The New York Times: Biden Budget Will Propose Tax Increase To Boost Medicare
President Biden, as part of his budget set for release on Thursday, will propose raising a tax on Americans earning more than $400,000 as part of a series of efforts to extend the solvency of Medicare by a quarter-century. The president will also propose expanding that tax, which helps fund health care programs, to cover a wider swath of income, including some earnings by business owners that currently are not subject to it, White House officials said in a fact sheet released on Tuesday morning. Mr. Biden will also seek to broaden a measure, passed last year entirely with Democratic votes, that allows Medicare to negotiate the price of certain prescription drugs with pharmaceutical companies, which is projected to save the government money. (Tankersley and Sanger-Katz, 3/7)

The New York Times: Joe Biden: My Plan To Extend Medicare For Another Generation
The budget I am releasing this week will make the Medicare trust fund solvent beyond 2050 without cutting a penny in benefits. In fact, we can get better value, making sure Americans receive better care for the money they pay into Medicare. (President Joseph R. Biden Jr., 3/7)

More details on President Biden's plan —

The Hill: Biden Releases Plan To Keep Medicare Solvent For Another 25 Years
The proposal, unveiled Tuesday morning, would fund the program into the 2050s by increasing the Medicare tax rate from 3.8 to 5 percent for households making more than $400,000 a year. ... The White House’s tax increase would apply to both “earned and unearned income” above $400,000. ... The plan also beefs up a requirement that pharmaceutical companies pay into Medicare when they increase prices faster than inflation. By making this rule apply to commercial health insurance, the White House aims to dedicate around $200 billion to Medicare’s hospital trust fund over the next ten years. (Burns, 3/7)

Reuters: Biden Plans Tax High-Earners In Bid To Save Medicare
His proposal also seeks to close loopholes that allow high earners to shield some of their income from the tax, the White House said. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), passed by Democrats last year, authorizes Medicare to negotiate prices for high-cost drugs. The budget proposal would allow Medicare to negotiate prices for more drugs and to do so sooner after they launch, saving $200 billion over 10 years, the White House said. (Renshaw, 3/7)

The Washington Post: Biden To Unveil Plan Averting Medicare Funding Crisis, Challenging GOP
Additionally, the plan calls for expanding new rules reducing Medicare prescription drug payments beyond the measures approved last year as part of the Inflation Reduction Act. The plan would give the administration authority to negotiate what price the federal government pays for more drugs than the limited number approved as part of Democrats’ legislative package last year, while also speeding up the process for negotiations. The prescription drug changes would bring in an additional $200 billion for the Medicare trust fund, the plan states. The proposal would also cap co-pays for some generic drugs, such as those used to treat hypertension and high cholesterol, to $2 per prescription per month.(Stein, 3/7)

AP: Biden Will Seek Medicare Changes, Up Tax Rate In New Budget 
More changes would be made to Medicare benefits. Biden wants to limit cost sharing for some generic drugs to only $2. The idea would lower out-of-pocket costs for treating hypertension, high cholesterol and other ailments. In addition, the budget would end cost sharing for up to three mental health or behavioral health visits per year. (Megerian, 3/7)

Reuters: Walgreens To Dispense Abortion Pills In States Where Legal 
Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. said on Monday that it plans to dispense abortion pill Mifepristone in any jurisdiction where it is legally permissible to do so. "Once we are certified by FDA, we will dispense this medication consistent with federal and state laws," the company said in a statement. (3/6)

Newsweek: Walgreens Limits Comments On Social Media Amid Abortion Drug Backlash
Walgreens has limited the ability to comment on its social media posts as the company faces backlash for announcing that it will not be selling abortion pills even in some states where the medication remains legal. On Thursday, Walgreens confirmed to Politico that it is taking abundant caution in several states where GOP lawmakers have threatened legal action if the company begins distributing abortion pills. This means that the medication will not be dispensed by the nation's second-largest pharmacy in states including Alaska, Iowa, Kansas and Montana. (Lewis, 3/6)

California says it will boycott Walgreens —

Los Angeles Times: Newsom Says California Will End Business With Walgreens
In an attempt to counter GOP efforts to limit reproductive rights, Gov. Gavin Newsom said California will cut ties with Walgreens over the company’s decision to stop selling abortion medication in 20 Republican states. “California won’t be doing business with Walgreens — or any company that cowers to the extremists and puts women’s lives at risk,” Newsom tweeted Monday. “We’re done.” (Luna, 3/6)

Politico: Walgreens In The Hot Seat 
“They caved,” California Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta complained. “For millions of Americans, this is a lifeline, it’s a key to a better future. So I’m disappointed that Walgreens has decided to give in to political pressure and debunked legal theories and cut off access to those medications.” California has announced it is “reviewing all relationships between Walgreens and the state.” (Ollstein, 3/6)

Also —

Fox News: Michael Moore Demands Nationwide Boycott Of Walgreens For Not Selling Abortion Pill: 'Bigotry And Misogyny'
Filmmaker Michael Moore has called for a nationwide boycott of Walgreens after the pharmacy chain announced it would not sell abortion pills in 20 states. ... "This decision by Walgreens to further cement women's status as second-class citizens must be met forcefully by each and every one of us. Every day of our silence since last Thursday is another day of you and I enabling this bigotry and misogyny," Moore wrote. (Lanum, 3/6)

KHN: Watch: Walgreens Won’t Sell Abortion Pill In 21 States Under GOP Threat Of Legal Action
Walgreens has announced it would not dispense the abortion pill mifepristone in 21 states where Republican attorneys general threatened legal action against the company, which is the nation’s second-largest pharmacy chain. KHN senior correspondent Sarah Varney joined PBS NewsHour co-anchor Amna Nawaz in a report on the move and its ramifications for women in those states, many of which have outlawed or severely restricted abortion. In four — Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, and Montana — Walgreens could legally sell the pills but has said it will not. (Varney, 3/6)

The New York Times: Five Women Sue Texas Over The State’s Abortion Ban 
Five women who say they were denied abortions despite grave risks to their lives or their fetuses sued the State of Texas on Monday, apparently the first time that pregnant women themselves have taken legal action against the bans that have shut down access to abortion across the country since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The women — two visibly pregnant — plan to tell their stories on the steps of the Texas Capitol on Tuesday. Their often harrowing experiences will put faces to what their 91-page complaint calls “catastrophic harms” to women since the court’s decision in June, which eliminated the constitutional right to abortion after five decades. (Zernike, 3/6)

From Rhode Island, Kansas, and Idaho —

WJAR: Equality In Abortion Coverage Act Draws Hours Of Testimony At Rhode Island State House
There were hours of testimony from people for and against a bill to provide abortion coverage for state employees and Medicaid recipients at the Rhode Island State House Monday. The Equality in Abortion Coverage Act would eliminate bans on abortion coverage in the state. (Zamore, 3/7)

NPR: Kansas Lawmakers Might Direct Millions Of Dollars To Anti-Abortion Counseling Centers 
Conservative lawmakers in Kansas want to provide millions of dollars to crisis pregnancy centers. It's an effort to rein in abortions after voters protected abortion rights. (Conlon, 3/6)

The Guardian: Artwork Referring To Abortion Removed From Idaho Public College Exhibition 
A public college in Idaho is coming under pressure to explain why it has removed from an upcoming exhibition in its Center for Arts & History several artworks dealing with reproductive health and abortion. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the National Coalition Against Censorship have jointly written to Lewis-Clark State College expressing “alarm” at the decision to remove several pieces. Their letter says that the college’s response demonstrated the potential abuses of new laws that have come into effect in Idaho banning the use of public funds to “promote” or “counsel in favor” of pregnancy terminations. (Pilkington, 3/7)

From Georgia, California, and South Carolina —

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Study: Under New Georgia Law, About 9% Of Historical Abortions Eligible
Based on a look back at 11 years of abortions in Georgia, a new study has found only 9% of those pregnancies would have met the new 6-week cutoff for an abortion under the new state law that took effect in July 2022, according to a study released Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. (Hart, 3/6)

Sacramento Bee: ‘We’re Not Going Away:’ Anti-Abortion Rally At California Capitol Gathers Hundreds In Sacramento 
Lisa Kennedy traveled Monday from her home in Auburn to attend the California March For Life rally at the state Capitol in downtown Sacramento and demonstrate her unwavering stance against abortion. ennedy, 55, was among a few hundred people participating in the rally. She said she would like to see more anti-abortion people to stand up and become visible. “I’m 100 percent pro-life, and I know that scientifically that abortion is the intentional killing of life from conception,” Kennedy said. “Whether it’s a wanted or unwanted baby, it’s still a baby. And I believe that wholeheartedly.” (Ahumada, 3/6)

WYFF 4: Greenville Woman Charged With Unlawful Abortion At 26 Weeks
A Greenville woman has been arrested and charged after allegedly terminating her pregnancy at 25 1/2 weeks. The current legal limit in South Carolina is 20 weeks. Greenville police said the coroner's office alerted them back in 2021, when a 33-year-old woman birthed a stillborn baby at almost 26 weeks. She was brought to St. Francis Hospital with labor pains and told staff there she had taken abortion medication on her own, officials say. In the state of South Carolina, abortions are to be done under medical supervision. A representative from the Greenville police said this is the first person they've ever charged with unlawful abortion. (Furtado, 3/6)

San Francisco Chronicle: COVID Survey Finds 1 In 4 Parents Lied About Children Being Infected
About a quarter of parents have lied to others about their child’s COVID-19 positivity status, according to a study published Monday in the medical journal JAMA Network Open. The national, online, noprobability survey in December 2021 asked parents if they had ever engaged in seven types of misrepresentation and nonadherence behaviors regarding COVID-19 public health measures for their children: Yes, they'd been dishonest about their child’s health or vaccination status, roughly 1 in 4 told the researchers. And 1 in 5 allowed their child to break quarantine rules at the height of the pandemic. (Vaziri and Beamish, 3/6)

CIDRAP: Survey: 26% Of Parents Lied About Child's COVID Status, Flouted Public Health Rules
The most common untruth was not telling someone who was going to spend time with their child that they knew or suspected the child had COVID-19 (63 of 263 [24.0%]), and the most common adherence failure was allowing their child to break quarantine rules (67 of 318 [21.1%]). A total of 19.4% of parents didn't have their child tested for COVID-19 when they suspected infection. Just over half of parents who lied (52.4%) said they exposed others to their ill child because they wanted to exercise their parental autonomy, while others said their child didn't feel very sick (47.6%), they didn't want to miss a fun event to stay home (44.4%), or they didn't want their child to miss school (42.9%). (Van Beusekom, 3/6)

In updates on the covid vaccine —

Bloomberg: Bivalent Booster Covid Protection Fades After 2 Months In Elderly
Covid-19 bivalent boosters’ protection against death and hospitalization in elderly people began waning as soon as two months after vaccination, according to a preprint study. (Muller, 3/6)

The Wall Street Journal: Moderna CEO Defends Pricing Plans For Covid-19 Shot 
Moderna Inc. Chief Executive Stéphane Bancel pushed back against criticism of the company’s pricing plans for its Covid-19 vaccine at Monday’s Wall Street Journal Health Forum. ... The chief executive said the company’s mRNA platform was funded by investors, not the government, and the public funding accelerated development of the vaccine. (Hopkins, 3/6)

The New York Times: Mayor Adams to New York City Shoppers: Drop That Mask
Not long ago, New Yorkers were required to wear a face mask if they wanted to enter a store. But Mayor Eric Adams has now said the city’s shopkeepers should adopt the opposite approach: People who refuse to pull down their mask when they first come into a store should be barred, in case they plan to rob the place. “We are putting out a clear call to all of our shops, do not allow people to enter the store without taking off their face mask,” the mayor said in a radio interview on 1010 WINS on Monday. “And then once they’re inside, they can continue to wear it if they so desire to do so.” (Stack, 3/6)

On long covid —

The New York Times: Long Covid Patients More Likely To Have Gastrointestinal Problems, Study Finds
Stomach pain, constipation, diarrhea, vomiting, bloating — these are symptoms frequently reported by people with long Covid. Now, a large new study reports that Covid patients were significantly more likely to experience gastrointestinal problems a year after infection than people who were not infected. (Belluck, 3/7)

Bloomberg: Scientists Hope Viruses Hiding Out In Patients Hold Answers To Long COVID
Tracking microbes through a malodorous network of sewer lines led virologist Marc Johnson to the source of unusual coronavirus mutants. After months of sampling effluent, the University of Missouri School of Medicine microbiologist found exactly where the mutants originated: from a regular user of restrooms at a specific Wisconsin business. (Gale, 3/6)

In other pandemic news —

AP: Arkansas Tyson Workers Sue Over Lack Of COVID Protections
Thirty-four Tyson Foods employees, former employees and family members filed a lawsuit against the company Monday, saying it failed to take appropriate precautions at its meat-packing plants during the early days of the COVID pandemic. In the lawsuit, filed in Pulaski County Circuit Court in Tyson’s home state of Arkansas, the plaintiffs said Tyson’s negligence and disregard for its workers led to emotional distress, illness and death. Several of the plaintiffs are the spouses or children of Tyson workers who died after contracting COVID. (Durbin, 3/6)

Detroit Free Press: Lt. Gov: Legacy Of Racial Disparities Task Force To Live On
After nearly three years, the Michigan Coronavirus Task Force on Racial Disparities has issued its final report, and the federal COVID-19 public health emergency is expected to end in May. Although the coronavirus hasn't disappeared — it continues to infect, hospitalize and kill people, though at a far lower rate than earlier in the pandemic — the focus on COVID-19 among policymakers is fading. (Jordan Shamus, 3/6)

KHN: Covid Aid Papered Over Colorado Hospital’s Financial Shortcomings 
Less than two years after opening a state-of-the-art $26 million hospital in Leadville, Colorado, St. Vincent Health nearly ran out of money. Hospital officials said in early December that without a cash infusion they would be unable to pay their bills or meet payroll by the end of the week. The eight-bed rural hospital had turned a $2.2 million profit in 2021, but the windfall was largely a mirage. Pandemic relief payments masked problems in the way the hospital billed for services and collected payments. (Hawryluk, 3/7)

On the origins of covid —

Roll Call: COVID-19 Origins Probe Plods On With No Clear Resolution
Republicans are continuing the search for answers on the origins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, but the path forward is mired in stalled investigations, classified documents and stonewalling from the Chinese government. Top Republicans are increasingly convinced the virus leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China and are once again homing in on U.S. intelligence in the wake of a report that another federal agency believes the virus may have escaped from the lab. (Clason, 3/6)

How the end of the covid emergency is affecting food benefits —

The Washington Post: A Mile-Long Line For Free Food Offers A Warning As Covid Benefits End
For those waiting in line for food in Kentucky, the last year has been jarring. Some said they can now only afford to eat once a day. Others limit expensive items like meat for specific family members like growing teenage boys. All described feeling hunger. (Craig, 3/4)

NPR: Extra SNAP Benefits Are Ending. Here's What To Know
This month, as many as 16 million American households have received a sharp reduction in the size of their benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP, as part of a federal unwinding of pandemic-era assistance. On average, participants will receive about $82 less this month in SNAP benefits, according to the Food Research & Action Center, an advocacy group that works to end hunger. Some households will see reductions of $250 or more. (Sullivan, 3/7)

NPR: A Promising MRNA Vaccine-In-The-Works Could Finally Knock Out TB
Tuberculosis may seem like a relic of the past in wealthy countries, yet it still kills more people worldwide than any other infectious disease besides COVID – with about 1.6 million people dying from TB annually. And the one approved vaccine – invented more than a century ago – is only reliably protective when given to children. Now, scientists at South Africa's University of Cape Town have taken a major step toward creating an mRNA vaccine against TB that could work for people of all ages. (Aizenman, 3/6)

Forbes: Breakthrough For Tuberculosis—One Of The World’s Biggest Killers—As New Vaccine Shows Promise In Early Trials
Researchers on Monday announced promising results for a tuberculosis vaccine that can be freeze-dried and safely stored at higher temperatures for months, hailing a major breakthrough in the fight against one of humanity’s biggest killers and a major step towards overcoming one of the big barriers to vaccine distribution in poorer parts of the world. (Hart, 3/6)

On bird flu and mpox —

The New York Times: U.S. Considers Vaccinating Chickens as Bird Flu Kills Millions of Them
The Biden administration, keeping a watchful eye on an outbreak of avian influenza that has led to the deaths of tens of millions of chickens and is driving up the cost of eggs — not to mention raising the frightening specter of a human pandemic — is contemplating a mass vaccination campaign for poultry, according to White House officials. The bird flu outbreak, which began early last year, is the biggest in the nation’s history, affecting more than 58 million farmed birds in 47 states, as well as birds in the wild. It has already spilled over into mammals, such as mink, foxes, raccoons and bears, raising fears that the virus that causes it, known as H5N1, could mutate and start spreading more easily among people. (Stolberg and Anthes, 3/6)

Bloomberg: Moderna Eyes Testing Mpox, Bird Flu Vaccines In Humans This Year
Moderna Inc. is eyeing possible human testing of shots to fight mpox and bird flu this year, as the Covid-19 vaccine maker expands into more public-health immunizations. The company is exploring messenger RNA vaccines for a number of such pathogens, most of them in the early stages of development, President Stephen Hoge said Monday in an interview. Moderna expects to advance its vaccines for mpox and bird flu to clinical trials after completing initial work on them, he said. (Peebles, 3/6)

On the spread of meningitis —

AP: GOP Panel Ready To Block New Student Vaccination Mandates 
Wisconsin Republicans are preparing to again block a new policy from Democratic Gov. Tony Evers that requires students to get vaccinated twice against meningitis and tightening student chickenpox vaccination mandates. The Legislature’s GOP-controlled rules committee is set to hold a public hearing on the policy Tuesday. A committee vote to block the policy could soon follow, perhaps within days. (Richmond, 3/7)

News-Medical.net: Adults And Children Mostly Have Only One Of The Classical 'Triad' Of Meningitis Symptoms, Research Shows
Prompt recognition of symptoms and treatment is vital for good outcomes in cases of meningitis. However, new research to be presented at this year's European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases shows both adults and children mostly have only one of the classical 'triad' of commonly related symptoms (fever, altered mental state and neck stiffness), and rarely have all three, with a substantial proportion (one in seven) having none. (Henderson, 3/3)

The Wall Street Journal: WeightWatchers Moves Into The Ozempic Market With Telehealth Deal 
WW International Inc., known as WeightWatchers, is buying digital health company Sequence, marking the diet company’s move into the hot market for diabetes and obesity drugs including Ozempic and Wegovy. Sequence is a subscription service that offers telehealth visits with doctors who can prescribe the drugs. WeightWatchers, which has long promised to help customers lose weight through food-tracking and lifestyle changes, is moving to also offer customers a medical weight-loss approach. (Petersen, 3/6)

In FDA news —

CBS News: FDA Panel To Reevaluate The Most Common Over-The-Counter Decongestant, Phenylephrine, Criticized As Useless 
The Food and Drug Administration plans to ask a panel of its outside advisers to reconsider whether the most common decongestant ingredient available over the counter, phenylephrine, is effective. There has been a renewed petition to pull it from store shelves over studies showing it was no more effective than a placebo in pills and syrups. (Tin, 3/6)

Stat: FDA Chief Q And A: Obesity Drugs, Approvals, Threats
FDA Commissioner Robert Califf said on Monday that it “bothers” him that Novo Nordisk, which makes an obesity medication, funded the development of obesity coursework for medical schools. But he also said he saw it as an example of a drug company filling the void left by health systems that aren’t teaching doctors and trainees how to use new medicines. (Joseph, 3/7)

The Boston Globe: Full Approval And Medicare Coverage Of New Alzheimer’s Drug Could Come In July
A closely watched therapy for Alzheimer’s disease could become more accessible this summer. Cambridge-based Biogen and Japan-based Eisai announced Sunday evening that federal regulators would make a decision whether to grant their drug full approval by July 6, a verdict that all-important Medicare coverage hinges on. (Cross, 3/6)

In other pharmaceutical and biotech developments —

Reuters: Talc Supplier Hit With $29 Mln Verdict In South Carolina Trial
A South Carolina jury has ordered former talc supplier Whittaker, Clark & Daniels to pay $29.14 million to a woman who said she developed mesothelioma from being exposed to asbestos-tainted talc in cosmetic products. The jury in Columbia on Friday also found that talc manufacturer IMI Fabi was not responsible for plaintiff Sarah Plant's illness, clearing it of liability, according to Jessica Dean, a lawyer for the plaintiff. (Pierson, 3/6)

Reuters: Altria To Revive Vaping Push With $2.8 Bln NJOY Bid After Juul Fiasco 
Altria Group Inc. said on Monday it would buy startup NJOY Holdings Inc for about $2.75 billion in cash, in a fresh bet by the Marlboro maker on the e-cigarette market after losing billions through its investment in Juul. ... Altria is betting that NJOY will prove to be an easier way to tap the market since six of the company's products have received full approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (Sophia, 3/6)

The Boston Globe: Foundation Charges Cancer Patients $83,000 For Unproven Therapy
It has been more than 11 years since Julia Young was diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer, and two years since it spread to her lymph system. By her own account, she has already beaten the odds for how long most women survive the deadly disease. Still, when doctors told her last year that the cancer was growing despite two operations, radiation therapy, and a fifth regimen of chemotherapy, the retired business-meeting facilitator decided to do something unorthodox: spend $83,000 out of pocket on an unproven experimental cancer vaccine. (Saltzman, 3/6)

Modern Healthcare: NIH's All Of Us Research Program Database Aims To Improve Care
When Dr. Jeffrey Whittle graduated from medical school in 1984, colleagues told him he’d soon be using patients’ genetic information to manage their care. By studying a patient’s genome, or entire set of DNA, in conjunction with other factors such as lifestyle or environment, clinicians would be able to determine which medication is best suited to treat their cholesterol, diabetes or hypertension. (Berryman, 3/6)

Stat: In Theranos's Backyard, Scientist Takes Another Crack At Blood Tests
Step outside the quiet Stanford Medicine building where geneticist and prominent big data expert Mike Snyder has spent years poring over tiny samples of blood, and you can just see the outline of 1701 Page Mill Road, one of the original offices of Theranos. (Ravindranath, 3/7)

Modern Healthcare: House Investigating PBMs Caremark, Express Scripts, OptumRx
A key House panel has joined the chorus of critics railing against pharmacy benefit managers, increasing government pressure on several major healthcare companies. Oversight and Accountability Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) is the latest official to launch an investigation into what he called “anti-competitive tactics" that increase healthcare spending and disadvantage patients, the committee announced in a news release Wednesday. (Tepper and Nzanga, 3/6)

More on medical costs and debt —

Axios: Medicaid Has A Target On Its Back
Republicans looking for ways to reduce federal spending have served notice they won't cut Medicare and Social Security. But that could mean big proposed cuts for Medicaid. Over 80 million people were enrolled in Medicaid as of November, higher than the number signed up for Medicare, and the pandemic and successive relief packages have swelled program rolls to record highs. (Sullivan, Knight and Goldman, 3/7)

KHN: Biden Administration Urged To Take More Aggressive Steps To Relieve Medical Debt 
Dozens of advocates for patients and consumers, citing widespread harm caused by medical debt, are pushing the Biden administration to take more aggressive steps to protect Americans from medical bills and debt collectors. In letters to the IRS and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the groups call for new federal rules that among other things would prohibit debt for medically necessary care from appearing on consumer credit reports. (Levey, 3/7)

Axios: As Cyber Attacks On Health Care Soar, So Does The Cost Of Cyber Insurance
Health systems buffeted by labor and supply chain costs and broader economic woes have another unwieldy financial problem: the soaring costs of cyber insurance. It may not be sexy — or the first thing you think about when cybercriminals wreak havoc on hospital infrastructure. But the sheer scope of the problem, and insurers' reluctance to cover losses stemming from ransomware attacks, is hitting hospitals in a very real way, Moody's Investors Services points out. (Reed, 3/6)

KHN: For Young People On Medicare, A Hysterectomy Sometimes Is More Affordable Than Birth Control
Sam Chavarría said her doctor was clear about the birth defects her medication could cause if she became pregnant but agreed to keep her on it as long as she had an IUD. As she was waiting to get her contraceptive intrauterine device replaced at her local clinic, however, the billing nurse told her that her insurance wouldn’t cover the removal — or a new IUD. Chavarría didn’t understand why not. “Then she said very delicately, ‘Well, people on this insurance typically tend to be older,’” Chavarría recalled. (Jimenez, 3/7)

In other news —

Stat: How One Medical School Became Remarkably Diverse
The diversity of medical school classes has barely budged in recent decades, even with the ability to consider an applicant’s race as one factor in admissions. Now, many medical school leaders fear a looming U.S. Supreme Court decision to restrict or ban race-conscious admissions policies could lead to precipitous declines, imperiling efforts to fight the nation’s stark racial and ethnic health disparities. (McFarling, 3/7)

The Washington Post: Nearly Everyone Is Exposed To Unhealthy Levels Of Tiny Air Pollutants, Study Says
Nearly everyone — 99 percent of the global population — is exposed to unhealthy levels of tiny and harmful air pollutants, known as PM 2.5, according a new study released Monday in Lancet Planet Health. The findings underline a growing urgency for policymakers, public health officials and researchers to focus on curbing major sources of air pollution, such as emissions from power plants, industrial facilities and vehicles. (Patel, 3/6)

The investigation continues on 'Havana Syndrome' —

Politico: Pentagon Still Probing What Caused ‘Havana Syndrome,’ Even After Spy Agencies Found No Smoking Gun 
The Defense Department is continuing to conduct its own research into what the government calls “anomalous health incidents,” including what may have caused them and whether a weapon is responsible, according to five people familiar with the effort. The research into the mysterious ailment referred to as “Havana Syndrome” that has affected more than 1,000 government employees over the past several years is continuing despite an intelligence community assessment released last week that said there was no evidence to support the theory that the incidents were caused by a foreign adversary wielding a weapon. (Seligman and Banco, 3/6)

On racism as a public health threat —

WSHU: Jahana Hayes To Congress: Declare Racism A Public Health Crisis
U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-CT) has introduced legislation that would declare racism a public health crisis. She has been advocating for the House resolution since 2020. Hayes, who is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, was joined by Tony Cárdenas of California, a Congressional Hispanic Caucus member, in introducing the legislation. (Ingram, 3/4)

On nutrition and alcohol —

The Washington Post: FDA Is Redefining ‘Healthy,’ And The Food Industry Is Pushing Back 
The Consumer Brands Association, which represents 1,700 major food companies from General Mills to Pepsi, wrote a 54-page comment to the FDA in which it stated the proposed rule was overly restrictive and would result in a framework that would automatically disqualify a vast majority of packaged foods. (Reiley, 3/5)

Anchorage Daily News: Activity Trackers And Lunch Leftovers: Researchers Are Visiting Anchorage Schools To Study Student Wellness
Last month during their lunch period, Bowman elementary students handed over their finished lunch trays, complete with half-eaten bananas, bitten-into burritos, and mostly sipped cartons of milk. Katie Cueva and her team then launched into action, scooping handfuls of leftover chicken onto scales and calling out their weight to an adjacent researcher who typed the data into a laptop. (Krakow, 3/6)

Good Morning America: University Warns Of ‘Borg’ Drinking Trend After 28 Ambulances Called Over The Weekend
The University of Massachusetts Amherst announced Saturday that the town’s local fire department dispatched 28 ambulances in response to calls involving a “significant number of alcohol intoxication cases” linked to “borgs” or “blackout rage gallons” after weekend parties in the area. (Yu, 3/7)

The Hill: House Panel To Consider GOP Bill Banning Transgender Women, Girls From Team Sports
Federal legislation to ban transgender women and girls from competing on sports teams for women and girls will be heard for the first time Wednesday morning, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce announced Monday. The “Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act,” introduced in February by Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.), seeks to amend Title IX — the federal civil rights law prohibiting sex-based discrimination — to recognize sex as that which is “based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.” (Migdon, 3/6)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Georgia Senate Passes Bill To Limit Treatment For Transgender Youth
The Georgia Senate on Monday passed a bill that would prohibit medical professionals from giving transgender children certain hormones or surgical treatment that assists them in aligning with their gender identity. Senate Bill 140 passed on a 32-22 party-line vote, with Republicans supporting the measure. (Prabhu, 3/6)

New Hampshire Public Radio: NH Health Providers Push Back On Proposals To Ban Gender-Affirming Care For Youth
As New Hampshire lawmakers prepare to consider bills aimed at banning gender-affirming care for transgender youth, local medical providers and mental health professionals are pushing back — saying the proposed legislation is not based in science and would be damaging to vulnerable young people. (Cuno-Booth, 3/6)

Anchorage Daily News: Alaska Drops Policy Banning Discrimination Against LGBTQ Individuals
An investigation by the Anchorage Daily News and ProPublica found the decision had been requested by a conservative Christian group and was made the week of the Republican primary for governor, in which Gov. Mike Dunleavy was criticized for not being conservative enough. The commission made the change on the advice of Attorney General Treg Taylor and announced it publicly via its Twitter feed — which currently has 31 followers — on Election Day. (Hopkins, 3/4)

The Texas Tribune: Texas Bills Affecting LGBTQ People: Here’s What You Need To Know
Texas lawmakers this year are expected to debate several bills that could bring major changes to the lives of gay and transgender Texans. Republicans have filed bills that would restrict when sexuality and gender identity are taught in schools, where people can perform in drag and what kind of health care is available to transgender children. Children and young adults in particular are a focus of the legislation. (Melhado, 3/6)

The CT Mirror: CT Committee OKs Medicaid Expansion For Residents Under 19 Without Legal Status
A bill that would extend Medicaid to a wider group of children and teens without permanent legal status in Connecticut has cleared a key hurdle, though the measure won’t cover as many people as proponents originally had hoped. (Carlesso, 3/6)

Stat: Connecticut Creates New Program To Keep People Insured 
It’s hard to shop for health insurance. It’s harder still when there’s few options to help. Some Americans who can’t rely on a federal program or their employers’ HR department turn to brokers who are trained to help them navigate the complex web of deductibles, formularies, and subsidies. But in 2021 in Hartford, Bridgeport, and New Haven, Connecticut — as in many poorer areas in the U.S. — there were no licensed brokers, period. (Cohrs, 3/7)

Other health news from Massachusetts, Kansas, Missouri, and Ohio —

The Boston Globe: Water Was Source Of Bacterial Deaths At Brigham And Women’s
An infectious disease clinician working closely with the cardiac surgery department had an inkling something was off. It was 2018, and she mentioned to colleagues at Brigham and Women’s Hospital the unusual occurrence of a suspicious bacteria, which had popped up several times in the last year and a half. The rare bacteria, Mycobacterium abscessus, can sometimes cause hospital-acquired infections, often from contaminated water. But the number of times hospitalized patients had tested positive for it struck her as odd. (Bartlett, 3/6)

Kansas City Star: KC Sickle Cell Patient Calls For Awareness, Better Care
Kevin Wake has suffered three strokes. He is only 54. The first one taught him how humiliating an emergency room visit can be for Black people living with the blood disorder sickle cell disease. It happened in Chicago, where the Kansas native was living in 1999. By the time he arrived by ambulance at the hospital he was immobile, unable to stand or speak. “They started triaging me as Black male in his 30s who is either intoxicated or high on drugs,” Wake recalled recently. (Gutierrez, 3/6)

Stat: What's The HHS Enviro Justice Office Doing Amid East Palestine?
Federal health officials are pressing Congress to fund a new office tasked with tackling the fallout from environmental exposures. But amid the first major environmental disaster of its existence, the East Palestine, Ohio train derailment, the tiny department seems unsure what to do — or if it can do anything at all. (Owermohle, 3/7)

AP: 4 Kidnapped Americans Crossed Into Mexico For Health Care 
Four Americans who traveled to Mexico last week to seek health care got caught in a deadly shootout and were kidnapped by heavily armed men who threw them in the back of a pickup truck, officials from both countries said Monday. The four were traveling Friday in a white minivan with North Carolina license plates. They came under fire shortly after entering the city of Matamoros from Brownsville, at the southernmost tip of Texas near the Gulf coast, the FBI said in a statement Sunday. ... Zalandria Brown said her brother, who lives in Myrtle Beach, and two friends had accompanied a third friend who was going to Mexico for a tummy tuck surgery. A doctor who advertises such surgeries in Matamoros did not answer calls seeking comment. (Penz and Barakat, 3/7)

The Washington Post: What We Know About The Americans Kidnapped In Matamoros, Mexico 
Why do Americans cross the border for health care? Pharmacies, dentists and optometrists begin appearing almost as soon as you cross the border into northern Mexico. Numbers are difficult to come by, but Americans regularly cross the border for health care, as well as cosmetic surgeries, experts said. One of the most common health-care reasons for Americans to cross the border is to visit a dentist, according to academics studying the U.S.-Mexico border. (Javaid and Villegas, 3/6)

The Washington Post: How To Restore Trust In Public Health 
“Follow the science.”That has become a mantra in public health policy. Health officials and politicians — including President Biden — invoke it to justify their decisions. Social media partisans hurl it back and forth to bolster their arguments. (Leana S. Wen, 3/7)

Scientific American: How 'Anomalous Health Incidents' In Cuba Sidelined Science
In 2016, U.S. diplomats began suffering from a bewildering collection of neurological symptoms, officially known as “anomalous health incidents” (AHIs) and widely branded as “Havana syndrome.” (Mitchell J. Valdes-Sosa, 3/6)

Bloomberg: Colon Cancer Isn’t Just An Older Person's Disease Anymore 
A new report from the American Cancer Society points to an alarming increase in colon cancers among younger people. (Lisa Jarvis, 3/7)

Los Angeles Times: Could Our Love Affair With Sugar And Artificial Sweeteners Literally Break Our Hearts? 
Our intense love for sugar, and the knowledge that sugar can adversely impact health, particularly for people who have diabetes and/or obesity, has led to a booming market in artificial sweeteners — $7.2 billion globally in 2021. This, in turn, has led to a proliferation of studies about whether artificial sweeteners might also have adverse health effects. (Robin Abcarian, 3/5)

The Star Tribune: Mental Health System Must Be Able To Help Those Who Don't Know They Need It
A woman with schizophrenia calls 911 but won't respond to paramedics, case managers or social workers embedded with police. So, police bust down her door. Despite pleas from her family that she hasn't eaten or taken her medication for days and is catatonic, she refuses to go with them. So, they leave. All agree she has to say she wants help. (Mindy Greiling, Ron Latz and Norman Ornstein, 3/6)

Stat: Lessons From PEPFAR On Global Health Planning
During the 2022 U.S. Global Leadership Summit, former President George W. Bush asked an audience of American changemakers to consider the following: “What’s the role of a great country in the world? Is it to look inward? Is it to think about how to solve big problems?” Bush was speaking about the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) — landmark legislation crafted under his leadership by an unlikely coalition of partisans and idealists who believed the U.S. could change the face of global health. (Peter Yeo, 3/7)

Orange County Register: The Real Value Of Having End-Of-Life Options
President Jimmy Carter’s last days in hospice are a profound reminder of the importance of comfort care at the end of life. Our ailing president’s decision to stop medical treatment and die at home in hospice was also my mother-in-law’s last wish. Throughout her later years, Mrs. Genoveva de la Rosa always prayed and told us that when her time came, she wanted to die in her sleep. (Patricia Gonzalez Portillo, 3/5)