The Wall Street Journal: FDA’s Acting Chief Says Agency Acted Too Slowly To Avoid Vaping Crisis
The Food and Drug Administration’s acting commissioner said that the agency moved too slowly to avoid the vaping health crisis, which has been linked to hundreds of lung injuries and some deaths. “In retrospect, the agency should have acted sooner,” said Ned Sharpless, the FDA’s acting commissioner since the departure earlier this year of Dr. Scott Gottlieb. “We’re going to catch up.” His comments on Wednesday came after members of Congress and state health officials criticized the FDA as too slow to act against e-cigarettes at a hearing of a subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. (Burton, 9/25)

The Hill: FDA Chief: Agency 'Should Have Acted Sooner' To Curb Teen Vaping 
Sharpless said the agency is working to finalize guidance that will force e-cigarette manufacturers to submit their flavored products for review. When that happens, all current flavored e-cigarettes — except tobacco— will be removed from the market. (Weixel, 9/25)

Stat: FDA Chief: Agency ‘Should Have Acted Sooner’ On E-Cigarettes
The expected guidance will mark a pivot from the agency’s previous stance on e-cigarettes. The FDA has authority over cigarettes and smokeless tobacco under federal law. In 2016, the agency determined that e-cigarettes also fell under that umbrella and asked companies to file applications to market their products by August 2018. But in 2017, former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb rolled out a new plan to curb nicotine levels in traditional cigarettes — and noted that e-cigarettes could play an important role in that plan by giving adult smokers an alternative to conventional cigarettes. (Thielking, 9/25)

CQ: House Democrats Press FDA On E-Cigarette Rules
House Democrats who are concerned about teen vaping are pressuring the Food and Drug Administration to keep its commitment to regulate e-cigarettes more aggressively, despite the industry’s efforts to demonstrate that it is policing itself. Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J., suggested Wednesday that more FDA oversight of vaping devices would help authorities understand what is driving a lung illness outbreak tied to e-cigarettes that has killed at least eight people. (Siddons, 9/25)

The Hill: FDA Under Pressure To Move Fast On Vaping 
The Trump administration is under pressure to implement new restrictions on flavored e-cigarettes. Lawmakers initially applauded when President Trump and federal health officials made the announcement two weeks ago to restrict the sale of all nontobacco flavors of e-cigarettes but have since called on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to move quicker. (Weixel, 9/25)

Bloomberg: Vaping Health Risks, Early Illness Signs Were Missed Or Ignored 
Scientists, regulators and e-cigarette proponents missed, ignored or downplayed signs that vaping could significantly damage the lungs for nearly a decade, a review of medical literature, government documents and interviews with doctors shows. At least 15 incidents of lung injuries linked to vaping occurred prior to this year’s epidemic, a review by Bloomberg News found. The cases — spanning the globe from Guam to Japan to England to the U.S. — include reports of mysterious pneumonia and fatal bleeding from tiny air sacs. (Langreth and Etter, 9/25)

The New York Times: Juul Replaces Its C.E.O. With A Tobacco Executive
The vaping powerhouse Juul Labs replaced its chief executive with a veteran of Big Tobacco on Wednesday, deepening the company’s turmoil and raising doubts about the very future of the e-cigarette industry. The sudden announcement capped a relentless cascade of events that has called into question the safety of devices once billed as a promising alternative to cigarettes, one of the world’s leading preventable causes of death. (Kaplan, Richtel and Creswell, 9/25)

Bloomberg: Juul CEO Kevin Burns Steps Down After Vaping Illness Backlash
Juul Labs Inc. named a new top executive and vowed to end advertising and lobbying that had raised the ire of lawmakers, health officials and parents, as the highly valued private e-cigarette company confronts a growing public backlash. The company said in a statement that Chief Executive Officer Kevin Burns will step down, to be succeeded by former Altria Group Inc. executive K.C. Crosthwaite, effective immediately. Crosthwaite had previously served as chief growth officer at the Marlboro maker, which took a $12.8 billion stake in Juul last year, and served as Altria’s observer on Juul’s board. (Annett, 9/25)

The Washington Post: Juul Says Its Chief Executive Is Stepping Down, Accepts Proposed Ban On Flavored Vaping Products
Juul, which has tried to market itself as an alternative for the adult smoker, has been heavily criticized for contributing to the youth-vaping problem. The company has denied marketing to children. It is under investigation by the FDA, the Federal Trade Commission and others. (McGinley, 9/25)

Los Angeles Times: Juul CEO Steps Down As Worries About Vaping Grow
In recent months, hundreds of people have been hospitalized across the nation with serious lung conditions that are associated with vaping. It’s unknown what causes the illness. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most of the patients had a history of vaping THC, the substance in marijuana that creates a high, but some vaped both nicotine and THC, and others vaped only nicotine. (Juul does not sell THC products.) (Díaz, 9/25)

San Francisco Chronicle: Juul’s New CEO Is From Big Tobacco. That May Help It Survive
To critics, the move reflected Juul's evolution toward Big Tobacco. "It's like a journey to the dark side is now complete," said UCSF tobacco researcher Stan Glantz, a longtime critic of the tobacco industry and, more recently, the burgeoning vaping industry. (Ho, 9/25)

The Hill: Juul CEO Steps Down Amid Public Outrage Over Vaping 
The CEO of Juul Labs stepped down Wednesday as the company faces a growing public outcry over the health risks of vaping, particularly among teens. Kevin Burns will be replaced by K.C. Crosthwaite, an executive from Altria, a major tobacco company that has 35 percent ownership in Juul Labs. (Daugherty, 9/25)

NPR: Juul Accepts Proposed Ban On Flavored Vaping Products As Its CEO Steps Down
In the statement, Juul officials said the company will be "refraining from lobbying the administration on its draft guidance" that proposes banning fruit-flavored vaping products, unless approved by the Food and Drug Administration, in an attempt to make the e-cigarettes less available to young consumers. (Allyn, 9/25)

Stat: Juul To Drop Ads, Lobbying Against Proposed Ban On Flavored Products
Earlier this month, the Trump administration announced a plan to ban all flavored e-cigarettes, which make up a majority of Juul’s sales. The proposal would mean that all flavored e-cigarettes — except those flavored like tobacco — would be removed from the market until they’re approved by the FDA. On Tuesday, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker declared a public health emergency and banned the sale of all vaping products in the state for four months. Other states have moved to restrict access to the products. (Thielking, 9/25)

The Hill: Altria, Philip Morris Call Off Potential Merger Amid Vaping Crackdown 
Tobacco giant Philip Morris has called off talks of an impending merger with Altria, the companies said Wednesday, amid the nationwide crackdown on vaping products and electronic cigarettes. Instead, the companies said they will focus on launching IQOS, the "heat not burn" tobacco product from Philip Morris. (Weixel, 9/25)

State House News Service: Vape Ban Could Cause People To Use Dangerous Products
Governor Charlie Baker’s administration on Tuesday imposed an immediate ban on the sale of any and all vape products while federal and state public health officials continue to investigate a spate of lung illnesses connected to vaping nicotine and/or THC derived from marijuana. But by banning the sale of regulated products, the state could be pushing people who are addicted to nicotine or are dependent on THC to get their favored products from illicit sellers -- which could be exactly where the lung illnesses might have originated, Cannabis Control Commission member Shaleen Title said. (Young, 9/25)

WBUR: Answers To 5 Questions About Gov. Baker’s Ban On Vape Products
On Tuesday, Gov. Charlie Baker declared a public health emergency in response to a multi-state outbreak of lung disease associated with vaping, and he set in motion a four-month ban on sales of all vaping products in Massachusetts. It's the first state to halt sales of vaping products of all kinds. (Brown, 9/25)

The Associated Press: Rhode Island Is Latest State To Bar Flavored Vape Products
Rhode Island became the latest state to restrict e-cigarettes Wednesday when Gov. Gina Raimondo signed an executive order banning the sale of flavored vaping products. The ban was motivated by a desire to protect children, the Democrat said. “I hear from parents and teachers and coaches that the use of flavored e-cigarettes among teenagers and middle school students is alarming and rising and scary,” Raimondo said at a news conference. (9/25)

CNN: First Vaping Deaths In Florida And Georgia Bring Nationwide Total To 11
Two more people have died from vaping-related illnesses in the United States. On Tuesday, the Florida Department of Health posted an updated case count to include one death. On Wednesday, the Georgia Department of Public Health also reported one death. These two deaths bring the total number nationwide to 11. (Howard, 9/25)

The Associated Press: Vape Shop Sues To Stop Michigan's Ban On Flavored E-Cigs
The owner of a northern Michigan vape shop sued Wednesday to stop the state’s ban on flavored electronic cigarettes, contending the rules are illegal and will force him to close his store. ... It is believed to be the first of what could be several legal challenges against the ban that was announced by Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The emergency rules were issued a week ago, and retailers must comply starting Oct. 2. (Eggert, 9/25)

The Associated Press: High-Flying Marijuana Vapes Take Hit From Health Scare
Vaping products, one of the fastest-growing segments of the legal marijuana industry, have taken a hit from consumers as public health experts scramble to determine what’s causing a mysterious and sometimes fatal lung disease among people who use e-cigarettes. The ailment has sickened at least 530 people and killed nine. Some vaped nicotine, but many reported using oil containing THC, marijuana’s high-inducing ingredient, and said they bought products from pop-up shops and other illegal sellers. The only death linked to THC vapes bought at legal shops occurred in Oregon. (Flaccus and Peltz, 9/26)

The Associated Press: What We Know (And Don't) About Juul, Teen Vaping And Illness
An outbreak of vaping illnesses. A surge in teens using electronic cigarettes. They’re often spoken of in the same urgent breath, but it’s not clear how — or even if — they are connected. Following a shakeup at Juul Labs Inc., the largest U.S. seller of e-cigarettes, here are some questions and answers about vaping. (Stobbe, 9/25)

Modern Healthcare: Politics Threatens Drug Pricing Deal Between Congress, Trump
A congressional effort to reach a deal to lower prescription drug prices this year seemed on a path to derailment Wednesday amid political escalation on several fronts. House Republicans took a hard line against a major plan from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), in the first committee hearing on her proposal to authorize government negotiation of certain high-priced drugs. Later in the afternoon, Senate Finance Committee Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) acknowledged his effort with ranking member Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) to get their embattled proposal on the Senate floor may not happen this year. (Luthi, 9/25)

Stat: Hearing On Pelosi’s Drug Pricing Plan Mired By Partisan Bickering
Just months after lawmakers on the Energy and Commerce Committee lavished praise on each other for passing a slew of drug pricing bills, that committee’s efforts to deal with the issue are quickly descending into partisan chaos. At a hearing Wednesday, Republicans accused Democrats of sabotaging bipartisan efforts to lower the cost of prescription drugs. At times, both parties were tripping over themselves to lob attacks and complain. And at one point, they were openly bickering about their respective speaking time. (Florko, 9/25)

Politico: Chuck Grassley: Drug Pricing Reform Key To Keeping GOP's Senate Majority
Passing a bill to control drug prices will be essential to Republicans "keeping a majority in the Senate," Senate Finance Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) told reporters Wednesday. But he predicted the task will probably slip into next year. Grassley said he was optimistic he could sell GOP lawmakers on the sweeping bipartisan bill he and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) developed, even though most Republicans opposed when the Finance committee advanced it on a 19-9 vote this summer. (Karlin-Smith, 9/25)

PoliticoPro: Text Of Senate Finance Committee Drug-Pricing Bill Is Released
The Senate Finance Committee released the text of its sweeping bill to reform drug pricing, S. 2543. Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) has pitched the Drug Pricing Reduction Act, which the committee advanced in July on a 19-9 vote, as a bipartisan solution to high drug costs. But other Republicans have been hesitant to get on board, pointing to controversial provisions such as a measure to cap price increases in Medicare Parts B and D at the rate of inflation. (Owermohle, 9/25)

Vox: Trump Claims He Wants To Lower Drug Prices. He’ll Have To Convince His Own Party To Do It.
House Democrats’ prescription drugs bill may have just been introduced, but Senate Republicans are already over it — even as President Donald Trump keeps promising voters he wants to get something done. “Socialist price controls will do a lot of left-wing damage to the healthcare system. And of course we’re not going to be calling up a bill like that,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said in an interview with Politico. Trump, meanwhile, argued that Congress should “help” lower America’s drug prices, which are some of the highest in the developed world, and gave a shout-out to both Pelosi’s proposal and another bill from Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Ron Wyden (D-OR). (Zhou, 9/23)

CNBC: Pelosi Hopes To Work With Trump On Drug Bill Despite Impeachment Inquiry
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she still hopes to work with President Donald Trump on a bill to lower prescription drug prices even after launching a formal impeachment inquiry the day before. “I certainly hope so,” Pelosi told reporters Wednesday when asked about her drug pricing bill. (Lovelace Jr., 9/25)

CQ: Political Tensions Escalate As Drug Pricing Bills Move Forward
The discord between the parties over plans to bring down drug costs deepened this week as Democrats insisted on allowing Medicare to negotiate prices and launched an impeachment inquiry that threatens to consume Congress. Still, members of key committees said Wednesday they wanted to continue bipartisan work to lower costs, a major concern of voters, and lawmakers in both chambers took steps toward advancing their proposals. (McIntire and Clason, 9/25)

CNBC: Humana CEO: Competition Lowers Drug Prices Better Than Just Putting A Cap
Legislation that would put a cap on prices pharmaceutical companies can charge for their prescription drugs can be effective in reducing health costs, Humana CEO Bruce Broussard said Friday. But U.S. lawmakers should also include in their proposals rules that would facilitate greater competition and innovation, Broussard said in an interview with CNBC’s Bertha Coombs. (Lovelace Jr., 9/20)

In other news related to the drug-pricing issue -

CNN: Drug Prices For Seniors Once Again Rose Faster Than Inflation, Report Says
The retail price of prescription drugs commonly used by older Americans has continued to increased faster than inflation, according to a new analysis from AARP. This marks the 12th year in a row that there has been a substantial increase in prices. AARP's Public Policy Institute looked at the retail prices of 754 widely used brand name, generic and specialty drugs used by older Americans and found that the cost increased by an average of 4.2% in 2017 -- twice the rate of general inflation for that same time period. This is lower than the drug price increases observed in previous years, but it's a tepid improvement. (Christensen, 9/23)

The New York Times: Already Light, Legislative Menu Chopped Down By Impeachment Fight
With government divided between the Republican-controlled Senate, the Democrat-led House and an administration led by a mercurial president, the legislative menu was already light and expectations exceedingly low. Still, murmurs persisted about deals on gun safety, prescription drug pricing, a highway bill and a new trade deal between the United States, Mexico and Canada, along with the annual package of spending measures or extended stopgap funding. Now, even those potential accomplishments are in jeopardy in the heat of the impeachment inquiry. (Hulse, 9/26)

New Hampshire Union Leader: Shaheen Calls Out 'Dark Money Special Interests' Over Surprise Billing Ads 
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH, took to the floor of the Senate on Wednesday to call out the dark money special interests she said have flooded states across the country, including New Hampshire, with millions of dollars’ worth of advertisements aimed at derailing efforts to end surprise medical billing. Shaheen said the ad campaign is a consequence of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision allowing special interests to spend unlimited amounts of money while remaining anonymous. (Feely, 9/25)

The New York Times: In California, A ‘Surprise’ Billing Law Is Protecting Patients And Angering Doctors 
Three years ago, California passed one of the strongest laws in the country to outlaw surprise medical billing. That legislation made sure that when patients went to a hospital covered by their insurance, doctors couldn’t later ambush them with unexpected bills. Now lawmakers who want to ban surprise bills nationally are gravitating toward a California-style approach, making the California experience a key exhibit in the debate. (Kliff and Sanger-Katz, 9/26)

Stateline: Community Health Centers Teeter On Financial Cliff, Courtesy Of Congress 
As happened in 2017, Congress is on the precipice of failing to meet the Sept. 30 deadline for reauthorizing the Community Health Center Fund that supports nearly 1,400 community health centers, which treat more than 27 million predominately poor patients. As a result — according to a recent survey of community health centers conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation — nearly 60% of centers have frozen hiring or are considering doing so; 42% already have or might reduce staff hours; and 42% have laid off staff or are contemplating it. Many may delay planned renovations or expansions, reduce operating hours or shutter locations. (Ollove, 9/26)

Politico: Marijuana Expected To Get Traction In Senate — As A Banking Bill
The Senate is poised to take up legislation to boost the nation’s booming cannabis industry, with its backers feeling bullish and selling it as a bill that is more about banking than marijuana. Their confidence follows action in the House on Wednesday, where Democrats and Republicans joined forces to pass an historic bill that would give legalized marijuana businesses access to banking services. Senate Republicans are expected to act as lawmakers face the inescapable reality of the 33 states and counting that have legalized marijuana in some form. (Fertig and Warmbrodt, 9/26)

The New York Times: Employer Health Insurance Is Increasingly Unaffordable, Study Finds
Employers remain the main source of health insurance in the United States, covering about 153 million people. But premiums and deductibles are pushing employer-based coverage increasingly out of reach, according to a new analysis released Wednesday by the Kaiser Family Foundation, which conducts a survey of employers every year. The average premium paid by the employer and the employee for a family plan now tops $20,000 a year, with the worker contributing about $6,000, according to the survey. More than a quarter of all covered workers and nearly half of those working for small businesses face an annual deductible of $2,000 or more. (Abelson, 9/25)

The Wall Street Journal: Cost Of Employer-Provided Health Coverage Passes $20,000 A Year
The average total cost of employer-provided health coverage passed $20,000 for a family plan this year, according to a new survey, a landmark that will likely resonate politically as health care has become an early focus of the presidential campaign. ... “It’s a milestone,” said Drew Altman, chief executive of the foundation. “It’s the cost of buying an economy car, just buying it every year.” Employees’ costs rose at an even faster clip—the average annual amount workers paid toward premiums for the family plans grew 8%, to $6,015 this year. (Wilde Mathews, 9/25)

Kaiser Health News: As Health Care Costs Rise, Workers At Low-Wage Firms May Pay A Larger Share
Fewer workers at companies with large numbers of lower-wage workers were eligible for coverage in the first place, the survey found. Overall, 57% of companies offer health insurance to their workers. But only two-thirds of workers at lower-wage firms that offered coverage were eligible for it, compared with 81% of workers at other firms, according to the survey. (Andrews, 9/25)

Bloomberg: Why Is Health Insurance So Expensive? $20,000 A Year For Coverage 
The seemingly inexorable rise of costs has led to deep frustration with U.S. health care, prompting questions about whether a system where coverage is tied to a job can survive. As premiums and deductibles have increased in the last two decades, the percentage of workers covered has slipped as employers dropped coverage and some workers chose not to enroll. Fewer Americans under 65 had employer coverage in 2017 than in 1999, according to a separate Kaiser Family Foundation analysis of federal data. (Tozzi, 9/25)

Modern Healthcare: Job-Based Insurance Annual Premiums Reach $20,000 Record High
Most people in the United States—about 153 million—get their health insurance through their jobs. Employer-sponsored coverage in the past has been left out of national conversations about health insurance affordability, even though it has seen enormous growth in costs over the last decade. More recently, though, experts have suggested that the struggle among workers to afford employer health coverage could be fueling interest in Medicare-For-All proposals that eliminate job-based coverage. (Livingston, 9/25)

The [Minneapolis] Star Tribune: Average Cost Of Family Health Plans Pushes Above $20,000 For First Time 
Recent polling that shows 40% of nonelderly adults with employer-based coverage said that they or a family member had difficulty affording health insurance or health care, or had trouble paying medical bills, the Kaiser Family Foundation researchers noted. Roughly one in two surveyed said they or a family member had skipped or postponed care or medications in the past 12 months due to costs. (Snowbeck, 9/25)

Georgia Health News: Employer Survey Again Shows Higher Costs For Workers, Firms
More than a quarter (28%) of all covered workers, including nearly half of those at small employers with fewer than 200 employees, are now in plans with a deductible of at least $2,000, almost four times the share who faced such deductibles in 2009. One in eight now face deductibles of at least $3,000. (Miller, 9/25)

The Associated Press: Host Of New Benefits Await Medicare Advantage Customers
Medicare Advantage customers are about to be blitzed with an array of new insurance benefits that stray well beyond the usual coverage of doctor visits and other care. Carpet shampooing, food for a service dog, pest control and rides to a nutritionist are among the new supplemental health benefits that privately run versions of the government’s Medicare program may offer starting next year. Medicare Advantage plans already come with extras like dental benefits or gym memberships that regular Medicare doesn’t provide. But Medicare Advantage can restrict access to a network of doctors or hospitals. Regular Medicare also doesn’t do that. (Murphy, 9/25)

Modern Healthcare: CMS Focused On Medicaid Integrity, Agency Deputy Says
As Medicaid spending continues to increase, the CMS hopes focusing on flexbility, accountability and the integrity of managed care plans will help slow that growth, an agency official said Wednesday. CMS' acting deputy administrator and acting director Calder Lynch called the spending growth "unsustainable," as it's slated to hit $1 trillion per year by 2026. (Brady, 9/25)

Los Angeles Times: Kaiser Permanente Reaches Tentative Contract Covering 85,000 Workers
Kaiser Permanente said Wednesday it reached a tentative agreement on a new four-year contract with unions for 85,000 of the healthcare giant’s workers, averting a potential strike planned for next month. The proposed pact includes annual pay increases for the employees, preserves their defined-benefit pension plan and establishes a program to reduce a shortage of healthcare workers, Kaiser said. Oakland-based Kaiser did not specify the size of the pay hikes, but they are “strong across-the-board raises of 3% a year,” according to a statement by the Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West local, which represents workers in Southern California and is among the 11 union locals involved. (Peltz, 9/25)

San Francisco Chronicle: Kaiser Strike Averted As Company And Unions Reach Tentative Contract
The contract specifies that a $130 million workforce development program will provide thousands of workers with free education to help fill an expected shortage of hundreds of thousands of health care jobs, the union group said Wednesday. ... The contract also bans outsourcing jobs in certain areas — including revenue collection, call centers, pharmacy, laboratory and housekeeping — for the life of the contract. (Moench, 9/25)

Sacramento Bee: Kaiser Permanente Announces Deal With Unions To Avert Strike
Labor relations expert Rebecca Kolins Givan said that, although the coalition had a number of victories with this contract, the terms on outsourcing are perhaps the biggest win. “Outsourcing...tends to be the way that employers degrade the quality of the work, move work outside the bargaining unit to workers who don’t have the same protections and wages,” said Givan, an associate professor at the Center for Work and Health at New Jersey’s Rutgers University. “I think protecting against subcontracting is actually a really significant win, especially given how health-care employers tend to operate in the current landscape.” (Anderson, 9/25)

KQED: Unions And Kaiser Permanente Reach Tentative Agreement, Averting Strike
If ratified, the contract will go into effect on Oct. 1, 2019, and will cover many of Kaiser Permanente's workers in California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Maryland, Virginia, Hawaii and Washington, D.C. (Klivans, 9/25)

Modern Healthcare: Kaiser Likely Avoids 85,000 Worker Strike With Tentative Agreement
Kaiser Permanente officials said the agreement reached demonstrates its commitment to the labor force although the system is no stranger to divisive labor negotiations with unions. "We may disagree at times (with the labor force), but we have always been able to work through our challenges to align on common goals," said Arlene Peasnall, interim chief human resources officer at Kaiser, in a statement. (Castellucci, 9/25)

The Advocate: Lafayette General Merger With Ochsner Will Bring $365 Million Investment To Acadiana 
In a move that would result in the largest health system in the Gulf South, Lafayette General Health System announced Wednesday it is seeking a merger with Ochsner Health System. The board of trustees of both health systems signed a letter of intent for the merger Wednesday morning, Lafayette General announced. Both organizations will now enter into a period of due diligence and seek required regulatory approvals, which could take several months. (Boudreaux, 9/25)

The Advocate: Take A Look Inside As New $230M OLOL Children's Hospital Prepares For Move, Opening
The Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System, which operates our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, expects to open its new $230 million children's hospital next week and transport dozens of patients from the main campus to the new six-story building. Our Lady of the Lake has been planning the Oct. 5 move and running simulations with volunteer actors to prepare for different scenarios. It even hired a hospital relocation consultant that has worked to move dozens of hospitals across the country. (Mosbrucker, 9/25)

KQED: State Cites Stanford Hospital In Attack That Injured Two Psych Nurses
A series of security lapses at Stanford Hospital allowed a patient in a locked psychiatric unit to attack a 70-year-old nurse earlier this year, state workplace regulators said. The assault occurred on March 12 in a part of the Palo Alto facility that lacked security, despite an order calling for the patient to be accompanied by guards, according to an investigation by the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health. (Goldberg, 9/25)

Atlanta Journal Constitution: PTSD In Nursing: Women More Likely To Suffer PTSD
Women are two to three times more likely to have PTSD than men, which leaves nurses particularly vulnerable. Not only do women make up nearly 91 percent of the nursing profession, but also the battles involved in the nursing experience – military or not – increase a person's risk of PTSD. (Kennedy, 9/25)

Bloomberg: Teladoc Investors Sweat Launch Of Amazon’s Telemedicine Service
Teladoc Health Inc.’s shares caught a little chill after Amazon.com Inc. announced the start of a virtual healthcare service for its workers in the Seattle area. Shares fell for a second day after the e-commerce company’s launch of “Amazon Care,” with Wednesday’s decline the most intraday in a month. The pilot program is an online primary care clinic that also offers in-home nurse visits and prescription delivery. (Sircar, 9/25)

The Associated Press: Walmart's Sam's Club Launches Health Care Pilot To Members
Walmart’s Sam’s Club is teaming up with several health care companies to offer discounts on everyday care its customers might delay or skip because of the cost. Starting early October, Sam’s Club members in Michigan, Pennsylvania and North Carolina, will be able to buy one of four bundles of health care services ranging in annual fees from $50 for individuals to $240 for a family of up to six members. The pilot program could potentially be rolled out to members in all the states, says Lori Flees, senior vice president of Sam’s Club Health and Wellness. (D'Innocenzio and Murphy, 9/26)

The Associated Press: Best Buy Sees Growth In Health Care Technology For Elderly
The nation’s largest consumer electronics chain, known for selling TV sets, cellphones and laptops, is looking to health care as a big source of its future growth. Best Buy Co. said Wednesday that in five years it hopes to provide 5 million seniors with health monitoring services, which can range from sensors placed throughout a home to a pendant worn around the neck. It currently provides the service to 1 million. It’s part of the chain’s deeper push into the $3.5 trillion U.S. health care market and essential to its goal of reaching $50 billion in annual revenue by 2025. (D'Innocenzio, 9/25)

Modern Healthcare: Traditional Devicemakers Struggle In Fast-Growing Ambulatory Market
Business is booming for the ambulatory surgery industry, but traditional device makers are having a hard time tapping into it, according to a new report from Bain & Company. In the desperate race to cut costs out of healthcare, ambulatory surgery centers have emerged as a promising solution. ASCs performed more than half of all outpatient surgeries in 2017, up from 32% in 2005, the report found. Orthopedic, spine and cardio procedure volumes are projected to see the most growth through the mid-2020s. (Bannow, 9/25)

Stat: 23andMe, Moving Beyond Consumer DNA Tests, Is Building A Clinical Trial Recruitment Business
Consumer genetics giant 23andMe announced Thursday that it would move deeper into the business of clinical trial recruitment, partnering with a fast-growing startup to help match its customers with nearby study sites based on their diseases, demographics, and DNA. The Silicon Valley company has for months been quietly making inroads into clinical trial recruitment by emailing customers who’ve opted in with recommendations about studies that might be appropriate for them. It has recruited for studies, both interventional and observational, in disease areas including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, eczema, and liver disease, a spokesperson for the company confirmed. (Robbins, 9/26)

The Wall Street Journal: Blue Cross And Blue Shield Of North Carolina CEO Patrick Conway Resigns
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina said its board requested and received the resignation of Chief Executive Patrick Conway in the wake of fallout from an allegedly alcohol-related highway collision. The insurer said its board took action because recently “new details have come to light” about the June accident and its aftermath, which the board hadn’t previously known. The new details “depict behavior that falls short of our standards,” the insurer said. “Despite Dr. Conway’s many successes during his tenure at BlueCross NC, we feel that our constituents are best served by naming an interim CEO and beginning a formal search for a permanent replacement.” (Wilde Mathews, Scism and Bauerlein, 9/26)

Modern Healthcare: Cambia Health, N.C. Blues Shelve Combination After CEO Arrest
Cambia Health Solutions and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina have put their planned affiliation on ice after local news reports last week revealed the North Carolina insurer's CEO had been charged in an alleged alcohol-related car accident. Cambia's leadership said they were "deeply troubled" by the situation involving Blue Cross of North Carolina CEO Dr. Patrick Conway, who was charged with driving while impaired and misdemeanor child abuse after the June accident. (Livingston, 9/25)

Bloomberg: Zantac’s Original Maker Halts Shipping On Carcinogen Concern 
GlaxoSmithKline Plc, the original branded maker of Zantac, halted global distribution of the popular stomach medicine, adding momentum to actions aimed at stopping access to drugs that are tainted with a potential human carcinogen. Glaxo will also recall the drug in India, where it’s known as Zinetac, and Hong Kong. The recalled medicine is made with an active ingredient from two India-based suppliers, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd. and Saraca Laboratories Ltd., Kristen Neese, a spokeswoman for Glaxo, said in an email Wednesday. (Edney, 9/25)

Miami Herald: Sandoz Recalls All Ranitidine For Cancer-Causing Ingredient
Sandoz recalled 14 lots of Ranitidine capsules for exceeding the FDA’s limits on a probable carcinogen, a substance that can cause cancer. That substance in this case, NDMA (N-Nitrosodimethylamine), also has caused the recall of numerous heart and blood pressure medications since July 2018. (Neal, 9/25)

Georgia Health News: Cancer Risks Spark Calls To Replace Ethylene Oxide
In 2005, the EPA considered banning ethylene oxide in new sterilizing facilities because of the cancer risk it posed to residents who lived around the plants. ...Ultimately, under pressure from industry, and with EPA’s acceptance of companies’ claims they were doing everything feasible to reduce their emissions, the agency failed to act – worried about disrupting a key part of the process of sterilizing medical equipment in the U.S. ... Once again, the EPA is considering new restrictions on ethylene oxide sterilization because of the cancer risks it poses. Once again, the sterilizing and medical device industries are pushing back, warning of harm to patients if ethylene oxide is restricted. (Goodman and Miller, 9/25)

The Washington Post: Ohio Counties, Drug Companies Outline Arguments In Landmark Opioid Trial
With jury selection in a landmark opioid trial just three weeks away, lawyers for two Ohio counties said Wednesday they would prove that opioid manufacturers and distributors harmed public health and safety, and demanded they be held accountable. In new legal papers, Cuyahoga and Summit counties said that “the opioid epidemic . . . constitutes an unreasonable interference with public health, public safety, public peace or public comfort” that should be laid at the feet of the drug industry. (Bernstein, 9/25)

The Associated Press: State Loses Bid For Reargument In Opioid Lawsuit
A judge who granted Walgreens’ motion to dismiss in Delaware’s lawsuit against the drug industry over the opioid crisis has denied the state’s request for reargument. The judge said Wednesday that she did not overlook a controlling legal principle or misapprehend the law in dismissing Walgreens. (Chase, 9/26)

POLITICO Pro: How Chris Christie’s Influence On An Opioid Panel Landed Him An $800K Consulting Contract
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie signed a lucrative consulting contract with a pharmaceutical company less than a year after President Donald Trump’s bipartisan commission on opioids and addiction, which Christie chaired, recommended policy changes the drugmaker sought. Pacira BioSciences paid Christie $800,000, plus stock options, in 2018 and 2019 as it lobbied for new Medicare rates to boost the financial prospects of its flagship product, a non-opioid painkiller used in surgeries, according to a POLITICO review of the New Jersey company’s regulatory filings. (Sutton, 9/26)

WBUR: In Township Ravaged By Opioids, Educators Create Program To Help Kids Cope
The rural township of Minford in southern Ohio started a program for children of parents and grandparents who are dealing with addiction. These kids are suffering emotional, behavioral and physical consequences of being raised by someone who suffers from addiction, says Marin Applegate, the district’s school psychologist. (Young, 9/25)

The Associated Press: Report: Opioids Settlement Won't Fix Areas Hardest Hit
OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma’s tentative legal settlement over the toll of the nation’s opioid crisis is unlikely to reverse the consequences of the epidemic in the hardest-hit towns and regions, according to a report released Wednesday. Purdue reached a tentative deal this month to resolve the lawsuits it faces. It could be worth up to $12 billion over time, with a portion of the benefits coming in savings on opioid antidotes for governments rather than cash. It would be up to a bankruptcy court judge to approve the plan, which continues to face significant opposition. (Mulvihill, 9/25)

Houston Chronicle: Houston Area Rate Of Uninsured Highest In Nation Among Big Cities — And Getting Worse 
Nearly one in five people living in Greater Houston lacked health insurance last year, giving the region the highest uninsured rate among major metropolitan areas in the United States, according to new Census Bureau figures released Thursday. The Houston metropolitan area’s 18.6 percent uninsured rate in 2018 is more than double the national rate of 8.5 percent, and nearly a full percentage point higher than the overall rate for Texas — the state with the highest rate and number of uninsured in the country, the figures showed. (Deam and Dempsey, 9/26)

Colorado Sun: Colorado’s Uninsured Rate Is Holding Steady, But A New Study Shows Troubling Trends In The State’s Health Care Market
Bucking the national trend, the rate of people without health insurance in Colorado has held steady this year, according to a major new study released Wednesday. The every-other-year Colorado Health Access Survey found that a record-low 6.5% of Coloradans are without health coverage, identical to the survey’s 2017 finding and down from the 15.8% of people without insurance in 2011. ... More people are covered by employer plans — about 53% of Coloradans — and fewer buy health insurance on their own. But more than 18% of people reported problems paying medical bills in the prior year, up from 14% in 2017. (Ingold, 9/25)

The Associated Press: Witnesses Clash In Tennessee Abortion Wait Period Trial
Expert witnesses on Wednesday presented dueling views of whether Tennessee’s 48-hour waiting period before abortion helps or hinders women’s decision making. Five of Tennessee’s seven abortion clinics are suing in federal court in Nashville over the law, which requires women to make two separate trips to an abortion clinic, first for mandatory counselling and then for the abortion. (Loller, 9/25)

The Wall Street Journal: Austin Butts Heads With Texas Leaders Over Abortion Funding
The city of Austin is caught in a political and legal feud with Texas Republicans over what constitutes public support for abortion, in the latest clash between the state’s conservative leaders and its overwhelmingly liberal capital. The current fracas began when the GOP-led state legislature earlier this year banned cities from making “any transaction” with an abortion provider. The legislature cited Austin’s deal to rent a city-owned property to a Planned Parenthood clinic as the reason the bill was needed. City leaders had little reaction to the move, as it was too late to affect the reproductive health organization’s 20-year lease. (Findell, 9/25)

The Baltimore Sun: Supporters Push Safe Injection Sites To Stem Overdose Deaths In Maryland, But Legal Questions Unresolved 
As opioids continue to claim hundreds of lives a month in Maryland, treatment advocates, politicians and others are making another push to permit drug use in certain places where it can be monitored and people can get connected to programs that address their addictions. Backers, including Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby and City Council President Brandon Scott, came to a meeting Wednesday to promote so-called safe consumption sites and encourage a groundswell of support for state legislation that would establish such spaces. (Cohn, 9/25)

The Associated Press: Health Care Company Sends Woman Over 500 Letters In 5 Days
A Maine woman says she received more than 500 letters from UnitedHealthcare in five days. The letters were sent to Stephanie Lay’s 19-year-old son Bryce in Windham, but were addressed to Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services — in Cincinnati, Ohio. WCSH-TV reports most of the letters said the company was denying a payment of $54. Some say $0. The claims go back to 2016. (9/25)

San Francisco Chronicle: Mayor Pulls Out Of Talks On San Francisco Mental Health Overhaul
After two months of talks, San Francisco Mayor London Breed said Wednesday that she’s pulling out of negotiations with two supervisors over their sweeping proposal to overhaul the city’s mental health care system. City officials met five times since July over Supervisors Hillary Ronen and Matt Haney’s proposed ballot measure — dubbed Mental Health SF — but could not reach consensus over how to fix the city’s behavioral health system. (Fracassa, 9/25)

The CT Mirror: CT Moves Closer To Health Care 'Excellence' Referral Network
Connecticut took a big step this week toward a new network that will steer state employees, retirees and the general public toward the hospitals, doctors and other providers that provide the best possible care, Comptroller Kevin P. Lembo announced. The “Centers of Excellence” network will highlight those care providers who offer the most cost-effective treatment. And the contractor selected also will help state government cut its health care costs by millions of dollars across this fiscal year and next combined. (Phaneuf, 9/26)

St. Louis Public Radio: Empower Missouri's SNAP Challenge Shows The Difficulty Of Feeding A Family On Benefits
For Missouri families who need government assistance to pay for food, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a necessity. But it’s also not always enough.Empower Missouri's #MOSNAPChallenge campaign invites state and federal legislators to shop for a three-day supply of food for a family of four using only the average amount of money available to families enrolled in the program. That’s just $1.33 per person per meal for a family of four, according to the Missouri Department of Social Services. (Hamdan, 9/25)

Politico Pro: Newsom Administration Awards $28.5M To Counteract Past Drug Policies
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration announced Wednesday that it has awarded $28.5 million in grants to organizations that support communities damaged by the past criminalization of marijuana. Nearly 70 nonprofits and local health departments from across the state will receive amounts ranging from $150,000 to $650,000. The grants are part of the California Community Reinvestment Grants program, which began when voters legalized adult-use cannabis through Proposition 64. (Nieves, 9/25)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Lawmakers Tasked With Preventing Suicide Back Off Proposal To Delay Funding For Suicide Hotline
Lawmakers tasked with finding ways to prevent suicide across Wisconsin on Wednesday backed off legislation that would have delayed funding to help keep people from taking their own lives. The leaders of the task force, Republican Rep. Joan Ballweg of Markesan and Democratic Rep. Steve Doyle of Onalaska, had planned to recommend legislation that would allocate $110,000 for a text-message-based service instead of asking the Legislature's finance committee to release funding for the service already approved and available in the state budget. (Beck and Marley, 9/25)

Los Angeles Times: Officials Warn Of Possible Measles Exposure At LAX
A Los Angeles County resident may have exposed others to measles while traveling through Los Angeles International Airport last week. Officials with the county Department of Public Health said Wednesday that the person showed signs of measles shortly after returning to Southern California. The departure city was not immediately provided. (Shalby, 9/25)

The Associated Press: Maryland Health Officials Preparing For Smoking Age Increase
Maryland’s health department is reaching out to retailers to prepare them for an increase in the age when people can buy tobacco. Starting Tuesday, the age for buying tobacco products in Maryland will increase from 18 to 21. The law will also apply to electronic smoking devices and vaping. (9/25)

Sacramento Bee: California Cities Ask SCOTUS To Review Boise Homeless Decision
In a 36-page amicus curiae, or “friend of the court,” brief, the California State Association of Counties and 33 local governments have asked the nation’s highest court to consider hearing an appeal of the Martin v. City of Boise case. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last September that municipalities cannot punish people for sleeping on the streets if there are no available shelter beds. (Yoon-Hendricks and Clift, 9/25)

St. Louis Public Radio: A Violent Summer For St. Louis Children Leaves Everyone Grasping For Answers
Ten children have been shot to death in St. Louis since Memorial Day weekend — more than the total number of young people killed by guns in all of 2018. The cause of the increase has vexed police, researchers and those who work with victims of violence. (Lippmann, 9/26)

Dallas Morning News: What Can Dallas Do To Curb Gun Violence? Here's Where Council Members Stand.
After two recent mass shootings in El Paso and Odessa, Republican state legislators in Texas face mounting pressure to reduce gun violence. Gov. Greg Abbott issued a list of recommendations, which included harsher penalties on illegal purchases. Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke has supported confiscating all assault-style weapons. But in Dallas, elected officials have mostly been quiet to address whether firearm policies play a role in the city's recent rise in violent crime. (Norimine, 9/25)

Axios: Drug Prices In America Are Much Higher Than They Are In Other Countries
Americans would save a boatload if we paid the same prices as other wealthy countries pay for prescription drugs, a new analysis from the House Ways & Means Committee confirms. (Owens, 9/24)

NPR: How An 'International Price Index' Might Help Reduce Drug Prices
In gridlocked Washington, both Democrats and Republicans have signaled there's potential for a deal when it comes to lowering prescription drug prices. Now, there's an idea both Congressional Democrats and the White House seem to like: They want to base U.S. prices on something called an international price index. "The basic idea is to peg what the United States pays for a particular drug to the price paid in some set of other countries," says Rachel Sachs, an associate professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis who specializes in drug pricing policy. "There are many different ways to identify other countries, and there are many different ways in which that international reference price could be used to negotiate for a price here." (Simmons-Duffin, 9/19)

OpenSecrets: Big Pharma Invests Millions As Congress Readies Drug Pricing Bills
As millions of Americans skip their medication due to the ballooning high prescription costs, Congress is seeking ways to cap drug pricing. The legislative effort, however, touched a nerve in the deep-pocketed pharmaceutical industry. Big Pharma’s largest trade group, along with its front groups and conservative organizations that receive funding from the industry, pushed back with millions of dollars of spending. (Yu, 9/25)

CNBC: This Is What Medicare Part D Has Done To Prescription Costs
If you’re on Medicare, you’re probably already familiar with Part D, the prescription drug benefit plan. But you may not know exactly how the optional program — which has been available to seniors since 2006 — has affected drug prices. (Konish, 9/23)

Bloomberg: After Shingles Standout, Glaxo Hunts For The Next Big Vaccines 
GlaxoSmithKline Plc is taking aim at a virus that causes serious lung infections and kills tens of thousands of children each year, hoping to replicate the success of its last blockbuster vaccine. Experimental shots targeting respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, are the top pipeline priority for Glaxo’s vaccines unit, Emmanuel Hanon, its research and development head, said in an interview. Glaxo plans to move those vaccines into the final stage of testing by the end of 2020, he said. (Paton, 9/26)

Stat: First It Was Aspirin, Then Xarelto. What's Bayer's Next Big Thing?
Originally, aspirin might have come from a bitter-tasting extract of the willow tree — but since 1899, it’s come from the German pharmaceutical and chemical company Bayer (BAYRY). That kind of household-name status is hard to beat, but the company has kept on developing drugs, including the wildly successful blood thinner Xarelto. STAT caught up with Dr. Joerg Moeller, Bayer’s head of global research and development for pharmaceuticals, when he was in Boston to help set up a new lung-disease research collaboration with Brigham and Women’s and Massachusetts General hospitals. (Boodman, 9/25)

Bloomberg: Why Millions Of Senior Citizens Can't Get Needed Medications 
Senior citizens who try to fill prescriptions have them rejected at the pharmacy counter millions of times each year because their doctors either don’t, or are unable to, check whether a patient’s Medicare plan covers a particular drug. That’s the upshot of a new report from a federal watchdog that examines the difficulty Medicare beneficiaries face in getting medications. (Tozzi, 9/19)

Stat: Patients Will Be The Losers Under Pelosi's Plan To Control Drug Prices
This year has brought new treatments for osteoporosis, advanced bladder cancer, Ebola, tuberculosis, spinal muscular atrophy, and postpartum depression. And it’s only autumn — the season in which Congress and President Trump will decide to kill biomedical innovation with their proposals on drug prices just as we’re entering a new era of curative medicines. The press is reporting on “bipartisan efforts to lower drug prices,” taking for granted that any debate about drug prices presumes that there are drugs to price. (Peter Kolchinsky, 9/23)

Stat: Tariffs On Pharma Ingredients Call For Smarter Business Planning
The trade conflict with China seems to escalate, although it can change with a tweet. The first of two rounds of tariffs on billions of dollars’ worth of Chinese goods is now in effect, even as the final positioning or even talk of deals and delays are in flux. These tariffs have implications for pharmaceutical companies’ supply chain planning for active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), the components of drugs that produce their therapeutic effects. Tariffs on APIs imported from China pose risks for pharmaceutical companies, both for generic and name-brand products. (Roddy Martin, 9/25)

Modern Healthcare: Lowering Drug Prices With Bipartisan, Market-Based Proposals
Most Americans are affected in some way by rising prescription drug and healthcare prices. Whether you’re personally impacted or hear about the effects of rising costs on a family member or friend, you know things aren’t getting better. The Senate Finance Committee, on which I serve, started working this year on a series of hearings to better understand the complexity of drug pricing, especially in the Medicare Part D prescription drug program. We’ve heard from pharmaceutical experts, federal regulators and patients. I’ve been surprised at the bipartisan common ground we’ve been able to achieve toward solutions in lowering prescription drug costs. (Sen. James Lankford, 9/21)

Modern Healthcare: Let’s Prescribe A Dose Of Common Sense: End Spread-Pricing In Medicaid
Americans from coast to coast disagree about plenty of issues. As a U.S. senator, I know at least one issue that unites all Americans: Drug prices are too high. The soaring cost of prescription medicine has struck a nonpartisan nerve. Sticker shock is hitting consumers at the pharmacy counter and socking it to taxpayers who foot the bill for government health programs. While most Americans agree the U.S. healthcare system provides the most innovative cures and quality care available in the world, they also know the delivery system is too complex, too secretive, too confusing and too expensive. (Sen. Chuck Grassley, 9/21)

The Hill: An Unprecedented Opportunity For Washington To Lower Drug Prices
Congress was gaveled back into session this month with unprecedented momentum behind legislative efforts to hold Big Pharma accountable and lower prescription drug prices. An array of key factors are aligned that make now the time that lawmakers simply must act to get these, and additional, solutions in the end zone. (Lauren Anderson, 9/25)

Stat: The Industry That Cries Wolf: Pharma And Innovation
Drug companies play games. One of them involves product hopping — switching from one version of a drug to a trivially different version just to keep generic rivals off the market. Congress is actively considering legislation targeting this conduct. In June, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed by a 22-0 vote the Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Act of 2019. Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) recently introduced companion legislation, the Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Through Promoting Competition Act of 2019. Both aim to quash anticompetitive behaviors by drug companies, and take specific aim at product hopping. (Michael A. Carrier and Genevieve Tung, 9/26)

San Francisco Chronicle: Californians Need Prescription Drug Price Relief
Every visit to a pharmacy is a reminder to millions of Californians of the high price of prescription drugs in this country. It’s not just that they cost more, but that the costs are often unjust — the result of price-gouging practices and patent manipulation by the pharmaceutical industry. The tactics of Martin Shkreli became famous because they were shameless, not because they were unique. One egregious example of problematic pricing by drug companies is a practice called “pay for delay.” (Anthony Wright, 9/25)

The Hill: What Policymakers Should Know About The Link Between Drug Revenues And New Treatments
Prescription drug prices, always a sore point for consumers, have become a front-burner political issue for policymakers in both parties heading into this campaign cycle. The Trump administration claims that reducing the price of drugs is one of its highest priorities and recently issued new regulations requiring manufacturers to list the price of their drugs in television ads. Congress meanwhile passed two price transparency bills last year and is holding a set of hearings on the subject, which could lead to bipartisan legislation that would reduce government spending on drugs by up to $100 billion over the next decade. And now Speaker Nancy Pelosi has introduced legislation forcing drug makers whose products do not face competition to dramatically lower their prices in order to sell in the United States. (Joe Kennedy, 9/25)

New England Journal of Medicine: Sustained Animus Toward Latino Immigrants — Deadly Consequences For Children And Families 
We all know about the administration’s horrific Zero Tolerance Policy, which has resulted in children being ripped out of their parents’ arms. We’ve also heard about the deplorable conditions in CBP detention centers, where children are not given adequate food, sit in soiled diapers for days or longer, sleep on concrete floors with lights left on 24/7, are exposed to infections in close quarters without adequate hygiene or medical care, and are physically and sexually abused. But myriad policies are inflicting further harm on migrant children. (Benard P. Dreyer, 9/26)

The New York Times: It Takes A Teenager To Help A Teenager In Crisis
After losing his best friend to suicide, Taylor Harrison, then 18, was looking for ways to honor the memory of his friend, deal with his own grief, and help others going through a hard time. He decided to volunteer at Lines for Life, a nonprofit crisis-line organization in Portland, Oregon. Just a few months into his time there, Mr. Harrison took a call from a teenager who was thinking about walking in front of the next train. “It was really brave of you to reach out,” he told the caller. The teenager eventually decided the library was the safest place for him to go, and Mr. Harrison stayed on the phone with him while he took the bus there. (Catherine Cheney, 9/24)

Axios: Employer-Based Health Insurance Is Unaffordable For Low-Wage Workers
Employer-based health insurance isn’t a monolith — the cost and generosity of that coverage varies widely. And that likely affects how open workers would be to “Medicare for All” or a public insurance option. (Drew Altman, 9/26)

The Washington Post: How The Rise Of Urban Nonprofits Has Exacerbated Poverty
That sense sparked the rise of “eds and meds” as an urban renewal strategy. Education and medical institutions had to be rooted in place, and they thus served as important urban employers, a trend aided by mid-century federal spending, Cold War-era research projects, and Great Society programs that expanded student loans for higher education and insurance coverage via Medicare and Medicaid. Smaller nonprofits also benefited from federal spending, particularly via the War on Poverty programs, that funneled federal dollars to small, often neighborhood-based nonprofit organizations working in social services, housing, community safety, preschool education, youth development and more. (Claire Dunning, 9/24)

The New York Times: A Beating Heart, Even After Death
Shows like HBO’s “Westworld” and the “Blade Runner” films depict a dystopian future where humankind and machine have merged, blurring the line between people and robots. As a cardiologist, I find myself face to face with both the promise and the peril of such a marriage — a reality for me and my patients rather than a distant hypothetical. Tens of thousands of Americans today have mechanical pumps keeping them alive, offering the first serious glimpse of what the union of human and machine will look like. Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) are sutured right into the hearts of patients with severe heart failure, mechanizing them to keep blood circulating throughout the body. While they don’t quite turn into cyborgs, most patients with LVADs don’t have a pulse, and if you put a stethoscope to their chest, instead of hearing the galloping of their heart, you would hear the hum of the pump. (Haider Warraich, 9/24)

Los Angeles Times: California Is Targeting Vaping. Why Aren't Youth Alcohol And Cigarette Use Also In The Crosshairs?
This dramatic response to the problem of youth vaping stands in stark contrast to the way lawmakers and agencies have handled other similar — and as of now — more deadly health issues. One-third of high school seniors consume alcohol and half of them are drinking flavored alcoholic beverages. Alcohol is responsible for more than 4,300 deaths among underage youth each year; yet federal policymakers have not banned the sale of all flavored alcoholic beverages. (Michael Siegel, 9/25)

The Hill: Suicide Prevention Remains A Top National Priority For The VA
September is National Suicide Prevention month. Accordingly, as it does nearly every year, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) issued its National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report this month. The report contains startling statistics, such as the fact that, in 2017, 45,390 adults in the U.S. died by suicide, including 6,139 veterans. This means that the national suicide rate is 1.5 times higher for veterans than it is for non-veterans, after adjusting or population differences in age and sex. (Rory E. Riley-Topping, 9/25)

Los Angeles Times: Trump's EPA Is Playing Politics With California Instead Of Working To Clean Up The Air 
The Trump administration’s latest attack on California is so transparently spiteful that it would almost be laughable if we weren’t talking about something as serious as clean, breathable air and a habitable planet.On Tuesday, the Environmental Protection Agency chastised California for having “the worst air quality in the United States” and threatened to cut off federal transportation funding as punishment for submitting inadequate pollution-control plans. EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler complained that about 130 such plans have been gathering dust at his agency, some of them for decades, waiting to be completed or improved. (9/26)

New England Journal of Medicine: Losing Hahnemann — Real-Life Lessons In “Value-Based” Medicine
The announcement that Hahnemann Hospital would soon close came as a shock to many people. Is the hospital a casualty of the push to optimize the distribution of limited resources — or a cautionary tale about the greed and corruption underlying our health care ills? (Lisa Rosenbaum, 9/26)

Boston Globe: Babies V. Massachusetts Courts?
Why it is so difficult for some judges in Massachusetts to believe that adults intentionally harm and kill infants? Admittedly, it is difficult to imagine an adult — seven times larger than a defenseless infant and with a developed and rational brain — grasping and violently shaking a crying child, and causing blunt force trauma to the head. The sheer monstrosity of the attack is unimaginable. (Deborah Eappen, 9/26)