The Washington Post: HIV Patient Cured After Bone Marrow Transplant In Rare Case, Research Shows
A man in Germany who had been diagnosed with HIV has been declared free of the virus after receiving HIV-resistant stem cells through a bone marrow transplant intended to treat leukemia. According to research published in the journal Nature Medicine on Monday, the man was monitored for more than nine years after the 2013 transplant, and there is now “strong evidence” that he has been cured. (Ables, 2/21)

ABC News: 5th Person Confirmed To Be Cured Of HIV
Researchers are announcing that a 53-year-old man in Germany has been cured of HIV. Referred to as "the Dusseldorf patient" to protect his privacy, researchers said he is the fifth confirmed case of an HIV cure. Although the details of his successful treatment were first announced at a conference in 2019, researchers could not confirm he had been officially cured at that time. (Sathyakumar, 2/20)

The Hill: Fifth Person Cured Of HIV After Stem Cell Transplant, Researchers Say
In the study published in the Nature science journal, German researchers detailed the case of a 53-year-old patient who was diagnosed with HIV in 2008. After their diagnosis, the patient was placed on antiretroviral therapy (ART) which suppressed the viral load within their system. The patient was enrolled in the University Hospital Düsseldorf’s IciStem program, which explores potential HIV cures requiring stem cell transplants. (Choi, 2/20)

The Wall Street Journal: Why The Covid-19 Death Toll In The U.S. Is Still Rising
The U.S. has dodged a major wintertime Covid-19 surge as the pandemic continues to recede into the background. But the death toll is still growing. The U.S., which recently topped 1.1 million Covid-19 deaths since the pandemic began, continues to record several hundred more each day, death-certificate data show. The people who are dying remain old, often with underlying health issues such as heart and lung ailments, the data indicate. (Kamp, 2/20)

The Boston Globe: COVID Is Still Killing People Every Day. But Its Main Victims Have Changed.
A year ago, young families of color in Massachusetts were suffering a heavy toll from COVID-19, with Black and Latino people in the prime of their lives dying at rates up to three times higher than white people. Now, the pendulum appears to be swinging the other way. (Lazar, 2/20)

In other news connected to covid —

AP: Health Care Vaccine Mandate Remains As Some Push For An End
At Truman Lake Manor in rural Missouri, every day begins the same way for every employee entering the nursing home’s doors — with a swab up the nose, a swirl of testing solution and a brief wait to see whether a thin red line appears indicating a positive COVID-19 case. Only the healthy are allowed in to care for virus-free residents. (Lieb and Harjai, 2/19)

The New York Times: As The Pandemic Swept America, Deaths In Prisons Rose Nearly 50 Percent
Deaths in state and federal prisons across America rose nearly 50 percent during the first year of the pandemic, and in six states they more than doubled, according to the first comprehensive data on prison fatalities in the era of Covid-19. (Valentino-DeVries and Pitchon, 2/19)

Fox News: CDC Adds COVID-19 Vaccines To Official Immunization Schedule For Kids As Young As 6 Months
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a few updates last week to its child and adolescent immunization schedule. One update was the addition of COVID-19 vaccines to the child and adolescent immunization schedule. (Rudy, 2/20)

The Hill: Utah Senate Votes To Ban Conversion Therapy From Health Care Providers
The Utah Senate on Friday unanimously approved legislation to ban certain health care providers from practicing conversion therapy on minors, moving the legislature closer to codifying rules set by the state government in 2020. (Migdon, 2/17)

Minnesota Public Radio: Minnesota House Votes To Ban LGBTQ Youth Conversion Therapy
The Minnesota House of Representatives passed a bill Monday with bipartisan support that bans what’s called conversion therapy for LGBTQ youth and “vulnerable adults.” After hours of at times emotional debate, the DFL-led chamber voted 81-47 to prohibit mental health professionals from providing therapy aimed at changing a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. (Ferguson, 2/20)

Meanwhile, in moves against trans health care —

Wyoming Public Radio: Wyoming House Will Determine The Fate Of Multiple Anti-LGBTQ+ Bills
As the Wyoming Legislature enters its seventh week, four pieces of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation are still in play. They have each cleared the Wyoming Senate and must now pass in the State House of Representatives if they are to become law. Two of these bills seek to outlaw various forms of gender-affirming care. The third is a close copy of Florida's much-discussed "Don't Say Gay" bill and limits what teachers can say in the classroom about gender identity and sexual orientation. (Victor, 2/20)

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Health Care Limits For Transgender Youth Approved By Missouri Senate Committee
A Senate committee on Monday approved legislation restricting gender-related health care for minors, moving the plan closer to debate before the entire upper chamber. Passage of the restrictions by the Senate Emerging Issues Committee comes less than a week after the panel held a hearing on the legislation, illustrating the urgency Republicans have placed on the issue since the release of a report earlier this month alleging irreparable harm to vulnerable patients at a St. Louis transgender center for youth patients. (Suntrup, 2/20)

AP: North Dakota Moves To Curb Trans Identity In Data, Minors
The North Dakota House passed gender-related bills Friday that would omit transgender identity from state data collection and criminalize health care providers who give gender-affirming care to minors. The bills still need to go through the Senate and governor to become law. (Ahmed, 2/17)

Separately, on developments relating to abortion, reproductive rights —

AP: Montana Lawmaker: There's A Religious Right To Abortion
In Montana, a state lawmaker who is an ordained Jewish rabbi argues religious freedom laws that protect health care workers’ religious beliefs should also protect abortion rights for those who belong to religions that support such rights. “It seems that both sides should be permitted to have equal protections for their religious conscience,” said Rep. Ed Stafman, a Democrat. (Beth Hanson, 2/18)

AP: White House Criticizes Youngkin Over Menstrual Tracking Bill
The White House rebuked Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin this week for supporting state lawmakers’ rejection of a bill that that would have prohibited police from issuing search warrants for digitized data about women’s menstrual cycles. (2/18)

The Colorado Sun: Colorado Democrats In Congress Urge Catholic Hospital In Durango To Reverse Policy Banning Tubal Ligations
All five of Colorado’s Democratic U.S. representatives are condemning a decision by Mercy Hospital in Durango to stop allowing women to get their tubes tied, issuing a joint statement Thursday urging the Catholic hospital to reconsider. (Brown, 2/16)

CNN: President Carter Is On Hospice Care, But What Is It? Our Medical Analyst Explains
On Saturday, the Carter Center announced that former US President Jimmy Carter will be receiving hospice care at his home in Georgia. As Carter opted for hospice care, CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen and I thought that many people might be unfamiliar with hospice care beyond a vague understanding that some people receive it toward the end of life. There can be benefits and blessings for the person receiving the care and their loved ones, but there are also some common misconceptions about what it involves. (Hetter, 2/20)

The Wall Street Journal: Jimmy Carter, 98, To Receive Hospice Care At Home
Former President Jimmy Carter, after health setbacks and a series of hospital stays, has decided to “spend his remaining time” at home with his family and receive hospice care rather than seek further medical interventions, the Carter Center said Saturday. (McWhirter and Hanrahan, 2/19)

Reuters: Former President Jimmy Carter, 98, To Receive Hospice Care
In recent years, the Georgia native suffered from several health issues including melanoma that spread to his liver and brain, although he had responded well to treatment he received. (2/20)

Politico: 'Amazing Coincidence' Moderna Offered Free Vaccines When Asked To Testify, Bernie Sanders Says
It “maybe was just a wild and crazy coincidence” drug company Moderna announced a plan to give free Covid vaccines to uninsured Americans right as a Senate committee asked them to testify — but it was “a step in the right direction,” Sen. Bernie Sanders said Sunday. (Olander, 2/19)

Roll Call: Biden Administration Open To Legislation After Ohio Derailment
Biden administration officials said Friday they would welcome congressional action to ramp up safety measures for trains carrying highly hazardous materials following a train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. (Yurk, 2/17)

The Wall Street Journal: Sen. John Fetterman Set For Lengthy Hospital Stay
Sen. John Fetterman could remain hospitalized for more than a month as the Pennsylvania Democrat undergoes treatment for depression, a senior aide said, following a series of health setbacks. (Hughes, 2/18)

From the Biden administration —

AP: FDA’s Own Reputation Could Be Restraining Its Misinfo Fight
The government agency responsible for tracking down contaminated peanut butter and defective pacemakers is taking on a new health hazard: online misinformation. It’s an unlikely role for the Food and Drug Administration, a sprawling, century-old bureaucracy that for decades directed most its communications toward doctors and corporations. (Perrone, 2/20)

Stat: Cereal, Pasta Companies Blast FDA For Strict Definition Of ‘Healthy’
General Mills, Kellogg’s, and the rest of the country’s cereal makers are mad at the FDA. So are the packaged food companies, the pasta industry, and the pickle lobby (yes, it exists). The companies behind America’s favorite culinary indulgences are worried their products wouldn’t be considered “healthy” under a recent Food and Drug Administration proposal — and they’re urging regulators to reconsider. (Florko, 2/21)

The Wall Street Journal: EPA Reinstates Tougher Rules On Mercury, Other Toxins Eased Under Trump
The Biden administration has reinstated an Obama-era rule on mercury and other toxic chemicals that are emitted from coal-fired and oil-fired power plants, pollutants that the Environmental Protection Agency says are a health risk to people who live near these facilities. EPA officials said Friday that the rule, known as the 2012 Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, is “appropriate and necessary” to regulate emissions from power plants under the existing 1990 Clean Air Act. (Niiler, 2/17)

Meanwhile, concerning Medicaid and Medicare —

Fierce Healthcare: Majority In Survey Not Aware Of Medicaid Redeterminations
A recent survey of adults found more than 60% are not aware their eligibility for Medicaid could be in danger, underscoring the massive task states and managed care plans face ahead of an April 1 deadline. The analysis, published Thursday by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, looks at the awareness of the looming Medicaid eligibility redeterminations at the end of 2022. The survey, conducted by the think tank Urban Institute, showed awareness was lacking across the country regardless of the area. (King, 2/17)

KHN: Why Do Politicians Weaponize Medicare? Because It Works
The Medicare wars are back, and almost no one in Washington is surprised. This time it’s Democrats accusing Republicans of wanting to maim the very popular federal health program that covers 64 million seniors and people with disabilities. In the past, Republicans have successfully pinned Democrats as the threat to Medicare. (Rovner, 2/21)

Also —

KHN: A Law Was Meant To Free Sick Or Aging Inmates. Instead, Some Are Left To Die In Prison
Jimmy Dee Stout was serving time on drug charges when he got grim news early last year. Doctors told Stout, now 62, the sharp pain and congestion in his chest were caused by stage 4 lung cancer, a terminal condition. “I’m holding on, but I would like to die at home,” he told the courts in a request last September for compassionate release after serving about half of his nearly 15-year sentence. (Clasen-Kelly, 2/21)

The Hill: Reckitt Recalls Baby Formula Over Possible Contamination With Deadly Bacteria
Nutrition product manufacturer Reckitt is voluntarily recalling baby formula after the product was possibly contaminated with Cronobacter sakazakii, a bacteria that can be life-threatening among young children. The company says it is recalling two batches of ProSobee 12.9 oz. Simply Plant-Based Infant Formula out of “an abundance of caution” and that “all product distributed went through extensive testing and tested negative for the bacteria.” (Tanner, 2/20)

Reuters: Abbott Gets FTC Notice For Information On Infant Formula Products
Abbott Laboratories (ABT.N) said on Friday it received a civil investigative demand in January from the Federal Trade Commission related to a probe of the companies participating in bids for women, infants and children formula contracts. (2/18)

Reuters: Pepsico Recalls Some Starbucks Vanilla Frappuccino Drinks In U.S.
Pepsico Inc (PEP.O) recalled more than 25,000 cases of Starbucks (SBUX.O) chilled coffee drink after glass was found in some of the bottles, the U.S. Food and Drug administration said in a notice. The voluntary recall, which was initiated on Jan. 28, covers more than 300,000 bottles of the Starbucks frappuccino vanilla chilled coffee drink, the FDA said. (2/19)

Meanwhile, bird flu continues to be a concern —

AP: Why Sick Minks Are Reigniting Worries About Bird Flu
A recent bird flu outbreak at a mink farm has reignited worries about the virus spreading more broadly to people. Scientists have been keeping tabs on this bird flu virus since the 1950s, though it wasn’t deemed a threat to people until a 1997 outbreak in Hong Kong among visitors to live poultry markets. (Stobbe, 2/18)

AP: Bird Flu Costs Pile Up As Outbreak Enters Second Year
Egg prices shot up to $4.82 a dozen in January from $1.93 a year earlier, according to the latest government figures. That spike prompted calls for a price-gouging investigation although the industry maintains that the combination of bird flu and significantly higher feed, fuel and labor costs is what’s driving prices so high. (Funk, 2/19)

Reuters: Develop Vaccines For All Animal Influenza Strain, Says Incoming WHO Chief Scientist
Governments should invest in vaccines for all strains of influenza virus that exist in the animal kingdom as an insurance policy in case of an outbreak in humans, the incoming chief scientist at the World Health Organization said on Monday. Countries ranging from the United States and Britain to France and Japan have suffered record losses of poultry in outbreaks of avian flu in the past year. (Grover, 2/21)

Also —

CIDRAP: US Flu Activity Declines Further; Flu Subtypes Show Some Shifts
The nation's flu indicators showed more signs of decline, including fewer hospitalizations and deaths, but the percentage of 2009 H1N1 and influenza B viruses are showing small rises in a season that started early and was dominated by the H3N2 strain, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its weekly update. (Schnirring, 2/17)

The Washington Post: Study: Cheap, Effective Dental Treatment Could Help Low-Income Kids
Writing in JAMA Network Open, researchers report on CariedAway, a study that compared dental sealants with an application of silver diamine fluoride (SDF), a colorless liquid that is brushed on to the molars. The Food and Drug Administration labels SDF as a medical device to be used to treat tooth sensitivity, but dentists are increasingly using it to prevent cavities from forming or worsening. In 2018, the American Dental Association approved SDF’s use for cavity prevention in both kids and adults. (Blakemore, 2/18)

In obituaries —

The Washington Post: Paul Berg, Nobel Biochemist Who First Spliced DNA, Dies At 96
Paul Berg, a Nobel laureate biochemist whose breakthrough in splicing DNA molecules helped place the foundations for the biotech industry, but who was once so concerned about possible risks from manipulating genes that he asked scientists to allow government oversight, died Feb. 15 at his home on the Stanford University campus in California. He was 96. Stanford announced the death in a statement. No cause was given. (Murphy, 2/18)

FiercePharma: Docs Admit To Changing Perceptions Of A Drug Due To Social Media
Social media can have as powerful an influence on physicians as they do on the public, according to a new survey conducted by Sermo and LiveWorld. Of the 50-plus pharma marketers and 200-plus U.S. physicians surveyed, more than half (57%) of doctors said they frequently or occasionally change their initial perception of a medication due to social media. (Renfrow, 2/20)

The Hill: Reported HIPAA Complaints And Breaches Shot Up From 2017 To 2021: HHS
A report released on Friday found that HIPAA complaints and breaches spiked between 2017 and 2021, with the agency in charge of handling the notices saying it lacks sufficient resources to properly respond. ... According to the report, the number of large HIPAA breaches rose by 58 percent between 2017 and 2021, and the number of complaints rose by 39 percent. The agency defines large breaches as ones that affect at least 500 individuals. (Choi, 2/17)

Charlotte Ledger: How Much Should Hospital CEOs Make? 
As health care costs continue to rise, the executives of North Carolina’s nine largest nonprofit hospital systems have received double- and triple-digit percentage raises over the past decade, according to a report released last week by the State Treasurer’s Office. The report found that the hospital systems paid their top executives more than $1.75 billion from 2010 to 2021, and the average CEO compensation was $3.4 million in 2020. (Crouch and Hoban, 2/20)

In other health industry news —

The Boston Globe: 12 Diseases And Health Conditions Local Biotech Companies Are Tackling Right Now
Here, we examine 12 diseases and conditions — ranging from cancer to chronic pain, Alzheimer’s to postpartum depression — and the innovative companies working on solutions. Some of those treatments may be years away, or never end up making it over the hurdles of testing and approval at all. Some could be available in a matter of months. (Cross and Saltzman, 2/21)

The Wall Street Journal: Walgreens CEO Bets On Doctors Over Drugstores In Search For Growth
A year into her job as Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc.’s WBA 1.21%increase; green up pointing triangle chief executive, Rosalind Brewer realized the company’s board wasn’t entirely sold on her plan to save its ailing drugstore business.  So she took directors on the road. (Terlep, 2/19)

Stat: Battle Between Vertex, Insurers Leads To Crushing CF Drug Costs
Dan Brickey was stunned when he learned the news. The cost of the cystic fibrosis medicine that his 2-year-old daughter, Ali, had recently started taking was about to climb from just $180 out of pocket each year to a whopping $43,600 in 2023. The dramatic change was due to a decision by the drug’s manufacturer, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, to slash the amount of financial assistance that it offers to patients this year. (Silverman, 2/20)

Stat: FDA Approves Apellis Drug For Eye Disease Geographic Atrophy
The Food and Drug Administration approved on Friday the first treatment for geographic atrophy, a progressive eye disease and a leading cause of blindness in older people. The new drug, called Syfovre, is made by Apellis Pharmaceuticals. (Feuerstein, 2/17)

Stat: Travere Therapeutics Drug Approved For Rare Kidney Disease
Travere Therapeutics, a biotech focused both on treating rare diseases and distancing itself from controversial founder Martin Shkreli, on Friday won accelerated approval for a drug that treats IgA nephropathy, a rare and deadly autoimmune disease that attacks the kidneys and can lead to organ failure. (Wosen, 2/17)

On the health care worker shortage —

KHN: Senators Say Health Worker Shortages Ripe For Bipartisan Compromise
Senators are eying the growing shortage of health care workers in the United States as one of the few problems where there is room for bipartisan solutions, even in a deeply divided Congress gearing up for a presidential election cycle. (McAuliff, 2/17)

CBS News: Spinal Cord Stimulation Can Improve Arm And Hand Motion After A Stroke, Study Finds
A study published in the medical journal Nature on Monday found that targeted electrical pulses delivered to the spinal cord can help improve arm and hand movement after a stroke. Two patients were able to regain additional motion in their arm and hand through a device implanted at the base of the spine, which delivered pulses in areas responsible for hand and arm function. (Mandler, 2/20)

The Wall Street Journal: Zaps To The Spinal Cord Improved Patients’ Paralysis After Stroke
A fist that opened and shut. A once-limp arm that moved from her side. Two women whose strokes left them with partial paralysis for years saw life trickle back to their limbs when electric pulses were delivered to the back of their spinal cord as part of a pilot study. Neurologists said the approach, reported Monday in the journal Nature Medicine, could be transformative for stroke survivors, many of whom have some arm impairment after the event. (Subbaraman, 2/20)

AP: In Test, Zaps To Spine Help 2 Stroke Survivors Move Arms
“They’re not just getting flickers of movement. They’re getting something important,” said Dr. Jason Carmel, a Columbia University neurologist who wasn’t involved with the new experiment but also studies ways to recover upper-limb function. “It’s a very exciting proof of concept.” (Neergaard, 2/20)

In other news on innovations, research —

Fierce Healthcare: ATA Unveils 12 Telemedicine Innovator Challenge Finalists
The American Telemedicine Association (ATA) announced the dozen organizations that are finalists for the second annual ATA telehealth innovators challenge. Out of 40 companies that cleared the first round, the 12 were chosen to share their platforms at a live pitch competition at the ATA 2023 annual conference in March. (Burky, 2/17)

Stat: Antibody Treatment Benefits Patients Getting Bone Marrow Transplant
An experimental antibody that delivers lethal radiation directly to the bone marrow improved the outcomes of stem cell transplants for older patients with relapsed leukemia — and may change the way transplant medicine is practiced. (Feuerstein, 2/21)

And on research connected to covid —

CIDRAP: Original MRNA COVID Vaccines Protect Young Kids Against Omicron, But Efficacy Wanes
Omicron infection for US children 3 to 5 years old, but it is considerably higher 1 to 2 months after vaccination compared with 3 to 4 months, according to a study today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. (Wappes, 2/17)

CIDRAP: Previous COVID-19 May Slash Severe Illness At Reinfection By 89%
The risk of COVID-19 hospitalization among previously infected adults is 89% to 90% lower for at least 10 months than for their never-infected peers, according to a meta-analysis published late last week in The Lancet. (Van Beusekom, 2/20)

CIDRAP: Antibiotics For COVID-Related Visits More Common In Adults
An analysis of US health insurance claims found that receipt of antibiotics for COVID-19–related outpatient visits was more common in adults than children and adolescents during the first 2 years of the pandemic, researchers reported today in JAMA Health Forum. (Dall, 2/17)

CIDRAP: COVID Vaccine Tied To Fewer Heart Attacks, Strokes Among Previously Infected
COVID-19 vaccination is linked to fewer heart attacks, strokes, and other cardiovascular issues among previously infected adults, suggests a US study today in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. (Van Beusekom, 2/20)

AP: Clinic To Open Near Ohio Derailment As Health Worries Linger
Early next week, the state plans to open a medical clinic in the village to evaluate those who are worried and analyze their symptoms, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced. The clinic will include a team of experts in chemical exposures that is being deployed to eastern Ohio. (Orsagos and Seewer, 2/17)

Stat: Ohio Train Derailment: Experts On Toxic Chemical Risks
It’s been more than two weeks since a Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, spilling chemicals onto the ground and into waterways, and releasing them into the air as damaged cars burst into flames. A few days later, on February 6, officials intentionally released vinyl chloride gas from five train cars and burned it in order to avoid an explosion. Here’s a look at what we know so far about the potential hazards of air, soil, and water contamination stemming from the train derailment, and what experts say about the chemicals’ possible long term-risks to health. (Neimark, 2/21)

The New York Times: Many In East Palestine Seek Out Their Own Screenings For Toxic Chemicals
“The air monitoring team left within 10 minutes due to the unpleasant/overwhelming odor,” the team of government and private environmental experts wrote in its report, describing a “super glue/pool/fruity-like odor.” But there was no detection of significant amounts of vinyl chloride, a colorless gas carried by the train, or other toxic chemicals. (Cochrane, 2/19)

In other news from across the states —

The Washington Post: Embryos Were Damaged After IVF Clinic Used Spoiled Oil, Lawsuit Says
A California couple hoping to start a family someday turned to in vitro fertilization — storing their embryos with a plan to use them later to have “one or more children,” according to a lawsuit. But in January, the couple received news they’d hoped to never hear from their fertility clinic. All of the embryos they’d stored were damaged. (Somasundaram, 2/21)

The Texas Tribune: Texas’ Shortage Of Mental Health Care Professionals Is Getting Worse 
In 2016, the warnings about the future of the Texas mental health care workforce were clear. “More than 80 percent of Texas counties are designated as Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas, which are defined as more than 30,000 residents per clinician,” the Texas Statewide Behavioral Health Strategic Plan stated seven years ago. “Many of the most experienced and skilled practitioners are approaching retirement. … Texas higher education institutions have been unable to produce enough graduates to meet the predicted demand.” But no forecaster predicted a global pandemic that sparked months of lockdowns and restrictions on public life that left both Texas and a nation seeking to counter the resulting anxiety and depression. (Simpson, 2/21)

New Hampshire Public Radio: New Study Estimates 55% Of New Hampshire’s Groundwater Probably Has Elevated Radon Levels 
The new study mapping radon and uranium levels in New Hampshire looks at probability. It found that more than half the state’s groundwater has a 50% or higher probability of radon levels above what’s considered safe. The state says levels higher than 2,000 picocuries per liter are unsafe to drink. The study also estimated 76% of New Hampshire groundwater has a 50% or higher probability of detectable concentrations of uranium. (Han, 2/20)

AP: Maryland Lawmakers Want To Modernize Mental Health Services
A bipartisan group of Maryland lawmakers on Friday gathered to express their support for a package of legislation to modernize and improve access to mental health services in the state. The measures focus on getting people help earlier, preferably in community and primary care settings, before they experience a mental health crisis requiring costly trips to the emergency room or in-patient care. (Witte, 2/17)

The CT Mirror: Advocates: Medicaid Rates Leave CT Kids Without Autism Services
On a bad day in Antoinette Snow’s quest to get medication management services for her 15-year-old grandson, who has an autism diagnosis, the call goes something like this: “We no longer participate in HUSKY.” Click. On a good day, it’s more like: “I would be glad to take you in, but I don’t participate in Medicaid or HUSKY. I’ll give you a number to this doctor that does.” (Monk, 2/20)

Connecticut Public: CT Republicans Pitch Their Hopes For More Affordable Health Care
Connecticut Republicans last week unveiled a proposal they say would make health care affordable for middle-class families in the state. Senate Minority Leader Kevin Kelly, R-Stratford, said that Connecticut’s health care system is overly complicated and should be revised for patients. (Cajahuaringa, 2/20)

The CT Mirror: HUSKY Insurance Is 'Unwinding' In CT. Here's What To Know
A federal pandemic policy that guaranteed Medicaid coverage to hundreds of thousands of Connecticut residents is coming to an end. Typically, people who receive Medicaid, known as HUSKY in Connecticut, go through an annual process to confirm whether they still qualify for the program. But, during the pandemic, the federal government instituted a policy, known as “continuous enrollment,” that prevented states from kicking people off of Medicaid, even if they no longer qualified or failed to update their eligibility information. (Golvala, 2/21)

News Service of Florida: Lawmaker Eyes Medicaid Managed-Care Program For People With Developmental Disabilities
A House Republican has filed a proposal that would create a pilot program to provide Medicaid managed-care services to people with developmental disabilities. State Rep. Wyman Duggan of Jacksonville on Wednesday filed the proposal (HB 831) for consideration during the legislative session that will start March 7. It would create a managed-care pilot program in Miami-Dade County that would provide “comprehensive services” to Medicaid beneficiaries with developmental disabilities. (2/20)

Also —

KHN: Cleanup Workers Got Sick After Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. They Want BP To Pay
The oil washed ashore every day, globs of tarlike ooze blighting sugar-white sand beaches. Rodney Boblitt’s job was to report it. A special agent for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, he was assigned to patrol 14 miles of Panhandle beaches on an all-terrain vehicle, alerting cleanup crews to new slicks from the BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion. (O'Donnell and Chesnes, 2/21)

KHN: Journalist Angela Hart Furnishes Framework On Homelessness In California
KHN senior correspondent Angela Hart discussed homelessness in California and Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s legacy on KPBS’ “Midday Edition” on Feb. 9. She discussed the same issue on Cap Radio’s “Insight” on Feb. 13. (2/18)

Stat: Medicaid During Incarceration: A Step Toward Health Equity
As a physician caring for chronically ill individuals recently released from incarceration, I’ve become accustomed to working as a detective of sorts, trying to piece together the care they received while incarcerated in an attempt to recreate their medical histories and treatment plans. (Shira Shavit, 2/20)

The Atlantic: An ICU Doctor On How This COVID Wave Is Different 
Last week, 3,171 COVID deaths were reported in the United States. In the past seven days, an average of 13 COVID deaths were reported each day in Los Angeles County, California, the country’s most populous county. Although this February’s death rate is lower than that of the previous two, COVID patients are still fighting for their lives. (Caroline Mimbs Nyce, 2/17)

Stat: In War And Disaster Zones, The Necessity Of Trauma Care 
Experiencing trauma of one type or another is not rare. About 60% of men and 50% of women have at least one traumatic experience in their lives. Women are more likely to experience sexual assault and child abuse, while men are more likely to experience accidents, physical assault, and combat, or to witness death or violence. But more and more people are experiencing societal trauma. (MarkAlain Dery, 2/19)

Dallas Morning News: Dallas Can Lead The Way Into A Brain Health Revolution
Initial results from a landmark, large-scale study, focused uniquely on measuring the potential to improve the brain’s health and wellness, demonstrated that 80% of participants saw significant gains in the factors that define brain health. (Sandra Bond Chapman, 2/20)

Kansas City Star: Health Care, Religion Suffer In MO Cost-Sharing Ministry
The recent decision by federal law enforcement officials to shut down what they call a fraudulent, faith-based Missouri medical cost-sharing company reveals, again, a major failure of America’s health care system. Beyond that, it gives people one more reason to be wary of initiatives marketed as religious ministries with government oversight. (2/21)

Stat: Big Tobacco's 'Harm Reduction': Is It For Real, Or A Sham? 
This year could shape up to be a historic one for tobacco control — or one in which Big Tobacco accelerates its steady transformation into Big Nicotine. We are hoping for the former, but aren’t betting against the latter. (Howard K. Koh and Michael Fiore, 2/21)