- KFF Health News Original Stories 4
- Planned Parenthood’s ‘Risky Strategy’ To Update Its Image
- Workplace Wellness Programs Barely Move The Needle, Study Finds
- Hickenlooper Expanded Medicaid, Created State-Run Marketplace To Insure Nearly All Coloradans
- Watch: ACA’s Future And ‘Medicare-For-All’ Front And Center As Candidates Line Up For 2020
- Political Cartoon: 'On Loan?'
- Coverage And Access 1
- Nation's Largest Insurer Slams 'Medicare For All' Plans As A 'Wholesale Disruption Of American Health Care'
- Administration News 2
- FDA Completely Shuts Down Sales Of Pelvic Mesh After Years Of Complaints, Lawsuits Over Safety Concerns
- Gottlieb's Departure Won't Disrupt FDA's Course On Curbing Vaping Epidemic In Teens, Acting Chief Promises
- Public Health 4
- FBI Leads Massive Manhunt For Armed, 'Extremely Dangerous' Woman Who Is 'Infatuated' With Columbine Shooting
- Public Health Advocates Worry Vaccination Science Is Becoming As Politicized As Global Warming
- Much-Touted Workplace Wellness Programs Don't Live Up To Hype In Sweeping Study That Could Put Doubts To Rest
- Nearly 90 Percent Of Participants Who Carry A BRCA Mutation Wouldn't Be Caught By 23andMe's Test For Breast Cancer, Study Finds
- Government Policy 1
- Judge Overseeing Family Reunification Process Reluctant To Set Strict Deadline But Contends Government Can Move Faster
- Marketplace 2
- Amazon Has Hired An A-List Team In Its Attempts To Disrupt Health Industry. Here's Who Is On The List.
- Where Are Americans' Tax Refunds Going? Toward Paying For Health Care.
- Opioid Crisis 1
- The Battle Over Kratom: Is It A Life-Saver For Recovering Opioid Users Or Just Another Drug To Become Addicted To?
- Women’s Health 1
- Michigan AG Promises That In 'Likely' Event Roe Is Struck Down She Won't Enforce State Abortion Ban
- State Watch 2
- Ohio Weighs Pros, Cons Of Expanding Hospital Oversight After Patient Overdose Deaths
- State Highlights: Polluted Drinking Water Plagues Coal-Fueled County In Kentucky; Officials Probe Salmonella Outbreak In 7 States
- Prescription Drug Watch 2
- Are Most People Really Paying A Lot For Drugs Every Month? No, But The Ones Who Do, Face Sky-High Bills.
- Perspectives: Importing Drugs From Canada Is Unsafe, Impractical And Unlikely To Reduce Prices
- Editorials And Opinions 2
- Different Takes: Oops, Medicare-For-All Idea Scored Big With Fox Audience; Europe's Alternatives Outperform Canada's Single Payer
- Viewpoints: Lessons On Compulsory Vaccinations And New York's Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Community; Social Media Isn't Doing Enough To Help Spread Truth About Measles
From KFF Health News - Latest Stories:
KFF Health News Original Stories
Planned Parenthood’s ‘Risky Strategy’ To Update Its Image
The nation’s largest reproductive health services provider is in the midst of a high-stakes effort to showcase what it considers its vital role in providing community health care. (Shefali Luthra and Anna Maria Barry-Jester, 4/17)
Workplace Wellness Programs Barely Move The Needle, Study Finds
New research published in JAMA detected some changes in healthy behavior like weight and stress, but little overall impact in workers’ health status or employer health care spending. (Julie Appleby, 4/16)
Hickenlooper Expanded Medicaid, Created State-Run Marketplace To Insure Nearly All Coloradans
We wondered how Colorado’s uninsured rate changed during John Hickenlooper’s time in the governor’s mansion and how it compares with the rest of the country. (Julianna Rennie, PolitiFact, 4/17)
Watch: ACA’s Future And ‘Medicare-For-All’ Front And Center As Candidates Line Up For 2020
Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News talks about the court case challenging the Affordable Care Act and Democratic proposals to expand Medicare on C-SPAN and NPR. (4/16)
KFF Health News provides a fresh take on health policy developments with "Political Cartoon: 'On Loan?'" by Dave Coverly, Speed Bump.
Here's today's health policy haiku:
A CONTROVERSY PUT TO REST?
Much-celebrated
Workplace wellness programs fall
Flat in huge study.
- Anonymous
If you have a health policy haiku to share, please Contact Us and let us know if we can include your name. Haikus follow the format of 5-7-5 syllables. We give extra brownie points if you link back to an original story.
Opinions expressed in haikus and cartoons are solely the author's and do not reflect the opinions of KFF Health News or KFF.
Summaries Of The News:
UnitedHealth Group CEO David Wichmann spoke out against the measures, which are popular among progressive Democrats and some 2020 presidential candidates. The move comes as shares of hospitals and insurers lose $28 billion in market value.
The Hill:
Largest Private Insurance Company Slams 'Medicare For All' Plans
The CEO of the nation's largest health insurer on Tuesday sharply criticized "Medicare for all" proposals being debated by Democratic lawmakers and presidential hopefuls, weighing in on a major political fight ahead of the 2020 election. Medicare for all would amount to a “wholesale disruption of American health care [that] would surely jeopardize the relationship people have with their doctors, destabilize the nation’s health system, and limit the ability of clinicians to practice medicine at their best,” UnitedHealth Group CEO David Wichmann said on a conference call. (Weixel, 4/16)
The Star Tribune:
UnitedHealth CEO Warns Against Democrats' Push For Single-Payer Health Coverage
UnitedHealth favors universal coverage through the expansion of existing private and public programs, Chief Executive David Wichmann said. He criticized the prospect of a government-led single-payer system, sometimes called Medicare for All, that would effectively eliminate private health insurers like UnitedHealthcare. “The wholesale disruption of American health care being discussed … would surely jeopardize the relationship people have with their doctors, destabilize the nation’s health system and limit the ability of clinicians to practice medicine at their best,” Wichmann said. “And the inherent cost burden would surely have a severe impact on the economy and jobs, all without fundamentally increasing access to care.” (Snowbeck, 4/16)
Bloomberg:
Health Stocks Take $28 Billion Beating In Medicare-For-All Fight
Politics can be an ugly business. Health-care politics, especially so. Health-care companies that get mixed up in politics? That’s $28 billion worth of ugly. On Tuesday, UnitedHealth Group Inc. -- treated by investors as a bellwether for the insurance sector -- waded into the debate over Medicare for All, which would expand government-administered coverage to most of the population and rewrite the businesses of U.S. health insurers, hospitals and doctors. (Tozzi and Armstrong, 4/16)
Meanwhile —
The Hill:
Sanders Courts GOP Voters With 'Medicare For All' Plan
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is trying to use “Medicare for All” to win over white working-class voters, many of whom supported President Trump in 2016. The 2020 candidate went on Fox News, Trump’s turf, on Monday night for a town hall, where audience members cheered when asked if they would support Medicare for All. Sanders shared the clip on social media several times the following day. (Sullivan, 4/16)
Kaiser Health News/Politifact:
Hickenlooper Expanded Medicaid, Created State-Run Marketplace To Insure Nearly All Coloradans
Former two-term Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper is a rare breed in the 2020 presidential race — he’s running as a moderate. On health care, he supports universal coverage and boasts about Colorado’s record-low uninsured rate. But unlike many of his competitors for the Democratic nomination, he opposes “Medicare-for-all,” the single-payer federal system that would guarantee health care coverage to every American. (Rennie, 4/17)
Litigation over pelvic mesh, also called transvaginal mesh, ranks as one of the largest mass tort cases in the nation’s history in terms of claims filed, number of corporate defendants and settlement dollars. Advocates have been trying to persuade the FDA for years about the dangers of the product.
The New York Times:
F.D.A. Halts U.S. Sales Of Pelvic Mesh, Citing Safety Concerns For Women
The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday ordered the two remaining medical device companies selling surgical mesh for the repair of pelvic organ prolapse to stop all sales and distribution in the United States. It is the most stringent action the F.D.A. has taken in the lengthy legal and medical battles over vaginal mesh, a synthetic product that has been implanted in millions of women to strengthen weakened pelvic muscles that can cause the bladder, the uterus and other organs to sag into the vaginal area. (Kaplan and Goldstein, 4/16)
The Washington Post:
FDA Orders Manufacturers To Halt Sales Of Vaginal Mesh Used In Many Pelvic Procedures
The FDA action specifically affects surgical mesh used for the transvaginal repair of pelvic organ prolapse, which occurs when the muscles and tissues supporting the uterus, bladder or rectum become weak or loose. That can allow organs to drop or press into the vagina. The regulatory action does not apply to mesh used for other conditions, such as hernias or stress urinary incontinence. (McGinley, 4/16)
The Wall Street Journal:
FDA Orders Makers Of Women’s Surgical Mesh To Stop Selling The Products
Transvaginal mesh is used to treat a condition called pelvic organ prolapse, in which organs like the bladder, uterus and others sag into the vaginal area. It is estimated that about one in eight women has surgery in her lifetime to treat the condition. The condition can be treated with conventional surgery that uses a woman’s own tissue. But some surgeons have maintained that the synthetic mesh product can lead to a more permanent repair. Mesh products also are used in hernia repair and urinary incontinence treatment, but these uses carry a lesser risk in the view of surgeons and they remain on the market. (Burton and Nakrosis, 4/17)
The Associated Press:
US Halts Sales Of Pelvic Mesh Tied To Injuries In Women
Tens of thousands of lawsuits have been filed against mesh manufacturers by women who have reported pain, bleeding and infection tied to the devices. In some cases, the mesh can shift out of place, puncturing internal organs or the abdomen wall. Those problems sometimes require multiple surgeries to remove or reposition the mesh. Starting in the 1990s, gynecologists adapted surgical mesh to treat pelvic collapse in women, which can cause the bladder or reproductive organs to slip out of place, causing pain, constipation and urinary issues. The FDA first approved the mesh specifically for that use in 2002 and manufacturers promoted mesh as a way to speed patients' recovery time compared to surgery with stitches. (Perrone, 4/16)
Bloomberg:
FDA Halts Vaginal Mesh Sales; Boston Scientific Shares Fall
Boston Scientific, based in Marlborough, Massachusetts, decried the decision and said it would work with the agency to determine the company’s next steps. “We are deeply disappointed by the FDA’s decision,” said Kelly Leadem, a company spokeswoman. “The inaccessibility of these products will severely limit treatment options for the 50 percent of women in the U.S. who will suffer from pelvic organ prolapse during their lives,” she said. (Cortez and Feeley, 4/16)
Acting FDA Commissioner Ned Sharpless plans to keep moving at full-speed ahead to address the issue that became central to former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb's mission. “Let me dispel any misconceptions that the change in leadership reflects some desire of the president or the secretary for the FDA to go in a different direction from the Gottlieb era,” Sharpless said. Meanwhile, Democrats are releasing a measure that would would raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco products to 21 years of age and make it unlawful for companies to market certain products to those under 21.
Bloomberg:
FDA Will Keep Pressure On Juul, Vaping For Teens
The Food and Drug Administration’s new acting commissioner said Tuesday that he’ll maintain the agency’s crackdown on youth vaping. Acting FDA Commissioner Ned Sharpless used his first official remarks to staff to reassure them that he plans to “maintain FDA’s current course of action in every area and proceed full-speed ahead,” according to a copy of his remarks released by the agency. (Edney, 4/16)
The Hill:
House Dems Unveil Legislation Aimed At Curbing Youth Tobacco Use
Two Democratic House lawmakers on Tuesday unveiled legislation aimed at tamping down the uptick of tobacco and e-cigarette use in young people. Under the Reversing the Youth Tobacco Epidemic Act — spearheaded by House Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) and Rep. Donna Shalala (D-Fla.), the former secretary of Health and Human Services under the Clinton administration — the government would raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco products to 21 years of age. (Brufke, 4/16)
Bloomberg:
Philip Morris Says It Doesn't Want You To Buy Its Cigarettes
The Marlboro maker reports first-quarter earnings on Thursday, giving investors the latest data on just how fast cigarette volumes are falling. With its public push to discourage smoking, Philip Morris isn’t fighting that trend. Instead, it’s ramping up focus on its IQOS heat-not-burn device, already sold in about 44 countries. “It makes financial sense because the new business is more sustainable, a better product for consumers. I’ve never seen where there is a better product for consumers and the company ended up in a worse situation financially,” said Chief Operating Officer Jacek Olczak. “IQOS and combustible volumes, they are 100 percent correlated. We’re not afraid of cannibalization.” (Kary, 4/17)
The search comes just days before the 20th anniversary of the school massacre at Columbine High School. The FBI discovered that 18-year-old Sol Pais arrived at the Denver airport before buying a pump-action shotgun and ammunition at a store. “Her comments, her actions that we have heard about from others tend to cause us great concern that she may pose a threat to a school,” officials said. Other news on gun violence focuses on research, the effects of mass shootings on first responders, and police-related gun deaths.
Reuters:
FBI Seeks Woman 'Infatuated With Columbine' In Colorado Schools Threat
A woman described as "infatuated" with the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, who bought a pump-action shotgun and ammunition after she flew into Colorado on Monday, was an extreme threat the FBI and police said on Tuesday. Columbine and dozens of other Denver-area schools were issued a security threat Tuesday afternoon and a decision will be made early Wednesday as to whether schools will be in session or other security measures taken, officials said in a late night press conference. (Coffman, 4/17)
The Associated Press:
Heightened Alert After Threat Locks Down Columbine
All schools in the Denver area were urged to tighten security because the threat was deemed "credible and general," said Patricia Billinger, a spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Public Safety. The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office and the FBI say Pais traveled to Colorado from Miami on Monday night and bought a pump-action shotgun and ammunition. (Foody and Selvin, 4/17)
The New York Times:
Officials Seek Woman ‘Infatuated’ With Columbine Who Made Threats In Denver Area
“Her comments, her actions that we have heard about from others tend to cause us great concern that she may pose a threat to a school,” he added. If authorities find Ms. Pais, it is not clear if they can arrest her. The bulletin sent to local police said they did not have probable cause for arrest, but that officers should detain her “and evaluate mental health status.” (Turkewitz, 4/16)
Denver Post:
Since Columbine Shooting, Colorado Schools See Increase In Lockdowns, Reported Threats
March 7, 2018, started as an ordinary day in Fruita, but it rapidly took a harrowing turn when parents received a call that their children’s schools were in lockdown. In the post-Columbine world, almost everyone knows the formula: locks, lights, out of sight. Try to make yourself as difficult to see — and shoot — as possible, in the hopes that a gunman will pass by a dark, silent room. One woman posted on Facebook that she had “heart palpitations” while she waited for news of her granddaughter, who was attending Fruita 8/9. Another said her “heart stopped” when she read that Fruita Monument High School was on lockdown. (Wingerter, 4/16)
The Associated Press:
2020 Hopeful Hickenlooper Meets Columbine Shooting Survivors
Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper on Tuesday met with survivors of the Columbine High School attack and other survivors of the state's mass shootings just four days before the 20th anniversary of the Columbine massacre. Hickenlooper, who is seeking the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, has been touting gun control measures he signed following the 2012 Aurora theater shooting, which killed 12 people. (4/16)
The New York Times:
Gun Research Is Suddenly Hot
In 1996, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stopped funding research into the causes of gun violence. And for decades the field suffered from neglect: low funding and a corresponding limited interest in academia. Then came a series of high-profile mass shootings. And donations from billionaires. A result has been a recent surge in state and private funding for gun research, and a revival in interest among journal editors and young academics beginning their careers. (Sanger-Katz, 4/17)
Denver Post:
Columbine High School Shooting: Little Gun Control Has Passed The Last 20 Years
More than 200 lives have been claimed in American school shootings since the massacre at Columbine High School 20 years ago this week. That total doesn’t include hundreds more murdered in mass killings in nonschool settings, such as the 2017 Las Vegas shooting (58 killed) or the Pulse nightclub massacre in Orlando, Fla., the year before (49 killed). (Aguilar, 4/14)
The Associated Press:
School Shootings' Effects On Police Officers Understudied
The first SWAT team members to see the horror in the Columbine High School library had to step around bodies and ignore a wounded student's plea for help as they searched for shooters they didn't know had already died by their own hands. As member Grant Whitus put it, officers carried something home with them that day, a level of trauma and a sense of futility that stayed with them for years and may have contributed to the team's demise. (Banda, 4/17)
Los Angeles Times:
LAPD Records Drop In Shootings By Officers But Still Leads The Nation
The use of deadly force by Los Angeles police and the number of suspects killed in violent encounters dropped in 2018, officials reported Tuesday. Even with reductions, the LAPD led the nation in fatal police shootings last year, with 14, the report said. Los Angeles police officers fired their weapons 33 times last year compared with 44 shootings the previous year — a 25% decrease, according to the report presented to the Police Commission. It’s the second-fewest incidences of police shootings since 1989, the report said. (Puente, 4/16)
Public Health Advocates Worry Vaccination Science Is Becoming As Politicized As Global Warming
Republicans in state legislatures are pushing back against Democratic measures aimed at tightening vaccination laws. Advocates are concerned that it's a trend that could lead to vaccination requirements to becoming politicized and thus subject to the pitfalls of tribal politics.
Politico:
Republicans Reject Democratic Attempts To Tighten Vaccine Laws
Most Republicans are rejecting Democrat-led state bills to tighten childhood immunization laws in the midst of the worst measles outbreak in two decades, alarming public health experts who fear the nation could become as divided over vaccines as it is over global warming. Democrats in six states — Colorado, Arizona, New Jersey, Washington, New York and Maine — have authored or co-sponsored bills to make it harder for parents to avoid vaccinating their school-age children, and mostly faced GOP opposition. Meanwhile in West Virginia and Mississippi, states with some of the nation’s strictest vaccination laws, Republican lawmakers have introduced measures to expand vaccine exemptions, although it’s not yet clear how much traction they have. (Allen, 4/16)
Meanwhile, in Kentucky —
Cincinnati Enquirer:
Two Dozen Students Out Of NKY School As They Appeal Chickenpox Ban
Two dozen students at a conservative Roman Catholic school in Boone County who remain out of class and school activities asked the Kentucky Court of Appeals Tuesday to lift a public-health order that is keeping them from school because of a chickenpox outbreak. Lawyers for Jerome Kunkel and at least two dozen other students said in the appeal that the government has violated the students’ First Amendment freedom to practice their religion with overzealous efforts to stop the infectious disease in the community. (Saker, 4/16)
Many employers have embraced work wellness programs, but studies about them have been mixed. However, the latest one was one of the first large-scale studies that is peer-reviewed and employs a more sophisticated trial design. The results: the programs don't cut costs or improve health in any significant way. “These findings may temper expectations about the financial return on investment that wellness programs can deliver in the short term,” conclude the study’s authors, Dr. Zirui Song
The New York Times:
Employee Wellness Programs Yield Little Benefit, Study Shows
Companies have long embraced workplace wellness programs as a way to improve workers’ health and reduce overall medical spending, but a new study may prompt employers to rethink those efforts. The study, published on Tuesday in JAMA, a medical journal, looked at the experience of 33,000 workers at BJ’s Wholesale Club, a retailer, over a year and a half. While workers who enrolled in the wellness program reported that they learned to exercise more and watch their weight, the research found no significant differences in outcomes like lower blood pressure or sugar levels and other health measures. (Abelson, 4/16)
Kaiser Health News:
Workplace Wellness Programs Barely Move The Needle, Study Finds
A host of studies over the years have provided conflicting results about how well they work, with some showing savings and health improvements while others say the efforts fall short. Many studies, however, faced a number of limitations, such as failing to have a comparison group, or figuring out whether people who sign up for such wellness programs are somehow healthier or more motivated than those who do not. Now researchers from the University of Chicago and Harvard may have overcome these obstacles with one of the first large-scale studies that is peer-reviewed and employs a more sophisticated trial design. (Appleby, 4/16)
Modern Healthcare:
Workplace Wellness Programs Don't Improve Employee Health: Study
More than 4,000 employees of big box retailer BJ's Wholesale Clubs participated in the study's wellness program over 18 months. But there was little difference in productivity between the control and wellness program groups. Song said it was possible that the study was too short to see a positive clinical difference or that the program's impact was short-lived. (Johnson, 4/16)
WBUR:
Harvard Study On Workplace Wellness: Behaviors Change But Health Does Not — So Far
The randomized, controlled study followed more than 30,000 employees at BJ's warehouses around the Eastern United States. A wellness program at some sites did improve health behaviors, says Dr. Zirui Song, assistant professor of health care policy and medicine at Harvard Medical School. "However," he says, "we found the workplace wellness program did not result in significant differences in clinical measures of health like blood pressure or weight, health care spending or utilization, or employment outcomes after 18 months." (Goldberg, 4/16)
In other exercise news —
The New York Times:
10 Years After An Exercise Study, Benefits Persist
The workouts we completed years ago may continue to influence and improve our health today, according to a fascinating new study of the current lives and health of people who joined an exercise study a decade before. The findings suggest that the benefits of exercise can be more persistent than many of us might expect, even if people are not exercising to the same extent as they previously did. But the impacts also may depend on the types and amounts of exercise involved. (Reynolds, 4/17)
23andMe’s testing formula for this risk is built around just three genetic variants, most prevalent among Ashkenazi Jews. A new study--conducted by Invitae, a competitor of 23andMe--demonstrated that most people carry other mutations of the gene. Other public health news focuses on CRISPR, stillbirths, embryo editing, depression during pregnancy, lead screening, telemedicine, the shingles vaccine shortage and more.
The New York Times:
Don’t Count On 23andMe To Detect Most Breast Cancer Risks, Study Warns
In 2010, Dr. Pamela Munster mailed her saliva to 23andMe, a relatively new DNA testing company, and later opted in for a BRCA test. As an oncologist, she knew a mutation of this gene would put her at high risk for breast and ovarian cancer. She was relieved by the negative result. Two years later, after she learned she had breast cancer, she took a more complete genetic test from a different lab. This time it was positive. A study of 100,000 people released earlier this month suggested that this experience could be widespread. Nearly 90 percent of participants who carried a BRCA mutation would have been missed by 23andMe’s test, geneticists found. (Murphy, 4/16)
NPR:
CRISPR Research Moves Out Of Labs And Into Clinics Around The World
The powerful gene-editing technique called CRISPR has been in the news a lot. And not all the news has been good: A Chinese scientist stunned the world last year when he announced he had used CRISPR to create genetically modified babies. But scientists have long hoped CRISPR — a technology that allows scientists to make very precise modifications to DNA — could eventually help cure many diseases. And now scientists are taking tangible first steps to make that dream a reality. For example, NPR has learned that a U.S. CRISPR study that had been approved for cancer at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia has finally started. (Stein, 4/16)
The New York Times:
Parents Mourning Stillbirth Follow Familiar Patterns On YouTube
For 24 agonizing hours, Monica Franco-Pineda prepared to deliver a stillborn baby. She and her husband, Walter, had learned on Oct. 14, 2010, four days past her due date, that their son, Gabriel, no longer had a heartbeat. “I had a lot of time to digest what was going to happen,” she remembers. Mrs. Franco-Pineda, a flight attendant and photographer in British Columbia, spent part of this time searching online for answers to her questions: What would it be like to give birth to a baby who wasn’t alive? How would he look? What did other people do? Her online research led to her discovery of videos that memorialize stillborn children, posted by parents who had undergone stillbirth themselves. Watching these helped her to feel less alone. (Ro, 4/16)
Stat:
Families Hit By Inherited Diseases Oppose Ban On Embryo Editing
Changing a single DNA “letter” in the genome of a very early embryo has the potential to correct a genetic defect not only in any resulting baby but also in all of that baby’s descendants. That, warn opponents of such “germline editing,” would change the human gene pool, a step they worry could have unforeseen and irreversible consequences. They also argue that known carriers of genetic diseases could have embryos screened for harmful mutations before being used in IVF. (Begley, 4/17)
The Philadelphia Inquirer:
Pregnant Women Less Likely To Get Depression Treatment, May Turn To Substance Use, Study Finds
Half of all pregnant women who experience depression do not get any treatment, and some may turn to alcohol, marijuana, and opioids to self-medicate, a study of national data found. The research, which was published this month in Psychiatric Services in Advance, involved responses from 12,360 women to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health between 2011 and 2016. (Pattani, 4/17)
Modern Healthcare:
U.S. Task Force Finds Problems With Preemptive Lead Screenings
A federal task force on Tuesday said it doesn't have enough evidence to require lead screenings for pregnant women and children if they show no symptoms. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force updated its recommendations for the tests, changing its 2006 stance that rejected routing screenings in pregnant women who don't show signs of high lead exposure. (King, 4/16)
The Associated Press:
Telemedicine, Walk-In Clinics Cloud Role Of Family Doctor
Lisa Love hasn't seen her doctor of 25 years since she discovered telemedicine. Love tried virtual visits last summer for help with a skin irritation and returned for another minor problem. She doesn't feel a pressing need to seek care the old-fashioned way, especially since she also gets free health screenings at work. No more waiting for the doctor's office to open. Convenience rules in health care now, where patients can use technology or growing options like walk-in clinics and urgent care centers to get help whenever they need it. (4/16)
Miami Herald:
FIU Scientists Counter Antibiotic Resistance With Arsenic Drug
For the generations of high school students whose English class assignments included reading Joseph Kesselring’s play, “Arsenic and Old Lace,” the idea of arsenic as an aid to health seems either amusing or frightening. But a group of Florida International University researchers from the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine and an international team from Japan have discovered a new broad-spectrum antibiotic that contains arsenic, FIU announced Tuesday. (Cohen, 4/16)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Shingrix Shingles Vaccine Shortage: Still 'Day To Day' In Wisconsin
Shortages of the new vaccine, known as Shingrix and approved in 2017, continue and are expected to last throughout the year. The limited supply has forced health systems, physicians and pharmacies to adopt different strategies on how to manage it. (Boulton, 4/16)
The Associated Press:
Baby Boy Receiving Treatment After He Was Born Without Skin
Doctors are working toward a diagnosis and care plan for a baby boy who has spent the first three months of his life in hospitals after he was born without skin. Ja'bari Gray has been hospitalized since his birth on Jan. 1 at Methodist Hospital in San Antonio, the San Antonio Express-News has reported. With most of his skin missing, except for on his head, he was initially diagnosed with aplasia cutis, a rare congenital absence of skin. (4/16)
WBUR:
Offering Therapy For Youth Struggling With Sexuality And Gender Issues
Massachusetts has joined 15 other states in banning a controversial practice known as "conversion therapy" for minors. The new law bars health workers, including counselors, from trying to change the sexual orientation or gender identity of anyone under 18. (Bologna and Kaufman, 4/16)
The government estimated that it would two years to ensure all the migrant families that were separated at the border are reunified, but U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw, who has been insistent in the past that the federal agencies need to do better, says it shouldn't take that long.
The Associated Press:
Judge Wants Faster Identification Of Separated Families
A judge said Tuesday it appeared the Trump administration could identify potentially thousands of children who were separated from their families at the border in much less time than the one to two years officials want to complete the work, though he was reluctant to impose a deadline. U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw asked lawyers for the administration and for the American Civil Liberties Union to reach an agreement before an April 24 hearing that will include Jonathan White, a U.S. Health and Human Services Department official who led a previous effort that reunited more than 2,700 children with their families. (Spagat, 4/16)
In other news —
The Associated Press:
US Wants To Build More Tents At Border To Detain Migrants
The Trump administration wants to open two new tent facilities to temporarily detain up to 1,000 parents and children near the southern border, as advocates sharply criticize the conditions inside the tents already used to hold migrants. U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a notice to potential contractors that it wants to house 500 people in each camp in El Paso, Texas, and in the South Texas city of Donna, which has a border crossing with Mexico. (4/16)
Stat looks at the top people hired by Amazon as it tries to shoulder its way into the health care landscape. In other health industry news, Johnson & Johnson and UnitedHealth post their first-quarter profits.
Stat:
The Key Players Behind Amazon's Health Care Push
Amazon’s health executives mostly work in secret, but in recent months the fruits of their labor have begun filtering through the marketplace. Amazon Web Services, its cloud computing business, launched a product called Comprehend Medical that uses machine-learning to extract key data from electronic health records; the company’s cloud-based analytics are gaining wider adoption by hospitals and drug makers; and the Alexa voice assistant can now be used to build HIPAA-compliant voice tools. (Ross, 4/17)
The Associated Press:
Johnson & Johnson Posts Strong Revenue In 1Q
Lower sales overseas and higher costs for research and litigation pushed Johnson & Johnson's first-quarter profit down 14%, but the health care giant beat profit and revenue expectations, pushing up its shares. The maker of Tylenol and psoriasis drug Stelara on Tuesday said unfavorable currency exchange rates reduced revenue by nearly 4%, leaving total sales flat at $20.03 billion, though that edged out analysts' muted projections. (4/16)
The Wall Street Journal:
Higher Prescription-Drug Sales Aid Johnson & Johnson Results
Analysts said the quarterly results and updated full-year forecast show J&J is navigating through its challenges, which also include competition from lower-cost generic drugs. “To us, the good far outweighs any possible questions or concerns investors could have on the quarterly performance,” SVB Leerink analyst Danielle Antalffy said in a research note. (Loftus and Chin, 4/16)
The Associated Press:
UnitedHealth Beats Expectations All Around, Stock Still Lags
UnitedHealth Group beat first-quarter expectations and hiked its 2019 forecast, but shares of the nation's largest health insurer continued their slump as investors worry about growing Congressional scrutiny of how the company and its competitors do business. Shares of health insurers and pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, have bounced up and down this year, as Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders launched a renewed push for a "Medicare for All" plan that could replace private coverage and as Congressional committees grilled PBM executives over their role in soaring drug costs. (4/16)
The Wall Street Journal:
UnitedHealth Boosts Profit Targets After Upbeat First Quarter
Officials at the company, the parent of the nation’s biggest health insurer, weighed in during a call with analysts on issues such as Democrats’ proposals for universal government coverage and moves by the Trump administration to change the handling of drug rebates in the Medicare program. The recent focus in Washington has helped push down the shares of the entire managed-care sector. Shares in UnitedHealth, which are off 11% this year, closed down 4% on Tuesday. Competitor Anthem Inc. was down nearly 7% on Tuesday, while Cigna Corp. was off nearly 8%. Analysts suggested the drops were due to the continued policy overhang. (Chin and Wilde Mathews, 4/16)
Modern Healthcare:
UnitedHealth Revenue Grows With Medicare Members, OptumHealth
UnitedHealth Group reported higher revenue and profit in the first quarter of 2019 as it grew Medicare Advantage insurance membership while serving more patients in its care-delivery business, OptumHealth. Minnetonka, Minn.-based UnitedHealth's insurance arm—UnitedHealthcare—covered 880,000 more people in the first quarter compared with the same period a year ago, bringing total membership to 49.7 million, up 1.8% year over year. (Livingston, 4/16)
And in more news —
Modern Healthcare:
Hospital M&A Pace Slows In Q1
The number of hospital transactions hit its lowest mark in nearly a decade in the first quarter of 2019, indicating that providers may be taking a more deliberate approach to dealmaking, according to a new white paper. Fourteen deals were announced in the first quarter, the fewest in any quarter since the fourth quarter of 2009, Ponder & Co. said in a new report. It was the fourth consecutive quarter in which hospital M&A lagged the rolling annual quarterly average. The median target hospital was more than 40% smaller than that of 2018, Ponder's data shows. (Kacik, 4/16)
Modern Healthcare:
Humana Launches Oncology Payment Model
Humana launched a new payment model for Medicare Advantage and commercial members receiving treatment for cancer, the Louisville, Ky.-based insurer announced Tuesday. The program, called the Oncology Model of Care, will offer additional payment to participating cancer practices for improved performance on certain metrics over a one-year period. There are currently 16 practices participating in the model, which started in January. (Castellucci, 4/16)
Where Are Americans' Tax Refunds Going? Toward Paying For Health Care.
The week after people get refunds, out-of-pocket health care spending bumps up 60 percent. In other health costs news, Texas passes legislation to try to combat surprise medical bills.
Marketplace:
Tax Refunds Are Increasingly Spent On Medical Care
Now that Tax Day has come and gone, you might be expecting a refund. Many people already know what they’re spending it on. Out-of-pocket spending on health care jumps by 60% the week after people get refunds, according to JPMorgan Chase. (Beras, 4/16)
Texas Tribune:
Texas Senate Passes Bill To Combat Surprise Medical Bills
The Texas Senate passed a bill Tuesday that could provide relief to Texans slapped with surprise medical bills when health care providers and insurance companies disagree on the costs of medical treatments. Senate Bill 1264 passed 29-2 with the only dissenting votes coming from two physicians: Republican state Sens. Donna Campbell of New Braunfels and Sen. Charles Schwertner of Georgetown. (Byrne, 4/16)
The substance has offered hope to those recovering from opioid addiction, but the FDA contends that there is no evidence to indicate that kratom is safe or effective for any medical use. The CDC weighed in last week with a new report citing a significant death toll linked to kratom. In other news about the crisis: the Sackler deposition has gone mainstream, CVS is fined for its Percocet prescription practices, President Donald Trump will appear at a summit in Atlanta to discuss the epidemic, and more.
The New York Times:
Opioid Users Call Kratom A Godsend. The F.D.A. Says It’s A Menace.
The steep rise in the number of people suffering opioid addiction has helped spawn the widespread use of another substance: kratom, a green powdered herbal supplement that is widely available and virtually unregulated. Derived from the leaves of a tree native to Southeast Asia and sold in the United States online and in bodegas and head shops, kratom has long been used as a mood booster, energy supplement and pain reliever. (Oppel and Kovaleski, 4/17)
Stat:
The Story Of The Sackler Deposition Hits Pop Culture Big-Time
What started as an obscure legal fight in eastern Kentucky more than three years ago has reached a pop culture pinnacle: a mention on HBO’s Sunday night lineup. On Sunday’s “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,” the host did one of his trademark deep dives into the opioid addiction crisis, spotlighting the alleged role that drug distributors and manufacturers had in starting the conflagration. The segment focused partly on a deposition of Dr. Richard Sackler, a member of the billionaire family that controls OxyContin-maker Purdue Pharma and a onetime Purdue president. (Joseph, 4/16)
The Associated Press:
CVS Fined $535K For Filling Forged Percocet Prescriptions
Drugstore chain CVS Health has agreed to pay $535,000 to resolve federal allegations that it filled dozens of Percocet prescriptions its pharmacists should have known were forged. The U.S. attorney for Rhode Island and the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration's New England office announced the penalty Tuesday. (4/16)
The Hill:
CVS Fined For Filling Fake Percocet Prescriptions
CVS is agreeing to pay $535,000 to settle allegations the pharmacy chain filled prescriptions for Percocet, a powerful painkiller, that its pharmacists should have recognized were forgeries. The fine was announced on Tuesday by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island. CVS locations in Rhode Island filled 39 prescriptions for Percocet, a Schedule II narcotic, despite the fact that its pharmacists “had reason to know” they were fraudulent, according to officials. (Budryk, 4/16)
The Associated Press:
Trump, First Lady To Address Opioid Crisis At Atlanta Summit
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump will discuss the opioid crisis at an Atlanta summit. The White House announced the April 24 appearance at the Rx Drug Abuse and Heroin Summit on Twitter Tuesday, saying the Trumps will speak "about their fight to end the opioid crisis in America." Trump has declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency and is spending billions of dollars to combat it. Opioid abuse claimed nearly 48,000 American lives in 2017. (4/16)
New Orleans Times-Picayune:
DEA Announces Strategy To Fight Opioid, Heroin Abuse In Greater New Orleans
The Drug Enforcement Administration has chosen New Orleans, St. Bernard and Jefferson Parish as their 16th location to implement a strategy in the fight against prescription opioid and heroin abuse. The plan, which involves a collaborative effort between state and local law enforcement agencies, healthcare organizations, as well as schools and faith-based organizations, was announced Tuesday (April 16) in New Orleans’ City Hall. (Clark, 4/16)
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
In Year 2 Of 'War On Opioids,' Highmark Touts Lower Prescribing, Takes On Stigma
In its continued “war” on opioid abuse throughout southwestern Pennsylvania, Allegheny Health Network and Highmark Health in Pittsburgh are working to reduce the stigma surrounding addiction and steer away from defining it as a "moral issue." "Nine out of 10 people believe it's the fault of the person to some degree for the addiction, and that's sad that [people think] it's a moral behavior that's led to this addiction," said Deborah Rice-Johnson, President of Highmark Inc. "Often times that's not the case." (Wimbley, 4/16)
Michigan AG Promises That In 'Likely' Event Roe Is Struck Down She Won't Enforce State Abortion Ban
Michigan is among 10 states that still have pre-Roe abortion bans on the books. "I will never prosecute a woman or her doctor for making the difficult decision to terminate a pregnancy," Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said. Abortion news comes out of Oklahoma, Texas and North Carolina, as well.
The Associated Press:
Michigan AG: No Abortion Prosecutions If Roe Is Reversed
Michigan's attorney general said Tuesday that she will not enforce a state abortion ban if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling. Democrat Dana Nessel, speaking at a Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan conference, told the crowd of abortion rights supporters that it is "likely" the 1973 decision legalizing abortion will be struck down by the high court's conservative majority. Michigan is among 10 states that still have pre-Roe abortion bans on the books. (4/16)
The Associated Press:
Oklahoma Lawmakers Send Abortion ‘Reversal’ Bill To Governor
Doctors who perform medication abortions could face felony charges for not informing women about the possibility of reversing the process under a bill that is heading to the Oklahoma governor’s desk. The state House voted 74-24 on Tuesday for the bill. It requires abortion providers to tell women who are taking medication to terminate their pregnancies that the process can be reversed after they take the first of two pills. Several Democrats argued the bill would force doctors to provide scientifically dubious information to their patients. (4/16)
Dallas Morning News:
Texas House Approves Bill Penalizing Doctors Who Fail To Care For Infants Born After Abortions
After a tense moment, Texas House members gave preliminary approval to legislation imposing a six-figure fine and possible prison time on any physician who fails to care for an infant born alive after an abortion. The bill, from Rep. Jeff Leach of Plano, prevailed Tuesday evening after Austin Democratic Rep. Donna Howard stressed that there's no record of post-abortion births in Texas and infanticide is already illegal. (Selby and Barragán, 4/16)
North Carolina Health News:
Abortion Survivors Bill Heads To Gov. Cooper’s Desk
Legislators approved final passage of a bill Tuesday evening that would criminalize physicians who fail to provide life-saving care to fetuses that survive an unsuccessful abortion procedure and are subsequently born alive. Despite objections from Democrats, the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act now goes to Gov. Roy Cooper for his signature or potentially his veto. (Hoban, 4/17)
In related news —
Kaiser Health News:
Planned Parenthood’s ‘Risky Strategy’ To Update Its Image
The Trump administration is pushing ahead with its reproductive health agenda. It has rolled out changes to the Title X program, which funds family planning services for low-income people, that are designed to have a chilling effect on organizations that provide abortions or include this option in counseling. It also has nominated federal judges widely believed to support state-level abortion restrictions. Against that backdrop, Planned Parenthood, known as a staunch defender of abortion rights, is working to recast its public image. (Luthra and Barry-Jester, 4/17)
Ohio Weighs Pros, Cons Of Expanding Hospital Oversight After Patient Overdose Deaths
Ohio, the only state that doesn't license all hospitals, is examining more regulation after two hospitals lacked policies to prevent staff members from accessing and administering fatal amounts of painkillers. News on hospitals comes from Kansas, Missouri and Massachusetts, as well.
Columbus Dispatch:
Ohio May Increase Hospital Oversight After Mount Carmel Patient Deaths
Ohio is the only state that doesn’t license its hospitals, prompting the Ohio Nurses Association and some lawmakers to call for increased regulation. However, others say there’s already enough state oversight and warn that adding more could take away from patient care. (Viviano, 4/17)
Kansas City Star:
KU Hospital Among Top-Ranked, Olathe At Bottom Of Ratings
The University of Kansas Hospital, the biggest in the Kansas City area, got a five-star rating from the federal government for the first time. But in another first, Olathe Medical Center dropped to only one star. The annual Medicare “Hospital Compare” star ratings have been controversial since they began in 2016, and KU officials have been among those criticizing their accuracy in the past. (Marso, 4/16)
KCUR:
Trustees Of Putnam County Hospital Accuse Its Former Owners Of ‘Overarching Conspiracy’
A legal tug-of-war that’s engulfed the Missouri state auditor and tiny Putnam County Memorial Hospital in Unionville, Missouri, appeared to have ended yesterday but may drag on a bit longer. On Monday, a judge dismissed part of a lawsuit filed by the hospital's former owners, David Byrns and Jorge Perez, Florida residents who ran a company called Hospital Partners Inc. They were seeking damages against the hospital's trustees and Missouri Auditor Nicole Galloway, whose scathing 2017 audit questioned the legality of a $90 million billing arrangement Hospital Partners had set up at the 15-bed hospital. (Margolies, 4/16)
Chicago Tribune:
In Rebuke, Judge Orders Westlake Hospital To Bring Back Obstetrics And Intensive Care Services
Westlake Hospital must restore many of its services, for at least a few weeks, after a Cook County Circuit Court judge held the hospital’s owner in contempt of court Tuesday. The hospital’s owner, Pipeline Health, had suspended many of the hospital’s services last week, saying staffing had dropped to unsafe levels. The Village of Melrose Park, however, sought and won a temporary restraining order April 9 to stop Pipeline from further winding down the hospital’s operations. (Schencker, 4/16)
WBUR:
The Problem With Fragmented Medical Records: I Can't Treat My Patients
Although a universal electronic medical record remains a distant dream in the USA, several states have introduced health information exchanges, or HIEs, to decrease duplication of care and decrease delays. Indeed, a University of Michigan study showed that implementation of HIEs — medical exchanges between unaffiliated hospitals and other medical organizations -- halved redundant CAT scans, ultrasounds and X-rays. (Sinha, 4/17)
Media outlets report on news from Kentucky, Connecticut, Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, North Dakota, New York, Washington, Oregon, California, New Hampshire, Michigan, Georgia, Colorado, Ohio, Illinois, D.C. and Texas.
The Washington Post:
A Crisis In Kentucky Shows The High Cost Of Clean Drinking Water
When the well water here turned brown and started tasting salty, Heather Blevins’s parents hooked their property on Dead Man’s Curve into the municipal supply. It seemed like a blessing until new hazards emerged: Today, Blevins says, the tap water smells of bleach, occasionally takes on a urine-colored tinge, and leaves her 7- and 8-year-old children itching every time they take a bath. “The way the water is now, I’d rather have well water,” said Blevins, 44, who keeps a constant eye on the county water district’s Facebook page to watch for pipe breaks and boil-water advisories. Blevins, who says her water rates rocketed recently from $19 to almost $40 a month, sets aside money from her $980 Social Security check for bottled drinking water and chemical-free baby wipes to keep her allergy-prone children clean. (Stead Sellers, 4/16)
Reuters:
U.S. Health Officials Probe Multi-State Salmonella Outbreak
U.S. federal health officials said on Tuesday an investigation is underway over a multi-state outbreak of Salmonella Newport infections linked to frozen ground tuna, which were imported into the United States by seafood retailer Jensen Tuna. No deaths were reported so far, but seven people have been hospitalized, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said in a statement. (4/16)
The Associated Press:
Oregon Foster Care System Targeted In Federal Lawsuit
Oregon's foster care system has failed to shield children from abuse and they are sometimes forced to stay in refurbished jail cells and homeless shelters, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday. The 77-page complaint filed in U.S. District Court details stories of foster children being neglected or harmed while under Department of Human Services care, including a 16-year-old girl sent to a juvenile jail after she had previously tried to kill herself. (4/16)
The CT Mirror:
State Reviewing Nursing Home Strike Contingency Plans
State health officials have begun their own preparations in advance of threatened strikes planned for May 1 at 20 Connecticut nursing homes. The Department of Public Health announced Tuesday it has begun reviewing the targeted facilities’ contingency care plans, as well as the credentials of potential replacement workers. (Phaneuf, 4/16)
North Carolina Health News:
NC’s Long-Term Care Residents Would Get More Spending Money Under Proposed Laws
Costs of prescription meds, medical copays, grooming, transportation and other needs pile up quickly for residents of North Carolina’s homes for older people and those with disabilities. Bills filed Monday in the North Carolina House of Representatives, which have bipartisan backing, would increase the cash available for those whose income pays for their stays, but who are otherwise allowed few resources. Called the personal needs allowance, the spending money would increase from $30 for nursing home residents, and from $46 for those in assisted living up to $70 per month. In addition, assisted living residents would get $20 in an income set-aside. (Goldsmith and Hoban, 4/17)
The New York Times:
Stanford Clears Professor Of Helping With Gene-Edited Babies Experiment
Stanford University has cleared Stephen Quake, a bioengineering professor, of any wrongdoing in his interactions with a Chinese researcher who roiled the scientific world by creating the first gene-edited babies. “In evaluating evidence and witness statements, we found that Quake observed proper scientific protocol,” said a letter from the university to Dr. Quake, obtained by The New York Times on Tuesday. Referring to the Chinese scientist, He Jiankui, by his nickname, JK, the letter said that Stanford’s investigators concluded that Dr. Quake did not “directly participate in any way in JK’s research, including in the conception or performance of the work.” (Belluck, 4/16)
KQED:
Despite Warnings Of Contaminated Water, Some Paradise Residents Are Moving Back
The extent of the latest crisis unfolding in Paradise is yet unknown: The deadly fire may also have contaminated up to 173 miles of pipeline in the town's water system with cancer-causing benzene and other volatile organic compounds, or VOCs. Preliminary results have shown contamination in about a third of the lines tested, though only about 2 percent of the entire system has been sampled. (Siegler, 4/16)
Sacramento Bee:
California Owes $7 Billion For Pensions Next Year
California state government’s bill for public employee pensions is set to rise by $676 million.CalPERS on Tuesday advanced a scheduled increase in employer contribution rates, bringing the state’s total bill for the 2019-2020 budget year to about $7 billion. That money comes out of taxes and fees collected by the state and is part of the compensation promised to state workers. (Venteicher, 4/17)
Concord (N.H.) Monitor:
Cases Of Hepatitis A Are Growing In N.H.
New Hampshire is continuing to see a growing outbreak of hepatitis A, a disease that harms the liver and can in extreme cases be fatal but which is prevented by vaccination. The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services says the state saw 33 hepatitis A diagnoses in March, which is three times the number that usually happen over an entire year. (Brooks, 4/16)
New Hampshire Union Leader:
Hepatitis A Outbreak Spreading In NH Has Already Claimed A Life
New Hampshire usually sees six or seven new hepatitis A cases per year, but just since November the state has identified 79 new cases. One of those cases has even claimed the life of an adult in Merrimack County, according to the state Division of Public Health Services, which declined to provide any further information about the victim. (Feathers, 4/16)
Detroit Free Press:
Pharmacies Expand Health Services, Offering Dental, Acne And Sick Care
Meijer, CVS and Walgreens are among drugstores across metro Detroit that are expanding their health care services, offering much more than prescriptions. Pharmacists, nurse practitioners and technicians are now in stores to help with everything from acne treatment to teeth straightening to eyelash lengthening, along with strep tests, rapid influenza screenings, vaccines, and HIV testing and treatment. (Wisely, 4/17)
Georgia Health News:
Georgia Women Doctors To Take Over Top Posts At National Physician Organizations
The Association of American Medical Colleges reported in 2017 that for the first time ever, women made up a majority (50.7 percent) of those enrolling in medical schools. That trend continued last year, with 51.6 percent of enrollees being women. (Miller, 4/16)
Denver Post:
Colorado Teenage Suicide: As Numbers Rise, Kids Say Adults Need To Catch Up
Suicide has become a reality teenagers face across Colorado, as the number of youths killing themselves has increased, solidifying it as the leading cause of death in this state for individuals between the ages of 10 and 24. Between 2015 and 2017, there were 533 suicides by teens and children, up from 340 such deaths between 2003 and 2005, according to a report by the Colorado Attorney General’s Office. But even as multiple high school students in the Denver area have died by suicide in recent weeks, and many students can name friends or classmates who have died or tried to harm themselves, teenagers say they struggle to find people to talk to as openly as they would like to about mental health. (Seaman, 4/14)
Cincinnati Enquirer:
Is This The Beginnining Of The End For Ohio's Death Penalty?
After 27 years of lawsuits and appeals with three cases pending at the county, state and federal level, Wogenstahl was granted an indefinite stay of execution by the Ohio Supreme Court last fall due to open questions about his case. Since then, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has suspended all executions in a continuing struggle for the state to find a painless way to kill death row inmates.With drug suppliers refusing to allow their products to be used to kill people and botched executions making headlines, Ohio's death penalty is on life support. (Knight, 4/16)
Los Angeles Times:
To Steer Her Child Away From Obesity, A Mother Turns Her Life Upside Down
Early childhood obesity is one of the most intractable health issues facing Los Angeles County, where about 20% of 3- and 4-year-olds are obese. Among school-age children, 45% are overweight or obese by the time they reach fifth grade — higher than the percentage of Californians as a whole. (Boyd-Barrett, 4/16)
ProPublica:
Cook County Judge Loosens Unusual Restrictions On Publishing Details Of Child Welfare Case
A Cook County judge Monday lifted part of her previous order prohibiting ProPublica Illinois from publishing some details of a child welfare case it has been investigating, conceding that the restriction was “overbroad.” At the same time, Patricia Martin, the presiding judge of the Cook County Juvenile Court’s child protection division, continued to block the news organization from publishing the names or pictures of the minors involved in the case. While acknowledging the constitutional right of ProPublica Illinois to publish, the judge ruled that her restriction on disclosing the identities is necessary to protect the children. (Dumke and Mills, 4/15)
The Washington Post:
D.C. Housed The Homeless In Upscale Sedgwick Gardens Apartments. It Hasn’t Gone As Planned.
The SWAT team, the overdose, the complaints of pot smoke in the air and feces in the stairwell — it would be hard to pinpoint a moment when things took a turn for the worse at Sedgwick Gardens, a stately apartment building in Northwest Washington. But the Art Deco complex, which overlooks Rock Creek Park and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is today the troubled locus of a debate on housing policy in a city struggling with the twin crises of homelessness and gentrification. (Jamison, 4/16)
Austin American-Statesman:
Austin's Fringe Benefit Group Buys North Texas-Based Health Care Firm
Austin-based Fringe Benefit Group, which creates employee benefit packages, said Tuesday that it has acquired North Texas-based Century Healthcare. Century Healthcare, which will keep its name under the deal, specializes in customized medical plans for employers. Fringe Benefit Group said the acquisition will double the company’s limited benefit medical plan premium, bringing it to roughly $100 million. (Cobler, 4/16)
WBUR:
Colorado's Oil And Gas Regulators Must Now Consider Public Health And Safety
After years of tension over expanded oil and gas drilling, including a deadly explosion that galvanized critics, Colorado is moving to tighten regulations on the booming industry. In a sweeping overhaul the governor is expected to sign, regulators will now have to consider public health, safety and the environment in decisions about permitting and local land use. (Hood, 4/16)
Los Angeles Times:
L.A. Opens A Homeless Shelter In Hollywood. But Those Still Outside Are Facing A Crackdown
A new shelter has opened in Hollywood, sweeping 72 people off the aging entertainment district’s sidewalks. But the opening has triggered a crackdown on street camps that advocates warn is criminalizing homeless people. The $3-million Schrader shelter, between Sunset and Hollywood boulevards, is the second facility to open its doors under Mayor Eric Garcetti’s “A Bridge Home” initiative. (Holland, 4/16)
San Francisco Chronicle:
SF Compromises — Slightly — On Embarcadero Navigation Center After Month-Long Backlash
San Francisco officials signaled a willingness Monday to compromise — slightly — with residents of Rincon Hill, South Beach and other waterfront neighborhoods who are staunchly opposed to a plan to bring a Navigation Center to the Embarcadero. After more than a month of divisive, sometimes vitriolic debate, Mayor London Breed and Supervisor Matt Haney jointly announced changes to the city’s proposal meant to make the center’s arrival less jarring for its future neighbors. (Fracassa, 4/15)
Boston Globe:
‘Huge Case Of Bitter Grapes’: Marijuana Community Divided Over Proposed Crackdown On Pot Dealers
With sales of $14 million, Northern Herb was one of the biggest Massachusetts marijuana operations shut down in recent memory. But even now with recreational pot legal in the state, the size of Northern Herb and its many competitors shows that the illegal market continues to thrive — undercutting the legal trade, and filling a need for many consumers. (Martin, 4/16)
News outlets report on stories related to pharmaceutical pricing.
Stat:
Most People Pay $5 Per Month Or Less For The Drug. But Some Pay $11,002
“Most* patients pay between $0 and $5 per month” for Janssen’s drug Stelara, the chart proclaims. But, boy, does that asterisk contain quite the caveat. Way down at the other end of the graphic, any patient paying the list price is shelling out a whopping $11,002 every month for the same drug. The jarring figure comes from a new Janssen website launched recently as part of the broader pharmaceutical industry’s push to disclose some pricing information in its television ads. (Florko, 4/17)
The New York Times:
Medicare Aims To Expand Coverage Of Cancer Care. But Is It Enough?
In a major test case, Medicare is poised to cover a promising but expensive new type of cancer treatment, with significant restrictions meant to hold down the cost. Cancer patients, doctors and drug companies are urging the Trump administration to remove the restrictions and broaden coverage so more patients can benefit from the treatment, known as CAR T cell therapy, or CAR-T. But insurance companies are pushing for the restrictions. (Pear, 4/13)
Stat:
Database That Reveals Industry Payments To Doctors Causes Patient Mistrust
A survey of almost 1,400 adults found a nearly 3% decline in trust among individuals after learning about the Open Payments database — regardless of whether they knew their own doctors had received payments from industry — and lower overall trust in the medical profession. Moreover, their trust in their doctors fell even though just 13% knew payment information was publicly available, according to earlier findings from the same survey. (Silverman, 4/15)
NPR:
Why Astronomical Drug Prices Are Bad For Health — And Profits
The price of pharmaceuticals around the world can vary dramatically depending on who's paying for the drugs and where those patients happen to live. Take the pneumonia vaccine. Doctors Without Borders just struck a deal on it for refugee children in Greece. The aid group will pay $9 per immunization for a drug with a list price of $540. In local Greek pharmacies, the vaccine costs $168. France pays $189 for the inoculation while the far less wealthy nation of Lebanon pays $243 for it, according to the group. In India you can get it for roughly $60. (Beaubien, 4/12)
Stat:
Judge Slams Justice Department Bid To Dismiss A Nurse Educator Lawsuit
A federal judge rebuked the U.S. Department of Justice in its bid to dismiss nearly a dozen lawsuits alleging drug makers devised schemes in which nurses were used illegally to promote their medicines and boost prescriptions, an arrangement that purportedly violated federal kickback laws. The decision is a setback to the federal government as it attempts to implement a new policy for dismissing whistleblower lawsuits when declining to intervene, or join the case. A Justice Department memo issued last year directed its attorneys to consider moving to dismiss lawsuits if they appear deficient or following an investigation of claims made by the whistleblower. (Silverman, 4/16)
Stat:
A First-Of-Its-Kind Law In Tennessee Limits Lawyers’ Ads Seeking To Sue Drug Makers
A first-of-its-kind law was adopted last week in Tennessee that seeks to prevent lawyers from running deceptive ads as they go about soliciting consumers who may have been harmed by a prescription medicine or medical device. The law, which takes effect in July, does not prohibit such advertising altogether, but does ban ads that contain language suggesting they are medical warnings or health alerts, or fail to disclose information stating the ad was paid for by a lawyer, among other things. Ads are also not allowed to display the logo of a government agency, such as the Food and Drug Administration. (Silverman, 4/16)
The Wall Street Journal:
Catalent To Buy Paragon Bioservices For $1.2 Billion
Contract drug manufacturer Catalent Inc. said Monday it has agreed to acquire Paragon Bioservices Inc. for in $1.2 billion in cash, to help expand its gene-therapy manufacturing capabilities. Paragon provides supplies for gene-therapy drugmakers, manufacturing the so-called viral vectors that are used to deliver the gene replacements to their targets. It is backed by private-equity firms Camden Partners and NewSpring Capital. (Chin and Hopkins, 4/15)
Stat:
The Bristol-Celgene Merger Is Approved. Here Are 8 Challenges Ahead
After months of horse-trading, hand-wringing, and heated debate, the $74 billion merger of Bristol-Myers Squibb and Celgene was finally approved by shareholders on Friday. “We’re very excited about the new company,” Giovanni Caforio, Bristol’s chairman and CEO, said at the meeting. ...Here’s a look at the biggest issues facing Bristol-Myers and Celgene after their long-awaited union. (Garde and Feuerstein, 4/12)
The Wall Street Journal:
Roche Raises Forecasts After Sales Beat
Roche Holding has raised its outlook for the year after reporting strong sales growth in the first quarter.The Swiss healthcare giant said Wednesday that it now expects sales and core earnings per share to grow by a mid-single-digit percentage in 2019, at constant currencies. It had previously expected growth in the low-to-mid single-digit range. Sales for the three months to March 31 rose 9% to 14.83 billion Swiss francs ($14.73 billion), beating analysts’ expectations of CHF14.23 billion--a consensus estimate compiled by FactSet. Accounting for currency fluctuations, sales increased 8%. (Mancini and Rolandi, 4/17)
Reuters:
Swiss Drugmaker Roche Ups Outlook As Sales Growth Offsets Price Hit
Swiss drugmaker Roche lifted its 2019 outlook on Wednesday, as sales growth in China and the United States outpaced price declines it has suffered amid President Donald Trump's pressure on the industry to hold down charges. Roche, the world's biggest cancer drug maker, now sees mid single-digit revenue growth, up from the previous forecast of low- to mid-single digit growth. It sees core earnings per share mirroring sales growth. (Miller, 4/17)
Maine Public:
Committee Takes Up Bills Aimed At Lowering Maine Prescription Drug Prices
The state’s Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services Committee heard three bills Tuesday intended to help address the rising cost of prescription drugs in Maine. Two of those bills seek to regulate pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, who work with pharmacies and drug companies to determine which drugs are covered and how much they cost consumers. (Flaherty, 4/16)
The Daily Herald:
Underwood Gets To Work On Prescription Drug Cost Relief
Constituents don't call congresswoman Lauren Underwood's West Chicago office to ask what she's doing to get the Mueller report released. They call because their prescription drugs cost so much, they end up in the emergency room when they can't afford to fill their prescriptions and see their doctors until they meet their deductibles. Underwood told constituents at a town hall in Warrenville this week she wants to see the full, unedited Mueller report, but her primary focus is delivering on campaign promises. As a nurse, she believes her constituents elected her, in part, to use her expertise to make a positive impact on health care. She's targeting sustainable, lower prescription drug prices with her early policy efforts. (Fuller, 4/16)
Masslive:
High Prescription Drug Prices Drawing Scrutiny On Beacon Hill
Mary Mack, of Nantucket, has advanced heart failure and muscular dystrophy due to a genetic defect. In 2015, a new drug, Entresto, came on the market, and Mack’s doctor prescribed it. Mack said the drug “made a significant difference.”“I could walk up a flight of stairs without losing my breath,” she said.But the copay was $150 a month, and after five months it went up to $225. (Schoenberg, 4/11)
Perspectives: Importing Drugs From Canada Is Unsafe, Impractical And Unlikely To Reduce Prices
Read recent commentaries about drug-cost issues.
The Wall Street Journal:
Importing Bad Ideas On Drug Prices
One feature of the political moment is that ideas that first appeared on the left (tariffs) are gaining support on the populist right. The latest example is a GOP plan in Florida to import prescription drugs from Canada, which is impractical, unsafe and unlikely to reduce prices at the pharmacy. The Florida Legislature has been moving on a plan pushed by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis that directs the state health agency to set up a prescription drug importation program. Other states like Colorado are pondering similar schemes, and Vermont is well along in setting one up. (4/15)
The Hill:
Foul Play With Generic Drugs Threatens American Lives
This is becoming the year of the health care “hot potato,” as various players in the market battle over who is the villain. The Senate Finance Committee kicked off 2019 with hearings aimed at getting to the root of soaring prescription drug prices and identifying bad actors. Suggested solutions ranged from banning price spreading to reforming rebate programs. Yet eluding the committee’s focus was the quality of the drugs on the market. Throughout my dozen years of service as a member of Congress, including a decade on the Ways and Means Committee that shares jurisdiction over prescription drugs, I generally favored the availability of generic pharmaceuticals in the marketplace. (J.D. Hayworth, 4/16)
The Hill:
3 Signs The PBMs Are Desperately In Need Of Reform
A new Trump administration rule is forcing drug middlemen known as Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) to direct some of the rebates they receive back to the consumers they're supposed to be representing has sparked a major lobbying brawl in the health-care industry. The specific Trump proposal is relatively narrow: it requires PBM drug copays to be based on what they pay wholesale for a drug, instead of its list price, thereby guaranteeing that consumers realize the gains instead of the middlemen. But the policy is one of the first significant blows against the increasingly powerful PBMs. (Benjamin Alli, 4/15)
The Washington Times:
How Price Controls For Part B Drugs Threaten Mom-And-Pop Doctors' Offices
Ask any small business owner and they’ll tell you: Their work is rewarding, but it is challenging. Sometimes Washington makes it worse. Take, for example, the Affordable Care Act. Just over nine years ago, the law was sold to small businesses on some rosy promises. “For the first time, small business owners and people who are being priced out of the insurance market will have the same kind of choice of private health insurance that members of Congress give to themselves,” said President Obama at the time. (Karen Kerrigan, 4/16)
Bloomberg:
Why Drug Prices Keep Rising Despite Congress's Efforts
Robin Feldman is a law professor at the University of California Hastings with a particular expertise in antitrust and patent issues. She is also one of those professors who are unusually good at explaining complex issues in terms laymen (like me!) can understand. Her 2012 book on how to fix the patent system, “Rethinking Patent Law,” is considered one of the more important contributions to the field in recent years. Feldman then turned her attention to the problem of skyrocketing drug prices. “Economically,” she says, “it doesn’t make sense. So I decided to look into it. It took years of research.” (Joe Nocera, 4/8)
The Hill:
The Antibiotic Market Is Broken And Won't Fix Itself
Over the past year we’ve watched two troubling trends escalate. First, patients increasingly face — and their doctors struggle to treat — infections that do not respond to existing antibiotics. Second, major pharmaceutical companies are backing away from developing new antibiotics. Last July, Novartis became the third major pharmaceutical company in 2018 alone to announce that it would end antibiotic research and development. Other companies that haven’t eliminated antibiotic R&D have significantly reduced it.In short, just as the world needs new and novel antibiotics, the research needed to find them is shrinking in size and scope. (Allan Coukell and Helen Boucher, 4/10)
Editorial writers express opinions about "Medicare for All."
The Washington Post:
How Fox News Accidentally Revealed The Truth About Support For Medicare-For-All
It was a moment so surreal, it seemed almost like a dream. During Fox News’s Monday night town hall with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), host Bret Baier asked audience members how many had private health insurance. A large majority raised their hands. He then followed up by asking how many would like to see Medicare-for-all enacted. Almost all the same hands went up — remember, this was on Fox News! — with wild cheers to boot. Baier’s action violated a major rule of lawyers: Never ask a witness on the stand a question to which you don’t know the answer. (Helaine Olen, 4/16)
The Wall Street Journal:
Europe’s Alternative To Medicare For All
Sen. Bernie Sanders described his Medicare for All legislation in a Fox News town hall the other night: “What we are talking about is simply a single-payer insurance program, which means that you will have a card which says Medicare on it, you go to any doctor that you want, you will go to any hospital that you want.” He added that “you’re not paying any more premiums, you’re not paying any more copayments, you’re not paying any more deductibles.” In another context, he said the plan “would allow all Americans, regardless of their income, to get the health care they need when they need it.” Not so fast. The experience of Canada, which follows the Sanders model, shows that single payer is not the best way to achieve the goal of access to timely care. (Regina E. Herzlinger and Bacchus Barua, 4/16)
The Washington Post:
Bernie Sanders’s Medicare-For-All Advocates What The U.S. Already Does Indirectly
Bernie Sanders’s Medicare-for-all proposal would transform health insurance in the United States, and you don’t have to read very far into the bill he released last week to understand just how far-reaching, and politically controversial, the change would be.In its first few pages, well before you get to the part about zero co-pay coverage for “oral health,” Sanders announces that he would abrogate two long-standing compromises woven into the current patchwork of public and private insurance. (Charles Lane, 4/15)
The New York Times:
Trump’s Attacks On Health Care Will Backfire
In Donald Trump’s two-plus years as president, his approach to policymaking has often been defined by an unsavory stew of indecision, inaction, flip-flops and outright lies. Nowhere has this been truer than with health care, where the administration has reversed direction multiple times.A short history: During his presidential campaign, Mr. Trump said he would produce a health care plan that provided universal coverage and also promised that he would not cut Medicare or Medicaid. (Steven Rattner, 4/15)
Opinion writers weigh in on the current measles outbreaks and the importance of vaccines.
Bloomberg:
Measles Outbreak: New York And Religious Law Agree On Vaccines
A group of parents filed suit Monday against the New York City Department of Health to block an emergency order requiring measles vaccinations for everyone in four ZIP codes in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn. The threat of measles — and the opposition to vaccination — isn’t coming from the hipsters who populate some parts of the neighborhood. The target is a community of mostly Hasidic, haredi (ultra-Orthodox) Jews, who have refused vaccination for quasi-religious reasons and who are now caught in the middle of a measles outbreak that city health officials fear could spread fast and dangerously. One yeshiva’s preschool program has already been closed as a health hazard. (Noah Feldman, 4/16)
The Hill:
We're Not Effectively Protecting Americans From Measles, Air Pollution Or Food Poisoning
The public health infrastructure in America is crumbling. The evidence is accumulating as documented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other institutions. This includes reduced life expectancy, a higher incidence of suicide (across age, gender, race and ethnicity), continued contamination of public water supplies, an epidemic of fatalities caused by opioid overdoses and higher rates of chronic liver disease. The major irony of these troubling developments is that progress continues to be made against some of the leading killers of heart disease, cancer and stroke. (Terry F. Yosie, 4/16)
USA Today:
How Netflix, Amazon, Google, Facebook Are Addressing Anti-Vaxxers
Measles is a scary disease. But its current comeback tour is also a symptom of an even scarier epidemic: the proliferation of false or unreliable health information among consumers susceptible to unwarranted anxieties, dubious medical theories and unproven remedies. Epidemiologists attribute the national measles outbreak to rising parental skepticism about the vaccine that had virtually eradicated the disease in the U.S. before rise of the anti-vaxxer movement. Much of that distrust can be traced to the discredited theories of a now-defrocked scientist named Andrew Wakefield — and a growing body of research credits social media and search titans like Facebook and Google, and streaming video providers like Amazon and Netflix, for disseminating Wakefield's work long after legitimate scientists had debunked it. (Brian Dickerson, 4/16)
Stat:
Life-Course Vaccination Can Protect Adults From Infectious Disease
Vaccines are an essential part of the care of babies and children, offering protection from diseases like diphtheria, tetanus, pneumonia, and polio, diseases that once harmed or killed thousands of U.S. children every year and that still kill thousands around the world. Sometimes forgotten is that adults can also benefit from vaccines. To prevent unnecessary deaths and improve public health, the U.S. and other countries need to take more seriously the concept of life-course vaccination, an approach to ensure that immunization programs are effectively implemented for people at all ages and stages of life. (Lois Privor-Dumm, 4/16)