Roll Call: Health Package Talks Break Down Amid Broader Spending Feud 
Lawmakers who hoped to address price transparency and lower drug costs are instead negotiating a smaller health care package after talks broke down again amid a broader stalemate over government funding. (Clason, 2/26)

Stat: PBM Reform Efforts Get Punted In Congress 
Congress has abandoned its attempt to reform how pharmacy middlemen operate in an upcoming package to fund the federal government, 11 lobbyists and sources following the talks told STAT. (Cohrs and Wilkerson, 2/26)

Stat: Site-Neutral Medicare Payments Axed From Congress' Negotiations
Congress will not move forward with a controversial policy to equalize certain Medicare payments to hospitals and physicians’ offices in an upcoming government funding package, five lobbyists and sources following the talks told STAT. (Cohrs, 2/26)

USA Today: Will There Be A Government Shutdown? Congress Is Running Out Of Time To Strike A Deal
Stop us if you've heard this one before: Congress has until Friday to reach a spending agreement, or the nation will face a partial government shutdown. It's the fourth such deadline lawmakers have approached in recent months. The last three times, they opted for short-term deals, pushing off more permanent solutions after failing to reach a funding compromise. ... With only five days to go until a partial shutdown, leaders have still not released bills to fund agriculture, food and drug, energy and water, military construction, veterans affairs, transportation and housing programs. (Beggin, 2/26)

In military health news —

Military.com: 'Millions' Of Veterans Exposed To Environmental Hazards Will Be Eligible For VA Health Care On March 5 
Millions of U.S. veterans will be eligible beginning March 5 for health care with the Department of Veterans Affairs under an accelerated effort to provide benefits and services to those exposed to toxic substances while serving. The VA announced Monday that all veterans who have served in a combat zone since the Vietnam War, as well as those who participated in training or operations and came into contact with hazardous materials, will be able to enroll in VA health care. (Kime, 2/26)

The Washington Post: Pentagon Probe Finds No ‘Attempt To Obfuscate’ Austin Hospitalization 
The Defense Department on Monday released a long-awaited review of senior officials’ handling of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s recent hospitalizations, finding that there was “no attempt to obfuscate” his cancer diagnosis and medical treatment, even though the Pentagon initially withheld it from the White House and public. An unclassified summary of the review did not identify any failures by Austin or his aides as they oversaw the transfer of top-level authority from Austin to his deputy several times while he was undergoing medical treatment in December and January. But the probe, which was conducted by a senior Pentagon official, said that Austin’s staff was constrained by medical privacy laws and their own concern about their boss’s privacy. (Ryan, 2/26)

The Washington Post: Florida Lawmakers Postpone ‘Fetal Personhood’ Bill After Alabama IVF Ruling 
Republican legislators in Florida hit the pause button on a bill that would have given any “unborn child” new protections after opponents raised concerns it would impact women’s reproductive rights in ways similar to the Alabama IVF ruling. The bill had passed easily through most committees in the Republican-led legislature until Democrats began raising concerns last week that the proposal was so broad that it might also impact in vitro fertilization treatments. (Rozsa, 2/26)

AP: Nation’s Top Health Official To Visit Alabama In Wake Of IVF Ruling
The Biden administration is sending the nation’s top health official to Alabama on Tuesday for discussions with patients and doctors about the controversial court ruling that upended in vitro fertilization treatment in the state. The ruling by the Republican-controlled Alabama Supreme Court has unexpectedly propelled the issue of IVF into the presidential campaign conversation right ahead of Super Tuesday voting on March 5. The visit by Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra comes just days after former President Donald Trump vowed to protect access to the fertility care. (Seitz, 2/26)

The Texas Tribune: Greg Abbott Signals Support For IVF In Texas
Gov. Greg Abbott said Sunday that he supports Texas families having access to in vitro fertilization treatments and has “no doubt” the state will address issues raised by a recent controversial court ruling out of Alabama. Abbott did not call on the Legislature to take specific action to protect IVF treatment. (Klibanoff, 2/26)

In abortion updates —

CBS News: Restrictive Abortion Laws Disproportionately Impact Black Women In GOP-Led States, New Democratic Memo Notes 
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, the campaign arm that helps elect Democrats to state legislatures, is circulating a new memo in order to highlight what it says is the disproportionate impact of abortion bans on Black women in GOP-led states. Such bans provoke strong emotional responses from Democratic Black women state lawmakers — sadness, distress, but not surprise. (Mizelle, 2/26)

KFF Health News: A Government Video Would Explain When Abortion Is Legal In South Dakota 
South Dakota lawmakers want state officials to create an educational video to help doctors understand when they can end a pregnancy without risking prison time under the state’s near-total abortion ban. It’s an example of how states are responding to the national controversy over what exceptions to abortion bans actually mean. Critics point to reports of women developing dangerous complications after hospitals in states with strict abortion laws refused to terminate their pregnancies. (Zionts, 2/27)

Stat: Mifepristone Protocols Being Wielded By Pill's Opponents In Supreme Court Case
Decisions made by the Food and Drug Administration more than 20 years ago have come under heightened scrutiny thanks to a lawsuit calling for increased restrictions around the pregnancy-terminating drug mifepristone. (Goldhill, 2/27)

On maternal health and pregnancy —

Modern Healthcare: Black Maternal Mortality Rates: Can Hospitals Be The Solution? 
Amid worsening health outcomes for Black obstetric patients, some hospitals are improving maternal care by offering midwifery support, remote monitoring of patients' vitals and educational resources. Compared with white patients, Black obstetric patients are at disproportionate risk of life-threatening conditions, like preeclampsia and postpartum hemorrhage, as well as pregnancy-related complications like preterm birth. (Devereaux, 2/26)

KBIA: Black Mental Health Crisis Awareness 'Comes At A Great Cost'
“Heartbreaking.” That is how Falon Ensley, a student and former student government president at Lincoln University, described her feelings reading Antoinette Candia-Bailey’s final email to LU president John Moseley. On Jan. 8, Candia-Bailey, former vice president of student affairs at LU, took her own life. In that final email sent hours before her death, Candia-Bailey describes the toll that life at Lincoln has taken and offers ways that workplace culture could be improved. (McIlwain and Wilson, 2/27)

Chicago Tribune: Gov. J.B. Pritzker Pushes Maternal Health Initiatives
Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Monday joined advocates to call for a slate of new protections for pregnant people and new mothers, including a child tax credit, support for community-based providers and measures to make doulas and midwives more accessible. (Olander, 2/26)

Stateline: More Places Install Drop-Off Boxes For Surrendered Babies. Critics Say They're A Gimmick
The pitch feels noble, visceral: Prevent newborns from being discarded in dumpsters, and do it in a way that shields the mother and protects her anonymity while safeguarding the baby’s health and future. In a growing number of states, the answer to the rare occurrence of illegal infant abandonment is a baby drop-off box. ... But a growing chorus of experts and adoption advocates argue that however well-intended, baby boxes are a gimmick, unsupported by scientific research, that won’t address the real problems facing parents and newborns. (Claire Vollers, 2/26)

Stat: Change Healthcare Cyberattack Shows Risk Of Industry Consolidation
Experts told STAT it’s a glaring example of the risk of consolidation in health care. Change, which is owned by UnitedHealth Group, is one of the nation’s largest insurance claim processing hubs. A cyberattack, first announced Wednesday, took the entire company’s network down. Hospitals, doctors’ offices, and pharmacies have since resorted to sending claims via fax, validating patients’ insurance over the phone, and watching helplessly as unpaid bills pile up, multiple hospital employees told STAT. In an update Monday, UnitedHealth said it was still working to restore its impacted systems. (Trang, Bannow and Herman, 2/27)

Fast Company: Change Healthcare Cyberattack Update: A Bigger Deal Than You Think
Pharmacies across the United States are still grappling with substantial disruptions following a cyberattack on UnitedHealth’s technology unit, Change Healthcare, as reported by multiple pharmacy chains through official statements and on various social media platforms. The attack led to a nationwide outage of a network designed to communicate data between healthcare providers and insurance companies. The company did not provide a timeline for when services would be restored. Fast Company reached out to Change Healthcare for additional information and will update this post if we hear back. (Hamilton, 2/26)

The Register: ALPHV/BlackCat Responsible For Change Healthcare Cyberattack
The ALPHV/BlackCat ransomware gang is reportedly responsible for the massive Change Healthcare cyberattack that has disrupted pharmacies across the US since last week. According to Reuters, citing "two people familiar with the matters," the notorious ransomware-as-a-service operation was behind the UnitedHealth owned business' attack. The Register has not independently confirmed that ALPHV was involved in the intrusion. (Lyons, 2/26)

Kiplinger: Pharmacy Disruptions Ongoing After UnitedHealth Cyberattack 
The breach also affected military clinics and hospital worldwide, according to a February 22 news release by Tricare, the government's healthcare program for the U.S. military. “Military clinics and hospitals will provide outpatient prescriptions through a manual procedure until this issue is resolved,” said Tricare, which asked for patience while pharmacies take longer than usual to safely fill prescriptions. (Solitro, 2/26)

The Wall Street Journal: New Billion-Dollar Gift To Cover Tuition For All At Albert Einstein College Of Medicine
The Albert Einstein College of Medicine will now be tuition-free for all students, thanks to a historic $1 billion gift from a former faculty member and board chair. The donation comes from Ruth Gottesman, who after joining the faculty at the Bronx, N.Y.-based Einstein in 1968 developed widely used tools to screen children for learning problems and launched an adult literacy program. Gottesman, 93 years old, and her husband, the late billionaire-investor David “Sandy” Gottesman, were longtime donors to the medical school, and Ruth Gottesman serves as chair of its board of trustees. Einstein’s tuition this year is nearly $60,000, and the school recommends students budget at least another $35,000 a year for living expenses, books and other incidentals. The program lasts four years. ...Students assembled Monday morning to hear Gottesman announce the gift jumped up to hug one another, cheered, and grew tearful upon learning their new financial fate. (Korn, 2/26)

In other health care industry news —

The Boston Globe: ‘It Frankly Disgusts Me.’ Healey Steps Up Criticism Of Steward
Governor Maura Healey on Monday intensified her criticisms of the troubled Steward Health Care hospital system and its chief executive, calling the company’s financial situation a “house of cards” and a “charade” that is threatening the state’s health care market. The first-term Democrat’s comments came just days after Steward officials submitted some financial data, but not all, in response to a Friday deadline set by Healey. (Stout, 2/26)

Stat: R1 RCM Gets $5.8 Billion Buyout Offer From Private Equity Firm
R1 RCM, a large publicly traded technology company that helps hospitals and physicians collect money from insurers and patients, may be going private. (Herman, 2/26)

Modern Healthcare: UnitedHealth, Elevance, Centene Earned Big Investment Income In 2023
Health insurance companies had a terrific 2023 on Wall Street—as investors. Some of the largest publicly traded health insurers raked in the largest investment gains in at least a decade last year, according to a Modern Healthcare analysis of financial filings. These windfalls helped boost finances for insurers contending with headwinds such as higher-than-expected Medicare Advantage spending. (Tepper, 2/26)

Stat: New Documents Shed Light On MD Anderson Cancer Institute Feud
Early last year, MD Anderson Cancer Center leadership had a problem on their hands: a contentious dispute between one of its most powerful researchers and a junior scientist over authorship, credit, and charges of verbal abuse. High-ranking officials at the cancer center tried — and failed — to resolve the feud, and documents obtained by STAT shed new light on the deep divisions at the heart of this case. (Chen, 2/26)

Modern Healthcare: What VillageMD Clinic Closings Mean For Walgreens’ Strategy
Walgreens' decision to close dozens of VillageMD primary care clinics attached to its stores has left some industry watchers questioning whether the pharmacy chain's strategy is viable. ... All of the affected clinics are attached to Walgreens stores, a model executives had touted as a way to encourage better collaboration between physicians and pharmacists. The convenience of locating a medical office right next to a pharmacy was also viewed as a selling point for patients. (Hudson, 2/23)

Also —

KFF Health News: Without Medicare Part B’s Shield, Patient’s Family Owes $81,000 For A Single Air-Ambulance Flight 
Debra Prichard was a retired factory worker who was careful with her money, including what she spent on medical care, said her daughter, Alicia Wieberg. “She was the kind of person who didn’t go to the doctor for anything.” That ended last year, when the rural Tennessee resident suffered a devastating stroke and several aneurysms. She twice was rushed from her local hospital to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, 79 miles away, where she was treated by brain specialists. She died Oct. 31 at age 70. (Leys, 2/27)

The 19th: Mother Files Lawsuit Against New York Hospital, Fights To Bring Her Baby Home
Thalia Gonzalez arrived at Long Island Jewish Medical Center prepared. When she checked in for her scheduled induction on July 6, she had her cousin and sister-in-law with her for support, a car seat ready to take her newborn son home, and a small bassinet. But when Gonzalez left the hospital four days later, the car seat was empty, the bassinet unused. Though her son was in good health, Gonzalez was discharged not knowing when she would have him home with her. She still doesn’t know. (Gerson, 2/26)

The Baltimore Sun: This Doctor Got A Shoutout From Gov. Moore And Is Overcoming Systemic Barriers
Dr. Elizabeth Clayborne is beating the odds. Since she started fundraising in 2021, Clayborne said she’s raised $3.25 million for her medical device company, NasaClip. As a biracial Black woman, the numbers aren’t necessarily always on Clayborne’s side — in 2021, startups founded by Black women received just 0.34% of venture capital funds nationally — but she wants to be more than the exception. (Lora, 2/27)

Axios: An Unexpected Finding Suggests Full Moons May Actually Be Tough On Hospitals
The idea that a full moon drives strange behavior is so deeply ingrained in our culture that some superstitious hospitals even bulk up on staffing when one is coming. New data from hospital safety company Canopy suggests, well, they might be onto something. (Reed, 2/23)

CIDRAP: Study Estimates 134,000 Missed Cancer Diagnoses In US In 2020 
A new large study based on nationwide surveillance data suggests upwards of 134,000 cancer diagnoses were missed in the United States in the first 10 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, due to a combination of delayed screening and missed appointments. ... Cancers caught by annual screening were the most missed, with prostate cancer accounting for most potentially missed cases (22 ,950), followed by female breast (16,870) and lung (16,333) cancers, the authors said. (Soucheray, 2/26)

The Hill: More Than Half Of Americans Don’t Know Drinking Increases Risk Of Colon, Rectal Cancer 
Colorectal cancer cases are rising in the U.S., and many Americans don’t know the risk factors. Slightly more than half of Americans—51 percent—did not know that alcohol consumption is a risk factor for colon or rectal cancer, according to a new 1,000-person survey from The Ohio State University.  According to the survey, 42 percent of adults did not know lack of exercise may contribute to these types of cancer and 38 and 37 percent did not know obesity and poor diet are also risk factors. Black and Hispanic Americans were less likely to know about the risk factors for colon and rectal cancers than white Americans, according to the survey. (O'Connell-Domenech, 2/26)

On social media and mental health —

The New York Times: Supreme Court Seems Wary Of State Laws Regulating Social Media Platforms
The Supreme Court seemed skeptical on Monday of laws in Florida and Texas that bar major social media companies from making editorial judgments about which messages to allow. The laws were enacted in an effort to shield conservative voices on the sites, but a decision by the court, expected by June, will almost certainly be its most important statement on the scope of the First Amendment in the internet era, with broad political and economic implications. (Liptak, 2/26)

In other health and wellness news —

The New York Times: Lead-Tainted Applesauce Sailed Through Gaps in Food-Safety System
Hundreds of pages of documents obtained by The New York Times and the nonprofit health newsroom The Examination, along with interviews with government and company officials in multiple countries, show that in the weeks and months before the recall, the tainted applesauce sailed through a series of checkpoints in a food-safety system meant to protect American consumers. (Jewett and Fitzgibbon, 2/27)

Bloomberg: Covid Made Heart Disease Deadlier, Puzzling Scientists
Almost three weeks before Covid-19 was reported to be spreading in the US, Patricia Cabello Dowd dropped dead in the kitchen of her San Jose, California, home. A previously healthy 57-year-old, Dowd had complained of body aches and flu-like symptoms days earlier, but nothing could explain why she died so suddenly. Lab results 10 weeks later revealed Dowd, a manager at a Silicon Valley semiconductor firm, was one of the first US Covid fatalities. Inflammation of the heart muscle led to a finger-sized rupture which caused lethal hemorrhage, an autopsy report showed. (Gale, 2/26)

CBS News: Eating A Plant Based Diet Could Reduce Snoring, Study Finds
A new study out of Australia analyzed data on more than 14,000 people and found that those who adhered to a healthy plant-based diet had a lower risk of obstructive sleep apnea while those on an unhealthy plant-based diet were at higher risk. A healthy plant-based diet is one high in vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and nuts not refined carbohydrates like sugary drinks, and high-sugar and high-salt foods. (Marshall, 2/26)  

Reuters: Mauritius Allows Norwegian Dawn Cruise Ship To Dock After No Trace Of Cholera Found 
Mauritius will allow a ship belonging to Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings to dock after no trace of cholera was found in samples taken from passengers on board, a senior health official said on Monday. Authorities on the island nation off the coast of east Africa prevented the Norwegian Dawn from docking over the weekend over what they said were "health risks," without elaborating. (2/26)

NPR: When Is Forgetting Normal — And When Is It Worrisome? A Neuroscientist Weighs In
When cognitive neuroscientist Charan Ranganath meets someone for the first time, he's often asked, "Why am I so forgetful?" But Ranganath says he's more interested in what we remember, rather than the things we forget.~"We're not designed to carry tons and tons of junk with us. I don't know that anyone would want to remember every temporary password that they've ever had," he says. "I think what [the human brain is] designed for is to carry what we need and to deploy it rapidly when we need it." (Gross, 2/26)

Los Angeles Times: San Francisco Will Start Prosecuting Drug Dealers For Murder
County by county in California, as fentanyl overdoses escalate, local prosecutors are turning to a novel legal strategy to stem the spiraling death toll: charging drug dealers with murder. In July, Placer County reached a landmark plea deal that sent a man to prison for 15 years-to-life on charges of second-degree murder after he provided a Roseville teenager with a fentanyl-contaminated pill that proved lethal. (Wiley, 2/26)

San Francisco Chronicle: Law To Test Poop Samples Statewide For Drugs Could Guide Public Health
For years, state and local health officials have watched in dismay as drug overdoses spiraled ever higher. Now they could gain a new tool to track the extent of the crisis. If proposed legislation from Assembly Member Matt Haney, D-San Francisco, is successful, California could become the first state to mandate routine testing of wastewater treatment plants statewide for fentanyl, methamphetamine and other drugs. (Ho, 2/26)

Los Angeles Times: Hours On Hold, Limited Appointments: Why California Babies Aren’t Going To The Doctor
Maria Mercado’s 5- and 7-year-old daughters haven’t been to the doctor for a check-up in two years. And it’s not for lack of trying. Mercado, a factory worker in South Los Angeles, has called the pediatrician’s office over and over hoping to book an appointment for a well-child visit, only to be told there are no appointments available and to call back in a month. Sometimes, she waits on hold for an hour. Like more than half of children in California, Mercado’s daughters have Medi-Cal, the state’s health insurance program for low-income residents. (Gold, 2/26)

The Mercury News: Free STD In-Home Tests Available For San Mateo County Residents
Free and confidential in-home test kits to detect sexually transmitted infections are now available for San Mateo County residents, the county announced Monday. Home kits available for residents to use include tests for HIV, gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and Hepatitis C. Dr. Vivian Levi, County Health’s STI (sexually transmitted infection) control officer said in a statement that getting tested for infections is “essential to maintaining good health overall.” (Macasero, 2/26)

Becker's Hospital Review: In 1 Day, 3 Prisoners Launch Escapes From Hospital Campuses
Three prisoners attempted to escape police custody after being treated at hospitals across the country — all within the same 24 hours. The unrelated incidents took place at hospitals in Louisiana, Florida and Pennsylvania. In two cases, police are still searching for the escapees. (Kayser, 2/26)

WJLA: Man Accused Of Stealing Virginia Ambulance Found, Arrested
The man accused of stealing a Fairfax County ambulance Monday after being taken to the hospital for a crash in a stolen vehicle hours earlier was arrested Friday, according to the Fairfax County Police Department. Officials arrested Manassas, Virginia man Rickey Lowe, 32, days after he stole and drove off in a hospital ambulance before leaving the vehicle in Annandale and running away. He was found near a Manassas hotel and taken into custody. (Rogers, 2/24)

In other health news from across the U.S. —

Health News Florida: A Polk Adult Has The Measles As The State Advises Doctors About A 'Travel-Related' Case
Florida’s measles outbreak, first identified at a Broward County elementary school 10 days ago, has made its way to Polk County, according to the state Department of Health. One confirmed case of the highly contagious disease was reported by someone 20 to 24 years old in Polk County, the department reported Sunday on its Reportable Diseases Frequency Report. (Mayer, 2/26)

CBS News: MDH Now Screening Minnesota Newborns For Rare Krabbe Disease
The Minnesota Department of Health announced on Monday that Krabbe disease will now be a part of its Newborn Screening Program. Krabbe disease is an inherited condition that prevents newborns from fully breaking down certain fats, according to MDH. That fat buildup can cause severe neurological problems and possibly death within the first two years of a child's life. (Swanson, 2/26)

The CT Mirror: CT Owes Nursing Facilities $55M For Staffing Mandates, Officials Said
A disagreement between Connecticut’s chief public health official and the nursing home industry will cost the state tens of millions of dollars, legislators learned last week. (Phaneuf, 2/27)

CBS News: North Philly Mini Nurse Academy Teaches Kids Vital Skills, Showcases Career Options In Health Care
A group of Black nurses wants children to know about opportunities in the field and is working to pique their interest while they're young. They may not know it now, but for some, it may be a way out. Others may not want to leave, but instead, will stay and try to make their communities better. Either way, seeds are being planted. The Southeastern Pennsylvania Area Black Nurses Association held its second annual Mini Nurse Academy at General George G. Meade School in North Philly. (Lewis, 2/26)

North Carolina Health News: Minority Health Conference Focuses On Societal Stresses That Harm Marginalized Populations
Food access. Housing. Education. Job security. Climate change. These and other nonmedical factors that shape where people are born, live and work have become known as social determinants of health. And though they are not related to the health care system, they arguably have an even bigger impact on people’s health outcomes, well-being and daily life. (Crumpler, 2/27)

CNN: Major Medical Society Re-Examines Clinical Guidelines For Gender-Affirming Care 
The major global medical association for endocrinologists will review its clinical guidelines for gender-affirming care, the Endocrine Society told CNN on Monday. Despite recent moves by some US states to restrict or ban such care, the society said it’s a routine update that was not prompted by politics. The society’s guidelines help the organization’s 18,000 members – doctors, nurses, educators and students who focus on hormone-related health – determine the best practices to provide appropriate care for people who are transgender and gender-diverse. The organization said it will take about three years for the guidelines to come together. (Christensen, 2/26)

Military.com: VA Won't Cover Gender-Affirmation Surgery For Transgender Veterans Until It Reviews PACT Act Effects 
The Department of Veterans Affairs will not move forward with covering gender-affirmation surgery for transgender veterans while it studies the effects of a sweeping law that expanded VA eligibility to millions of veterans, VA Secretary Denis McDonough confirmed Monday. McDonough did not rule out proceeding with covering gender-affirmation surgery after the PACT Act analysis is done. But the move further delays the availability of a treatment that transgender veterans have been eagerly anticipating since McDonough first announced the VA would provide it two and a half years ago -- a year before the PACT Act became law. (Kheel, 2/26)

AP: West Virginia Medical Professionals Condemn Bill That Prohibits Care To At-Risk Transgender Youth
Hundreds of medical professionals in West Virginia have signed a letter condemning a bill advancing in the House of Delegates that would bar transgender youth at risk for suicide from accessing medical interventions such as hormone therapy. The bill before the full House would completely ban minors’ access to hormone therapy and puberty blockers, removing a narrow exemption passed by lawmakers last year that allows kids at risk for self-harm and suicide to receive such care. (Willingham, 2/26)

On transgender IDs and housing —

AP: By Defining Sex, Some States Are Denying Transgender People Of Legal Recognition 
Mack Allen, an 18-year-old high school senior from Kansas, braces for sideways glances, questioning looks and snide comments whenever he has to hand over his driver’s license, which still identifies him as female. They’ve come from a police officer responding to a car accident. They’ve come from an urgent care employee loudly using the wrong name and pronouns. They’ve come from the people in the waiting room who overheard. (DeMillo and Hanna, 2/27)

Fox News: Colorado House Advances Bill Mandating Schools Use Transgender Students' Preferred Name
The Colorado state legislature advanced a bill on Friday aimed at mandating K-12 schools statewide to implement policies requiring educators to address transgender students by their preferred name in all school settings – including in records and documents – independent of parental approval or a formal legal name change. The bill will need one more round of voting before advancing to the Senate floor. (Joseph, 2/26)

Axios: Transgender Floridians Protest New ID Rule 
When Steven Rocha received his new driver's license — one that matched his gender expression — he nearly cried. There were so many spaces he would have to present his ID, and as a queer transgender man, it was "always kind of uncomfortable and sometimes scary depending on where I was to essentially be outed by my license that wasn't up to date." Why it matters: Without identification that matches their gender expression, trans Floridians face the risk of being outed at every traffic stop, visit to the polls, beer run, hotel check-in and more, advocates say. (Brugal and Varn, 2/26)

Florida Phoenix: ‘It Was The Life Raft’: Transgender People Find A Safe Haven In Florida’s Capital City 
Transgender and gender-nonconforming adults are more likely to be homeless, with many of them kicked out of their homes by disapproving relatives, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness. About 1 in 5 transgender people have experienced homelessness at some point, the National Center for Transgender Equality reports, and Black people make up a disproportionate number of them. Residents can stay for up to a year at Capital Tea’s safe house, which is reserved for transgender women. This summer, Diaz said, the group plans to open a house for transgender men. She hopes to grow the program beyond Florida and create a model program for other states and cities. “I want it to be to where it is not just Tallahassee-based,” Diaz said. “I want Capital Tea to be the Underground Railroad of trans housing.” (Hassanein, 2/25)

CBS News: Eye Ointments Sold Nationwide Recalled Due To Infection Risk 
Multiple brands of lubricant eye ointments are being recalled due to a risk of infection after federal inspectors found unsterile conditions at the Indian plant where the products were manufactured. ... Sold nationwide by retailers including CVS Health and Walmart, the latest recall involves four products by brands Equate, CVS Health and AACE Pharmaceuticals, according to the notice posted Monday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (Gibson, 2/26)

On cigarettes and tobacco —

The Wall Street Journal: Cigarettes Are Losing Their Hold On The Nicotine Fix
Pretty soon, Americans who crave a nicotine hit will be more likely to reach for a vape or an oral nicotine pouch than a cigarette. Few tobacco companies look ready for this milestone. According to data from Marlboro maker Altria MO -1.02crease; red down pointing triangle, cigarettes’ share of the U.S. nicotine industry fell to 60% last year, down from 80% in 2018. Smokers are switching to smoke-free products such as vapes in higher numbers than expected. If the trend continues, it will only take another three years for cigarettes’ share to slip below 50%. (Ryan, 2/26)

Reuters: New Zealand Set To Scrap World-First Tobacco Ban
New Zealand will repeal on Tuesday a world-first law banning tobacco sales for future generations, the government said, even while researchers and campaigners warned of the risk that people could die as a result. Set to take effect from July, the toughest anti-tobacco rules in the world would have banned sales to those born after Jan. 1, 2009, cut nicotine content in smoked tobacco products and reduced the number of tobacco retailers by more than 90%. (Craymer, 2/27)

In other pharmaceutical news —

Axios: Startup Uses AI To Develop Vaccines For Future Pandemics
Base immune, a British startup that uses AI to develop vaccines for future pathogen mutations, raised £9 million in venture capital funding. Lots of the AI chatter right now is "what comes after chatbots," and the most likely (and consequential) answers are in biotech. (Primack, 2/26)

CNN: The Questions Eating Disorder Experts Have About Weight Loss Medications 
There is still much researchers don’t know about popular weight loss medications — and those lack of studies could have consequences for eating disorders, according to experts. (Holcombe, 2/26)

Boston Globe: The Harvard Botanist Who Searched For Psychedelics In The Amazon
The Aztecs called it teonanácatl, or “flesh of the Gods.” Some who ate the intoxicating mushroom “saw themselves dying in a vision and wept,” according to an account by a 16th-century Franciscan friar. “Others saw themselves being eaten by a wild beast; others imagined that they were capturing prisoners in battle, that they were rich . . .” (Piore, 2/26)

The Boston Globe: US Should Learn From Italy’s 2004 Restrictions On IVF Treatments
These days, I’m a reproductive endocrinologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and teach at Harvard Medical School, but I have also practiced in my native Italy, including during the heartbreaking years of what was known as Law 40. In the spring of 2004, under a coalition government led by populist media mogul Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian Parliament passed a shocking new law giving full personhood rights to the human embryo. In a Western republic with clear right-to-choice reproductive laws, a blatantly unconstitutional law was enacted. (Antonio Gargiulo, 2/26)

Stat: Alabama IVF Ruling Threatens Families Facing Fatal Genetic Disease
When my wife, Laurie, completed her ninth in vitro fertilization cycle in the spring of 2000, we had more than 150 fertilized embryos in frozen storage at the Center for Reproductive Medicine and Infertility at the New York Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Medical College of Cornell University. We were not stockpiling them for later use. At the time, our son Henry was 5. At birth, he had been diagnosed with a fatal genetic disease, Fanconi anemia. We were using IVF together with preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) in hopes of having a healthy baby who could also save Henry’s life with a cord blood transplant. (Allen Goldberg, 2/27)

The New York Times: I.V.F. Made Me A Mom. Why Has This Issue Tripped Up Republicans? 
As a result of the recent Alabama Supreme Court decision permitting would-be parents to sue for wrongful death over the negligent destruction of I.V.F.-created embryos, the hope and miracles that I was blessed to experience are at risk for families whose clinics have suspended treatments. (Kristen Soltis Anderson, 2/27)

Stat: Why Palliative Psychiatry Is Worth Discussing 
The Canadian surgeon and urologist Balfour Mount is considered the father of palliative care in North America. He was inspired and mentored by Cicely Saunders, a British nurse and social worker. Before she became a physician, Saunders developed the first modern hospice, St Christopher’s in London in 1967. Mount adapted and transplanted approaches to the care of the terminally ill he had learned at St Christopher’s to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal. (Anand Kumar, 2/27)