The New York Times: A New Trump Order May Make More Health Care Prices Public
The White House released an executive order Monday afternoon intended to require insurance companies, doctors and hospitals to give patients more information about precisely what their care will cost before they get it. President Trump announced the new policy at a signing event, flanked by doctors and patients who had been hit by unexpected medical bills. The event came a week after the official launch of his re-election campaign, and it allows the president to make a claim that he is pursuing a far-reaching health reform plan, his answer to voter concerns about the high costs of care. (Abelson and Sanger-Katz, 6/24)

The Associated Press: Trump Signs Order That Aims To Reveal Real Health Care Costs
The idea is to give patients practical information that they can use to save money. For example, if a hospital charges your insurer $3,500 for a type of echocardiogram and the same test costs $550 in a doctor's office, you might go for the lower-price procedure to save on copays. But insurers said the idea could backfire, prompting hospitals that now give deeper discounts to try to raise their own negotiated prices to match what high earners are getting. Hospitals were skeptical of the move. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 6/24)

The Wall Street Journal: Trump Signs Executive Order Compelling Disclosure Of Prices In Health Care
While President Trump has pledged repeatedly to take on health costs, the signing of the executive order unleashes coordinated efforts from multiple agencies to pursue the goal. It calls for the Department of Health and Human Services to issue a rule within two months that could require hospitals to publicize information on their negotiated rates with insurers for common procedures. (Armour and Wilde Mathews, 6/24)

Politico: Trump Aims At Health Cost Transparency With Executive Order
The order also calls for a roadmap for consolidating quality metrics across all federal health care programs, expanding access to health care claims data de-identified to preserve privacy and directs the Treasury Department to expand the availability of health savings accounts to pay for more health care services. The administration had hinted it would require hospitals and insurers to disclose their negotiated rates — a prospect that triggered fierce pushback from the both industries. But how specific that information will be is up in the air. Senior administration officials said the executive order will call for a proposed rule to make public information based on negotiated rates, with the level of detail to be hammered out in the rulemaking process. (Roubein, 6/24)

The Washington Post: Trump Signs Executive Order To Compel Disclosure Of Health-Care Prices
“No Americans should be blindsided by bills for medical services they never agreed to in advance,” the president said in a signing ceremony in the White House’s grand foyer. “We are fundamentally changing the nature of the health-care marketplace . . . This is a truly big action. People have no idea how big it is. Some people say bigger than health care itself.” (Goldstein, 6/24)

Medscape: Trump Outlines Goals For Healthcare Price Transparency
“Access to this data will also enable researchers and entrepreneurs to locate inefficiencies and opportunities for improvement, such as patterns of performance of medical procedures that are outside the recommended standards of care,” the White House said in the executive order.  The order also directs HHS to make a list of priority datasets that, if de-identified, could advance the policies set forth by Trump, the order said. (Young, 6/24)

Bloomberg: Trump Order Pushes For Disclosure Of Secret Health Prices
The administration took a step toward more transparency earlier this year by requiring hospitals to post their list prices, known as the chargemaster, online. That information, designated with arcane billing codes, is hard for consumers to decipher. Few people actually pay the list prices, which can be multiples higher than insurers’ contracted rates. Prices paid by private insurers can be many times the amounts paid by Medicare, the government health-insurance program for older Americans, research by health economists has found. Contracted rates can also vary wildly among health plans and providers, meaning that the same test or procedure could be vastly more expensive at different facilities in the same city. (Tozzi and Pettypiece, 6/24)

The Hill: Trump Issues Executive Order To Bring Transparency To Health Care Prices 
Azar said the rules would drive down prices because it would empower patients to shop around for the best costs. The administration says that is difficult to do in the current health care system because hospitals and providers often do not provide quotes for services. “Everyday American patients are being taken advantage of by a system that hides critical information from them that they need to make decisions for them and their families,” Azar said. (Hellmann, 6/24)

Modern Healthcare: Trump's Transparency Executive Order Leaves Details To HHS, CMS
One source familiar with the discussions said Azar and White House officials clashed over the level of detail hospitals and insurers should have to disclose about their negotiated rates. The White House wanted the language to be much more specific than the final result while Azar wanted to mitigate industry opposition. (Luthi, 6/24)

NPR: Trump Administration Pushes To Make Health Care Pricing More Transparent
Some consumer advocates welcomed the move. "Today patients don't have access to prices or choices or even ability to see quality," said Cynthia Fisher, founder of a group called Patient Rights Advocate. "I think the exciting part of this executive order is the President and administration are really moving to put the patient in the driver's seat and be empowered for the first time with knowledge and information." (Keith and Simmons-Duffin, 6/24)

Kaiser Health News: Trump Administration Seeks More Health Care Cost Details For Consumers
Much depends on how the administration writes the rules governing what information must be provided, such as whether it will include hospital-specific prices, regional averages or other measures. While the administration calls for a “consumer-friendly” format, it’s not clear how such a massive amount of data — potentially negotiated price information from thousands of hospitals and insurers for tens of thousands of services — will be presented to consumers. “It’s well intended, but may grossly overestimate the ability of the average patient to decipher this information overload,” said Dan Ward, a vice president at Waystar, a health care payments service. (Appleby, 6/24)

CQ: Trump Orders Price Disclosures From Hospitals, Insurers
A senior administration official called the concerns by hospitals and insurers overblown. The negotiated rates are sent to customers after the services are rendered, the official said, so the information is already out there. If the administration’s rules are finalized, patients would simply have the information in advance. “Every time any one of us goes to a doctor or a hospital, within a couple of weeks in our mailbox arrives an explanation of benefits that contains the list price, the negotiated rate between plan and provider, and what our out of pocket is,” the official said. “This is not some state secret.” (Siddons, 6/24)

The New York Times: Why Transparency On Medical Prices Could Actually Make Them Go Higher
It makes intuitive sense — publish prices negotiated within the health care industry, and consumers will benefit. That’s the argument behind the executive order issued Monday by President Donald Trump that is intended to give patients more information about what health care will cost before they get it. But the peculiarities of the United States health care system, with its longstanding secrecy around negotiated health care prices, mean there is very little research on the possible effects of the particular thing the Trump administration wants to do. (Sanger-Katz, 6/24)

PBS NewsHour: Trump Pushes For New Transparency With Health Care Prices — But Will It Lower Them?
On Monday, President Trump issued executive orders requiring greater transparency around medical costs. But will they help? Nick Schifrin talks to Elisabeth Rosenthal of Kaiser Health News. (6/24)

The New York Times: Supreme Court To Hear Insurers’ Suit On Obamacare
The Supreme Court agreed on Monday to decide whether the federal government was entitled to break a promise to shield insurance companies from some of the risks they took in participating in the exchanges established by President Barack Obama’s health care law, the Affordable Care Act. In their brief seeking Supreme Court review, two insurance companies said they had been the victims of “a bait-and-switch of staggering dimensions in which the government has paid insurers $12 billion less than what was promised.” (Liptak, 6/24)

The Associated Press: Supreme Court To Review Insurers' Obamacare Claims For $12B
The justices say Monday that they will hear appeals in the fall from insurers who argue that they are entitled to the money under a provision of the "Obamacare" health law that promised insurers a financial cushion for losses they might incur by selling coverage to people in the marketplaces created by the health care law. (6/24)

Reuters: Supreme Court To Hear Insurers' Bid For $12 Billion In Obamacare Money
Under the risk corridor program, insurers that paid out significantly less in claims on policies sold through the exchanges than they took in from premiums provided some of their gains to the government. Insurers that paid out more were entitled to government compensation for part of their losses. (Raymond, 6/24)

CNN: $12 Billion Lawsuit Over Obamacare Payments To Health Insurance Companies Headed To Supreme Court
Republicans, championed by Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, succeeded in requiring the program to be budget neutral after insurers had already set their 2014 rates. So insurers only received a fraction of the risk corridor payments they requested because the amount far exceeded what was contributed. That huge shortfall forced some smaller insurers to shut their doors and prompted some others to stop offering coverage on the exchanges. (Luhby, 6/24)

The Washington Post: Supreme Court To Consider Whether Federal Government Owes Billions To Health-Care Insurers
But insurers say the government never fully funded the program, and owes them $12 billion.“That $12 billion error alone cries out for this court’s review,” said a brief filed by Moda Health Plan and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. “But the consequences of the divided decision extend much further. By giving judicial approval to the government’s egregious disregard for its unambiguous statutory and contractual commitments, the decision provides a roadmap for the government to promise boldly, renege obscurely, and avoid both financial and political accountability for depriving private parties of billions in reliance interests.” (Barnes, 6/24)

The Wall Street Journal: Supreme Court Takes Case On ACA Risk-Sharing Payments
Some smaller insurers, including health cooperatives set up under the ACA, went out of business when they were faced with high-cost customers and didn’t receive the risk corridor payments. A federal appeals court last year sided with the government in a 2-to-1 decision. The majority said Congress validly suspended the payments. A dissenting judge said the appropriations changes didn’t cancel the government’s obligations to pay the money. (Kendall and Armour, 6/24)

Chicago Tribune: U.S. Supreme Court Will Hear Case Over The Collapse Of Health Insurer Land Of Lincoln
In addition to having to find new health insurance midyear, a number of Land of Lincoln customers also had to start paying toward new deductibles. They didn’t get credit, from their new insurers for money they had already paid toward their deductibles for most of 2016 under Land of Lincoln. Land of Lincoln’s demise, due to the government’s failure to make the full payments, also forced the Illinois Life and Health Insurance Guaranty Association, health care providers and other Illinois insurers to absorb additional costs, according to the petition. The guaranty association, funded by insurers across the state, had to pay remaining provider and other claims after Land of Lincoln went under. (Schencker, 6/24)

Politico: Supreme Court Agrees To Hear Obamacare Cases With Billions Of Dollars At Stake
This marks the fifth Obamacare-related case the Supreme Court has agreed to hear in almost a decade since the law's passage, and it may soon hear another — a constitutional challenge brought by Republican-led states and supported by the Trump administration. (Demko, 6/24)

Modern Healthcare: Supreme Court To Hear Cases Over ACA Risk-Corridor Funds
The insurance lobbying group America's Health Insurance Plans praised the Supreme Court's willingness to consider the case. "The Supreme Court's decision to hear this case recognizes how important it is for American businesses, including health insurance providers, to be able to rely on the federal government as a fair and reliable partner," AHIP CEO Matt Eyles said in a statement. "Strong, stable and predictable partnerships between the private and the public sector are an essential part of our nation's economy, and our industry looks forward to having this matter heard before the Court." (Livingston, 6/24)

The Hill: Supreme Court To Hear ObamaCare Case On Whether Insurers Are Owed Billions 
“Looks like the Supreme Court may invalidate the GOP sabotage that drove ACA premium hikes in the early years,” Topher Spiro, vice president for health policy at the liberal Center for American Progress, tweeted. (Sullivan, 6/24)

The Associated Press: Government Moves Migrant Kids After AP Exposes Bad Treatment
The U.S. government has removed most of the children from a remote Border Patrol station in Texas following reports that more than 300 children were detained there, caring for each other with inadequate food, water and sanitation. Just 30 children remained at the facility near El Paso Monday, said Rep. Veronica Escobar after her office was briefed on the situation by an official with Customs and Border Protection. (Mendoza and Burke, 6/24)

The New York Times: Hundreds Of Migrant Children Are Moved Out Of An Overcrowded Border Station
Though the station had held a relatively small population of migrants, compared to the tens of thousands who have been crossing the border each month, the lawyers’ accounts offered a rare view into a system that has largely been hidden from public view. Other examples of facilities with poor conditions have trickled out in recent months through reports published by the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general, as well as from other lawyers who have occasionally been allowed in. Access to the facilities has been largely restricted, however, even as federal authorities have declared that the number of migrants on the border has escalated beyond their ability to safely handle. (Dickerson, 6/24)

USA Today: Texas Border Patrol Facility Releases Children From Detention
There were about 255 children being held in what lawyers described as neglectful conditions during a visit Thursday to the station in Clint, Texas. U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, said Monday that all but 30 of the children had been moved from the station in a farming community east of El Paso. A lawyer who had visited the station told Escobar that older children were having to care for younger children, some had been held for nearly a month and some children had not been allowed to contact family members. (Borunda, 6/24)

Reuters: U.S. Relocates Hundreds Of Migrant Children From Overcrowded Border Station
Just 30 children remained at the facility near El Paso on Monday, according to Elizabeth Lopez-Sandoval, spokeswoman for Representative Veronica Escobar. Children not sent to the HHS shelters were being moved to a tent facility designed for family detention, Lopez-Sandoval said. U.S. law requires children who cross the border without a parent or legal guardian to stay in border patrol's short-term holding facilities for no longer than 72 hours and to be moved to HHS shelters as quickly as possible. (Cooke and Chavez, 6/24)

Texas Tribune: Migrant Children Moved After Unsafe Conditions Reported At Border Facility
"It's not necessarily a better situation, and in fact could be worse," said Warren Binford, a lawyer who visited Clint last week. "Where these really children need to go is back to their families." Several attorneys who visited the station said they found at least 15 children sick with the flu, some of whom were being kept in medical quarantine. They described seeing a sick and diaperless 2-year-old boy whose “shirt was smeared in mucus.” Three girls ages 10 to 15 were taking turns watching him. (Roldan, 6/24)

NBC News: Almost 300 Migrant Children Removed From Texas Facility Described As 'Appalling'
The children who were removed were being held at a border station in Clint, Texas. Some were wearing dirty clothes covered in mucus or even urine, said Elora Mukherjee, the director of the Immigrants’ Rights Clinic at Columbia Law School. Teenage mothers wore clothing stained with breast milk. None of the children had access to soap or toothpaste, she said. “Almost every child I spoke with had not showered or bathed since they crossed the border — some of them more than three weeks ago,” she said. “There is a stench that emanates from some of the children because they haven’t had an opportunity to put on clean clothes and to take a shower.” (Silva, 6/24)

PBS NewsHour: Hundreds Of Migrant Children Transferred From Texas Facility With ‘Inhumane’ Conditions
During the interview, Binford said a 7-year-old girl sat at the other end of the room, crying and looking over at them. The teenager asked the girl if she wanted to come closer, which she did, sliding into the teenager’s arms with the other child. “They have no one else,” Binford said the teen had told her. “Children cannot take care of children, and yet that’s how they are trying to run this facility,” Binford added. (Brangham, 6/24)

USA Today: Alex Azar Says Rhetoric About Migrant Detention Is 'Outrageous'
Controversy has swirled around the Trump administration's treatment of migrants in detention, following Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's accusation that the Trump administration was running "concentration camps" on the border. Alex Azar, who runs the Department of Health and Human Services, the federal agency that oversees the care of unaccompanied migrant children after they are released from Border Patrol, discussed the issue on Fox News' "Outnumbered Overtime" on Monday afternoon, saying that the way migrant detention had been discussed was "outrageous."  (Wu, 6/24)

Bloomberg: Azar Says U.S. Is Running Out Of Money To Shelter Migrant Kids 
The U.S. government may run out of money in July to shelter migrant children apprehended as they cross the southern border with Mexico, said Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar. “We are full,” he told reporters after a meeting at the White House on Monday. “We do not have capacity for more of these unaccompanied children to come across the border.” “At some point in early July we are probably going to be out of money,” Azar said. “This isn’t political; this isn’t about immigration.” (Pettypiece, 6/24)

The New York Times: Emergency Aid For Migrants Badly Divides Democrats
Congress is trying to rush $4.5 billion in emergency humanitarian aid to the southwestern border while placing new restrictions on President Trump’s immigration crackdown, spurred on by disturbing images of suffering migrant families and of children living in squalor in overcrowded detention facilities. But with a House vote on the package planned for Tuesday, some Democrats are revolting over the measure, fearing that the aid will be used to carry out Mr. Trump’s aggressive tactics, including deportation raids that he has promised will begin within two weeks. (Davis, 6/24)

The Washington Post: Liberals Angry With Trump Administration Treatment Of Migrant Children Force House Leaders To Amend Border Bill
Assistant Speaker Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) emerged Monday from a nearly two-hour meeting involving members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus — two groups that had expressed concerns about delivering additional funding to the Trump administration — and said a vote would proceed on Tuesday. ... House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called the meeting after news of poor conditions at U.S. Customs and Border Protection centers and President Trump’s threat of mass deportations cast doubt on whether Congress would be able to pass a border funding package before lawmakers leave Washington on Thursday for a week-long recess. (DeBonis and Bade, 6/24)

CNN: House Dems To Consider Potential Changes To Border Bill After 'Very Tense' Meeting
According to a senior Democratic aide, Pelosi expressed a desire to review those proposals, which would be incorporated into the spending bill that's set for a vote on the floor Tuesday. Internal division among House Democrats erupted during a meeting Monday night. Pelosi held a late night, two-and-a-half hour meeting in her office that one member described as "very tense" with "high decibel levels." (Killough and Raju, 6/24)

The Hill: Pelosi, Democratic Leaders Seek To Quell Liberal Revolt Over Border Bill
In short, the liberals simply don't trust the administration to treat the migrants humanely, even if Congress approves ample funding for their care. They want the bill to include — or be accompanied by — a new set of behavioral standards governing the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). (Marcos and Lillis, 6/24)

The Associated Press: 4 Border Deaths In Texas Could Be A Preview Of The Summer
Two babies, a toddler and a woman were found dead near the U.S.-Mexican border, overcome by the sweltering heat in a glimpse of what could lie ahead this summer as record numbers of migrant families try to get into the United States. Authorities believe the four may have been dead for days before the bodies were discovered on Sunday in the Rio Grande Valley. No details were released on the victims' relationship. (Warren and Attanasio, 6/24)

Texas Tribune: Border Patrol Finds Three Children, One Woman Dead At South Texas Border
The four bodies were found southeast of Anzalduas Park in the Las Palomas Wildlife Management Area of Mission, Texas. U.S. Customs and Border Protection says the Rio Grande Valley area accounts for more than 40% of undocumented immigrant apprehensions and is "the busiest sector in the nation." The deaths follow a surge of unauthorized migration to the U.S. last month, when more than 144,000 people were apprehended or deemed inadmissible to the country — the largest number in 13 years. (Closson, 6/24)

Texas Tribune: Border Patrol Turning Away Diaper And Toy Donations
On Sunday, Austin Savage and five of his friends huddled into an SUV and went to an El Paso Target, loading up on diapers, wipes, soaps and toys. About $340 later, the group headed to a Border Patrol facility holding migrant children in nearby Clint with the goal of donating their goods. Savage said he and his friends had read an article from The New York Times detailing chaos, sickness and filth in the overcrowded facility, and they wanted to help. (Samuels, 6/24)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Hundreds Protest Trump Immigration Policies In Milwaukee
Hundreds of members of faith-based organizations marched Monday outside the Milwaukee office of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to protest against the immigration policies of President Donald Trump's administration. Holding signs and banners that read "Classrooms, not cages," "Abolish ICE" or "Keep families together," protesters walked and chanted on the sidewalks outside the building. (Perez, 6/24)

NPR: 1st Democratic Debates: What Policies Will Draw Out Big Differences?
On Wednesday and Thursday, 20 candidates will take the Democratic debate stage to talk about a wide range of policy topics. And 20 candidates times dozens of policies equals a lot to keep track of. It's true that, these being Democratic candidates, there's a lot they all agree on — taking action on climate change, for example, or improving the health care system. But this debate is the first time we'll see them next to each other, coming into direct conflict over what, exactly, they disagree on. (Kurtzleben, 6/25)

The Associated Press: New Phase In 2020 Presidential Race Tests Dems' Aggression
In an interview, Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez downplayed simmering tensions between two sharply divided wings of the party. One demands bold action on health care and climate change, while calling for Trump’s impeachment; the other favors a more pragmatic progressivism that confronts the same policy challenges with a bipartisan approach. “What we do have is unity of values,” Perez said, noting that virtually every Democrat seeking the presidency supports universal health care coverage, combating climate change and civil rights. (Peoples, 6/24)

The Hill: 2020 Primary Debate Guide: Everything You Need To Know Ahead Of The First Democratic Showdown
Who will be there? Who won't? What questions will the candidates be asked? Who will jab at whom? What will we learn? Read on for everything you need to know going into the first of a dozen Democratic primary debates. (Manchester, 6/24)

The New York Times: Sara Gideon To Challenge Susan Collins For Maine Senate Seat
Sara Gideon, the speaker of the Maine House of Representatives, said on Monday that she would challenge Senator Susan Collins, making her the most formidable opponent yet for a United States Senate seat that Democrats have identified as a target in the 2020 election. Ms. Gideon, a Democrat, said that her decision was spurred partly by the vote that Ms. Collins, a Republican expected to seek her fifth term, cast in support for Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court. (Saul, 6/24)

The Associated Press: A Top Maine Democrat Announces Bid To Unseat Sen. Collins 
Rep. Sara Gideon, of Freeport, who has been the speaker for the past two terms, has already made access to abortion a central focus of her campaign. Collins, first elected in 1996, is expected to run for another term but has yet to formally announce her candidacy. (Villeneuve, 6/24)

The Associated Press: O'Rourke Proposes New 'War Tax' To Fund Veteran Health Care
Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke is pledging to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and help create a federal health care fund to cover the costs of caring for those who serve in future wars by taxing those who don't. The former Texas congressman unveiled his proposal Monday before attending a veterans' roundtable in Tampa, Florida, ahead of the first Democratic presidential debate in Miami on Wednesday. (6/24)

Texas Tribune: Beto O'Rourke Releases Veterans Plan With Health Care Fund, 'War Tax'
“We must be willing to pay any price, and bear any burden, to provide the full care, support, and resources to every single veteran who served every single one of us," O'Rourke said in a statement, adding that the best way to honor veterans is to "cancel the blank check for endless war — and reinvest the savings to ensure every American can thrive upon their return home." The war tax would be a progressive tax on adjusted gross income, ranging from $25 for those making less than $30,000 per year to $1,000 for those earning over $200,000 every year. The tax "would serve as a reminder of the incredible sacrifice made by those who serve and their families," O'Rourke's plan says. (Svitek, 6/24)

Meanwhile —

Kaiser Health News: Fuzzy Math Fuels Sanders’ Claim That Cost Barriers To Health Care Kill 30,000 A Year
“Medicare for All” — or single-payer health care — is a flagship issue for Democratic presidential candidate and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. So when a conservative group launched an ad campaign claiming such a policy would drive up wait times for medical care, the 2020 candidate responded aggressively. His point: Some people may wait a bit for care under a new system. But under the current one, many people do not have access to affordable care and the results are sometimes dire. Still, Sanders’ precision gave us pause. (Luthra, 6/25)

Kaiser Health News: KHN’s ‘What The Health’: Politics Heading Into 2020: Live From Aspen!
The cost of health care looms as a major issue going into the 2020 campaign. But even as Democratic presidential candidates debate ways to bring down prices and expand insurance to more Americans, Democrats and Republicans in Congress are trying to pass legislation to address the price of prescription drugs and put an end to “surprise” out-of-network medical bills. Chris Jennings and Lanhee Chen know about both. Jennings, president of Jennings Policy Strategies, has been a health adviser to Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. (6/24)

The Associated Press: Missouri Judge Allows Abortions To Continue, For Now
A Missouri judge on Monday ruled that the state's lone abortion clinic can continue performing abortions through Friday but kicked the clinic's lawsuit out of court. St. Louis Circuit Judge Michael Stelzer extended a preliminary injunction he previously issued in order to give a Planned Parenthood affiliate in St. Louis time to take a licensing fight before an administrative panel. (6/24)

Reuters: Judge Allows Missouri's Only Abortion Clinic To Stay Open For At Least Five More Days
Stelzer ruled Planned Parenthood, the national women's healthcare and abortion provider, had failed to exhaust its remedies before administrative officials and that, as a result, the case should not be heard in state court. The clinic will have to shut its doors if the commission does not act before the end of business on Friday, Planned Parenthood said in a statement. "The terrifying reality is that access is hanging on by a thread with a narrowing timeline," Dr. Colleen McNicholas, a physician at the clinic, said in a statement provided by Planned Parenthood. (6/24)

St. Louis Public Radio: Judge Sends Abortion Dispute Between Missouri, Planned Parenthood To State Commission
In his ruling, Stelzer cited case law on license-renewal procedures that requires an applicant to exhaust all administrative remedies before seeking judicial review. That means Planned Parenthood must take its case against state health officials to the Administrative Hearing Commission, he wrote. “The court has not authority to intercede in this matter until there has been a final decision by the AHC,” the judge wrote. (Chen, 6/24)

The Washington Post: Missouri’s Last Abortion Clinic Is Running Out Of Time After Judge’s Latest Ruling
Planned Parenthood’s physicians said they will continue performing abortions as long as they’re allowed, and they accused the state of carrying out an antiabortion political agenda. “The terrifying reality is that access is hanging on by a thread with a narrowing timeline,” Colleen McNicholas, an OB/GYN at the clinic, said in a statement. “The truth is, if the Administrative Hearing Commission does not act by Friday, abortion access in the state of Missouri will be gone. This creates uncertainty for the patients we serve.” (Thebault, 6/24)

Kansas City Star: Missouri Judge Tells Planned Parenthood To Appeal License
The AHC, which handles disputes between state agencies and individuals or businesses, often reviews licensing matters. It has the ability to extend Planned Parenthood’s license to offer abortions by granting a stay. The four commissioners — three of whom were appointed by former Gov. Jay Nixon — hear cases individually and their decisions can be subject to judicial review. (Thomas, 6/24)

The Wall Street Journal: Missouri’s Last Abortion Clinic Can Operate As Fight Moves To State Panel
Doctors and representatives at the Planned Parenthood clinic have characterized the state’s actions as an effort to deplete abortion clinics in the state. State officials have said their focus is on maintaining health and safety standards. “Access is always incredibly important to us,” Dr. Williams said on Friday. “But, just understand, in the regulatory environment, our North Star is always the individual who’s getting patient care.” (Calfas, 6/24)

CNN: Missouri Judge's Order Allows Planned Parenthood To Provide Abortions Through Friday
Throughout 2019, states have mounted challenges to Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court ruling that made abortion legal in all 50 states. Alabama's dispute is most restrictive in that it bans virtually all abortions and could send doctors to prison for life if they perform the procedure. That law, slated to go into effect this fall, is being challenged in court. (Scutti, 6/24)

The Hill: Judge Rules Missouri's Last Abortion Clinic Can Stay Open Until Friday 
Planned Parenthood sued the state last month for refusing to renew its license. The state, which said it was investigating the clinic for allegedly breaking state laws, would not renew its abortion license without interviewing five of its doctors. (Hellmann and Cohn, 6/24)

In other abortion news —

Stat: Planned Parenthood’s President On Roe V. Wade, Title X, And 2020
It’s been a busy time for Dr. Leana Wen, the new president of Planned Parenthood and the first physician at the helm of the organization in 50 years. Since she took office seven months ago, more than 300 proposals to restrict abortion access were introduced in states across the U.S. Many states have passed laws to that prohibit abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. Missouri almost became the first state to not have a single abortion provider, until a judge stepped in to allow the lone clinic to stay open. (Chakradhar, 6/25)

USA Today: Abortion By Mail Gains Foothold As More States Restrict Access
In its first year of operation, 21,000 U.S. women reached out to Aid Access, an online organization launched in March 2018 that offers abortion pills internationally. Requests came from all over the country ⁠– especially states where abortion is tightly restricted. Now, with a string of states passing bans or limits in recent weeks and the abortion debate in the U.S. at a fever pitch, abortion rights advocates say those numbers could climb further. (Lawrence, 6/25)

The Associated Press: North Carolina Appeals Decision Striking Down Abortion Ban
State officials are appealing a federal judge’s decision that struck down North Carolina’s ban on abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy except in a medical emergency. A lawyer for North Carolina’s Department of Justice filed the notice of appeal to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday, hours before the appeal window was to have expired. (6/24)

The Associated Press: Oklahoma Judge Signs State's $85M Settlement With Drugmaker
A judge in Oklahoma signed off on the state's $85 million settlement with Israeli-owned Teva Pharmaceuticals on Monday following a squabble between the attorney general, Legislature and governor over how the deal was structured. Cleveland County District Judge Thad Balkman signed the agreement calling for the funds to be used to help abate the state's opioid crisis. (6/24)

The Washington Post: Oklahoma Leaders Reach Deal On Settlement Money To Curb Drug Crisis
After receiving the assurances before a brief court hearing Monday, Oklahoma state judge Thad Balkman approved the $85 million settlement between the state and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries. Private attorneys hired by the state to work on the case will receive 15 percent of the total, plus reimbursement for their expenses. “The resources and terms of the agreement will help abate the ongoing crisis the state is facing,” state Attorney General Mike Hunter said in a statement released after the hearing. (Bernstein, 6/24)

CNN: Judge Approves $85 Million Opioid Settlement With Teva
Under the approved plan, Cleveland County District Judge Thad Balkman said, the $85 million must be sent within three days to the law firm that has been helping the state build its case against opioid drugmakers. The firm of Whitten Burrage in Oklahoma City is to withdraw its legal fees before wiring the remainder of the money, within 24 hours, to the Opioid Lawsuit Settlement Fund within the state treasury to abate the opioid crisis, Balkman said. The settlement stipulates that the attorneys are entitled to 15% of the settlement: just under $13 million in this case. (Drash, 6/24)

CNBC: Judge Approves Teva's $85 Million Opioid Settlement With Oklahoma
The Oklahoma trial, which is ongoing, is seen as a sort of litmus test for plaintiffs in some 1,600 cases against Purdue Pharma and other opioid manufacturers that are being consolidated and transferred before a judge in the Northern District of Ohio. Oklahoma prosecutors claim the companies’ actions created an oversupply of painkillers and a public nuisance that will cost $12.7 billion to $17.5 billion to remedy. (Lovelace, 6/24)

In other news on the opioid epidemic —

USA Today: Pain Patients Left In Anguish By Doctors Who Fear Opioid Addiction
New York resident Mickey Saxbury worked on a General Motors assembly line for 25 years before sharp, throbbing back pain from an on-the-job injury forced him to retire. A back operation failed. A device to block his pain gradually became ineffective. The only thing that’s consistently worked, he says, is pain medication. But a judge overseeing his New York State Workers Compensation Board disability case ordered that his opioids be sharply reduced. (Alltucker and O'Donnell, 6/24)

Bloomberg: Purdue’s Sackler Family Must Face Opioid Suits In New York 
The billionaire owners of Purdue Pharma LP must face a New York lawsuit claiming they triggered the U.S. opioid epidemic, a judge ruled, handing an early victory to states and local governments seeking to recoup billions of dollars in social costs from the drugs. A state judge on Friday denied the Sacklers’ request to dismiss the lawsuit, filed by 58 counties and two dozen cities in New York. The ruling, in Suffolk County on Long Island, is the first by any court denying a motion by the Sacklers to throw out a suit by a state or county and allowing for pretrial fact-finding to proceed against the individual defendants and their trusts, said Paul Napoli, an attorney representing the New York governments. (Dolmetsch, 6/24)

Health News Florida: Jacksonville’s Opioid Recovery Program Sees 71% Decrease In Overdoses
Duval County has the highest per capita heroin and fentanyl related death rate of any county in Florida, but an opioid program is curbing the epidemic by coordinating service for patients. (Adan, 6/24)

Modern Healthcare: Senate Healthcare Bill Raises Legal Tobacco Age, Includes Creates Act
The Senate health committee chair on Monday amended its suite of healthcare proposals to include the Creates Act, aimed at boosting the generic-drug market, and to raise the legal age for buying tobacco products to 21. These two major additions to the package from committee leaders Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) didn't come as a big surprise. The Creates Act cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee last year, and two committees in the U.S. House of Representatives, but has not been up for a floor vote yet. The bill would prohibit brand-name manufacturers from keeping drug samples out of the hands of generic competitors. (Luthi, 6/24)

CQ: Senators Add Tobacco, Drug Price Language To Bill Before Markup
A manager’s amendment of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee bill (S 1895) on surprise emergency medical expenses and other issues, which was released Monday, includes an amended proposal on the tobacco age by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and other senators from both parties. The bill would raise the national tobacco purchasing age from 18 to 21, and would require the administration to update rules to require age verification for anyone under age 30. In recent years, as a response to the significant spike in teenagers using e-cigarettes, 16 states and Washington, D.C., raised the local tobacco age to 21. (Siddons, 6/24)

Politico: Democrats Demand Answers From USDA On Lack Of Climate Science Promotion
Several Democrats criticized Monday the Trump administration after POLITICO reported the Agriculture Department has largely stopped promoting its own climate science. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who's also running for president, sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue expressing "deep concern and alarm" over the report. The Minnesota Democrat asked the department to explain its justification for not publicizing certain studies and to immediately release "any [Agricultural Research Service] study related to climate science that was ignored, downplayed, or its findings held back." (Evich, 6/24)

The Associated Press: McConnell To Meet 9/11 Responders To Discuss Victims' Fund
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is meeting this week with Sept. 11 first responders following withering criticism from comedian Jon Stewart that Congress had failed to ensure that a victims' compensation fund never runs out of money. A group of first responders will meet Tuesday with McConnell at the Capitol, said John Feal, a ground zero recovery worker and longtime activist on behalf of first responders. (6/24)

The New York Times: Dozens Of Nursing Homes With HUD-Backed Mortgages Have ‘Serious Deficiencies’
Dozens of the worst-run nursing homes in the United States have mortgages guaranteed by a federal agency that mostly stopped inspecting such homes several years ago. Seventy-four nursing homes with mortgages insured against default by the agency, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, are among 478 homes identified this month by two United States senators as having “serious deficiencies.” (Goldstein and Gebeloff, 6/24)

And in other nursing homes news —

Bloomberg: U.S. Nursing Home Costs May Get Worse Thanks To A Labor Shortage 
The results of a six-year study by Georgetown University Medical Center revealed just how fast U.S. nursing home prices have been increasing all across America. And the future looks just as grim. Dr. Sean Huang, the study’s lead author, said the brutal dynamic governing long-term care in America—where many nursing home residents must spend down the bulk of their life savings before qualifying for federal assistance—is intensifying. California, Florida, New York and Texas all saw increases that far outstripped the 11.65% rise in inflation between 2005 and 2010, the period reviewed by Georgetown’s analysis of eight states. Additional data show the upward trend has continued in the years since.  (McGrath, 6/25)

In Case You Missed It: Check out KHN's series "Neglect Unchecked," which looks at why long-term care facilities, their owners and the government fail to protect residents. And use look-up tools to find out more about nursing home staffing levels and boomerang hospitalizations.

Stat: How An Alzheimer’s ‘Cabal’ Thwarted Progress Toward A Cure 
The brain, Alzheimer’s researchers patiently explain, is hard — harder than the heart, harder even than cancer. While that may be true, it is increasingly apparent that there is another, more disturbing reason for the tragic lack of progress: The most influential researchers have long believed so dogmatically in one theory of Alzheimer’s that they systematically thwarted alternative approaches. Several scientists described those who controlled the Alzheimer’s agenda as “a cabal.” (Begley, 6/25)

Stat: AbbVie To Acquire Allergan For $63 Billion In Megamerger Of Pharma Giants
AbbVie said Tuesday it will acquire Allergan for $63 billion — the latest megamerger between two pharma giants seeking new ways to grow. The deal, combining two firms built by past acquisitions, represents a solution to existential problems facing both companies. Allergan has faced questions over its potential for growth, its moves to extend its patents, and its ability to develop experimental drugs. AbbVie markets the best-selling drug in the world, Humira, which has annual sales of $20 billion, but investors worry that it will not be able to maintain those revenues after patents on the drug expire. The big prize for AbbVie is Allergan’s franchise of aesthetics drugs, including Botox, which has annual sales of $3.6 billion. (Feuerstein and Herper, 6/25)

Stat: Drug Makers May Commit To Follow-Up Studies, But Few Are New
As a condition of regulatory approval, drug makers are often required to conduct follow-up studies, but sometimes they also voluntarily agree to run still other trials that can yield important information about the safety, effectiveness, and optimal use of new medicines. However, an analysis finds that few such commitments involved new studies and only half were published in peer-review journals. Specifically, of 110 drugs and biologics that were approved between 2009 and 2012, more than half — or 55.5% — had at least one post-marketing commitment. But only a minority of those post-marketing commitments involved new clinical trials — 33 of 331, or just 10% — as opposed to ongoing studies, according to the analysis that was published in BMC Medicine. (Silverman, 6/24)

Stat: Bristol’s Merger Headaches May Be Contagious
If any pharma CEO is still intoxicated by the idea of a megamerger, the rough Monday Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY) is having could be an antidote. The company announced that in order to assuage the Federal Trade Commission’s concerns about its $74 billion purchase of rival Celgene (CELG), it will seek to sell Celgene’s blockbuster psoriasis treatment Otezla. (Herper, 6/24)

The Associated Press: Walgreens To Provide Drug Disposal Packets Free To Customers
Walgreens is making it easier for customers dispose of unused drugs safely. The drugstore chain said Monday that it will offer at several thousand stores packets that customers can use to turn medications into a useless gel before throwing them in the trash at home. The DisposeRx packets will be available for free at Walgreens stores that do not already have a medication disposal kiosk except in Iowa and Nebraska, where the chain says it has other options. Deerfield, Illinois-based Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. has kiosks at 1,400 pharmacies and runs more than 9,500 drugstores in total. (6/24)

Modern Healthcare: Centene-WellCare Merger Wins Shareholders' OK
Shareholders at Centene Corp. and WellCare Health Plans on Monday overwhelmingly approved the health insurers' plans to merge. Over 99% of each companies' shareholders who voted opted to approve the $17 billion deal, which was first announced in March. Combined, the companies would cover nearly 22 million people in Medicare Advantage, Medicaid and health insurance exchange plans. (Livingston, 6/24)

Stat: PatientsLikeMe, Forced To Ditch Chinese Investor, Sold To UnitedHealth
UnitedHealth Group, the largest health insurer in the United States, is purchasing PatientsLikeMe, a health technology firm, just months after it became public that the Trump administration was forcing the tech startup into a fire sale over concerns that its largest investor was Chinese. “UnitedHealth Group and PatientsLikeMe are committed to using technology and innovation to help people live healthier lives and help make the health system work better for everyone,” UnitedHealthGroup said in a statement. (Herper, 6/24)

The Wall Street Journal: FBI Probes Whether Lab Startup UBiome Used Improper Billing Codes, Sought Unnecessary Tests
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is examining whether lab-testing startup uBiome Inc. used improper billing codes in claims and sought payment for unnecessary tests, tactics that could have inappropriately enriched the company, according to people familiar with the matter. The probe also involves the role of doctors who ordered the uBiome tests, the people said. A spokesman for uBiome declined to comment about the investigation. (Wilde Mathews and Dockser Marcus, 6/24)

Modern Healthcare: UPMC, Highmark Sign 10-Year Truce On In-Network Access
A week before thousands of people would have lost access to UPMC providers, Highmark Health and UPMC reached a 10-year agreement to let Highmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield patients continue receiving care at UPMC facilities in Western Pennsylvania. On Monday, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf and Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced that the two organizations and Shapiro had negotiated a deal giving Highmark enrollees access to all UPMC hospitals and physicians. (Meyer, 6/24)

ProPublica: Aggression Detectors: The Unproven, Invasive Surveillance Technology Schools Are Using To Monitor Students
Ariella Russcol specializes in drama at the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Queens, New York, and the senior’s performance on this April afternoon didn’t disappoint. While the library is normally the quietest room in the school, her ear-piercing screams sounded more like a horror movie than study hall. But they weren’t enough to set off a small microphone in the ceiling that was supposed to detect aggression. A few days later, at the Staples Pathways Academy in Westport, Connecticut, junior Sami D’Anna inadvertently triggered the same device with a less spooky sound — a coughing fit from a lingering chest cold. As she hacked and rasped, a message popped up on its web interface: “StressedVoice detected.” “There we go,” D’Anna said with amusement, looking at the screen. “There’s my coughs.” (Gillum and Kao, 6/25)

The Wall Street Journal: New Noninvasive Genetic Tests For IVF Embryos Are In Development
Scientists at academic medical centers and fertility companies are developing more accurate and less invasive ways to test whether embryos made through in vitro fertilization procedures might have genetic abnormalities. The new tests could help the growing numbers of people pursuing IVF to make sure any embryo used is free from the genetic defects that can lead to miscarriage or even devastating inherited diseases, without risking damage to the embryo itself. (Hernandez, 6/24)

The New York Times: Arsenic In Bottled Water Prompts A Product Removal: How Much Is Safe?
Keurig Dr Pepper said it was withdrawing its Peñafiel brand unflavored mineral spring water products after reports that they contained high levels of arsenic. The announcement, which was made on Friday, came three days after the Center for Environmental Health notified the company that tests showed the amount of arsenic in the water exceeded the level requiring a health warning under California’s consumer protection law, and two months after Consumer Reports found the amount exceeded the level set by the federal government. (Rueb, 6/24)

NPR: Elite Runners' Gut Microbe Makes Mice More Athletic — Could It Help The Rest Of Us?
A new study out Monday in the journal Nature Medicine identified a group of bacteria that are more common in athletes, especially after exercise, and may play a role in enhancing athletic performance. The researchers isolated this bacterial strain from elite runners, put it into the colons of lab mice and found that these human-derived bacteria boosted the mouse's performance on a treadmill exertion test by 13%. (Lambert, 6/24)

The Wall Street Journal: For Two Men With Autism, 1,000 Miles Apart, Gaming Was A Portal To Friendship
Chris Lopes and Caleb Stephens didn’t have many friends for years. Growing up 1,000 miles apart, the two had been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder when they were younger and always found social interactions uncomfortable. The exception, for both, had been their brothers. But they both lost their brothers, and the only real friendships they’d had. Like many people with autism, they turned to gaming and meeting people online. (Jargon, 6/25)

The Associated Press: Jump In Wildfires Means Smoke's Health Impact Will Spread
Climate change in the Western U.S. means more intense and frequent wildfires churning out waves of smoke that scientists say will sweep across the continent to affect tens of millions of people and cause a spike in premature deaths. That emerging reality is prompting people in cities and rural areas alike to gird themselves for another summer of sooty skies along the West Coast and in the Rocky Mountains — the regions widely expected to suffer most from blazes tied to dryer, warmer conditions. (Brown, 6/25)

Kaiser Health News: More Seniors Contemplate 'Rational Suicide'
Ten residents slipped away from their retirement community one Sunday afternoon for a covert meeting in a grocery store cafe. They aimed to answer a taboo question: When they feel they have lived long enough, how can they carry out their own swift and peaceful death? The seniors, who live in independent apartments at a high-end senior community near Philadelphia, showed no obvious signs of depression. They’re in their 70s and 80s and say they don’t intend to end their lives soon. But they say they want the option to take “preemptive action” before their health declines in their later years, particularly due to dementia. (Bailey, 6/25)

Sacramento Bee: U.S. Surgeon General: States Going ‘Too Fast’ On Marijuana
California and other states are going “way too far too fast” in legalizing the powerful marijuana strains being cultivated today, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams said Monday at UC Davis Medical School – even as he enlisted the help of physicians and doctors win his work to normalize addiction as a disease. “There are communities where one in five pregnant women are reporting marijuana use,” Adams said. “We see it in communities where they’ve legalized even medicinal use of marijuana. (Anderson, 6/24)

The New York Times: A Boy Who Had Spinal Surgery In The Womb Stands On His Own Two Feet
Charley Royer, 17 months old, has such a swift, strong kick that putting a pair of pants on him can turn into a wrestling match. His mother doesn’t mind. Far from it. “Things that might annoy other parents, I’m so thankful for,” Lexi Royer said. This child, who crawls around the house chasing a Yorkie named Bruce and proudly hauls himself upright against the couch, wasn’t expected to do any of this. (Grady, 6/24)

PBS NewsHour: Future Of Food: This Genetically Engineered Salmon May Hit U.S. Markets As Early As 2020 
Over the coming months, we'll focus on stories around the world where efforts to fight food scarcity and waste are ongoing. Here's author Mark Bittman to introduce our first story in the series on the debate over genetically modified salmon. (Bittman, Thompson and Saltzman, 6/22)

The Washington Post: CBD Products Are Illegal And Everywhere -- And Could Force FDA Action
In 2017, no one knew what CBD oil was. In 2018, folks stumbled saying “cannabidiol” (that’s CBD oil) out loud. In 2019, it’s everywhere, and everyone wants in on it. In flavors like “cucumber mint refresh” and “watermelon renew,” a new line of CBD-infused waters and teas is hitting major grocery stores in California and Colorado on Monday, each 16-ounce bottle containing 20 milligrams, or trace amounts, of “active hemp extract.” (Reiley, 6/24)

Health News Florida: Medicaid Retroactive Eligibility Plan Approved
A move to eliminate a 90-day Medicaid retroactive eligibility period will continue for at least another year. As he signed a $90.98 billion state budget Friday, Gov. Ron DeSantis also approved a related bill that deals with numerous issues, including Medicaid retroactive eligibility. Under normal Medicaid regulations, patients are able to receive coverage for a 90-day period before they apply for Medicaid. (6/24)

Georgia Health News: Enrollment Drops, Eligibility Snags And Cyber-Errors In Benefit Programs Spark Concern
Georgia Medicaid and PeachCare saw a drop of 20,000 kids last year, a recent report found. Food stamp use has fallen in the state as well, continuing a steady drop since 2013. The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, which aids pregnant women and families with dependent children, hit a six-year low in Georgia recipients in the state’s 2018 fiscal year. And a child care assistance program has plunged in enrollment. (6/24)

The Associated Press: Kansas To Allow Trans Residents To Change Birth Certificates
Kansas will allow transgender people to change their birth certificates so the documents reflect their gender identities under a legal settlement that Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly's young administration and LGBTQ-rights advocates announced Monday. The agreement ends a federal lawsuit filed in October by four transgender individuals and the Kansas Statewide Transgender Education Project against officials at the state Department for Health and Environment, which issues birth certificates. (Hanna, 6/24)

Kansas City Star: Kansas To Let Transgender People To Change Birth Sex Record
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has entered a consent judgment in a federal lawsuit to allow people to legally change the gender in their birth records by submitting a personal sworn statement of gender identity. In addition, they would have to provide a drivers license or passport with their new identity, or an affidavit from a physician or mental health professional attesting to the person’s gender identity. The doctor would have to certify that “based on his or her professional opinion the true gender identity of the applicant and that it is expected that this will continue to be the gender with which the applicant will identify in the future,” the consent judgment said. (Lefler and Shorman, 6/24)

KCUR: Transgender Kansans Can Now Get Birth Certificates That Match Their Identity 
The policy change is significant because birth certificates can determine access to education, employment, healthcare, travel and the ability to obtain other identification documents. “It actually will affect the day-to-day lives of every transgender person born in Kansas,” said Omar Gonzalez-Pagan, senior attorney at Lambda Legal, which represented the plaintiffs. “It means that the state will finally recognize transgender people for who they are and respect that identity.”(Margolies, 6/24)

The Associated Press: California Legislature OKs Health Insurance Mandate
The California Legislature voted Monday to tax people who refuse to buy health insurance, bringing back a key part of former President Barack Obama's health care law in the country's most populous state after it was eliminated by Republicans in Congress. The tax now heads to Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who proposed a similar plan in January — an indication he will likely approve it. (6/24)

Reuters: U.S. Records 33 New Measles Cases, Mostly In New York State
Thirty-three new measles cases were recorded in the United States last week, most of them in New York, federal health officials said on Monday, bringing the number of confirmed cases this year to 1,077 in the worst U.S. outbreak of the virus since 1992. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the cases of the highly contagious and sometimes deadly disease rose 3% in the week ended June 20 from the prior week. (6/24)

The Wall Street Journal: New York City’s Deputy Mayor For Health And Human Services To Step Down
Herminia Palacio, the New York City deputy mayor for Health and Human Services, announced Monday that she will leave her post next month to take a position at a leading research and policy think tank focused on sexual and reproductive rights. Dr. Palacio, 57 years old, is set to become the chief executive and president of the New York-based Guttmacher Institute. In an interview Monday, she said that the opportunity to lead a major public policy organization are “not summoned on demand.” (West, 6/24)

The Oregonian: Massive DHS Data Breach Raises Questions About Oregon’s Cybersecurity Protocols 
A January data breach at the Department of Human Services exposed the confidential information of an eye-popping 645,000 Oregonians. Those people whose personal data was compromised were left with many questions. But the massive breach raised an even bigger question for everyone else: What are state officials doing to protect the information stored on government computers about virtually everyone in Oregon? (Chaffin, 6/24)

St. Louis Public Radio: Bayer Faces Lawsuit From Missouri Buyers Of Roundup
Two Missouri law firms have filed a potential class-action lawsuit against Bayer, alleging the company violated state law in not disclosing the health risks associated with the weed killer Roundup. The lawsuit is different from others because it seeks purchase refunds, not compensation for personal injury. A California couple who were landscapers won a $2 billion judgment from Bayer in May after claiming Roundup gave them cancer. Bayer, which bought Monsanto-maker Roundup last year, is appealing that ruling. Other suits are pending. (Ahl, 6/25)

The Associated Press: Jury Awards More Than $3M In Michigan Bogus Epilepsy Case
A jury on Monday awarded more than $3 million to a woman who was misdiagnosed with epilepsy, one of hundreds of people to accuse a Detroit-area doctor of misreading tests to enrich himself and his employer. Dr. Yasser Awaad was accused of running an "EEG mill," a reference to a test that measures brain waves. He diagnosed epilepsy in Mariah Martinez when she was 9 years old. But another doctor four years later in 2007 said her tests were normal. (6/24)

Arizona Republic: State Board Of Education Leaves Sex Ed Unchanged After Intense Meeting
An effort to pave the way to changes to the state's sex education guidelines fell flat during an intense Arizona State Board of Education meeting, where the board spent hours listening to parents, lawmakers and advocates rail against what several said was the "sexualization" of children. Some of those who attended the jam-packed meeting expressed concern over porn's influence on children. Others wanted sexual education to leave out instruction on anal sex, oral sex and homosexuality. (Altavena, 6/24)

New Hampshire Public Radio: Sununu Signs Bill Allowing Physician Assistants To Prescribe Medical Marijuana
Physician assistants soon will be able to prescribe medical marijuana in New Hampshire. Governor Chris Sununu has signed a bill expanding the list of providers who may prescribe the drug. Another bill that would allow medical marijuana users to grow their own plants awaits his signature. (6/24)

The Star Tribune: Blue Cross, North Memorial Team Up To Run Health System's 20 Clinics 
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, which is the state's largest nonprofit health insurer, and North Memorial Health are creating a joint-venture company to operate the health system's 20 clinics. Eagan-based Blue Cross did not say how much it will invest in the joint venture, which gives the insurance company's corporate parent a 49% ownership stake in the clinics. (Snowbeck, 6/24)

The Advocate: Report From Prison-Reform Groups Says 100s Of Louisiana Prisoners Held For Over A Year In Isolation 
Hundreds of Louisiana prisoners report they were held in isolation for more than a year and many believe their mental health deteriorated as a result, according to a survey that prison-reform advocates released on Tuesday. The report from advocacy groups that include the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana piggybacks off earlier findings that Louisiana has the highest percentage of prisoners in solitary confinement in the United States. (Sledge, 6/25)

Sacramento Bee: Bourdain-Inspired Mental Health Effort In Sacramento Expands
As fans around the world Tuesday mark what would have been the 63rd birthday of celebrity chef and TV host Anthony Bourdain, organizers of a grassroots movement in Sacramento restaurants are expanding their efforts to foster a kitchen culture that supports the mental health of its workers. Head chef Patrick Mulvaney of Mulvaney’s B&L in midtown Sacramento said Bourdain’s suicide last June in part inspired “I Got Your Back,” a movement that pushes for open discussion and easy access to professional mental health resources in the service community – through simple measures piloted at B&L. (Wang, 6/25)

Tampa Bay Times: Florida Surgeon General Who Was Subject Of Sexual Harassment Probe Keeps UF Job 
Florida’s new surgeon general has negotiated an unusual two-year arrangement that allows him to remain employed at the University of Florida -- and keep his tenured position -- while also being in charge of the state Department of Health. Gov. Ron DeSantis announced April 1 that physician Scott Rivkees would take over the sprawling agency, but Rivkees did not start the job until this month, due in part to working out the agreement. (6/24)

Los Angeles Times: City Of Hope To Invest $1 Billion In New Irvine Cancer Hospital
City of Hope will invest $1 billion in a new hospital and research center on the site of a former air base in Irvine that will enhance the way cancer care is delivered in the region. The large-scale facility will primarily serve Orange County, where nearly 20% of cancer patients leave the area for advanced care, City of Hope said. Many of them travel as long as two hours to City of Hope’s headquarters in Duarte, a city east of Pasadena. (Vicent and Cutchin, 6/25)

Boston Globe: Hemp Farmers Looking For Answers After Mass. Says They Can’t Sell CBD Products
It doesn’t take more than a few steps down Newbury Street to find a CBD store. The substance is so common that it’s easier to find in the Boston area than any kind of retail marijuana store. Much easier. (Gans, 6/24)

Cleveland Plain Dealer: 2-Month-Old Girl Died In Cleveland Daycare Custody, Negligence Might Have Contributed To Death, State Investigation Finds
A 2-month-old girl died in the care of a Cleveland daycare and state inspectors are investigating the possibility that negligence of a daycare employee contributed to the girl’s death, according to a state investigation released Monday. Inspectors with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, the agency that oversees the state’s daycare centers, found that Di’Yanni Griffin died Tuesday while under the care of Nana’s Home Daycare on Giddings Road. (Ferrise, 6/24)

Sacramento Bee: Construction On Placer County Morgue In Roseville Begins
Construction on a $28.5 million Placer County coroner’s office and morgue in Roseville began Monday, with county officials saying the new facility is a badly needed improvement from its Auburn location. At the old location, using the copy machine with a fresh pot of coffee brewing and a heater running would blow the power out. The county had to buy a portable air conditioning unit because the building’s AC wasn’t strong enough for staffers working in the autopsy room. And it doesn’t have nearly the capacity required for handling a mass casualty event like a bus or plane crash. (Yoon-Hendricks, 6/24)

Bloomberg: Trump Hospital Price Transparency Executive Order Has Limits
The Trump administration believes in the power of transparency, at least when it comes to health care. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday afternoon that calls for hospitals to tell patients how much they charge for surgeries and other services. These expenses eat up a bigger chunk of America’s health budget than the prices charged by oft-maligned drugmakers, and the hope is that giving consumers better visibility will help them shop for cheaper options. The order follows similar efforts focused on drug prices, including one that would force pharmaceutical companies to disclose the list price of medications in ads. (Max Nisen, 6/24)

Axios: Out Of Pocket Costs: The Only Health Care Prices That Matter To Consumers 
The most important detail to watch in the regulations for President Trump's executive order on price transparency for hospitals: will they require that insurers give consumers information on out of pocket costs in a timely and usable way? Why it matters: That kind of timely information will be needed in the regulations — which have yet to be written — so consumers can shop based on the costs they will actually pay. The big picture: One big reason general information on prices has only limited utility to consumers is that what they most want to know is not the price of an MRI, or a knee replacement of any other service at this hospital or that, but what they will have to pay for it themselves out of pocket under their insurance plan. Some insurance companies have tools consumers can use to figure this out, but that information is not easily available to consumers today. As a recent Kaiser Family Foundation/Los Angeles Times survey shows: 67% of the American people say it is somewhat or very difficult for them to figure out what a treatment or procedure will cost them. (Drew Altman, 6/25)

The Hill: The Swamp Strikes Back — Health-Care Edition
President Trump wants you to see upfront prices for health care. That’s why a few months ago, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently published a request for comments about whether and how to end secret prices in health care. The deadline for comments was last week, and the submissions from the industries most threatened by consumers knowing and comparing prices — hospitals and insurance companies — are an exercise in Swamp-o-nomics. (Katy Talento, 6/22)

The New York Times: Self-Inflicted Medical Misery
Over the weekend The Washington Post published a heart-rending description of a pop-up medical clinic in Cleveland, Tenn. — a temporary installation providing free care for two days on a first-come-first-served basis. Hundreds of people showed up many hours before the clinic opened, because rural America is suffering from a severe crisis of health care availability, with hospitals closing and doctors leaving. Since the focus of the report was on personal experience, not policy, it’s understandable that the article mentioned only in passing the fact that Tennessee is one of the 14 states that still refuse to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. (Krugman, 6/24)

The Hill: Give Americans In Puerto Rico The Health Care They Deserve
The disaster funding Congress recently approved for Puerto Rico will do a lot of good. Nearly two years after Hurricanes Maria and Irma wreaked havoc on the island, people here are still struggling to put their lives back together. Some of that money will be used to rebuild homes and critical pieces of our physical infrastructure; some will be used to help families put food on their tables. But this funding does nothing to alleviate the tremendous health-care disparities Americans in Puerto Rico have been facing for years — long before the hurricanes — and it's time for Congress to stop kicking the can down the road.For years, Congress has underfunded federal health programs in Puerto Rico. This underfunding is particularly harmful because Americans on the island are poorer and sicker than the average mainlander. (Jim O'Drobinak, 6/24)

The New York Times: ‘I’m Republican. I Never Thought I’d Fight For Medicaid.’
Millions of Americans fall into the Medicaid gap, earning too much to qualify for Medicaid yet too little to afford private insurance or receive subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. Across the country, 4.5 million would stand to benefit from Medicaid expansion. In North Carolina, the Democratic governor is championing Medicaid expansion for 500,000 people, while Republicans in the State Legislature are blocking the measure. In this video Op-Ed, those affected argue that Medicaid expansion is necessary. If the Legislature continues to block health care access, Republicans risk votes in 2020. (Ricky Clay, Robin Jordan and Carrie McBane, 6/24)

The Hill: Thanks To Trump, The Healthcare Choice Is Yours 
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) and many various versions of “Medicare for All” have something in common: they all want to limit your options: From which doctors you can see to the type of treatment you receive, and the kind of coverage you can get, both our current system and the socialized medicine proposed by the Left all depend on taking choices away from patients. Fortunately, the Trump Administration has a different idea: expanding consumer options to get the insurance, and ultimately the care, that works best for each person or family. (David Balat, 6/24)

The Washington Post: Should Contraception Be Sold Over The Counter? AOC And Ted Cruz Aren’t Actually Allies On This.
If politics makes strange bedfellows, there may be none stranger than Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.). The Internet was abuzz recently over their supposed meeting of the minds about potentially allowing birth control pills to be sold over the counter (OTC). How deep does this alliance on contraception really run? As it turns out, not very. Behind Ocasio-Cortez and Cruz’s Twitter exchange lies a significant divide in how they — and their respective parties — think about access to birth control, particularly when it comes to affordability. (Rachel VanSickle-Ward and Wallsten, 6/24)

The Wall Street Journal: The FDA’s Challenge On E-Cigs 
Electronic cigarettes are less harmful than traditional cigarettes, but they aren’t safe. There’s evidence they can damage the lungs, and they’re also a path to nicotine addiction. Last year the percentage of teenagers using nicotine grew at the fastest rate ever recorded for an addictive substance, according to a survey funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The same organization also published a survey that found that children who use e-cigs are more likely to become long-term smokers of regular cigarettes than children who never use them. Regulators at the Food and Drug Administration have a tough job. How can they preserve e-cigarettes as a tool to help adult smokers while snuffing out the teen smoking epidemic? The answer depends on recognizing the differences between types of e-cigs. (Former FDA administrator Scott Gottlieb, 6/24)

Bloomberg: California SB276: Helping Parents Protect Children From Measles
The threat from measles is severe and getting worse. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of U.S. measles cases in the first five months of 2019 surpassed the annual total in each of the previous 25 years. The cause of this surge is no mystery. Too many parents are failing to vaccinate their children. New approaches are required to help parents recognize the necessity of protecting their children from this dangerous and highly infectious disease. Officials understand the urgency of getting more children vaccinated, but anti-vaccine propaganda has convinced some parents to seek medical exemptions from vaccination, even where not warranted. Doctors who enable this behavior put entire communities at risk. (6/25)

Los Angeles Times: Banning Semiautomatic Weapons Won’t Solve America’s Gun Problem
Every time there is another mass shooting, calls begin anew for a ban on private ownership of semiautomatic rifles. But, sadly, the time has passed when such an approach would make a decisive difference in the United States. In an era of declining hunting, firearms manufacturers have increasingly transformed their product lines to feed gun buyers’ desires for military-style weaponry. Even if Congress could agree to pass a new law banning semiautomatic rifles – a big if in today’s polarized climate – a wide range of combat weapons would still be legally available, along with accessories to make them deadlier. (6/25)

Stat: Social Networks Affect Fast Treatment For Stroke, Other Emergencies
Getting to the hospital quickly is essential for treating heart attacks, strokes, and other medical emergencies. You might guess that spouses or family members would be best at reacting quickly. You’d be wrong.My team at Brigham and Women’s Hospital studies social networks. Few humans are solitary creatures; most of us are embedded in one or more social networks that include family members, friends, and acquaintances. We believe that these networks are an under-recognized factor in illness and health, and could be harnessed to improve our lives. (Amar Dhand, 6/25)

The Washington Post: The Case For Diet Soda: It Gets A Bad Rap, But The Research Tells A Different Story
The nutrition community doesn’t like diet soda. Of all the groups that make dietary recommendations, I can’t find one that lends full-throated support. “Limit low-calorie sodas,” says the American Heart Association, and “stick to water.” The Center for Science in the Public Interest says it’s “best to avoid” artificial sweeteners. The Canadian dietary guidelines discourage them. The U.S. dietary guidelines are decidedly meh. Although added sugar is a top public health concern, diet soda is consistently met with something between distrust and hostility. Dig into the research, though, and you don’t find a lot of substance. The hostility-to-evidence ratio is way out of whack. What gives? (Tamar Haspel, 6/24)

Boston Globe: Today, Shannon O’Brien Is Not So Sure What She’d Say About Abortion Under 18 Without Parental Consent
Why should a 16-year-old girl be able to get an abortion but not a tattoo without parental consent? When the late Tim Russert famously posed that question to Democrat Shannon O’Brien during a 2002 gubernatorial debate, her quip — “Would you like to see my tattoo?” — was not well received. Beyond abortion rights activists, neither was her support for lowering the age a young woman could get an abortion without parental consent, from 18 to 16. In contrast, Republican Mitt Romney promised to “preserve and protect a woman’s right to choose,” by keeping state laws as they were. With that assurance, Romney was able to close the gender gap and go on to defeat O’Brien — and then, as a presidential candidate, go on to embrace the antiabortion cause. (Joan Vennochi, 6/24)

Austin American Statesman: United Effort Needed To House Austin's Homeless 
Austin will no longer use nuisance laws as a hammer against people who have no safe place to sleep at night. The changes to three ordinances, which the City Council approved around 2 a.m. Friday after hours of impassioned testimony, mean people won’t be cited for camping outside, sitting on the sidewalk or asking for money, as long as their activities don’t endanger anyone. (6/21)

Cleveland Plain Dealer: State’s Intensified Cuyahoga County Jail Oversight Is Welcome And Needed
Gov. Mike DeWine’s decision to level unprecedented state attention on Cuyahoga County’s troubled jails -- while also adding inspection staff, improving the transparency of inspections and otherwise ramping up the state’s ability to clamp down on deficient local jails in Ohio -- should be applauded. Seven months after a U.S. Marshals report found inhumane conditions at the Cuyahoga County jails, reforms still appear to be moving at a snail’s pace, despite some notable improvements. (6/23)