The New York Times: Brett Kavanaugh, Facing New Allegations, Vows He Will Not Withdraw 
Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh, facing new allegations of sexual impropriety and growing doubts over his confirmation to the Supreme Court, mounted an aggressive defense of himself on Monday, vowing to fight the “smears” and declaring that he will not withdraw his nomination. With President Trump publicly backing him, and senior Senate Republicans closing ranks around him, Judge Kavanaugh — joined by his wife, Ashley Estes Kavanaugh — gave an extraordinary interview to Fox News that aired Monday evening. He pledged to “defend my integrity, my lifelong record,” and told his interviewer, Martha MacCallum, that he “did not have sexual intercourse or anything close to sexual intercourse in high school or for many years thereafter.” (Stolberg and Edmondson, 9/24)

NPR: Brett Kavanaugh Says 'I'm Not Going Anywhere' Following 2nd Accusation
"We're looking for a fair process where I can be heard and defend my integrity and my lifelong record of promoting dignity and equality for women, starting with the women who knew me when I was 14 years old. I'm not going anywhere," Kavanaugh said. (Naylor, Taylor and Snell, 9/24)

The Wall Street Journal: Republicans Rally Around Kavanaugh Nomination
Republicans rallied around embattled Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, vowing Monday to push his confirmation through the Senate even as a new allegation of sexual misconduct emerged days before a hearing on an earlier assault claim. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) took to the Senate floor to call the allegations a “smear campaign” and promise a vote on the Senate floor to confirm the judge “in the near future.” President Trump, in New York for a United Nations meeting Monday, reiterated his support for his second Supreme Court pick, saying, “I am with him all the way.” (Andrews and Peterson, 9/24)

Politico: Kavanaugh Drama Rattles GOP Support
Senate Republicans have gone from confidently predicting the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court to a new message: It all comes down to Thursday. The GOP is staking Kavanaugh’s prospects to his hearing later this week, when he and Christine Blasey Ford will testify publicly about her allegations that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in high school more than 30 years ago. (Everett and Bresnahan, 9/24)

Politico: Graham: Ford’s Testimony Won’t Change My Vote
Sen. Lindsey Graham said Sunday the testimony of Brett Kavanaugh’s accuser won’t change his mind, no matter what she says. “You can’t bring it in a criminal court, you would never sue civilly, you couldn’t even get a warrant,” Graham said on “Fox News Sunday” with Chris Wallace. “What am I supposed to do? Go ahead and ruin this guy’s life based on an accusation? I don’t know when it happened, I don’t know where it happened, and everybody named in regard to being there said it didn’t happen.” (Kullgren, 9/23)

Reuters: Some 129 Countries Sign Up To Trump's Pledge At U.N. To Fight Drugs
Some 129 countries at the United Nations signed on to a U.S.-drafted pledge to fight the global drug problem on Monday that U.S. President Donald Trump warned presented a public health and national security threat. In order to attend the brief U.N. event with Trump, countries had to sign the one-page "call to action on the world drug problem." Trump held a similar event at the annual gathering of world leaders in New York last year, focused on U.N. reform. (Nichols and Mason, 9/24)

USA Today: Donald Trump: United Nations Must Confront Confront 'Scourge' Of Drugs
Trump did not discuss specific actions he wanted other countries to take. The U.S. is dealing with an opioid crisis that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says claimed a staggering 72,000 lives last year. (Fritze and Shesgreen, 9/24)

Other news on the epidemic comes out of Virginia, California and New Hampshire —

Kaiser Health News: Workers Overdose On The Job, And Employers Struggle To Respond
Jimmy Sullivan prepared for his job as a bricklayer the same way every morning for years: injecting a shot of heroin before leaving his car. The first time he overdosed on the job, in 2013 at a Virginia construction site, a co-worker who is his cousin stealthily injected a dose of Narcan, an opioid antidote, into Sullivan’s leg. He woke up and went straight back to work. The second time, in 2014, his cousin revived him again, and after resting for an hour in his car, Sullivan was back on the job. His boss told him not to let it happen again. But within a month, Sullivan had again overdosed on the job site. This time, another worker called 911. After a few hours at the hospital, he went back to work. (Gold, 9/25)

California Healthline: Judges In California Losing Sway Over Court-Ordered Drug Treatment 
Dressed in jailhouse orange, with hands and feet shackled, Jimi Ray Haynes stood up in a Santa Cruz County courtroom and pleaded guilty to a felony weapons charge. Haynes, then 32, had spent the previous two weeks in jail detoxing from methamphetamine and heroin. The judge told Haynes he could serve part of his yearlong jail sentence in a drug treatment program rather than locked in county jail. (Rinker, 9/24)

New Hampshire Union Leader: Sununu Center Eyed For New Use As Drug Treatment Center 
The Sununu Youth Services Center could begin hosting a privately operated, 36-bed drug treatment center for youth by November, a key state lawmaker said on Monday. Construction retrofits of $1.2 million have already taken place at the youth detention facility. Health and Human Services Commissioner Jeffrey Meyers is in negotiations with a private organization to operate a facility there, said state Rep. Frank Byron, chairman of a study committee considering the future of the Sununu Center. Byron said Meyers should have a contract for the Governor and Executive Council in an upcoming meeting, and portions of the treatment facility could be in place by November. (Hayward, 9/24)

The Wall Street Journal: Health-Care Stocks Lead This Leg Of Rally, After Tech Giants’ Stumbles
Health-care stocks have emerged as market leaders in the third quarter, helping push major U.S. indexes to new highs. One reason: money managers are embracing the sector as a safety play, particularly after big technology stocks stumbled in September. (Wursthorn, 9/25)

In other news from the industry —

The Wall Street Journal: TPG In Exclusive Talks To Take Over Abraaj’s $1 Billion Health-Care Fund
U.S. private-equity firm TPG is in exclusive talks to take over Abraaj Group’s $1 billion health-care fund, according to a letter to employees of the fund. Abraaj was the largest private-equity firm in the Middle East with almost $14 billion of assets until it filed for provisional liquidation in June. The Dubai-based firm is selling assets and winding down operations. It got into difficulty in 2017 after investors in its health-care fund, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the World Bank, started investigating whether their money was being mismanaged. (Clark and Louch, 9/24)

Bloomberg: J&J Talc Cancer Case Ends In Mistrial With Divided Jury 
Johnson & Johnson’s latest trial over claims that its baby powder causes cancer ended in a stalemate when jurors couldn’t agree on a verdict. A state judge in Pasadena, California, declared a mistrial Monday after jurors deadlocked on Carolyn Weirick’s request for at least $25 million in damages over her mesothelioma, a cancer linked to asbestos exposure. Weirick said she developed the disease from asbestos-laced baby powder. (Feeley, Fisk and Favot, 9/24)

Boston Globe: Abortion Rights Group Backs Jay Gonzalez For Governor Over Charlie Baker
NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts PAC says it is planning to endorse Democrat Jay Gonzalez over the Republican incumbent, arguing that it’s looking for a more forceful advocate for abortion rights and family planning in the corner office. Gena Frank, the groups’ legislative and political director, said its nonpartisan PAC views Gonzalez as a “bold champion” who stood with the organization at a rally Monday demanding that Brett Kavanaugh, President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, withdraw amid sexual assault allegations, including a claim he attempted to assault a woman, Christine Blasey Ford, more than three decades ago when they were both teenagers. (Stout, 9/25)

Nashville Tennessean: Governor’s Race: Where Do The Candidates Stand On Health Care?
When it comes to political issues, health care is one that many consumers feel strongly about. Health care is a big part of almost everyone’s life, so it’s often a key issue in political races. This will likely be true in Tennessee’s upcoming governor’s race, where Republican Bill Lee will face off against Democrat Karl Dean in November. Further, because Tennessee consistently falls in the top 10 unhealthiest states, this is an issue with particular relevance. (Tolbert, 9/24)

Texas Tribune: Ken Paxton, Justin Nelson Fight Over Obamacare In Texas Race
As the lawsuit comes into play in races across the country, Nelson’s campaign has seized on it as perhaps its best bet at victory. Focusing on protections for pre-existing conditions — one of the most popular provisions of Obama’s landmark health law — Nelson has framed the lawsuit as his opponent’s attempt to wrench health care away from Texas’ most vulnerable residents. (Platoff, 9/25)

Boston Globe: Health Care Watchdog To Weigh In On Costs Of Nurse Staffing Ballot Question
Massachusetts’ health care watchdog agency on Monday said that it is studying the cost implications of a state ballot question to regulate nurse staffing in hospitals, in the first independent study of the controversial proposal. Officials at the Health Policy Commission revealed they have been analyzing the issue for several weeks and plan to release their findings at a public meeting on Oct. 3. (Dayal McCluskey, 9/24)

WBUR: WBUR Poll: Ballot Question About Mass. Nurse Staffing Is A Dead Heat
Massachusetts voters are evenly split over a ballot question about mandatory staffing levels for nurses, according to a WBUR-MassINC Polling Group poll. ...Advocates of new nursing regulations say nurses want to limit their numbers of assigned patients. Opponents claim nurses are actually on their side — and don't want a new law to dictate staffing levels. (Borchers, 9/25)

The New York Times: Trial By Fire: Critics Demand That A Huge Sepsis Study Be Stopped
A large government trial comparing treatments for a life-threatening condition called sepsis is putting participants at risk of organ failure and even death, critics charge, and should be immediately shut down. A detailed analysis of the trial design prepared by senior investigators at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in Bethesda, Md., concluded that the study “places seriously ill patients at risk without the possibility of gaining information that can provide benefits either to the subjects or to future patients.” (Rabin, 9/24)

The New York Times: Giving Malaria A Deadline
Malaria is among the world’s worst scourges. In 2016 the disease, which is caused by a parasite and transmitted by mosquitoes, infected 194 million people in Africa and caused 445,000 deaths. But biologists now have developed a way of manipulating mosquito genetics that forces whole populations of the insect to self-destruct. The technique has proved so successful in laboratory tests that its authors envisage malaria could be eliminated from large regions of Africa within two decades. (Wade, 9/24)

The New York Times: Should You Give Birth At A Birth Center?
When Gillian Tarr became pregnant with her second child, she chose a free-standing birth center in Seattle for her prenatal care and delivery. Her first baby had been born in a hospital, and while it was a relatively uncomplicated birth, she felt dissatisfied with the care she received. “It was impersonal and lacked any real support,” said Dr. Tarr, an epidemiologist now living in Calgary, Alberta. (Callahan, 9/25)

The Associated Press: WHO Warns Of ‘Perfect Storm’ For Ebola In Eastern Congo
The emergencies chief for the World Health Organization says insecurity, public defiance about vaccinations and political jockeying could create a “perfect storm” leading Congo’s latest Ebola outbreak to spread. Dr. Peter Salama says the response is at a “critical juncture” in eastern North Kivu province, where the outbreak was declared nearly two months ago. Health officials have counted 150 confirmed and probable cases, including over 100 deaths. (9/25)

The Associated Press: Implant, Intense Rehab Help 3 Paralyzed For Years Take Steps
Three people whose legs were paralyzed for years can stand and take steps again thanks to an electrical implant that zaps the injured spinal cord — along with months of intense rehab, researchers reported Monday. The milestone, reported by two teams of scientists working separately, isn't a cure. The patients walk only with assistance — holding onto a rolling walker or with other help to keep their balance. Switch off the spinal stimulator and they no longer can voluntarily move their legs. (Neergaard, 9/24)

The Washington Post: Paralyzed People Are Beginning To Walk With A New Kind Of Therapy
Kelly Thomas woke up in a Florida hospital four years ago with no recollection of the car accident that had robbed her of the ability to walk. Thomas, an active college student who had barrel raced in rodeos, moved to Kentucky for a year to try out a research study that she hoped would retrain her spinal cord on how to walk. In February, a trainer who had been scooting along the floor at Thomas’s feet, helping her move her legs and place her feet as she used a walker, stopped and stood up. (Johnson, 9/24)

The Washington Post: Weight Watchers Slims Down To WW. (No One Likes A Diet.)
Want to lose weight? That’s what Weight Watchers is doing in the name of ... a new name. The wellness behemoth its dropping its brand name in exchange for something slimmer: “WW.” The company says the new logo -- coupled with the tagline “Wellness that Works” -- puts an emphasis on overall health and well being, with less of a concerted focus on counting calories and shedding pounds. The logo “WW” has been used before, including in the company’s current app, but Monday marks the start of a company-wide overhaul. But not all are convinced that “WW” is a winner, and that it may instead confuse potential customers tripping over a double-letter tongue-twister. (Siegel, 9/24)

The Wall Street Journal: Weight Watchers Changes Name As It Shifts Mission
In February, the company’s Chief Executive Mindy Grossmantold stock analysts the “world doesn’t need another diet.” Instead, she said, customers need help becoming healthier. WW also said Monday that it will launch new products to reflect the company’s focus. Customers who sign up for the “WellnessWins” program, for example, earn “Wins” for tracking meals, activities, weight and for attending WW Wellness Workshops that they can redeem for products and services. It will be launched for all WW customers in the U.S. on Oct. 4. The firm is also creating what it calls “Connect Groups,” each of which is built around a theme like food, activities or “Life Stages,” according to WW. (Maidenberg, 9/24)

Reuters: Facebook Not Protecting Content Moderators From Mental Trauma: Lawsuit
A former Facebook Inc contract employee filed a lawsuit in California, alleging that content moderators who face mental trauma after reviewing distressing images on the platform are not being properly protected by the social networking company. Facebook moderators under contract are "bombarded" with "thousands of videos, images and livestreamed broadcasts of child sexual abuse, rape, torture, bestiality, beheadings, suicide and murder," the lawsuit said. (Vengattil and Babu, 9/24)

The Washington Post: A Content Moderator Says She Got PTSD While Reviewing Images Posted On Facebook
The suit by former moderator Selena Scola, who worked at Facebook from June 2017 until March, alleges that she witnessed thousands of acts of extreme and graphic violence “from her cubicle in Facebook’s Silicon Valley offices,” where Scola was charged with enforcing the social network’s extensive rules prohibiting certain types of content on its systems. Scola, who worked at Facebook through a third-party contracting company, developed post-traumatic stress disorder “as a result of constant and unmitigated exposure to highly toxic and extremely disturbing images at the workplace,” the suit says. (Dwoskin, 9/24)

Los Angeles Times: Former Content Moderator Files Lawsuit Against Facebook, Claims The Job Gave Her PTSD
“Facebook is ignoring its duty to provide a safe workplace and instead creating a revolving door of contractors who are irreparably traumatized by what they witnessed on the job,” Korey Nelson, an attorney with Burns Charest LLP, said in a statement. The firm is seeking class-action status for the lawsuit. ...Facebook and other internet service providers voluntarily established industry standards for training, counseling and supporting content moderators more than a decade ago, attorneys said. The lawsuit claims Facebook does not follow the workplace safety guidelines it helped create. (Parvini, 9/24)

Columbus Dispatch: Kasich Moves To Close Gaps In Gun Background Checks
Ohio Gov. John Kasich is moving to close background-reporting gaps that could permit criminal suspects and mentally ill individuals to buy guns — despite laws forbidding such sales. A group Kasich appointed to dig into Ohio’s submission of information to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System used by federally licensed firearms dealers found several reporting flaws. (Ludlow, 9/24)

The Associated Press: Ten Days After Florence Came Ashore, Waters Still Rising In South Carolina
More than a week ago, pastor Willie Lowrimore and some of his congregants stacked sandbags around their South Carolina church to protect it from the fury of Hurricane Florence. They moved the pews to higher ground and watched anxiously for days as the nearly black, reeking water from the swollen Waccamaw River rose, even though the hurricane was long gone. Finally, before dawn Monday, the water seeped around and over the sandbags, flooding the sanctuary. (9/24)

The Wall Street Journal: The Most Dangerous Place To Bicycle In America
Trung Huynh used a marked crosswalk with flashing yellow lights when he rode his bike across busy, six-lane Park Boulevard in Pinellas Park, Fla., one morning in June. The 18-year-old didn’t make it to the median. A white Chevy Malibu going an estimated 45 mph slammed into him and his bike, police said. Mr. Huynh died at the scene. (Calvert and Rust, 9/25)

The Washington Post: Hospital ER Reports 161 Percent Spike In Visits Involving Electric Scooters
As injured electric-scooter riders pour into emergency departments across the country, doctors have scrambled to document a trend that many view as a growing public safety crisis. A detailed statistical portrait of that crisis won’t be available for another year, emergency physicians say, but some early samples are beginning to emerge. (Holley, 9/24)

The Washington Post: Case Of Legionnaires’ Disease At Upper NW Washington Retirement Home
One case of Legionnaires’ disease has been confirmed at a retirement home in upper Northwest Washington, the D.C. health department said Monday. According to the department, the disease is serious, but can be treated successfully with antibiotics. No information about the victim’s condition was available, and the victim was not identified. The case was confirmed at the Ingleside at Rock Creek Retirement Community, on Military Road, the health department said. (Weil, 9/25)

The Associated Press: 3 Deaths Found In Investigation Of Impaired Pathologist
A Veterans Affairs hospital official said Monday investigators have discovered 11 significant errors including three deaths in more than 30,000 cases originally seen by a fired Arkansas pathologist officials say was working while impaired. Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks spokeswoman Wanda Shull said those 11 errors constituted "institutional disclosures," which are mistakes in patient care that could or did result in "death or serious injury." Shull said those veterans and their families, including families of the three deceased veterans, have been notified. (9/24)

The Associated Press: Ken Burns Turns His Attention To The Mayo Clinic
After spearheading an epic, 18-hour documentary on the Vietnam War, acclaimed filmmaker Ken Burns has turned to more personal subject matter — one that knows him very intimately, too. Burns tackles the famed Mayo Clinic in his next film, exploring the history of the innovative Rochester, Minnesota-based hospital that has been dubbed "The Miracle in a Cornfield." It has treated luminaries such as the Dalai Lama — and Burns. (9/24)

The Associated Press: Texas Prisons Often Deny Dentures To Inmates With No Teeth
Inmates without teeth in Texas are routinely denied dentures because state prison policy says chewing isn’t a medical necessity because they can eat blended food. Texas prisons’ medical providers approved 71 dentures to a state inmate population of more than 149,000 in 2016, the Houston Chronicle reported. It’s a sharp decline from 15 years ago, when more than 1,000 dental prosthetics were approved. (9/24)

Los Angeles Times: West Nile Virus Kills At Least 4 In California, Health Officials Say
At least four people in California have died of West Nile virus this year, state health officials said. The first deaths were reported earlier this month in Glenn and Yuba counties, the officials said. Two other deaths occurred in Placer and Yolo counties. On Monday, Butte County reported a West Nile virus death. The patient who died reported symptoms in August and was between 50 to 70 years old. (Parvini, 9/24)

Wyoming Public Radio: Flu Vaccine Fell Short Last Year, But Experts Say Getting Your Flu Shot Is Still Critical
The flu epidemic was especially deadly last year. And our region was no exception. Tens of thousands of people are estimated to have died in the U.S. from the flu virus last season, including a record high of 180 children. (Budner, 9/24)

Austin American-Statesman: Health Experts Push For Early Flu Shots To Prevent Epidemic
With the last flu season’s record death count of 49 in Travis County, local health experts say Austin residents should get the flu vaccination as soon as possible to avoid an epidemic. ...Dr. Philip Huang, the health authority for the city of Austin, said he was not aware of any recent flu cases in the Austin area this season but he recommended that residents, especially children and people 65 or older, take precautions and get the flu vaccine by Oct. 1. (Mendez, 9/24)

Iowa Public Radio: Northwest Iowa Town Asks Residents To Conserve Water After Heavy Rain Affects Water System
High water pressure caused a City of Paullina water line to burst last week. The line feeds into the city’s wells and water tower – the main source of drinking water for the city’s 1,000 people. Officials have since fixed and cleaned the line, but after testing on Sunday showed bacteria in the line, they’re cleaning it again. (Peikes, 9/24)

Des Moines Register: Des Moines Psychiatrist Bertroche Surrenders Medical License, Retires
A Des Moines psychiatrist has surrendered his medical license and is retiring, state regulators said. J. Patrick Bertroche, 51, turned in his license this month, the Iowa Board of Medicine reported. The board, which regulates physicians, said the action came after the agency “received information which indicates (Bertroche) suffers from a health condition which impairs his ability to practice medicine.” Bertroche paid a $5,000 fine to the state board last year, after regulators said he inappropriately pre-signed blank prescription orders for his staff to fill out later. Besides paying the fine, he agreed to attend a medical-ethics course. (Leys, 9/24)

Kaiser Health News: Parents Are Leery Of Schools Requiring ‘Mental Health’ Disclosures By Students
Children registering for school in Florida this year were asked to reveal some history about their mental health. The new requirement is part of a law rushed through the state legislature after the February shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. On registration forms for new students, the state’s school districts now must ask whether a child has ever been referred for mental health services. (Ochoa, 9/25)

San Francisco Chronicle: Explainer: What Is This “SF Mandates” Healthcare Surcharge On My Restaurant Bill?
San Franciscans may have grown accustomed — in a grumbling, resentful kind of way — to spotting an “S.F. Mandates” surcharge on the bottom of the check they receive from a restaurant. But it still comes as a surprise to visitors from other parts of the country. (Kauffman, 9/24)

New Hampshire Public Radio: Study Of Marijuana Legalization In N.H. Nears Completion
The commission studying marijuana legalization in New Hampshire will be making up to 50 recommendations in its report due November 1st. Just don’t expect an up-or-down vote to recommend recreational pot. (Tuohy, 9/24)

The Star Tribune: 'Doing Our Best': Health Care Arrives At Mpls. Homeless Camp
The street medical team is part of the first sustained and coordinated effort to bring medical care to the fast-growing encampment in south Minneapolis since people started arriving here in large numbers in early August. Alarmed by recent deaths at the camp and reports of communicable illnesses, an unprecedented coalition of local government agencies, American Indian tribes and private medical providers has joined forces to identify sick inhabitants and treat them on site. (Serres, 9/24)

The Washington Post: The GOP’s Two Top Priorities Seem To Be Duds. So What Does The Party Even Stand For?
If you’d asked me a few years ago to name the Republican Party’s top policy priorities, I would have said: 1) Obamacare repeal and 2) tax cuts.Today, the GOP seems to believe that both are duds with voters. Worse than duds: huge liabilities, ripe for Democratic exploitation. (Catherine Rampell, 9/24)

Boston Globe: The Republicans Bet On The Tax Cut — And Lost
Last December, after Senate Republicans successfully passed a $1.5 trillion tax cut, Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell went to the floor of the US Senate and declared, “If we can’t sell this to the American people, we ought to go into another line of work.” Senator McConnell, you might want to call your office. According to a report last week from Bloomberg News, an internal Republican National Committee poll shows that the GOP’s top legislative accomplishment has become an albatross around the neck of the party. By a margin of 61 percent to 30 percent, those polled view the tax cut as benefiting “large corporations and rich Americans” over “middle class families.” A majority of voters fear that the measure will lead to cuts in Social Security and Medicare to reduce the deficit, something that Republicans have already hinted at. (Michael A. Cohen, 9/24)

USA Today: Christine Blasey Ford's Long Silence On Brett Kavanaugh Is Normal
Predictably, politicians and pundits are questioning whether Christine Blasey Ford’s disclosures about Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh should be believed in view of how long she was silent. The Rape Abuse and Incest National Network reports that 1 in 4 of female students ages 18-24 experience rape or sexual assault, but that only 20 percent of them report it. According to the Justice Department, girls ages 14 to 17 experience the highest rate of sexual assault among all groups: close to 11 percent. For all children under 18, only about 13 percent of sexual assaults are reported to police. (Mary Shannon Little, 9/25)

The Washington Post: Why Some U.S. Allies Didn’t Sign Up For Trump’s Pledge To Fight Drugs
President Trump began his week at the U.N. General Assembly with an event seeking to prompt action against the global drug trade. “The call is simple,” Trump said at an event early Monday morning. “Reduce drug demand, cut off the supply of illicit drugs, expand treatment and strengthen international cooperation. If we take these steps together, we can save the lives of countless people in all corners of the world.” (Adam Taylor, 9/24)

The New York Times: An Unhealthy Plan To Drive Out Immigrants
The Trump administration has taken another step in its program to use fear and cruelty to drive out legal, as well as illegal, immigrants. On Saturday, the Department of Homeland Security proposed a rule that would enable it to deny green cards and visas to immigrants here legally who have used public health and nutrition assistance, including Medicaid and food stamps. (9/24)

Detroit Free Press: Vaping Is A Sweeping Fad And A Dangerous One For Kids
They're doing it in school bathrooms. In locker rooms. In hallways and on school grounds. The most brazen of the students? They're doing it right inside classrooms. They're vaping — inhaling vapor from electronic cigarettes that often contain the highly addictive nicotine, lured by devices that are easy to hide from adults and by flavors such as mango, crème brûlée, mint and nectar. The most recent data show that 3 million school-age children — including more than 600,000 middle school students — have tried vaping. Many are concerned that it could be a gateway to stronger substances, such as regular cigarettes or marijuana. (Lori Higgins, 9/25)

Stat: Pollution: The Hidden But Preventable Harm From U.S. Health Care
My emergency medicine team had spent several tense hours working to ease the severe asthma attack that was making breathing difficult for our 8-year-old patient. Once she was stable, her mom asked, “Why do you think her breathing got so much worse than usual?” I gave her the standard answer — maybe her daughter caught a virus or her medicine regimen needs to be changed — but I cringed a bit as I stripped off my gloves and tossed them into the overflowing waste bin, knowing that’s not the whole story. There is also air pollution from factories and power plants near her home, smog from cars and trucks, and pollution from the hospital she is being treated in. (Jonathan E. Slutzman, 9/25)

Los Angeles Times: Bummer About Your Medical Emergency, But Your Claim Is Denied Because You Didn't Call In Advance 
Of the many dubious reasons insurers use for denying claims, one of the most bizarre is telling a patient they neglected to obtain prior approval for treatment in the midst of a medical emergency. Because, of course, the first thing most people think of in a life-or-death situation is phoning some insurance company’s call center and jumping through bureaucratic hoops. (David Lazarus, 9/21)

Boston Globe: Beth Israel-Lahey Merger Could Create Strong Rival For Partners
Is this the health care breakthrough Massachusetts has been waiting for? Or is it just another burden on consumers in the making? In essence, those are the questions facing state regulators as they try to decide whether to bless a proposed merger of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Lahey Health, two prestigious institutions that want to combine into a new 13-hospital powerhouse. (9/21)