The Hill: GOP Chairman In Talks With Trump Officials On Restarting Key ObamaCare Payments
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Texas) said Monday that he is in talks with the Trump administration about ways to restart key ObamaCare payments that the administration abruptly suspended this month. The administration’s surprise suspension of $10.4 billion in payments to insurers this month set off a round of warnings of rising premiums and condemnation from Democrats who said it was further GOP “sabotage” of the health-care law. (Sullivan, 7/16)

The Hill: Top Dems Urge Trump Officials To Reverse Suspension Of ObamaCare Payments
Top congressional Democrats are calling on the Trump administration to reverse its decision to suspend key ObamaCare payments to insurers, warning the suspension will cause premiums to rise. “The Administration's decision to suspend these collections and payments, which are required under federal law, appears to be yet another attempt by the Trump Administration to sabotage the nation's health care system for partisan gain,” the Democrats wrote in a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services. (Sullivan, 7/16)

And in other news —

California Healthline: States Attacking ACA Would Hurt Most If Shield On Preexisting Conditions Were Axed 
If the Affordable Care Act’s protections for people with preexisting medical conditions are struck down in court, residents of the Republican-led states that are challenging the law have the most to lose. “These states have been opposed to the ACA from the beginning,” said Gerald Kominski, a senior fellow at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. “They’re hurting their most vulnerable citizens.” (Rowan, 7/17)

The Hill: Judge Temporarily Halts Trump Admin From Deporting Reunited Families
A federal judge on Monday temporarily halted the deportations of families that have been recently reunited after being separated by the Trump administration. San Diego-based Judge Dana Sabraw granted a request from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) at the top of a status hearing on the administration’s efforts to reunite children over 5 years old with their parents. (Weixel, 7/16)

The New York Times: Court Orders Temporary Halt To Migrant Family Deportations
Judge Dana M. Sabraw of the Federal District Court in San Diego granted a request to allow families extra time to discuss the “momentous” and “exceedingly complex” decision of whether to leave the United States or continue to fight their immigration cases. Normally, families would have days or weeks to consider such a decision, but the separation of families and the rush to reunite them in response to an earlier court order has rendered such discussions difficult for most. (7/16)

San Diego Union-Times: Judge Temporarily Halts Deportations Of Reunified Families
In a court filing, the ACLU argued that giving families a week together would allow them time to decide what’s best for them, whether the children should stay to push ahead with their own immigration cases or go back to their home countries with their parents. “It’s hard to imagine a decision more profound and momentous that parents have to make,” said Lee Gelernt, the lead attorney in the case for the ACLU. (Morrissey, 7/16)

The Wall Street Journal: Federal Judge Orders Temporary Halt To Deportations Of Recently Reunited Migrant Families
Judge Sabraw said Mr. Meekins’s filing suggests that HHS wants to continue treating separated children by the same standards as immigrant children who have arrived at the U.S. border on their own. Under a federal law governing the care and custody of such immigrants, HHS officials generally hold children for weeks or even months until a sponsor can be found and vetted by the government. Reuniting separated children, Judge Sabraw said, should be a much faster process since they arrived with their parents. “It is failing in this context,” the judge said. “Mr. Meekins wants to hold children for months. The problem with that is it doesn’t comport with fundamental due right process.” (Caldwell, 7/16)

ProPublica: A Baby Was Separated From Her Uncle At The Border. Three Months Later, Her Mother Is Still Trying to Get Her Back.
Sendy Karina Ferrera Amaya opened her mouth, and a gloved hand gave each cheek a perfunctory brush with a cotton swab. Fifteen seconds, and the $429 DNA test she’d paid for was over. “Eso es todo,” the lab technician said last Thursday. That was it. Ferrera, 25, gave a tentative smile and walked out to join her fiancé. Squeezing his hand as they drove away, she allowed herself to hope. To imagine her curly-haired 1-year-old daughter wrapped in her arms, much bigger and more wiggly than last time she held her. Maybe next week, she would finally be reunited with Liah, whose name she wore around her neck like a talisman. (Surana, 7/16)

In other news —

Stateline: An Immigrant Community Haunted By Suicide
It started in this southeast neighborhood last fall, not long after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers raided Baltimore and other “sanctuary cities.” In October, a popular 16-year-old Mexican-American boy died by suicide at home. The next month, a 42-year-old mother from El Salvador told her husband and two daughters to go Christmas shopping without her — a puzzling request for a family who liked to shop together. When they returned home, they found that their wife and mother had killed herself. (Henderson, 7/17)

The New York Times: Hospitals Challenge Medicare Payments, With Help From Judge Kavanaugh
A federal appeals court has cleared the way for hospitals around the country to seek more money from Medicare, based on evidence that the government has been using faulty data to calculate costs for decades. The case, which was decided in June, featured a concurring opinion by Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh, President Trump’s choice for the Supreme Court, who heaved a broadside at the Department of Health and Human Services just days before he was nominated. (Pear, 7/16)

Meanwhile, groups continue to pump money into the confirmation battle —

Politico: Conservative Group Drops Another $1.4 Million To Confirm Kavanaugh
The conservative Judicial Crisis Network is dropping another $1.4 million on ads to help Brett Kavanaugh get confirmed to the Supreme Court. The group's ad buy this week will bring its total spending to $3.8 million, according to an official familiar with the efforts. The latest batch of ads will target four Democratic senators from conservative states on national cable and broadcast networks in their home markets: Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Doug Jones of Alabama. (Everett, 7/16)

Politico: Democratic Governors Campaign As Last Line Of Defense On Abortion
The Supreme Court confirmation fight brewing in Washington has made abortion a front-burner issue in governor’s races around the country, as Democrats warn that Republicans could try to ban the practice in their states if Roe v. Wade is overturned. The possibility that the Supreme Court will leave it to the states to legislate the legality of abortion has prompted a flurry of advertisements and campaign pronouncements from Democrats — and muted responses from many Republicans, who have generally praised Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh without getting into specifics about how he might affect abortion rights. (Strauss, 7/17)

Sacramento Bee: CA Governor Race: Gavin Newsom Takes On John Cox On Abortion
Abortion hasn’t been a high-profile issue in the California governor’s race this year, and that makes sense: Voters here have long supported abortion rights, and a Democratic-controlled Legislature has sought to expand them. But with President Donald Trump’s U.S. Supreme Court nomination raising the issue nationally, Democratic gubernatorial frontrunner Gavin Newsom now says he wants to talk about it in his race against Republican John Cox. (Hart, 7/17)

The Washington Post: The Affordable Care Act, Once A GOP Target, Is Now A Midterm Rallying Cry For Democrats
Democrats are centering their campaign to retake Congress and defeat President Trump’s Supreme Court pick on a staunch defense of the Affordable Care Act, the landmark health-care law that Republicans used to wipe away their majorities in the past two midterm elections. Democratic candidates and groups are trumpeting support for popular elements of President Barack Obama’s signature law and attacking Republicans for trying to rescind them in last year’s failed repeal-and-replace effort. Liberal activists also are seeking to convince centrist senators that confirmation of Trump’s new Supreme Court nominee, U.S. Appeals Court Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh, would increase the odds that courts would dismantle the law known as Obamacare. (Sullivan, 7/16)

NPR/ProPublica: Health Insurers Tap Data Brokers To Help Predict Costs
To an outsider, the fancy booths at a June health insurance industry gathering in San Diego, Calif., aren't very compelling: a handful of companies pitching "lifestyle" data and salespeople touting jargony phrases like "social determinants of health. "But dig deeper and the implications of what they're selling might give many patients pause: A future in which everything you do — the things you buy, the food you eat, the time you spend watching TV — may help determine how much you pay for health insurance. (Allen, 7/17)

Bloomberg: $15 Billion Silicon Valley Upstart Takes On Big Tobacco In U.K.
Silicon Valley startup Juul Labs Inc. will begin selling its e-cigarettes in the U.K. this week seeking to replicate its runaway U.S. success -- though with a smaller nicotine hit. A Juul starter kit -- including the device, a battery charger and four liquid pods -- will be available to buy online and in 250 vape stores in the U.K. this week. The closely held company is funding international expansion with a capital increase that’s expected to reach $1.2 billion, which would value the startup at $15 billion. (Chambers, 7/16)

Reuters: Fast-Growing E-Cigarette Maker Juul To Launch In UK
Juul says it targets adult smokers, but it has faced scrutiny over the popularity of its products with teenagers. In April the U.S. Food and Drug Administration launched a crackdown on the sale of e-cigarettes and tobacco products to minors, particularly those developed by Juul Labs. A day after the FDA's announcement, Juul revealed several initiatives to address the issue, such as earmarking $30 million (22.67 million pounds) to support government initiatives to raise the minimum tobacco-buying age. (Geller, 7/16)

In other health industry news —

Bloomberg: Walmart Names Humana Veteran To Run Its Health And Wellness Unit
Walmart Inc. has hired a former senior executive at insurer Humana Inc. to run its health-care business, a move that could reignite speculation that the two companies will forge a closer partnership. The world’s largest retailer named Sean Slovenski as senior vice president of health and wellness, reporting directly to Greg Foran, who runs the company’s U.S. business, according to a July 12 internal memo from Foran. The appointment is effective Aug. 1. Slovenski spent three years at Humana, rising to become vice president of innovation, and most recently worked for a digital-health company that also partners with Walmart. (Boyle, 7/16)

The New York Times: Defendants On Probation Can Be Jailed For Drug Relapse, Court Rules
The top Massachusetts court unanimously ruled on Monday that a judge can require defendants with substance use disorders to remain drug-free as a condition of probation and send them to jail if they relapse. The case, which challenged a requirement routinely imposed by judges across the country, had been closely watched by prosecutors, drug courts and addiction medicine specialists. For many, it represented a debate over the nature of addiction itself. (Hoffman, 7/16)

In other news on the crisis —

The Associated Press: US Health Official Reveals Fentanyl Almost Killed His Son
The head of the nation's top public health agency says the opioid epidemic will be one of his priorities, and he revealed a personal reason for it: His son almost died from taking cocaine contaminated with the powerful painkiller fentanyl. (Stobbe, 7/16)

San Francisco Chronicle: Plan For Safe Injection Site Gets Dose Of Reality Over Federal Drug Laws
There’s a reason San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced that she is opening a model of a safe injection center in the Tenderloin: She’s been warned by the city attorney that opening a real injection site, where drug users can shoot up under supervision, could get her in hot water with the federal government. According to City Hall sources, City Attorney Dennis Herrera had confidentially advised her predecessor, former Mayor Mark Farrell, and members of the the Board of Supervisors that they could be held criminally liable under federal drug statutes if they attempted to move ahead with the injection centers — that was a red flag warning not to proceed. (Matier and Ross, 7/16)

NH Times Union: NH Reacts To Feds' Focus On Fentanyl
Hillsborough County dealers will be the target of the new effort — named Operation SOS — to levy federal charges against any person arrested for trafficking in fentanyl or other synthetic opioids, according to the top federal prosecutor in New Hampshire. On Monday, U.S. Attorney Scott Murray stressed that the amount of the synthetic opioid involved will not matter after a person is arrested for sale of the drug or possession with the intent to sell. Nor will the plea for leniency, often made by defense attorneys, that the dealer is an addict himself. (Hayward, 7/16)

Cincinnati Enquirer: Inmates To Get Hazelden Treatment For Addiction
Kenton County Jail inmates with opioid addiction are about to get a dramatic change in their treatment. They will get a first-in-the-nation, jail-based treatment program called Start Strong, partnering with the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation in a plan that includes both medication and comprehensive therapy. (DeMio, 7/16)

Roanoke Times: ‘Unfettered Greed’: Pulaski County Seeks Damages For Opioid Crisis From Big Pharma
Pulaski County has filed a lawsuit seeking retribution against nationwide opioid manufacturers and the crisis it says the companies caused. The county alleges America’s largest pharmaceutical companies, through deceitful marketing and willful neglect, have raised local public safety costs and put dangerous amounts of deadly drugs in the hands of hundreds of county residents. (Mastrangelo, 7/16)

The New York Times: It’s 4 A.M. The Baby’s Coming. But The Hospital Is 100 Miles Away.
A few hours after the only hospital in town shut its doors forever, Kela Abernathy bolted awake at 4:30 a.m., screaming in pain. Oh God, she remembered thinking, it’s the twins. They were not due for another two months. But the contractions seizing Ms. Abernathy’s lower back early that June morning told her that her son and daughter were coming. Now. (Healy, 7/17)

Reuters: Judge Rules For Trump Administration In Suit Over Family-Planning Program Shift
A federal judge ruled on Monday against birth control organizations that sought to block the Trump administration from shifting a federal family-planning grant program toward prioritizing groups that are faith-based and counsel abstinence. Three planned Parenthood organizations along with the National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association filed lawsuits, which were later combined, in May challenging guidelines the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued in February. (O'Brien, 7/17)

The Wall Street Journal: Many Breast Cancer Patients Don’t Get Recommended Follow-Up, Study Finds
Women who have been treated for early-stage breast cancer should get periodic mammograms to monitor for recurrence, but the likelihood they will varies across U.S. metropolitan areas, a new study finds. The research, published in the Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, found that about 30% of women studied didn’t get recommended breast screening after surgery for early-stage breast cancer. (Evans, 7/16)

The Washington Post: Urgent Care Clinics Are Prescribing Too Many Unnecessary Antibiotics, Study Says
Nearly half of patients who go to urgent care clinics seeking treatment for a flu, cold or other conditions that do not require antibiotics received a prescription for one anyway. That is three times as often as antibiotics are prescribed to patients with the same illnesses in traditional doctors’ offices, according to a study published Monday. Patients who get unnecessary antibiotics are at risk for severe side effects, even with just one dose of the medicine, doctors say. Inappropriate use of these lifesaving drugs also puts everyone else at risk because overuse accelerates the emergence of resistant bacteria, or “superbugs,” that cannot be stopped with drugs. (Sun, 7/16)

Stat: To Treat Gonorrhea, Researchers Increasingly Look To Bespoke Treatments
With antibiotic resistance on the rise, the days when doctors and clinics could rely on one treatment to cure all gonorrhea cases may be waning. In fact, clinicians may find that some of their patients respond best to drugs of the past. But how will they know which patients? (Branswell, 7/17)

Stat: Potential CRISPR Damage Has Been 'Seriously Underestimated,' Study Finds
From the earliest days of the CRISPR-Cas9 era, scientists have known that the first step in how it edits genomes — snipping DNA — creates an unholy mess: Cellular repairmen frantically try to fix the cuts by throwing random chunks of DNA into the breach and deleting other random bits. Research published on Monday suggests that’s only the tip of a Titanic-sized iceberg: CRISPR-Cas9 can cause significantly greater genetic havoc than experts thought, the study concludes, perhaps enough to threaten the health of patients who would one day receive CRISPR-based therapy. (Begley, 7/16)

The Wall Street Journal: New Research Prompts Selloff In Companies Using Crispr Technology
Shares of companies developing therapies using the gene-editing technology Crispr declined Monday following the publication of research suggesting Crispr could cause far more extensive DNA damage than previously thought, leading to potentially harmful health effects for patients. The study, published in the journal Nature Biotechnology, said the changes were often at places far away from the intentional edit, and so went undetected in previous studies, which typically observed smaller sections of genetic material. (Mohan and Marcus, 7/16)

The New York Times: Psychology Itself Is Under Scrutiny
The urge to pull down statues extends well beyond the public squares of nations in turmoil. Lately it has been stirring the air in some corners of science, particularly psychology. In recent months, researchers and some journalists have strung cables around the necks of at least three monuments of the modern psychological canon. ... The assaults on these studies aren’t all new. Each is a story in its own right, involving debates over methodology and statistical bias that have surfaced before in some form. (Carey, 7/16)

The New York Times: Cognitive Test Trump Took May Have Been Undermined By Publicity, Doctors Warn
Six months after a White House physician told reporters that President Trump had aced a well-regarded test of cognitive impairment, a group of doctors is warning that the exam may have been compromised by the resulting news coverage, which revealed some of its questions. Until it’s clear what effect the exposure has had on the effectiveness of the test, known as the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, or MoCA, doctors should consider using alternatives, said Dr. Hourmazd Haghbayan, an internist at the University of Toronto. (Chokshi, 7/16)

Stat: A CAR-T Bottleneck: Centers That Collect Patient Cells Feel Crunch
The arrival of CAR-T cancer treatments and the expected coming age of cell therapies are opening new frontiers for what medicines look like: Cells are taken from patients, then tweaked or supercharged in a lab, and finally given back to patients. But the emergence of those treatments has put a pinch on the places that collect those cells from patients. The crunch is only expected to grow as more CAR-T candidates and other cell therapies enter clinical trials and win approval. (Joseph, 7/17)

The New York Times: Now In Sight: Success Against An Infection That Blinds
Fifteen years ago, Shiva Lal Rana walked 20 miles to Geta Eye Hospital to ask doctors to pluck out all his eyelashes. Trachoma, a bacterial infection, had swollen and inverted his eyelids. With every blink, his lashes raked his corneas. “The scratching hurt my eyes so much I could barely go out in the sun to plow,” he said. “I was always rubbing them.” (McNeil, 7/16)

Stat: Scientist Searching To Cure Her Own Prion Disease Reveals Industry Alliance
For years, Sonia Vallabh has been working to save her life. Vallabh has a type of brain illness called a prion disease — specifically, one called fatal familial insomnia. Since the illness killed her mother and a genetic test showed she carried the same mutation, she and her husband, Eric Minikel — both prion researchers at the Broad Institute — have been working to find a possible treatment. But details about their work had been kept quiet until last week, when they revealed their years-long partnership with Ionis Pharmaceuticals (IONS). (Sheridan, 7/16)

WBUR: Over Half Of Patients And Families Hesitate To Raise ICU Safety Concerns, Study Finds
The researchers surveyed more than 100 family members in the ICU and more than 1,000 online about whether they'd feel comfortable speaking up about various concerns. ...About one-fifth of respondents cited, "I'm afraid of seeming like I don't understand medical concepts," and another fifth chose, "I don't want to harm my relationship with the members of the medical team." (Goldberg, 7/16)

Stat: Probiotics Studies Often Don't Disclose Safety Data Or Risks, Report Finds
As consumer interest grows in probiotics and other supplements that claim to regulate gut microbes, experts are posing a critical question: Are they safe? Probiotics are increasingly popular, from Greek yogurt and kombucha to pills chock-full of bacteria in the supplement section of the grocery store. But a new analysis published Monday in Annals of Internal Medicine finds that many studies of probiotics and similar products fail to adequately report on safety and adverse events. (Thielking, 7/16)

CNN: Liver Cancer Death Rate In US Rose 43% In 16 Years
Death rates from liver cancer increased 43% for American adults from 2000 to 2016, according to a report released Tuesday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics. The increase comes even as mortality for all cancers combined has declined. Liver cancer death rates increased for both men and women 25 and older, as well as white, black and Hispanic people. Only Asians and Pacific Islanders saw a decrease in mortality from liver cancer. (Bender, 7/17)

Politico Pro: Texas Fetal Burial Trial Off To A Heated Start
A five-day trial kicked off in federal court on Monday over a 2017 state law requiring health care providers bury or cremate fetal remains — one of several legal challenges over abortion rights that could eventually reach the Supreme Court amid a looming battle to reshape the high court. The case is one of four challenges that Texas is currently fighting over its efforts to restrict or regulate abortion rights, including a sweeping lawsuit filed last month against a range of state laws. (Rayasam, 7/16)

Houston Chronicle: Judge Mentions Supreme Court Shift As Texas Fetal Burial Trial Begins
A lack of companies willing to handle remains from abortions could pose a problem for Texas’ fetal burial law, U.S. District Court Judge David Ezra said Monday, tipping his hand about what could sway him in the latest debate over reproductive rights. The comments are the first indication of what the Republican-appointed judge is looking for in the five-day trial this week to test whether Texas can lawfully require abortion providers and hospitals to ensure burial or cremation of nearly all fetal and embryonic tissue. (Zelinski, 7/16)

The Baltimore Sun: Maryland Analysts: Single-Payer Health Care Could Cost State $24 Billion A Year
State-sponsored health insurance for all Marylanders such as the single-payer plan proposed by Democratic gubernatorial nominee Ben Jealous could cost $24 billion a year, forcing lawmakers to significantly raise taxes, according to a nonpartisan analysis. Such a cost would increase the state’s $44 billion operating budget by more than half. (Broadwater, 7/17)

The Associated Press: Maryland Exchange To Hold Reinsurance Hearings
Maryland’s health care exchange has announced hearings for public comment on regulations to create a reinsurance program for the individual health insurance market. The Maryland Health Benefit Exchange has scheduled four hearings. One of them is scheduled for July 26. The other three are set for next month. The state’s reinsurance program will aim to keep consumer costs down and bring greater certainty to Maryland’s individual insurance market. (7/17)

The Associated Press: Illinois Governor Signs 2 Bills To Tighten Gun Restrictions
Gov. Bruce Rauner signed laws Monday authorizing judges to take weapons away from people facing problems that make them dangerous to themselves or others and to extend the waiting period for delivery of newly purchased guns, but pledged to veto a third piece of legislation that would require state licensing of firearms dealers. (7/16)

The Associated Press: Michigan Spends Almost $25M On Flint Water Crisis Attorneys
New accounting figures show Michigan has spent nearly $25 million on attorneys handling cases involving the Flint lead-tainted water crisis. Data from Michigan agencies and the Governor's Office show attorney spending has reached more than $24.8 million for the 2014 crisis that began after Flint switched its drinking water source to the Flint River without adding corrosion-control chemicals. (7/16)

The New York Times: In New Jersey, Legal Marijuana Is So Close You Can Smell It. But It Could Be Awhile.
Tucked inside a nondescript commercial warehouse here sits a sophisticated marijuana-growing operation. A custom filtration system feeds a proprietary cocktail of nutrients into a hydroponic, two-level farming system. Two pallets of crops are harvested every day, and the 15,000 square feet will eventually yield two tons of marijuana per year. And it’s all legal. (Corasaniti, 7/16)

The New York Times: CVS Fires 2 For Calling Police On Black Woman Over Coupon
CVS Health fired two employees at a Chicago area store on Monday, just days after a black woman posted a video that she said showed one of them — a white man — calling the police after she tried to use a coupon they believed to be fraudulent. The drugstore company also said it had apologized to the woman, Camilla Hudson. (7/16)

Boston Globe: Beth Israel-Lahey Merger Raises A Medicaid Issue
The hospitals included in the proposed merger of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Lahey Health have much in common, including a stated commitment to high-quality care and their desire to grow. Something else they share: a relatively low portion of their patients are poor or low-income. (Dayal McCluskey, 7/16)

The Associated Press: Day Care Owner Gets Probation For Trying To Kill Child
A Minneapolis day care owner was sentenced to 10 years of probation for trying to kill a toddler in her home by hanging him from a noose. Forty-three-year-old Nataliia Karia was sentenced Monday after earlier pleading guilty to attempted murder and third-degree assault. She also pleaded guilty to criminal vehicular operation for hitting a pedestrian, a bicyclist and another driver as she fled from her home in a minivan in November 2016. (7/16)

The Oregonian: OHSU Forces Hospital Department Head To Give Up Position, But Can Stay As Professor
The chair of the Oregon Health & Science University's Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine was forced to give up his position last week. Jeffrey Kirsch, who will remain a professor, started with OHSU in 2002. Sharon Anderson, the executive vice president of OHSU and dean of the School of Medicine, said in a statement to staff that she was grateful for Kirsch's leadership. (Harbarger, 7/16)

The Associated Press: San Francisco To Consider Tax On Companies To Help Homeless
San Francisco voters will decide in November whether to tax large businesses to pay for homeless and housing services, an issue that set off a battle in another West Coast city struggling with income inequality. The city elections department verified Monday that supporters had collected enough signatures to get the measure on the ballot. It would raise about $300 million a year — doubling what San Francisco spends on homelessness — for more shelter beds and housing for people who are homeless or at risk of becoming so. (7/16)

NH Times Union: CMC Physicians Pioneer Less Invasive Thoracic Surgery
Historically, thoracic surgery — surgery on the lungs or other parts of the respiratory system — is a major operation with a long and uncomfortable recovery, not to mention a sizable scar. Traditional thoracic surgery requires cutting into the chest wall and moving ribs to gain access to the chest cavity. But these days, Catholic Medical Center’s cardiothoracic surgeons are taking a far less invasive approach. (7/16)

MPR: 'Emergency': Minnesota Slow To Act As Sickle Cell Cases Climb
Two decades later, there's a comprehensive sickle cell clinic in place for children in Minnesota. Blaylark and others, however, warn that adult cases are climbing to crisis levels now as more West Africans and African-Americans move here and Minnesota has few care options for them. (Sapong, 7/17)

The CT Mirror: Boughton Sketches Path To CT Income Tax Repeal
Republican gubernatorial contender Mark Boughton upped the ante Monday in his plan to phase out the state income tax, pledging more than $380 million in taxpayer relief in his first two-year budget. The Danbury mayor outlined the tax cut as part of a 10-point revitalization plan that also includes other tax reductions, reorganizing the governing board for public colleges and universities, and scrapping a planned widening of Interstate 95. (Phaneuf, 7/16)

North Carolina Health News: Durham Tech, UNC Launch Anesthesia Technology Program
Heart surgery is complicated, and every person in the operating room plays an indispensable role in its success. One evolving role is the anesthesia technologist, who, alongside doctors and nurses, prepares and maintains technological equipment for surgery, ready to tackle any challenge to make sure the procedure runs smoothly. “Even on TV, you’ve seen what an OR looks like,” said Gail Walker, an anesthesia technician and manager of anesthesia support at UNC Health Care. “The anesthesiologist takes care of patients, but they use machinery to do it with. If there’s ever a glitch or a problem, they can’t divert their attention from that patient.” (Mackinson, 7/17)

Denver Post: Colorado Neurological Institute Closes Vollbracht NeuroHealth & Wellness Center, Lays Off Staff
The Colorado Neurological Institute has closed its Vollbracht NeuroHealth & Wellness Center in Englewood and laid off 12 to 15 employees, said Betsy Mathies, president of the nonprofit’s board of directors. She said the center closed after “the loss of some funding we had counted on for many years prior.” Mathies added that nonprofits are “struggling for the same dollars” and that there were “a multitude of situations that all came together at once.” (Seaman, 7/16)

Cleveland Plain Dealer: Device From Cleveland Startup Helps People Taking Blood Thinners
Case Western Reserve University innovators have created a blood testing device, about the size of a cellphone, that could improve health care and decrease costs for millions of Americans who take blood thinners. This proposed device, called the ClotChip, can evaluate blood coagulation with a finger-prick blood sample from people with heart arrhythmias (irregular heartbeat), pulmonary embolism (blockage in a pulmonary artery in the lungs), or who recently had surgery. (Washington, 7/16)

North Carolina Health News: Focus On Postoperative Decline Could Help NC Patients, Hospitals
Conversation after an older person’s surgery sometimes goes like this: “Grandpa has just not been the same since his operation — he often forgets words and can’t complete simple tasks.” Doctors have long believed that cognitive decline often follows surgery — more than half of people who have open-heart surgery go through it — but its precise nature remains under study. Duke neuropsychologist Jeffrey Browndyke is part of an international group that has been working toward a standard definition for postoperative cognitive disorder, or POCD, both to improve treatment and to merit its inclusion in the influential DSM-5, the manual that helps behavioral health practitioners make accurate diagnoses. (Goldsmith, 7/16)

The Washington Post: The White House’s Policy On Child Separation: ‘Whatever’
When the Trump administration, in May, embarked on its “zero tolerance” imbroglio, ensuring that toddlers, tween s and teens would be removed from their parents, White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly was asked by NPR whether the policy might be heartless. “I wouldn’t put it quite that way,” Mr. Kelly replied soothingly. “The children will be taken care of — put into foster care or whatever.” Whatever. (7/16)

Seattle Times: A Fate Worse Than Separation Awaits Central American Families
By characterizing domestic violence as “private criminal activity,” even when the police can’t prevent or stop it, Attorney General Jeff Sessions apparently intends to bar the victims from winning asylum. Under two court orders, the government is now reuniting migrant children with their mothers. Although the California court that ordered the reunification may permit continued detention of the families until their asylum claims can be decided, something worse than separation or detention awaits those mothers who are deported: rape and death. Many of the mothers and children who previously could have won asylum will now be sent back to Central America, where they face horrific violence at the hands of the brutal gangs from which they fled. That risk is now very great because Attorney General Jeff Sessions recently changed policy that had allowed immigration judges to grant asylum to victims of domestic violence. (Philip G. Schrag, 7/16)

USA Today: Enforcing Immigration Laws Means Protecting Families And Asylum Seekers
I teach and practice immigration law, and I am a mother. My teenage sons are my life, and they still need their mom to protect them. I am sick with worry when I think of the risks they face in adolescence. With more reason, moms and dads fleeing the violence raging in Central America are also frantically worried about the danger their children face in their home countries. They want to provide love and safety to their babies, toddlers and teens in the United States. Instead, they face forcible family separations and imprisonment at the hands of the U.S. government. The administration has sought to erase our commonality with asylum-seeking families, calling them invaders and frauds. Americans across the political spectrum have recoiled from this cruelty.  (Denise Gilman, 7/17)

Detroit News: Learn The Lessons Of The Past To Help Children In Our Care
It is common to hear ‘History repeats itself’ and unfortunately I see it happening in the area of immigration. After separating many children from their parents at our nation’s borders the government seems to be solely focused on reunification. While that is an important part of the process it will never make families whole. Children separated from their parents not only face a mental health crisis now but will for years to come. This is an area where the past can help us understand present conditions. (Teresa Holtrop, 7/16)

Stat: Child Abuse And Neglect Must Be Treated As A Public Health Issue
An estimated 1 in 4 children experience some form of child abuse or neglect in their lifetimes. This type of unimaginable trauma contributes to depression, problems at school, violence, diabetes, obesity, substance abuse, and suicide. To significantly reduce child abuse or neglect, we must begin treating them right away as serious public health problems by expanding public and private sector funding for research, training, and prevention. Why the sense of urgency? In a new national public opinion survey commissioned by our organizations, Research!America and the National Foundation to End Child Abuse and Neglect (EndCAN), a substantial percentage of those surveyed said child abuse and neglect is a problem in their local communities, and they know someone who has experienced it. (Richard Krugman and Mary Woolley, 7/17)

The Washington Post: VA Doctor Shortage Fueled By Management Issues, Poor Pay
The Department of Veterans Affairs gets good grades for effort, but it still has much work to do in the recruitment and retention of physicians to serve those who faced death for their country. When the Government Accountability Office says “challenges remain,” it means an agency has problems — in this case, too few doctors. Pay is an issue, but so is the department’s personnel management. A recent GAO report about the Veterans Health Administration, the component providing health care through 1,252 facilities, including 170 medical centers, outlines three major management troubles related to its doctor shortage. (Joe Davidson, 7/16)

Columbus Dispatch: What We Have Learned From The ACE Study: What It Means For Seniors
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have life-course implications for future health, mental health and more. Abuse prevention efforts, interventions for maltreated children and for parents (e.g., positive parenting strategies’ training), support, trauma-informed care at any stage of life – make a difference for all of us, and can help to build a strong community and nation. Regardless of age, we all have the capacity to be resilient, to bounce back from adverse experiences. (Diana Spore, 7/17)

Miami Herald: Mental-Health Issues A Burden For Older Minority Adults
Chronic mental and physical illnesses can be especially burdensome for older racial or ethnic minority adults who are disproportionately exposed to poverty and lower education, which are widely recognized as critical risk factors for both psychological distress and mental illness. While impediments to strategies that help alleviate the burden of depression and anxiety exist for all older adults, they are even more pronounced for older adults of color who tend to have fewer socioeconomic resources and, therefore, receive less help and care from the mental-health system. (Danny Jimenez, 7/16)

Louisville Courier-Journal: The Roe V. Wade Abortion Decision May Soon Be History
Now that President Trump has made his judicial pick for the latest open Supreme Court seat, it’s time for a reality check. For clarity, a heavy dose of truth, and a primer on civics. The judiciary, third branch of the federal government, is supposed to interpret, not make law. Making law is the job of lawmakers. Roe v. Wade (and its companion case, Doe v. Bolton) remains the lightning rod for opposition to abortion because it invented a “right” neither explicitly or implicitly mentioned in the Constitution.What the 7-2 Supreme Court decision in 1973 did was literally usurp the peoples’ voice in a vital matter of life and death, and struck down anti-abortion laws in most of our states. (Schu Montgomery, 7/15)

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Teamwork, Not Superstar Status, Makes For Better Patient Care, Medical Resident Learns
No individual, no matter how talented or hard-working, can achieve that goal alone. Physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, social workers and many more staff members must contribute to achieve excellent patient care. (Jason Han, 7/17)

The New York Times: Why Don’t More Americans Use PrEP?
On July 3, 1981, this newspaper wrote about a “rare cancer” killing gay men in New York and California. Though few knew it, what followed would be a generation-defining battle: for attention, for legitimacy, for our very lives. Today, after 37 years, we finally have a proven pathway to ending the AIDS epidemic in this country. The only catch? Poor policy and pharmaceutical price-gouging have blocked the way, making critical drugs a luxury rather than an imperative. (James Krellenstein, Aaron Lord and Peter Staley, 7/16)

Bloomberg: Fight Obesity With Frank Food Labels
No country, rich or poor, is immune to the rapid rise in overweight and obesity among both adults and children. But a few are finding they can push back against the dangerous trend by making sure their citizens get clear information about the groceries they buy. The foods people choose to eat make a difference in how much weight they gain — which, in turn, can influence long-term health outcomes. And their choices are influenced by the so-called food environments in which groceries are sold. People are easily enticed by the cheerful packaging of overly processed foods high in sugar, salt or fat. But by the same token, they can be steered toward healthier choices by government-mandated labels that clearly tell them what dangers might lurk inside the package. To be effective, such labels need to be prominent and instantly readable. (Jessica Fanzo, 7/17)

The Hill: US Puts Business Ahead Of Children’s Health
Delegates at the United Nations-affiliated World Health Assembly met in Geneva and were about to issue a simple statement that called on governments to “protect, promote and support breastfeeding” and to restrict promotion of toxic infant and toddler food products. This seemed like an issue that really needed no discussion until Trump and the 70 billion dollar annual interests of infant formula manufacturers entered the fray. To protect big business, the Trump administration threatens sanctions against pro-breastfeeding, anti-toxic food governments similar to those used against hostile countries developing nuclear weapons. (Michael Rosenbaum, 7/16)

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Trump Administration Making Uninformed, Dangerous Choices On Breastfeeding
Ensuring access to prenatal care and support for all new mothers who want to breast-feed are two simple steps that can significantly improve the health of newborns and their mothers. Beyond being the right thing to do, healthier mothers and healthier babies will provide broad economic benefits to our communities. We cannot stand by as the administration continues to promulgate policy that sacrifices the health of women and children by making uninformed and dangerous choices. (Leanne Wagner and Mary Jo Daley, 7/16)

Chicago Tribune: Unsung Hero: A Pioneer In Transgender Health Care
For a brief time last week, a controversy arose over actor Scarlett Johansson’s decision to play the role of transsexual Dante “Tex” Gill in the upcoming movie project “Rub and Tug.” Johansson has decided to “withdraw her participation in the project” as a response to social media criticism. Even as the media focused on this contretemps, a legendary American plastic surgeon, pioneer and unsung hero in transgender health care died in May with little notice. ...Besides all this, his groundbreaking work with transgender patients should earn him a spot in American medical history. (Cory Franklin, 7/16)

The Hill: Yet Another ObamaCare Problem Needs To Be Cleaned Up By Trump
The Trump administration recently announced a pause in the Affordable Care Act “risk adjustment” program. The action came in response to lawsuits and conflicting court rulings, one of which enjoined the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from continuing to operate the program using the Obama administration’s methodology. Some defenders of the program suggest the pause will “sabotage” ObamaCare. Others argue it will drive up premiums and reduce choice, since the decision comes at a time that insurers are calculating 2019 premiums. But the reality is that the Trump administration is simply trying to clean up yet another mess created by ObamaCare. (Edmund Haislmaier, 7/16)

Austin American-Statesman: U.S. Rep. John Carter: Teamwork Needed To Combat The Opioid Epidemic
Recently I joined my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass legislation to combat this public health crisis and hopefully save lives. In total, the U.S. House passed 58 bills aimed at directing resources to research and treatment options, improving prevention, protecting communities and tackling illicit synthetic drugs. (John Carter, 7/16)

Stat: What A Philip Roth Novel Can Teach Us About Pain And Addiction
Pain, which lodges at the heart of the opioid crisis, is baffling. We struggle to describe, understand, and treat it. To endure it. Which is why FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb convened last week a group of people suffering from chronic pain. He wanted to hear their stories. I imagine that it was instructive for Gottlieb to encounter some raw, intimate narratives of suffering in this “patient-focused drug development” meeting. Philip Roth, the legendary novelist who died on May 22, would have understood Gottlieb’s intentions. “[P]ain could make you awfully primitive if not counteracted by steady, regular doses of philosophical thinking,” he wrote in “The Anatomy Lesson,” his classic 1983 novel. (Ken Gordon, 7/17)

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Telemedicine Could Improve Pennsylvania Health Care. So Why The Hold-Up Over Insurance?
Thirty-eight states and the District of Columbia have laws that call upon insurers to cover care delivered by telehealth services (for example, services delivered securely via smartphones, laptops, and other electronic devices). Unfortunately, Pennsylvania does not yet have such a law. That’s holding back the use of telehealth—and hindering expanded access to convenient, high-quality care for Pennsylvanians. (Andy Carter, 7/17)