Politico: Biden Team Preps For End To Covid's Public Health Emergency — After One More Extension
When the Biden administration renews the Covid public health emergency this week, it will mark the 11th time since the coronavirus arrived that the government declared its presence a national crisis. It may also be the last. (Cancryn, 1/10)

Bloomberg Law: HHS Pressed On Next Crisis, Equity As Covid Emergency Lingers
Health policy leaders say the Biden administration needs to ensure vulnerable populations are protected before it calls an end to the Covid public health emergency, which is set to renew this week for what may be the last time. (Lopez, 1/10)

The Washington Post: House GOP To Launch Probe On Coronavirus Origin And Federal Response
House Republicans on Monday commissioned a special investigative panel focused on the coronavirus pandemic, hoping to leverage their new, powerful majority to press scientists and federal officials about the origin of the public health crisis and the government’s response to it. (Romm, 1/9)

Stat: GOP Redirects Covid Committee To Focus On Virus Origins, Spending
The House’s coronavirus committee will continue in a Republican-controlled chamber — but with a vastly different mandate, reflecting GOP frustration with the federal pandemic response. (Owermohle, 1/9)

More pandemic news —

CNBC: Applying For Social Security Disability With Long Covid Is Complicated
To date, the Social Security Administration has flagged about 44,000 disability claims that include some mention of Covid-19, though that is not necessarily the primary reason for those applications. That represents just about 1% of disability applications received since the agency started tracking those claims. Yet it is possible that future disability benefit applications due to long Covid may increase. (Konish, 1/9)

ABC News: More US Schools Institute Mask Mandates As COVID Cases Rise
More schools across the United States are putting mask mandates in place as COVID-19 cases continue to rise. Before winter break, districts in New Jersey and Pennsylvania announced they would temporarily be requiring masks among students and staff members amid a surge of respiratory illnesses. Now schools in Massachusetts and Michigan are following suit while Chicago schools are asking students to take rapid tests before classes start. (Kekatos, 1/9)

On developments relating to vaccines —

The Wall Street Journal: Moderna Considers Price Of $110-$130 For Covid-19 Vaccine
Moderna Inc. said it is considering pricing its Covid-19 vaccine in a range of $110 to $130 per dose in the U.S. when it shifts from government contracting to commercial distribution of the shots. The range is similar to the one Pfizer Inc. said in October it was considering for the Covid-19 vaccine it developed with BioNTech SE. (Loftus, 1/9)

CBS News: COVID-19 Vaccines: From Nasal Drops To A Redesign, What 2023 Could Have In Store 
Several vaccine companies say they are expecting breakthroughs as early as this year as they pursue new ways to protect people against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. (Tin, 1/9)

Meanwhile, China's covid situation worsens —

The Washington Post: China’s Crematoriums In Demand As Covid Surges, Satellite Images Show
A Washington Post examination of satellite imagery, firsthand videos posted to social media and witness accounts suggests that China’s covid death toll is far higher than the government’s tally, undermining Beijing’s claim that the outbreak remains under control. (Oakford, Kuo, Chiang, Pipier and Li, 1/9)

Reuters: Pfizer CEO Rules Out Generic COVID Drug Paxlovid For China
Pfizer Inc is not in talks with Chinese authorities to license a generic version of its COVID-19 treatment Paxlovid for use there, but is in discussions about a price for the branded product, Chief Executive Albert Bourla said on Monday. (1/10)

Roll Call: For New GOP House Majority, A Focus On Abortion Messaging
The House GOP majority plans to vote this week on three measures aimed at emphasizing its opposition to abortion, including a rules package that will fast-track consideration of legislation permanently banning federal funding of abortion. (Raman, 1/9)

The Washington Post: What To Know About Getting Abortion Pills At CVS, Walgreens And Your Local Pharmacy
When will I be able to get abortion pills from my local pharmacy? That is not yet clear. The online telemedicine platform GoodRx is already listing prices for mifepristone, suggesting to some experts that pharmacies in states where abortion is legal have begun preparing to dispense the drug. Prices start at just over $30, with an average retail price of close to $75. (Stead Sellers, 1/9)

Stat: Telehealth Abortion Providers Eye New Options For Patients
Several telemedicine companies that provide medication abortion expressed enthusiasm for opening up local pickup for patients — an option that could increase access for those who live in states where abortion is not currently legal. (Palmer, 1/9)

In Texas, developments on birth control —

The 19th: Planned Parenthood Asks Judge To Rule In Texas Fraud Lawsuit
Planned Parenthood Federation of America and Texas Planned Parenthood affiliates have asked a judge for a ruling in their favor in a lawsuit brought by the state of Texas that accused Planned Parenthood of Medicaid fraud. (Gerson, 1/9)

AP: Birth Control Ruling To See Fresh Scrutiny At Texas Capitol
Starting Tuesday, access to reproductive healthcare is likely to command fresh scrutiny before the Republican-controlled Texas Capitol, where new restrictions are on the table in the first session since a stringent statewide abortion ban took effect. Texas’ abortion ban is one of the nation’s strictest, allowing no exceptions in cases of rape or incest, and Republican leaders have been non-committal about adding carveouts over the next five months. (Coronado, 1/10)

Stat: The Republicans Leading Health Policy In The House
Rep. Jason Smith of Missouri will helm the powerful House Ways and Means Committee this Congress, as Republicans embark on a promised era of slashed spending and scrutiny of the pandemic response. (Owermohle, 1/9)

The Hill: New Equality Caucus Chair Says Group Will Focus On Combating Bills From  ‘Extremist Anti-LGBTQI+ Politicians’
Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) will lead the Congressional Equality Caucus — formerly known as the LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus — in the 118th Congress, the group announced Monday. He will succeed outgoing Chairman Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.), who will continue to serve as one of the caucus’s six openly LGBTQ co-chairs. (Migdon, 1/9)

Healthcare Dive: Sen. Bernie Sanders To Target High Healthcare Costs As Leader Of Influential Committee
The longtime congressman and “Medicare for All” proponent will soon assume leadership of the Senate health committee, giving him sway in one of the nation’s most influential health policy forums. (Halleman, 1/9)

Roll Call: McCarthy Concessions Raise Stakes On Budget, Debt Limit
But while seniors wouldn't technically see a reduction in Medicare benefits, the Vought plan would still slash about $1 trillion from Medicare payments to providers, which could cause them to limit access and pare back services. Overall, the proposal calls for cutting $4 trillion from projected health care spending over a decade, including from Medicaid and repeal of President Barack Obama’s health care law that Republicans were unable to achieve even when they had control of all three branches of government. (Quigley, Krawzak, and Lerman, 1/9)

And in New York —

The New York Times: What To Listen For In Hochul’s State Of The State Speech
Part of her address will focus on an ambitious billion-dollar plan to close some of the many gaps in the health care system for New Yorkers with mental illness. She is expected to call for drastic changes, including compelling private hospitals to reopen more than 800 inpatient psychiatric beds; creating 3,500 units of housing with service supports; and expanding mental health services in schools, which have seen steep increases in children with psychological problems. (Barron, 1/10)

Stat: FDA Head Califf: Aduhelm Approval Investigation Held "No Surprises"
U.S. Food and Drug Administration commissioner Robert Califf doesn’t disagree with the basic findings of a congressional investigation into the agency’s role in the controversial approval of Aduhelm, Biogen’s first Alzheimer’s drug. He just wishes the report’s tone had been different. (Wosen, 1/9)

The Wall Street Journal: FDA Increasingly Halting Human Trials As Companies Pursue Risky, Cutting-Edge Drugs
The Food and Drug Administration is pressing pause on drug-company testing of experimental medicines more often, a side effect of the industry’s move into promising but less-proven technologies. (Essley Whyte, 1/10)

On other legal, health news —

Reuters: U.S. Supreme Court Rebuffs Pfizer Plan To Help Patients Pay For Heart Medication
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday turned away Pfizer Inc's (PFE.N) bid to revive its plan to cover out-of-pocket expenses of Medicare patients for drugs costing $225,000 a year to treat a rare heart condition after federal officials found that the drugmaker's arrangement could amount to illegal kickbacks. (Chung, 1/9)

Reuters: U.S. Appeals Court Won't Revive Zofran Birth Defect Cases Against GSK
A federal appeals court on Monday declined to revive hundreds of lawsuits by women who claim that GlaxoSmithKline Plc failed to warn them that taking the anti-nausea drug Zofran during pregnancy could cause birth defects. (Raymond, 1/10)

Meanwhile, concerning opioid settlements —

Reuters: Teva Says Opioids Settlement To Move Forward In U.S.
Israeli drugmaker Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (TEVA.TA) said there was sufficient participation from U.S. states and local authorities to move forward with its nationwide settlement agreement to resolve opioid-related claims and litigation. (1/9)

The Wall Street Journal: Earth’s Ozone Layer Recovers As Airborne Chemicals Decline
In a report released Monday by the United Nations Environment Program and the World Meteorological Organization, researchers found a significant thickening of the ozone layer, a region of the atmosphere from 9 to 18 miles high that absorbs ultraviolet rays and prevents them from reaching the Earth’s surface. (Niiler, 1/9)

The Washington Post: The Ozone Layer’s Recovery Is Good News For Climate Change, Too
As a result, the ozone layer — which blocks ultraviolet sunlight from reaching Earth’s surface — continues to slowly thicken. Restoring it is key for human health, food security and the planet. UV-B radiation causes cancer and eye damage in humans. It also damages plants, inhibiting their growth and curbing their ability to store planet-warming carbon dioxide. (Dance, 1/9)

CNN: The Ozone Layer Is On Track To Recover Within Decades As Harmful Chemicals Are Phased Out, Scientists Report
International cooperation helped stem the damage. The use of CFCs has decreased 99% since the Montreal Protocol went into force in 1989, which began the phase-out of those and other ozone-harming chemicals, according to the assessment by a panel of experts published on Monday. (Paddison, 1/9)

Separately, to battle pollution, respiratory illness another ban is proposed —

Bloomberg: US Safety Agency To Consider Ban On Gas Stoves Amid Health Fears 
A federal agency says a ban on gas stoves is on the table amid rising concern about harmful indoor air pollutants emitted by the appliances. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission plans to take action to address the pollution, which can cause health and respiratory problems. (Natter, 1/9)

AP: Callers Keep Flooding 988 Mental Health, Suicide Helpline
When Jamieson Brill answers a crisis call from a Spanish speaker on the newly launched national 988 mental health helpline, he rarely mentions the word suicide, or “suicidio.” Brill, whose family hails from Puerto Rico, knows that just discussing the term in some Spanish-speaking cultures is so frowned upon that many callers are too scared to even admit that they’re calling for themselves. (Seitz, 1710)

CIDRAP: Mental Telehealth Use Surged As In-Person Care Dropped Amid COVID
The expansion of mental health telemedicine more than offset the drop in in-person mental health services among more than 5.1 million US adults for some diagnoses during the first year of the pandemic, finds a study published late last week in JAMA Health Forum. (Van Beusekom, 1/9)

In other public health news —

PBS NewsHour: CDC Warns Of Rising Strep Throat Infections Among Children 
The CDC is investigating a rise in severe cases of strep throat among kids in the U.S. Several children’s hospitals across the country have reported an increase in strep cases since November, including in Colorado where two children died. (1/9)

The Hill: Children Living Near Airports May Be Exposed To High Levels Of Lead: Study
Children who live near airports may be unknowingly exposed to dangerous concentrations of lead, a new study finds. The decade-long investigation, published Tuesday in PNAS Nexus, determined that kids who lived adjacent to the Reid-Hillview Airport in Santa Clara County, Calif., had elevated lead levels in their blood. (Udasin, 1/10)

Stat: Officials Fear Mpox Cases Will Go Undetected And Unreported 
In the transmission heyday of the international mpox outbreak early last summer, it appeared that containment might not be possible. In recent months, though, the rate of growth of new cases has slowed considerably in a number of countries. In the United States, daily case reports have been in the single digits since mid-December; the U.K. hasn’t reported a new case since before Christmas. (Branswell, 1/10)

Reuters: U.S. Says Traffic Deaths Fell Slightly In First Nine Months Of 2022
U.S. traffic deaths fell 0.2% in the first nine months of 2022, reversing a sharp rise in the two prior pandemic years when speeding and other unsafe behavior increased, regulators said on Monday. (Shepardson, 1/9)

Also, on digital access to health tools —

Politico: Patient Portals’ Digital Divide
Black and Hispanic patients were less likely than white patients to be offered and use online patient portals, a new study from HHS’ Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT found. The disparities persisted even when adjusting for age, education and other factors in the data for 2019 and 2020. (Leonard, Schumaker and Reader, 1/9)

Stat: People Hate Drug Ads On TV. Here’s What They Complain About Most
In the United States, pharmaceutical advertising seems inescapable. Since the first prescription drug ad ran in the early 1980s, the business of pharmaceutical advertising has exploded. Drug companies spent $7 billion on advertising last year, according to Statista, with most of that going to television ads; more than $287 million was spent on TV advertising for Sanofi and Regeneron’s anti-inflammatory drug Dupixent alone. Yet most people would rather not see these ads at all. (Sheridan, 1/10)

More health industry and pharmaceutical news —

NBC News: A New Alzheimer’s Drug Will Cost $26,500 A Year. Who Will Be Able To Get It?
Because of the high price tag, experts say, the number of people who will be able to get the drug when it becomes available — expected the week of Jan. 16 — will be extremely limited. More than 6 million people in the U.S. have Alzheimer's disease, according to the Alzheimer's Association. As a rule, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services restricts coverage for new Alzheimer's treatments that target amyloid, including Leqembi, to only those patients participating in clinical trials. (Lovelace Jr., 1/19)

Reuters: Eisai, Biogen's Alzheimer's Drug Price Should Not Dent Demand, Analysts Say
The $26,500-per-year price tag for Eisai Co Ltd and Biogen Inc's newly approved Alzheimer's disease drug is slightly above expectations, but should not dent demand for the promising therapy, Wall Street analysts said. The U.S. health regulator on Friday granted accelerated approval to the drug, Leqembi, and the decision was hailed by patient groups. (1/9)

Bloomberg: CVS Says 2022 Revenue Beat Guidance In Preliminary Results
CVS Health Corp. said its revenue for all of fiscal 2022 exceeded its guidance that topped out at $314 billion. Adjusted earnings per share for the year were close to the top end of its guidance of $8.55 to $8.65 a share, the company said Monday in a filing of preliminary results, in part because of buybacks that reduced its share count. (Rutherford, 1/9)

Reuters: Qiagen Acquires DNA-Biometrics Firm Verogen In $150 Mln Deal
Life sciences firm Qiagen said on Monday it has acquired DNA-biometrics firm Verogen in a $150-million cash deal, strengthening its forensics portfolio. The deal builds on the companies' existing partnership from 2021, under which Qiagen has the rights to distribute some of Verogen's products such as its next-generation gene sequencing panels and genetic code analyzing technology GEDmatch. (1/9)

Stat: Biogen CEO: Company Needs New Drug Launches, Cost Cuts
In some of his first extended comments since taking over as Biogen’s CEO, Chris Viehbacher described the commercial launches this year of an Alzheimer’s treatment and a new medicine for depression as “breakthrough” products will help the company return to sustainable growth. (Feuerstein, 1/9)

Also —

KHN: Behavioral Telehealth Loses Momentum Without A Regulatory Boost
Controlled substances became a little less controlled during the pandemic. That benefited both patients (for their health) and telehealth startups (to make money). (Tahir, 1/10)

Stat: Study Finds Heavier Reliance On Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants After Private Equity Takeovers
A new study suggests physician practices acquired by private equity rely more heavily on advanced practice providers like nurse practitioners and physician assistants and experience higher churn compared with their non-private equity owned peers. (Bannow, 1/9)

Related KHN Special Report
Patients For Profit: How Private Equity Hijacked Health Care

KHN: Hospitals’ Use Of Volunteer Staff Runs Risk Of Skirting Labor Laws, Experts Say
Most of the 30 volunteers who work at the 130-bed, for-profit East Cooper Medical Center spend their days assisting surgical patients — the scope of their duties extending far beyond those of candy stripers, baby cuddlers, and gift shop clerks. (Sausser, 1/10)

ABC News: OB-GYN Sexual Abuse Trial Reminds Patients Of Boundaries Doctors Should Establish During Exams
Obstetricians and gynecologists regularly perform sensitive examinations when patients are emotionally and physically vulnerable. Those exams are medically important, which is why experts say abuse during such procedures is an egregious breach of trust — in addition to violation of physician ethics and also a criminal act. (Wetsman, 1/9)

Meanwhile, nurses went on strike in New York —

Crain's New York Business: More Than 7,000 Nurses Strike At Montefiore And Mount Sinai Hospital
On Monday morning more than 7,000 nurses in the New York State Nurses Association at Montefiore Medical Center and Mount Sinai Hospital went on strike after they failed to reach contract renewal agreements with their hospitals following 10-day strike notices issued at the end of last year. (Neber, 1/9)

Politico: Negotiations Resume With New York City Nurses Union As Thousands Go On Strike
Negotiations restarted Monday afternoon between the New York Nurses Association and Montefiore Medical Center several hours after more than 7,000 of the union’s nurses kicked off a strike at three Montefiore hospital campuses and the Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan. A Mount Sinai spokesperson, meanwhile, said hospital management has not returned to the bargaining table since union negotiators walked out on them about 1 a.m. Monday. (Kaufman, 1/9)

Politico: Brain-Computer Interface Company Releases First Safety Trial Data
Synchron, a New York City company that hopes to enable paralyzed patients to use computers without the use of their hands, has just published results of its first in-human safety trial in JAMA Neurology. The study sought to answer two questions: Is inserting a brain-computer interface into a vein in the brain safe and will it allow paralyzed patients to use a computer. The company said the answer to both is yes. (Reader, 1/9)

The New York Times: A.I. Turns Its Artistry To Creating New Human Proteins
David Baker, the director of the Institute for Protein Design at the University of Washington, has been working to build artisanal proteins for more than 30 years. By 2017, he and his team had shown this was possible. But they did not anticipate how the rise of new A.I. technologies would suddenly accelerate this work, shrinking the time needed to generate new blueprints from years down to weeks. (Metz, 1/9)

On other developments in science, research —

Axios: Drought, Extreme Rains Linked To Infectious Diseases In Kids
A new study finds that drought and flood-causing rains are linked to increases in deadly diarrhea-related illnesses for young children in the Global South. This further demonstrates the role of climate-related impacts on the inequitable burden of disease. (Horn-Muller, 1/9)

CNN: Here's How To Eat To Live Longer, New Study Says
You can reduce your risk of an early death for any reason by nearly 20%, just by eating more foods from your choice of four healthy eating patterns, according to a new study. People who more carefully followed any of the healthy eating patterns — which all share a focus on consuming more whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes — were also less likely to die from cancer, cardiovascular illness, and respiratory and neurodegenerative disease. (LaMotte, 1/9)

Stat: Arrowhead RNA Treatment Improves Liver Scarring In Patients
An experimental RNA treatment reduced liver scarring in half of patients with an inherited disease called alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, or AATD, according to results from a mid-stage clinical trial reported Monday by its maker Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals. The improvement in liver fibrosis demonstrated by the treatment, called fazirsiran, was generally in line with expectations based on previous data. However, 38% of patients treated with a placebo also showed the same liver-fibrosis improvement — a response that was higher than expected, making it more difficult to discern fazirsiran’s benefit. (Feuerstein, 1/9)

CIDRAP: WOAH Report Highlights Continued Use Of Antibiotics For Animal Growth
A report today from the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) indicates that farmers in many countries are still using medically important antibiotics for growth promotion. (Dall, 1/9)

In research relating to covid —

CIDRAP: Study Finds No Tie Between COVID Vaccine, Infection And Newborn Anomalies
A Scottish study finds no link between COVID-19 vaccination or infection of pregnant women and major congenital anomalies in their babies. The nationwide study, led by University of Edinburgh and Public Health Scotland researchers, was published late last week in Nature Communications. (Van Beusekom, 1/9)

Reuters: Omicron COVID Booster Cuts Hospitalization In Over 65s, Israeli Study Finds
The Omicron-adapted COVID-19 vaccine booster developed by Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) and BioNTech SE (22UAy.DE) sharply reduced hospitalizations among older patients, Israeli researchers said on Monday, in some of the first evidence of the jab's real-world effectiveness. The study by researchers from healthcare provider Clalit, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and Sapir College has not yet been peer reviewed. (1/9)

Reuters: Ocugen-Bharat Biotech COVID Vaccine Meets Main Goals In U.S. Trial
Ocugen Inc (OCGN.O) said on Monday the COVID-19 vaccine developed by its Indian partner Bharat Biotech International Ltd met the main goals of a trial in the United States. The vaccine, sold under brand name Covaxin, showed an immune response in individuals who had not received a COVID vaccine previously as well as those vaccinated with mRNA vaccines by Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) and Moderna Inc (MRNA.O), meeting its main goals, Ocugen said. (1/9)

The CT Mirror: CT Medicaid Expansion Launches For Kids Of Any Immigration Status
For Gabriela, the recent expansion of the state’s Medicaid program to children 12 and younger — regardless of their immigration status — means her 10-year-old son can now connect with a pediatrician, and she won’t have to worry as often about medical bills. (Carlesso, 1/10)

Politico: City Labor Officials Defended Medicare Advantage As Council Members Cast Doubts At Hearing
City labor officials defended legislation that would charge municipal retirees who don’t opt into the Medicare Advantage plan for health insurance, as Council members questioned the move at a hearing Monday. (Touré, 1/9)

In other news from across the states —

Orange County Register: Why Do Some In Orange County Die From COVID-19 But Others Don’t?
Since Jan. 20, 2020, when health officials reported the first local fatality from COVID-19 – involving a man who had just come back from Wuhan, China – the still-mysterious and evolving disease has gone on to kill more than 7,700 people in Orange County, making it the most lethal health event of the past century. But according to three years of local health data, COVID-19 has been something else as well – an unequal-opportunity killer. (Mouchard, 1/8)

San Francisco Chronicle: Advocates Say SF Is Still Sweeping Homeless Camps Against Court Order
Advocates for the homeless in San Francisco say the city has continued to remove unhoused people from encampments without providing shelter for them, in defiance of a federal magistrate’s order. U.S. Magistrate Judge Donna Ryu issued an injunction Dec. 23 — barring San Francisco police and other officers from sweeping homeless encampments, citing their occupants for sleeping in public and seizing their belongings — while she considers a lawsuit against the city. Federal appeals courts have ruled that the Constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment prohibits local governments from making it a crime to sleep on a street or sidewalk when no homeless shelters are available. (Egelko, 1/9)

CalMatters: Seismic Safety: Hospitals Struggling To Meet Deadlines
Jerold Phelps Community Hospital in Garberville, California is one of the smallest in the country. Its mere nine acute-care beds serve a community of about 10,000 people in southern Humboldt County. The next closest emergency room is about an hour’s drive north. Despite its small size, the hospital is facing a hefty price tag to meet the 2030 retrofit deadline required under the state’s seismic safety standards — about $50 million for a new single story hospital that would replace its 1960s building. (Ibarra, 1/9)

Chicago Tribune: Sterigenics Settles Hundreds Of Ethylene Oxide Suits For $408 Million
Slapped with the largest jury verdict for an individual in Cook County, Sterigenics agreed Monday to settle scores of other lawsuits accusing the company of poisoning the west suburbs for decades with cancer-causing ethylene oxide. A claims administrator will be appointed to distribute $408 million to as many as 870 people who sued Oak Brook-based Sterigenics, which used the highly toxic gas to sterilize medical equipment, pharmaceutical drugs and spices near Kingery Highway and Interstate 55 in Willowbrook. (Hawthorne, 1/9)

North Carolina Health News: Rural Latinx Violence Survivors Face Barriers
People living in rural, urban and suburban areas all experience domestic violence at similar rates — a fact that’s reflected in data and in research. Though it’s not a perfect metric, the number of calls to domestic violence hotlines provides some sense of the problem in North Carolina. The NC Council for Women and Youth Involvement reports that domestic violence hotlines in North Carolina received about 93,000 calls between July 2020 and June 2021. (Donnelly-DeRoven, 1/10)

Stat: South Dakota Plans Ramp Up Of Hepatitis C Treatment In Prison
The head of South Dakota prisons is pledging to dramatically overhaul how the system treats hepatitis C in the coming year. South Dakota’s new hepatitis C policy for incarcerated people, which is not yet final or public, will treat all people with hepatitis C for the virus, regardless of the stage of their infection, Corrections Secretary Kellie Wasko told STAT in an interview Monday. The policy will also mandate that all people being booked into prison be tested for the virus, she added. (Florko, 1/9)

Politico: Connecticut Launches Marijuana Sales
Nine medical marijuana dispensaries in Connecticut have been cleared to open their doors to customers over 21 on Tuesday. The openings mark the latest adult-use cannabis launch in the Northeast: New Jersey, Vermont, Rhode Island and New York all started recreational weed sales last year. (Zhang, 1/9)

Los Angeles Daily News: American Patients Must Enforce Their Right To Medical Price Transparency
The new year is nothing to celebrate for American patients, whose health insurance plans generally reset on Jan. 1. During this early part of the year, families must pay their first several thousand dollars of healthcare costs entirely out of pocket until they meet their annual deductibles and their insurance kicks in. (Cynthia A Fisher, 1/8)

Miami Herald: Medical Professionals Have Responsibility To Protect Patients 
As patients, we no longer can just hope or depend on laws or rules to protect us. We can, however, speak up. We can all ask medical professionals to cover up with a face mask each time we visit doctors’ offices. (Jade Wu, 1/9)

San Diego Union-Tribune: Obese, Elderly And Immunocompromised Still At Risk Of Severe Complications From COVID-19 
President Joe Biden and most of the nation’s elected officials seem to have moved on from the COVID-19 pandemic — at least those who aren’t still trying to peddle the nonsense that a virus that has killed 1.1 million Americans was either tantamount to the flu or a concoction of the media and Dr. Anthony Fauci. (1/6)

The Tennessean: I Thought The Pandemic Was Over – Until I Infected My Family
I have always been careful during the pandemic and wondered where I might have caught it. Then I recalled I had a massage that Monday and the therapist was constantly coughing and was previously out of work sick. She was not wearing a mask, but the possibility of contracting COVID didn’t occur to me. (Brad Hopkins, 1/9)

The Tennessean: I'm A Nurse In Rural Tennessee And Food Deserts Harm Residents
I am a family nurse practitioner serving rural communities in West Tennessee and Kentucky. For most of my patients, access to healthy food is an everyday challenge. Like all healthcare providers, I recognize that poor diets are one of the top causes of premature death in the population, which is mostly due to obesity, heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. (Carla Davis, 1/9)