The New York Times: The Gender Gap In The Abortion Debate 
The male vote — and any lack of motivation among men — is critical for tight elections, as Democrats have made championing abortion rights a centerpiece of their midterm campaign. In the five decades that Roe v. Wade guaranteed a constitutional right to abortion, polls showed no significant difference in men’s and women’s views on the issue: A similarly sized majority of each supported legalized abortion, especially in the first trimester. Now there is an intensity gap. While men and women are still as likely to think abortion should be generally legal, men’s responses suggest that abortion remains for them a relatively remote issue. (Zernike, 11/7)

Reuters: Some In White House Worry Abortion Message Bungled Before Midterms 
Some senior White House officials have been second-guessing their messaging to voters around abortion in recent weeks, sources familiar with the matter said, as forecasts turned in Republicans' favor in the run up to the midterm elections. Many Democrats are no longer optimistic about retaining one or both houses of Congress in Tuesday's midterms, and some have asked if party leaders and the Joe Biden White House should have spent more time talking about the U.S. economy, and less about women's reproductive rights. (Bose, 11/7)

Axios: Abortion, Medicaid Highlight State Health Ballot Tests
While inflation and the economy have been foremost on voters' minds across the nation this election cycle, some of the most high-profile health care battles are being decided at the state level on Tuesday. Voters in Michigan, Kentucky, Vermont, California and Montana are weighing abortion ballot questions that drive home how key reproductive rights battles post-Roe are being waged outside the federal realm. (Reed, 11/8)

Stateline: Abortion Access Hinges On State Elections
Five states — California, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana and Vermont — will have abortion-related questions on the ballot, the most ever. And the outcome of gubernatorial and legislative races in six states — Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — will determine whether abortion is legal in those states. (Vestal, 11/7)

Politico: Abortion Is Illegal In A Quarter Of The Country Heading Into Election Day 
In the four months since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, 13 states have banned abortion starting at conception. Another state, Georgia, prohibits the procedure around six weeks of pregnancy. And access to abortion remains legal, but in limbo, in eight states: Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, Utah and Wyoming. (Messerly, 11/8)

Also —

The Guardian: These Companies Claim To Support Abortion Rights. They Are Backing Anti-Abortion Republicans
The pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly was one of the most vocal opponents of a sweeping anti-abortion law that passed in its home state of Indiana, last August, saying that the measure would make it hard to attract talent and would force it to look outside the state for growth. But in the weeks and months that followed, Lilly continued to financially support Republican candidates and politicians who support bans on abortion across the country, including many who celebrated the reversal of Roe v Wade. (Kirchgaessner and Aratani, 11/6)

Stat: Amid Concerns Over U.S. Democracy, Pharma Helped Finance Committees That Support Election Deniers 
As Americans head to the polls, some candidates continue to deny the results of the 2020 presidential election – and several of the largest players in the pharmaceutical industry have contributed to their campaigns. (Silverman, 11/7)

From Michigan —

Stat: 'Sick Of Watching Women Die': Michigan Docs Rally On Abortion Rights
Doctors are on the frontlines of a political battle raging across the country, as abortion rights are added to the ballot in the first election since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Michigan is at the heart of the struggle. (Goldhill, 11/7)

KHN: Listen: With Abortion Rights On The Ballot In Michigan, Women Tell Their Stories 
One patient had two toddlers already and was trying to extract herself from an abusive relationship. Another ended up in Michigan after trying to get care in her home state of Ohio; she was handed a Bible at a crisis pregnancy center but no abortion pills. A third thought her childbearing years were behind her and had been looking forward to rejoining the workforce. (Wells, 11/8)

From South Dakota, Oregon, and Arizona —

NBC News: Oregon Votes On Stricter Gun Laws, The Only Ballot Measure Nationwide That Addresses Gun Violence
The gun-control initiative, which critics say is the nation’s “most extreme,” requires people to obtain permits and complete safety training to acquire a firearm. It also bans high-capacity magazines and calls for State Police to create and maintain a searchable database of gun ownership. (Chan, 11/7)

Modern Healthcare: This Election Day, South Dakota Votes On Medicaid Expansion
South Dakotans will vote Tuesday on whether to expand Medicaid coverage to low-income adults through a ballot initiative that's garnered endorsements from key players in the Mount Rushmore State's healthcare industry. (Berryman, 11/7)

Stat: In Arizona’s Race For Governor, Kari Lake Fans Republican Fury Over Fauci, Fentanyl And Gender-Affirming Care
On a windy, warm November night, thousands of Arizona Democrats lined the perimeter of a Tempe high school, desperate to get into the school’s auditorium for a chance to see former President Barack Obama. They weren’t optimistic — about getting in, or the party’s chances in the midterms. (Owermohle, 11/7)

USA Today: Latinas Disproportionately Impacted By Abortion Bans, Study Finds
Latinas are the largest group of women of color affected by current or potential state abortion bans and restrictions, according to an analysis of data published by two advocacy groups. More than 6.5 million Latinas – or 42% of Latinas ages 15 to 49 – live in the 26 states that have banned or are likely to ban abortion, according to the report by the National Partnership for Women & Families and the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice. (Fernando, 11/7)

In other abortion updates —

AP: S. Carolina Legislature's Final Effort To Tweak Abortion Law
After a dozen meetings and sessions over the summer and fall, South Carolina lawmakers are almost out of time to do something to change the state’s abortion laws during a special session prompted by the overturning of Roe v. Wade. A conference committee of state senators and House members will meet one last time Wednesday morning to try to sort out a compromise between the House, which wants a near total abortion ban, and the Senate, which wants to tweak the current law that amounts to a ban about six weeks after conception. (Collins, 11/8)

Reuters: New Mexico City Passes Ordinance To Block Abortion Clinics From Operating
A New Mexico town near the Texas border on Monday unanimously passed an ordinance designed to ban abortions, despite the procedure being legal in the state. The so-called "sanctuary city for the unborn" ordinance blocks abortion clinics from operating and its passage by the Hobbs city commission marks a first for a town in a state controlled by the Democratic Party, according to anti-abortion advocates. (Brooks, 11/7)

Dallas Morning News: Reproductive Justice Organization Opens New Facility In Southern Dallas
The Afiya Center, a reproductive justice organization, just opened its Southern Roots Birthing and Wellness Center last weekend complete with fitness classes, doula services, and prenatal and postpartum care. (Reddy, 11/7)

CNN: Video Exclusive: Inside The Arizona Abortion Clinic With 'Nightmarish' Atmosphere
As abortion laws in Arizona hang in the balance, patients and providers are left with the consequences. CNN visited Planned Parenthood in Tempe the day it resumed abortion services. (11/5)

The Hill: VA To Prioritize Veterans With Cancer In Line For Benefits From New Toxic Exposure Law
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will give priority to veterans with cancer when it begins processing benefits claims under the landmark toxic exposure law signed this summer, VA Secretary Denis McDonough announced Monday. “I’m proud to announce for the first time today, on National Cancer Awareness Day, that we’re expediting benefits delivery for veterans with cancer conditions covered by law,” McDonough said during an appearance at the National Press Club. (Mitchell, 11/7)

Military.Com: VA To Move Veterans With Cancer To Front Of The PACT Act Line
The VA is set to begin processing claims for benefits filed under the toxic exposure bill, known as the Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics, or PACT, Act, on Jan. 1. The law designated 23 diseases as presumed to be linked to burn pits used during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and other airborne pollutants and environmental hazards from earlier conflicts, meaning veterans with those ailments will now have a streamlined process for claiming health care and disability benefits. (Kheel, 11/7)

In updates on toxic screenings —

Stars And Stripes: Toxic Screening Will Expand To All VA Facilities, Veterans Enrolled In The Agency’s Health Care System
The Department of Veterans Affairs on Tuesday will expand toxic screening to all veterans enrolled in its health care system in the United States under a new law that expands eligibility for care and benefits for those exposed to burn pits and other toxins, agency officials announced Monday. (Samora, 11/7)

Military.Com: VA Starts Doing Toxic Exposure Screenings As Advocates Press For Medical Testing
Primary care physicians within the Veterans Health Administration will begin asking their patients this week whether they think they were exposed to environmental hazards during their service -- a conversation Department of Veterans Affairs officials say should lead to increased awareness and treatment for medical conditions linked to burn pits, pesticides, industrial chemicals and other toxins vets encountered in the military. But advocates for military personnel and veterans say the five-minute screening doesn't go far enough and are pressing the VA for medical screenings, including cancer tests, for those who served in geographic areas with the most likelihood for exposure. (Kime, 11/7)

In related cancer news —

KATU: Service Members At Risk? Young Female Veterans Face Devastating Breast Cancer Diagnoses 
Spotlight on America dug into the prevalence of breast cancer among servicewomen and learned that military women have a 20-40% higher risk than their civilian counterparts, according to a 2009 study published by the National Institutes of Health. (Daniels, Nejman and Brauer, 11/7)

The Free Lance-Star: Army Veteran ‘A Testimony’ To Breast Cancer For Men
As the radiologist drew a tissue sample for a biopsy, Army veteran Boyd Elliott knew by the look on her face that something wasn’t right, but he wasn’t prepared for the news that followed. He had cancer — breast cancer. (Dyson, 11/6)

Also —

Reuters: Supreme Court Rebuffs U.S. Veteran's Disability Case, One Conservative Justice Dissenting
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear a dispute involving an Air Force veteran's bid to reinstate certain disability benefits denied by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, prompting a sharp dissent by conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch. (Chung, 11/7)

KHN: Defense Department Health Plan Cuts Its Pharmacy Network by Nearly 15,000 Outlets
Doris Spatz takes a once-a-day pill, Kisqali, to keep her metastatic breast cancer in check. As a patient in the Defense Department health system, she can fill routine prescriptions at a military pharmacy without a copay but also has the option of using a regular pharmacy through Tricare, the Defense Department’s private health care program. Spatz found a local pharmacy in her Alexandria, Virginia, neighborhood and was getting the life-preserving medicine there. (Kime, 11/8)

The Washington Post: Did Pandemic Stress Change Women’s Periods? 
During the pandemic, many women experienced high levels of stress as they took on a disproportionate share of child care and housework and dropped out of the labor force in large numbers. Now, a new study suggests that all of this extra stress may have changed women’s menstrual cycles in a variety of ways. Some women who reported high levels of stress also reported early or delayed periods. Others had heavier menstrual flow or increased spotting between cycles. Some women said that during pandemic stress, their periods lasted more days than usual, while others said their periods got shorter. (Morris, 11/7)

Express UK: New Study Shows Pandemic Stress Linked To Longer, Heavier And More Frequent Periods 
Research by the University of Pittsburgh in the US, found that more than half of the participants in a study reported changes in their periods. The four changes were: Menstrual cycle length, period duration, menstrual flow, [and] Increased spotting. (Callingham, 10/31)

In other pandemic research —

The New York Times: Covid Patients Coming Off Ventilators Can Take Weeks To Regain Consciousness 
The brains of unconscious Covid patients bear a striking resemblance to those of turtles that spend the winter encased in ice, argued Dr. Nicholas Schiff, a neurologist at Weill Cornell Medicine, and his collaborator, Dr. Emery Brown, a computational neuroscientist at M.I.T. The turtles survive by putting their neurons into an unusual quiet state that lasts for months. Dr. Schiff and Dr. Brown believe that the combination of Covid and sedatives prompts a similar response in people. (Zimmer, 11/7)

CNN: Eating Disorders In Young People Skyrocketed During Pandemic, Study Shows 
Alongside the many impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on pediatric care, researchers have seen a stark increase in young adults seeking treatment for disordered eating behaviors. (Holcombe, 11/7)

Roll Call: Possible End Of Emergency Spurs Debate On Medicaid
The potential end of the COVID-19 public health emergency has reinvigorated debate over the merits and costs of expanding Medicaid. A provision of a 2020 COVID-19 relief bill required that states keep people continuously enrolled in Medicaid through the end of the month in which the COVID-19 public health emergency ends in exchange for more federal funding. (Papp, 11/7)

More on the spread of covid —

The Wall Street Journal: A U.S. Research Station In Antarctica Is Stopping Travel After Covid-19 Outbreak 
The National Science Foundation is shutting down travel to McMurdo Station in Antarctica after nearly 10% of the population tested positive for Covid-19. All travel to the U.S. outpost on Antarctica will be paused for the next two weeks due to the outbreak, the National Science Foundation said over the weekend. The halt on travel doesn’t apply to essential travel for health and safety reasons, the foundation said. (De Avila, 11/7)

San Francisco Chronicle: COVID In California: Positive-Test Rate Creeps Back Up In S.F.
The seven-day rolling coronavirus test positivity rate in San Francisco has started to creep back up after falling steadily since July. It was 5.1% as of Oct. 31, the most recent date with reliable data, after dropping as low as 4.5% the previous week. (Fracassa and Vaziri, 11/7)

Stat: Could NASCAR Vaccine Sites Persuade People To Get Covid Shots?
Under the bright lights of the Phoenix Raceway, as 100,000 people gathered to watch NASCAR drivers hurtle toward this year’s championship, a small battalion of nurses and trainees took on an even more daunting challenge: convincing attendees to get vaccinated against Covid-19. (Owermohle, 11/7)

The Hill: Half Of Dentists Say Patients Come To Appointments High
Fifty-two percent of dentists say patients have arrived to appointments high on marijuana or another drug, according to a new survey from the American Dental Association (ADA).  ... Of the 557 dentists included in the online survey, 56 percent said they’ve limited treatment to patients who were high, while 46 percent reported needing to increase anesthesia to treat these patients due to the combined effects of marijuana and anesthesia on the central nervous system. (Melillo, 11/7)

More news about health care personnel —

Healthcare Dive: Mass General Brigham Adopts Patient Code Of Conduct 
Mass General Brigham has implemented a system-wide code of conduct for patients, in response to a rise in violent and hostile behavior toward healthcare providers around the country, a spokesperson told Healthcare Dive in an email Friday. Under the policy, words and actions that are “disrespectful, racist, discriminatory, hostile or harassing” may be grounds for patients to be asked to make other plans for their care, the hospital system said. (Kelly, 11/7)

Billings Gazette: Hospital ER Violence Is Rising, Workers Fight To Make Assault Of A Provider A Felony
Following a nationwide trend of increasing violence in EDs, the phenomenon has taken a turn in Montana’s hospitals. Once saluted as heroes during the darkest months of the pandemic, health care workers are now facing violence and aggression on a daily basis. (Schabacker, 11/7)

Axios: More Doctors Are Unionizing Amid Burnout, Industry Consolidation
Burnout and health industry consolidation are driving more doctors and doctors-in-training to unionize to demand better pay, benefits and working conditions. (Dreher, 11/7)

CBS News: Former Wisconsin Hospice Nurse Accused Of Amputating Dying Man's Foot Without His Permission
A former Wisconsin hospice nurse is facing felony charges after allegedly cutting off a dying man's foot without his consent or permission from doctors. Mary Brown, 38, faces one count of physical abuse of an elderly person and one count of mayhem. (Martinez, 11/7)

In other health care industry updates —

CBS News: The IRS Is Making Big Changes To FSAs And HSAs. Here's What To Know
In 2023, employees can put away as much as $3,050 in an FSA, an increase of about 7% from the current tax year's cap of $2,850. Meanwhile, single workers who want to fund an HSA can save up to $3,850 next year, a 5.5% increase from 2022, while families can save up to $7,750, up 6.2%. (Picchi, 11/7)

Modern Healthcare: Cross-Market Health System Mergers May Drive Higher Prices: Study
More than half of the 1,500 hospitals targeted by health systems between 2010 and 2019 were located in a different commuting zone than the acquirer, according to an analysis of American Hospital Association data published Monday in Health Affairs. There are 625 commuting zones across the country, ranging from a size of one county to 20 counties. (Kacik, 11/7)

Axios: Medicare Eyes Changes To Pay For Specialty Care
The Biden administration is getting serious about transforming Medicare payments for specialty care. Some doctors will be required to participate in programs that pay fixed amounts for care connected to certain surgeries and procedures. (Goldman, 11/8)

Modern Healthcare: Clover Health Drops ACO REACH Participation In 2023
Clover Health will shrink its participation in a federal payment program that allows companies new to Medicare to manage care for individuals enrolled in traditional, fee-for-service plans. (Tepper, 11/7)

NBC News: New Drug May Help People With Uncontrolled High Blood Pressure
Patients who took a daily dose of the drug, baxdrostat, were able to reduce their blood pressure substantially, compared to a people who got a placebo, according to the study published in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented at the American Heart Association annual meeting on Monday. The new type of oral medication works by targeting a hormone that regulates the amount of salt in the body. (Carroll, 11/7)

The Wall Street Journal: Medtronic Blood-Pressure Device Curbs Hypertension, But Misses Top Goal In Study 
A Medtronic PLC medical device reduced the blood pressure of people with tough-to-treat hypertension in a closely watched study, but not significantly beyond what medications achieved. The device cut a crucial measure of blood pressure by only about two points more than the average reduction in study volunteers who didn’t get the procedure, researchers said Monday. (Loftus, 11/7)

In other pharmaceutical news —

Reuters: U.S. Supreme Court Rejects Bristol Myers Cancer-Drug Patent Fight With Gilead 
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rebuffed a bid by Bristol Myers Squibb Co's Juno Therapeutics Inc to reinstate a $1.2 billion award it won in its patent fight with Gilead Sciences Inc subsidiary Kite Pharma Inc over a lymphoma drug. (Brittain, 11/7)

Stat: FDA Places Clinical Hold On Verve Gene-Editing Treatment
Verve Therapeutics said Monday that its experimental gene-editing treatment for a common form of heart disease was placed on clinical hold by the Food and Drug Administration, potentially delaying an ongoing, early-stage clinical trial. (Feuerstein, 11/7)

Modern Healthcare: Walgreens' VillageMD To Buy Summit Health-CityMD In $8.9B Deal
VillageMD, a unit of Walgreens Boots Alliance, will acquire Summit Health-CityMD for $8.9 billion, the companies announced Monday. (Hudson, 11/7)

Reuters: Express Scripts To Pay $3.2 Mln To Settle Massachusetts Overcharge Claims
Pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts Inc has agreed to pay $3.2 million to settle claims that it overcharged Massachusetts' workers' compensation insurance system for prescription drugs, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey announced Monday. (Pierson, 11/7)

KHN: Pfizer’s Covid Cash Powers A ‘Marketing Machine’ On The Hunt For New Supernovas 
For drugmaker Pfizer, a fortune amassed in the covid pandemic is now paving the path to pharma nirvana: a weight loss pill worth billions. The company has reaped nearly $100 billion from selling covid-19 vaccines and treatments to U.S. taxpayers and foreign governments. With that windfall, it plans to get richer, sinking the cash into developing and marketing potential blockbusters for conditions like migraines, ulcerative colitis, prostate cancer, sickle cell disease, and obesity. (Allen, 11/8)

Also —

The Wall Street Journal: Theranos Founder Elizabeth Holmes Is Denied A Bid For New Trial 
A federal judge denied Elizabeth Holmes’s bid for a new trial, the latest setback for the Theranos Inc. founder who was convicted of fraud in January. U.S. District Judge Edward Davila, who oversaw Ms. Holmes’s trial which began last year, said in a ruling late Monday that the arguments in her three motions for a new trial didn’t introduce material new evidence or establish government misconduct, adding that a new trial was unlikely to result in an acquittal. (Somerville, 11/8)

Public Health Watch: Why Texas Republicans Still Oppose Medicaid Expansion 
One afternoon in April 2021, state Sen. Nathan Johnson sprinted through the Texas Capitol building, determined to reach the House chamber in time to see history made. For one of the few times since the Affordable Care Act was passed in 2010, the full Texas House was going to vote on a proposal to expand Medicaid, the program that provides health care to America’s poorest. (Krisberg and Leffler, 11/7)

News Service of Florida: Groups Challenge The State Over Minimum Wage For Medicaid Providers
Three health care groups are challenging how the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration is carrying out a requirement that “direct care” workers get paid a minimum of $15 an hour. (Saunders, 11/7)

The Boston Globe: ‘We’re Getting Cheated Out Of Something’: Three Boston Neighborhoods Are About To Lose A Pharmacy
The three stores will shutter in quick succession: 2275 Washington Street near Roxbury’s Nubian Square is set to close Tuesday, 1329 Hyde Park Avenue in Hyde Park on Wednesday, and 90 River St. in Mattapan on Thursday. The pharmacies — all located in overwhelmingly Black and Hispanic communities — are transferring patient files to other Walgreens locations, but each are at least a mile’s walk away. (Gerber, 11/7)

Bangor Daily News: Augusta Hospital Proposes $36M Cancer Center Expansion In Anticipation Of More Cases
An Augusta hospital is planning a $36 million expansion of its cancer treatment center, anticipating that the region it serves will see more cancer cases in the coming years. (O'Brien, 11/7)

Bay Area News Group: Fentanyl Bill Announced After Two Students Nearly Overdose In San Jose
State Sen. Dave Cortese said he was inspired to draft the bill in part by a Bay Area News Group report last month, which found that fentanyl deaths have spiked sixfold among California youths aged 15-to-24 in the last three years. “Fentanyl now causes one fifth of youth deaths in California,” Cortese said, citing the report. “It can’t wait any longer.” (Nickerson, 11/7)

Modern Healthcare: Pediatric Hospitals Face Staffing Crisis, Surge In Respiratory Cases 
Pediatric hospital leaders are now confronting unprecedented challenges that have emerged in the aftermath of the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Among them are a youth mental health crisis and large-scale staffing shortages leaving hospitals depleted of their most vital resource. (Paul Kempinski, 11/8)

Stat: Real-Time Data Are Needed To Monitor Health After Disasters
When investigating the health effects of a disaster like a hurricane or an oil spill on community members and cleanup workers, the most valuable information for researchers is timely health and exposure data from them. (Susan Arnold, 11/8)

Miami Herald: Restrictive Government Regulations Are Strangling Health-Insurance Options In Florida
It’s open-enrollment season and, once again, Floridians are facing a bigger jump in Obamacare premiums (7.2%) than the rest of the country (6.2%). This year’s increase means that, since the law took effect, Obamacare premiums have risen a cumulative 265%. (Michael F. Cannon, 11/7)

Modern Healthcare: Marketing Challenges For The Healthcare Industry 
Building, strengthening and maintaining connections through marketing is especially critical and challenging for the healthcare industry, where lives are at stake and trust is paramount. (Mary Ellen Podmolik, 11/8)

Stat: To Keep Kids Healthy, Oppose Sales Of Flavored Nicotine Products
Californians have an opportunity on Tuesday to protect the health of their children by voting yes on Proposition 31, which would be a vote to prohibit the sale of nearly all flavored tobacco products in the state. It’s a much-needed move, and one that every state in the nation should be taking. (Margaret Foti and Clifford Hudis, 11/7)