Reuters: Eli Lilly's Nationwide Insulin Pricing Settlement Called Off 
A settlement between Eli Lilly and purchasers of its insulin drugs that would have capped prices and provided $13.5 million to resolve claims that the company inflated the drugs' cost has fallen apart, after an unfavorable ruling from the judge overseeing the case. Lawyers for a proposed nationwide class of individuals who paid for Lilly's Humalog and other insulin drugs said in a filing in Newark, New Jersey, federal court on Friday that they and Lilly had decided not to go forward seeking approval for the deal, which they first proposed last May. Steve Berman, one of the lawyers, called the demise of the settlement, which would have capped patients' out-of-pocket insulin costs at $35 per month for four years, a "potentially big loss for consumers." (Pierson, 4/15)

Stat: Insulin Affordability: Chuck Schumer’s Broken Promise
In February 2022, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer stood alongside constituents in Buffalo, N.Y., and promised to hold a vote to cap costs for insulin at $35 per month for people with all types of insurance. Two years later, he hasn’t followed through. Democrats have achieved piecemeal progress in making insulin more affordable for millions of people during President Biden’s more than three years in office, but they’ve yet to do so for everyone. And despite Schumer’s repeated promises to hold a vote on whether to expand cost protections to people with all types of insurance, he hasn’t done it. (Zhang, 4/16)

More on drug costs and the drug supply chain —

The New York Times: U.S. Scrutiny Of Chinese Company Could Disrupt U.S. Supply Chain For Key Drugs
A Chinese company targeted by members of Congress over potential ties to the Chinese government makes blockbuster drugs for the American market that have been hailed as advances in the treatment of cancers, obesity and debilitating illnesses like cystic fibrosis. WuXi AppTec is one of several companies that lawmakers have identified as potential threats to the security of individual Americans’ genetic information and U.S. intellectual property. A Senate committee approved a bill in March that aides say is intended to push U.S. companies away from doing business with them. (Jewett, 4/15)

Bloomberg: Cancer, ALS Drugs That Don't Work Are Costing Americans Billions
One ALS drug made $400 million in sales for its maker. It doesn’t work. A cancer treatment brought in $500 million. That one turned out to have no effect on survival. A blood cancer medication made nearly $850 million before being withdrawn for two of its uses. That drug had been linked to patient deaths years prior. All of them were allowed to be sold to Americans because of the US Food and Drug Administration’s drive to get new drugs to patients quickly — sometimes even before they’re done testing. (Langreth, Rutherford, and Meghjani, 4/15)

NPR: U.S. Drugmakers Lower U.S. Taxes By Shifting Profits To Overseas Subsidiaries
Corporations are supposed to pay a nominal tax rate of 21%. But in recent years, the biggest pharmaceutical companies had an average effective tax rate of less than 12%, according to an analysis by the Senate Finance Committee. (Lupkin, 4/15)

Stat: Thanks To CVS, A Humira Biosimilar Is Grabbing Huge Market Share 
The number of new prescriptions written for biosimilar versions of the Humira rheumatoid arthritis treatment, one of the best-selling medicines in the U.S., surged to 36% from just 5% during the first week of April, thanks to the expanding reach that CVS Health has over the prescription drug market. ... The changes underscore the complicated jockeying taking place to capture the enormous of money in play, according to Chris Brown, who heads McAteer, a consulting firm that specializes in drug pricing. (Silverman, 4/15)

The 19th: Pregnant Workers Fairness Act Regulations Include Time Off For Childbirth, Abortion
In what could be a groundbreaking shift in American workplaces, most employees across the country will now have access to unpaid time off to recover from childbirth or to access an abortion. These changes are part of new workplace protections made possible through the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. (Carrazana, 4/15)

In abortion news from Arizona, Indiana, Florida, and Alabama —

The New York Times: Under Pressure From Trump, Arizona Republicans Weigh Response To 1864 Abortion Ban 
Facing mounting pressure to strike down a near-total abortion ban revived last week by Arizona’s Supreme Court, Republican state legislators are considering efforts to undermine a planned ballot measure this fall that would enshrine abortion rights in the Arizona Constitution, according to a presentation obtained by The New York Times. The 1864 law that is set to take effect in the coming weeks bans nearly all abortions and mandates prison sentences of two to five years for providing abortion care. The proposed ballot measure on abortion rights, known as the Arizona Abortion Access Act, would enshrine the right to an abortion before viability, or about 24 weeks. Supporters of the measure say they have already gathered enough signatures to put the question on the ballot ahead of a July 3 filing deadline. (Cameron, 4/15)

KFF Health News: Conservative Justices Stir Trouble For Republican Politicians On Abortion
Abortion opponents have maneuvered in courthouses for years to end access to reproductive health care. In Arizona last week, a win for the anti-abortion camp caused political blowback for Republican candidates in the state and beyond. The reaction echoed the response to an Alabama Supreme Court decision over in vitro fertilization just two months before. (Pradhan, 4/16)

AP: Indiana Limits Abortion Data For Privacy Under Near-Total Ban, But Some GOP Candidates Push Back
Indiana allows so few abortions that health officials stopped releasing individual reports to protect patient privacy — a move some Republicans are now fighting to reverse. The Republicans, including prominent candidates for office this year, want access to reports detailing each abortion still performed in the state. Advocates for abortion rights and some state officials warn that would jeopardize the privacy of physicians and patients who can only receive abortions under strict circumstances. (Volmert, 4/16)

The Hill: Rick Scott Supports 15-Week Florida Abortion Ban Over 6-Week Limit
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) says he would support replacing Florida’s six-week state abortion ban with a 15-week statewide ban that he believes would reflect broader consensus within the Sunshine State over how to protect unborn life. Scott says any 15-week statewide abortion ban should include the standard exceptions for cases of rape, incest and to protect the life of the mother. (Bolton, 4/15)

Fox News: Alabama Senator Seeks To Expose Abortions At The Department Of Veterans Affairs
A prominent Republican senator from Alabama is aiming to increase transparency about abortions that take place within the Department of Veterans Affairs. On Tuesday, Sen. Tommy Tuberville plans to introduce the VA Abortion Transparency Act of 2024, a measure that would require the VA to provide quarterly reports as well as a variety of details surrounding its involvement in abortions performed. (Johnson, 4/16)

Stateline: Fatal Anomaly Exception Didn’t Spare Alabama Mom Who Needed An Abortion
Kelly Shannon was grieving a pregnancy she would need to terminate because of multiple fetal anomalies when she got the call that Alabama doctors wouldn’t approve an abortion procedure despite exceptions in the law. That meant she would have to leave the state. Shannon, 36, was about 16 weeks along in January 2023 when genetic testing — and confirmation from an amniocentesis — showed her fetus likely had Trisomy 21, better known as Down syndrome. (Moseley-Morris, 4/15)

Axios: Ransomware Gang Starts Leaking Change Healthcare Data
The RansomHub hacking group is starting to share snippets of the data stolen from Change Healthcare's networks during a recent attack. Initial screenshots published Monday and seen by Axios suggest that hackers have stolen a trove of sensitive information, including patients' hospital bills, financial documents and company contracts. (Sabin, 4/16)

Reuters: UnitedHealth Takes $872 Million Hit To Profit From Change Healthcare Hack
UnitedHealth Group took a hit of $872 million to first-quarter profit from disruptions caused by the February cyberattack at its Change Healthcare unit. The disruptions are expected to impact profit by as much as $1.35 per share this year, the company said in a statement. This is the healthcare conglomerate's first public comment on the financial cost of the data breach, which disrupted services at pharmacies, hospitals, doctors offices and other providers as well as at community health centers in the United States. (4/16)

The Hill: Senate Finance Chair Says Hearing On Change Healthcare Cyberattack Is Coming 
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), chair of the Senate Finance Committee, said a hearing on the Change Healthcare cyberattack that disrupted health care system payments across the country will be coming soon. Speaking at the American Hospital Association’s (AHA) Annual Membership Meeting, Wyden said, “We’ll be heading towards a hearing under the system of how we announce things, you know, we’ll be getting into that here very, very shortly,” when asked about the cybersecurity breach. (Choi, 4/15)

Modern Healthcare: Health Sector Wary As Congress Starts Change Hearings
This week, Congress will begin considering longer-term strategies in response to the Change Healthcare ransomware attack, raising the question: What do healthcare industry stakeholders think legislators should do? Many of them simply are not sure. Numerous industry groups offered a common response when asked what they would like — and not like — from Congress: They are still weighing their options while UnitedHealth Group's Optum subsidiary keeps working to restore its Change Healthcare systems. (McAuliff, 4/15)

Axios: Biden Faces Deadline To Finalize Key Health Care Rules
The Biden administration has just weeks to finish health policy regulations on Medicaid, tobacco, reproductive care and other key areas, to avoid any chance of them being repealed by the next Congress. (Knight, 4/15)

Dayton Daily News: U.S. House Bill Seeks To Repeal Mandatory Medicaid Estate Recovery
The amount of money Ohio collects from the estates of deceased Medicaid recipients continued to climb last year as some federal lawmakers advocate ending the practice. The state collected more than $91.1 million last year through Medicaid estate recovery, according to the Ohio Attorney General’s office. The amount collected has climbed annually since 2017, state data shows. (Blizzard, 4/15)

Houston Chronicle: More Than 2 Million Texans Lost Medicaid Coverage In Past Year, At Double The National Rate
Texas continues to disenroll Medicaid recipients at one of the highest rates in the country, part of a broader trend that has seen state health departments across the nation move unqualified recipients off their rolls after a surge in enrollment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Texas has so far removed 2.1 million Medicaid recipients from its rolls, which works out to 49% of the cases it has reviewed, more than twice the national average and a higher proportion than all but six other states, according to analysis by the nonprofit KFF. (Osborne, 4/15)

The New York Times: 5 Takeaways From A Year Of Medicaid Upheaval 
Lindsey McNeil and her 7-year-old daughter, Noelle, who suffers from cerebral palsy and epilepsy, were jolted by an alert they received from Florida’s Department of Children and Families late last month that Noelle would be losing her Medicaid coverage 10 days later. Their lives have since begun to unravel, Ms. McNeil said. Noelle has stopped seeing the four therapists she visits each week and is running low on medications she needs to prevent her seizures from flaring up. Monday brought a measure of relief: Ms. McNeil learned that Noelle’s coverage had been temporarily reinstated as they wait for a resolution to an appeal filed with the state. (Weiland, 4/16)

On food safety rules —

Stat: Bill Pushed By Grocers Would Gut FDA Food Safety Rules, Critics Say 
In the last decade, Americans have been sickened by salmonella from cucumbers, listeria from Mexican-style cheese, and E. coli from romaine lettuce. Now, it would seem that Washington is finally getting serious about making sure the Food and Drug Administration has the power to promptly investigate and respond to foodborne outbreaks. (Florko, 4/16)

The Mercury News: Why Tortillas Sold In California May Be Forced To Add A New Ingredient
Folic acid has long been used to prevent serious birth defects and help babies develop. Medical and public health experts advise daily consumption during pregnancy, but also in the months before becoming pregnant. This B vitamin is so important the federal government requires folic acid in certain foods such as enriched breads and cereals. Now a California lawmaker is carrying a bill that would require manufacturers of corn masa flour — used to make many classic Latino foods — to also add folic acid to their products. (Ibarra, 4/15)

Modern Healthcare: Prior Authorization Crackdown May Be Coming: CMS’ Brooks-LaSure
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid is evaluating whether it needs to take further steps cracking down on health insurance companies' prior authorization requirements. Patient and provider annoyance with prior authorization has boiled over in recent years, which CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure acknowledged at the American Hospital Association's annual conference in Washington, D.C., on Monday. (McAuliff, 4/15)

Modern Healthcare: Why Elevance, SCAN Are Suing Over Medicare Advantage Star Ratings
Insurance companies have hit federal agencies with a flurry of lawsuits in recent months over the government’s administration of the Medicare Advantage star ratings program. Four health insurance companies have sued the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, the Health and Human Services Department and HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra over the process for determining carriers’ scores in the federal quality ratings program. (Tepper, 4/15)

KFF Health News: Lawsuit Alleges Obamacare Plan-Switching Scheme Targeted Low-Income Consumers
A wide-ranging lawsuit filed Friday outlines a moneymaking scheme by which large insurance sales agency call centers enrolled people into Affordable Care Act plans or switched their coverage, all without their permission. According to the lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, two such call centers paid tens of thousands of dollars a day to buy names of people who responded to misleading advertisements touting free government “subsidies” and other rewards. (Appleby, 4/16)

Modern Healthcare: Cerebral Fined $7M By FTC Over Social Media Data Disclosure
Digital mental health company Cerebral, based in Walnut, has agreed to pay more than $7 million in fines, limit how it shares sensitive patient data and provide consumers an easier way to cancel its services. The Department of Justice, through a referral by the Federal Trade Commission, issued a proposed order on Monday that fined Cerebral more than $7 million for allegedly disclosing consumers' sensitive personal health information and failing to honor its easy cancellation promises. (Turner, 4/15)

Modern Healthcare: How Cedars-Sinai’s AI Tools Reach Spanish-Speaking Patients
As the excitement over artificial intelligence-driven tools builds, some health systems are looking to expand their use to improve communication with patients who don't speak English. Los Angeles-based Cedars-Sinai said last week it had launched a version of its Cedars-Sinai Connect app for Spanish-speaking patients and their families. The app offers an AI-enabled symptom checker and allows patients to chat with primary care providers through video or text messaging. (Perna, 4/15)

Also —

Axios: Physician Assistants' Push For Title Change Gains Momentum
Physician assistants have won the first round in an unusual push to rebrand themselves as physician associates. And doctors aren't amused. The title change reflects PAs' growing prominence in the health care system amid a nationwide physician shortage, and dovetails with other efforts to increase PAs' autonomy. (Goldman, 4/16)

NBC News: CDC Investigating Botched Botox Shots In 9 States
At least 19 women in nine states reportedly became sick after they got Botox, either having gotten the injections from people who were never licensed or trained to give the shots or received them in "non-healthcare settings," including homes or spas, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday. Nine of the 19 patients were hospitalized, the CDC said. Four "were treated with botulism antitoxin because of concerns that the botulinum toxin could have spread beyond the injection site." (Edwards, 4/16)

USA Today: Bladder Botox? It's Not What It Sounds Like: Why The Injection Can Be Life Changing
It’s safe to assume that most people don’t associate Botox with overactive bladders, but doctors who use it to treat just a sliver of the 33 million people in the U.S. struggling with uncontrollable urges to pee and leaks say the injections could be life changing. Steph Aiello, 33, has felt the benefits firsthand. She used to receive Botox injections into her bladder twice annually for six years after a car accident in 2010 left her paralyzed from the neck down. (Camero, 4/15)

On weight-loss drugs —

Reuters: More Than 250 Websites Selling Fake Weight-Loss Drugs Reported By Anti-Counterfeit Firm
The cybersecurity firm BrandShield has taken down more than 250 websites selling fake versions of popular weight-loss and diabetes drugs in the GLP-1 class, the company’s CEO Yoav Keren told Reuters. BrandShield, which shared this information exclusively with Reuters, said that out of the 279 pharmacy websites the company closed last year for selling drugs intended to treat metabolic conditions, more than 90% were related to GLP-1 medicines, according to Keren. (Wingrove, 4/15)

Fox News: Ozempic Babies: Women Claim Weight Loss Drugs Are Making Them More Fertile – And Experts Agree
A new kind of baby boom could be taking place. Some women taking GLP-1 drugs, such as Ozempic and Wegovy, have reported that they’re getting pregnant unexpectedly. The term "Ozempic babies" has been coined on TikTok, with many women posting there about their unplanned pregnancies. (Stabile, 4/16)

Los Angeles Times: How 'Miracle' Weight-Loss Drugs Made Health Disparities Worse
Obesity — like so many diseases — disproportionately affects people in racial and ethnic groups that have been marginalized by the U.S. healthcare system. A class of drugs that succeeds where so many others have failed would seem to be a powerful tool for closing the gap. Instead, doctors who treat obesity, and the serious health risks that come with it, fear the medications are making this health disparity worse. (Kaplan, 4/15)

CBS News: New Nonsurgical Procedure May Be More Effective Than Weight Loss Drugs, Study Says
A nonsurgical weight loss procedure may be more effective and less expensive than weight loss drugs like Ozempic. It's called endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty. ... In a new study published in JAMA Network Open, researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital projected that over a 5-year period, the sleeve procedure would be more cost-effective than semaglutide, the active ingredient in Wegovy and Ozempic. Weight loss drugs can be incredibly expensive. (Marshall, 4/15)

In other pharmaceutical news —

The Mercury News: Abbott Laboratories To Close Bay Area Site; Almost 200 Jobs To Be Cut
Fairfield Abbott Laboratories has given notice that it will be closing its Fairfield location later this year, meaning the loss of nearly 200 jobs. A Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification has been filed with the state, indicating that 195 employees will be laid off and the plant will be closed. Founded in 2004, the Illinois-based health and nutrition manufacturing company — known for brands including Similac infant formula, Pedialyte electrolyte drinks and Ensure shakes — also manufactures human and veterinary prescription drugs. (McConnell, 4/15)

Stat: Ultragenyx Reports Early Success With Angelman Syndrome Drug
Ultragenyx has found early success with its experimental treatment for the rare disease Angelman syndrome, supporting the company’s decision to acquire its development partner two years ago. Ultragenyx is one of the few companies developing a treatment for Angelman syndrome, a genetic condition that causes delayed development, problems with speech and balance, mental disability, and sometimes seizures. (DeAngelis, 4/15)

Reuters: WHO Warns Of Falsified Cough Syrup Ingredients Seized In Pakistan
The World Health Organization issued an alert on Monday warning drugmakers of five contaminated batches of propylene glycol, an ingredient used in medicinal syrups, that appear to have been falsely labelled as manufactured by Dow Chemical units in Asia and Europe. The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) issued three alerts between January and March over high levels of ethylene glycol (EG), an industrial solvent known to be toxic, found in drums purportedly made by subsidiaries of Dow Chemical in Thailand, Germany and Singapore. (Wingrove, 4/15)

CIDRAP: US Measles Cases Top 120 As LA County Tracks Case With Multiple Exposures
Eight more measles cases have been reported, putting the nation's total at 121 so far this year, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in its latest weekly update. The number of affected jurisdictions remained the same, at 18. ... Of the cases this year, 47% occurred in children younger than 5 years old. Young children also had the highest level of hospitalizations (65%). And. of people infected, 82% were unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccination status. (Schnirring, 4/15)

WLWT: Health Department Says Visitor To Cincinnati Tested Positive For Measles
The Cincinnati Health Department has been notified that an out-of-town visitor to Cincinnati has tested positive for measles. According to CHD, the visitor flew from Illinois to Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport and took a Lyft to the Hyatt Regency Cincinnati around 9 p.m. on Wednesday, April 10. (Dietz, 4/15)

CBS News: Second Measles Case Confirmed In Cook County Suburbs
Public health officials on Monday confirmed the second case of measles in the Cook County suburbs this year. Officials said there was no known link between this case and the recent outbreak of measles at a migrant shelter in Chicago. The Cook County Department of Public Health said the latest case involved an adult who was not vaccinated, and had spent time at the Super Mercado Torres grocery store at 5310 W. 25th St. in Cicero between April 6 and April 10 while infected. (Feurer, 4/15)

On covid and RSV —

The Mercury News: California's COVID Deaths: How Who Is Dying Has Changed
Four years after the start of the COVID pandemic, the age and race of its victims in California have dramatically shifted: Now, a Bay Area News Group analysis finds, those who are dying from the virus are much older, and more often White than Latino, a notable switch. While COVID deaths in California have plunged across all race and age groups, a comparison of deaths from the first six months of the pandemic to the most recent six months of data compiled by the California Department of Public Health shows 70% of those dying nowadays are 75 or older. (Blair Rowan, 4/15)

CIDRAP: Nasal Cells Offer Clues About Why COVID-19 Is Typically Milder In Children 
Severe outcomes from COVID-19 infections are much less common in children than in older adults, and new research suggests that important differences in how the nasal cells of young and elderly people respond to the SARS-CoV-2 virus could explain why children typically experience milder COVID-19 symptoms. The cell-culture study is published in Nature Microbiology and is based on nasal epithelial cells (NECs) collected from healthy participants, including children (0 to 11 years), younger adults (30 to 50 years), and the elderly (over 70 years). (Soucheray, 4/15)

CNN: Melatonin Industry Asked To Voluntarily Tighten Standards After Dramatic Rise In Childhood ER Visits
Makers of melatonin supplements have 18 to 24 months to voluntarily add child-deterrent packaging and improve cautionary language on labels of over-the-counter products, according to the Council for Responsible Nutrition, the leading trade association for the dietary supplement and functional food industry. (LaMotte, 4/15)

Also —

Reuters: High Risk Of Animal-To-Human Diseases Developing In Some China Fur Farms, Animal Protection Group Says
An investigation of five fur farms in China housing foxes, raccoon dogs and mink found a high risk of diseases developing that could jump from animals to humans, said animal protection group Humane Society International who conducted the study at the end of 2023. The farms in China's northern Hebei and Liaoning provinces each held between 2,000 and 4,000 animals in intensive conditions, including in close proximity to poultry, HSI said. (4/15)

The Washington Post: Supreme Court Allows Idaho To Enforce Ban On Gender-Affirming Care For Minors 
The Supreme Court on Monday cleared the way for Idaho to broadly enforce a ban on gender-affirming medical care for minors, the first time the justices have intervened on the contentious issue of transgender health treatments. While the underlying case concerns the constitutionality of a ban on gender-affirming medical care for minors, the court’s order did not address the merits of the issue — only whether the law could take effect for now. The state’s restrictions will not immediately apply to the two transgender teens who sued the state. (Parks and Marimow, 4/15)

Fox News: Planned Parenthood 'Stonewalling' Probe Into Peddling Puberty Blockers To Minors: State AG
Despite a judge's ruling that Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey can now access Planned Parenthood patient records — the third such ruling against transgender health clinics that could potentially expose whether they've been offering puberty blockers and transgender surgeries to children — Missouri's top lawyer says he's still meeting significant "stonewalling." (Joseph, 4/15)

The 19th: Advocates See Reprieve Of Anti-LGBTQ+ Bills In Statehouses
Getting a new doctor. Holding hands. Walking into a bar. Using a public bathroom. These everyday situations have become fear-inducing for over 60 percent of transgender Americans, according to new polling from the left-leaning firm Data for Progress. (Rummler, 4/15)

The New York Times: Transgender Veterans Sue V.A. Over Gender-Affirming Surgeries 
An advocacy group for transgender veterans has filed a lawsuit over the failure of the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide or pay for gender-affirming surgeries. The federal lawsuit, filed on Monday by the Transgender American Veterans Association, said the decision “amounts to discrimination on the basis of sex and transgender status” and threatens the health of veterans. It also accused the V.A. of letting the issue “languish” in the three years since the department’s secretary, Denis McDonough, said the administration would work to provide the surgeries. (Kavi, 4/15)

In other health news from Florida and California —

The Hill: DeSantis Signs Bill Banning Local Heat Protections For Workers
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has signed legislation barring local and municipal governments from requiring their own heat protections for workers. The law, House Bill 433, blocks local governments from several activities, including setting a minimum wage higher than that of the state or federal governments. It also restricts local authorities from “[r]equiring an employer, including an employer contracting with the political subdivision, to meet or provide heat exposure requirements not otherwise required under state or federal law” or “[g]iving preference, or considering or seeking information, in a competitive solicitation to an employer based on the employer’s heat exposure requirements,” according to a summary released by the Legislature. (Burdryk, 4/15)

San Francisco Chronicle: Pressure Mounts To Save East San Jose’s Regional Medical Trauma Center
Elected officials and residents in the Bay Area’s largest county are trying to stop the impending closure of a trauma center that treats thousands of people annually for severe heart attacks, major car accidents and strokes. Opponents of the closure say it could lead to delayed care and worse outcomes for patients, many of whom are lower-income or uninsured. (Ho, 4/15)

KFF Health News: California Health Workers May Face Rude Awakening With $25 Minimum Wage Law
Nearly a half-million health workers who stand to benefit from California’s nation-leading $25 minimum wage law could be in for a rude awakening if hospitals and other health care providers follow through on potential cuts to hours and benefits. A medical industry challenge to a new minimum wage ordinance in one Southern California city suggests layoffs and reductions in hours and benefits, including cuts to premium pay and vacation time, could be one result of a state law set to begin phasing in in June. (Thompson, 4/16)

The Washington Post: Bird Flu Is Not A Concern For Most Americans. But That Could Change
Since early 2022, a highly pathogenic strain of avian flu, H5N1, has been infecting wild aquatic birds and domestic poultry in the United States. More than 85 million birds in 48 states have died as a result of the virus or have been culled after exposure to infected birds. (Leana S. Wen, 4/16)

Scientific American: COVID, Flu And RSV Vaccines Are Lifesavers. Why Aren’t More Older Adults Getting Them? 
For the first time, we have vaccines that can protect older adults against three leading—and sometimes fatal—respiratory viral diseases: influenza, COVID and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). This is a breakthrough; studies show that these vaccines are effective at protecting older adults from severe disease outcomes, including hospitalization and death. Yet some seniors—including many who live in nursing homes—aren’t getting these vaccines. (Sarah Meyer and Georgina Peacock, 4/15)

Stat: Autism Doesn't Discriminate. Autism Research Shouldn't Either 
The face of autism was once predominantly white. No longer. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported last year that the prevalence of autism across all racial and ethnic groups is reaching parity. Among 8-year-olds in particular, autism was more commonly identified among Black, Hispanic and Asian American/Pacific Islander children than among their white counterparts for the first time ever. (Wendy K. Chung, 4/16)

The New York Times: The Smothering Of Abortion Rights Reveals Something Else About Republicans
Last Monday, Donald Trump said that abortion rights were best left to the states. “The states,” he said, “will determine by vote or legislation or perhaps both, and whatever they decide must be the law of the land. In this case, the law of the state.” (Jamelle Bouie, 4/16)

Kansas City Star: Missouri, Approve New Gene Therapies For Sickle Cell Disease 
As a mother to a sickle cell disease patient, I’ve seen it all when it comes to this devastating — not to mention historically overlooked and underfunded — disease. My daughter Ronicia, whom we lovingly called “Ro,” passed away living with sickle cell disease four years ago while being treated for a pain episode in the hospital. She was only 29. (Rosemary Britts, 4/16)