NBC News: Medication Abortions Rose In Year After Dobbs Decision, Report Finds
Medication abortions rose in the year after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, according to a report published Tuesday by the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports access to abortion. In 2023, the first full calendar year since the 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson ruling, there were about 642,700 medication abortions, accounting for about 63% of all abortions in the country, up from 492,210 medication abortions, or 53%, in 2020, according to the report. (Lovelace Jr., 3/19)

WWNO: Pregnancy Care Has Changed In Alarming Ways Since Louisiana Banned Abortion
In the wake of Louisiana's abortion ban, pregnant women have been given risky, unnecessary surgeries, denied swift treatment for miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies, and forced to wait until their life is at risk before getting an abortion, according to a new report first made available to NPR. It found doctors are using extreme caution to avoid even the appearance of providing an abortion procedure. (Westwood, 3/19)

Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio Voters Backed Abortion Rights, But Little Has Changed In 2024
Ohioans now have the constitutional right to abortion − a monumental shift in how the state has handled reproductive rights. But for the average patient entering an Ohio abortion clinic, nothing has changed. Ohio abortion providers aren't performing abortions after 22 weeks. Patients must wait 24 hours after their first visit to obtain the necessary pills or have a procedure. A dispute over using telemedicine is playing out in court. (Balmert, 3/18)

KFF Health News: How National Political Ambition Could Fuel, Or Fail, Initiatives To Protect Abortion Rights In States
In early February, abortion rights supporters gathered to change Missouri history at the Pageant — a storied club where rock ’n’ roll revolutionary Chuck Berry often had played: They launched a signature-gathering campaign to put a constitutional amendment to voters this year to legalize abortion in the state. ... The Rev. Love Holt, the emcee, told the crowd. “Just two years after Missouri made abortion illegal in virtually all circumstances, the people of our state are going to forever protect abortion access in Missouri’s constitution.” (Sable-Smith and Pradhan, 3/19)

On OTC birth control and emergency contraception —

CNN: OTC Birth Control: Consumers Can Start Ordering Opill Online Today 
The rollout is underway for Opill, the first over-the-counter birth control pill approved in the United States, and online sales began Monday morning. Consumers can start ordering Opill online Monday, and orders will be fulfilled within a day or two, Sara Young, senior vice president and chief consumer officer at Perrigo, said in an email. So far, the product will be available at Opill.com and Amazon. (Howard, 3/18)

Minnesota Public Radio: Appeals Court Rules In Favor Of Woman Turned Away From Pharmacy For Emergency Contraceptive
The Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled Monday that an Aitkin County pharmacist’s refusal to give a woman emergency contraception in 2019 was illegal sex discrimination under the state’s human rights act. In 2022, a jury in that county found that the Thrifty White pharmacist, George Badeaux, did not discriminate against Andrea Anderson when he declined to fill her prescription for Ella, an emergency contraceptive pill, for “personal reasons.” (Cox, 3/18)

The Washington Post: U.S. Fully Bans Asbestos, Which Kills 40,000 A Year
After three decades of attempts, the Environmental Protection Agency has banned the only form of asbestos still in use — part of a family of toxic minerals linked to lung cancer and other illnesses that cause about 40,000 U.S. deaths each year, the agency says. The EPA on Monday formally prohibited the import and use of chrysotile asbestos, the last type of asbestos that U.S. industries use. The ban comes 33 years after a federal judge blocked the agency’s initial attempt to ban the cancer-causing mineral. While the use of asbestos has declined since, it remains a significant health threat. (Phillips, 3/18)

More health news from the Biden administration —

The 19th: Biden Just Signed The Largest Executive Order Focused On Women's Health 
President Joe Biden on Monday signed an executive order directing the most comprehensive set of actions ever taken by the president’s office to expand and improve research on women’s health. In a statement, the president and First Lady Jill Biden also announced more than 20 new actions and commitments by a wide range of federal agencies for research on issues that emerge across a woman’s lifespan, from maternal health outcomes and mental health challenges to autoimmune diseases and menopause. (Gerson, 3/18)

The Washington Post: NIH Probe Of ‘Havana Syndrome’ Finds No Sign Of Brain Injuries 
Repeated scans of patients suffering from the mysterious ailment commonly known as “Havana syndrome” found no significant evidence of brain injury, according to an ongoing investigation by the National Institutes of Health. Two studies, published Monday in JAMA, found few significant differences in a range of cognitive and physical tests among more than 80 patients who had been stationed in Cuba, Austria, China and other locations compared with a control group of people with similar job descriptions. (Achenbach and Harris, 3/18)

Military.com: Military Medical Examiner Kept Organs For Years And Failed To Properly Notify Families, Watchdog Finds
The Pentagon's internal watchdog has found that the Armed Forces Medical Examiner mismanaged the collection and handling of organs from at least 184 deceased troops -- and hundreds of others -- that were collected as samples as part of the autopsy process. According to a report released Monday, officials with the medical examiner's office failed to set up "consistent processes or policies for organ retention and disposition" that led to families either not knowing that organs had been taken or not having their wishes for those remains honored. (Toropin, 3/18)

CIDRAP: CDC Measles Alert Urges MMR Vaccine For Youngest International Travelers 
Amid rising measles cases internationally and in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today issued an alert to health providers urging them to ensure that children as young as 6 months old receive the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine before traveling internationally. (Schnirring, 3/18)

On flu, norovirus, and covid —

USA Today: Flu, Norovirus Replace COVID-19 As Prominent Viruses For Spring Season
Spring may be around the corner but the flu – specifically, influenza B – is surging. While samples of influenza A have decreased since the winter-time peak, influenza B has been detected in 96% of samples, so far, in March compared with 66% of samples in February, according to WastewaterSCAN data. (Rodriguez, 3/18)

The 19th: COVID Isn’t Over For Disabled And Older Adults
Four years into the COVID-19 pandemic, few Americans are especially concerned about catching the disease. A recent poll from Pew found that only 20 percent of Americans consider the virus to be a major health threat. Only 10 percent are concerned about becoming very ill or hospitalized. Less than a third have received an updated COVID-19 vaccine. Pew did not ask how many people still wear masks. But for many with disabilities and chronic illnesses, it is impossible to move on. (Luterman, 3/18)

KFF Health News: Health Workers Fear It’s Profits Before Protection As CDC Revisits Airborne Transmission
Four years after hospitals in New York City overflowed with covid-19 patients, emergency physician Sonya Stokes remains shaken by how unprepared and misguided the American health system was. Hospital leadership instructed health workers to forgo protective N95 masks in the early months of 2020, as covid cases mounted. “We were watching patients die,” Stokes said, “and being told we didn’t need a high level of protection from people who were not taking these risks.” (Maxmen, 3/19)

On health misinformation —

Stat: SCOTUS Questions Limit To Govt Efforts To Fight Misinformation
Most of the Supreme Court’s justices on Monday seemed to question states’ arguments that the Biden administration coerced social media giants to regulate Covid-19 content and thereby violated Americans’ freedom of speech. (Owermohle, 3/18)

CNBC: UnitedHealth Paid More Than $2 Billion To Providers After Cyberattack
UnitedHealth Group said Monday that it’s paid out more than $2 billion to help health-care providers who have been affected by the cyberattack on subsidiary Change Healthcare. “We continue to make significant progress in restoring the services impacted by this cyberattack,” UnitedHealth CEO Andrew Witty said in a press release. “We know this has been an enormous challenge for health care providers and we encourage any in need to contact us.” (Capoot, 3/18)

Modern Healthcare: Change Outage: Payers Slow To Relax Prior Auth, Advance Pay 
Insurers have modified claims and payment operations amid the Change Healthcare network outage, but providers contend the moves are not enough to address their financial challenges. The aftershock from a February cyberattack on the UnitedHealth Group division continues to pulse throughout the healthcare system even as Change Healthcare makes progress restoring its systems. (Tepper and Berryman, 3/18)

In other health industry news —

San Francisco Chronicle: Nurses Press UCSF For Details On $100 Million Takeover Of SF Hospitals
Nurses at UCSF, St. Mary’s Medical Center and Saint Francis Memorial Hospital are pressing UCSF — which is slated to complete a $100 million acquisition of the two community hospitals by June — for detailed answers to their questions about how UCSF will maintain critical patient services and preserve staffing once the deal is complete. ... Dozens of nurses rallied outside San Francisco City Hall on Monday morning and shared their concerns with supervisors during a Rules Committee hearing about the acquisition. (Ho, 3/18)

Modern Healthcare: Private Equity’s Role Divides Physicians, Lobbying Groups
As more physicians leave their private practices behind, tension is growing over their choice of potential partners — particularly private equity, which is increasingly drawing federal and state scrutiny. Fewer physicians — only 46.7% in 2022 compared with 60.1% in 2012 — work in practices wholly owned by doctors amid struggles to manage reimbursement cuts, regulation and rising expenses. As a result, more physicians are joining health systems, private equity-backed management services organizations and insurers. (Kacik, 3/18)

AP: A New Kind Of Hospital Is Coming To Rural America. To Qualify, Facilities Must Close Their Beds
As rural hospitals continue to struggle financially, a new type of hospital is slowly taking root, especially in the Southeast. Rural emergency hospitals receive more than $3 million in federal funding a year and higher Medicare reimbursements in exchange for closing all inpatient beds and providing 24/7 emergency care. While that makes it easier for a hospital to keep its doors open, experts say it doesn’t solve all of the challenges facing rural health care. People might have to travel further for treatments for illnesses that require inpatient stays, like pneumonia or COVID-19. (Bose, 3/16)

The Washington Post: AstraZeneca Will Cap Inhaler Costs At $35 Per Month 
AstraZeneca is capping out-of-pocket costs for inhalers and related medication at no more than $35 per month, the drugmaker announced Monday. The Britain based pharma giant said the expanded savings are intended to help vulnerable patients with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, especially those without health insurance. The price cap takes effect June 1. (Gregg, 3/18)

Stat: Orchard's Therapy For Neuron Disease In Children Wins FDA Approval
The Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved a gene therapy for metachromatic leukodystrophy, a devastating genetic disorder that eats away at affected children’s neurons. (Mast, 3/18)

FiercePharma: Verastem Survey Shows Toll Rare Cancer Takes On Well-Being
Verastem Oncology has shared a different spin on what its near-approval treatment for low-grade serous ovarian cancer (LGSOC) could mean for patients, publishing survey results that dig into the effects of the disease on mental and physical health. The biotech is aiming to deliver the first approved drug in LGSOC, a rare, slow-growing form of ovarian cancer that disproportionately affects younger women. (Taylor, 3/18)

FiercePharma: Schott Pharma Extends Its Glass Syringe Reach With $371M North Carolina Site
Amid constant drug shortages exacerbated by weak links in the supply chain, medical glass maker Schott Pharma is looking to fill the cracks with a new $371 million North Carolina facility. Along with making glass syringes for popular GLP-1 drugs used to treat diabetes and obesity, the site will be the first in the U.S. to manufacture refillable polymer syringes necessary for deep-cold storage and transportation of mRNA meds, the company said in a press release. (Becker, 3/19)

Crain's Chicago Business: Walgreens Closes 2 Distribution Centers, Lays Off 646 Employees
Continuing its cost-cutting push, Walgreens Boots Alliance is closing two distribution centers in Florida and Connecticut and laying off hundreds of workers. The Deerfield-based retail, pharmacy and healthcare giant is closing a center in Orlando, Fla., where 324 workers will be laid off, and another in Dayville, Conn., where 322 employees will lose their jobs, Walgreens spokesperson Marty Maloney said in a statement. (Davis, 3/18)

Reuters: Kroger To Sell Specialty Pharmacy Business To Elevance Health's CarelonRx 
Grocer Kroger said on Monday it had entered a definitive agreement for the sale of its specialty pharmacy business to CarelonRx, a unit of U.S. health insurer Elevance Health. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The retailer's specialty pharmacy business serves patients with chronic illnesses that require complex care. (3/18)

AP: Appeals Panel Asks West Virginia Court Whether Opioids Distribution Can Cause A Public Nuisance
A federal appeals court asked West Virginia’s highest court Monday whether opioid distributions can cause a public nuisance as it reviews a landmark lawsuit against three major U.S. drug distributors accused of causing a health crisis in one of the state’s counties. In July 2022, a federal judge in Charleston, West Virginia, ruled in favor of AmerisourceBergen Drug Co., Cardinal Health Inc. and McKesson Corp. The lawsuit accused them of distributing 81 million pills over eight years in Cabell County, which has been ravaged by opioid addiction. (Raby, 3/18)

Stat: Leading Voice In Opioid Treatment Defends Methadone Clinic System 
Nobody has made more of an impact on methadone treatment than Mark Parrino. For decades, he’s served as the founder and president of the American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence, a nationwide advocacy group representing methadone clinics. Before AATOD, he ran a statewide advocacy group in New York, having made the jump to politics and policy after working as a clinic director and, before that, as an addiction counselor. (Facher, 3/19)

Stat: Private Equity Moves Into The Methadone Clinic Monopoly 
Private equity firms have acquired stakes in nearly one-third of all methadone clinics in recent years, gaining outsize control of the U.S. addiction treatment industry even as the country’s opioid epidemic has developed into a full-fledged public health crisis. (Facher, 3/19)

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Getting Addiction Treatment In Philly Is Difficult And Painful, A Jefferson Study Found
Navigating Philadelphia’s fragmented array of drug treatment programs deters many people with opioid addiction from getting the care they need, a new report from Thomas Jefferson University has found. The city has 60 programs outside of hospitals designed for drug users who are relatively stable, and more than 1,800 beds in residential rehabs. Hospitals and psychiatric hospitals have at least another 150 inpatient beds for those with more intense medical needs. But securing a spot in these programs can be difficult. (Whelan, 3/19)

NBC News: Intermittent Fasting Linked To Risk Of Cardiovascular Death
An analysis presented Monday at the American Heart Association’s scientific sessions in Chicago challenges the notion that intermittent fasting is good for heart health. Instead, researchers from Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine in China found that people who restricted food consumption to less than eight hours per day had a 91% higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease over a median period of eight years, relative to people who ate across 12 to 16 hours. (Bendix, 3/18)

CNN: Diet And Sugary Drinks May Boost Risk Of Atrial Fibrillation By Up To 20%, Study Says
Drinking two liters or more per week of artificially sweetened beverages — the equivalent of a medium-sized fast-food diet soda a day — raised the risk of an irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation by 20% when compared to people who drank none, a new study found. (LaMotte, 3/18)

HealthDay: Household Foods Get Less Healthy As Babies Age Into Toddlers
Over the first few years of a child's life, foods found in a family's fridge and cupboards tends to get less healthy, new research shows. “We found significant changes in several food categories over time," said study lead author Jennifer Barton. "Food items such as non-whole grains, processed meats, savory snacks, candy and microwavable or quick-cook foods were more commonly available in the home at 48 months [of age] compared to 24 and 36 months." The study, which tracked foods in the homes of 468 mother-child pairs in Illinois, was published recently in the journal Public Health Nutrition. (3/18)

Axios: Why Nondiabetics Are Monitoring Their Blood Sugar Levels
One of the fastest-growing trends in health and wellness circles was once seen solely as the domain of diabetics: watching your blood sugar. The weight-loss drug boom and online health influencers' attention on regulating blood sugar are helping fuel interest in real-time glucose tracking among nondiabetic patients, even as doctors say the benefits are uncertain for this group. (Reed, 3/19)

The New York Times: Oprah Takes On Weight Stigma In The Ozempic Era In New Weight Loss Special 
Oprah Winfrey, a longtime figure in the national conversation about dieting and weight bias, devoted an hourlong prime-time special on Monday to the rise of weight loss drugs. Her goal, she said, was to “start releasing the stigma and the shame and the judgment” around weight and weight loss — starting with her own, she said. "For 25 years, making fun of my weight was national sport,” Ms. Winfrey said in the show, titled “An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution.” (Blum, 3/18)

CBS News: Study Finds 129,000 Chicago Children Under 6 Have Been Exposed To Lead-Contaminated Water
A study released Monday estimated that about 129,000 Chicago children under 6 have been exposed to lead in drinking water. The study also found that predominantly Black and Latino populations were disproportionately less likely to be tested for lead, but also disproportionately exposed to contaminated drinking water. The study, published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, found that 68 percent of children 6 and under in Chicago have been exposed to lead-contaminated drinking water. (Harrington, 3/18)

The Colorado Sun: Colorado Is At Odds With The Feds Over Prescription Drug Importation
Colorado’s attempts to import lower-priced prescription drugs from Canada appear to have hit a significant roadblock, according to state documents. Late last month, Colorado submitted an amended application to the federal government for the program, which lawmakers established in 2019. (Ingold, 3/19)

News Service of Florida: DeSantis Signals That He Plans To Sign Revamped Social Media Bill 
Gov. Ron DeSantis indicates it would be unhealthy to allow children to remain "wedded to a handful of social media apps.” (3/18)

The Oklahoman: Changes In Ambulance Service Leave Rural Edmond Residents With Service Roulette
You work in Oklahoma City and shop, eat and perhaps have children that attend school in Edmond, but live outside of both. If you want 24/7 assurances you are covered for ambulance associated costs health insurance won't pay, how many provider subscriptions do you need? The answer is at least three if you live in either the Oak Cliff Fire Protection District in southern Logan County north of Edmond or the Deer Creek Fire Protection district in northwestern Oklahoma County. (Money, 3/18)

The Wall Street Journal: Governments Across The U.S. Are Handing Residents Cash—No Strings Attached
Bobbie Hines has been living in her modest home in southeast Houston for 56 years. But these days, she’s struggling more than ever to afford groceries and pay for mounting medical expenses. “Everything is so expensive,” said Hines, 83 years old, a retired crossing guard. “It’s an everyday struggle.” Her Social Security benefits barely cover her bills, and she has started rationing bacon slices to save money. Earlier this month, her husband, Alfred, 85, died following a lengthy struggle with liver cancer. He was bedridden and on oxygen in their living room, and Hines spent nearly two years taking care of him. (Restuccia, 3/19)

KFF Health News: Amid Mental Health Staffing Crunch, Medi-Cal Patients Help One Another
Three people gathered in a classroom on a recent rainy afternoon listened intently as Derrick Cordero urged them to turn their negative feelings around. “What I’m hearing is that you’re a self-starter,” he told one participant, who had taken up gardening but yearned for a community with which to share the hobby. Cordero, 48, is guiding the discussion at Holding Hope, a weekly therapy group for people struggling with mental health. Anyone receiving mental health services through Solano County can participate. (Khera, 3/19)

The Washington Post: Texas Wants Parental Consent For Birth Control, Not Just Abortion 
More proof that the assault on reproductive freedom doesn’t stop with abortion: Now teens in Texas can’t obtain contraceptives without their parents being informed and granting approval. The inevitable result will be more unintended pregnancies and more desperate girls in a state where almost all abortions are banned. (Ruth Marcus, 3/18)

Bloomberg: Antarctica: Covid Measures Saved Lives But Couldn't Stop Spread 
Covid-19 wasn’t supposed to get to Antarctica. If any place had a hope of keeping the virus out, it would be a continent with no permanent residents and an annual visiting population of only 5,000. And every control measure was in place — testing, a strict quarantine of everyone visiting, as well as lots of deep sanitation, masks and social distancing. (F.D. Flam, 3/16)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: The Prep Isn't Fun, But Take It From Me: Getting This Medical Test Can Save Your Life
I’m 54, and I just got my first colonoscopy. I’m glad I did. My doctor removed four polyps during a 25-minute procedure. Two of the four were the type that, if left alone, could have the potential to turn into colon cancer. Last year, I did an at-home test that came back negative and was told I didn't need to do it again for three years. (James E. Causey, 3/19)

Stat: Colonoscopy Prep: Liquid-Only Diets Unnecessary, GI Doctor Says
Since colorectal cancer is on the rise in people younger than age 50, national guidelines have recently pushed the starting age for colorectal cancer screening down to 45. We need to spread the word. Yet we specialists continue to provide outdated and disproven recommendations on colonoscopy bowel preparation that make the process more difficult for the millions of patients who undergo colonoscopy every year: We tell them to adopt a clear liquid diet the day before their procedure. (Benjamin Lebwohl, 3/19)