Stat: Life Expectancy For Men In U.S. Falls To 73 Years — Six Years Less Than Women
The life expectancy of men in the U.S. is nearly six years shorter than that of women, according to new research published on Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine. At least partially as a consequence of over 1 million Covid-19 deaths, life expectancy in the U.S. has declined significantly over the past few years, falling from 78.8 years in 2019 to 77 in 2020 and 76.1 in 2022 — undoing over two decades of progress. This puts the country far behind its wealthy peers: Countries such as Japan, Korea, Portugal, the U.K., and Italy all enjoy a life expectancy of 80 years or more. Countries such as Turkey (78.6) and China (78.2) also fare better. (Merelli, 11/13)

The New York Times: An ‘Unsettling’ Drop In Life Expectancy For Men 
The gap in life expectancy between men and women in the United States grew to its widest in nearly 30 years, driven mainly by more men dying of Covid and drug overdoses, according to a new study in The Journal of the American Medical Association. In 2021, women had a life expectancy of 79.3 years, compared with 73.5 years for men, the study found. (Ghorayshi, 11/13)

In other health and wellness news —

CIDRAP: US Flu Activity Rises In Most Regions, Especially The South 
In its latest update, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today that flu activity and hospitalizations continue to rise, especially in the South. Covering the week ending November 4, the report said outpatient visits for respiratory illnesses are now at the national baseline of 2.9%. (Schnirring, 11/13)

The Washington Post: Children Who Read Regularly Tend To Do Better On Later Cognitive Tests 
Young children who spend about 12 hours a week reading for pleasure tend to do better on cognitive tests and have better mental health when they are adolescents than those who have not developed this reading habit, according to research published in the journal Psychological Medicine. (Searing, 11/13)

NBC News: Cardiac Arrest Deaths Declining In College Athletes, Study Shows
Deaths due to cardiac arrest in college athletes have been steadily declining over the last 20 years, a new study finds. An analysis of data from more than 2 million NCAA athletes revealed that 143 had died after a cardiac arrest that occurred while they were playing their sport and that there was wide variation in the risk of death after a sudden heart stoppage, depending on the player’s race, gender and sport, according to the research presented Monday at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association. (Carroll, 11/13)

Fox News: Standing And Even Sleeping Are Better For Your Heart Than Sitting, New Study Suggests
Adults are sedentary for an average of 9½ hours each day, studies have shown — and all that sitting could be putting people's heart health at risk. Researchers from the University of College London (UCL) and the University of Sydney found that replacing just a few moments of sitting with any other type of activity — even sleeping or standing — can improve cardiovascular health. The more vigorous activities correlated to greater heart health benefits, the researchers found. (Rudy, 11/14)

USA Today: Cantaloupe Recall: Fruit Sold In 10 States Have Risk Of Salmonella
Sofia Produce LLC, which operates under the name Trufresh, is recalling all sizes of fresh cantaloupes due to a possible salmonella contamination, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced last Thursday. The company, which operates out of Arizona, said the cantaloupes were distributed directly to Arizona, California, Maryland, New Jersey, Tennessee, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Texas and Florida, as well as Canada. (Hauari, 11/13)

The 19th: White House Announces New Focus On Research For Women’s Health 
President Joe Biden on Monday announced the first-ever White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research, which will be led by First Lady Jill Biden and the White House Gender Policy Council. The new initiative will be chaired and coordinated by Dr. Carolyn Mazure, who recently joined the White House from the Yale School of Medicine. (Gerson, 11/13)

USA Today: Jill Biden To Improve Research On Women's Health Issues Like Menopause
Women aren't getting the care they need when it comes to menopause, heart attacks and other health issues, according to the Biden administration. Now, first lady Jill Biden is giving the administration 45 days to amp up efforts to change that. Officials said they’re trying to correct the fact that women have been understudied and underrepresented in health research, despite making up more than half the population. (Groppe, 11/13)

In related news about caregiving and elder care —

Minnesota Public Radio: New Audit Questions Oversight Of Senior Nutrition Program 
A new report from the Office of the Legislative Auditor of Minnesota found that the Minnesota Board on Aging did not meet legal standards in its oversight of the Senior Nutrition Program. The Board on Aging and seven regional area agencies on aging administer the federal program which provides meals to people aged 60 or older. (Cox, 11/13)

KFF Health News and The New York Times: Facing Financial Ruin As Costs Soar For Elder Care 
Margaret Newcomb, 69, a retired French teacher, is desperately trying to protect her retirement savings by caring for her 82-year-old husband, who has severe dementia, at home in Seattle. She used to fear his disease-induced paranoia, but now he’s so frail and confused that he wanders away with no idea of how to find his way home. He gets lost so often that she attaches a tag to his shoelace with her phone number. Feylyn Lewis, 35, sacrificed a promising career as a research director in England to return home to Nashville after her mother had a debilitating stroke. They ran up $15,000 in medical and credit card debt while she took on the role of caretaker. (Abelson and Rau, 11/14)

KFF Health News and The New York Times: Adult Children Discuss The Trials Of Caring For Their Aging Parents 
The financial and emotional toll of providing and paying for long-term care is wreaking havoc on the lives of millions of Americans. Read about how a few families are navigating the challenges, in their own words. (Abelson and Rau, 11/14)

KFF Health News: What Long-Term Care Looks Like Around The World 
Around the world, wealthy countries are struggling to afford long-term care for rapidly aging populations. Most spend more than the United States through government funding or insurance that individuals are legally required to obtain. Some protect individuals from exhausting all their income or wealth paying for long-term care. But as in the United States, middle-class and affluent individuals in many countries can bear a substantial portion of the costs. Here’s how five other countries pay for long-term care. (Rau, 11/14)

Also —

The Hill: New Study On Hunter-Gatherer Moms Suggests Western Child Care Has A Big Problem
Stressed out American parents who suspect that child-rearing used to be easier may be right. The average mother among one Congolese foraging people has at least 10 people to help hold her baby — and sometimes as many as 20, a paper published Monday has found. That high level of support means that mothers among the Mbendjele BaYaka people have someone else holding their baby at least half the time, according to research in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. That is a level of care “a world away,” unheard of in wealthy industrialized countries — but one that may have been normal across most of human history, the researchers reported. (Elbein, 11/13)

Stat: UnitedHealth Used Algorithms To Deny Care, Staff Say 
The nation’s largest health insurance company pressured its medical staff to cut off payments for seriously ill patients in lockstep with a computer algorithm’s calculations, denying rehabilitation care for older and disabled Americans as profits soared, a STAT investigation has found. (Ross and Herman, 11/14)

In news about the Veterans Administration —

The Denver Post: Head Of VA Prosthetics Department In Colorado Canceled Veterans’ Orders To Eliminate Backlog, Ex-Employees Allege 
In 2021, an employee with the Department of Veterans Affairs in Aurora, Colorado, alerted leadership to a troubling practice within the federal agency's Eastern Colorado Health Care System, a vast network providing services for 100,000 veterans. The whistleblower worked for the Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service, which supplies military veterans with artificial limbs, wheelchairs, surgical implants, glasses, hearing aids and other devices to help them live more functional lives. (Tabachnik, 11/13)

Military Times: Vets Tap Businesses For VA Disability Claims Help, But There’s A Cost
When Navy veteran Melissa Washington wanted to reapply for an increase in her disability benefits, she selected a for-profit firm — Veterans Benefits Guide — to cut down on the paperwork and preparation she’d have to do herself. “I knew a lot of people who had already been through the process, and I wanted to try for myself,” said Washington, who runs the Women Veterans Alliance in Sacramento, Calif. ... The 51-year-old, who has been out of the service for almost 30 years, said the process cost her a few hundred dollars and just a few months of waiting. She said she will recommend the process to friends and clients interested in getting help with their claims. Veterans advocates say it’s illegal. (Shane III, 11/13)

In hospital updates —

NBC News: State Attorney General, Doctors And Nurses Criticize HCA Over Patient Care At North Carolina's Mission Hospital
Four years after it bought Mission Hospital, an 815-bed facility in Asheville, North Carolina, HCA Healthcare is under fire in the region, threatened with a lawsuit by the state attorney general and facing criticism from nurses and at least 124 current and former Mission doctors who say HCA, the nation’s largest for-profit hospital chain, is imperiling patient care at the facility in its pursuit of profits. “Profits over people is not an ethic, model, or aspiration that can deliver the quality of care we all expect and deserve.” (Morgenson, 11/13)

Minnesota Public Radio: Survey: Minnesota Hospitals Report Hefty Financial Losses
The Minnesota Hospital Association reported Monday that many of the state’s health systems are losing money at a growing clip. The MHA, a trade group that represents care providers that include large Twin Cities health systems and small rural hospitals, said that 67 percent of its members that took part in a recent survey reported losses in the first half of 2023. That’s a sharp increase over the 55 percent that reported negative operating margins in 2022. (Sepic, 11/14)

The Boston Globe: Cooley Dickinson Hospital In Northampton Pauses Elective Surgery
Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton has had to reschedule an undisclosed number of surgeries since Nov. 6 due to a problem with the equipment that sterilizes certain medical instruments and devices on site. The hospital said it was pausing elective procedures that use the affected instruments, but it was proceeding with procedures that use equipment and devices that are sterilized off-site. (Bartlett, 11/13)

The CT Mirror: Medical Staff, CT Legislators Rally For Prospect Hospitals’ Sale To Yale
Nurses, physicians and legislators — frustrated at the length of time the state has taken to approve the acquisition of three Connecticut hospitals by Yale New Haven Health — rallied at the state Capitol Monday in an effort to expedite the deal. (Carlesso and Altimari, 11/13)

Modern Healthcare: New York Hospital Cybersecurity Proposal Aims To Protect Data
The state of New York is proposing regulations that would tighten cybersecurity requirements for hospitals, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office said Monday. The proposed rule would require hospitals to establish a cybersecurity program and take steps to assess internal and external risks. The rule will publish in the state register on Dec. 6, with a 60-day comment period ending Feb. 5, 2024. (Perna, 11/13)

Also —

Modern Healthcare: Healthcare DEI Programs Contend With Anti-'Woke' Movement
Following years of investment in diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, the healthcare sector is now grappling with the anti-"woke" movement. After Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) enacted the Stop Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees Act—better known as the Stop WOKE Act—last year, for example, Trinity Health had to add a disclaimer to its workforce trainings on structural racism: No one person is responsible for the history of slavery in America. (Hartnett, 11/13)

Axios: How AI Deepfakes Could Make Health Care Misinformation Worse
For all the promise that artificial intelligence holds for health care, one of the industry's big fears is its potential to churn out more convincing misinformation. AI experts are warning that tech used to create sophisticated false images, audio and video known as deepfakes is getting so good it could soon become almost impossible to distinguish fact from fiction. (Reed, 11/14)

Modern Healthcare: Modern Healthcare's 40 Under 40 Awards Seek Nominations
Modern Healthcare is seeking nominations for our 40 Under 40 awards that recognize the industry’s rising stars and next generation of leaders. The program builds upon our previous recognition programs for young professionals, including Emerging Leaders and Up-and-Comers. Nominations are open and will be accepted through Dec. 11. We’re looking for influential young executives across all sectors of healthcare, including providers, payers, vendors, suppliers, government agencies and associations. To be eligible, nominees must be 40 years of age or younger as of Dec. 31, 2023. (11/13)

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Pennsylvania Medicaid Benefits Being Restored To 105,000 Residents
Pennsylvania is in the process of restoring Medicaid coverage for 105,000 residents who lost their government-funded health insurance benefits this year because they did not return a form on time or for some other procedural reasons. The coverage terminations happened as Pennsylvania and other states in April resumed checking the eligibility of Medicaid beneficiaries, who qualify based on income level or disability status. The Medicaid review process had been suspended nationwide for three years during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Brubaker, 11/13)

More Medicaid news —

AP: Biden Administration Slow To Act As Millions Are Booted Off Medicaid, Advocates Say
Up to 30 million of the poorest Americans could be purged from the Medicaid program, many the result of error-ridden state reviews that poverty experts say the Biden administration is not doing enough to stop. The projections from the health consulting firm Avalere come as states undertake a sweeping re-evaluation of the 94 million people enrolled in Medicaid, government’s health insurance for the neediest Americans. A host of problems have surfaced across the country, including hours-long phone wait times in Florida, confusing government forms in Arkansas, and children wrongly dropped from coverage in Texas. (Seitz and Hunter, 11/14)

Maryland Matters: Pace Of Medicaid Disenrollments In Maryland Slowed In October, Lowest Since ‘Unwinding’ Began
Fewer than 9,000 Marylanders lost Medicaid coverage last month, the lowest number of terminations since April, when the state began discontinuing coverage on a monthly basis in what’s called the “Medicaid unwinding.” (Brown, 11/14)

Wisconsin Examiner: Milwaukee County Stops Taking Fathers To Court To Pay Back Medicaid For Childbirth Costs
Milwaukee County is on the verge of ending the practice of demanding that unwed fathers pay back the Medicaid program for the cost of covering the birth of their children. Dane County, which in 2020 stopped going to court to claw back those Medicaid dollars from fathers, is poised to drop pending cases that remain open from before that year. (Gunn, 11/14)

In other news from across the U.S. —

News Service of Florida: State Officials Defend A Fee Hike For Medical Marijuana License Renewals
A formula used to set a $1.33 million price tag for medical marijuana license renewals properly carries out state lawmakers’ policy choices, Florida health officials argued as they try to swat down a challenge to the fee. (Kam, 11/13)

Health News Florida: Passidomo Puts The State Senate's Focus On Health Care Access And Cost
Amid population growth and a shortfall of doctors and nurses, the Florida Senate this week will start crafting legislation aimed at expanding access to health care. The Senate Health Policy Committee will hold a workshop Tuesday “to begin the process of fine-tuning ideas, putting pen to paper, and of course, hearing more input from stakeholders,” Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, wrote Thursday in a memo to senators. (11/13)

New Hampshire Bulletin: Experts Say Every Overdose Death Should Be Autopsied, But That's Not Happening In NH 
It’s the position of the National Association of Medical Examiners that all overdose deaths should be autopsied. Specifically, the organization says that “external examination is an inadequate substitute for autopsy for the purposes of detecting and certifying drug caused deaths.” But due to staffing shortages plaguing medical examiner offices nationwide, that’s not happening in New Hampshire. (Barndollar, 11/13)

The New York Times: An ‘Unimaginable’ Death Toll Among Anchorage’s Homeless Residents 
This year’s soaring death toll has in part been driven by a fentanyl crisis that has led to overdoses among homeless residents, including in months with warmer weather, several officials said. Another problem has been the dispersal of people away from congregate settings such as the former arena shelter and into the streets, where it can be harder to provide services and respond to emergency needs, said Felix Rivera, a member of the Anchorage Assembly who leads the Housing and Homelessness Committee. A year ago, the city had hundreds of people staying at the Sullivan Arena, a complex used for hockey games, concerts and graduations that became an emergency shelter during the coronavirus pandemic. As officials moved to close the shelter this spring, many of the people staying there had no place to go, and political leaders were unable to develop a sufficient alternative plan. (Baker, 11/13)

Military Times: Marines Grapple With Highest Suicide Rate Of All US Military Services
The Marine Corps had the highest rate of suicide among all the U.S. military branches in 2022 ― a sobering statistic for a service that has stepped up efforts in recent years to prevent these tragedies. The military has seen a gradual increase in suicide across the branches since 2011, the Defense Department’s annual report on suicide in the military found. In the Marine Corps’ active component, 34.9 out of 100,000 service members died by suicide in 2022, up from a rate of 23.9 in 2021 and higher than any other service. (Loewenson, 11/13)

Fox News: Military Mental Health Is Focus As AI Training Simulates Real Conversations To Help Prevent Veteran Suicide 
Artificial intelligence is working to save the lives of America's heroes. A new product by ReflexAI called HomeTeam was just released this week, with the goal of preventing veteran suicide. After completing a module, trainees are prompted to test their skills by answering quizzes and interacting with an AI-powered chatbot named Blake. (Stabile, 11/13)

Health News Florida: FAU Awarded $400K To Expand Research On Stress Disorders In Veterans 
Florida Atlantic University has received a $400,000 grant that will help expand research looking at early life stress as well as post-traumatic stress disorder in veterans. The grant was awarded by the Community Foundation of Broward and will be used over the next four years. One project aims to identify early life stress triggers among those who experience extreme adversity like abandonment, abuse and poverty. (Cabrera, 11/13)

If you are in need of help —

Dial 988 for 24/7 support from the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It's free and confidential.

In other mental health news —

The Washington Post: Supreme Court Denies Case Involving Prolonged Confinement Without Exercise 
Over the objections of its three liberal justices, the Supreme Court on Monday denied a petition from a prisoner confined for years without the chance to exercise outside his cell. The treatment of mentally unstable Illinois inmate Michael Johnson had previously divided the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit. It rejected his lawsuit alleging that keeping him in his windowless cell except for an occasional trip for a shower violated the Constitution’s prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment. (Barnes, 11/13)

The New York Times: A Mayor’s Suicide Leaves An Alabama City Seeking Answers 
The mayor fatally shot himself after a news site published a photo of him in makeup and said he had written erotic fiction and posts using names and photos of local residents, including a minor. (Rojas, Sassoon and Edmonds, 11/12)

CNN: Inside The ‘Pressure Cooker’: 4 Current And Former LA Sheriff’s Employees Die By Suicide In Less Than 24 Hours
When former police officer Omar Delgado heard the news of four current and former members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department dying by suicide in less than 24 hours last week, he understood. “It’s kind of like a pressure cooker. If you don’t slowly let go of that steam little by little, when it does pop, it’s over because it’s going to be such a big explosion.” Delgado was one of the first officers on the scene of the Pulse nightclub attack in Orlando on June 12, 2016. He suffers post-traumatic stress disorder from that night, and has attempted to take his own life twice. (Tucker, 11/12)

The Mercury News: Oakland's New Fire Chief Promises Better Mental-Health Care
Damon Covington was restless about how his life would proceed — until a voice in his head told him he should be a firefighter. He knew next to nothing about how to become one, and even less about the Oakland Fire Department, where he started out two decades ago. Now Covington is the city’s new full-time chief, after four months of holding the interim role. After running through words of appreciation for the city’s leaders, Covington was clear on his top priority: establishing better mental-health services for the department’s 443 firefighters. (Muukherjee, 11/13)

NPR: Lung Cancer Survival Rates Rise, Including Among People Of Color
Survival rates for lung cancer are improving, especially among historically marginalized communities of color, according to a new survey from the American Lung Association released Tuesday. The findings are a bright note amid deepening racial disparities in many areas in health care. The five-year lung cancer survival rate increased by 22% in the five years between 2015 to 2019. (Noguchi and Wroth, 11/14)

The Midwest Newsroom: Report: Midwestern States Have A Mixed Record On Fighting Lung Cancer 
Sara Geiken, 43, remembers the first time she felt the pain of her lung cancer after a workout class in 2019. “I thought I had pulled a muscle,” she said. Geiken, who had been involved with the American Lung Association in Iowa for nearly ten years as a volunteer, was at low risk for lung cancer. So, when a doctor diagnosed her with adenocarcinoma, which starts in glands that line the insides of the organs, she was caught off-guard. (Mansouri, 11/14)

Military.com: Veterans, Advocates Want Blood Cancers Added To PACT Act List Of Burn Pit-Related Conditions 
Veterans' advocates are pushing to have several blood cancers added to the list of conditions considered to be service-connected under the PACT Act, a move that would make some Gulf War and post-9/11 veterans eligible for expedited health care and benefits. The Department of Veterans Affairs is conducting a scientific review to decide whether acute leukemias, chronic leukemias and multiple myeloma should be covered by the PACT Act, the landmark legislation passed last year that broadened benefit eligibility for veterans who served in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere and were exposed to burn pits or other battlefield pollutants. (Kime, 11/13)

Reuters: Hair Relaxer Claims Against L'Oreal, Revlon Can Proceed -U.S. Judge 
A federal judge on Monday allowed the majority of claims to move forward in sprawling litigation that claims chemical hair relaxer products made by L'Oreal USA, Revlon and others cause cancer and other injuries. Illinois-based U.S. District Judge Mary Rowland denied most of the companies’ arguments in their motion to dismiss the complaint in the multidistrict litigation over the products. The litigation includes more than 8,000 lawsuits. (Jones, 11/13)

WUFT: UM, UF Research Team Gets $3.2M Grant To Study Cannabis In Breast Cancer Treatments
Breast cancer patients have become a rapidly growing segment of medical cannabis users in the country. But while cannabis has shown promise in symptom management, it is not considered a cure for cancer for now. The need for comprehensive research to understand the benefits and potential harm of medical cannabis and cannabinoids (MCC) in cancer patients is clear. (Zhou, 11/13)

The cancer drug shortage could be easing —

Reuters: Accord Healthcare Resumes Production Of Cancer Drug Cisplatin Amid Shortages
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Monday that Accord Healthcare has resumed manufacturing of commonly used cancer drug cisplatin against the backdrop of ongoing drug shortages in the United States. Cisplatin is a type of chemotherapy drug used alone or in combination with other drugs to treat several advanced forms of cancer, including bladder, ovarian and testicular cancer. The FDA last week had reported on its website that Accord resumed production of another cancer drug methotrexate. (11/13)

The New York Times: Democrats Signal Openness To Plan To Avert Shutdown As Republicans Balk 
Speaker Mike Johnson’s proposal to avert a government shutdown at the end of the week ran into increasing opposition on Monday from hard-line Republicans. But with Democratic opposition softening, it appeared the plan could be headed toward bipartisan approval within days. The shifting alliances came as the House planned to take its first action on the bill as early as Tuesday. The legislation would fund federal agencies into early 2024 with two staggered deadlines, allowing lawmakers time to try to finish off the annual spending bills and putting off a debate over wartime aid to Israel and Ukraine. (Hulse and Edmondson, 11/13)

The New York Times: Government Shutdown: What Services And Benefits Could Be Affected?
In recent days, the White House has spotlighted several government programs that could cause more severe issues if suspended, in particular the nutrition and immunization assistance given out through the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children. If funding lapses, the White House has said nearly seven million women and children could lose critical access to food, and the federal contingency fund to keep the program running could run dry within days. (Montague, 11/13)

SHRM: What Happens To Pay, Benefits During The Government Shutdown?
Federal employees will continue to have health care coverage during the government shutdown. Premiums for their coverage under the Federal Employees Health Benefits program will accrue over the course of the shutdown, and then will be taken out of employees' first paycheck after the government reopens. Federal employees can make changes to their coverage during a shutdown if they have a significant life event during that time, such as the birth of a child. (Mayer, 11/13)

In other health news from Capitol Hill —

Axios: Tension With Sanders Complicates Major Primary Care, Opioid Bill Push
Sen. Bernie Sanders' push for sweeping legislation to address a growing shortage of primary care providers, the opioid crisis and other key health issues faces an unusual obstacle: escalating tensions among members of the health committee he chairs. (Sullivan, 11/13)

PolitiFact: Do Republican Spending Cuts Threaten Federal HIV Funding? For Some Programs, Yes
Are Republicans threatening to stop spending federal money to end one of the world’s most pressing public health epidemics? That’s what President Joe Biden said during a dinner hosted by an LGBTQ+ advocacy group. “In the United States Congress, extreme MAGA Republicans are trying to undo virtually every bit of progress we’ve made,” Biden said Oct. 14 at the Human Rights Campaign event. “They’re trying to wipe out federal funding to end the HIV epidemic.” (Abels, 11/14)

USA Today: More Than 800 U.S. Counties Are 'Insulin Deserts.' How These Senators Want To Help Americans With Diabetes
Lacy McGee, 30, spent her last year of graduate school scouring Facebook groups and meeting strangers in Chick-fil-A and grocery store parking lots to obtain enough insulin to get through another week. McGee, diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at 17 years old, is one of more than 37 million Americans who live with the disease. And like many Americans across the United States, McGee has spent years of her life figuring out how to afford the drug and rationing supplies of the medication she needs to survive. (Looker, 11/14)

A key critic of Obamacare is leaving Congress —

The Texas Tribune: U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess Will Not Seek Reelection; Was A Key Critic Of Democratic Efforts To Overhaul The Country’s Health Care System
U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess, a Dallas-area Republican who has held his post for two decades, will not seek re-election next year, he announced Monday. ... An obstetrician by trade and Congress’ longest-serving doctor, Burgess emerged as a key GOP voice on health care issues. During the Obama administration, Burgess was a staunch critic of Democratic efforts to reform the U.S. health care system. During the Trump administration, Burgess became a crucial figure in GOP efforts to unwind the landmark Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, known as “Obamacare.” (Fechter, 11/13)

Roll Call: Burgess Announces House Retirement After 11 Terms 
He rallied against the Democratic-led COVID-19 relief measure, arguing the legislative packages cost too much and Congress had too little oversight of spending. He repeatedly pressed then-Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J., to further investigate the origins of the coronavirus in China and has lamented that the pandemic eroded public trust in public health institutions. He has also made Medicare physician payments one of his key issues, and in 2015 he led the passage of a law that reformed the way physicians are paid under Medicare with a focus on value and quality of care instead of volume. (Jordan, 11/13)

The Hill: Senate Panel Will Move Resolution Tuesday To Break Tuberville’s Hold On Military Nominees
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced Monday that the Senate Rules Committee will mark up a resolution Tuesday to confirm more than 350 nonpolitical military promotions at once, circumventing a hold that Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R) has had in place for nine months to protest the Pentagon’s abortion policy.  The Democratic leader said once the Rules Committee approves the measure, he will bring it to the Senate floor for a vote “as soon as possible.”  (Bolton, 11/13)

Military.com: Pentagon Abortion Policy At Center Of Senate Fight Expected To Cost Just $1 Million A Year, Analysis Says 
The Pentagon abortion policy at the center of a bitter political fight that has jammed up hundreds of military promotions is likely to cost less than $1 million annually, according to a recent analysis published in a medical journal. The low estimated cost relative to the Pentagon's more than $800 billion budget is unlikely to shift the political debate since opponents of Pentagon policy argue that not a single taxpayer dollar should go toward abortion-related expenses. But the analysis comes as the Senate has been scrambling to find a way to end the blockade Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., has maintained on senior officer promotions for nearly nine months. (Kheel, 11/13)

In other reproductive health care news —

KHOL/ Jackson Hole Community Radio: Jackson’s Only Abortion Provider Is Shutting Its Doors Due To High Costs 
After thirty years in the business, the Women’s Health and Family Care clinic is closing down next month due to rising costs, such as rent. It’s the only clinic that provides abortions in the region, and its closure may mean a six-week gap in pregnancy-ending care. For that time, the closest in-person abortion provider will be more than four hours away, 280 miles, in Casper. (Merzbach, 11/13)

News Service of Florida: Backers Of A Proposed Abortion Amendment Fire Back At Moody's 'Viability' Argument 
Supporters of a proposed constitutional amendment that would ensure abortion rights in Florida have fired back at Attorney General Ashley Moody’s arguments that the measure should be blocked from the 2024 ballot. The political committee Floridians Protecting Freedom, which is sponsoring the proposal, filed a brief late Friday at the Florida Supreme Court disputing Moody’s contention that the measure would be misleading to voters. (Saunders, 11/13)

The 19th: Abortion Bans Are Hindering Access To Domestic Violence Screenings
As more abortion bans have gone into effect across the country, it has become far more difficult to perform a standard element of gynecological care: screening patients for domestic abuse. (Gerson and Luthra, 11/13)

Also —

The Washington Post: She Was Born With A Second Uterus. She’s Pregnant In Both
When Kelsey Hatcher visited her obstetrician for an ultrasound this year, she smiled when an image of a healthy fetus appeared on the screen. Before leaving, Hatcher asked the nurse for further examination. Hatcher had been born with a second uterus, and she wanted the nurse to check on the health of that one, too. The nurse at the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s hospital spread gel on the opposite side of Hatcher’s abdomen and went over it with the wand. They couldn’t believe what they saw on the screen. (Melnick, 11/14)

Stat: Weight Loss Drugs Should Be Covered By Insurers, AMA Says 
The American Medical Association called on insurance companies, employers, and government programs to cover obesity treatments even as many remain reluctant to pay for them, fearing the costs of covering the drugs at a mass scale. (Trang and Chen, 11/13)

In other pharmaceutical industry news —

Reuters: Elevance, Cigna Settle Contract Claims, Clearing Way For Appeal In $14.8 Bln Suit
Elevance Health and Cigna Group's Express Scripts unit on Monday settled the last pending claim in a long-running contract dispute, clearing the way for Elevance to appeal the dismissal of its $14.8 billion lawsuit accusing Express Scripts of overcharging it for prescription drugs. Elevance, formerly called Anthem, had sued Express Scripts, a pharmacy benefit manager, in Manhattan federal court in 2016, accusing it of failing to negotiate over drug prices in good faith under a 10-year contract that began in 2009. Elevance said it was entitled to $14.8 billion in damages as a result of the breach. (Pierson, 11/13)

Stat: Michigan Bill That Would Pare Back Pharma Shield Law Advances
A one-of-a-kind law in Michigan that prevents the state government and residents from suing pharmaceutical companies over injuries caused by their medicines is poised to be pared back. A bill designed to allow product liability lawsuits to be filed against drug companies passed the Michigan Senate last month and then passed the House last week. The legislation, which won overwhelming majorities in both chambers but was opposed by the Michigan Chamber of Commerce and a pharmaceutical industry trade group, now goes to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. (Silverman, 11/13)

AP: In Crowded Field Of Psychedelic Startups, Filament CEO Makes Case For 'Natural' Drugs 
A recent boom in psychedelic research has given way to a bumper crop of startups seeking to harness the potential of mind-altering drugs for treating depression, addiction and other conditions. In this crowded field, Vancouver-based Filament Health has a unique approach: extracting drugs like psilocybin and mescaline from natural sources, including mushrooms and cacti, rather than synthesizing the ingredients in a laboratory. (Perrone, 11/13)

Bloomberg: Race For First Drug Discovered By AI Nears Key Milestone
The global push to use artificial intelligence to find new medicines faces a crucial test as one front-runner starts approaching late-stage trials for a drug discovered by algorithms. Insilico Medicine — which has headquarters in Hong Kong and New York — used AI to develop an experimental drug for the incurable lung disease idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. The treatment is in mid-stage trials in the US and China with some results expected early 2025. (Matsuyama, 11/13)

USA Today: 988 Suicide Hotline Launched Last Year, But Too Many Still Calling 911
Call centers for 911 have a more technical name: public safety answering points, or PSAPs. People who work at these centers can do a lot, but they have limited resources and training to address behavioral health issues. That is in part why, more than a year ago, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline became the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, transitioning to a three-digit number and expanding its focus to include mental health crises. (Stephanie Brooks Holliday, 11/14)

Stat: Ohio Still Needs To Do More To Protect The Right To Abortion 
Last week those of us who work in reproductive health care celebrated a historic victory in Ohio: Voters overwhelmingly favored Issue 1, which enshrines a right to abortion into the state constitution and makes the six-week ban many of us feared unenforceable. As an abortion provider in Cleveland, I’m relieved that my patients’ freedom to access abortion care, miscarriage care, and contraception is protected. But obstacles still prevent patients from receiving the care they need and make life challenging for practitioners. (Emily Freeman, 11/13)

The Washington Post: Three Big Questions About Obesity Drugs
For the more than 100 million American adults with obesity, medications such as semaglutide (known by its brand names Wegovy and Ozempic) and tirzepatide, a version of which the Food and Drug Administration approved last week, could be transformative. These drugs are remarkably effective in reducing weight, managing diabetes and reducing cardiovascular complications. (Leana S. Wem, 11/14)

Scientific American: Newborn Genomic Screening Needs To Build The Evidence 
Should all babies have their genomes sequenced at birth? The question has been hotly debated for the past 15 years. Unlocking the genome’s 3.2-billion-letter code promises understanding of both health and disease. But practical and ethical challenges loom large. (Richard Scott and Zornitza Stark, 11/13)

Dallas Morning News: Giving Out Expired Naloxone Is Not The Right Solution
Scientists and doctors agree that most medications are still effective past their expiration date. The reality is that their full potency cannot be guaranteed past that date. This distinction is important in the ongoing fentanyl crisis in the United States, where naloxone, a drug that reverses an opioid overdose, has become a lifesaving tool. (11/14)

The CT Mirror: Opinion: Colorectal Screening In CT Needs To Be More Accessible
Chances are, you or someone you know has been affected by colon cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute, Connecticut had nearly 61 cases of colon cancer per 100,000 residents in the early 2000s. In 2020, the incidence decreased by half. You may ask, why is that? The answer is: screening, early detection and early intervention. (Arianna Burkard, 11/14)