Politico: Supreme Court Has Voted To Overturn Abortion Rights, Draft Opinion Shows
The Supreme Court has voted to strike down the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, according to an initial draft majority opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito circulated inside the court and obtained by POLITICO. The draft opinion is a full-throated, unflinching repudiation of the 1973 decision which guaranteed federal constitutional protections of abortion rights and a subsequent 1992 decision – Planned Parenthood v. Casey – that largely maintained the right. “Roe was egregiously wrong from the start,” Alito writes. “We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled,” he writes in the document, labeled as the “Opinion of the Court.” (Gerstein and Ward, 5/2)

AP: Leaked Draft Supreme Court Decision Would Overturn Roe V. Wade, Politico Report Says
The document was labeled a “1st Draft” of the “Opinion of the Court” in a case challenging Mississippi’s ban on abortion after 15 weeks, a case known as Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The court is expected to rule on the case before its term ends in late June or early July. The draft opinion in effect states there is no constitutional right to abortion services and would allow individual states to more heavily regulate or outright ban the procedure. “We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled,” it states, referencing the 1992 case Planned Parenthood v. Casey that affirmed Roe’s finding of a constitutional right to abortion services but allowed states to place some constraints on the practice. (Sherman and Miller, 5/3)

Mississippi Today: Report: SCOTUS Will Overturn Roe V. Wade In Mississippi Abortion Case
The Washington, D.C.-based news organization reported that during an initial vote on the case after oral arguments in December, Alito was joined by conservative justices Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Clarence Thomas. The alignment could change before the opinion is finalized, and justices often make multiple rounds of revisions before releasing a ruling. Politico reported that the three Democratic-appointed justices, Stephen Breyer, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor, are working on one or more draft dissent opinions. The publication reported that the position of Chief Justice John Roberts, who has shown more reticence than his fellow Republican appointees to overturn past rulings on abortion, is unclear. (Taft, 5/2)

Reproductive health service providers react —

The Hill: Planned Parenthood: Draft Supreme Court Ruling Striking Down Roe V. Wade ‘Devastating’
“While we have seen the writing on the wall for decades, it is no less devastating, and comes just as anti-abortion rights groups unveil their ultimate plan to ban abortion nationwide,” Planned Parenthood President and CEO Alexis McGill Johnson said in a statement. “Understand that Planned Parenthood and our partners have been preparing for every possible outcome in this case and are built for the fight.” The pro-abortion rights organization emphasized that the decision is a draft, with an official ruling not expected for weeks. (Lejeune, 5/2)

The New York Times: Abortion Rights Supporters Used Strong Language To Say The Procedure Was Under Threat
In the immediate aftermath of a leaked draft opinion that suggests the Supreme Court will overturn Roe v. Wade, supporters of abortion rights emphasized that the procedure was still legal — but under serious threat. “We need to brace for a future where more and more people are punished and criminalized for seeking and providing abortion care,” Mini Timmaraju, the president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, said. Cecile Richards served as president of Planned Parenthood from 2006 to 2018, a period during which Congress and state legislatures increasingly tightened restrictions on reproductive health. She blamed the Republican Party for the current climate, saying it had rigged the Supreme Court and used its political power to take away women’s rights. “Ending legal abortion will not end abortion,” she said. “It simply will mean that women are no longer safe in this country.” (Zernike and Dias, 5/3)

Protesters gather at the Supreme Court building —

Axios: Roe V. Wade: Abortion Protesters Rally Outside Supreme Court
Demonstrators rallied outside the U.S. Supreme Court over Monday night after a leaked draft document first published by Politico indicated the justices were preparing to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark abortion ruling. As abortion rights advocates planned to hold protests across the U.S. on Tuesday, about 200 demonstrators gathered in front of barricades at the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., late Monday. Most were pro-abortion rights protesters. A small group of anti-abortion demonstrators was also present. (Cai, 5/3)

Reuters: 'Do Something Democrats,' Abortion Rights Supporters Chant At U.S. Supreme Court
"The first line in the draft is that this is a moral issue," Annie McDonnell, 19, a student at George Washington University, said, referring to the draft opinion. "If it's a moral issue, you shouldn't be depriving us of our choice." "Justices get out of my vagina," one sign held aloft read. "I love someone who had an abortion," read another. The crowd was interspersed with a smaller number of anti-abortion activists, including some with drums and guitars chanting, "Hey, hey. Ho, ho. Roe v. Wade has got to go.” (Warburton, 5/3)

In news about the leak itself —

The Hill: Republicans Condemn Leak Of Supreme Court Draft Abortion Ruling
While Democrats denounced the substance of the draft ruling, GOP leaders condemned the leak itself, with some saying it was evidence of hostility toward conservative views. “The left continues its assault on the Supreme Court with an unprecedented breach of confidentiality, clearly meant to intimidate,” wrote Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley (R). “The Justices mustn’t give in to this attempt to corrupt the process. Stay strong.” It was unclear who provided the document to Politico, which pointed out that an official ruling isn’t expected for weeks. (Folmar, 5/2)

Politico: How Rare Is A Supreme Court Breach? Very Rare
The disclosure of a draft opinion in a Supreme Court case is a highly unusual occurrence. Supreme Court historians, former law clerks and other court watchers say they cannot recall a previous instance before Monday’s publication of a draft opinion in the Mississippi abortion rights case. (Gerstein, 5/2)

The Washington Post: Original Roe V. Wade Ruling Was Leaked To Press, Long Before Alito Draft
Neal Katyal, the former acting solicitor general, tweeted that if the Politico story is true, this is “the first major leak from the Supreme Court ever.” He called it the equivalent of the Pentagon Papers. While it may be the case, as Politico states, that “no draft decision in the modern history of the court has been disclosed publicly while a case was still pending,” it is not true that rulings have never been given to journalists before the announcement of the decision by the court. In fact, the result in Roe v. Wade itself was leaked by a Supreme Court clerk to a Time magazine reporter in January 1973. The issue of Time, with an article titled “The Sexes: Abortion on Demand,” appeared on newsstands hours before the decision was announced by Justice Harry Blackmun. (Robenalt, 5/2)

The Washington Post: The Next Frontier For The Antiabortion Movement: A Nationwide Ban
Leading antiabortion groups and their allies in Congress have been meeting behind the scenes to plan a national strategy that would kick in if the Supreme Court rolls back abortion rights this summer, including a push for a strict nationwide ban on the procedure if Republicans retake power in Washington. The effort, activists say, is designed to bring a fight that has been playing out largely in the courts and state legislatures to the national political stage — rallying conservatives around the issue in the midterms and pressuring potential 2024 GOP presidential candidates to take a stand. (Kitchener, 5/2)

The Washington Post: Antiabortion Activists, Republicans Push For 'Heartbeat Bill' As Supreme Court Weighs Roe V. Wade
Leading antiabortion groups and their allies in Congress have been meeting behind the scenes to plan a national strategy that would kick in if the Supreme Court rolls back abortion rights this summer, including a push for a strict nationwide ban on the procedure if Republicans retake power in Washington. The effort, activists say, is designed to bring a fight that has been playing out largely in the courts and state legislatures to the national political stage — rallying conservatives around the issue in the midterms and pressuring potential 2024 GOP presidential candidates to take a stand. (Kitchener, 5/2)

Democrats react —

The New York Times: Democrats Promise A Fight If A Draft Of The Decision Becomes Law
Democrats denounced the Supreme Court’s private vote to strike down Roe v. Wade, with some promising to fight to preserve abortion rights. Senator Chuck Schumer of New York and Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, the top Democrats in Congress, called the draft obtained and published by Politico “one of the worst and most damaging decisions in modern history.” In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul said on Twitter that the state would always guarantee the right to abortion. Eric Adams, the mayor of New York City, said on Twitter that the potential move by “right-wing extremists” against “a woman’s right to make her own health care decisions” could not stand. (Mendell, 5/3)

The Guardian: ‘An Abomination’: Pelosi Leads Outcry On Supreme Court Draft Abortion Ruling
Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic speaker of the House, said: “If the report is accurate, the Supreme Court is poised to inflict the greatest restriction of rights in the past 50 years – not just on women but on all Americans." ... Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts senator and former candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, said an “extremist supreme court” was poised to “impose its far-right, unpopular views on the entire country. (Pengelly, 5/2)

Politico: Democrats Hope Draft Abortion Opinion Will Jolt Midterm Elections
Hours after POLITICO’s reporting on the high court’s draft opinion, Democrats privately predicted that the potential decision by its five-conservative majority to repeal the landmark abortion-rights ruling would energize their base and drive up turnout in November. The party’s governors, senators and House members took to social media and the airwaves with reactions that ranged from pleas to codify Roe to emotional personal stories. “This kind of outcome is exactly what I’ve been ringing alarm bells about — and this is a five alarm fire,” said Washington Sen. Patty Murray, the chamber’s No. 3 Democrat and leader of its health committee. (Ferris and Levin, 5/2)

The Boston Globe: Criticism Of Senator Susan Collins Pours In After Release Of Draft Supreme Court Opinion On Roe V. Wade
After Politico’s publication of a draft Supreme Court opinion that indicated justices are poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, criticism of Maine Senator Susan Collins began to pour in online. Collins, a moderate Republican who supports abortion rights, was a key vote in the nominations of justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch, both appointed by former president Donald Trump. Those two, along with Amy Coney Barrett, cemented the current conservative majority on the court. Shortly after Politico published the draft opinion, a video compilation began circulating on Twitter of Collins repeatedly saying in media interviews that she was confident Kavanaugh would not vote to overturn the 1973 ruling that legalized abortion in the United States. (Kaufman, 5/3)

Abortion rights groups were already planning a big midterm spending campaign —

Reuters: Planned Parenthood, Other U.S. Abortion Rights Groups To Spend $150 Mln On Midterms
Three U.S. abortion rights advocacy groups will spend $150 million on the 2022 midterm elections, focusing on battleground states as they step up efforts to safeguard abortion access across the country, they said on Monday. Planned Parenthood Action Fund, NARAL Pro-Choice America and Emily's List said their joint investment was meant "to aggressively respond to the unprecedented attacks on sexual and reproductive rights and abortion rights across the country and raise voters' awareness of the lawmakers who are to blame." (Borter, 5/2)

Meanwhile, in news about Amazon's abortion policies —

Reuters: Amazon To Reimburse U.S. Employees Who Travel For Abortions, Other Treatments
Amazon.com Inc, the second-largest U.S. private employer, told its staff on Monday it will pay up to $4,000 in travel expenses annually for non-life threatening medical treatments including abortions, according to a message seen by Reuters. The decision makes the online retailer the latest company after Citigroup Inc, Yelp Inc and others to respond to Republican-backed state laws curbing abortion access, helping employees bypass them. It shows how companies are eager to retain and attract talent in locations that remain important to their operations despite legal changes impacting employees' health. (Dastin, 5/2)

Axios: Amazon's Abortion Travel Policy Only The Latest Employer Health Travel Benefit
Employers that reimburse workers who travel for reproductive care may be a response to the current political climate, but it's only the latest way in which they're adding medical travel to their list of benefits. Rising health care costs drove employers to design policies that make cheaper or higher-quality services accessible long before the wave of red-state abortion restrictions. The rise of remote work brought on by the pandemic, the shuttering of rural health services and the advent of complicated new health technologies may drive more employers to pay for workers to receive care that's far from home. (Owens, 5/3)

Also —

KHN: Abortion Politics Lead To Power Struggles Over Family Planning Grants
In a busy downtown coffee shop, a drawing of a ski lift with intrauterine devices for chairs draws the eyes of sleepy customers getting their morning underway with a caffeine jolt. The flyer touts the services of Bridgercare, a nonprofit reproductive health clinic a few miles up the road. The clinic offers wellness exams, birth control, and LGBTQ+ services — and, starting in April, it oversees the state’s multimillion-dollar share of federal family planning program funding. (Houghton, 5/3)

CNN: These Are The US States Where Abortion Rights Could Be Under Threat If Roe V. Wade Is Overturned
But many Republican-led state legislatures have already moved to limit abortion access and others are poised to enforce restrictive laws that have remained unenforced since Roe was passed. In total, an analysis by the Guttmacher Institute finds that 23 states have laws aiming to limit abortion access, including some states that have multiple provisions in place. ... Legislators in 13 states have passed so-called "trigger laws," which are bans designed to go into effect if Roe is overturned. In some cases, the law requires an official such as an attorney general to certify that Roe has been struck down before the law can take effect. (Wolfe, 5/3)

NPR: Roe V. Wade: Here's What Governors Are Saying About Leaked Supreme Court Opinion
Reactions to the report, however, were swift. Within hours after the Politico report published, demonstrators assembled outside the Supreme Court early on Tuesday, many calling for the preservation of the 1973 law. Several governors issued statements following the news. Here's what they said. (5/3)

The New York Times: What’s Happening To Abortion Legislation In States Across The U.S.
Abortion bans have been introduced in 31 states this year, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights. Bans have passed at least one legislative chamber in seven states: Arizona, Idaho, Wyoming, Florida, Kentucky, Oklahoma and West Virginia. They have been enacted in six of those states: Florida, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Arizona, Idaho and Wyoming. “What we’re seeing right now is the buildup of decades where state legislatures have been adopting restriction after restriction, and now they’re moving to adopt ban after ban,” said Elizabeth Nash, state policy analyst for the Guttmacher Institute. She said the legislation reflected the efforts of increasingly conservative state legislatures moving to take advantage of rightward shifts in the courts. (Kasakove, 5/2)

The Guardian: US States Could Ban People From Traveling For Abortions, Experts Warn
As abortion bans proliferate in states around the US, some state legislatures are likely to go even further than just ending abortion in their jurisdictions – taking aim at the growing numbers of people seeking procedures and medications out of state, experts warn. (Schreiber, 5/3)

Where "trigger laws" are in place or bans are under consideration —

Salt Lake Tribune: Utah's Abortion Trigger Law Or 18-Week Ban Could Come Back Depending On How U.S. Supreme Court Rules
If Politico’s reporting holds and the Supreme Court overturns Roe V Wade, two Utah laws — one banning abortions after 18 weeks, and another outlawing the procedure except in limited circumstances — could come into play again, after being put on hold. Women in the Beehive State may also have to travel hundreds of miles to neighboring states to get an abortion. Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains will be ready, according to Teter. “If you live in Utah and you need an abortion, come to Colorado, come to Nevada, we will take care of you,” Teter said. “We have patient assistance funds. We can help people with gas money. We can help people with hotels. We can help people pay for their procedures. No one need go without care.” (Jacobs, 5/3)

The Deseret Sun: Abortion Access: What Supreme Court Decision Would Mean For Utah
Without Roe v. Wade, abortion rights would be left up to the states to decide, and members of Utah’s Legislature have already made it clear how they feel. In 2020, then-Gov. Gary Herbert signed a so-called trigger law, with further, currently illegal restrictions on abortions set to go into effect if Roe is overturned. SB174 prohibits abortions in most cases, but it does allow exceptions if the mother’s life is at risk, if the pregnancy was a result of rape or incest, or if two physicians who practice “maternal fetal medicine” both determine that the fetus “has a defect that is uniformly diagnosable and uniformly lethal or ... has a severe brain abnormality that is uniformly diagnosable.” (Beal-Cvetko, 5/3)

Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio Bill Would Trigger Abortion Ban If Roe V. Wade Is Overturned
If the landmark abortion decision Roe v. Wade is overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, Ohio Republicans want to make sure abortions aren't performed here. House Bill 598, introduced by Rep. Jean Schmidt, R-Loveland, would penalize doctors who perform abortions if the landmark decision were overturned – an increasingly likely scenario. It's called a trigger law because the ban is triggered by a court decision or a constitutional amendment to ban abortion. (5/2)

St. Louis Public Radio: Roe V. Wade Decision Could End Most Abortions In Missouri
A draft U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning landmark rulings on abortion rights could end most abortions in Missouri. ... Legislation that Missouri lawmakers passed and Gov. Mike Parson signed in 2019 would ban abortions in the state with the exception of medical emergencies if Roe and Casey are overturned. There would be no exceptions for rape or incest. The law in question is currently ensnared in federal litigation. (Rosenbaum, 5/3)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Leaked Abortion Opinion Could Herald Seismic Changes In Georgia
Overturning Roe would pave the way for an anti-abortion measure signed by Gov. Brian Kemp in 2019 to take effect. The state’s law, blocked by a federal appeals court, would ban abortions after a doctor can detect fetal cardiac activity – typically about six weeks into a pregnancy. If the justices issue a ruling that mirrors the leaked draft, it would also sharpen the political divide over abortion months before midterm elections for Georgia governor, a U.S. Senate seat that could decide control of the chamber, and congressional and legislative offices. (Bluestein, 5/3)

Other states plan laws to bolster abortion rights —

Los Angeles Times: Newsom, Lawmakers Want California Constitution To Explicitly Protect Abortion Rights
In a swift response to news that the U.S. Supreme Court appears poised to overturn the nation’s landmark abortion rights protections, Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders announced Monday night they will ask voters in November to place permanent protections for the procedure in the California Constitution. “California will not stand idly by as women across America are stripped of their rights and the progress so many have fought for gets erased,” Newsom said in a written statement, co-signed by Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood). “We will fight.” (Myers, 5/2)

Reuters: California Governor Proposes Amendment To Protect Abortion Rights - Tweet
California governor Gavin Newsom said on Monday that the state will propose an amendment to 'enshrine the right to choose' in the state's constitution, after Politico reported a leaked draft suggesting that the U.S. Supreme Court is set to overturn abortion rights in the country. "We can't trust SCOTUS to protect the right to abortion, so we’ll do it ourselves," Newsom said in a tweet. (5/3)

Chicago Tribune: Illinois, Chicago Reaction To U.S. Supreme Court Draft Overturning Roe V. Wade Comes Quickly, And With Fury
State and local politicians and stakeholders for abortion rights reacted quickly late Monday to news that a draft opinion reportedly had been circulated among justices on the U.S. Supreme Court that would overturn abortion rights secured in the landmark Roe v. Wade case. Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker immediately took to Twitter, writing, “Hell no! In Illinois, we trust women. We cannot let their most profound and personal rights be violated.” (Fry and Spaulding, 5/2)

The Detroit News: Whitmer Says She'll 'Fight Like Hell' For Abortion Access After Court Leak
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said her work challenging Michigan's 1931 ban on abortion in state court is "more important than ever" after a leaked draft opinion showed the U.S. Supreme Court initially has voted to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision. "I’ll fight like hell to protect abortion access in Michigan," the Democratic governor tweeted late Monday in response to the news. (Burke and Harding, 5/3)

In separate abortion-related court cases —

AP: Federal Judge Extends Ban On New Kentucky Abortion Law
A federal judge in Kentucky has extended a temporary ban on the enforcement of a new state law that effectively ended abortions because the state’s two clinics said they can’t comply with all its requirements. U.S. District Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings is giving the clinics more time to explain their objections to the law. Jennings extended a temporary restraining order until May 19, after the existing one expires Thursday. Jennings said, however, some parts of the law not in dispute by the two clinics and state officials would go into effect. “I think there are pieces of this legislation that can be complied with right now,” Jennings said. The judge is planning an order on those parameters this week. (Lovan, 5/2)

Idaho Capital Sun: State Asks Idaho Supreme Court To Rescind Order Delaying Abortion Law’s Implementation
The Idaho Office of Attorney General filed a series of briefs last week asking the Idaho Supreme Court to vacate its order delaying implementation of the state’s newest abortion law. The attorney general’s office also asked the court to strike portions of statements from Planned Parenthood representatives. If the court does vacate its order, the law would take effect immediately. (Moseley-Morris, 5/3)

The New York Times: New York City Enters Higher Coronavirus Risk Level As Case Numbers Rise
New York City entered a higher risk level for the coronavirus on Monday, a troubling reminder that the pandemic is not over and that the virus still has the power to harm New Yorkers. The city moved into the medium, or yellow, risk category for virus transmission as cases continued their steady rise, a development that could trigger the return of public health restrictions, although they are not required to be reinstated at this point. (Otterman and Fitzsimmons, 5/2)

AP: Idaho Health Care Provider Reports Climbing COVID Cases
Coronavirus cases are again edging upward in parts of Idaho, prompting some health care officials to urge renewed caution for big gatherings. “The data in the last 10 days is quite striking,” said Dr. David Peterman, the CEO of Primary Health Medical Group, which includes 22 urgent care and family medicine clinics in southwestern Idaho. “While there are many different ways you look at coronavirus in a pandemic, the goal is to get a positivity rate of less than 5%.” (Boone, 5/3)

U.S. News & World Report: New Omicron Subvariant BA.2.12.1 Spreading In U.S. As Coronavirus Cases Increase
But another omicron subvariant is quickly increasing, and experts believe it could be even more transmissible than BA.2. BA.2.12.1 was responsible for 29% of new coronavirus infections as of mid-April, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s up from 19% of cases the week prior and 14% of infections the first week in April. (Smith-Schoenwalder, 5/2)

On how widespread the impact of covid has been —

The Boston Globe: Survey Finds 4 In 10 American Adults Know Someone Who Died Of COVID-19
With the nation poised to reach the tragic milestone this month of 1 million official deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic, 40 percent of American adults say they know 1 or more people who have died of the disease, according to a survey released last week. That included 20 percent who knew 1 person who had died from the virus, 13 percent who knew 2, and 7 percent who said they knew 3 or more, according to the survey conducted by the COVID-19 Consortium for Understanding the Public’s Policy Preferences Across States, which includes Northeastern, Harvard, Rutgers, and Northwestern universities. (Finucane, 5/2)

CNN: Most Americans Have Now Had Covid-19 -- But Experts Are Predicting The Next Surge 
While it's tempting to say much of life is getting back to normal, it's probably more accurate to say it feels more comfortable and normal living alongside Covid-19. For many of those who are vaccinated or were previously infected, learning of a close contact with the disease is less frightening than frustrating. Testing is more and more normal. Masks are less and less visible. Kids in the US who are between 6 months and 5 years old could be eligible for vaccines by June, a huge relief to many parents. Many others might not get their small children vaccinated. Just over a third of children ages 5-11 are fully vaccinated. (Wolf, 5/2)

On other covid matters —

Stat: Here's How Coronavirus May Actually Be Getting More Like Flu 
Hours after a federal judge struck down the federal mask mandate covering air travel and other public transportation last month, Delta Airlines celebrated the move in a statement saying that Covid-19 “has transitioned to an ordinary seasonal virus.” By the next day, after an intense backlash from public health experts, Delta had taken the offending language down.“ ‘Ordinary viruses don’t cause 1 million deaths in one country in just 2 years,” tweeted epidemiologist Jessica Malaty Rivera, a senior advisor at the Rockefeller Foundation’s Pandemic Prevention Institute. (Molteni, 5/3)

CNN: Their Virus Symptoms Were Minor. Then They Had Long Covid. 
Linda Timmer wanted to practice what she preached. While working at a domestic violence nonprofit in Arizona during the height of the Covid-19 summer wave in 2020, Timmer wrote pandemic policies for her workplace, encouraging her colleagues to wear masks and, if they had been exposed to the coronavirus or had symptoms, get tested. Timmer herself was not aware of being exposed or having any Covid-19 symptoms, such as cough or fever, but she started experiencing some unusual moments when she felt fatigued or forgetful, along with several episodes of confusion. "They weren't really putting that in the list of symptoms to go get tested for," said Timmer, now 64. (Howard, 5/2)

Chicago Tribune: Want Free, At-Home COVID-19 Tests From Pharmacies And Insurers? It’s Not Always Easy, Despite Requirements 
Some Illinois residents say they’re still having trouble getting free at-home COVID-19 tests from pharmacies and insurance companies, more than three months after the White House began requiring insurers to cover them. President Joe Biden’s administration announced in January, amid an intense COVID-19 surge, that health insurance companies would be required to cover up to eight at-home COVID-19 tests a month per person. People were supposed to be able to walk into many pharmacies, flash their health insurance cards and walk out with free boxes of at-home COVID-19 tests. Or, if a pharmacy wasn’t in-network with their insurance, a person was supposed to be able to submit a claim for reimbursement for at least $12 a test. But it’s still not always that easy — a problem that comes as Illinois case numbers are again rising, prompting many people to again seek at-home tests. (Schencker, 5/3)

The Washington Post: Pharmacies In Most States Can't Administer Covid Vaccines To Babies And Toddlers
It’s been a difficult road to get coronavirus shots for children under 5, but a vaccine could become available next month. But unlike prior age groups, many kids likely won't be receiving their vaccines in pharmacies. That’s partly because the majority of states prohibit pharmacists from vaccinating children under 3. Even in areas where it’s allowed, pharmacies are wrestling with whether to administer shots to the youngest kids. Some may decide not to, depending on the comfort level of their staff, corporate rules and whether they have the space for such a setup. (Roubein, 5/2)

CIDRAP: Moderna COVID Vaccine May Have Slight Edge Over Pfizer In Infections Only
Relative to the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, the Moderna version confers slightly more protection against infection—but not hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, or death—90 days after the second dose, suggests a modeling study of more than 3.5 million fully vaccinated Americans published today in Nature Communications. Optum Labs scientists in Minnesota compared the effectiveness of the Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines by analyzing healthcare claims from fully vaccinated Americans insured by a single US insurer (Medicare Advantage and commercial insurance). Among 8,848 infected participants, 35% had received the Moderna vaccine, and 65% had received Pfizer. (Van Beusekom, 5/2)

On vaccine hesitancy —

CIDRAP: COVID Vaccine Uptake At Minnesota Workplace Rose After $1,000 Incentive
The rate of full COVID-19 vaccination among employees of a private Minnesota medical device manufacturer rose 10.4 percentage points after the company began offering $1,000 incentives for immunization, finds a study published late last week in JAMA Network Open. Researchers from Starkey Hearing Technologies and the University of Minnesota studied COVID-19 vaccination outcomes at Starkey from the incentive period of Aug 6 to Sep 30, 2021. Employees who agreed to watch and acknowledge an online educational program and show proof of two doses of an mRNA vaccine received $1,000 in October. (5/2)

NBC News: A Major Threat To The Next Pandemic: Vaccine Hesitancy
"There's all this emphasis on science and labs. It's one thing to do that, but it's a whole other thing to get what you develop in the lab into people's arms," said Richard Carpiano, a public health scientist who studies issues surrounding vaccine uptake at the University of California, Riverside. Scientists at the World Vaccine Congress acknowledged that, for all of their education and training, one issue has remained frustratingly hard to overcome: the growing anti-vaccine movement. U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy told NBC News that there is no doubt that vaccine misinformation is harming Americans, and could be detrimental in years to come. (Edwards, 5/2)

In news on access to vaccines and treatments —

The Hill: White House’s Paxlovid Push Hits Hurdles
The White House has said it will nearly double the amount of Paxlovid available around the country and that it is working to set up more Test-to-Treat locations in pharmacies and other locations. But the administration faces a number of obstacles in really making Paxlovid, and a similar treatment from Merck and Ridgeback known as molnupiravir, easily accessible to Americans. Former Surgeon General Jerome Adams even made note of the difficulty people have had in acquiring antivirals on Monday, sharing a thread on Twitter about the many steps one COVID-19 advocate had to go through to get Paxlovid for her eligible child. (Choi, 5/2)

Stat: U.N. Committee Urges Wealthy Nations To Widen Access To Covid Vaccines
A United Nations committee urged wealthy nations to support a proposal before the World Trade Organization to widen access to Covid-19 vaccines over concerns that people living in poorer countries face a “pattern of unequal distribution” that mirrors historical discrimination. In a new statement, the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination noted that “the vast majority of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered in high and upper-middle-income countries and that, as of April 2022, only 15.2% of the population of low-income countries has received even one vaccine dose.” (Silverman, 5/2)

Fox News: VP Harris To Headline Pro-Choice Conference After Testing Negative For COVID-19
On Monday, Vice President Kamala Harris' office announced that she will return to her official duties on Tuesday, after she tested negative for the COVID-19. Her first scheduled event will be an appearance at a pro-choice conference Tuesday evening. Harris will deliver remarks at the 30th Annual We Are EMILY National Conference and Gala. The event comes on the heels of a leaked draft opinion from the U.S. Supreme Court, showing it could potentially overturn Roe v. Wade in its upcoming decision on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Roe v. Wade legalized abortion across the country in 1973. (Richard, 5/3)

The New York Times: Vice President Harris Tests Negative For The Coronavirus And Will Return To Work
Vice President Kamala Harris received a negative result on a rapid antigen test for the coronavirus on Monday, clearing her return to the White House on Tuesday, her office said. She had tested positive for the virus last Tuesday, becoming the highest-ranking official in Washington to be infected amid renewing concern about President Biden’s potential exposure. Kirsten Allen, Ms. Harris’s press secretary, said that the vice president would return to work on Tuesday in person, wearing “a well-fitting mask while around others through the 10-day period,” which began last week. (Hassan, 5/2)

In other news —

The New York Times: As Dianne Feinstein Declines, Democrats Wrestle With Open Secret
At 88, Ms. Feinstein sometimes struggles to recall the names of colleagues, frequently has little recollection of meetings or telephone conversations, and at times walks around in a state of befuddlement — including about why she is increasingly dogged by questions about whether she is fit to serve in the Senate representing the 40 million residents of California, according to half a dozen lawmakers and aides who spoke about the situation on the condition of anonymity. On Capitol Hill, it is widely — though always privately — acknowledged that Ms. Feinstein suffers from acute short-term memory issues that on some days are ignorable, but on others raise concern among those who interact with her. (Karni, 5/2)

Stat: Five Of Congress’s 10 Biggest Health Earmarks Went To Missouri
Hospitals, health clinics, and medical schools across the country had hoped to cash in through Washington’s newly resurrected earmark program, but facilities in Missouri had an advantage: a well-placed senator from their home state. Democrats in Congress brought back so-called earmarks earlier this year, rebranding the handouts of federal funds as “congressionally directed spending” with new transparency requirements. More than 660 awards went to health care providers and medical education programs, representing $1.1 billion in funding, according to a STAT analysis of a Bipartisan Policy Center database of health care-related earmarks sent through the Health Resources and Services Administration. (Cohrs, 5/3)

On Medicare  —

KHN: Medicare Surprise: Drug Plan Prices Touted During Open Enrollment Can Rise Within A Month
Something strange happened between the time Linda Griffith signed up for a new Medicare prescription drug plan during last fall’s enrollment period and when she tried to fill her first prescription in January. She picked a Humana drug plan for its low prices, with help from her longtime insurance agent and Medicare’s Plan Finder, an online pricing tool for comparing a dizzying array of options. But instead of the $70.09 she expected to pay for her dextroamphetamine, used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, her pharmacist told her she owed $275.90. (Jaffe, 5/3)

Columbus Dispatch: Prescription Drug Costs: Biden Plan To Save Seniors Money On Hold
Millions of U.S. seniors were supposed to get price relief soon on their prescription drugs under a revamp of Medicare fees by a federal agency. But even as pharmacy benefit managers were devising ways to dodge that multibillion-dollar fix, the Biden administration suddenly backed down late Friday afternoon. The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services delayed proposed changes until 2024 at least. "CMS has once again bowed to PBMs and their corporate-affiliate insurers," said the head of a national group that treats cancer patients, Ted Okon. (Rowland, 5/2)

On the FDA's expert panels —

Stat: New Analysis Finds Inconsistencies In How FDA Uses Expert Panels
For decades, the Food and Drug Administration has relied on outside expert panels for input before approving some medicines. But a new analysis suggests this system may be broken. The agency convened expert advisory panels for just 6% of the new medicines approved last year, a huge drop from 55% seen in 2010. During the same time period, the agency endorsed a drug about once a year that an advisory committee voted against approving. Moreover, the study found the FDA has often posed questions to its panels that are inconsistently worded and have varied considerably in substance. (Silverman, 5/2)

And in state news on Medicaid --

Crain's Detroit Business: Michigan Expands Medicaid Coverage For New Mothers For A Year Postpartum
Medicaid coverage for new mothers in Michigan can continue for up to a year postpartum under a new expansion of Medicaid approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The program expansion is budgeted for an additional $20 million and is estimated to benefit 35,000 pregnant and postpartum residents annually, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's office announced Monday. Under the existing program, Medicaid enrollee pregnancy coverage runs through the end of the month of birth or end of pregnancy with an additional 60 days postpartum. (Walsh, 5/2)

Dallas Morning News: Doctors, Researchers Say AG Ken Paxton’s Opinion On Trans Health Care ‘Inaccurate And Misleading’
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s opinion classifying pediatric gender-affirming care as child abuse was based off inaccurate medical claims, a team of experts in child and adolescent health said in a new report. “The repeated errors and omissions in the AG Opinion are so consistent and so extensive that it is difficult to believe that the opinion represents a good-faith effort to draw legal conclusions based on the best scientific evidence,” wrote the research team. “It seems apparent that the AG Opinion is, rather, motivated by bias and crafted to achieve a preordained goal: to deny gender-affirming care to transgender youth.” (McGaughy and Wolf, 5/2)

AP: Lawmakers In 18 States Plan Refuge Bills For Trans Youth
Democratic lawmakers in more than a dozen states are following California’s lead in seeking to offer legal refuge to displaced transgender youth and their families. The coordinated effort being announced Tuesday by the LGBTQ Victory Institute and other advocates comes in response to recent actions taken in conservative states. In Texas, for example, Gov. Gregg Abbott has directed state agencies to consider placing transgender children in foster care, though a judge has temporarily blocked such investigations. And multiple states have approved measures prohibiting gender-affirming health care treatments for transgender youth. (Ramer, 5/3)

In other public health news —

The Boston Globe: ‘The More You Dig Into It, You Think, Oh, God.’ A Growing Mission Seeks To Reduce Toxic Chemicals In Schools
The image is seared in Jack McCarthy’s mind: a group of pre-kindergarteners gathered for story time, sitting in a circle on the carpet of a classroom, amid an invisible witches’ brew of chemicals lurking in the dust on the floor. Ever since he heard a talk a couple of years ago about health problems linked to flame retardants, stain repellents, and other potent building chemicals, McCarthy, executive director of the Massachusetts School Building Authority, has been on a mission to slash the number of such substances in the state’s schools. His vision is taking hold in a $305 million construction project for a new Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical School, the first time the authority has embarked on a project-wide initiative to reduce chemicals linked to cancer, hormone disruption, and other health problems. (Lazar, 5/2)

CIDRAP: Alaska, Oklahoma Report First Avian Flu Outbreaks In Poultry
Over the weekend, federal agriculture officials reported the first highly pathogenic avian flu outbreaks in Alaska and Oklahoma, raising the number of affected states to 32. Also, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued recommendations to help health departments investigate and response to potential human cases, and earlier-affected states, several of them in the Midwest, reported more outbreak in poultry. (Schnirring, 5/2)

The Boston Globe: Housing Remains Top Issue In R.I. Among Families Of Color, Babies, Says National Report
More than 10 percent of Rhode Island babies are living in “crowded housing,” which is when homes have “numerous people who live in close quarters,” according to a new report on the well-being of babies in the US, which published Tuesday. According to “The State of Babies Yearbook: 2022,” which is part of the Zero to Three’s Think Babies, there are greater crowded housing disparities among families of color. In Rhode Island, which still ranked high in the report among the rest of the US for how the state was supporting babies and families, reported that about 15 percent of babies in low-income families live in “crowded housing,” compared to 32 percent of Asian babies and more than 34 percent of Black babies. (Gagosz, 5/3)

The Texas Tribune: Meet The Texas Teens Taking On The State’s “Tampon Tax” 
On a Friday afternoon last March, Sahar Punjwani ran a familiar errand — buying tampons, pads and panty liners. But this time, she was joined by lawyers from a prestigious Houston law firm. “It was weird because we were all crowded into the aisle together, and they were just watching me, waiting for me to hand them my receipt,” Punjwani recalls. That receipt showed that Punjwani had spent $21.56 on menstrual products — and $1.78 on sales tax. Texas is one of 26 states that charges sales tax on menstrual products, something Punjwani and her organization, the Texas Menstrual Equity Coalition, have been fighting for years to change. That visit to the pharmacy, and the $1.78 in sales tax it generated, was the first step in a new challenge that the group says they’re prepared to take all the way to the state Supreme Court. (Klibanoff, 5/3)

CBS News: Mental Health Shouldn't Be "Treated Like A Stepchild" To Physical Health, Says HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra
The comments by Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, on the eve of National Mental Health Awareness Month, come as the Biden administration has urged Congress to pour billions into a variety of behavioral health efforts. "One of the things that we're doing that I hope will be instrumental in letting all of us, including these children, get through COVID is that we're going to be devoting far more resources towards mental health care, making sure that families and these children have access to the mental health services they need," Becerra told CBS News correspondent Enrique Acevedo in a wide-ranging interview taped on Friday. (Tin, 5/2)

Tampa Bay Times/WUSF Public Media: Climate Change Also Affects Mental Health. Call It Eco-Anxiety
Anna Lynn Heine has thought about dropping out of Eckerd College more times than she cares to admit. Or she’ll work on an essay and wonder what is even the point. Anxiety about the planet’s future has also kept the 21-year-old from enjoying dinner with family or drinks with friends. A plastic cup can send her into an existential spiral. “Where did this food come from? Where’s this plastic going to go and how many fossil fuels were burned for it to arrive at my table?” she’ll ask herself. “And is this going to go to a landfill if I don’t finish it?” (Wong, 5/2)

ABC News: Navy Allowing Many USS George Washington Sailors To Move Off Ship After Deaths And Suicides
After a series of deaths and suicides among the crew of the USS George Washington, an aircraft carrier dry-docked in Virginia for maintenance since 2017, the Navy will begin allowing hundreds of sailors to live off ship this week. Within the last year, seven sailors assigned to the ship have died, four of them likely suicides. "The 7 deaths are for the following reasons: 2 health-related death, 1 undetermined, 1 confirmed suicide, and 3 apparent suicides that remain under investigation," a Naval Air Force Atlantic official told ABC News in a statement. (Seyler, 5/2)

The Hill: Naomi Judd’s Death Spotlights A National Mental Health Crisis Worsened By COVID-19
Millions of Americans struggled with their mental health well before COVID-19, but the pandemic hasn’t made shouldering mental illness any easier – an issue brought to light over the weekend after the death of country music star Naomi Judd. Judd was 76 years old and the mother of the country music duo The Judds, performing for decades alongside her daughter Wynonna. On Saturday, Wynonna and her sister Ashley announced their mother had died, “to the disease of mental illness.”  (Ali, 5/2)

WLRN 91.3 FM: Survey On Teen Health And Mental Health Dropped At The 'Worst Time,' Pediatric Expert Says 
Florida teenagers will no longer be asked if they've gotten into a fight, use drugs or feel hopeless in a biennial survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This month, the state opted to end its participating in the CDC's Youth Risk Behavior Survey. The questionnaire had been distributed to thousands of teens in Florida since 1991. "This is the worst time one could pick to do this," said Dr. Mobeen Rathore, associate chair of the Department of Pediatrics at UF Health Jacksonville, and past president of the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. "This comes at a time when it is more important than ever to have this sort of data for the health and well-being of our young people." (Hudson, 5/2)

The Boston Globe: A Red Sox Joint Philanthropic Effort Targets Mental Health Of Athletes And Fans
Despite the efforts of a few brave souls such as Naomi Osaka, Michael Phelps, Simone Biles, and Kevin Love, plus a PSA here and there, the perception remains that elite athletes possess a superior immune system when it comes to mental health. A joint philanthropic effort is going to try hard to lay bare that myth, with the hope that more honesty can bring about more healing — not just among the athletes, but among those who look up to them. Citing statistics that 26 percent of the general population in the US has a diagnosed mental disorder and 35 percent of elite athletes live with a mental health condition, Shira Ruderman, executive director of the Ruderman Family Foundation, said athletes “are significantly less likely to seek mental health than the general public” via Zoom at a Fenway Park event Monday. (Silverman, 5/2)

Dallas Morning News: Vaxxinity Vaccine To Treat Alzheimer’s Wins FDA Fast-Track Designation
It’s been a promising month for Vaxxinity, the Dallas biotech company testing a new wave of vaccines to treat chronic diseases. The company announced Monday its vaccine candidate to treat Alzheimer’s disease, called UB-311, received fast-track designation from the Food and Drug Administration that will expedite the review process through more frequent discussions between Vaxxinity and the federal regulatory agency. (Wolf, 5/2)

Stat: FDA Suspends Early Study Of Vertex Stem-Cell Therapy For Type 1 Diabetes
Vertex Pharmaceuticals said Monday that the Food and Drug Administration had suspended an early-stage clinical trial of its stem-cell therapy for type 1 diabetes, citing “insufficient information” to support an increase in dosing. The FDA’s decision to place a clinical hold on the diabetes therapy, called VX-880, was a “surprise,” Vertex Chief Operating Officer Stuart Arbuckle told STAT. The company and the study’s independent monitors recently reviewed data from the VX-880 study, concluding that there were no safety or efficacy issues to preclude advancing from a half dose to a full dose of the therapy. “At this point, we don’t know exactly what precipitated the FDA’s decision to place the clinical hold, but we’re confident that we can work with them quickly to move the program forward,” said Arbuckle. (Feuerstein, 5/2)

Reuters: U.S. FDA Declines To Approve Two More China-Tested Drugs
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration declined to approve two China-tested cancer treatments on Monday, saying one of the companies - Hutchmed Ltd (0013.HK) - needs to test its drug for the U.S. population in a diverse multi-regional trial. This is the second time the U.S. regulator has declined to approve a drug that was tested mainly in China. In March, it declined to approve Eli Lilly (LLY.N) and partner Innovent Biologics Inc's (1801.HK) lung cancer drug that had been studied only in China. (5/2)

In other news —

Stat: Guardant Health Launches Early-Detection Test For Colon Cancer 
Bay Area biotech Guardant Health announced the commercial launch of its early-detection colon cancer test on Monday, marking the latest twist in an escalating race to spot cancer sooner and more accurately. The company’s test, known as Shield, is available to adults 45 and older who aren’t up to date with current screening guidelines, don’t have symptoms, and are at average risk of colon cancer. Shield is a lab-developed test, meaning that it hasn’t been approved by the Food and Drug Administration and that each sample (about a tablespoon of blood) must be sent to Guardant’s lab. (Wosen, 5/2)

CIDRAP: Flu Vaccination Associated With 34% Lower Risk Of Cardiac Events
A new meta-analysis of six randomized controlled trials finds that seasonal influenza vaccination was associated with a 34% lower risk of major adverse cardiovascular events, and people with a recent acute coronary event had a 45% lower risk. The study also appeared in JAMA Network Open. The studies took place from 2000 to 2021 and included participants who were randomized to receive either a flu vaccine or placebo. The studies included 9,001 patients at an average age of 65.5 years; 52.3% had a previous cardiac event. (5/2)

The New York Times: Deadly Venom From Spiders And Snakes May Also Cure What Ails You
Efforts to tease apart the vast swarm of proteins in venom — a field called venomics — have burgeoned in recent years, and the growing catalog of compounds has led to a number of drug discoveries. As the components of these natural toxins continue to be assayed by evolving technologies, the number of promising molecules is also growing. “A century ago we thought venom had three or four components, and now we know just one type of venom can have thousands,” said Leslie V. Boyer, a professor emeritus of pathology at the University of Arizona. “Things are accelerating because a small number of very good laboratories have been pumping out information that everyone else can now use to make discoveries.” (Robbins, 5/3)

Stat: Mouse Study: Brain ‘Learns’ To Have Seizures More Efficiently And Frequently
Calculus. Ballroom dancing. The words to your favorite song. There’s practically no limit to what your brain can learn. But a new study suggests that the same process that allows you to hold onto new information and skills could also make certain neurological diseases worse. Scientists found that mice and rats that suffered from seizures commonly seen in people with epilepsy developed changes in the wiring of their brains that advanced the disease. A closer look showed that the cementing of these signals was driven by a process that also supports learning, memory, and attention. (Wosen, 5/2)

CIDRAP: Follow-Up Blood Cultures Tied To Longer Hospital Stays, Antibiotic Duration
In a study published late last week in the same journal, researchers found that follow-up blood culture (FUBC) practices for gram-negative bacilli (GNB) bacteremia were associated with prolonged length of hospital stay and duration of antibiotic treatment. To evaluate the value of routine FUBC for GNB bacteremia, which has been questioned because of the increased risk of false-positive results, researchers conducted a retrospective observational study at four acute-care hospitals in New York City, comparing length of hospital stay, antibiotic duration, and in-hospital mortality in patients with GNB bacteremia who had FUBCs performed and those who didn't. Of the 376 hospitalized patients with GNB bacteremia who met eligibility, 271 (72%) had FUBCs performed. (5/2)

CNN: 7 Hours May Be The Ideal Amount Of Sleep Starting In Middle Age 
The optimum amount of sleep is not too little but not too much -- at least in middle and old age. New research has found that around seven hours of sleep is the ideal night's rest, with insufficient and excessive sleep associated with a reduced ability to pay attention, remember and learn new things, solve problems and make decisions. Seven hours of slumber was also found to be linked with better mental health, with people experiencing more symptoms of anxiety and depression and worse overall well-being if they reported sleeping for longer or shorter stints. (Hunt, 5/2)

CNN: Vegetarian And Meat-Eating Children Have Similar Growth And Nutrition But Not Weight, Study Finds 
If you're wondering how your child might fare on a vegetarian diet, a new study offers some factors to consider. Children eating a vegetarian diet and children who ate meat were similar in terms of growth, height and nutritional measures, but vegetarian children had higher odds of being underweight, according to a study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics. "Over the last 20 years we have seen growing popularity of plant-based diets and a changing food environment with more access to plant-based alternatives, however we have not seen the research into the nutritional outcomes of children following vegetarian diets in Canada," said Dr. Jonathon Maguire, the study's lead author and a pediatrician at St. Michael's Hospital of Unity Health Toronto, in a news release. (Rogers, 5/2)

On health tech —

Stat: Meet The Policy Makers Who Want To Bring Health Tech Into The Home 
Years into the pandemic’s almost overnight transition to virtual care, providers and health plans are now scrambling to build sustainable systems that can more permanently treat patients in their homes via telehealth or other means, a trend they say could cut costs and make health care more convenient for patients. There’s widespread interest. Health systems are piloting their own “hospital at home” programs, some of which use biometric sensors to passively monitor patients before their conditions worsen, minimizing unnecessary in-person visits. Industry giants like UnitedHealth Group are poised to spend billions of dollars on home health providers; Amazon’s clinic chain Amazon Care threw its weight behind home health when it joined the Moving Health Home policy coalition last year. (Ravindranath, 5/2)

Stat: UnitedHealthcare Restricts Coverage Of Aduhelm, Following Medicare 
UnitedHealthcare is restricting insurance coverage of Aduhelm across all of its health plans, saying the drug “is unproven and not medically necessary for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease due to insufficient evidence of efficacy,” according to the company’s new policies. Physicians who plan on giving Aduhelm to UnitedHealthcare patients will need to obtain prior approval from the insurance company, effective June 1. Patients also need to be in an approved clinical trial. (Herman, 5/2)

Modern Healthcare: UnitedHealthcare To Limit Aduhelm Access
UnitedHealthcare will restrict coverage of Biogen's Aduhelm, the nation's largest health insurance company notified providers Sunday. The UnitedHealth Group subsidiary will only cover the costly Alzheimer's disease treatment also known as aducanumab for patients enrolled in clinical trials and will require prior authorization. The medication is "unproven and not medically necessary for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease due to insufficient evidence of efficacy," the insurer wrote in bulletins sent to providers. The rules apply to the insurer's commercial, individual and Medicare members and take effect June 1. (Tepper, 5/2)

Meanwhile —

The Wall Street Journal: Cerebral’s Preferred Pharmacy Truepill Halts Adderall Prescriptions For All Customers
Online pharmacy company Truepill Inc. said it is temporarily halting prescriptions for Adderall and other controlled substances used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and partner Cerebral Inc. told its clinicians to direct those orders to patients’ local pharmacies. Cerebral, an online mental-health company based in San Francisco that describes Truepill as its preferred pharmacy, informed its clinicians of Truepill’s decision in a Friday email viewed by The Wall Street Journal. The email said Truepill would no longer support mailing Schedule 2 controlled substances, including Adderall and Vyvanse, “to any of their customers.” (Winkler, 5/2)

Modern Healthcare: Stanford Health Nurses Approve Contract, Will End Weeklong Strike
Stanford Health Care and Stanford Children's Health nurses have agreed to a three-year contract following a strike that began a week ago, the union said Monday. Nurses will return to work Tuesday. Members of the Committee for the Recognition of Nursing Achievement, or CRONA, on Sunday voted 83% in favor of the contract, the union said. The union represents 5,000 nurses employed by the southern California hospitals. The union disclosed a tentative agreement Saturday. (Christ, 5/2)

On industry financial matters —

Modern Healthcare: Not-For-Profit Hospitals' Investment Income Covers Operating Losses
Large not-for-profit health systems are recording investment income windfalls that are offsetting significant operating losses. St. Louis-based Ascension recorded a $640.1 million operating loss on $19 billion in revenue through the first nine months of its 2022 fiscal year, according to the 142-hospital system's earnings statement released Friday. Nearly $900 million in non-operating income, $736.4 million of which was attributable to investment income, more than offset those losses. That was down from nearly $4.5 billion in non-operating gains in the same prior-year period. (Kacik, 5/2)

AP: WVU Receiving $11M For Research On Visual Disabilities
West Virginia University is receiving $11 million in federal dollars for research on treating and slowing the progression of incurable eye diseases. West Virginia has the second-highest rate of visual disability in the U.S., according to a university news release. A visual disability is a disability that cannot be treated with corrective glasses. “The idea is to think collaboratively,” West Virginia University biochemistry Chair Visvanathan Ramamurthy said. “How can we make change? How can we translate our basic science findings to clinical practice that helps people?” (5/3)

Bloomberg: Astorg Agrees $2.6 Billion Acquisition Of ICIG’s CordenPharma
Astorg Partners will acquire contract drug development and manufacturing company CordenPharma, in one of the year’s largest private equity deals in European health care. The French private equity firm is buying the business from International Chemical Investors Group, according to a statement Monday that confirmed an earlier Bloomberg News report. Under the terms of the deal, CordenPharma’s founders will reinvest as partners with Astorg. (Foerster, Henning and Nair, 5/2)

Modern Healthcare: Optum's $236 Million Atrius Health Deal Scores Final Regulatory Approval
Massachusetts' highest court approved UnitedHealth Group subsidiary Optum's $236 million proposed acquisition of Atrius Health, one of the largest not-for-profit physician groups in the state. Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Justice Dalila Argaez Wendtland ruled the proposed transaction was in the public interest and that it was impracticable for Atrius to continue to operate as a not-for-profit. Atrius Health had been struggling financially. The state attorney general approved the decision in late April and, with Friday's judicial review, the companies have completed all the legal steps necessary for the deal to go forward. (Tepper, 5/2)

AP: California's Population Fell Again Amid Pandemic's 2nd Year
The nation’s most populous state is shrinking. California’s population declined again in 2021 for the second consecutive year, state officials said Monday, the result of a slowdown in births and immigration coupled with an increase in deaths and people leaving the state. With an estimated 39,185,605 residents, California is still the U.S.’s most populous state, putting it far ahead of second-place Texas and its 29.5 million residents. But after years of strong growth brought California tantalizingly close to the 40 million milestone, the state’s population is now roughly back to where it was in 2016 after declining by 117,552 people this year. (Beam, 5/3)

On pediatric, pregnancy news across the country —

USA Today: Wisconsin Babies Born During COVID Experiencing Developmental Delays
When Eli Niemi was 6 months old, he’d only rolled from his stomach to his back one time. Most babies that age are able to do that, but Eli’s mom, Allie, said he wasn’t doing it regularly until he was closer to 10 months old. Eli held his head up well, but Allie said he didn’t otherwise have much desire to move around. Later, he wasn’t stacking blocks or climbing on furniture like expected. The Niemis are grateful they were connected with local child development resources at the hospital soon after Eli was born, helping them chart his progress and catch him up on gross motor skills, which strengthen muscle groups that allow children to move with balance and confidence as they age. (Hilton and Heim, 5/2)

Kansas Reflector: Kansas Lawmakers Expanding Postpartum Care For New Mothers Covered By Medicaid 
The Kansas Legislature and Gov. Laura Kelly took a step toward alleviating this suffering with passage into law of Senate Bill 267 extending the state’s Medicaid postpartum coverage from the current 60 days following birth to 12 months. More than 30% of Kansas births are covered by Medicaid, or KanCare. Provisions of the law are expected to improve postpartum services of an estimated 9,000 Kansas mothers. The reform was an option for states created by Congress under the federal American Rescue Plan Act. Illinois, New Jersey, Virginia and Louisiana are among states also adopting the extension that became available April 1 and would be on the books for five years. In Kansas, several legislative committees recommended adoption of the postpartum policy. The shift also was endorsed by 29 organizations in the state. (Carpenter, 5/2)

North Carolina Health News: Doulas In NC Fight Black Maternal, Infant Mortality Rates 
In 2016, Cindy McMillan was shocked to learn that babies born to women of color in her home community in Buncombe County were three times more likely to die in their first year than white babies. Now, she works to improve health outcomes for women of color and their babies, as the executive director of Sistas Caring 4 Sistas, a community-based doula service in Asheville. The White House recognized Black Maternal Health week in April as a reminder of racial disparities in maternal health care, but disparities in Black maternal health remain a problem in North Carolina and the United States. Black women and childbearing people are three to four times as likely to die of pregnancy-related complications than white people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Thompson, 5/3)

The Star Tribune: Mystery Pediatric Hepatitis Cases Investigated In Minnesota
A South Dakota child awaiting a liver transplant in Minneapolis appears to be among those affected by a mysterious pediatric hepatitis outbreak. Tests at the M Health Fairview Masonic Children's Hospital showed Monday morning that the toddler had adenovirus in her blood. A common strain of the virus has been linked with hundreds of cases worldwide of unexplained hepatitis in children — including at least five of nine cases in Alabama that were reported last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Minnesota Department of Health said in a statement that it is reviewing "several" reports from hospitals while the Wisconsin Department of Health Services was reviewing four cases, including that of one child who died. (Olson, 5/2)

In news on other health matters across the states —

Anchorage Daily News: Anchorage COVID-19 Clinic That Operated Out Of Former Hotel Faces Scrutiny
Not many people had heard of an Anchorage company called WEKA before it set up shop at a makeshift clinic in a former hotel owned by the city last fall, administering a coronavirus treatment called monoclonal antibodies at the height of a crushing pandemic surge. Until then, the private security and transport company, owned by Todd and Crystal Herring, had operated largely behind the scenes, escorting mental health patients around Alaska and providing security to hospitals and other facilities. That changed last October, when Anchorage mayor Dave Bronson made WEKA an offer: A rent-free space to give monoclonal antibody infusions to the public. (Theriault Boots, Goodykoontz, 5/2)

The Baltimore Sun: ‘Test To Treat’ Now Available At State Center COVID-19 Testing Site In Baltimore 
People who test positive for COVID-19 with a rapid test at the State Center in Baltimore can now be evaluated immediately for the anti-viral medication Paxlovid that has proven effective in stemming severe cases. State Center is already a regional state-run hub for testing and vaccinations, and officials with the Maryland Department of Health decided to add the federally designated “Test to Treat” program to make the prescription more accessible. It’s already available at 50 drug stores and urgent care centers around the state, including CVS MinuteClinics and ExpressCare locations. An online locator is hosted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (Cohn, 5/2)

The Star Tribune: State Leaders Praise Frontline Worker Bonuses, Insurance Deal
Hundreds of thousands of Minnesota's frontline pandemic workers will get payments of about $750 and businesses will be spared a sizable tax increase as part of an agreement celebrated Monday at a State Capitol ceremony marking the biggest accomplishment so far this legislative session. It was a moment workers and business owners had waited months to see, as lawmakers struggled to broker a deal until the final weeks of a session tinged with election-year politics. (Van Berkel, 5/2)

Salt Lake Tribune: 83 Former Patients Of Provo OB-GYN Allege He Inappropriately Touched Them
Lying in her hospital bed at Utah Valley Hospital in 2010, a woman panicked when she saw the doctor who would be delivering her baby. “Don’t let him touch me,” the woman said she begged her husband and the nurse. Three weeks earlier, while working as a nurse at Timpanogos Regional Hospital, that same woman said she had witnessed Dr. David H. Broadbent ignore the cries and pain of another woman getting ready to give birth. The situation disturbed her so much, she said, she warned Broadbent she would report him to the chief of the obstetrics department if it happened again. (Jacobs, 5/2)

Los Angeles Times: L.A.'s Anti-Camping Law Is A Patchwork Of Compliance
The posted deadline for every tent and shanty to be gone arrived on a Monday. Yet by noon, life continued at its desultory pace as people began to stir in the dozen structures pressed against the guardrail over the 101 Freeway in downtown L.A. “Tomorrow,” said Harvey Hernandez, 58, a longtime denizen of downtown streets who displayed his awareness of the city’s anti-camping law with a button pinned to his shirt citing the ordinance by its number: “41.18 = Death.” (Smith, Oreskes, Zahniser and Vives, 5/2)

KHN: States Watching As Massachusetts Takes Aim At Hospital Building Boom And Costs
A Massachusetts health cost watchdog agency and a broad coalition including consumers, health systems, and insurers helped block the state’s largest — and most expensive — hospital system in April from expanding into the Boston suburbs. Advocates for more affordable care hope the decision by regulators to hold Mass General Brigham accountable for its high costs will usher in a new era of aggressive action to rein in hospital expansions that drive up spending. Their next target is a proposed $435 million expansion by Boston Children’s Hospital. (Meyer, 5/3)

AP: Denmark To Destroy Excess Soon-To-Expire COVID-19 Vaccines
Danish health officials said Monday that 1.1 million excess COVID-19 vaccines will be discarded in the coming weeks because their expiration date is near, and efforts to donate them to developing countries have failed. Statens Serum Institut, a government agency that maps the spread of COVID-19 in Denmark, said the epidemic in the Scandinavian country “is currently under control, and the vaccine coverage in the Danish population is high.” Around 81% of Denmark’s population of 5.8 million has received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, while nearly 62% have received a booster shot. (5/2)

The New York Times: South Africa’s Latest Surge Is A Possible Preview Of The Pandemic’s Next Chapter
Coronavirus cases are surging again in South Africa, and public health experts are monitoring the situation, eager to know what’s driving the spike, what it says about immunity from previous infections and what its implications are globally. South Africa experienced a decline in cases after hitting an Omicron-fueled, pandemic peak in December. But in the past week, cases have tripled, positivity rates are up and hospitalizations have also increased, health officials said. The surge has the country facing a possible fifth wave. The spike is linked to BA.4 And BA.5, two subvariants that are part of the Omicron family. (Petri, 5/2)

AP: Beijing Preps COVID-19 Hospital Spaces, Though New Cases Low
Beijing is preparing new hospital facilities to deal with a spike in COVID-19 cases, even though the numbers of new cases remain low. State media reported Tuesday a 1,000-bed hospital at Xiaotangshan in the northeastern suburbs built for the 2003 SARS outbreak has been refurbished in case it’s needed. Unofficial reports online say thousands of beds have been prepared in a centralized quarantine center near the airport, but state media has not confirmed those preparations in what could be an attempt to avoid stoking public fears. (5/3)

Bloomberg: Supreme Court Asks India To Disclose Vaccine Trial Data
India’s Supreme Court directed the government to disclose results and data on Covid vaccine trials and ruled that people can’t be forced to take vaccines. Disclosures must include reporting on adverse events, key findings of past trials and all data from future trials, a two-judge panel said Monday. It upheld the government’s vaccination policy and grant of emergency-use approvals to vaccines. India has administered 1.89 billion shots as on May 2, fully vaccinating 85% of its adult population. The South Asian nation recently allowed children older than five years to receive Covid shots. (Trivedi and Chaudhary, 5/2)

Reuters: EU Plans To Cut Unneeded Medical Tests With Data Health Plan
The European Commission wants to make health data easier to access for patients, medics, regulators and researchers in a bid to improve diagnoses, cut unnecessary costs from duplication of medical tests and boost medicine research, an EU document says. The document, seen by Reuters and to be published later on Tuesday, outlines the EU executive's plans for a European health data space which Brussels estimates would lead to large savings and economic gains of more than 10 billion euros ($10.51 billion) in 10 years. (Guarascio, 5/3)

AP: Ukrainian Girl, 5, Gets Lifesaving Heart Treatment In Israel
Five-year-old Karina Andreiko wasn’t hurt in the war in Ukraine. In some ways, she was saved because of it. Stressed by the long search for why her daughter was smaller than other kids — and by the war with Russia — Karina’s mother last month sought help from an Israeli field hospital about 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the family’s home near the Ukrainian-Polish border. A doctor there listened to Karina’s heart, heard a murmur and conducted an ultrasound. The diagnosis was a congenital defect between Karina’s heart chambers treatable with a simple procedure available in Israel, but not in Ukraine, doctors said. (Edri, 5/2)

USA Today: Mental Health Must Become A Priority On College And University Campuses
The top ranked colleges and universities have poured millions of dollars into reporting campus rates of positive COVID-19 tests. Many of these colleges and universities also have invested heavily in mandatory regular asymptomatic testing, even in spring of 2022, when hospitals have close to zero patients admitted due to COVID-19 infection. Meanwhile, though death from COVID-19 is exceedingly rare among college students, it is well known from pre-pandemic data that approximately 100 U.S. college students die by suicide each month. According to more recent Centers for Disease and Control Prevention data, 1 in 4 adults ages 18-24 contemplated suicide in June 2020. (Dr. Catherine Sarkisian and Dr. Marion Mass, 5/2)

Bloomberg: Leak Of Supreme Court Roe V. Wade Draft Weakens Justices' Legitimacy
The leaked draft of a majority Supreme Court decision by Justice Samuel Alito overturning Roe v. Wade means several things. First, it indicates that in the justices’ private conference, at least five members of the court voted to reverse the 1973 abortion precedent. They aren’t bound by that vote, which they can change up to the day the final opinion is released. Almost all first drafts undergo significant revision based on discussion and debate among the justices. So the second point to make is that Roe isn’t yet overturned, though it very likely will be. (Noah Feldman, 5/3)

Los Angeles Times: The Brazenly Political Supreme Court Takes Away The Right To Abortion 
Although it is shocking that someone in the Supreme Court leaked a purported draft of the opinion overruling Roe vs. Wade, no one should be the least bit surprised that it is what the justices are about to do. The confirmation of Justice Amy Coney Barrett meant that there were five justices who were almost certain votes to overrule Roe. The oral arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health on Dec. 1 erased any doubt when Justices Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh made clear that is how they would vote, joining Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch to overrule the 49 year-old precedent that protects a woman’s right to abortion. (Erwin Chemerinsky, 5/2)

The Baltimore Sun: Baltimore’s Guaranteed Income Pilot Among First To Focus On Health Influence 
When mayor Brandon Scott announced an unprecedented direct investment into Baltimore residents, a guaranteed income pilot program that will give 200 randomly selected young adult parents in the city $1,000 a month for 24 months, with no strings attached, he joined a wave of mayors across the country who are investing in people who need it most. Baltimore’s pilot is critical to the nation, as it will be among the first to focus on how guaranteed income influences the health of family and family members. While these initiatives have often focused on improving people’s financial standing, there has been a missed opportunity to understand the full power of guaranteed income initiatives on other parts of people’s lives. (Lorraine T. Dean and Sevly Snguon, 5/2)

Stat: The Roots Of Burnout Start Early. See: Applying To Medical School 
Approximately 60,000 medical school applicants will be finishing a nearly year-long admissions process this month, close to the second anniversary of Dr. Lorna Breen’s suicide. Breen’s untimely death in 2020 inspired a new law to provide funding for preventing burnout by improving mental health treatment and promoting resiliency of health care providers. This new law won’t prevent physician burnout. Before the first day of medical school, aspiring doctors have already been exposed to prolonged toxic stress from an admissions process that extends over a 12-month period, during which their future is in the hands of medical school administrators. (Anne N. Thorndike, 5/3)

Stat: Medicare At 60 Would Have Harmful Unintended Consequences 
In an era of rising inflation and trillion-dollar deficits, there appears to be growing bipartisan support for fiscal restraint. President Biden’s recent budget proposal featured more than $1 trillion in deficit-reducing policies. And his administration is now promising that the proposals once comprising the president’s Build Back Better agenda will be, at worst, deficit neutral. But despite the changing fiscal environment, many in Congress are still eager to enact a costly and risky expansion of Medicare. (Tom Church and Daniel L. Heil, 5/3)

Los Angeles Times: Affirmative Action Bans Hurt Health Equity 
In 2015, the Assn. of American Medical Colleges published a startling statistic: Fewer Black men matriculated at medical school in 2014 (515) than in 1978 (542). These 515 Black men represented just 2.5% of all medical school matriculants in 2014. Although more recent enrollment numbers indicate marginal improvement, Americans who identify as Black, Hispanic, American Indian, Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian or from other Pacific Islander groups remain grossly underrepresented in medicine relative to their proportion in the U.S. population. (Utibe R. Essien, Dan P.Ly and Anupam B. Jena, 5/3)

Bloomberg: The CDC Needs Reform To Restore Public Trust After Covid-19 
For many years, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was known as the world’s preeminent public-health agency. No longer. During the pandemic, the CDC stumbled repeatedly. Accused of incompetence, overreach and muddled messaging, it is now in need of repair. Director Rochelle Walensky was right to order a review of the agency’s operations in early April. She shouldn’t shrink from significant reforms. (5/2)

Los Angeles Times: A Vaccine For Kids Under 5 Is Necessary To Make COVID Endemic 
Last week, Moderna became the first manufacturer to officially ask the Food and Drug Administration to approve its COVID vaccine for children under 6 years old. One of three companies with authorized COVID-19 vaccines in the United States, Moderna made the request a month after saying its data showed efficacy for two doses given to kids. This comes a few months after the FDA delayed its review of a vaccine for young children from Pfizer, which has not yet requested authorization, until that company collects more data. (Nina Shapiro, 5/1)

Chicago Tribune: The US Response To COVID-19 Hasn’t Been A Train Wreck. We’re Just Average
The COVID-19 pandemic has taken another turn with new variants BA.2 and BA.2.12.1, which are apparently more contagious but less severe than their predecessors, causing a new mini-wave of infections in the U.S. Nationally, cases are up, but deaths and hospitalizations remain relatively low for now. Amid what amounts to an emerging sixth wave, the U.S. has received disproportionate criticism at home and from international observers for its handling of the pandemic. But over recent months, events worldwide should dispel notions of exceptional American malfeasance. (Cory Franklin And Robert Weinstein, 5/2)