Politico: Sherrod Brown Separates From Dem Pack On Medicare, 'Green New Deal' Proposals
Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) is declining to say whether he supports "Medicare for all" and "Green New Deal" proposals pushed by other members of his party as he considers a run for president, saying he doesn't need to weigh in to underscore that he's progressive. Brown has been pressed on the health care and climate change ideas as he's toured early primary states and fielded questions from voters and reporters. He has said that he broadly supports the philosophies of expanding Medicare and fighting climate change. Senate colleagues running for president, including Sens. Kamala Harris and Kirsten Gillibrand, have gotten behind the proposals. (Strauss, 2/12)

CNN: Klobuchar Says Progressive Proposals Like 'Medicare-For-All' And Green New Deal Are 'Aspirations'
Presidential candidate Sen. Amy Klobuchar doesn't want to get rid of private health care or air travel right away -- but she does see the Green New Deal and "Medicare-for-all" as important discussion-starters to reach key climate and health care goals, she said Tuesday. The Minnesota Democrat -- who announced her bid Sunday morning outside as it snowed -- is pushing her reputation as a common-sense Midwestern moderate and will have to reckon with the party's progressive flank, which is focused on expanding environmental protection initiatives and replacing private insurance with a government health insurance program. (Kelly, 2/12)

The Associated Press: Parkland Anniversary Highlights Democratic Shift On Guns
In the final weeks before the 2008 election, Barack Obama's campaign sent mailers to Florida voters reassuring them that he supported the Second Amendment. In the opening days of the 2020 Democratic primary, it's hard to imagine any candidate feeling the need to make a similar gesture. "Guns are no longer the third rail," said Steve Schale, a political operative who ran Obama's Florida campaign in 2008. "Ten to 12 years ago, Democrats had to — for political necessity — be really careful about how they talked about it. Now, if you don't talk about it, you're not part of the political conversation." (Riccardi, 2/12)

The Hill: Key Doctors Group Faces Political Risks On Guns 
The American Medical Association (AMA), the nation’s most prominent doctors’ group, is putting its muscle behind efforts to pass gun violence legislation in Congress, highlighting their advocacy on one of the country’s most politically divisive issues. This week, with physicians from around the country in Washington for the AMA’s national advocacy conference, the issue is being given a prominent showcase. The group invited Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.), chairman of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, to speak on the push for the Bipartisan Background Checks Act, a House Democratic bill that would institute universal background checks. (Gangitano, 2/13)

And in news from the states —

The New York Times: F.B.I. Was Told About Tallahassee Gunman Months Before Fatal 2018 Attack At Yoga Studio
About three months before Scott P. Beierle shot two women to death, injured five other people and killed himself at Hot Yoga Tallahassee in November 2018, the F.B.I. received a tip about him, the Tallahassee Police Department said Tuesday. In August 2018, Mr. Beierle shared a link to his website “Path of Defiance” with a childhood friend and his wife, who was so disturbed by the content — it included songs about the rape and torture of women — that she shared it with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. But according to police records, the bureau did not have enough information to pursue the lead. (Rueb, 2/12)

The Washington Post: Pittsburgh Pushes Strict Gun Laws After The Synagogue Massacre. People Still Don’t Want Them.
How does a city mourn when the debris of national tragedy begins to settle? “There is no one word,” said Rabbi Jeffrey Myers, who survived the October attack at Pittsburgh’s oldest synagogue. The pain still smolders, and communities have not yet come to grips with what happened, he said. While Myers has focused on the harms of hate speech, which he calls the “root” problem, elected officials have drafted gun-control legislation. (Paul, 2/12)

The Associated Press: Washington Attorney General Calls Out Sheriffs Who Say They Won’t Enforce New Gun Law
Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson on Tuesday called out sheriffs and police chiefs who have publicly said they won’t enforce Initiative 1639, saying they should follow the new gun law because it is the “will of the people” and because their inaction could cost taxpayers. Several sheriffs across Washington, including those in Lincoln, Grant, Okanogan and Stevens counties, have said they don’t intend to follow Initiative 1639, which was passed by about 60 percent of state voters in November and adds requirements on gun storage and background checks and raises the age limit to purchase semi-automatic “assault” rifles. (Clouse, 2/12)

The Wall Street Journal: New Mothers At Risk Of Depression To Get Counseling Services, Covered By Insurance, Under New Guidelines
Women who are pregnant or have just given birth should receive counseling if they have risk factors for depression, a U.S. panel of experts has recommended for the first time, forcing many health plans to cover such services at no additional cost. The recommendation was made Tuesday by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a group whose guidance most insurance plans are required to follow. (Abbott, 2/12)

The New York Times: Depression During And After Pregnancy Can Be Prevented, National Panel Says. Here’s How.
Some kinds of counseling can keep some women from developing debilitating symptoms that can harm not only them but their babies, the panel reported on Tuesday. Its report amounted to a public call for health providers to seek out women with certain risk factors and guide them to counseling programs. The recommendation, by the United States Preventive Services Task Force, means that insurers will be required to cover those services — with no co-payments — under the Affordable Care Act. “We really need to find these women before they get depressed,” said Karina Davidson, a task force member and senior vice president for research for Northwell Health. (Belluck, 2/12)

NPR: Cognitive Behavioral Counseling Can Prevent Postpartum Depression
The consequences of maternal depression can be severe, according to Davidson, who describes a "cascading set of problems" including premature birth, low birth weight and failure to thrive. After childbirth, new mothers who are depressed can be neglectful and inattentive to their newborn, putting the infants at risk for an even greater number of problems. In 2016, the Task Force recommended screening for depression among all adults, including pregnant women, and if depressive symptoms are detected, that adults, including pregnant women be treated. This year, the Task Force has taken their recommendation further. (Neighmond, 2/12)

The New York Times: What You And Your Family Need To Know About Maternal Depression
Perinatal depression can occur during pregnancy or any time within a year after childbirth. As defined by the panel, it can involve major or minor depressive symptoms that last for at least two weeks, including loss of energy or concentration, changes in sleeping and eating patterns, feelings of worthlessness or suicidal thoughts. It’s not the same as the “baby blues,” which is less severe and doesn’t last as long. The panel said “baby blues” can occur right after childbirth and can include crying, irritability, fatigue and anxiety, symptoms that usually disappear within 10 days. (Belluck, 2/12)

The New York Times: F.D.A. Panel Recommends New Depression Treatment
In a move that may clear the way for the first new treatment in years for depression, an expert panel recommended on Tuesday that federal regulators approve a nasal spray that delivers the active ingredients of ketamine, a popular club drug in the 1980s and 1990s. The new drug, called Esketamine and developed by Johnson & Johnson, is aimed at people with severe depression, particularly those with suicidal thinking. (Carey, 2/12)

Stat: Depression Drug Related To Ketamine Wins Endorsement Of Advisory Panel
In a 14-to-2 vote, the panel said the benefits of the Johnson & Johnson drug, known as esketamine, outweigh the risks. The vote brings the novel type of rapid-acting treatment for depression one step closer to approval. The drug — delivered in a nasal spray — is related to the anesthetic ketamine. If approved, it would be the first major depression treatment approved in decades. The drug was tested in combination with oral antidepressants as a therapy for treatment-resistant depression. (Thielking, 2/12)

The Washington Post: Three Teen Suicides In Eight Months Have Devastated This Midwest Village
In June, the death of 16-year-old DeAnte Bland jolted the rural village of Kingsley — population 1,600 in northwest Michigan. Four months later, 14-year-old Kayden Stone’s death sent shock waves again through the close-knit community. Then, Shealynn Pobuda, also 14, died in early February and the community met its breaking point. Eight months, three teenagers, three suicides. “Everyone was devastated,” said Keith Smith, the superintendent of Kingsley Area Schools. “This is a small community, and not only do we all know each other, we all know each others’ kids.” (Thebault, 2/13)

The New York Times: Exercise May Help To Fend Off Depression
Jogging for 15 minutes a day, or walking or gardening for somewhat longer, could help protect people against developing depression, according to an innovative new study published last month in JAMA Psychiatry. The study involved hundreds of thousands of people and used a type of statistical analysis to establish, for the first time, that physical activity may help prevent depression, a finding with considerable relevance for any of us interested in maintaining or bolstering our mental health. (Reynolds, 2/13)

Los Angeles Times: L.A. County Supervisors Vote To Replace Men's Central Jail With Mental Health Hospital For Inmates
Los Angeles County supervisors narrowly approved a plan Tuesday to tear down the dungeon-like Men’s Central Jail downtown and build at least one mental health treatment facility in its place. The new plan modifies a $2.2-billion proposal that would have created the Consolidated Correctional Treatment Facility, which was slated to house 3,885 “inmate patients” in a rehabilitation-focused center in the footprint of the Central Jail, which was built in 1963. (Lau, 2/12)

The New York Times: Trump Pledged To End H.I.V. But His Policies Veer The Other Way.
In his State of the Union address, President Trump announced a bold plan to end the scourge of H.I.V. by 2030, a promise that seemed to fly in the face of two years of policies and proposals that go in the opposite direction and could undermine progress against the virus that causes AIDS. In November, the Trump administration proposed a rule change that would make it more difficult for Medicare beneficiaries to get the medicines that treat H.I.V. infection and prevent the virus from spreading. (Pear, 2/12)

In other news on the president —

The Hill: Trump Raises Fracking, Abortion In Meeting With Cuomo 
President Trump on Tuesday suggested that New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) open the state up to fracking to improve its economy, and he also raised concerns about the state's recent legislation that expanded access to abortion. The two New Yorkers spoke at the White House after Cuomo requested a meeting to discuss a provision in the Republicans' 2017 tax-cut law that caps the state and local tax (SALT) deduction at $10,000. (Samuels, 2/12)

The New York Times: Congress Poised To Help Veterans Exposed To ‘Burn Pits’ Over Decades Of War
Everywhere he went in Iraq during his yearlong deployment, Ryne Robinson saw the burning trash pits. Sometimes, like in Ramadi, they were as large as a municipal dump, filled with abandoned or destroyed military vehicles, synthetic piping and discarded combat meals. Sometimes he tossed garbage on them himself. “The smell was horrendous,” said Mr. Robinson, who was in Iraq from 2006 to 2007. (Steinhauer, 2/12)

The Washington Post: Military Family Advisory Network: Military Family Housing Is Slum-Like, Report Says
For thousands of service members and their families, military housing is decrepit, dangerous and inescapable, according to survey results released Wednesday by an armed services advisory organization. The grievances paint a picture of slum-like conditions at bases across the United States, including black mold, lead, infestations of vermin, flooding, radon and faulty wiring. (Horton, 2/13)

USA Today: Veterans Can Track VA Health Records On Their IPhones
Active members of the military and those who’ve left the service who receive care through Veteran Health Administration hospitals will be able to view all their personal medical data through the Health Records feature on their iPhones. Apple and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs made the announcement on Monday. Starting this summer, vets will be able to view an integrated snapshot of records from such providers pertaining to allergies, immunizations, vitals, test results, medications, procedures, conditions, and so on. The data is encrypted. (2/12)

CNN: Americans With Employer Health Coverage Pay A Lot For Care
Employer health insurance, which covers half of Americans, is held up to be the gold standard of coverage. But even those with job-based plans can face big bills for doctors' visits and drugs, two new studies have found. Workers and their families who sought care shelled out an average of nearly $1,200 in out-of-pocket costs in 2017, according to a report published Tuesday by the Health Care Cost Institute. This spending, which includes deductibles, copays and co-insurance, is up nearly 15% from five years earlier. (Luhby, 2/12)

Modern Healthcare: Healthcare Spending For Employer Plans Hits Record
Healthcare spending has outpaced gross domestic product growth over the last five years, reaching an all-time high in 2017, according to a new report. Put simply, it's the prices, according to the Health Care Cost Institute's annual breakdown of the cost and utilization of services for those with employer-sponsored plans published Tuesday. (Kacik, 2/12)

In other news from the health industry —

USA Today: CVS Concept Store Introduced With Space For Health Care Services
Someday soon you may walk into your local CVS Pharmacy with your prescription in one hand and your yoga mat in the other. That's because CVS Health is testing a new concept store format as the company plans to shift more of its floor space to health care services. The drug store chain, one of America's largest retailers, is debuting three HealthHUB locations in Houston as it heads toward a future with less space devoted to retail goods like seasonal items. (Bomey, 2/13)

Politico: Health Plans Don’t Want Patients On Opioids. So What Are They Doing For Pain?
The national effort to curb the opioid crisis faces another big potential obstacle — insurers who won’t pay for less-addictive ways to control patients’ pain. Patients seeking other pain treatment options often find that their insurers won’t foot the bill or are forcing them to jump through maddening hoops to get coverage. Experts in and out of government worry that this will make it more difficult to reverse the deadly opioid crisis that killed more than 47,000 people nationwide in 2017, even as doctors cut back on opioid prescribing and state and federal governments step up efforts to prevent and treat addiction. (Demko, 2/12)

Stat: Lawmakers Want FDA To Explain Why It Approved Painkiller Dsuvia 
A pair of Democratic lawmakers is asking the Food and Drug Administration to provide documents that would explain its decision last fall to approve Dsuvia, a tablet version of a decades-old intravenous painkiller that is up to 10 times more potent than the highly addictive fentanyl. The agency greenlighted its use amid controversy that alternatives exist and that such a powerful opioid could easily be abused by being diverted, despite a prohibition on retail pharmacy sales. But as noted previously, the endorsement was championed by the military, which maintained that such a medicine is needed in combat zones. (Silverman, 2/12)

The Wall Street Journal: FDA Warns McKesson To Properly Account For Opioid Violations
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration sent a warning letter Tuesday to McKesson Corp. that said the company had failed to put adequate systems in place to properly flag illegitimate opioid medications and suspicious drug activity in its distribution network. The FDA said the specific violations by the pharmaceutical distribution company included the failure to properly respond to illegitimate product notifications and not quarantine and investigate suspect product. (Chin, 2/12)

CQ: FDA Commissioner Outlines New Opioid Enforcement Action
The Food and Drug Administration released a warning letter to a top drug distributor on Tuesday, using for the first time a new type of enforcement authority that the agency’s head called an important step in controlling the illegal flow of opioids. FDA's letter alleged that distributor McKesson Corp. sent drugs that were supposed to be opioids — but were missing pills or were not even opioids — to multiple pharmacy locations, raising questions about whether potent opioid painkillers were missing and where they may have gone. (Raman, 2/12)

Politico Pro: China Holds The Fentanyl Card In Trade Talks With Trump
President Donald Trump hopes trade negotiations between the two countries will not only level the playing field for American firms and reduce the U.S. trade deficit, but also cut off the main source of fentanyl shipments entering the United States. By throwing fentanyl into the mix, however, Trump has added a painful statistic — annual opioid-related deaths in the U.S. — to the question of whether he was successful in his push for a trade deal to stop what he considers to be Beijing's siphoning of American riches. (Palmer, 2/12)

The Associated Press: Hospital Tightens Drug Access, Rules After Excessive Dosages
The Ohio hospital system that found a doctor ordered possibly fatal doses of powerful painkillers for dozens of patients has tightened policies and drug access to address problems in pharmaceutical services that jeopardized Medicare participation for two hospitals, according to corrective plans submitted to the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The changes outlined for Mount Carmel West hospital in Columbus and Mount Carmel St. Ann's in suburban Westerville included further limiting when and how such medication can be accessed from an automated dispensing system using emergency orders outside of the usual protocols. (2/12)

Columbus Dispatch: Reports Show Former Mount Carmel Doctor Overrode Warnings, Pharmacy Approvals
A review by the Ohio Department of Health of records for 27 patients shows that in 24 cases a Mount Carmel West hospital doctor was able to access high doses of powerful pain medications by using overrides to get past warnings and, in most cases, pharmacist pre-approvals. The findings are outlined in a plan of correction that Mount Carmel Health System prepared for the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services following the state’s January inspections at Mount Carmel West in Franklinton and Mount Carmel St. Ann’s hospital in Westerville. (Viviano, 2/12)

NPR: 'Never Enough' Explains The Biology Of The Addicted Brain
Growing up, neuroscientist Judith Grisel would take little sips of alcohol at family events, but it wasn't until she was 13 that she experienced being drunk for the first time. Everything changed. "It was so complete and so profound," she says. "I suddenly felt less anxious, less insecure, less inept to cope with the world. Suddenly I was full and OK in a way that I had never been." Grisel began chasing that feeling. Over the years, she struggled with alcohol, marijuana and cocaine. But along the way, she also became interested in the neuroscience of addiction. (Gross, 2/12)

The Hill: FBI Investigating Fire At Planned Parenthood Clinic As Possible Hate Crime
The FBI announced Tuesday that it is investigating a small fire at a Missouri Planned Parenthood clinic as a possible hate crime. The FBI is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction, according to the AP. The agency said a person in dark clothing was seen on surveillance video entering the clinic and walking out shortly after. Smoke was coming from the building as the person left, according to the FBI. (Anapol, 2/12)

The Associated Press: FBI: Planned Parenthood Clinic Fire Is Possible Hate Crime
Federal civil rights crimes investigated by the FBI include violations of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, which makes it a crime to intentionally damage or destroy the property of a facility because it provides reproductive health services. Planned Parenthood president and CEO Dr. Brandon Hill said in a statement Tuesday that the clinic will remain closed for the rest of the week. The staff hopes to reopen next week and is working with patients to reschedule appointments, he said. (2/12)

The Associated Press: Settlement Over USC Doctor Abuse Requires School Reforms
Attorneys for women who said they were sexually abused by a longtime gynecologist at the University of Southern California say a $215 million settlement includes groundbreaking campus reforms. Attorneys say a proposed lawsuit settlement filed Tuesday in federal court will require the university to put procedures in place for identifying, preventing and reporting sexual abuse and racial misconduct. Hundreds of students and alumni accused Dr. George Tyndall of committing sexual or inappropriate conduct during physical exams. Tyndall denied the allegations. (2/12)

Los Angeles Times: USC’s Controversial $215-Million Settlement With Gynecologist's Victims Moves Forward
Under the terms of the class-action settlement, every former patient who saw Tyndall for a women’s health issue will be eligible for a minimum payment of $2,500. ... Women who submit to an interview with the special master will be eligible for an award of up to $250,000. To calculate each patient’s award, the special master will work with a team of experts in gynecology, psychology and sexual trauma. Beyond the compensation, the settlement requires USC to agree to a series of administrative changes. The university is to create a position for “an independent women’s health advocate” to ensure complaints about improper sexual or racial conduct are investigated. (Ryan and Hamilton, 2/12)

Los Angeles Times: LGBTQ Alumni At USC Allege Men's Doctor Sexually Abused Them
In another blow to USC’s student health clinic, six male graduates filed a lawsuit this week accusing a men’s health doctor of sexual battery and harassment during appointments. The suit in Los Angeles Superior Court alleges that Dr. Dennis Kelly made demeaning remarks to defendants, all recent graduates who identify as gay or bisexual, about their sexual practices and performed unnecessary rectal exams designed to embarrass them or “to satisfy his own prurient sexual desires.” (Hamilton and Ryan, 2/12)

And in other news —

Frontline/The Wall Street Journal: 'Predator On The Reservation': A Documentary Film
For more than two decades, government pediatrician Stanley Patrick Weber raised suspicions that he was a pedophile. The Wall Street Journal and Frontline investigate how the Indian Health Service doctor was transferred from reservation to reservation and allowed to continue to treat children despite accusations he was sexually abusing Native American boys. (2/12)

The Baltimore Sun: Proposed Bill Would Forbid Nonconsensual Pelvic And Other Exams On Unconscious, Anesthetized Patients
Del. Heather Bagnall has proposed legislation to forbid health care practitioners, students and trainees from performing pelvic, rectal or prostate exams on unconscious or anesthetized patients without written consent or unless medically necessary. House Bill 364 would give patients peace of mind who may be concerned about such examinations as Maryland currently does not outlaw it, said Bagnall, D-Arnold. (Cook, 2/12)

Stat: What Happened To Bird Flu? How A Threat To Human Health Faded From View
Just over a dozen years ago, a bird flu virus known as H5N1 was charting a destructive course through Asia, North Africa, and the Middle East, ravaging poultry in apocryphal numbers and killing 6 in 10 humans known to have contracted it. ...The virus continued to kill chickens and to occasionally infect and sometimes kill people. But as the years passed, the number of human H5N1 cases subsided. There has not been a single H5N1 human infection detected since February 2017. This is the good news. The bad news is that the situation could change in an instant. (Branswell, 2/13)

Bloomberg: Measles Outbreak 2019: Anti-Vaccine Movement Spurs New Cases 
A growing band of immunization detractors is driving a surge in measles cases from the Philippines to Washington State that threatens to derail efforts to wipe out the disease. Worldwide cases of the viral illness increased by about 50 percent to 2.3 million last year, according to data from the World Health Organization, which included “vaccine hesitancy” in its list of top ten threats to global health this year. The contagion has cropped up in Israel, Greece, Madagascar, the Ukraine and Venezuela, among others. (Altstedter and Griffin, 2/12)

The Oregonian: Vancouver-Area Child Diagnosed With Measles -- But Total Stays At 58 
One more child with measles was confirmed by Clark County Public Health on Tuesday, but one was deleted from the list of cases, making the total count stay the same. Many people have rushed to vaccinate themselves and their children since the Vancouver-area outbreak started at the beginning of the year. Some of those have a short-term mild rash triggered by the vaccine that goes away without any other symptoms. However, it can look like measles at first. (Harbarger, 2/12)

The Wall Street Journal: FDA Panel Assesses Risks Of Women’s Surgical Mesh
Officials should consider women’s reports of pain, sexual dysfunction and other maladies as they re-evaluate a medical device used in women’s pelvic surgery that has triggered thousands of lawsuits, an advisory panel said. The panel of outside doctors, convened to advise the Food and Drug Administration, recommended that the agency evaluate women’s medical self-reports as it decides whether synthetic mesh products should stay on the market. Such recommendations are generally, but not always, followed by the federal agency. (Burton, 2/12)

The Washington Post: Breast Cancer Survivors Sometimes Encounter Sex And Intimacy Problems
Jill was just 39 in July 2010 when she was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. Her longtime boyfriend had felt a lump in her right breast. Two weeks later, she had a mastectomy and began chemotherapy. The shock, stress, fatigue and treatment took its toll on the relationship, and her boyfriend left. “That’s when I began to realize that breast cancer was not only threatening my life, but would affect me physically, emotionally and sexually going forward,” said Jill, a library specialist in Denver who asked that her last name not be used to protect her privacy. (Sadick, 2/12)

USA Today: Infected Raw Milk From PA Farm Reached People In 19 States, CDC Says
Federal and state health officials are investigating an outbreak of raw milk tainted with Brucella, a drug-resistant bacteria which can cause serious complications such as heart problems, arthritis and miscarriage. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says people in 19 states have bought or consumed the raw milk from Miller's Biodiversity Farm, a members-only club in Quarryville, Pennsylvania, that sells dairy products to its members. (Rossman, 2/12)

The New York Times: Eating Processed Foods Tied To Shorter Life
Eating highly processed foods could shorten your life, a new study suggests. The study, in JAMA Internal Medicine, tracked diet and health over eight years in more than 44,000 French men and women. Their average age was 58 at the start. (Bakalar, 2/12)

Kaiser Health News: Facebook Live: Helping People Age With Independence
What are the keys to aging with independence? How can we help you or your parents find ways to live independently? What tools and support are helpful? How do we help older adults do as much for themselves as possible, despite physical limitations? What can be done about depression and pain?  How can Medicare and Medicaid help meet the needs of those who live at home and need more help? (2/12)

Los Angeles Times: In State Of The State, Gov. Gavin Newsom Sprints Out Of The Shadow Cast By His Iconic Predecessor
Speaking to a Legislature stocked with Democrats — who now hold 88 of its 120 seats — Newsom renewed his support for a state single-payer healthcare system, an effort Brown refused to even consider without first knowing where the money would come from. Where the former governor insisted California’s wildfire future depends on loosening the liability standards that force utility companies to pay billions, Newsom instead framed the path forward as one focused on “justice for fire victims, fairness for employees, and protection for ratepayers.” And while just a few months ago Brown heralded his last budget’s record-breaking support for K-12 schools, the governor who inherited that fiscal framework said Tuesday that California is overdue for an “honest conversation” about whether the state is doing enough for education. (Myers, 2/12)

NPR: 'No More Xenophobia': Calif. Governor Criticizes Trump On Immigration
In addition to immigration, the governor criticized the White House on health care as "laser-focused — has been for years — on destroying the Affordable Care Act," blaming the end of the individual mandate to purchase insurance coverage for a sharp increase in premiums on California's state-run health care exchange. (Adler and Miller, 2/12)

Arizona Republic: Hacienda HealthCare: Two More Bills Related To Patient Rape Introduced
Anger over the rape of a patient at Hacienda HealthCare in Phoenix has spurred a state lawmaker to introduce two bills aimed at protecting vulnerable Arizonans. State Rep. Jennifer Longdon, D-Phoenix, introduced two bills that would improve training for people who work with vulnerable adults, and would also strengthen Arizona's 'duty to report' law for mandatory reporters of abuse by making the failure to report sexual abuse of a vulnerable adult a felony. (Innes, 2/12)

Des Moines Register: Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds Introduces Bill To Open Access To Birth Control
Iowa women could obtain birth control pills at pharmacies without going to a clinic for a prescription first under a new proposal from Gov. Kim Reynolds. The plan, which is expected to be introduced soon as a bill, would fulfill the Republican governor’s promise on the campaign trail that she would try to make birth control more accessible in the state. If the measure becomes law, it would be easier for pharmacists to dispense birth control pills, hormone patches and vaginal rings. The products would technically not be sold “over the counter.” (Leys and Rodriguez, 2/12)

Houston Chronicle: Coalition Of Insurance, Business And Consumer Groups Want Patients Protected From Surprise Bills
A diverse coalition of Texas health insurers, business organizations and consumer groups on Monday called on state lawmakers to better protect patients from the financially devastating effects of surprise medical bills. In a consensus letter, the groups representing millions of Texans issued a challenge to political leaders to keep patients out of the middle of billing fights between insurers and medical providers. When those battles occur, patients who try to follow the rules often get hit with charges — sometimes in the thousands of dollars — that they believed their insurance would cover. (Deam, 2/12)

Austin American-Statesman: Emergency Mental Health Bill Advances In Texas Senate
A state Senate committee unanimously approved a bill Tuesday aimed at identifying children with mental health needs and helping them before they become a danger to themselves or others. It would cost about $100 million over two years. Senate Bill 10, filed by Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, is the second piece of emergency legislation identified by Gov. Greg Abbott that has cleared a committee, an initial hurdle to passage. On Monday, the Senate Property Tax Committee approved a bill that would cap property tax growth. (Chang, 2/12)

The Associated Press: Health Groups Back Down Payment Insurance Plan In Maryland
Health organizations in Maryland are backing a proposal to create an individual health care mandate at the state level. Several groups and lawmakers will gather in Annapolis on Wednesday to endorse legislation in the Maryland General Assembly that would revive the mandate that was gutted at the federal level. But instead of requiring those who remain uninsured to pay a penalty, the measure would require them to pay a down payment on health insurance. (2/13)

Georgia Health News: State’s Health Care Will Look Very Different If Major Bills Pass
he waiver proposal from Gov. Brian Kemp is expected to be twofold. One proposal, if approved by the feds, would likely extend coverage to more uninsured Georgians through Medicaid. The other would shore up the health insurance exchange under the Affordable Care Act. Extension of insurance coverage to more people is a long-desired goal of medical provider groups and patient advocates. (Miller, 2/12)

Columbus Dispatch: Drug Sentencing, More School Building Money, Abortion Among Ohio Senate GOP Priorities
A bill making abortions illegal once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, usually around six or seven weeks of pregnancy, will be a priority early this session, said Senate President Larry Obhof, R-Medina. The House also is likely to take swift action, and Gov. Mike DeWine has said he will sign the bill, which anti-abortion rights advocates say they expect to occur by late spring.Similar heartbeat laws have been struck down by courts in three states, and Ohio’s law likely would face an immediate court challenge. Former Gov. John Kasich twice vetoed the bill. (Siegel, 2/12)

Politico Pro: Texas Nurses Push For Greater Practice Autonomy
Nurses, optometrists and a variety of other medical providers are stepping up their lobbying efforts this session to pass bills that would allow them to practice more independently from physicians. If successful, Texas would become the largest state to expand the authority of nurses with advanced degrees — such as nurse practitioners, nurse midwives and clinical nurse specialists— to practice without physician oversight. (Rayasam, 2/12)

Austin Statesman: Abbott Backs Bill To Prevent Local Governments From Regulating Sick Leave, Other Benefits
It should be up to Texas employers — and not local politicians — to decide what benefits they offer their workers, Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday in a speech to an association of small business owners. Having a city or county government create local regulations for employee benefits creates “a patchwork quilt of regulations” that drive up the cost of doing business, Abbott told members of the National Federation of Independent Business. (Cobler, 2/12)

The Associated Press: South Dakota House OKs Limits On Teaching Gender Dysphoria
South Dakota representatives approved a bill Tuesday that would prohibit public school instruction about gender dysphoria through seventh grade. The House voted 39-30 to send the measure to the state Senate. Republican Rep. Tom Pischke, the sponsor, said the intent of the measure is to make sure that public schools are not "teaching and confusing our young children to be more susceptible to this dysphoria." (2/12)

The Associated Press: Bill In New Mexico Legislature Would Create Databank To Track Children’s Welfare
After years of hand-wringing over worst-in-the-nation poverty levels and education rankings, reports repeatedly declaring New Mexico “the worst place to raise a family,” a persistent opioid epidemic and a rising prison population, policymakers are pushing legislation they say will finally lead to solutions. Without the Child and Family Databank Act, one researcher said, the state won’t ever be able to solve its woes, largely rooted in multigenerational poverty. (Miller, 2/11)

Tampa Bay Times: Florida House Takes Up Medical Pot Smoking Ban
A new bill that would allow smoking of medical marijuana in the form of pre-rolled filtered cigarettes from dispensaries was heard Tuesday in the Florida House’s Health and Human Services Committee. The bill passed with only two no-votes, and will be moving on to appropriations committee. (Gross, 2/12)

Boston Globe: Malpractice Case Involving Death Of Liver Donor Goes To Trial
A key question is whether surgeons should have given Hawks more detailed information about the severity of his brother-in-law’s cancer and prognosis — and whether that knowledge would have changed his decision to undergo a risky surgery to remove 60 percent of his liver. (Kowalczyk, 2/13)

Reuters: Proposed U.S. Migrant Shelter May Be Polluted, Green Group Warns
Parts of a Texas military base that the Trump administration had proposed for a temporary detention facility for migrant children contain toxins that could pose a health risk, according to a report released by an environmental group on Tuesday. Last June, then-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said the U.S. military was preparing to house immigrant families at Fort Bliss, an Army base in El Paso, Texas, and unaccompanied minors at Goodfellow Air Base in San Angelo. (2/12)

Texas Tribune: Texas' Driver Responsibility Program Might Finally Face Reform
Texas lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are pushing to fix a program that critics say traps low-income drivers in a cycle of debt — with hopes that this time, they'll find a solution. The Driver Responsibility Program, enacted in 2003, charges Texas drivers additional yearly fees for certain traffic violations — from $100 for a few traffic tickets to $2,500 for driving while intoxicated, on top of the cost of the ticket. If drivers don't pay within 105 days, the state suspends their licenses. (Sundaram, 2/13)

KQED: Meth’s Comeback: A New Speed Epidemic Takes Its Toll On San Francisco
Methamphetamine is back. In San Francisco, over the last five years, Drug Enforcement Administration seizures of meth have jumped, hospitalizations and emergency room visits have spiked and deaths have doubled. The toll the drug is taking on the city’s public health, emergency response and police departments is now spurring the mayor to establish a task force to combat the new speed epidemic. (Dembosky, 2/12)

Kaiser Health News: Texans Can Appeal Surprise Medical Bills, But The Process Can Be Draining
In Texas, a growing number of patients are turning to a little-known state mediation program to deal with unexpected hospital bills.The bills in question often arrive in patients’ mailboxes with shocking balances that run into the tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. When patients, through no fault of their own, are treated outside their insurers’ network of hospitals, the result can be a surprise bill. Other times, insurers won’t agree to pay what the hospital charges, and the patient is on the hook for the balance. (Lopez, 2/13)

Cleveland Plain Dealer: Cuyahoga County Jail Inmate Sues County, Claims Civil Rights Violated Over Dirty Water, Moldy Trays
A former Cuyahoga County jail inmate filed a federal lawsuit on Tuesday that says the county violated his civil rights when he was forced to choose between drinking moldy water that made him sick or severe dehydration.Cecil Fluker, who previously filed a lawsuit against the county in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, says the county inflicted cruel and unusual punishment in violation of his 8th, 5th and 14th Amendment Rights. The lawsuit also says the county showed “deliberate indifference” to Fluker’s health and safety. (Ferris, 2/12)

KCUR: As Kansas Youth Suicide Rises, State Pushes Prevention Training For School Workers 
Simplistic crisis plans and missing mandatory training by some Kansas schools led the Kansas Board of Education Tuesday to reinforce its suicide prevention requirements. Suicide rates in the United States have been going up for years, but the rates have risen faster in Kansas. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Kansas suicide rate increased by 45 percent from 1999 to 2016. (Bisha, 2/12)

The Associated Press: Las Vegas Police Seek Thief Who Stole Box With Cancer Drug
A thief in Las Vegas made off with a delivery package containing what a mother told police was $40,000 worth of cancer treatment drugs for her 14-year-old son, authorities said Tuesday. Police issued a plea for help finding the thief and released a photo of the man seen in doorbell security video. He took two packages from the front of a home Thursday, Officer Laura Meltzer said. (2/12)

The Star Tribune: As It Searches For New Leader, HCMC Faces Huge Challenges
As they recruit a new CEO for HCMC and its network of clinics, hospital leaders will be writing a tough job description: Its urban trauma center is bleeding money, its research agenda is bruised by an ethics scandal, and it must thrive in a national health care system that punishes medical centers that serve the poor. The hospital’s umbrella organization, Hennepin Healthcare, lost $49 million in 2016 and $29 million in 2017 on hospital and clinic operations, after posting modest income gains the prior two years, according to the most recent public data. (Olson, 2/12)

Miami Herald: FL Court Weighs Patient’s Right To Grow His Own Medical Pot
The Florida Department of Health says that pulling out the definition is unfair, and that judges should consider the portion of the law that bars patients or caregivers from cultivating marijuana or purchasing marijuana from any person or entity other than a medical marijuana treatment center. Judge Karen Gievers ruled last April that Redner could grow his own medical marijuana but can’t share the plants or the juice with anyone else. (Gross, 2/12)

Stateline: Drug-Price Debate Targets Pharmacy Benefit Managers 
PBMs, as the managers are known, are big businesses themselves. The companies negotiate with drug manufacturers on behalf of government health plans and private and employer-based insurance plans. The deals they strike determine the availability and prices of prescription drugs for more than 266 million Americans. But there are questions about the extent to which patients benefit from the rebates that pharmacy benefit managers secure from drugmakers. PBMs’ operations are largely hidden from public view and from regulators. (Ollove, 2/12)

Stat: A Big PBM Wants Drug Makers To Agree To Rebate Demands
As pressure mounts to overhaul opaque pharmaceutical pricing, OptumRx, one of the largest U.S. pharmacy benefit managers, recently demanded that drug makers make significant changes toward rebates, but in a way that would largely bolster its own bottom line. The move by the PBM — which is owned by UnitedHealth Group (UNH), the big health insurer — comes as the Trump administration and some drug makers seek to minimize, if not eliminate, the influence rebates have on drug prices. Pharmacy benefit managers collect rebates from drug companies in exchange for favorable placement on formularies, the lists of medicines that receive preferred coverage. (Silverman and Swetlitz, 2/11)

Previous KHN coverage: Middlemen Who Save $$ On Medicines — But Maybe Not For You

CQ: House Panel Weighs Changes To Medicare For Drug Price Fix
House Democrats are considering ways to bring direct government negotiation to Medicare’s prescription drug benefit, but a key panel on Tuesday heard from experts urging them to make more targeted changes. At a hearing of the Ways and Means Committee, Chairman Richard E. Neal, D-Mass., suggested that Democrats would try to deliver a multi-faceted drug pricing bill this session that could touch on Food and Drug Administration drug approvals, reimbursements in Medicare and Medicaid, and even the tax code. He was noncommittal about the negotiation bill, but stressed to reporters after the hearing that he wanted a broad package. (Siddons, 2/12)

FierceHealthcare: Azar To Doctors: HHS Is Listening To Feedback On Its Medicare Reforms Aimed At Drug Price
The Department of Health and Human Services won’t be able to bring down prices in Part D without “pitting drugs against each other,” Secretary Alex Azar said Tuesday. The HHS head said that the agency is aware step therapy and other similar approaches can require a greater need for prior authorization or can create confusion about which drugs are available—but having these tools at a plan's disposal is crucial. (Minemyer, 2/13)

The New York Times: Income Is A Strong Predictor Of Drug Purchases For Some Serious Diseases
There are many, many things that rich people buy in larger quantities. It turns out medications for certain serious diseases may be one of them. A new analysis has found that, for some types of medications, income is a pretty strong predictor of how often someone is picking up a drug to treat an ailment. (Sanger-Katz, 2/7)

CQ: Democrats With 2020 Hopes Largely Align On Drug Price Bills
A bold stance on drug pricing will be a prerequisite for any candidate who wants to win the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, but one challenge will be differentiating the contenders from each other.   The main distinction among candidates could be between those pushing bipartisan policies and those promoting more liberal ideas that currently stand little chance of enactment. But in most cases, the bills have a list of co-sponsors that could resemble a future primary debate stage. (Siddons, 2/11)

The Associated Press: Drug-Price Debate Threatens Trade Pact's Passage
The clash over free trade in North America has long been fought over familiar issues, including low-paid Mexican workers, U.S. factories that move jobs south of the border, and Canada's high taxes on imported milk and cheese. But as Democrats in Congress consider whether to back a revamped regional trade pact being pushed by President Donald Trump, they're zeroing in on a new point of conflict: drug prices. They contend that the new pact would force Americans to pay more for prescription drugs, and their argument has dimmed the outlook for one of Trump's signature causes. (Wiseman, 2/13)

Stat: JC Scott Is Ready To Defend Middlemen And Revamp PBMs' Image
JC Scott has been the top lobbyist for the pharmacy benefit manager industry for just over four months, but he says he’s ready, willing, and able to defend his industry before Congress. Scott, who was hired in September as president and CEO of the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, has his work cut out for him. PBMs, which negotiate with drug makers on behalf of health insurers and employers over the price of drugs, have gotten a bad reputation in Washington as middlemen who needlessly drive up drug prices in order to pocket more money for themselves. But Scott is determined to turn that reputation around, and he believes going before Congress is a key step in doing that. (Florko, 2/12)

Stat: Francis Rooney, The Rare Republican Joining Democrats To Take On Pharma
Rep. Francis Rooney doesn’t sit on any of the congressional committees that deal with health care policy. His last government job was a stint as U.S. ambassador to the Holy See. In politics, he is best known as a Republican Party megadonor, the product of a lucrative career as a finance and construction executive. But suddenly, he’s an unlikely leading man in an increasingly noisy health policy fight over drug prices. The second-term congressman from Florida is the only Republican co-sponsor on a bill to allow Medicare for negotiate prices, traditionally a nonstarter for the GOP. (Facher, 2/11)

Kaiser Health News: False Lead: Senator’s Offer To Help Patient Import Cheap Insulin Goes Nowhere
It sounded like an answer to prayers for millions with diabetes struggling to pay soaring prices for insulin. At a congressional hearing last month, Sen. Mike Enzi said an adviser had found “a foundation to import insulin for a number of people at lower cost.” The Wyoming Republican told the mother of a young man with Type 1 diabetes that his adviser “worked through a foundation so that it would be legal, and I will share that with you.” Such a group could link patients to safe medicines while saving them hundreds or thousands of dollars a year. But it doesn’t appear to exist, leaving patients with diabetes to either pay sky-high U.S. prices or try to import cheap insulin on their own, which is technically illegal. (Hancock, 2/11)

Stat: AbbVie Must Fork Over Humira Documents As Judge Slams Argument
In a setback to AbbVie (ABBV), a federal judge rebuked the drug maker for failing to cough up a ream of documents in a closely watched lawsuit that accuses the company of untoward behavior in creating a so-called patent thicket to protect its best-selling Humira medication. At issue has been a simmering battle between AbbVie and Boehringer Ingelheim, which are locked in patent litigation, over access to internal AbbVie documents that discuss its strategy for bolstering Humira sales and fending off competition from lower-cost biosimilar alternatives. (Silverman, 2/12)

Stat: PhRMA Asks U.S. Trade Rep To Pressure Four Countries On Patents 
As drug makers increasingly grapple with other countries over the cost of medicines, the pharmaceutical industry’s trade group is asking the Trump administration to take “urgent action” against two dozen countries over their pricing policies and for engaging in “unfair” practices that threaten intellectual property rights. In comments filed with the U.S. trade representative, the trade group also made a point of singling out Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, and Canada for various moves that will purportedly cost drug makers large amounts of sales and jeopardize their ability to develop innovative medicines. (Silverman, 2/8)

Axios: How Other Countries Set Their Drug Prices
The debate around prescription drug prices — including the Trump administration's proposal tying some Medicare drug prices to what other countries pay — raises an important question: How do other countries decide what to pay for drugs? (Owens, 2/11)

Kaiser Health News: Americans Cross Border Into Mexico To Buy Insulin At A Fraction Of U.S. Cost
When Michelle Fenner signed up to run this year’s Los Angeles Marathon, it got her thinking: Tijuana, Mexico, is only a 2½-hour drive from L.A. Why not take a trip across the border and buy some insulin for her son? “It’s so easy to just go across the border,” mused Fenner. This idea had been in the back of Fenner’s mind for a while. Her son was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes nine years ago, meaning he needs daily injections of insulin to live. (Sable-Smith, 2/12)

Stat: Washington State Embraces A Netflix Model For Hep C Drugs
The so-called Netflix payment model for obtaining hepatitis C treatments appears to be catching on among state officials as a Washington state health agency is the latest one hoping to convince drug makers to participate in such a scheme. The state Health Care Authority late last month began soliciting bids from drug makers to provide a guaranteed net unit price for Medicaid beneficiaries, and a similarly low price for other state employees. The goal is to eradicate the chronic disease from these groups by 2030 and to lower spending that last year reached about $80 million. (Silverman, 2/6)

Stat: These Four Biotechs Got Venture Funding A Year Ago. Did It Help? 
Biotech is an industry defined by splashy startups pitching groundbreaking, life-changing treatments — if only they had a bit more money to test them. ...Those press releases often make big promises — but there’s rarely any follow-up. As part of our quarterly Something Ventured series, STAT took a look at four companies that closed an early-stage venture round between January and March of last year. We looked back at what they promised to do with all that capital — and what they’ve actually done with it. (Sheridan, 2/13)

Stat: For BeiGene, Bristol-Celgene Deal Is Poised To Have Big Ripple Effects
Celgene is famous for cultivating a constellation of biotech partners — companies whose fortunes are poised to be shifted by last month’s news that Bristol-Myers Squibb plans to buy Celgene in a $74 billion deal. One of those partners is BeiGene, among the buzziest companies in China’s rising biotech sector and one that could feel ripple effects. (Robbins, 2/13)

The Hill: Congress, White House On Right Track Tackling Prescription Drug Prices
It would be easy to think that the current political climate makes it impossible for anything to get done in Washington. Divided government prevents bipartisan action on even the most inconsequential legislation. The Mueller investigation continues, with new twists and turns reported on cable news in relentlessly unending loops. The longest government shutdown in American history is over, but the specter of Shutdown Part II looms. Seemingly every day, new Democratic presidential candidates join the field, positioning themselves as the most unwilling to work with the man they hope to unseat in 2020. Viral stories such as the yearbook photos of Virginia’s governor dominate the news cycle for days on end. Both Republicans and Democrats in Congress debate the futures of their respective parties as insurgents from the extremes threaten intra-party unity. It is no wonder that many outside observers believe substantive legislative action in 2019 is little more than a pipe dream. Such a view would be shortsighted, however; Congress and the president are moving closer to a major deal on what may be one of the most important issues facing America today. (Jason Altmire, 2/7)

Stat: Prepare For Grilling: 7 Questions For 7 Pharma Execs Who’ll Testify Before Congress About Prices
After some very public cajoling, executives from some of the world’s largest drug makers have now agreed to testify about drug pricing at a Senate hearing later this month. Of course, they would be foolish not to do so. The Senate Finance Committee leadership is not especially friendly to the pharmaceutical industry, which is already under siege. Showing up is simply smart politics in the face of proposals and legislation that could change the way they do business. (Ed Silverman, 2/11)

Stat: ‘One-And-Done’ For New Drugs Could Cut Patent Thickets And Boost Generic Competition
In a perfect world, the system for conveying medications from their makers to patients should be designed to deliver the lowest-cost drugs. The system in the U.S. doesn’t even come close. Insurers should provide the lowest-cost and highest-quality drug benefit for each plan, public or private. But they don’t. (Robin Feldman, 2/11)

The Hill: Trump Plan A Big Step Forward In Lowering Drug Costs
The cost of prescription drugs is a significant factor in the lives of millions of Americans. Because these Americans and their families and friends know that drug costs can be a significant part of the monthly budget, this topic will be a big issue in the next election. Democrats — many of them planning to run for president in 2020 — already are out with several destructive proposals. (Newt Gingrich and Joe Desantis, 2/8)

Roll Call: Drug Pricing Is Secretive. Fix That First
Health care economist Uwe Reinhardt once described pricing in the health care sector as “chaos behind a veil of secrecy.” That description aptly applies to the opaque U.S. pharmaceutical market. To make health care policy that works, we must lift the secret veil on drug pricing. The administration’s recent proposal to fundamentally change the drug rebate process is one step in that direction. (G. William Hoagland, 2/11)

Forbes: Fostering Transparency In The Pharmaceutical Market
In response to the problem of rising list prices for drugs, elected officials continue to propose counterproductive reforms. Whether it is importing drugs from Canada or indexing U.S. drug prices to the prices charged in other countries, these policies will make the current bad situation worse because they fail to understand the disincentives that are the root cause of the problem. Until now. (Wayne Winegarden, 2/12)

The Associated Press: Time To Remove Texas’ Drug Middlemen
As an independent pharmacist, I see every day the burden that rising prescription drug costs are putting on patients. The people I serve express growing concern about the cost of the medicines they need today, and they’re even more alarmed at how much those medications will cost in the future. It is also my vantage point as a pharmacist that allows me to see why drug costs are rising: A handful of out-of-state companies known as pharmacy benefit managers, acting as middlemen between insurers and drug manufacturers, are driving up costs by manipulating the prescription drug market — a market they largely control. (Jeff Carson, 2/10)

The Hill: Drug Costs Impact The Financial Well-Being Of Older Adults
The Senate Committee on Finance recently invited pharmaceutical executives to testify regarding high drug prices. Many declined the invitation, offering a variety of excuses including one company who claimed their testimony would “create a language-barrier problem.” Nevertheless, based on this request and recent statements from legislators in the House, is clear that members of both parties are poised to take on the high cost of prescription drugs. As a gerontologist ( a person who studies the social, cultural, psychological, cognitive, and biological aspects of aging), I say it’s about time. (Linda Phillips, 2/7)

The Washington Post: I Used To Be Opposed To Vaccines. This Is How I Changed My Mind.
Just a few years ago, I was opposed to vaccines. I felt that the risks of measles were being exaggerated when periodic outbreaks would occur. I refused to get my tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis booster when my doctor offered it, and I declined the flu shot every year. I particularly regret the decision regarding the flu shot. As a hospital employee at the time, even though I worked in an area where I did not come into contact with patients, if I had caught the flu during that time, I could have spread it, putting others at risk. (Rose Branigin, 2/11)

The Wall Street Journal: Didn’t We Already Beat Measles?
Many conservatives are fond of an old T.S. Eliot line: There is no such thing as a Lost Cause because there is no such thing as a Gained Cause. The latest proof of that second truth is the Pacific Northwest’s outbreak of measles, a disease scrubbed from the U.S. nearly 20 years ago. There are now 53 measles cases confirmed for Clark County in Washington, which sits across the river from Portland, Ore. Almost all of those sickened are children who didn’t receive their vaccines. The authorities have published a list of possible “exposure sites” that infected people visited: a Trail Blazers basketball game, a Walmart Supercenter and the Portland International Airport. (2/12)

The Hill: Anti-Vax And Anti-Abortion Movements Are Filled With Misinformation
Volume 0% The World Health Organization recently issued an alarm about the resurgence of measles globally as a result of immunization refusals. Teens in the U.S. are seeking ways to get vaccinations on their own, in spite of their parents’ anti-vaxxing positions.As a nurse practicing for the past 10 years, I’ve see the recent rise of the anti-vax movement as well as the anti-abortion movement as symptoms of a lack of understanding of safe, evidence-based medical practices. (Terry Gallagher, 2/12)

SunSentinel: 'We Barely Hear Anything About Common-Sense Gun Legislation Anymore'
So here we are, almost 365 days later. For the families whose world was destroyed, the time has practically stopped, but for everyone else, our attention has been grabbed by something else, some other “newsworthy” story. We barely hear anything about a fight for common-sense gun legislation anymore. Maybe as the Democratic presidential candidates start turning up their propaganda machines, we will hear about the need for reform, but will it be more than just words. Will those words turn into action? We must keep up the pressure, we must keep fighting state-level preemption laws, like the one in Florida, where local governments are not allowed to pass ordinances from changing or implementing restrictive firearm policies. (Joshua Simmons, 2/13)

The Wall Street Journal: He Has A Purple Heart, But The VA Wouldn’t Call Him A Veteran
The Department of Veterans Affairs often moves at a glacial pace. Stories of delayed disability claims and long wait lists for treatment are legion. What has gone unnoticed, however, is that thousands of former U.S. service members wait an average of four years before they can even get in the long lines for benefits or health care. What’s the holdup? Service members with less-than-honorable discharges must wait for the VA to decide formally whether they are veterans. (Rose Carmen Goldberg, 2/12)

USA Today: Too Many Patients Risk Opioid Addiction After Routine Surgery.
Two VA patients were discharged from the hospital on the same day. One, a 70-year-old retiree, had an arthritic knee replaced. The other, a 24-year-old auto mechanic, underwent a hernia repair. The woman and man (names are being withheld to protect patient privacy) came to the operating room for very different reasons. However, both left the hospital with an item that patients all too often take home: a sizable supply of prescription opioids. One year after surgery and unknown to their surgeons, both are still taking painkillers. (Sesh Mudumbai, Randall Stafford, and Caleb G. Alexander, 2/12)

The Washington Post: Blackface Is Just A Symptom Of American Medicine’s Racist Past
The racist images on Ralph Northam’s yearbook page raise significant questions about the Virginia governor’s attitudes toward race. But they also reflect the culture of the time at Eastern Virginia Medical School and in the profession he later joined. For historians who study racism, science and medicine, the discovery of racist imagery in a medical school yearbook was hardly surprising. Morbid racism has a long history in American medical schools, as well as the broader medical culture. (Christopher D. E. Willoughby, 2/11)

The Wall Street Journal: Medicare For All Is A Trap
A political party is asking for trouble when it embraces a position on a high-profile issue that most Americans oppose. But it isn’t easy to avoid this pitfall when a majority of the party’s own members endorse that position. As the campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination heats up, the Medicare for All plan first proposed by Sen. Bernie Sanders risks pushing candidates into this trap.The stakes are very high: This unforced error could give President Trump his best chance to win re-election in 2020. (William A. Galston, 2/13)

Stat: The Unethical Behavior Of Forensic Dentists At Our Southern Border 
Parents who entrust the care of their children to doctors and dentists do so based on the belief that these professionals will act in the best interest of their children. A profound breach of that trust occurs when those professionals not only violate the “do no harm” maxim they pledged when taking the Hippocratic oath, but do so through the misuse of the licenses and privileges they’ve been granted in exchange for our trust. That’s happening right now on our southern border. (Brendan Parent and Nancy Neveloff Dubler, 2/13)

Los Angeles Times: Barbara Ehrenreich On The Absurd Contradictions Of Trying To Age 'Successfully' 
Barbara Ehrenreich, at 77, is learning to just say no – no to the kind of intensive, intrusive medical tests that may tell her absolutely nothing, no to the books and the nostrums that say that you can live forever or make your body grow younger, not older. Once she realized she was old enough to die, Ehrenreich, the author of the new book “Natural Causes,” said she decided she would put up with no more “suffering, annoyance and boredom” in pursuit of a longer life. Instead, the woman who also wrote the groundbreaking book “Nickel and Dimed” chooses the foods she likes, the exercise that suffices, and the doctor visits that address only the pains she actually feels. Is American medicine — is American life — ready for this? (Patt Morrison, 2/13)

USA Today: On Infanticide, Abortion Lobby Out Of Step With Americans
Infanticide shouldn’t be a partisan issue. Every single public servant should be able to say it’s wrong to leave newborn babies to die. Sadly, that’s not happening. Ralph Northam, Virginia’s disgraced Democratic governor, described late last month what might happen to a baby who survived a late-term abortion under a bill that had been proposed in his state: “The infant would be delivered,” he explained. “The infant would be kept comfortable. The infant would be resuscitated, if that’s what the mother and the family desired. And then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother.” (Sen. Ben Sasse, 2/12)

Los Angeles Times: L.A. County Needs A Mental Hospital. It Also Needs A Smart Plan For Building One
The recent evolution in the Board of Supervisors’ thinking about how to replace the dangerous and decrepit Men’s Central Jail has been breathtaking. After years of insisting on building a multibillion-dollar treatment-oriented replacement jail, the supervisors in a matter of weeks have soured on the idea and are considering instead an actual psychiatric hospital, operated by mental health professionals. (2/12)