NPR: Daily Aspirin To Prevent Heart Attacks And Strokes Could Do More Harm Than Good
New guidance from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force says people over the age of 60 should not start taking daily, low-dose aspirin to prevent cardiovascular events like heart attacks or strokes. Low-dose aspirin had been a popular prevention measure, but as more evidence has accumulated its benefit has come into question. On Tuesday the task force finalized new recommendations advising against the practice. The task force concludes that initiating daily aspirin in adults 60 years or older has "no net benefit," and increases a person's risk of internal bleeding. (Aubrey and Stone, 4/26)

Stat: Daily Aspirin Offers Little To No Benefit For Most Adults Trying To Prevent Heart Disease, New Report Says
Taking low-dose aspirin every day to prevent a heart attack or stroke provides little to no benefit to people without cardiovascular disease but could instead increase the risk of dangerous bleeding, a new report from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force says. For adults ages 60 and up who don’t have cardiovascular disease or aren’t at high risk of developing it, the task force determined there was no benefit to starting aspirin if they are not already on it. Among adults 40 to 59 years old, the task force, a volunteer group of medical experts, concluded “with moderate certainty” that there was a small net benefit to taking low-dose aspirin among those who have a 10% or higher risk of developing heart disease in a 10-year period. It’s up to those individuals and their doctors to decide whether to take aspirin, the task force concluded. (Cueto, 4/26)

ABC News: Aspirin No Longer Recommended To Prevent 1st Heart Attack, Stroke For Most Adults Over 60 
For years, doctors recommended people in their 50s start taking baby aspirin every day to protect against heart attacks and stroke. But in recent years, with new evidence of the possible harm of daily aspirin, health experts shifted those recommendations. In major new guidance, an influential physician task force no longer recommends daily aspirin to prevent a first heart attack or stroke among people 60 and older. Meanwhile, the new guidance said people 40 to 59 should only take it if they have a high risk of cardiovascular disease, and in consultation with a doctor. There is little benefit in continuing aspirin beyond the age of 75 years old, experts concluded. (Akusoba, 4/26)

CNN: Task Force's Updated Guidelines Do Not Recommend Daily Aspirin For Heart Health For Most Adults 
If you are between 40 and 59 years old, the USPSTF leaves it up to you and your doctor to decide whether you should take a daily aspirin in specific circumstances. "If you are really healthy, if you're a healthy 40-year-old with no major risk factors, you will do more harm than good with daily aspirin. Your risk of bleeding will exceed the benefits," said Dr. Steven Nissen, chair of cardiovascular medicine at Cleveland Clinic, who was not involved in the new guidelines. "People need to understand that aspirin is not a completely benign or innocent therapy." (Christensen, 4/26)

The Star Tribune: New Aspirin Guidance Influenced By Minnesota Research 
The guidance from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force was strongly influenced by Bloomington-based HealthPartners, which used computer models to weigh aspirin's preventive benefits of reducing heart attacks and strokes vs. its risk of causing bleeding. The task force no longer advises anyone to initiate aspirin without talking to their doctor, but the update to its 2016 guidance doesn't extend to the 30 million Americans already taking the pills to reduce cardiac risks. "We found from our modeling study that the balance between potential benefits and harms is narrower," said Steven Dehmer, a health economist with HealthPartners Institute who led the research. (Olson, 4/26)

NPR: More Than Half Of Americans Have Been Infected By COVID-19 In Past 2 Years
Most people in the United States, including most children, have now been infected with the coronavirus, according to a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At a briefing for reporters on Tuesday, the CDC's Dr. Kristie Clarke said so many people caught omicron over the winter that almost 60% of everyone in the U.S. now have antibodies to the virus in their blood. That number is even higher for children — almost 75% of children 11 and younger have antibodies to the virus. (Neel, 4/26)

The Washington Post: A Majority Of Americans Have Had Coronavirus Infections 
Before omicron, one-third of Americans had been infected with the coronavirus, but by the end of February, that rate had climbed to nearly 60 percent, including 3 out of 4 children, according to federal health data released Tuesday. The data from blood tests offers the first evidence that over half the U.S. population, roughly 190 million people, has been infected at least once since the pandemic began. That is more than double the official case count. Many of those infections are likely to have been asymptomatic or with few symptoms. The virus has killed nearly 1 million Americans and caused disruptions that have driven up death rates from other causes, including cancer and heart disease. (Sun, Keating and Achenbach, 4/26)

Stat: With Omicron, Nearly 60% In U.S. Have Been Infected During Pandemic
The updated figures come from a study that has been measuring the so-called seroprevalence of the coronavirus at various points throughout the pandemic. The study relies on testing blood samples from participants for particular antibodies that are generated only by an infection; they are different from the antibodies that Covid-19 vaccines elicit. This is the first time that the population seroprevalence is over 50%. (Joseph and Cooney, 4/26)

Also —

AP: CDC Estimates 3 In 4 Kids Have Had Coronavirus Infections
Three out of every four U.S. children have been infected with the coronavirus and more than half of all Americans had signs of previous infections, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers estimated in a report Tuesday. The researchers examined blood samples from more than 200,000 Americans and looked for virus-fighting antibodies made from infections, not vaccines. They found that signs of past infection rose dramatically between December and February, when the more contagious omicron variant surged through the U.S. (Stobbe, 4/26)

NBC News: CDC Says 75 Percent Of Children Had Covid By February
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the CDC's director, said this should not be interpreted to mean that antibodies from prior infection equal adequate protection against future illness. "We don't know whether that protection has waned. We don't know as much about that level of protection than we do about the protection we get from both vaccines and boosters," Walensky said, adding that the agency still encourages those with detectable antibodies from prior infection to get vaccinated. (Edwards, 4/26)

The Washington Post: Fauci Says U.S. Is Out Of Coronavirus 'Pandemic Phase' 
The United States is finally “out of the pandemic phase,” the country’s top infectious-disease expert said Tuesday, as cases and hospitalizations are notably down and mask mandates are all but gone. While infections are still spreading — with an average of over 50,000 new cases per day as of Tuesday — the country is far from the peaks of the pandemic, when daily counts surpassed 1 million. Restrictions, too, are easing as many Americans appear to be putting the pandemic behind them. Masking requirements have been lifted across most of the country, and officials stopped enforcing a federal mask mandate in transportation settings after a judge struck down the requirement. “We are certainly right now in this country out of the pandemic phase,” Anthony S. Fauci, President Biden’s chief medical adviser, said Tuesday on PBS’s “NewsHour.” (Pietsch, 4/27)

PBS NewsHour: Dr. Fauci On Why The U.S. Is ‘Out Of The Pandemic Phase’ 
As COVID cases begin to pick up across the U.S. the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday said that three out of every four children have been infected by COVID. This comes as the White House moved to make Paxlovid pills, which can reduce serious illness, more widely available. Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Biden's chief medical adviser, joins Judy Woodruff to discuss. (4/26)

In other news about the spread of covid —

AP: What Do We Know About The New Omicron Mutant?
BA.2.12.1 was responsible for 29% of new COVID-19 infections nationally last week, according to data reported Tuesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And it caused 58% of reported infections in the New York region. The variant has been detected in at least 13 other countries, but the U.S. has the highest levels of it so far. Scientists say it spreads even faster than stealth omicron. (Ungar, 4/26)

NPR: Can We Trust Rapid COVID Tests Against BA.2? This Is What The Experts Say
COVID-19 cases have been slowly ticking up in the U.S., with the omicron BA.2 subvariant now the dominant strain in the country. At the same time, rapid at-home antigen tests have become the first choice diagnostic tool for many people who think they might be infected. While these rapid tests are useful in detecting the spread of COVID-19, the high infectivity of BA.2 and concerns around self-reporting have given rise to a number of questions. Here is what two health experts have to say. (Levitt and Louise Kelly, 4/27)

Bloomberg: Covid Case Metrics Fall Behind Omicron Variant
In early January the state of Massachusetts added a new set of figures to its Covid-19 dashboard. Two years into the pandemic, it began to draw a distinction between people who were hospitalized because of the virus and people who were there for other reasons but also happened to be infected. Nothing changed inside the hospitals’ walls—a Covid-positive patient there because of a car crash still had to be isolated. But the effect on the state’s numbers was dramatic. It cut them in half. (Armstrong, 4/26)

CIDRAP: When Hospitalized, Omicron Patients Require Similar Care To Delta Patients
Though they need hospital care much less often, patients hospitalized with the Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant require similar levels of respiratory support and intensive care unit (ICU) treatment as those with the Delta variant, according to a Johns Hopkins study published in the May issue of eBioMedicine. The study involved 1,119 Omicron and 908 Delta patients diagnosed from Nov 22 to Dec 31, 2021, in the Washington, DC, area. (4/26)

Also —

The Hill: US Needs More Funding To Fight COVID-19, Says Key White House Official 
The United States is at an inflection point in the coronavirus pandemic but needs Congress to authorize more funding to sustain progress, White House COVID-19 response coordinator Ashish Jha said Tuesday. Jha, making his first appearance in the briefing room, told reporters that while cases are on the rise because of the BA.2 variant of the virus, there is reason for optimism as hospitalizations and deaths are at some of the lowest levels of the pandemic to date. (Samuels, 4/26)

Politico: Biden To Comply With Forthcoming Order To Keep Covid Border Restrictions In Place
The Biden administration said on Tuesday that it will comply with an expected court order from a Louisiana judge that would block the lifting of Title 42, a Trump-era deportation policy used to expel more than one million migrants at the Southern border. The administration had announced that it would end the use of Title 42, a public health order, by May 23. But a judge in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana announced on Monday that he would side with Republican states to keep the order preserved barring some agreement being reached between them and the administration. (Daniels and Barron-Lopez, 4/26)

San Francisco Chronicle: Vice President Kamala Harris Tests Positive For COVID-19 After California Trip
Vice President Kamala Harris tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, her office announced, making her the highest-ranking member of the Biden administration to announce being infected. Harris has no symptoms and is working from her home, according to her press secretary. The former California senator and attorney general returned to Washington late Monday after spending last week in Los Angeles and has not been in contact with President Biden or first lady Jill Biden, her office said. (Kopan, 4/26)

AP: Harris Positive For COVID-19, Biden Not A 'Close Contact' 
Neither President Joe Biden nor first lady Jill Biden was considered a “close contact” of Harris in recent days, said the vice president’s press secretary, Kirsten Allen. Harris had been scheduled to attend Biden’s Tuesday morning Presidential Daily Brief but was not present, the White House said. She had returned Monday from a weeklong trip to the West Coast. The last time she saw Biden was the previous Monday, April 18.“I have no symptoms, and I will continue to isolate and follow CDC guidelines,” Harris tweeted. “I’m grateful to be both vaccinated and boosted.” (Miller, 4/26)

The Hill: Harris Prescribed COVID-19 Antiviral Pill After Testing Positive 
Vice President Harris has been prescribed and has taken Paxlovid, an antiviral pill used to treat COVID-19. Harris press secretary Kirsten Allen tweeted the announcement about the vice president’s treatment on Tuesday. It came just hours after it was announced that Harris, who is fully vaccinated and boosted, tested positive for COVID-19. (Beals, 4/26)

In related news about covid in Congress —

AP: Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden Positive For COVID-19, Mild Symptoms
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden tested positive Tuesday for COVID-19, his office said, as the virus continues to circulate among lawmakers and policymakers in the nation’s capitol. The Oregon Democrat tested positive during a routine screening and is experiencing mild symptoms, his office said in a statement. (4/26)

AP: Sen. Chris Murphy Tests Positive For The Coronavirus 
U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut said he tested positive for the coronavirus Tuesday after experiencing mild symptoms overnight.“ We’ve done the contact tracing and let people know,” the Democrat said in a Twitter post. “It’s a bummer, but I’m sure if I wasn’t fully vaccinated I would be feeling a lot worse. So remember to get your booster!” (4/26)

AP: North Carolina Rep. Deborah Ross Tests Positive For COVID-19
U.S. Rep. Deborah Ross said she tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday. In a tweet, the first-term Democrat from Raleigh representing the 2nd Congressional District said she’s experiencing mild symptoms. She said she will quarantine and avoid traveling, in keeping with guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (4/26)

The New York Times: Vaccines For Young Children Delayed By Incomplete Data, F.D.A. Official Says 
The Food and Drug Administration has not yet cleared a coronavirus vaccine for children under 5 because the vaccine manufacturers have not finished their applications for authorization to distribute doses, a top official at the agency suggested on Tuesday. The official — Dr. Peter Marks, who oversees vaccine regulation for the F.D.A. — said the agency will release a schedule this week for outside expert review of vaccines for the nation’s 18 million children younger than 5. That is the only age group still not eligible for coronavirus vaccination. (LaFraniere, 4/27)

FiercePharma: Lawmakers Ask FDA To Lay Out Plans For Reviewing COVID Vaccines For Young Children 
Even though most people in the U.S. have been eligible for COVID-19 vaccines and boosters for quite some time, children under 5 still don't have vaccine options. Now, lawmakers are asking the FDA to lay out its plans in this age group⁠—and address a perceived delay for Moderna's product. Yesterday, Congress’s Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis sent a letter (PDF) to FDA Commissioner Robert Califf, M.D., requesting a briefing on the status of COVID-19 vaccines for the under 5 age group. (Becker, 4/26)

In updates on boosters for children —

NPR: Pfizer Asks FDA To Authorize Booster Shots For Kids Ages 5 Through 11
Children ages 5 through 11 who've received two shots of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine may soon be eligible for a booster. That's if the Food and Drug Administration agrees to a request made Tuesday by pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and BioNTech to authorize their booster shot for kids in this age range. The companies submitted data to the FDA showing that the low-dose booster shot is safe for children ages 5 through 11 and could help protect them against omicron. Currently, boosters are only authorized for people ages 12 and older. (Stein, 4/26)

In other vaccine news —

CIDRAP: CIDRAP To Develop Vaccine Roadmap For Future Coronavirus Threats
New coronaviruses armed with the capacity to cause severe human disease are becoming more frequent, raising the stakes for global preparedness, along with a need for a vaccine that could broadly protect against the most dangerous ones, such as SARS-CoV-2. To help jump-start the process, the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota announced today that it has received $1 million in grants from the Rockefeller Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to create a Coronavirus Vaccines Research and Development (R&D) Roadmap. (Schnirring, 4/26)

WSAZ: Pediatrician Encourages Families To Catch Up On Vaccines During National Infant Immunization Week
The COVID-19 pandemic forced many health care facilities to delay certain medical procedures in order to ... make those battling Coronavirus a priority. This includes agencies pausing early childhood immunization programs. According to Dr. Andrea Lauffer, a pediatric hospitalist with Marshall Pediatrics [in West Virginia], the organization did not halt its program, but she noticed a change during the height of the pandemic. “We did see a drop-off of patients,” she recalled. (Donahue, 4/25)

WILX: Michigan Health Department: On-Time Vaccinations Are The Best Way To Protect Children From Disease
Monday is the second day of national infant immunization week, which recognizes the benefits that vaccinations have on infants and children. In honor of it, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is encouraging that families get up to date on their children’s vaccinations. The department says that on-time vaccinations are the best way to protect children from serious diseases and now more than ever is the time to get them. (Draugelis, 4/25)

Bloomberg: Elon Musk Buying Twitter Prompts WHO Warning On Covid Misinformation
As billionaire Elon Musk nears a potential deal to buy Twitter Inc., a World Health Organization official warned of the dangers of health and vaccine misinformation on social media. Misinformation costs lives, Mike Ryan, executive director of the health emergencies program at the WHO, said Tuesday in response to a reporter’s question regarding the offer from Musk, a self-described free-speech absolutist, to buy Twitter for about $44 billion. (Hoffman and Hernanz Lizarraga, 4/26)

In other news about vaccine misinformation —

Nature: Online Misinformation Is Linked To Early COVID-19 Vaccination Hesitancy And Refusal
Leveraging data from Twitter, Facebook, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), we investigate how online misinformation is associated with vaccination rates and levels of vaccine hesitancy across the U.S. (Pierri et al, 4/26)

Indiana Daily Student: IU Researchers Find Link Between COVID-19 Misinformation, Vaccine Hesitancy 
Online misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines is associated with low vaccination rates in parts of the U.S., according to a paper published April 26 by IU’s Observatory on Social Media researchers and the Polytechnic University of Milan in Italy. (Meador, 4/26)

In updates on vaccine and mask mandates —

Philadelphia Inquirer: Philadelphia COVID Vaccine Mandate For City Workers Set For May 31
Mayor Jim Kenney’s long-delayed policy requiring unionized city workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 is now set to take effect May 31. But it could be delayed again because the city has not yet reached an agreement over the policy with the Philadelphia firefighters union. Kenney announced the vaccine requirement in November, and it was initially supposed to take effect Jan. 14. But the administration has struggled to quickly reach agreements over its implementation with the four major municipal unions, which represent about 24,000 city workers. (Collins Walsh, 4/26)

AP: WA Seafood Processing Plant Fined $56K Following COVID Death
A seafood processing plant has been fined $56,000 in connection with a 2021 COVID outbreak that left one employee dead. The Department of Labor and Industries announced the fine against Shining Ocean Inc. on Monday, Northwest News Network reported. According to the agency, a 65-year old employee of the Sumner company died after contracting COVID at a company staff meeting on November 4, 2021. During the meeting, the investigation found most of the 23 people in attendance did not wear masks. Sixteen workers contracted COVID, including the man who later died. (4/26)

The Washington Post: Disability Community Pushes To Keep Masks Aboard Transit 
The D.C. region’s disability community is urging Metro to recommend mask usage aboard buses and trains and at stations, after the transit agency — and others across the country — made face coverings optional following a court ruling that voided a federal mask mandate for public transportation. Metro’s Accessibility Advisory Committee passed a motion to be presented to Metro’s board on Thursday urging the transit agency to continue following recommendations by health experts on masking. They cite concerns about virus spread among vulnerable passengers, particularly seniors and people with disabilities. (Lazo, 4/26)

The Washington Post: People's Convoy Truckers Egged By Bay Area Youths, Residents 
Eggs. Many, many eggs. That is what greeted a trucker convoy protesting outside the home of a Democratic state lawmaker in Oakland, Calif., last week. It turns out that residents of the East Bay neighborhood, including the younger ones, were not happy with the hulking rigs disrupting their lives. (Bella, 4/26)

Also —

Bay Area News Group: COVID: How Effective Is Air-Filtration On BART, Bay Area Transit?
It seems that every Bay Area transit rider has a story of hopping on BART or Caltrain only to be hit by a wave of unpleasant smells. So with mask mandates on the outs, many passengers may be wondering: If BART can’t filter out the mystery scent from a few seats away, how can the system keep me safe from an unmasked passenger emitting the COVID-19 virus? There is some good news, experts say. Your BART car might smell, but the air-filtration systems that reduce COVID-19 transmission are stronger than what’s typically at work in your home, office or the restaurant where you just had lunch. (Kamisher, 4/26)

Modern Healthcare: Tenet Investigating Cybersecurity Incident That Led To ‘Temporary Disruption'
Tenet Healthcare, one of the U.S.'s largest for-profit hospital chains, is recovering from a "cybersecurity incident" that occurred last week, the company said Tuesday. Dallas-based Tenet's investigation into the incident is ongoing. Tenet identified unauthorized activity on some of its information-technology applications last week, the company said in a notice posted online. Tenet suspended access to the affected applications and "executed extensive cybersecurity protection protocols" to restrict further unauthorized access, the company said. (Kim Cohen, 4/26)

In legal news —

Stat: Rite Aid Ordered To Pay Humana $123 Million For Inflating Pharmacy Claims
Rite Aid was ordered by an arbitrator to pay nearly $123 million to Humana, one of the largest health insurers in the U.S., for an alleged scheme in which the retailer sought reimbursement for prescription drugs at inflated prices. Many of the nation’s largest drug store chains and health plans have recently gone to court to settle such disputes. Last month, several Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in different states filed a lawsuit against Walgreens Boots Alliance. Two years ago, a different group of Blue Cross and Blue Shields plans filed a complaint against CVS Health and its pharmacy chain. (Silverman, 4/26)

Mississippi Clarion Ledger: MS Pain Cream Scheme: Last Of Fraud's 'Central Architects' Sentenced
One of the last men to plead guilty in a massive fraud involving high-priced pain creams and other medications was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in prison — the maximum sentence possible. Mitchell "Chad" Barrett, 55, formerly of Clinton, pleaded guilty in August to conspiracy to commit money laundering in a $182.5 million health care fraud, from which he personally profited more than $25 million. Barrett was ordered by U.S. Senior Judge Keith Starrett to repay the fraudulently obtained money, including more than $25 million outlined in a forfeiture order. (Beveridge, 4/26)

Stat: Federal Antitrust Case Against Sutter Health Headed For Appeal 
The long-running federal antitrust lawsuit against Sutter Health is getting a second wind after attorneys filed a notice of appeal Tuesday seeking to revive the case. The lawsuit appeared doomed in March when a San Francisco jury unanimously sided with the California health system at the conclusion of a month-long trial. The verdict cleared Sutter of allegations that it engaged in anticompetitive business practices that drove up healthcare costs in Northern California by more than $400 million. (Bannow, 4/26)

In other news from the health care industry —

Bay Area News Group: Thousands Of Nurses Continue Strike As Bargaining Continues Between Stanford, Packard And Nurses' Union
About 5,000 nurses at Stanford Hospital and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital remained on the picket line Tuesday as leaders began the first day of negotiations in the early morning since the start of the strike. Union leaders and hospital officials were tight-lipped about the closed-door bargaining, but nurses say they are prepared to strike indefinitely until a reasonable contract is agreed upon. On Monday, Stanford Health Care and Packard Hospital canceled appointments, postponed surgeries and sent chemotherapy patients to sister hospitals as the thousands of nurses walked off the job Monday, forcing hundreds of traveling nurses to scramble to meet patient demand. (Toledo, 4/26)

Modern Healthcare: Telehealth Didn't Lead To Unnecessary Care In 2020, Study Says
Telehealth generally didn't lead to duplicative care in late 2020, according to a study published Tuesday. Patients treated for most acute conditions via telehealth were as likely or slightly more likely to need a follow-up visit as those who sought in-person care to start, the study in JAMA Network Open found. Telehealth patients with chronic conditions were less likely to need follow-up care. Telehealth patients with acute respiratory infections were more likely to require a follow-up visit than in-person patients, but this could reflect COVID-19-related concerns, the researchers said. (Goldman, 4/26)

Stat: The Doctor Who Is Trying To Bring Back Surprise Billing 
If Daniel Haller gets his way, surprise medical bills will be back in full force. Haller, an acute-care surgeon on Long Island in New York, is suing the federal government over the No Surprises Act, a new law that protects people from receiving unexpected bills from out-of-network doctors. He argues the entire law should be thrown out because it violates his constitutional rights to bill patients directly for any “balance of the fair value” of his services, according to his complaint. It’s a stunning position, given how popular the consumer protections are — the law is one of the few health care policies that politicians in both parties brag about, and even doctors groups whose members have taken a hit from the changes don’t outright oppose it. (Herman, 4/27)

KHN: Call It ‘Mexicare’: Fed Up With High Medical Bills, A Family Crosses The Border For Health Care
The Fierro family of Yuma, Arizona, had a string of bad medical luck that started in December 2020. That’s when Jesús Fierro Sr. was admitted to the hospital with a serious covid-19 infection. He spent 18 days at Yuma Regional Medical Center, where he lost 60 pounds. He came home weak and dependent on an oxygen tank. Then, in June 2021, his wife, Claudia, fainted while waiting for a table at the local Olive Garden. She felt dizzy one minute and was in an ambulance on her way to the same medical center the next. She was told her magnesium levels were low and was sent home within 24 hours. (Andalo, 4/27)

AP: Abortions In Kansas Rise; Fewer Women Come From Some States 
Kansas saw a 4.1% increase in the number of abortions performed in the state in 2021 compared with 2020, with more Missouri residents but fewer Oklahoma and Texas residents coming into the state to terminate their pregnancies. A preliminary report Tuesday from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment showed that 7,849 abortions were performed in the state last year. That’s 303 more than the 7,546 performed in Kansas in 2020. (4/26)

Politico: Dems Grow Alarmed By Lack Of Fear Over Roe’s Future 
For decades, Democrats insisted that Republicans would invite a major voter backlash if they took aggressive action to curtail abortion rights. Now, as a growing number of GOP-led states do just that, passing a slew of bills curtailing abortion with no exemptions for rape and incest, they fear that voters are uninformed or misinformed about the stakes. And they are sounding the alarm that more is needed to engage voters and warn them that the current slate of laws is just the beginning. (Barron-Lopez and Ollstein, 4/26)

In other news about abortion access —

Dallas Morning News: U.S. 5th Circuit Officially Ends Abortion Providers’ Lawsuit On Senate Bill 8 Restrictions In Texas
As expected, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday formally ended a legal challenge against Senate Bill 8, Texas’ six-week abortion ban enacted on Sept. 1, which is considered the most restrictive abortion law since Roe vs. Wade was decided in 1973. The federal challenge is remanded to the district court with instructions to dismiss all challenges to the law’s private enforcement provisions. The federal challenge was doomed after the 5th Circuit sent the case to Texas Supreme Court regarding a question on whether or not state medical licensing officials could reprimand providers who violate SB 8. The state’s high court said the law did not allow such enforcement. (Hollers, 4/26)

PolitiFact and Tampa Bay Times: Crist Says He ‘Always’ Supported Abortion Access, But His Record Shows Inconsistency
The political career of U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, a Democratic candidate for Florida governor, spans three decades, three party affiliations and multiple positions on sensitive issues. On April 12, Shannon Cake of WPTV in West Palm Beach quizzed Crist on his political evolution, specifically where he currently stood on LGBTQ rights and abortion. While Crist readily admitted that he had changed his position on gay marriage, he said his stance on whether women should have the right to obtain an abortion hadn’t changed. (Reyes, 4/27)

Reuters: As U.S. Abortion Access Wanes, This Doctor Travels To Fill A Void 
Inside Planned Parenthood’s Birmingham, Alabama, clinic, a quiet space with few windows and stock photos of the city lining the walls, a woman tapped her hand against her stomach as Dr. Shelly Tien performed a surgical abortion. Tien, 40, had flown to Birmingham the day before, and she would return home to Jacksonville, Florida, that night. A week earlier, she performed abortions at a clinic in Oklahoma. She’s among an estimated 50 doctors who travel across state lines, according to the National Abortion Federation, to provide abortions in places with limited abortion access. (Borter, 4/27)

Also —

The Hill: Medication Abortion Can Be Dispensed Without An Ultrasound Or Physical Exam, Study Finds
Even more women could receive safe and effective prescriptions for medication abortion after a study found health care providers don’t need to perform an ultrasound or pelvic exam. Providers can safely lean on a patient’s medical history, eliminating the need for expensive equipment.  Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco studied about 3,700 patients with eligible abortions. Medications for abortions were provided without an ultrasound or pelvic exam, instead using a history-based screening, no-test approach to medication abortion care. (Ali, 4/26)

The 19th: Clinic Escorts Saw The Assault On Abortion Rights Coming, But They’re Still Working
Oklahoma just made it a felony to perform an abortion. Before federal courts blocked the law, Kentucky became the first state in the country where clinics could no longer provide abortion care because of the number of legislative restrictions. Idaho is on the brink of banning the procedure after six weeks’ gestational age. Florida, West Virginia and Arizona are all primed to ban abortion after 15 weeks. And observers believe the Supreme Court could weaken — if not totally overturn — Roe v. Wade this summer. Clinic escorts — volunteers who help guide patients from parking lots often filled with protesters — aren’t surprised by this assault on reproductive rights, says Lauren Rankin, an activist, journalist and the author of the new book “Bodies on the Line: At the Front Lines of the Fight to Protect Abortion in America.” (Gerson, 4/27)

The Hill: Scientists Link ‘Forever Chemicals’ Exposure To Liver Damage 
Scientists have identified a link between exposure to “forever chemicals” and liver damage, as well as a potential connection to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, in a study published on Wednesday. Exposure to such compounds — also known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS —  was associated with elevated levels of a liver enzyme called ALT, which serves as a biomarker for liver damage, the scientists concluded in an Environmental Health Perspectives article. (Udasin, 4/27)

CBS News: New Technology Seeks To Destroy Toxic "Forever Chemicals" In Drinking Water
Researchers estimate more than 200 million Americans in all 50 states could have cancer-causing carcinogens in their drinking water. The toxic chemicals per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, called PFAS, have been virtually indestructible — but new technology aims to change that. Sandy Wynn-Stelt discovered too late that her Michigan home sat across from a former waste dump. Her husband died of cancer six years ago and she has had thyroid cancer. For more than 20 years, they drank well water contaminated with PFAS. (Strassmann, 4/26)

And the hepatitis outbreak is spreading —

CIDRAP: More Kids' Hepatitis Cases Reported In US And Abroad
Several more unexplained hepatitis cases in young children have been reported, including three in Illinois and more in the United Kingdom. Also, media reports note possible cases in Japan and Romania. In the United States, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) reported three potential cases of severe hepatitis in children, two in suburban Chicago and one in the western part of the state. One of the patients required a liver transplant. (4/26)

In news about women's health —

CNN: Women Responded Better To Early Alzheimer's Interventions, Study Finds 
After age and genetics, being a woman is the single most important risk factor for developing Alzheimer's disease, experts say. "Two out of every three brains affected by Alzheimer's disease are women's brains," said Dr. Richard Isaacson, director of the Alzheimer's Prevention Clinic in the Center for Brain Health at Florida Atlantic University's Schmidt College of Medicine. (LaMotte, 4/26)

Press Association: Asthma Attacks: Women More Likely To Die From Event
Women with asthma in the UK are twice as likely to die from an asthma attack compared with men with the condition, a charity has said. Asthma + Lung UK said that, over the past five years, more than two-thirds of asthma deaths in the UK have been among women. The charity said the current "one-size-fits-all" approach to asthma treatment is "not working" because it does not take into account the impact that female sex hormones during puberty, periods, pregnancy and menopause can have on asthma symptoms and attacks. (Pickover, 4/27)

NBC News: Study Finds ‘Burnout Epidemic’ For Working Women Two Years Into Pandemic
Nearly 8 in 10 women said their workloads had increased since the start of the pandemic, the study said, and job satisfaction had dropped so significantly that many women were considering leaving their jobs — or the workforce entirely. Now, the latest survey of 5,000 women in 10 countries by Deloitte, first reported Tuesday by NBC News, finds a troubling evolution for working women in a “burnout epidemic.” Fifty-three percent of women reported stress levels higher than they were a year ago, with mental health lagging and work-life balance nearly nonexistent. And whereas women were considering leaving their employers last year, the top-cited driver to leave now is burnout.  (Vitali, 4/26)

In other health news —

The Wall Street Journal: More Than 60 Tons Of Ground Beef Recalled Due To E. Coli Concerns 
A New Jersey company is recalling more than 60 tons of ground beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli, according to the Agriculture Department. The products distributed by Lakeside Refrigerated Services were shipped nationwide, the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service said Monday. The department’s food safety and inspection service discovered the issue during routine testing of the products, it said. (De Avila, 4/26)

Fox News: Long-Term Antidepressant Medication Use May Not Help Patients Over The Long Haul, Study Says
After a period of time, antidepressant use in individuals with depression was not associated with better health-related quality of life, (HRQoL), compared to those with depression who did not take medications, a new study published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE suggested. "It is generally well known that depression disorder has a significant impact on the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients. While studies have shown the efficacy of antidepressant medications for treatment of depression disorder, these medications’ effect on patients’ overall well-being and HRQoL remains controversial," study author Omar Almohammed, PhD, who is an Assistant professor of clinical pharmacy at  King Saud University, in Saudi Arabia, and his colleagues said in a news release about their research study. (McGorry, 4/26)

KHN: Advance Care Planning For Guns: Owners Can Help Ensure Safe Use And Transfer Of Weapons
Kerri Raissian didn’t know what to do about her father’s guns when he died of covid-19 in December at age 86 and left her executor of his estate. Her father, Max McGaughey, hadn’t left a complete list of his firearms and where they were stored, and he hadn’t prepared a realistic plan for responsibly transferring them to family members. (Graham, 4/27)

KHN: KHN Is On TikTok! 
KHN is now on TikTok, where our reporters deliver the latest health care news straight to your feed. From disparities in rates of cesarean sections to the absurd amount of time Americans waste on phone calls with insurance companies, we create both lighthearted content and journalistic deep dives into the state of public health.  (4/27)

AP: Senate Panel Finds 'Grave' Health Risks In Military Housing 
One of the largest providers of military housing in the United States continues to respond inadequately to mold and other structural problems, threatening the health and safety of service members and their families, according to a Senate panel’s investigation. The allegations against Balfour Beatty Communities LLC are focused on housing provided to service members stationed at Fort Gordon Army Base in Georgia and Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas. The company oversees about 1,700 homes at the two bases. (Freking, 4/26)

In news from Maine —

AP: Maine To Require Test For Virus That Causes Hearing Loss
Maine is close to requiring screening for a potentially debilitating virus in some newborns in the state. The Maine Senate on Monday unanimously voted to enact a bill to require screening for cytomegalovirus for some babies, sending the bill to the governor. The proposal from Democratic Sen. Cathy Breen of Falmouth would require the state to test every infant for the virus if the baby fails two hearing tests. (4/26)

Bangor Daily News: Bangor Will Repeal 1st-In-State Flavored Tobacco Ban
Bangor’s city council will repeal an ordinance banning flavored tobacco sales after the city failed to provide enough notice to tobacco businesses warning them about the new law. Bangor was required to directly notify local tobacco retailers at least 30 days before it considered the ordinance, because the proposal was more restrictive than state law, city solicitor David Szewczyk told councilors on Monday during a workshop. The ordinance was set to go into effect June 1 after the Bangor City Council voted 7-1 last fall to ban the sale of flavored tobacco, like menthol cigarettes and electronic cigarettes that have a taste or smell other than tobacco. (Russell, 4/26)

AP: Maine, With Region's Highest Smoking Rate, Funds Cessation
Maine is increasing funding for smoking cessation programs as the state tries to shed the distinction as having the highest rate of smoking in New England. Almost 18% of adults in Maine use cigarettes, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Maine Legislature enacted legislation on Monday to increase funding for cessation and prevention and treatment programs to $15.9 million. (4/26)

USA Today: What Is Powassan Virus? Maine Resident Dies Of Rare Tick-Borne Illness
A Maine resident died last week from a rare but potentially dangerous tick-borne illness, according to health officials. The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed on Wednesday a fatal case of Powassan virus, which is transmitted through the bite of an infected tick or woodchuck tick. The person, a south-central Maine resident, developed neurologic symptoms and died in the hospital, according to the Maine CDC. The person likely became infected in Maine, health officials said. (Jimenez Moya, 4/26)

In news from Oklahoma, Michigan, and Montana —

CNN: Oklahoma Governor Signs Law Banning Nonbinary Birth Certificates 
Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt on Tuesday signed a new law that bans nonbinary gender markers on birth certificates in the state. The legislation, which cleared the Oklahoma state legislature in recent weeks, states: "The biological sex designation on a certificate of birth issued under this section shall be either male or female and shall not be nonbinary or any symbol representing a nonbinary designation including but not limited to the letter 'X'." The law takes effect immediately because it was passed with an emergency designation. (LeBlanc and Rose, 4/26)

Detroit Free Press: Oakland County Names Calandra Green First Black Female Health Officer
Calandra Green, a registered nurse who has risen through the ranks at the Oakland County Health Division, was named its new leader on Tuesday. She is the first woman of color to hold the health officer position, and will manage public health in Michigan's second-most populous county. “Calandra shares our vision for having public health rooted in the community,” said Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter in a statement. “As we transition to a new phase of the pandemic, her knowledge, skills, and commitment are what we need to move public health forward to achieve our strategic goal of having healthy residents.” (Jordan Shamus, 4/26)

Billings Gazette: Montana's Growing Hispanic Population Is Struggling To Access Health Care
Montana’s high mountain peaks and slower-paced lifestyle have drawn many newcomers over the past 10 years, including minority populations. The state is seeing the third-fastest-growing Hispanic population in the country, following only North and South Dakota. The 2020 Census reflects a nearly doubled Hispanic population over the last 10 years, although Montana State University researcher Sally Moyce expects only a sliver of that population is represented in the data. Though fast growing, the population remains below 100,000, meaning Montana is considered a “new-growth community” with limited Spanish-speaking resources, said Moyce. The state lacks certain basics such as Spanish-speaking health care providers, Spanish versions of documents and health questionnaires, exacerbating health disparities that already exist due to lack of affordable housing. (Schabacker, 4/26)

The Boston Globe: Wealthy Nations Falter On Global Vaccine Commitments
The West’s pandemic promises were grand, its goals ambitious, and from the early days of the virus’s spread, those commitments were trumpeted to the international community in a tone of solidarity. President Biden promised the United States would be an “arsenal of vaccines” for the developing world. United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson called on G-7 world leaders to pool their financial firepower to immunize the world against COVID-19 by 2022. And in her State of the European Union Address, European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen portrayed the EU as a champion of vaccine equity, pledging to invest millions into protecting the global poor from the virus on behalf of Team Europe. (Baskar, 4/26)

Bloomberg: China Covid Situation Worsened By Lack Of Local MRNA Vaccine
“Worldwide data clearly indicates mRNA is the gold standard,” says Joerg Wuttke, president of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, which wrote to the Chinese government in April urging it to allow the shots. “Why waste time and wait, for what?” The wait, many analysts believe, is for a local company to come up with its own mRNA vaccine. Since the start of the pandemic, Xi’s government has touted self-reliance in fighting Covid, promoting domestic vaccines based on inactivated versions of the virus and barring all foreign ones from the market. Slightly more than 88% of China’s 1.4 billion people have received two doses of those shots. (4/26)

AP: Mexico Says Coronavirus Now Endemic, Not Pandemic
The Mexican government said Tuesday that COVID-19 has passed from a pandemic to an endemic stage in Mexico, meaning authorities will treat it as a seasonally recurring disease. Mexico never enforced face mask requirements, and the few partial shutdowns of businesses and activities were lifted weeks ago. ... About 90% of adult Mexicans have recieved at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine. (4/27)

AP: Djokovic Can Play At Wimbledon; No Vaccination Required
Novak Djokovic will be allowed to defend his title at Wimbledon, despite not being vaccinated against COVID-19, because the shots are not required to enter Britain, All England Club chief executive Sally Bolton said Tuesday. Djokovic, a 34-year-old Serb who is ranked No. 1, missed the Australian Open in January after being deported from that country because he was not vaccinated against the illness caused by the coronavirus that has led to the deaths of millions during the pandemic that began in 2020. (Fendrich, 4/26)

In news about avian flu and polio —

CIDRAP: China Reports World's First Human H5N8 Avian Flu Infection
China's National Health Commission (NHC) today announced the first known human infection from H3N8 avian influenza, a strain known to have infected different animals before, but not people. The patient is a 4-year-old boy from Zhumadian City in Henan province, located in the central part of the country, according to the statement in Chinese, which was first translated and posted by Avian Flu Diary (AFD), an infectious disease news blog. ... An investigation found that there were chickens and wild ducks around the boy's home. (4/26)

NPR: Vaccine-Derived Polio Is On The Upswing. Can A New Vaccine Stop The Spread?
The world has spent billions of dollars over the last 15 years in an effort to wipe out the virus through vaccination efforts – with encouraging results. Rates plunged from an estimated 350,000 cases in 1988 to just several dozen by 2016. But in recent years, polio incidence has started to inch back up. The reason has to do with the type of vaccine used in many parts of the world, primarily in low- and middle-income countries. While the United States and other Western countries inject an inactivated virus that poses no risk of spread and are now polio-free, other countries rely on an oral vaccine. It's cheap, it's easy to administer and two or more doses confer lifelong immunity. But it's made with living, weakened virus. And that poses a problem. (Daniel, 4/26)

Stat: Thanks To Covid-19, Pharma’s Reputation Improved Among Patient Groups. But Can It Last?
Thanks to its response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the pharmaceutical industry has greatly improved its controversial image among patient advocacy groups, according to a new survey. Specifically, 59% of patient groups thought brand-name drugmakers developed an “excellent” or “good” reputation last year, up from 50% in 2020. This was also the best showing since the survey was started in 2011 by PatientView, a research firm that canvassed 2,150 patient groups from 89 countries between November 2021 and February 2022. The firm rated the reputations of 47 companies. (Silverman, 4/26)

In other pharmaceutical news —

CIDRAP: Study Finds Disparities In Improper Antibiotic Prescribing
A study to be presented at the upcoming European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID 2022) shows high rates of inappropriate antibiotic prescribing for older Americans, Blacks, and Hispanics. ... When the researchers broke down the data on inappropriate prescribing, they found that nearly three quarters of the antibiotic prescriptions (73.9%) written for patients 65 and older were inappropriate. They also found high rates of inappropriate antibiotic prescribing for Black patients (63.8%), Hispanic patients (57.5%), and men (57.7%). (Dall, 4/21)

CIDRAP: Antibiotic Resistance Is Making Neonatal Sepsis Harder To Treat
A large observational study of newborn babies with sepsis shows the impact that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is having on this vulnerable population. The study, led by the Global Antibiotic Research & Development Partnership (GARDP), looked at mortality, antibiotic treatments, and resistance among more than 3,200 newborns with suspected neonatal sepsis at hospitals in 11 countries and found that more than 11% died during the study period. The mortality rate ranged from 1% to as high as 27%. (Dall, 4/26)

Stat: Nkarta Studies Show Complete Remissions In Patients With Blood Cancers
Nkarta said Monday that two experimental, off-the-shelf treatments, both made from engineered natural killer cells, induced complete responses in patients with advanced forms of blood cancer. The results marked the first reveal of clinical data from its research programs. In one of the clinical trials, three of five patients with acute myeloid leukemia achieved complete remissions. Two of those patients showed no evidence of residual disease — the best response possible following treatment with the highest-tested dose of the Nkarta engineered natural killer, or NK, cells. (Feuerstein, 4/25)

Stat: Biden Urged To Pursue March-In Rights For A Pricey Cancer Drug
Citing arguments by more than two dozen legal experts, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is urging the Biden administration to use a controversial provision of federal law to widen access to a cancer drug. The move comes just days after the National Institute of Health disclosed it has not yet begun a widely anticipated review of a petition that requested using the law in connection with the medicine. In a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Warren maintained the White House can use executive powers — and specifically, rely on so-called march-in rights and another federal law known colloquially as Section 1498 — to counter high prescription drug prices. And she pointed to a fresh position paper written by legal and public health academics to back up her assertion. (Silverman, 4/25)

ScienceDaily: Micronutrients (Vitamins + Minerals) Show Benefit For Children With ADHD And Emotional Dysregulation
A study reports that children with ADHD and emotional dysregulation randomized to take a micronutrient formula were three times more likely to show symptomatic improvement on blinded clinician ratings, compared to those in the placebo group (54% versus 18%). The micronutrient formula, consisting of all known vitamins and essential minerals, was administered for eight weeks. (Elsevier, 4/26)

Also —

Stat: Right To Try 2.0: Advocates Want To Reduce Oversight Of ‘N Of 1’ Therapies
The libertarian think tank behind the federal “right-to-try” law is back at it again. Its new legislation, which became law in Arizona on Monday, is meant to speed patients’ access to bespoke treatments that target issues with patients’ own genomes. It focuses on more experimental drugs than the first right-to-try laws, which let dying patients access drugs that had cleared early clinical trials without the blessing of the Food and Drug Administration. (Florko, 4/26)

Stat: One In Four Pharma Status Reports On Follow-Up Trials Are Late Or Aren't Filed
Drug companies failed to submit 11% of status reports for clinical trials they were required or had agreed to conduct when their medicines were initially approved, according to a new analysis that tracked more than 700 reports during the 12-month period ending September 2020. Another 13% of those follow-up trials were submitted late. Meanwhile, a quarter of nearly 1,600 of these so-called post-marketing requirements and commitments were not progressing on schedule, which means the follow-up trials were either delayed or ended. And three dozen trials that were required as a condition for receiving accelerated approval were also delayed or ended, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration report found. (Silverman, 4/25)

Coloradopolitics: Let Patients Benefit From Prescription Drug Reform 
Coloradans continue to struggle to pay for their prescription medications. The largest yearly survey of Colorado households conducted by the Colorado Health Institute found that one in five Coloradans skipped health-care services due to cost concerns in 2021. Of the almost 10% of Coloradans who didn’t fill a prescription due to cost, 40% said their health declined. (Kavita V. Nair, 4/22)

Portland Press Herald: Maine Voices: Older Mainers Deserve Relief From High Prescription Drug Costs 
Betsy, of Biddeford, pays a ridiculous amount of money for Eliquis, a prescription drug she needs to keep her healthy and out of the hospital. The outrageous cost of prescription drugs is not a new issue for her. Betsy spent her career as a community health nurse, supporting patients who sometimes did not take their medications as prescribed because of the cost, only to end up in the hospital with serious complications. However, the issue became much more personal for Betsy once she retired and learned that her own prescription for Eliquis would cost $500 for a three-month supply. (Troy Jackson and Noel Bonam, 4/23)

Wvgazettemail: Pricing Controls On Medications A Bad Idea
As the U.S. Senate returns from recess, one elephant in the room is a proposal that proponents claim will lower prescription drug costs. Following the failure of President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better package, the drug pricing provision is among those that have been singled out for more targeted legislation. The policy, which has gained serious momentum among congressional Democrats, relies on price controls applied by the government to artificially lower the cost of some medicine. (Chris Stansbury, 4/22)

Portland Press Herald: Anthem President: We’re Working To Protect Health Care Affordability 
All of us at Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Maine are deeply committed to providing our 300,000 members access to high quality, outcomes-driven health care. We believe MaineHealth shares these goals. Where our two perspectives diverge, however, is that our work centers on ensuring that care is affordable. (Denise McDonough, 4/26)

USA Today: If Abortions Are Outlawed In America, Women Will Go To Mexico For Care
The late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg warned what would happen if states restricted access to abortions. In the 2016 Supreme Court case Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt, Ginsburg wrote in a concurring opinion, "When a State severely limits access to safe and legal procedures, women in desperate circumstances may resort to unlicensed rogue practitioners, faute de mieux, at great risk to their health and safety. "She wrote that because it had happened for many years before Roe v. Wade was decided. (Carli Pierson, 4/27)

Bloomberg: Is Covid Spread Airborne Or Droplet? WHO's Delay Still Muddles Precautions
We’re now being left to choose our own risks when it comes to Covid-19, but it’s clear that many people still don’t recognize the importance of fresh air. Some super-cautious people don’t seem to realize how much danger can be mitigated by socializing outdoors or opening windows. Others seem not to understand how much risk persists indoors even when others are more than six feet away. One big reason the public may still be so confused: the World Health Organization’s long delay in recognizing that Covid was spreading through airborne transmission. (Faye Flam, 4/26)

USA Today: We’re Not Going Back To Normal. We Died In Normal: America Needs To Face Health Inequity
In April, during National Minority Health Month, community and health leaders, legislators and allies across the nation have united to secure resources and mobilize to address health disparities that have impacted the Black community and other people of color for decades and have gotten worse since the COVID-19 pandemic. Black people continue to die from COVID-19 at a rate nearly double the white population in large measure because of preexisting health conditions and low vaccination rates. (Rev. Al Sharpton, Rev. Calvin O. Butts III, Dr. Reed Tuckson, Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford and Debra Fraser-Howze, 4/26)

Stat: Not Going All In On The 988 Hotline Will Ensure Its Failure
Time is not on our side. With fewer than 100 days until the scheduled rollout of 988, the new nationwide mental health and suicide prevention crisis hotline is unfortunately far from being ready. Implementing the program — think of it as 911 for mental health crises — which was signed into law by President Trump in October 2020, has been hampered by a lack of sustainable federal funding to build the capacity to respond effectively to 988 calls, which is consistent with how little the U.S. has prioritized investing in the nation’s mental health. (Benjamin F. Miller, 4/20)

Newsweek: Championing Consumer Freedom In Health Care 
The Biden administration recently announced a rule change expanding Obamacare subsidies, moving over a million Americans from employer-provided coverage to exchanges. The mainstream media dutifully reported millions would pay lower premiums, without noting health care costs would often simply be transferred from employers to taxpayers—showing, in miniature, the effect of progressives' Medicare for All plan. Conservatives criticized these and other subsidy expansions in Biden's American Rescue Plan for increasing dependency on government assistance. (Bobby Jindal, Former Governor, Louisiana, 4/27)

Stat: Making Medicare, Medicaid innovation tests voluntary undermines evaluation opportunities
When the program was made voluntary, the researchers observed that the hospitals that chose to stay in the program were the ones that would benefit financially from the bundled payment program even if they didn’t change their behavior, because they had already been billing under the target price for joint replacement before the program was instituted. Indeed, before the start of the study, these hospitals spent about $1,600 less per joint replacement than hospitals that opted out. So when the program was made voluntary, it produced much smaller declines in Medicare spending than if the mandatory program had continued. (Jesse Gubb, 4/27)

The Hill: Can Universal School Meals Be The Anchor For A New Reconciliation Bill? 
Right now, prices are rising for just about everything, especially food. But a lifeline for families, now and over the past few years, has been the successful effort to feed all kids breakfast and lunch in public schools, no matter their ability to pay. This program is set to expire on June 30. This week marks the first day of the April-May Senate work period. That gives Congress just two months to act to prevent kids from going hungry over the summer and during the upcoming school year — and there is a clear path to accomplish this. (Bradley Tusk, 4/26)