70% in the first half of 2022. Guterres was critical of wealthy nations scooping up vaccine contracts for their own populations while middle-income countries compete for doses in a seller's market and poor countries are left to wait for donations. (Keith, 9/22)

In related news —

Politico: Biden Announces 'Partnership' With EU On Global Vaccine Distribution Effort
President Joe Biden announced Wednesday the formation of a partnership between the United States and European Union to further the global Covid-19 vaccination effort. “The United States is leading the world on vaccination donations. As we're doing that, we need other high-income countries to deliver on their own ambitious vaccine donations and pledges,” Biden said at a virtual meeting with leaders of the United Nations, World Health Organization and countries including the United Kingdom and Canada. (Niedzwiadek, 9/22)

The New York Times: Pressure Grows On U.S. Companies To Share Covid Vaccine Technology
Pressure is growing on American drug companies — particularly Moderna, the upstart biotech firm that developed its coronavirus vaccine with billions of dollars in taxpayer money — to share their formulas with manufacturers in nations that desperately need more shots. Last year’s successful race to develop vaccines in extraordinarily short order put companies like Moderna and Pfizer in a highly favorable spotlight. But now, with less than 10 percent of those in many poor nations fully vaccinated and a dearth of doses contributing to millions of deaths, health officials in the United States and abroad are pressing the companies to do more to address the global shortage. (Nolen and Stolberg, 9/22)

NBC News: The U.S. Is Discarding Millions Of Covid Vaccines. One Cause: Multi-Dose Vials.
On July 16, a worker at a vaccination clinic in Alpena County, Michigan, opened a vial of Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine. That started the clock: All 10 doses had to get into arms within hours. But the person who was supposed to get vaccinated had a change of heart, according to records the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services shared with NBC News. Workers scrambled to find others who wanted the doses in the opened vial, but they couldn’t find a single person — so, in the end, they had to discard the 10 doses, they told state officials when they reported the waste. (Eaton, 9/23)

Bloomberg: Vaccinated Pregnant Women Pass Protection To Babies In Study 
Pregnant women who get mRNA vaccines pass high levels of antibodies to their babies, according to a study published in American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology – Maternal Fetal Medicine on Wednesday. The study -- one of the first to measure antibody levels in umbilical cord blood to distinguish whether immunity is from infection or vaccines -- found that 36 newborns tested at birth all had antibodies to protect against Covid-19 after their mothers were vaccinated with shots from Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE or Moderna Inc.  (Dave, 9/22)

The Wall Street Journal: Pfizer Study Of Covid-19 Vaccine In Pregnant Women Delayed By Slow Enrollment 
A study led by Pfizer Inc. PFE 0.07% and BioNTech SE evaluating their Covid-19 vaccine in expectant mothers has been complicated by slow enrollment, researchers say, delaying results that could help inform physicians about how the shots affect pregnant women and their babies. Pfizer closed enrollment at many U.S. sites this summer, after fewer than expected numbers of subjects entered the study, researchers say. The slow enrollment was driven by revised guidelines from government and physician groups that recommend pregnant women receive the shots based on new real-world research, according to trial-site researchers. (Hopkins and Toy, 9/22)

In other vaccine research —

CIDRAP: COVID Vaccine Protects From Severe COVID, Study Says
COVID-19 vaccines appeared to protect patients from severe illness leading to emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalization, according to a pre-Delta (B1617.2) variant study published late last week in The Lancet Regional Health - the Americas. The researchers looked at 11,834 ED visits to a Michigan hospital system from Dec 15, 2020, to Apr 30, 2021. About 92%, 7%, and 1.1% of US adult patients involved were unvaccinated, partially vaccinated, and fully vaccinated, respectively, which means the rate of COVID-related ED visits and hospitalizations was 96% lower in those fully vaccinated than those unvaccinated. Similarly, ED visits peaked at 22.6, 12.9, and 1.3 visits per 100,000 people per unvaccinated, partially vaccinated, and fully vaccinated patients, respectively. (9/13)

CNN: Vaccine Protection Against Covid-19 Wanes Over Time, Especially For Older People, CDC Says 
The protection provided by Covid-19 vaccines appears to wane over time, especially for people 65 and older, a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expert said Wednesday. Ruth Link-Gelles, who helps lead the CDC's Vaccine Effectiveness Team, reviewed a series of studies looking at the overall effectiveness of vaccines in various groups between February and August and found similar patterns for Pfizer's and Moderna's vaccines, both made using mRNA. (Fox and Gumbrecht, 9/22)

The New York Times: Moderna Vs. Pfizer: Both Knockouts, But One Seems To Have The Edge 
Roughly 221 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine have been dispensed thus far in the United States, compared with about 150 million doses of Moderna’s vaccine. In a half-dozen studies published over the past few weeks, Moderna’s vaccine appeared to be more protective than the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in the months after immunization. The latest such study, published on Wednesday in The New England Journal of Medicine, evaluated the real-world effectiveness of the vaccines at preventing symptomatic illness in about 5,000 health care workers in 25 states. The study found that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine had an effectiveness of 88.8 percent, compared with Moderna’s 96.3 percent. (Mandavilli, 9/22)

In updates on the vaccine rollout —

Bloomberg: More Than 6.03 Billion Shots Given
The biggest vaccination campaign in history is underway. More than 6.03 billion doses have been administered across 184 countries, according to data collected by Bloomberg. The latest rate was roughly 31.5 million doses a day. In the U.S., 387 million doses have been given so far. In the last week, an average of 750,942 doses per day were administered. (9/22)

CNN: Texas Doctor Fired For Using Leftover Covid-19 Vaccine Doses Sues County For Discrimination 
A Texas public health doctor fired earlier this year for using leftover doses of Covid-19 vaccine on eligible individuals is suing Harris County for $1 million, saying he was fired for giving "the vaccine to too many individuals with 'Indian' sounding names." Dr. Hasan Gokal was charged with theft by a public servant but a Harris County grand jury declined to indict him, according to Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg's office. (Hassan, 9/22)

Roll Call: What I Learned From Getting A Breakthrough COVID-19 Infection 
Symptomatic COVID-19 after vaccination is extremely rare, especially when you’re relatively young and healthy. After a year and a half of reporting on and successfully avoiding this virus, I convinced myself there was little chance I would get infected. But after my husband and I drove to the beach in late August, he tested positive, with obvious symptoms: a hacking cough, no sense of smell, a high fever. He spent a week sick in bed while I surprisingly felt fine. For this, I thanked my two doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. He’d received the Johnson & Johnson shot, and studies show the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines provide stronger protection against breakthrough cases than the one-shot vaccine does. (Cohen, 9/22)

Axios: Nursing Homes Could Be Forced To Close If Staff Shortage Worsen 
78% of nursing homes are concerned they may have to close if the staffing emergency persists, as are 71% of assisted living facilities, according to a survey by the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living. 86% of nursing homes and 77% of assisted living providers said the problem has worsened in the last three months. Nearly all are asking employees to work overtime or extra shifts.(Kingson, 9/23)

NPR: Short-Staffed Health Care Employers Fear Workers Will Quit Over Vaccine Mandate 
When Pam Goble first heard that President Biden was mandating the COVID-19 vaccine for health care workers, she had one thought: It's about time. Goble is owner and CEO of Ability HomeCare, a pediatric home health care agency serving 900 children in San Antonio, Texas. Of her 261 nurses and therapists, 56 have declined to get the vaccine. (Hsu, 9/23)

Modern Healthcare: Hospital Staffing Troubles, Raging COVID-19 Leave Leaders Eyeing Service Cuts 
As healthcare systems struggle to keep up with the ongoing COVID-19 surge, leaders being are forced to make difficult staffing decisions. Their already-strained teams are suffering from burnout, and some workers are leaving the profession altogether, worn out by the pandemic. Others have become travelers, lured by higher compensation and flexible scheduling. And a small number of employees are choosing to leave their jobs rather than get a mandatory COVID-19 vaccine. (Christ, 9/22)

In other news about covid mandates —

AP: Mormon Church To Require Masks In Temples Amid COVID Surge 
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced Wednesday that masks will be required inside temples to limit the spread of COVID-19. Church leaders said in a statement that masks will be required temporarily in an effort to keep temples open. The message was the latest in a series of statements from church leaders encouraging masking and vaccination efforts against COVID-19. (9/22)

AP: TD Garden To Require Vaccinations Or Negative COVID-19 Tests
Anyone hoping to attend an event at the TD Garden — including Bruins or Celtics games and concerts — will be required to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result. The rules apply to players, referees, coaches, musicians, vendors, ushers and everyone else entering the arena. Amy Latimer, president of TD Garden, said the goal is to keep everyone safe. (9/22)

AP: Idaho Lawmakers Look For Ways To Nullify Vaccine Mandates
Idaho should adopt a health policy that would make vaccine status a private medical record that employees could refuse to make available to employers as a way to thwart President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate, an attorney told lawmakers Wednesday. Christ Troupis told the Committee on Federalism that such a law would insulate employers from potential federal penalties involving COVID-19 vaccine mandates. (Ridler, 9/22)

CNN: University Of Georgia: More Than 50 Faculty Members Announce Plans To Mandate Masks In Their Classrooms 
Educators at the University of Georgia have announced plans to require masks in their classrooms despite their state university system not mandating mask-wearing, and say they face potential punishment for following through. More than 50 UGA life science faculty members this week sent a letter to university administrators, stating their actions are needed to mitigate the spread of Covid-19. (Riess and Lemos, 9/22)

The Atlantic: What Do The Lefty Anti-Vaxxers Do Now? 
Conspiracy theorists who discount the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines and other public-health mandates are often portrayed in the media as right-wing. That’s for good reason: a not-insignificant number of the most vocal conspiracists tie their ideology firmly to President Donald Trump and the right-wing MAGA movement he inspired. Videos of angry red-state demonstrators pushing back against school boards and other local authorities in public hearings, and repeating outlandish, baseless misinformation, have made the rounds in traditional media. (Higgins, 9/22)

Bloomberg: NYC Vaccine Mandate For Teachers Is Cleared By State Judge 
New York City’s requirement that teachers be vaccinated against the coronavirus was cleared by a state judge following a legal challenge by labor unions. New York State Supreme Court Justice Laurence Love removed a temporary restraining order he had imposed on the vaccine mandate while the case plays out. Love dismissed the unions’ argument that the mandate violates the due process rights of teachers and other staff, saying both state and federal courts have “consistently held” that vaccine requirements don’t impede such rights and are within the government’s power. (Dolmetsch, 9/22)

In updates from Florida —

CNN: Florida Governor DeSantis Says Parents Can Send Asymptomatic Kids Exposed To Covid-19 Back To School 
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday announced that the state has put out a revised rule which follows a "symptom-based approach" to quarantining students, meaning asymptomatic children exposed to Covid-19 in classrooms could be sent back to school by parents. "If somebody is symptomatic, of course they stay home. If there's a close contact, but somebody has not developed any symptoms -- you monitor them, you notify the parent," DeSantis said. "The parent always has the right to have their kids stay home, if they think that's in the best interest of the student and the family 100 percent, we would not want to intrude on that. But if a parent has a healthy child, that child has a right to be in school." (Riess and Santiago, 9/22)

CNN: Palm Beach County School Board Sides With Latest State Quarantine Policy In Meeting That Separated Those Without Masks 
Dozens of police officers were standing by as the Palm Beach County School Board held a meeting Wednesday evening with masked and unmasked spectators watching from separate rooms, as the board said it would abide with the latest state rule that takes a "symptoms-based approach" to quarantining students. A crowd of about 40 people sat in the masked section of the meeting, while those who wanted to go without a face covering were in a room across the parking lot. (Valencia and Cartaya, 9/23)

Health News Florida: State Objects To Fast-Tracking Parents' Mask Case, Wants To Block School Board Challenges 
Attorneys for Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration say a lawsuit filed by a group of parents about school mask requirements should not be fast-tracked to the Florida Supreme Court. The parents filed the lawsuit in August challenging a July 30 DeSantis executive order aimed at preventing school districts from imposing mask mandates. Leon County Judge John Cooper ruled in favor of the parents, saying DeSantis had overstepped his constitutional authority with the order. But the state appealed to the 1st District Court of Appeal, leading to a stay. (Saunders, 9/22)

In other school news —

AP: Official: Kansas Middle School Student Died Of COVID-19
A state education official said Wednesday that a Kansas middle school student has died of COVID-19. The child’s death would be the first reported COVID-19 death of someone aged 10 to 17 in Kansas and only the third reported for someone under 18. Education Commissioner Randy Watson disclosed the death during a Zoom meeting of a task force on COVID-19 safety measures in public schools appointed by Gov. Laura Kelly. (9/22)

CNN: Charleston County School District, South Carolina: Several Students Sent Home For Not Wearing Masks 
Several students in South Carolina's second-largest school district were sent home Wednesday for not complying with a mask mandate aimed at mitigating the spread of the coronavirus. Fifteen students at Thomas C. Cario Middle School in the Charleston County School District (CCSD) will continue their learning remotely until at least October 15 -- which is when administrators will revisit the mask policy, district spokesperson Andy Pruitt told CNN. (Elamroussi and Riess, 9/23)

The New York Times: For Parents ​Of Disabled Children, School Mask Wars Are Particularly Wrenching 
Five years ago, Kim Hart’s son underwent an open-heart surgery that got him healthy enough for the family to move from Cincinnati to this quiet suburb of Nashville. Her son has Down syndrome and autism, and she liked that Williamson County had a reputation for caring neighbors and safe schools. But every day for the past month, she has wondered whether she made a mistake. It was here that an explosive debate over masking in schools — one of the most effective strategies for keeping students learning in person safely during the pandemic — made the county a poster child for divisions over coronavirus safety measures. (Green, 9/23)

NPR: To Keep Kids In Class, And COVID Out, Many Schools Choose Weekly Testing 
On a recent Monday morning, a group of preschoolers filed into the gymnasium at Hillside School in the west Chicago suburbs. These 4- and 5-year olds were the first of more than 200 students to get tested for the coronavirus that day — and every Monday — for the foreseeable future. At the front of the line, a girl in a unicorn headband and sparkly pink skirt clutched a plastic zip-top bag with her name on it. She pulled out a plastic tube with a small funnel attached, and was then led by Hillside superintendent Kevin Suchinski to a spot marked off with red tape. (Herman, 9/23)

AP: COVID-19 Creates Dire US Shortage Of Teachers, School Staff
One desperate California school district is sending flyers home in students’ lunchboxes, telling parents it’s “now hiring.” Elsewhere, principals are filling in as crossing guards, teachers are being offered signing bonuses and schools are moving back to online learning. Now that schools have welcomed students back to classrooms, they face a new challenge: a shortage of teachers and staff the likes of which some districts say they have never seen. (Gecker, 9/23)

The Washington Post: Hospitals Overwhelmed By Covid Are Turning To ‘Crisis Standards Of Care.’ What Does That Mean?
Long-feared rationing of medical care has become a reality in some parts of the United States as the delta variant drives a new wave of coronavirus cases, pushing hospitals to the brink. Alaska and Idaho have activated statewide “crisis standards of care,” in which health systems can prioritize patients for scarce resources — based largely on their likelihood of survival — and even deny treatment. The decisions affect covid and non-covid patients. Some health care providers in Montana have turned to crisis standards as well, while Hawaii’s governor this month released health workers from liability if they have to ration care. (Knowles, 9/22)

AP: Alaska Plans To Help Hospitals With COVID-19 Crisis Care
Alaska officials outlined plans Wednesday to help hospitals with crisis standards of care if needed amid a surge in COVID-19 cases and announced short-term contracts for more than 400 health care personnel to relieve medical facilities with overtaxed staffs. State health commissioner Adam Crum signed an addendum to a public health emergency order that he said provides guidance to hospitals, care providers and local health authorities if the crisis standards of care are needed. (Bohrer, 9/23)

The Boston Globe: ‘I’ve Never Seen It This Bad.’ Central Mass. Hospital System Runs Out Of ICU Beds Due To COVID, Other Factors
The largest hospital system in Central Massachusetts, UMass Memorial Health, ran out of intensive care beds Wednesday as critically ill patients with deferred chronic health problems and those stricken with COVID-19 overwhelm health care providers. Dr. Eric Dickson, president and chief executive of the system, described the situation as dire, but said patients are getting the care they need. UMass has hospitals in Worcester, Marlborough, Leominster, and Southbridge. “I’ve been an emergency physician in [Worcester] for three decades, and I’ve never seen it this bad,” Dickson said. “It’s creating enormous challenges in Central Mass., with COVID still on the rise.” (Andersen and Lazar, 9/22)

The New York Times: ‘I Just Cry All The Time’: Non-Covid Patients Despair Over Delayed Care
In chronic pain, Mary O’Donnell can’t get around much. At most, she manages to walk for a short time in her kitchen or garden before she has to sit down. “It’s just frustrating at this point,” said Ms. O’Donnell, 80, who lives in Aloha, Ore. “I’m really depressed.” She had been preparing for back surgery scheduled for Aug. 31, hoping the five-hour procedure would allow her to be more active. But a day before the operation, at OHSU Health Hillsboro Medical Center, she learned it had been canceled. “Nope, you can’t come, our hospital is filling up,” she said she was told. (Abelson, 9/22)

In other news on the spread of the coronavirus —

Fox 5 Atlanta: Georgia Morgues Running Out Of Space Due To 'Significant Increase In COVID Related Deaths'
A rise in COVID-19 related deaths is overwhelming some Georgia coroners' offices and medical facilities. Several facilities are running out of morgue space right now due to the significant increase in COVID-related deaths. Some are even reaching out to the state for help because they don't have anywhere to store these bodies. (Hill, 9/22)

AP: Michigan Passes 1 Million Confirmed COVID-19 Cases
Michigan has recorded more than 1 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, the health department said Wednesday. The state crossed that threshold by reporting 6,079 new cases over the last two days. There have been at least 20,781 deaths in Michigan linked to COVID-19. (9/23)

The Washington Post: Doctors Warn Against Nebulizing Hydrogen Peroxide For COVID Treatment 
A leading asthma patient group has issued a warning against an unproven coronavirus treatment circulating on social media that is leading some people to post videos of themselves breathing in hydrogen peroxide through a nebulizer. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America called the action “concerning and dangerous” in a Tuesday blog post, emphasizing that it will neither treat nor prevent the virus and is harmful to the lungs. (Gregg, 9/22)

CBS News: Reverend Jesse Jackson Leaves Rehab Hospital After Being Treated For COVID And Parkinson's Disease
Civil rights leader Reverend Jesse Jackson left a Chicago rehabilitation hospital on Wednesday after being treated for Parkinson's disease following a breakthrough COVID-19 case, CBS Chicago reported. He spent nearly a month in treatment. ... Jackson, 79, and his wife Jacqueline Jackson, 77, both tested positive for COVID-19 in August and were treated at Northwestern University Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Jackson's civil rights organization Rainbow PUSH Coalition said on August 21. (Powell, 9/22)

Politico: Pfizer CEO Rallies Staff To Fight Democrats’ Drug Price Negotiation 
Pfizer's CEO sent a video message to company employees urging them to fight proposed government drug price negotiations and expressing frustration with Congress, which is considering using the projected savings to help pay for a $3.5 trillion social spending package. Albert Bourla said he was "particularly disappointed" that a House Democratic leadership-backed drug pricing plan and similar proposals "will have a little positive impact on patients where it really matters at the pharmacy," according to the three-minute video, a copy of which was obtained by POLITICO. (Owermohle, 9/22)

Also —

The Hill: Biden Touts 'Progress' During 'Candid' Meetings On $3.5T Plan
President Biden had “productive and candid” meetings on Wednesday with Democratic lawmakers and made "progress" in his push for consensus amid significant infighting within the party over the roughly $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package and $3.5 trillion reconciliation package, the White House said in a statement Wednesday night. “The President hosted three productive and candid meetings with congressional Democrats, representing a wide range of views of the caucuses in both Chambers, about the urgent need to deliver for the American middle class through the Build Back Better Act and the bipartisan infrastructure deal,” the White House said. (Gangitano and Carney, 9/22)

CBS News: Biden Tries To Unite Democrats On Agenda 
In a series of meetings Wednesday, President Biden sought to bring Democrats together to pass his ambitious "build back better" agenda contained in two bills, one a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill that would rebuild and repair traditional infrastructure in the U.S., and a broad $3.5 trillion measure that will have to pass with only the support of Democrats.  Mr. Biden met with three sets of Democrats, but there was little sign of movement after the meetings. House Progressive Caucus chairwoman Pramila Jayapal said after the meeting that "a majority of our 96-member caucus will only vote for the small infrastructure bill after the Build Back Better Act passes." (Hudak, O'Keefe and Killion, 9/22)

Politico: Biden Cools Democratic Fever Over Domestic Agenda, But Can't Cure It 
Democrats returned from an Oval Office sitdown Wednesday with earnest pledges to break the logjam threatening their entire domestic agenda — even as deep cracks remain in their party. “Everybody had a chance to say their piece, and there was a lot of pieces said,” Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) said after meeting with President Joe Biden and other centrists for more than 90 minutes. (Ferris, Levine, Caygle and Barron-Lopez, 9/22)

The Hill: Manchin: Biden Told Moderates To Pitch Price Tag For Reconciliation Bill 
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said President Biden urged a group of moderate lawmakers to come up with a top-line number they could support for Democrats' sweeping reconciliation bill. Manchin, a key vote in the Senate, was part of a group of House and Senate moderates who met with Biden on Wednesday afternoon as Democrats try to figure out a way to bridge their divides on the $3.5 trillion package. (Carney, 9/22)

The New York Times: With Roe Under Threat, House Plans To Vote On Bill To Counter Abortion Curbs 
House Democrats plan on Friday to push through broad legislation to uphold abortion rights, taking urgent action after a major Supreme Court setback as they brace for a ruling next year that could further roll back access to abortion nationwide. The House vote will be largely symbolic given that the bill, the Women’s Health Protection Act, has little chance of advancing because of Republican opposition in the Senate. But House Democrats’ decision to consider it reflects their view that the issue could resonate strongly in the midterm elections next year, particularly if female voters see the Supreme Court action as a threat to rights that many believed had been long settled. (Hulse, 9/23)

KHN: Democrats Roll The Dice On Sweeping Abortion Rights Bill — Again 
A newly conservative Supreme Court agreed to hear a case most assumed it would use to overrule the 1973 landmark abortion-rights ruling, Roe v. Wade. And Democrats on Capitol Hill, convinced the issue would play to their political favor, vowed to bring up legislation that would write abortion protections into federal law. “We’ll debate it. We’ll vote on it. And we’ll pass it,” the Senate Democratic leader promised. Sound familiar? The year was 1992. The Supreme Court case in question was Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey. After the court surprised almost everyone by upholding the right to abortion, the legislation, called the “Freedom of Choice Act,” never reached the floor of the Senate, nor the House. (Click on the hyperlink to go back in time.) (Rovner, 9/23)

Forbes: Sen. Susan Collins Says She Won’t Back Abortion Rights Bill, Likely Dooming Its Chances Of Passing
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) will not support a bill  that would protect the legal right to an abortion, she told the Los Angeles Times, likely killing Democrats’ hope of using the legislation to block Texas’ near-total abortion ban and other state restrictions. Collins told the Times on Tuesday she opposes the Women’s Health Protection Act because it goes “way beyond” enshrining the right to an abortion in federal law and she finds its language “extreme.” (Durkee, 9/22)

Newsweek: Lauren Boebert Says Rape Victims Need Guns Rather Than Access To Abortion
Rep. Lauren Boebert has suggested that rape victims need guns to protect themselves rather than access to abortions. Speaking on the House floor, the Republican congresswoman from Colorado criticized Democrats who are planning to vote on legislation that would codify Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that protects the right to choose to have an abortion. She also claimed that the procedures were not safe for women. (Palmer, 9/23)

A Florida lawmaker wants to ban most abortions in the state —

CNN: Restrictive Abortion Bill Introduced In Florida Mirrors Controversial Texas Law
A Republican Florida state lawmaker on Wednesday introduced a bill that is modeled after a strict Texas law prohibiting abortions after six weeks, drawing condemnation from supporters of abortion rights who fear such legislation might soon be introduced in other states. House Bill 167 was filed by Florida state Rep. Webster Barnaby. The bill, like the Texas law, contains a procedural feature that allows private citizens to bring lawsuits against physicians who provide abortions after six weeks as well as any person who "knowingly engages in conduct that aids or abets the performance or inducement of an abortion." The Florida legislation, like the Texas law, also provides for remedies and damages. (Cole and de Vogue, 9/22)

California approves privacy laws for abortion providers —

AP: California Governor Signs Privacy Laws For Abortion Patients
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two laws on Wednesday that aim to protect the privacy of abortion providers and their patients, declaring California to be a “reproductive freedom state” while drawing a sharp contrast with Texas and its efforts to limit the procedure. One law makes it a crime to film people within 100 feet (30 meters) of an abortion clinic for the purpose of intimidation — a law abortion rights groups believe to be the first of its kind in the country. The other law makes it easier for people on their parents’ insurance plans to keep sensitive medical information secret, including abortions. (Beam, 9/22)

Arizona's abortion law is scrutinized —

AP: Judge Considers Request To Block Arizona Abortion Law
A lawyer for several Arizona abortion providers urged a federal judge Wednesday to block a new state law that would allow prosecutors to charge doctors who knowingly terminate a pregnancy solely because the fetus has a genetic abnormality such as Down syndrome. The law, set to take effect on Wednesday, is so vague that it would dissuade doctors from performing an abortion anytime there’s an indication that the fetus might have a genetic problem for fear of criminal prosecution, argued Emily Nestler, senior counsel at the Center for Reproductive Rights. (Cooper, 9/23)

Arizona Republic: Does Arizona Law Act As A Ban On Abortion? Judge Weighs Request To Block Its Implementation
Groups seeking to overturn part of Arizona's newest law restricting abortion took their case before a federal judge on Wednesday, just one week before doctors who perform the procedure could face criminal penalties including prison time in certain circumstances. The measure — passed by the Republican-majority Legislature and signed by Gov. Doug Ducey in April — makes it a crime for medical providers to terminate a pregnancy based on genetic conditions such as Down syndrome or cystic fibrosis. (Barchenger, 9/22)

The Wall Street Journal: Texas Abortion Law Prompts Women To Seek Out-Of-State Clinics
Women’s health clinics in Louisiana, Oklahoma and beyond are reporting an influx of out-of-state patients from Texas looking for abortions and other services, weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed Texas’s restrictive abortion law to take effect. Some clinics in neighboring states said they are overwhelmed with out-of-state patients. They are adding hours to try to handle the backlog, administrators said. In Texas, meanwhile, clinics are turning most of their patients away and losing their staff. (Findell, 9/22)

KOKH: Oklahoma Abortion Clinics Flooded With Texas Patients Amid New State Law 
A new Texas law banning most abortions is already causing a surge of women to start seeking care out-of-state. "Calls that we're taking are up about tenfold," said Zack Gingrich-Gaylord with Trust Women, one of just three abortion clinics in Oklahoma. Gingrich-Gaylord says Texas woman are flooding their phone lines as clinics in their state are being forced to turn patients away. (Pryor, 9/22)

Vox: What It’s Like To Seek An Abortion In Texas After SB 8 Was Passed Into Law 
One Texas patient who was taking birth control had no idea she was pregnant until it was too late. Others came in for their state-mandated ultrasounds but had their abortion appointments delayed by Tropical Storm Nicholas. They, just like the first patient, will now have to travel hundreds or even thousands of miles in order to end their pregnancies — if they can get together the money, time off work, and child care necessary to do so. This is what it looks like to try to get an abortion in Texas since the passage of SB 8, a law that bans nearly all abortions after six weeks, before many people know they are pregnant. For the few patients who do realize it in time, it’s a race against the clock to schedule an appointment and get the money for the procedure — which costs an average of about $500 and typically isn’t covered by insurance. “There’s a sense of urgency that’s causing a devastation among our callers,” said Shae Ward, hotline program coordinator at the Lilith Fund, which funds abortions in Texas. “They just are like, ‘If it’s not done by then, I don’t know what I’m gonna do.’” (North, 9/21)

Rolling Stone: Texas Abortion Law Attracts Bizarre First Crop Of Bounty Seekers
What do these three people have in common: a disbarred Arkansas attorney under federal house arrest for tax evasion; another disbarred attorney, this one from Illinois, who lost his license for harassing and threatening other lawyers; and an attempted fire bomber from Kansas who served time in federal prison for conspiracy? Here’s the answer: All three of them have heeded Texas’s call for legal anarchy and filed complaints against a San Antonio abortion provider for violating SB8, the state’s ban on post-6 week abortions.This is a circus of Texas’s own making. To briefly recap, earlier this year Texas passed a one-of-a-kind law that bans abortions after 6 weeks and allows anyone anywhere to sue an abortion provider who violates the law. The 6-week ban isn’t novel. Other states have passed similar bans, and they have all been stopped by courts because they are blatantly unconstitutional. The original part of the Texas law is the provision that bars the state from enforcing the law and instead allows anyone to sue for a violation of the law. It is this unique aspect of the law that has so far made it very difficult to stop in court. (Cohen, 9/22)

The Texas Tribune: “Credible Threat” Made Against Texas Lawmakers Who Voted For Abortion Ban
Law enforcement on Tuesday evening alerted members of the Texas Legislature about “a credible threat” to their safety, citing that the concern was targeted at members who voted for the new six-week abortion ban passed by lawmakers earlier this year. (Pollock, 9/22)

The Hill: More Than 50 Companies Sign Letter Opposing Texas Abortion Law
More than 50 companies signed a letter this week saying that Texas' abortion ban threatens the health and economic stability of their workers and customers. Companies including Yelp, Lyft, VICE Media Group, Ben & Jerry’s and Reddit said Texas recently-enacted abortion law, which bans abortion after fetal cardiac activity is detected — usually around six weeks — goes against their company values. (Choi, 9/22)

CNN: David Simon Will Pull Upcoming HBO Series From Texas Over Abortion Law
"The Wire" creator David Simon won't be filming an upcoming HBO series in Texas due to a controversial abortion law passed in the state, he announced on Twitter. "As an employer, this is beyond politics," Simon wrote. "I'm turning in scripts next month on an HBO non-fiction miniseries based on events in Texas, but I can't and won't ask female cast/crew to forgo civil liberties to film there. What else looks like Dallas/Ft. Worth?" (Garvey, 9/22)

In related news about abortion —

The New York Times: Abortion Rights: OkCupid Features “Pro-Choice” Badge 
The dating service OkCupid has introduced a way for users to clearly indicate their support of abortion rights: a “pro-choice” badge that appears prominently in a dating profile. Melissa Hobley, OkCupid’s chief marketing officer, said the feature was created in response to the passage of Senate Bill 8, which has made abortion essentially illegal in Texas. (OkCupid’s parent company, Match Group, is headquartered in Dallas.) (Safronova, 9/20)

The Cut: Uma Thurman Reflects on Having An Abortion As a Teen
Actor Uma Thurman has been following the fallout from the most recent attempt to gut abortion access in Texas, and she is filled with — in her own words — “great sadness, and something akin to horror.” On Tuesday, Thurman published an op-ed in the Washington Post, documenting her own abortion experience “in the hope of drawing the flames of controversy away from the vulnerable women on whom this law will have an immediate effect” and “stand[ing] up in their shoes.” “The abortion I had as a teenager was the hardest decision of my life, one that caused me anguish then and that saddens me even now,” she writes, “but it was the path to the life full of joy and love that I have experienced.” She added: “Choosing not to keep that early pregnancy allowed me to grow up and become the mother I wanted and needed to be.” (Lampen, 9/22)

The New York Times: Harris Announces $250 Million In Global Funding To Fight Future Pandemics.
While President Biden gathered with heads of state for a Covid-19 summit, Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday announced that the United States will contribute at least $250 million to a new global health security fund that the administration hopes will raise $10 billion to fight future pandemics. Declaring the coronavirus pandemic a “stark warning” for an increasingly interconnected world, Ms. Harris called for international unity to address a lack of funding for pandemic preparedness highlighted by the flaws in the global response to Covid-19. The collective goal of $10 billion would be spent on a range of issues, like disease surveillance, vaccine development and health care worker support, in order to counter future biological threats. (Levin and Peltier, 9/22)

The Hill: Biden Under Pressure To Expand Rapid COVID-19 Testing
The Biden administration is under pressure to quickly expand rapid coronavirus testing to curb the latest wave of the pandemic. The current system is being strained, and at-home tests are increasingly rare commodities. Manufacturers who cut supply as infections dropped during the spring and summer are now scrambling to ramp up operations as demand spikes. But that shift is likely to take weeks. (Weixel, 9/23)

KHN: The Checkup Is In The Mail? Soliciting Letter Carriers To Help Deliver Health Care
Two of America’s toughest problems can be tempered with one solution. The baby boom generation is graying, creating an ever-larger population of older people, many isolated, whose needs the nation is ill equipped to meet or even monitor. Meanwhile, the U.S. Postal Service has gone $160 billion into debt, in part as digital communications have replaced snail mail. This year it has requested two rate increases for stamps and other services, bringing the price of a first-class stamp to 58 cents. It is running an aggressive TV ad campaign, presumably to build support for Congress to step in with some kind of rescue. (Rosenthal, 9/23)

Modern Healthcare: Pushing For A New Government Agency To Curb Patient Harms 
Efforts to form a national patient safety board would shape how medical errors and other patient harms are handled within the nation's hospitals. A coalition made up of stakeholders ranging from Dartmouth-Hitchcock and the Carlion Clinic to the Purchaser Business Group on Health and the National Quality Forum is pitching Congress on a government agency that would operate similarly to the National Transportation Safety Board, but for health providers. The new entity would focus on solutions to health safety problems and preventing deaths and other harm to patients. (Gillespie, 9/22)

In other government news —

NBC News: Diplomat Overseeing 'Havana Syndrome' Response Is Out After 6 Months
The top State Department official overseeing the response to “Havana Syndrome” is leaving her position after only six months on the job, three officials said. Spratlen is departing this week as the State Department faces growing questions about its response to Havana Syndrome and the care and benefits being provided to suffering employees. In recent days, Spratlen had faced a public call for her resignation, and numerous U.S. diplomats said she had lost the confidence of affected employees. The State Department said Wednesday that Spratlen was leaving now because she had “reached the threshold of hours of labor” allowed under her status as a retiree. (Lederman and Breslauer, 9/22)

Modern Healthcare: Some Medicare Advantage Insurers To Blame For Half Of Undiagnosed Claims 
Twenty Medicare Advantage insurers accounted for more than half of the $9.2 billion the federal government paid for care that beneficiaries may not have needed or received in 2016, according to a Wednesday report by federal investigators. Among these 20 companies, one large insurer stood out for the share of payments it received for diagnoses that were listed on patients' chart reviews and health risk assessment services, but nowhere else. Both of these techniques "may be particularly vulnerable to misuse by Medicare Advantage companies," since they are often performed by the health plan or by vendors hired by the health plan, the Health and Human Services Department's Office of Inspector General report said. (Tepper, 9/22)

In health technology news —

Crain's New York Business: NYC Startups Bring Digital Health Tech To Pregnancy And Postpartum Care 
A crop of new startups is capitalizing on the pandemic-era digital health boom to take aim at the maternal mortality crisis and improve pregnancy outcomes in the U.S. The latest example, Chelsea–based Seven Starling, publicly launched its pregnancy and postpartum peer-support platform Tuesday with $2.9 million in seed funding led by Pear VC, Expa and Magnify Ventures. (9/22)

Stat: The ‘Great Resignation’ Could Be Health Tech’s Next Big Sales Pitch
Innovative health companies hoping to boost sales are playing into one of the biggest fears of employers everywhere: their workers are on the verge of quitting. There’s been much public hand-wringing about the so-called “great resignation,” a trend in which an unprecedented wave of dissatisfied workers are abandoning their jobs. The solution, if you ask a company selling employee health benefits, is unsurprisingly to offer more and better benefits. (Aguilar, 9/23)

Stat: Health Tech Leaders Look To Design To Make Care More Equitable
At the opening of each of her clinics, there’s a moment when Carolyn Witte, the founder and chief executive officer of women’s health startup Tia, holds her breath. “We call it the ‘shoulder-drop moment,’” Witte told STAT. During those few seconds, as a patient is opening the doors to one of Tia’s offices, Witte watches for them to turn from apprehension — about the idea of a rushed meeting with a new doctor or the notion of changing into a papery gown in a cold, industrially-lit room — to comfort. Witte hopes that during that moment, when patients see the colorful, sunlit environment, they feel welcomed instead of alienated. (Brodwin, 9/23)

In other health care industry news —

Modern Healthcare: Prime-UnitedHealthcare Spat Shows Price Transparency Data Will Color Contract Talks 
In demanding more money from insurance giant UnitedHealthcare, Prime Healthcare's New Jersey hospitals came armed with a new negotiating tool: price transparency data. A federal rule has since Jan. 1 required hospitals to publicly disclose the prices they charge for medical care, including negotiated rates with insurers. Even though compliance has been dismal, Prime said it was still able to see that it was getting paid far less than many of its local peers. That's led to a tussle that threatens in-network coverage for thousands of patients. (Bannow, 9/23)

Modern Healthcare: Ballad Health, Tennessee Physician Group Reach $83 Million Settlement 
Ballad Health will pay $83 million to Highlands Physicians to settle allegations that the health system undermined the physician practice. Then-Wellmont Health System, which merged with Mountain States Health Alliance in 2018 to form Ballad, allegedly depressed reimbursement rates, diverted resources and sabotaged contracts for the 1,500 physicians across Tennessee and Virginia. A Tennessee jury awarded Highlands Physicians $58 million in 2018, which Ballad unsuccessfully appealed. (Kacik, 9/22)

Modern Healthcare: Whistleblower Claims That Aetna Inflated Provider Network In 13 States 
Modern Healthcare Hospital Operations Reporter Alex Kacik and Insurance Reporter Nona Tepper talk about a lawsuit that was unsealed recently alleging that Aetna operated a shadow network of pediatric primary care doctors. (9/23)

Axios: Outpatient Infusion Centers Offering Alzheimer's Drug Aduhelm 
Some hospitals are refusing to administer Biogen's new Alzheimer's drug, Aduhelm, but many freestanding infusion centers are offering it despite concerns about the drug's safety and lack of effectiveness. Hardly any patients are receiving the drug, even with infusion centers eagerly advertising it. Just over 100 patients have actually gotten Aduhelm so far, way below Biogen's already-tempered forecasts, STAT reported. (Herman, 9/23)

In other pharmaceutical industry news —

Stat: Compound Pharmacies Win Battle Over FDA Plan For Monitoring Shipments
A U.S. federal court judge has ruled that an effort by the Food and Drug Administration to boost oversight of compound pharmacies violated the law and ordered the agency to rethink its approach to ensure that small compounders will not be jeopardized. At issue is an attempt to clarify state and federal responsibilities for monitoring inordinate amounts of medicines that are shipped by two different types of compounders — those making large quantities and smaller pharmacies dispensing medicines for individual patients. The distinction was created in 2013 as part of a federal law passed in response to a fatal outbreak of meningitis traced to a large compounder. (Silverman, 9/22)

Stat: Federal Officials Move Closer To Penalizing Drug Makers Over Discounts
Following a year of controversy, the Health Resources and Services Administration is taking steps to penalize six large drug makers for ending discounts to a federal program that provides medicines to hospitals and clinics serving mostly low-income populations. In a series of letters, the agency notified Eli Lilly (LLY), Sanofi (SNY), AstraZeneca (AZN), Novo Nordisk (NVO), Novartis (NVS), and United Therapeutics that their failure to comply with the 340B drug discount program was referred to the Office of Inspector General at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees HRSA. If assessed, penalties can total more than $5,000 per violation. (Silverman, 9/22)

KHN: Biosimilar Drugs Are Cheaper Than Biologics. Are They Similar Enough To Switch? 
It took years for Elle Moxley to get a diagnosis that explained her crippling gastrointestinal pain, digestion problems, fatigue, and hot, red rashes. And after learning in 2016 that she had Crohn’s disease, a chronic inflammation of the digestive tract, she spent more than four years trying medications before getting her disease under control with a biologic drug called Remicade. So Moxley, 33, was dismayed to receive a notice from her insurer in January that Remicade would no longer be covered as a preferred drug on her plan. Another drug, Inflectra, which the Food and Drug Administration says has no meaningful clinical differences from Remicade, is now preferred. It is a “biosimilar” drug. (Andrews, 9/23)

In updates from the Theranos trial —

The Wall Street Journal: Elizabeth Holmes Trial: Jim Mattis Tells Jury He Came To Doubt Theranos Technology 
Former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis testified Wednesday in the criminal trial of Theranos Inc. founder Elizabeth Holmes that he and other board members were blindsided to learn in 2015 that the company hadn’t been conducting all of its blood tests using its proprietary technology. “There just came a point where I didn’t know what to believe about Theranos anymore,” the retired four-star general said. (Randazzo and Somerville, 9/22)

CNBC: Elizabeth Holmes Private Text Messages Leak During Theranos Fraud Trial
Former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes believed in herself so much that she wrote in a text message to Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani proclaiming that she had “total confidence in myself best business person of the year.” The message to her then-boyfriend and Theranos President Balwani are among thousands of private texts and Skype messages obtained by CNBC that show Holmes had no lack of confidence in herself and Theranos, the blood-testing company she founded. They also reveal that Holmes told Balwani about courting high-profile investors who ended up giving Theranos hundreds of millions of dollars. (Khorram, 9/22)

NPR: U.S. Surge In Methamphetamines Hits Black And Native Americans Hard 
When Winnie White Tail convened a new session of inpatient substance use treatment last month for members of the Arapaho and Cheyenne tribes, she found that roughly half her clients were struggling with methamphetamine addiction. "It's readily available, it's easy to get," White Tail says. She's a Cheyenne tribal member herself and runs the George Hawkins Memorial Treatment Center in Clinton, Okla. "I believe it's deeply entrenched across the community — not just in Native communities," she tells NPR. (Mann, 9/22)

Louisville Courier Journal: Native Americans Face A Deadly Drug Crisis. How Tapping Into Culture Is Helping Them Heal
A bashful Native American who thwarted death twice summoned his inner warrior during a summer powwow, dressed in purple regalia and long feathers. Jasten "Jazz" Bears Tail, 36, immersed himself in the movement, a style called fancy dancing, at the event in the North Dakota town of Parshall on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation. He stomped and twirled in sync with the pounding of the drums, symbolizing the heartbeat of his ancestors. On the periphery, his 11-year-old son, Pistol Bears Tail, proudly watched his father's comeback. Jazz disappeared from competitions a couple of years ago while battling his addiction. (Warren, 9/23)

In other news about health and race —

Wyandotte Daily (Kansas): Doctors Find That Native Americans, Other Countries Take COVID Pandemic Seriously 
Visiting the Navajo Nation in North America with the COVID Care Force, Dr. Morsch, the founder and executive director of the COVID Care Force, said the vaccination rate there reached 75 percent months ago, and it is considered at herd immunity. The COVID Care Force is a group of volunteer doctors, nurses and nonmedical persons who help with vaccinations and health care. The rest of the U.S. is 47th in the world for vaccinations. Dr. Morsch said there is a difference in the way the Native American culture approaches the concept of community good. “It’s not about me and my rights and what I can get by with, but it’s about what can we do to get through this together,” he said. (9/22)

Axios: Minority-Serving Institutions To Help Create Pipeline For More Diverse Public Health Workforce 
Ten minority-serving higher-ed institutions will be awarded about $75 million to recruit and teach Black, Latino, Native American, AAPI and other students of color in public health professions to foster better representation in tackling future public health emergencies, the Biden administration will announce Wednesday. Outdated technology infrastructure and messy data collection during the pandemic fueled misinformation and prevented real-time action for hardest-hit and highest-risk communities. (Fernandez, 9/22)

Essence: A Family Physician Could Be The Key To A Better Doctor-Patient Experience For Black Women
As often as it’s encouraged that people go to the doctor regularly to stay on top of their health, especially those more at risk for certain deadly diseases and conditions, that’s not the easiest thing to make happen. Scheduling conflicts aside, it can be a headache to find the right physician, the kind you can feel comfortable returning to. It’s no secret that a vast number of Black people have had disappointing experiences with the medical system. Mistreatment at the hands of medical professionals is all too common, so much so that it’s a part of this country’s history and been highlighted with the Black maternal health crisis and the current COVID-19 pandemic. That’s why it’s not a surprise that a survey conducted by The Kaiser Family Foundation and publication The Undefeated found that seven out of 10 of African Americans felt the health care system treats people unfairly based on race “very often” or “somewhat often.” Nor is it a shock, though sad, that of those surveyed, 37 percent of Black mothers and 25 percent of Black women in general reported that they were treated unfairly during a doctor’s appointment within the last year because of their race or ethnic background. (Uwumarogie, 9/17)

Stat: How White Scholars Are Colonizing Research On Health Disparities 
Fueled by the massive health disparities exposed by the coronavirus pandemic and the racial reckoning that followed the murder of George Floyd, health equity research is now in vogue. Journals are clamoring for it, the media is covering it, and the National Institutes of Health, after publicly apologizing for giving the field short shrift, recently announced it would unleash nearly $100 million for research on the topic. This would seem to be great news. But a STAT investigation shows a disturbing trend: a gold rush mentality where researchers with little or no background or training in health equity research, often white and already well-funded, are rushing in to scoop up grants and publish papers. STAT has documented dozens of cases where white researchers are building on the work of, or picking the brains of, Black and brown researchers without citing them or offering to include them on grants or as co-authors. (McFarling, 9/23)

The Guardian: The Bias That Blinds: Why Some People Get Dangerously Different Medical Care 
Historically, research about the roots of health disparities – differences in health and disease among different social groups – has sought answers in the patients: their behaviour, their status, their circumstances. Perhaps, the thinking went, some patients wait longer to seek help in the first place, or they don’t comply with doctors’ orders. Maybe patients receive fewer interventions because that’s what they prefer. For Black Americans, health disparities have long been seen as originating in the bodies of the patients, a notion promoted by the racism of the 19th-century medical field. Medical journals published countless articles detailing invented physiological flaws of Black Americans; statistics pointing to increased mortality rates in the late 19th century were seen as evidence not of social and economic oppression and exclusion, but of physical inferiority. (Nordell, 9/21)

AP: New Mexico Reduces Insurance Premiums On State Exchange
Health care access is getting substantially cheaper on the state’s health insurance exchange though a combination of state tax proceeds, federal pandemic aid and a growing pool of subscribers. An update on pandemic relief spending from the Legislature’s budget and accountability office on Wednesday shows that the state’s health exchange plans to use new federal pandemic relief funds to reduce monthly insurance payments in 2022. (9/23)

Health News Florida: State Regulators Say ACA Premiums Could Increase An Average Of 6.6% 
Floridians could be paying more for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act next year. The state Office of Insurance Regulation said the average price of individual policies could increase by an average of 6.6 percent. On Tuesday, state regulators approved the potential rates, which vary by health insurer. (9/22)

Georgia Health News: Exchange Enrollment Hits Record Level In State 
Georgia had the third-highest number of people signing up for coverage during this year’s special enrollment period for the federally run health insurance exchanges. The state’s 147,000 enrollees were exceeded only by Florida and Texas among the 36 states that use the healthcare.gov enrollment platform, according to federal data recently released. (Miller, 9/22)

In other news from Illinois, Colorado and Florida —

Axios: Chicago Mayor Lightfoot Angry With Slow Pace Of Lead Line Removal 
Last September, Mayor Lori Lightfoot became the first Chicago mayor to launch a plan to remove Chicago's toxic lead service lines — pipes that connect most Chicago homes to the water main. The plan aimed to remove 650 lead lines from low-income homes in the first year using $15 million in federal block grants. The Chicago Department of Water Management has removed just six. Water officials say the program's extensive paperwork requirements are slowing them down. (Eng, 9/22)

AP: 3 Charged In Death Of 86-Year-Old Woman Left Outside In Heat
Three assisted living facility workers are being prosecuted in the death of an 86-year-old woman with Alzheimer’s disease who authorities alleged was left outside in sweltering weather for six hours, officials said. Jamie Johnston, 30, Jenny Logan, 50, and Letticia Martinez, 27, were charged with negligent death of an at risk person and criminally negligent homicide, both felonies, in the death of Hazel Place at Cappella Assisted Living and Memory in Grand Junction on June 14, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser announced Tuesday. (Slevin, 9/22)

WUSF Public Media: Florida's New Surgeon General Says He's 'Done With Fear' Over COVID 
Physician and researcher Dr. Joseph Ladapo was named Florida surgeon general on Tuesday, calling for being “done with fear” amid the COVID-19 pandemic that has killed more than 51,000 of the state’s residents. Gov. Ron DeSantis held a news conference to introduce Ladapo, who has worked as an associate professor at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine but recently received a professorship at the University of Florida College of Medicine. (Saunders and Urban, 9/22)

CBS News: WHO Revises Air Quality Guidelines For The First Time In More Than 15 Years
The World Health Organization tightened its global air quality guidelines Wednesday in its first revision since 2005. The organization said air pollution is one of the "biggest environmental threats to human health." "Clean air is fundamental to health," the WHO said. "Compared to 15 years ago, when the previous edition of these guidelines was published, there is now a much stronger body of evidence to show how air pollution affects different aspects of health at even lower concentrations than previously understood." (Powell, 9/22)

In covid news from around the world —

Axios: Team USA To Mandate COVID Vaccine For Winter Olympic Hopefuls 
American athletes looking to compete in the Winter Olympics in Beijing must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, according to updated guidelines posted on the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee [USOPC] website. Employees, athletes and contractors must be vaccinated by Nov. 1 to use USOPC facilities or attend events hosted by the committee. On Dec. 1, the mandate extends "to all Team USA delegation members or hopefuls for future Games." (Garfinkel, 9/22)

Axios: Afghanistan COVID Hospitals Shut After Taliban Takeover
Afghanistan's health system is "on the brink of collapse" due to international funding cuts since the Taliban took over the country, World Health Organization officials said Wednesday. Nine of Afghanistan's 37 COVID-19 hospitals have closed and "all aspects" of the country's pandemic response have declined, including testing and vaccination, per a statement from WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus following his visit to the capital, Kabul, where he met with Taliban leaders. (Falconer, 9/23)

The Wall Street Journal: Brazil’s Unvaccinated President Goes Into Quarantine After Return From New York 
President Jair Bolsonaro was self-isolating after a member of his delegation tested positive for the virus that causes Covid-19 during the Brazilian leader’s trip to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Brazil’s health authority, Anvisa, sent a written request to the presidential palace Wednesday that the president and the rest of his delegation go into isolation after Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga announced Tuesday on Twitter that he had tested positive for Covid-19. (Pearson and Magalhaes, 9/22)

AP: Naval Officer Wins Praise For Portugal’s Vaccine Rollout
As Portugal closes in on its goal of fully vaccinating 85% of the population against COVID-19 in nine months, other countries in Europe and beyond want to know how it was accomplished. A lot of the credit is going to Rear Adm. Henrique Gouveia e Melo. With his team from the three branches of the armed forces, the naval officer took charge of the vaccine rollout in February — perhaps the moment of greatest tension in Portugal over the pandemic. (Hatton, 9/23)

Axios: COVID Highlights High Dependence Of Latin America On Medical Imports 
Latin American officials on Wednesday highlighted how the pandemic has exposed the dangers of the high dependence of the region on imports of health technologies from the international community. "The region... must never experience the dependency that it experienced with COVID-19," Carla Vizzotti, Argentina's minister of health, said during a panel hosted by the Atlantic Council and Axios Latino. "We must altogether say 'never again." (Reyes, 9/22)

In travel news —

The Washington Post: International Travel Is About To Get More Complicated For Unvaccinated Americans
Many specifics are unclear for unvaccinated American travelers: What kind of tests will passengers need to take before departing and buy for their return? Who will be in charge of checking for proof that travelers have purchased a test? Will there be a follow-up requirement to report those results? ... Also in the works: specific information for kids who are too young to get vaccinated. In a briefing Monday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the testing requirements for unvaccinated Americans “at this point would obviously apply to children as well.” (Sampson, 9/22)

CNBC: Is It Legal To Require Vaccinations To Travel? Yes, Say Experts
Vaccine mandates trickled into the U.S. travel sphere last winter, picked up steam in the spring and hit fever pitch over the summer. Vaccine shots are now necessary to eat in cafes in France, to see a Broadway show in New York City and soon, to fly commercially in Canada. Though mandates were expected for cruises and international travel, the pace and scope of activities that they now cover —  from booking group tours to staying in hotels —  has surprised industry experts. (Pitrelli, 9/23)

Stat: Remdesivir Reduces Covid Hospitalizations When Given Early, Study Shows
Gilead’s Covid-19 drug remdesivir appeared to reduce hospitalizations by 87% in high-risk patients diagnosed early in the disease in a new study, the company said Wednesday. The new results, which were issued in a press release, could help shore up the perception that the medicine is effective. They also could boost hopes for the use of oral antiviral drugs being developed by drug companies including Pfizer and Merck to treat people in the early stages of Covid-19. (Herper, 9/22)

ScienceDaily: 'Ultra-Potent' Antibody Against SARS-CoV-2 Variants Isolated 
A technology developed at Vanderbilt University Medical Center has led to the discovery of an "ultra-potent" monoclonal antibody against multiple variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, including the delta variant. ... The technology, called LIBRA-seq, has helped speed up the discovery of antibodies that can neutralize SARS-CoV-2. It also enables researchers to screen antibodies against other viruses that have not yet caused human disease but which have a high potential of doing so. (Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 9/22)

In other research —

AP: Researchers Detect Malaria Resistant To Key Drug In Africa
Scientists have found evidence of a resistant form of malaria in Uganda, a worrying sign that the top drug used against the parasitic disease could ultimately be rendered useless without more action to stop its spread. Researchers in Uganda analyzed blood samples from patients treated with artemesinin, the primary medicine used for malaria in Africa in combination with other drugs. They found that by 2019, nearly 20% of the samples had genetic mutations suggesting the treatment was ineffective. Lab tests showed it took much longer for those patients to get rid of the parasites that cause malaria. (Cheng, 9/22)

CIDRAP: Fluoroquinolones Tied To Increased Risk Of Acute Liver Injuries
A nationwide cohort study in Sweden found a two-fold increased risk of acute liver injuries (ALIs) associated with oral fluoroquinolones in the first 2 months after starting treatment, researchers reported this week in Clinical Infectious Diseases. Using individual data from national healthcare and drug registries, researchers investigated the risk of ALI in Swedish adults ages 40 to 85 who were prescribed oral fluoroquinolones or amoxicillin from July 2006 to January 2014. To reduce the influence of confounding from baseline health factors, they used propensity score matching. The main analysis and follow-up interval was 1 to 60 days after filling a prescription. (9/22)

Stat: Study: Person-First Language About Schizophrenia Affects Clinician Beliefs
Mental health counselors had kinder and less authoritative reactions to statements that used the phrase “person with schizophrenia” instead of “schizophrenic,” a new study finds — an important confirmation of the benefits of person-first language. The study, published Wednesday in the Journal of Counseling & Development, adds to a broader social conversation but sparse scientific literature supporting person-first language, which is meant to de-stigmatize disabilities, mental health conditions, and other conditions. Patient advocates have pushed for people with diabetes or people with alcoholism to be described as such, for example, and for terms like “diabetic” and “alcoholic” to be avoided. (Bender, 9/22)

ScienceDaily: 'Second-Hand' Psychological Stress Can Lead To Depression In Mice, Finds Study
Depression is a serious medical condition that plagues modern society. Several theories have been proposed to explain the physiological basis of depression, of which the "neurogenic hypothesis of depression" has garnered much attention. The theory follows that deterioration in brain regions, like hippocampus, can result in depression. This deterioration can be caused by physical and psychological stress. While the depressive effects of physical stress have been well studied, little is known about psychological stress in this regard. (Tokyo University of Science, 9/22 )

The Washington Post: The Biden Administration Is Donating 500 Million Additional Pfizer Doses To The World 
Since day one, President Biden has been clear that the only way to defeat covid-19 — and protect the American people and the U.S. economy — is to defeat the virus both here at home and around the world. Our most powerful weapon in this fight is safe and effective vaccines.Vaccinating Americans and vaccinating people around the world aren’t a choice; they are an imperative. That’s why we’re doing both. (Jeffrey Zients and Antony Blinken, 9/22)

USA Today: As COVID-19 Surges, Emptying Prisons And Jails Vital To Public Health
COVID-19 outbreaks are surging again in jails and prisons across the country as the delta variant takes advantage of persistent local and federal government policy failures to control the pandemic. The recent cases and violence at New York's Rikers Island show – in deadly ways – why emptying these institutions is vital for the protection of incarcerated populations, staff and surrounding communities. (Eric Reinhart, 9/23)

The Star Tribune: Biden's Unforced COVID Miscues 
A more competent COVID-19 control plan driven by expertise, not politics, was one of President Joe Biden's key 2020 campaign promises. But two unforced pandemic management errors raise troubling questions about whether reality matches Biden's rhetoric eight months into his tenure. The first mistake: setting up July 4 as a breakthrough date in the battle against the virus despite warnings from experts about the potential for delta and other variants to upend progress. Well over a year into this pandemic, it should have been painfully clear that the "mission accomplished" moment was premature. (9/22)

The Washington Post: State Medical Boards Should Punish Doctors Who Spread False Information About Covid And Vaccines 
Nineteen months into the covid-19 pandemic, American medicine is at an inflection point. Tens of thousands of physicians — and an even larger number of our colleagues in the allied health professions — have been caring for sick covid patients under extreme, often under-resourced, conditions. Many have become ill with the virus; more than 3,600 health-care workers are among the more than 668,000 Americans who have died because of it. With the development of three vaccines, we in the medical profession thought this nightmare might soon come to an end. We were wrong. (Nick Sawyer, Eve Bloomgarden, Mox Cooper, Taylor Nichols and Chris Hickie, 9/21)

Stat: Biden's Global Summit Covid-19 Targets Are Woefully Inadequate
As part of President Biden’s plan to address the global Covid-19 pandemic and inequitable distribution of vaccines, medicines, and tests to many parts of the world, he convened a global summit held virtually on Wednesday. Biden has asked for endorsement of a set of targets and commitment to directly address one or more of them. These targets fall terribly short of the ambition that’s needed to stop this global pandemic. (Brook K. Baker, 9/22)

The Washington Post: Far Too Many Pregnant People Remain At High Risk Of Covid-19. It Didn’t Have To Be This Way. 
I’m worried about my pregnant patients. I have been from the beginning of the pandemic. This is not just because pregnancy clearly increases the risk of hospitalization, need for mechanical ventilation and death from covid-19. It’s also because pregnant people remain largely unvaccinated — a direct result of bad decision-making to keep them out of vaccine trials. It’s time we change these policies and let pregnant people make decisions for themselves. (Sarah N. Cross, 9/21)

NBC News: Texas Lawsuits Against Abortion Doctor Could Hasten New Statute's Downfall
On Monday, two plaintiffs filed what are believed to be the first lawsuits against a Texas doctor who admitted that he performed an abortion apparently in violation of the state’s new abortion law. San Antonio physician Alan Braid revealed in an opinion piece in The Washington Post that he had performed an abortion on a woman later in her pregnancy than is allowed under the recently minted statute, which bans abortions after cardiac activity is detected, usually at about six weeks’ gestation. (Danny Cevallos, 9/21)

Stat: How Is It That Dementia Rates Have Fallen Even As Drugs Have Failed? 
Billions of dollars have been spent in pursuit of a pharmaceutical treatment for Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. Their fail rate through the 21st century is stuck at 100%. The dominant story promoted by Alzheimer’s advocacy organizations, pharmaceutical companies, and academic experts has been that, without a cure, aging societies will face a demographic tidal wave of dementia—a “silver tsunami” unleashing devastating socioeconomic consequences. (Daniel R. George and Peter Whitehouse, 9/23)

The New York Times: Cuts To Biden’s Spending Bill Shouldn’t Harm Disabled Americans
As Congress debates President Biden’s “Build Back Better” agenda and negotiates a $3.5 trillion spending bill, at least one crucial part of the bill is being weakened. The House Energy and Commerce Committee cut Mr. Biden’s original promise of $400 billion in funding for home- and community-based services by more than half, to $190 billion over 10 years. These essential services help disabled people and seniors receive the care they need, giving them options to live in communities and out of congregate settings like groups homes, nursing homes and long-term rehabilitation centers. Those services can include meal preparation, cleaning and other chores, assistance with dressing and transportation. Senators are now negotiating the bill, giving home- and community-based service advocates an opportunity to push for more funding. (Mia Ives-Rublee, 9/23)

Newsweek: How Not To Pass Paid Family And Medical Leave 
With Democrats' dream of passing a $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation bill in peril, recent reporting suggests that they may get one item on their wish list: a new, permanent federal entitlement to paid family and medical leave. The primary question appears to be whether the proposed entitlement will be modeled after Senator Kirsten Gillibrand's (D-N.Y.) FAMILY Act or Representative Richard Neal's (D-Mass.) universal paid leave proposal. But passing either of these proposals through a rushed, partisan process could hurt workers and endanger Social Security and Medicare. Moderate Democrats would be wise to put this effort on hold as part of Senator Joe Manchin's (D-W.V.) "strategic pause," and to consider alternative paths to paid leave. (Kristin A. Shapiro, 9/23)

The Baltimore Sun: Marijuana Is Not Yet Real Medication, Despite State Laws Saying So 
Contrary to the position in Maryland, three dozen other states and the District of Columbia, cannabis (marijuana) should not yet be considered medication. Yes, cannabis has medicinal properties that might be useful in the treatment of all sorts of diseases and disorders, from Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis to post-traumatic stress disorder and anorexia nervosa. And, yes, doctors and patients dealing with these diseases and many others should have every reasonable treatment option available to them. But pharmacological research into cannabis is dangerously lacking. (Schurtz, 9/22)

Stat: Capping Medicare Part B Payments Will Limit Outpatient Access To CAR-T
The revolutionary life-extending approach to treating cancer known as CAR-T is under threat from a quotidian source: policy proposals to limit Medicare reimbursement in the outpatient setting to the average sales price of the treatment plus a small addition for overhead. Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapies have been changing the cancer treatment landscape. These one-time customized treatments created from an individual’s own T cells represent a significant advancement in treatment. Expanding their use across care settings is essential to improving patient outcomes and quality of life. (Richard Maziarz and Sophie Snyder, 9/22)