The New York Times: Trump Claims End Of ‘American Decline’ While Avoiding Mention Of Impeachment In State Of The Union
President Trump claimed credit for a “great American comeback” in a speech to Congress on Tuesday night, boasting of a robust economy, contrasting his successes with the records of his predecessors and projecting optimism in the face of a monthslong Democratic effort to force him from office. Mr. Trump, who lamented what he called “American carnage” when he was inaugurated in January 2017, described a different country today, declaring in his third State of the Union address that the nation’s future was once again “blazing bright.” (Shear, 2/5)

The Washington Post: Trump Paints Strong Economy As Vindication As He Tries To Move Past Impeachment
In his third State of the Union address — and final one before voters will cast their verdict on his presidency this fall — Trump made no mention of the impeachment battle that has consumed him for months, even as he faced down his Democratic adversaries in the House chamber where they had voted to charge him with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress less than two months ago. (Nakamura, 2/5)

The New York Times: Six Takeaways From Trump's 2020 State Of The Union Speech
Mr. Trump addressed two pieces of potential health care legislation that remain a top priority for both parties in the coming months: surprise billing and prescription drugs. He said that he had spoken with Senator Chuck Grassley, Republican of Iowa and the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, to urge him to pass legislation that lowers the price of prescription drugs. “Get a bill on my desk, and I will sign it into law immediately,” Mr. Trump declared, as Alex M. Azar II, the health and human services secretary, looked in the direction of Democrats in the room. (Weiland, 2/5)

Modern Healthcare: Trump Pushes Congress To Overcome Drug Pricing Gridlock In State Of The Union
"I am calling for bipartisan legislation that achieves the goal of dramatically lowering prescription drug prices. Get a bill to my desk, and I will sign it into law without delay," Trump said. Senate Finance Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) has said he wanted more vocal support from Trump for a bipartisan package to lower prescription drug costs Grassley authored with Senate Finance ranking member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.). The bill has stalled so far because conservative Republicans oppose a provision that would force drugmakers to pay back the government for price hikes that outpace inflation. (Cohrs, 2/4)

The Wall Street Journal: Trump Touts Economy, Ignores Impeachment In State Of The Union Speech
The issue of health care presented Mr. Trump with an opening to criticize his Democratic opponents. The president echoed comments he made in his 2019 address criticizing efforts “to adopt socialism in our country.” “To those watching at home tonight, I want you to know: We will never let socialism destroy American health care,” Mr. Trump said. When Trump said there are those who want to take away people’s doctors and abolish private insurance, Democrats shouted, “Who? Who?” (Restuccia, 2/5)

Los Angeles Times: Partisan Passions Overtake Trump's State Of The Union Speech
He panned the “Medicare for all” proposals backed by two Democratic presidential hopefuls, Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. “We will never let socialism destroy American healthcare!” he said, before pivoting to an even more controversial assertion, claiming that support for a government takeover of healthcare would lead to “free government healthcare for illegal aliens.” (Stokols and Bierman, 2/4)

The Hill: Trump Bashes 'Medicare For All' In Swipe At Sanders
President Trump took a shot at Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, declaring at his annual State of the Union address, “We will never let socialism destroy American health care!” “One hundred thirty-two lawmakers in this room have endorsed legislation to impose a socialist takeover of our health care system, wiping out the private health insurance plans of 180 million Americans,” he said in a slam of the Independent Vermont senator's signature health care reform bill, “Medicare for All.”Trump pledged to “those watching at home” that he would not let it happen. (Bolton, 2/4)

The Wall Street Journal: Full Text Of President Trump’s 2020 State Of The Union Speech
Here is President Trump’s State of the Union address as prepared for delivery and released by the White House. (2/4)

Stat: Dems Interrupted The State Of The Union To Chant For Their Drug Pricing Bill
President Trump’s brief remarks on drug pricing during Tuesday’s State of the Union address appeared uncontroversial: Congress, he said, should pass a bipartisan drug pricing bill. Democrats, however, came armed with a surprisingly strong response: From the back of the House chamber, dozens of lawmakers stood, held up three fingers, and unleashed a three-syllable chant: “H.R. 3.” The agitators included Democratic Reps. Donna Shalala (Fla.), Annie Kuster (N.H.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (Del.), Dan Kildee (Mich.), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Fla.), and Cheri Bustos (Ill.), the chair of House Democrats’ campaign arm. (Facher and Florko, 2/4)

The Hill: Democrats Chant In Support Of House Drug Pricing Bill During State Of The Union
Pelosi spent months in talks with Trump to try to get him to support the bill. During the 2016 campaign, Trump famously broke with his party and said he supported letting the government negotiate drug prices. But the White House distanced itself from Pelosi’s bill and eventually came out against the legislation. Trump said Pelosi's bill would impose “price controls” and indicated he would veto it. (Weixel, 2/4)

Politico: Trump's Speech Packed With Dramatic Moments — Planned And Unplanned
Democrats in the chamber chided the president when he called on Congress to pass drug pricing legislation, standing up and yelling out the number of a House-passed bill to do just that as Trump tried to continue on over them. (Oprysko, 2/4)

The Washington Post: Democrats Interrupt Trump's State Of The Union Address, Chant 'H.R.3'
Democrats chanted "H.R.3," a reference to a bill introduced by the late Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.) on prescription drug prices, after President Trump's health-care remarks at his Feb. 4 State of the Union speech. (2/4)

The New York Times: Democrats Counter Trump On Health Care And Condemn His Conduct
Democrats criticized President Trump on Tuesday for seeking to repeal a landmark health care law and presiding over an economy they argue has left working people struggling, in a pair of official responses to his State of the Union address that also issued a searing indictment of his conduct and language. ... “It’s pretty simple,” Ms. Whitmer said, describing her work on health care as a Michigan state senator. “Democrats are trying to make your health care better. Republicans in Washington are trying to take it away.” “Bullying people on Twitter doesn’t fix bridges — it burns them,” Ms. Whitmer added later. “Our energy should be used to solve problems.” (Cochrane, 2/4)

Politico: The Trump-Pelosi Feud Spirals Out Of Control
Not to be outdone, the normally restrained Pelosi put on a show herself as Trump’s speech wrapped. Standing behind the president, she meticulously ripped up page after page of the speech, while Trump and other Republicans cheered the end of an address that mostly catered to hard-core GOP partisans. “It was the courteous thing to do considering the alternative,” Pelosi told reporters as she exited the chamber. Later as she left the Capitol, she added, “It was a manifesto of mistruths.” (Caygle, Ferris and Everett, 2/5)

The Hill: Pelosi, Schumer Call On Trump To Drop ObamaCare Lawsuit Ahead Of State Of The Union
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday called for President Trump to withdraw his administration’s legal position calling for striking down the Affordable Care Act, seeking to pre-empt the president’s health care message in the State of the Union address. Speaking at a press conference with House and Senate Democrats, Schumer noted that Trump is likely to tout his administration’s actions on health care in his speech Tuesday night. But he and Pelosi argued that the most consequential administration health care action is the GOP lawsuit against the Affordable Care Act that the Trump administration is supporting. (Sullivan, 2/4)

The Associated Press: 'For The First Time In 51 Years, The Cost Of Prescription Drugs Actually Went Down.'
THE FACTS: Prices for prescription drugs have edged down, but that is driven by declines for generics. Prices for brand-name medications are still going up, although more moderately. Nonpartisan government experts at the Department of Health and Human Services reported last year that prices for pharmacy prescriptions went down by 1% in 2018, the first such price drop in 45 years. The department said the last time retail prescription drug prices declined was in 1973, when they went down by 0.2%. (Boak, Woodward and Yen, 2/4)

The Washington Post: 'Under My Administration, 7 Million Americans Have Come Off Of Food Stamps.'
About 4.2 million people (not 7 million) have stopped receiving food stamps since February 2017, according to the latest data. But experts say the improvement in the economy may not be the only reason for the decline. Several states have rolled back recession-era waivers that allowed some adults to keep their benefits for longer periods of time without employment. Reports have also suggested immigrant families with citizen children have dropped out of the program, fearing the administration’s immigration policies. Moreover, the number of people collecting benefits has been declining since fiscal 2014. (Kessler, Rizzo and Cahlan, 2/4)

The New York Times: 'Before I Took Office, Health Insurance Premiums Had More Than Doubled In Just 5 Years.'
This is misleading. The president’s claim is based on a White House report comparing premiums in the individual insurance market before the Affordable Care Act with those several years after its enactment. That report made several methodological choices that tended to increase the difference in prices. Health plans for a far larger group of Americans, who obtain health insurance through their jobs, have increased by smaller margins. Over all, however, health insurance prices have increased in recent years. (Sanger-Katz, 2/4)

The New York Times: 'We Will Always Protect Patients With Pre-Existing Conditions.'
This is false. The president has taken multiple steps to weaken or eliminate current protections for Americans with pre-existing health conditions. These efforts include legislation he championed, regulation his administration has finished, and a lawsuit the Justice Department is litigating that would declare the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional. (Sanger-Katz, 2/4)

The New York Times: 'Many Experts Believe That Transparency, Which Will Go Into Full Effect At The Beginning Of Next Year, Will Be Even Bigger Than Health Care Reform. It Will Save Families Massive Amounts Of Money For Substantially Better Care.'
This lacks evidence. New rules that will require public disclosure of the prices negotiated between health care providers and insurance companies are a new policy, without much strong evidence about their effects. Some experts, including economists who have advised the president, think transparency could reduce health care prices. But other experts believe the policy could have a perverse effect, increasing prices. New Hampshire, a state that has introduced a similar policy on a more limited scale, has shown modest price declines for certain services, but not “massive” price reductions. (Sanger-Katz, 2/4)

The New York Times: 'One Hundred Thirty-Two Lawmakers In This Room Have Endorsed Legislation To Impose A Socialist Takeover Of Our Health Care System, Wiping Out The Private Health Insurance Plans Of 180 Million Americans.'
This is weighted but mostly true. Bills to create a national “Medicare for all” system have been co-sponsored by large numbers of Democratic lawmakers. The bills would eliminate private health insurance, but they would provide those people with generous government health insurance instead. Technically, this would not be a fully socialized health care system, since the bill would allow doctors, hospitals and other health care providers to remain private. (Sanger-Katz, 2/4)

The New York Times: 'Over 130 Legislators In This Chamber Have Endorsed Legislation That Would Bankrupt Our Nation By Providing Free Taxpayer-Funded Health Care To Millions Of Illegal Aliens, Forcing Taxpayers To Subsidize Free Care For Anyone In The World Who Unlawfully Crosses Our Borders.'
This is mostly true. The “Medicare for all” bills co-sponsored by many Democratic lawmakers would provide government health benefits to all “residents” of the country, a group that appears to include undocumented immigrants. The bill also specifies that coverage will not be denied to residents on the basis of “citizenship status.” Whether this aspect of the bill would bankrupt the country is more questionable. The Medicare for all bills are expected to require large increases in federal spending, but the coverage of undocumented immigrants would represent a small fraction of that spending. (Sanger-Katz, 2/4)

The New York Times: 'We Will Always Protect Your Medicare And Your Social Security Always.'
This is misleading. Not only has President Trump failed to strengthen Medicare and Social Security, but the financial outlook for both trusts has not improved or worsened. That is at least partly the result of Mr. Trump’s tax law, which has left the Treasury Department to collect fewer taxes from Americans and, in turn, invest less money into each program. Last April, the government projected that Medicare funds would be depleted by 2026, three years earlier than estimated in 2017. The report noted that less money will flow into the fund because of low wages and lower taxes. (Qiu, 2/4)

Sacramento Bee: Trump Blasts California Health Care For Illegal Immigrants
California last year agreed to let undocumented adults under age 26 enroll in Medi-Cal, the state-federal health insurance program for low-income Californians. Undocumented children were already eligible.The legislation, which took effect Jan. 1, was groundbreaking in this country. But that was as far as it went. (Lightman, 2/4)

Kaiser Health News: On Drug Pricing, The President’s Numbers Are Still Off
During the 2020 State of the Union address, President Donald Trump zeroed in on prescription drug prices, arguing that his administration is “taking on the big pharmaceutical companies.” Among the evidence for that claim: a talking point the administration has been using since last April. “I was pleased to announce last year that, for the first time in 51 years, the cost of prescription drugs actually went down,” Trump said. We’ve examined this claim twice before, rating it Mostly False. But prescription drug prices are a major voter concern. So we wanted to take another look, in case things had changed. (Luthra, 2/5)

Kaiser Health News: Trump On ‘Medicare For All’ And The Costs Of Extending Health Care To Undocumented Immigrants
In his State of the Union address, President Donald Trump said the cost of extending health care to people regardless of their citizenship status would "bankrupt" the U.S. (Luthra, 2/5)

The New York Times: Inside The Race To Contain America’s First Coronavirus Case
It started with a stubborn cough. A visit to an urgent care facility. A test being sent off to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And then a 35-year-old resident of Snohomish County, Wash., being named the first confirmed case of the coronavirus in the United States. Hollianne Bruce, the lone epidemiologist assigned to the control of communicable diseases in the county’s public health office, jumped into action. Declining to wait for a C.D.C. team to arrive from Atlanta, she dialed up the patient, who had been taken to an isolation unit at a hospital. (Harmon, 2/5)

The New York Times: Fear And Takeout: 14 Days In Coronavirus ‘Self-Quarantine’
Claire Campbell expected to spend this semester studying in Shanghai. Instead, she is five days into a self-imposed quarantine at her parents’ house in South Carolina. She checks her temperature twice a day. She reads. And she waits for a family friend to slide takeout meals through the front door. “I am going stir crazy,” said Ms. Campbell, 20, a Clemson University student who returned from her study abroad trip months earlier than planned because of an outbreak of coronavirus in Wuhan, China, that has left hundreds dead and sickened thousands more. “Every day kind of melts together.” (Smith, Kanno-Youngs, Stockman and Swales, 2/4)

Politico: Coronavirus Quarantine, Travel Ban Could Backfire, Experts Fear
The Trump administration’s quarantine and travel ban in response to the Wuhan coronavirus could undercut international efforts to fight the outbreak by antagonizing Chinese leaders, as well as stigmatizing people of Asian descent, according to a growing chorus of public health experts and lawmakers. The World Health Organization’s top official on Tuesday repeated concern that moves that interfere with transportation and trade could harm efforts to address the crisis, though he didn't directly name the United States. Meanwhile, unions representing flight attendants, nurses and teachers criticized the administration on Tuesday for not being forthcoming about what kind of screening and treatment individuals will undergo, and some members of Congress say they're concerned the efforts could stoke racial discrimination. (Ollstein, 2/4)

The New York Times: Spreading Along With The Coronavirus: Confusion
As the coronavirus spreads across the world and airlines cancel flights to and from China, many travelers have been stuck in limbo. Some are trying to get refunds, while others are unsure of whether to rebook their trips for later dates or cancel them altogether. With the State Department issuing a “do not travel” advisory and a declaration by the World Health Organization of a global health emergency, the guidance to avoid mainland China is clear enough. Confusion reigns, however, for those with itineraries via China to other destinations. (Mzezewa, 2/4)

The Washington Post: ‘We’re Like Refugees’: Americans Departing Virus-Hit Wuhan Criticize U.S. Government Response
Some 530 Americans stuck in the Wuhan area were aboard two evacuation flights en route from China to the United States on Wednesday, after extended delays that appear to be linked to the political frictions between Beijing and Washington. The two planes from Kalitta Air, an American cargo carrier, arrived at Wuhan airport late Tuesday. Photos from the airport at 7 a.m. local time Wednesday showed medical staff in protective equipment carrying out health checks on passengers in masks. (Fifield, 2/4)

The Wall Street Journal: U.S. Sets Second Evacuation Of Americans From China
The U.S. government was preparing to evacuate by air hundreds of Americans from central China on Wednesday in response to the deadly coronavirus outbreak, as Beijing criticized Washington’s overall response as unhelpful. In the second such operation in a week following the December outbreak, two jetliners landed Tuesday in Wuhan to fly roughly 530 people to the U.S. in the evacuation, a person familiar with the planning said. (Areddy and Lin, 2/4)

CBS News: Hundreds More Americans Evacuated From Virus Outbreak Epicenter
Hundreds more Americans evacuated from the city at the center of the were landing in California Wednesday morning. The two planes, carrying about 350 people in total, were arriving at Travis Air Force Base in Northern California. One of them was to remain there while the other was to refuel before continuing on to Miramar Marine Corps Air Station in Southern California. All the passengers will spend up to two weeks under quarantine in California while they are monitored for symptoms of the potentially deadly new virus. (CBS News, 2/5)

CNN: At Least Three Chartered Flights Are Evacuating US Citizens From Wuhan This Week. An Official Says They Are Likely The Last
"The Department of State has no higher priority than the welfare and safety of US citizens abroad," the official said. "US citizens currently in China should attempt to depart by commercial means."(Holcombe, 2/5)

Stat: Chatbots Screening For New Coronavirus — And Turning Up The Flu
As the new coronavirus spreads, health-tech startups with medical chatbots are scrambling to update their algorithms to screen feverish and coughing Americans and advise whether they should be evaluated for infection with the virus. So far, these artificial intelligence-powered chatbots are turning up lots of people with the flu. That’s unsurprising at this time of year. It speaks to the small number of coronavirus cases in the U.S. — and how hard it may ultimately be for AI systems to differentiate among the myriad pathogens that cause the same flu-like symptoms that a mild case of the new virus appears to cause. The apps don’t appear to have been involved in turning up any patients who actually have the 2019-nCoV coronavirus — there have been 11 confirmed cases in the U.S. to date — nor is it clear whether any patients flagged by the chatbots have even proceeded to undergo lab testing. (Robbins and Brodwin, 2/5)

Stat: In Race To Develop Coronavirus Treatment, Regeneron Sees An Inside Track
One of them is that what works in lab mice often fails in actual people. But that’s where Regeneron — a $38 billion company that crafted a treatment for Ebola virus — believes it has a leg up. Decades ago, the company set out to bend the curve of drug development by genetically engineering a mouse to have a fully human immune system. That means if you inject it with a foreign agent, it’ll generate human antibodies to fight the perceived infection. One of those antibodies became Eylea, Regeneron’s blockbuster treatment for macular degeneration, and another grew into Dupixent, the company’s multibillion-dollar eczema drug.Now, Regeneron is betting its chimeric mice can come through in 2019-nCoV. (Garde, 2/5)

The Hill: HHS, Pharmaceutical Firm Collaborating On Coronavirus Treatment
HHS is working with the company through a unit known as the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA). “Working as public-private partners like we have with Regeneron since 2014, we can move rapidly to respond to new global health threats,” said BARDA Director Rick Bright. (Sullivan, 2/4)

Los Angeles Times: Coronavirus Fears, Rumors, Misinformation Roil Alhambra Schools
As fear about the novel coronavirus has gripped communities throughout the country, the Alhambra Unified School District has grappled with how to inform students and parents about the realities of the illness while combating misinformation and fear-based rumors. Hoaxes about the presence of the coronavirus in unaffected areas of the San Gabriel Valley have sparked further concerns within the community, prompting some students to wear protective face masks to school — something the school district has discouraged. (Shalby, 2/4)

The Hill: US Lawmakers Push WHO To Recognize Taiwan As Independent State As Coronavirus Outbreak Continues
U.S. lawmakers are pushing legislation that would work toward granting Taiwan recognition in the World Health Organization (WHO) in light of the coronavirus outbreak that has left Taiwan subject to flight bans and limited information. The WHO — a branch of the United Nations — has relayed communication on the virus to China, which considers Taiwan a Chinese territory with an illegitimate independent government. The island’s status as a nation is a matter of international disagreement: the U.S., Japan, Canada and the European Union all recognize Taiwan as a sovereign state, while the UN and Chinese allies consider Taiwan a province of China. Taiwanese officials claim they have received little information on the virus from WHO while also struggling to communicate with Chinese officials as they attempted to evacuate Taiwanese citizens from Wuhan, where the virus originated. Taiwan has 10 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, and on Monday night quarantined 247 people repatriated to the island after being stranded in Wuhan. (Moreno, 2/4)

The Hill: Democrats Urge Emergency Funding For Coronavirus Outbreak
House Democrats on Tuesday urged Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar to request a package of emergency supplemental funding to deal with the coronavirus outbreak. “Further resources will be necessary to support an aggressive and comprehensive government-wide response to the 2019 novel Coronavirus, both domestically and internationally,” House Appropriations Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) and Labor, Health and Human Services subcommittee Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) wrote Azar in a letter. “We strongly urge the Administration to transmit a request to Congress for emergency supplemental appropriations to respond to this public health emergency. We urge the Administration to submit the emergency supplemental request no later than Monday, February 10, along with its submittal of the fiscal year 2021 President’s Budget,” they added. (Elis, 2/4)

Bloomberg: U.S. Readies for Coronavirus Pandemic Some Experts Now See as Likely
Just a couple of weeks ago, scientists held out hope the new coronavirus could be largely contained within China. Now they know its spread can be minimized at best, and governments are planning for the worst. “It is not a matter of if—it is a matter of when,” said Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security and a spokesman for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. “There is not a doubt this is going to end up in most countries eventually.” The U.S., with 11 diagnosed cases so far, plans to quarantine at military bases potentially more than 1,000 Americans evacuated from China’s Hubei province. State health departments are activating emergency programs to isolate the potentially infected—a piecemeal approach that could range from specialized facilities to hotels. Some hospitals have tents in stock to use as emergency isolation wards. (Langreth and Cortez, 2/4)

CNN: What It Means To Be Under The Coronavirus Federal Quarantine In The US 
What federal quarantine entails exactly can depend on the circumstances, said James Hodge, director at the Center for Public Health Law and Policy at Arizona State University. Generally, individuals facing a mandatory quarantine are under a direct order from federal authorities to stay in the same place for a brief period of time while medical professionals assess whether they have been infected with a particular disease. In this latest case, people are being ordered to stay in facilities designated by the federal government, although in other potential situations, they could be confined to a hospital or their own homes, Hodge told CNN. (Kaur, 2/4)

Boston Globe: In Quincy, Crowds Thin As First Coronavirus Case In Massachusetts Spurs Precautions, Fears
Coronavirus fears are mounting now that the first case has been diagnosed in Massachusetts, particularly in Quincy, home to the state’s second-largest population of Asian Americans outside of Boston. On Saturday, state health officials confirmed coronavirus in a University of Massachusetts Boston student who returned to Boston last week from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the outbreak. (Pan and Freyer, 2/4)

San Francisco Chronicle: ‘Nightmare For Silicon Valley’: China Coronavirus Travel Ban Strands Workers, Entrepreneurs
The lethal coronavirus outbreak has halted visa processing, closed the border to foreign nationals who were recently in China, and limited flights — hitting Bay Area companies and their employees with work visas hard. (Moench, 2/4)

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Coronavirus Outbreak: Philadelphia-Area Businesses Are Beginning To Feel The Sting
About 40 Chinese motorcycle enthusiasts fly to Pennsylvania every August to spend two weeks riding iconic Harley Davidsons through the rolling hills of the Keystone State. The Knighthawk Tours and Experience USA Tours — operated by U-Combination Technology of Wayne for more than a decade — often result in the sales of dozens of Harley hogs. As tourists “experience authentic American riding culture,” they spend tens of thousands of dollars on merchandise along the route. One year, the group dropped more than $40,000 in less than 40 minutes at the luxury jeweler Tiffany & Co. in King of Prussia, according to organizer Jeff Ji.It’s unlikely to happen this year. “We’ve put a hold on the August trip until further notice,” Ji said, because of current travel restrictions and the uncertainty brought on by the coronavirus, which is thought to have emerged at a live-animal market in Wuhan, a city of 11 million in China. “We don’t know if the outbreak will be prolonged or temporary. Our customers cannot set aside time for their vacations.” (Wood, 2/5)

Kaiser Health News: Listen: Which Is The Greater Threat — The Coronavirus Or The Flu?
Kaiser Health News reporter Liz Szabo talked to Connecticut Public Radio about the risks of the novel coronavirus, known as 2019-nCoV, compared with influenza. Although Americans are donning face masks to protect themselves from the coronavirus, experts say that influenza poses a much greater risk. Influenza kills more Americans each year than any other virus. (2/4)

The Washington Post: Coronavirus Live Updates: 24,000 Infected In China
The numbers of infected people in mainland China once again rose sharply, with 65 new deaths and 3,887 cases reported on Tuesday alone, authorities said Wednesday morning. This brings the total number of confirmed cases in China to 24,324, with more than 3,000 in critical condition. The increase once again represented the biggest jump since the National Health Commission began releasing statistics and continues the trend of larger increases in cases confirmed every day of the outbreak. China has reported 490 deaths, and two others have succumbed from the illness, one in Hong Kong and one in the Philippines. (Mahtani, 2/5)

The Wall Street Journal: Coronavirus Cases Rise Above 24,000 As Hong Kong Reports First Death
The Chinese special territory had previously restricted only entry to the casinos by people who had been to China’s Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital. In China, a member of the National Health Commission’s group to study the virus acknowledged in an interview with state broadcaster China Central television that resources in Wuhan weren’t adequate to handle the high number of cases there. Jiang Rongmen said that was part of the reason there is a higher death rate in the city. The death rate from the virus is 4.9% in the city but 2.1% nationwide, according to the health commission. (Yang, 2/4)

The Washington Post: Coronavirus: In China's Yangtze River Heartland, Fear And Loathing On The Road To Wuhan
One hand clutching her furry bunny purse and another propping up her disabled grandmother, Shi Zhiyu hobbled down the empty highway on a one-way journey across the Yangtze River. Home never seemed so far from here. "You won't be able to come back," a police officer warned at the last checkpoint before the bridge rose and then disappeared toward Hubei — the locked-down heart of the coronavirus outbreak. (Shih, 2/5)

The New York Times: Giving The Gift Of Mobility In A City Locked Down By Coronavirus
His days are long, 12 hours crisscrossing the city and ferrying local residents to buy groceries, get medicine and go to the hospital. And the roads he travels are mostly empty since the city was sealed off, public transportation was shut down, and private vehicles were mostly banned in an effort to contain the coronavirus. In his blue and white car, Zhang Lei is the rare sight on the streets of Wuhan. (Qin, 2/4)

The Wall Street Journal: China Marshals Its Surveillance Powers Against Coronavirus
In January, a person infected with the dangerous new Wuhan coronavirus used public transportation to crisscross the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing, potentially exposing those along the way to the highly contagious pathogen. Using the country’s pervasive digital-surveillance apparatus, authorities were able to track—down to the minute—the sick person’s exact journey through the city’s subway system. (Lin, 2/4)

Bloomberg: Will China's Coronavirus Quarantine Halt The Virus?
In the last two weeks, China locked down some 50 million people in more than a dozen cities to try and stop the new coronavirus that has sickened thousands in the province of Hubei. It may take as long as 14 days for the flu-like symptoms of the virus, dubbed 2019-nCov, to appear. Soon, China will find out if the largest mass quarantine in history has worked, or if undiscovered cases have quietly dispersed and seeded a far wider epidemic. (Armstrong, 2/4)

CNN: Coronavirus Global Death Toll Soars To Nearly 500
The coronavirus outbreak has killed 492 people worldwide, the majority of which are in China, and infected more than 24,500 people across 25 countries. Close to 60 million people remain under lockdown in China, with three cities reporting over a thousand confirmed cases. Around 3,700 people are being held on a ship in Japan, including 400 Americans, after a passenger who had departed the vessel tested positive for the virus. (Yeung and Renton, 2/5)

CNN: Wuhan Coronavirus Outbreak Is Not Yet A Pandemic, WHO Says
The Wuhan coronavirus outbreak is not a pandemic, World Health Organization officials said Tuesday, adding that they're hopeful transmission of the virus can be contained. The agency acknowledges that it is challenging to contain the virus because of global mass movement. "We are not in a pandemic," Dr. Sylvie Briand, director of the World Health Organization's Infectious Hazards Management Department said in a press conference on Tuesday, explaining that the virus is currently considered to be an epidemic with multiple locations. (Senthilingam, 2/4)

WBUR: In Quarantined Wuhan, Hospital Beds For Coronavirus Patients Are Scarce
Scientists and public health authorities in China and around the world have mobilized quickly to identify and treat a global outbreak of this new strain of the coronavirus. But in Wuhan, which has fully a third of the more than 24,000 confirmed cases of the illness as of Wednesday, overwhelmed hospitals are struggling to screen all potential cases and to treat the ever-growing number of patients. (Feng, 2/5)

Miami Herald: Coronavirus Leads To Travel Bans By U.S., Caribbean Nations
The Dominican Republic and Haiti, which share the island of Hispaniola, have not made any official announcements about travel restrictions, but over the weekend both countries prevented Chinese visitors on a private jet from getting off the plane. Authorities in the eastern Caribbean island of St. Lucia also prevented Miami-based Carnival Corporation’s AIDA cruise ship AIDAPerla from docking at its port of Castries after it was reported that 14 passengers were being treated for upper respiratory issues. (Charles, 2/4)

Bloomberg: Hong Kong to Quarantine Travelers; Almost 500 Dead: Virus Update
The death toll from the coronavirus outbreak climbed toward 500 as confirmed cases worldwide reached almost 25,000. Hong Kong announced plans to quarantine travelers coming from the mainland, while thousands remained stuck on cruise ships. Japan said 10 people on a cruise liner tested positive for the disease. In Hong Kong, 3,600 passengers and crew from another ship were quarantined after three travelers were found to have the virus.Meanwhile, European stocks and U.S. futures rebounded following reports on possible vaccines and treatments. (Bloomberg News, 2/4)

The Associated Press: Unknowns Of The New Virus Make Global Quarantines A Struggle
Health authorities are scrambling to halt the spread of a new virus that has killed hundreds in China, restricting visitors from the country and confining thousands on cruise ships for extensive screening after some passengers tested positive. But with important details about the illness and how it spreads still unknown, officials and medical personnel are struggling. Governments have rushed to get their citizens out of China, which is orchestrating history’s largest anti-viral campaign by blocking 50 million people from leaving Wuhan, the center of the outbreak, and nearby areas. (Tong-Hyung, 2/4)

The New York Times: Even Without Symptoms, Wuhan Coronavirus May Spread, Experts Fear 
Can individuals infected with the Wuhan coronavirus spread it to others even if they aren’t showing symptoms? It’s one of the most important questions confronting scientists. If even asymptomatic people can spread the virus, then it will be much, much harder to slow its spread. Doctors in China claimed asymptomatic transmission was possible, and a letter published Jan. 30 in the New England Journal of Medicine appeared to back them up. (Rabin, 2/4)

The Associated Press: Officials Question Report Of Virus Spreading Before Symptoms
German health officials have raised questions about a report that suggested the new virus from China could be spread by people who are not yet showing symptoms. The report, published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine, raised concerns that controlling the virus will be more daunting if it turns out it is spreading before people know they are sick. But officials at the Robert Koch Institute, Germany's public health agency, said Tuesday the woman who set off a cluster of cases was taking anti-fever medicine. (Johnson, 2/4)

The Washington Post: Asymptomatic Transmission Of China Coronavirus Evidence Is Retracted
The revelation underscores how the urgency to make sweeping public health decisions about the spread of the coronavirus is clashing with the uncertainties surrounding a novel virus. The essential question public health experts are grappling with is how easily the virus spreads, particularly from people who have mild symptoms. And despite the error in the report from Germany, it’s still possible that people can spread it before they have symptoms. Public health measures that depend on isolating people who could transmit the virus could become difficult to implement if the virus spreads before people realize they have been infected. (Johnson and Sun, 2/4)

Stat: Report On Asymptomatic Spread Of Coronavirus Based On Faulty Information
“There has been an increasing number of reports of person-to-person spread. And now most recently, a report from the New England Journal of Medicine of asymptomatic spread,” said Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. “While we still don’t have the full picture and we can’t predict how this situation will play out in the U.S., the current situation, the current scenario is a cause for concern.” (Branswell, 2/4)

CNN: Report That Said Wuhan Coronavirus Can Spread Before Symptoms Was Flawed
The original report said a Shanghai resident came to Germany on a business trip and did not exhibit symptoms of illness while she interacted with several German colleagues. On her return flight to China, she became ill and later tested positive for the novel coronavirus. After her visit, four individuals at the company -- two of whom had direct interactions with their Chinese colleague -- tested positive for the virus. In an email to CNN on Tuesday, German public health officials said the report was incorrect.(Gumbrecht, Holcombe, Kounang and Nedelman, 2/5)

The Washington Post: Ten Passengers Infected With Coronavirus On Diamond Princess Cruise Ship
Ten people aboard a cruise ship anchored off the coast of Yokohama, Japan, tested positive for the new coronavirus, Japanese media reported Tuesday. The news comes as the number of reported infections outside China continues to grow. The roughly 3,500 passengers and crew aboard the British-flagged ship, the Diamond Princess, have been quarantined for more than a day after a traveler from Hong Kong was diagnosed with the new coronavirus. (Hawkins, 2/4)

The Wall Street Journal: Cruise Passengers Quarantined On Board After Coronavirus Detected
Tests for the virus were administered to 273 people on the ship who had symptoms such as fever or who had close contact with the infected man. Initial results for 31 people showed 10 of them had the virus, officials said. The 10 were brought to hospitals on shore with help from the Japanese coast guard. Nine are passengers—two Australian, three Japanese, three from Hong Kong and one from the U.S.—and one is a Filipino crew member, ship operator Princess Cruises said in a statement. (Inada, 2/4)

ABC News: 10 People Aboard Cruise Ship In Japan Test Positive For New Coronavirus As Disease Continues To Spread
"The ship plans to go out to sea to perform normal marine operations including, but not limited to, the production of fresh water and ballast operations before proceeding alongside in Yokohama where food, provisions, and other supplies will be brought on board," the spokesperson said in a statement Tuesday night. "Guests will continue to be provided complimentary internet and telephone to use in order to stay in contact with their family and loved ones, and the ship’s crew is working to keep all guests comfortable." (Winsor, 2/5)

NBC News: 10 Coronavirus Cases Confirmed From Cruise Ship Quarantined In Japan
"Princess Cruises will continue to fully cooperate with and follow the instructions of global medical authorities and the Japanese government," the company said. It added that the ship would ensure that those who are quarantined have internet and phone access and would be made comfortable. (Helsel and Yamamoto, 2/4)

CNN: Cruise Ships Quarantined In Asia, Stranding More Than 5,000 
Cruise companies worldwide have vowed to enact extra measures to protect their customers from infection, with several barring passengers who have been to mainland China in the past 14 days. Ships are considered particularly at risk from outbreaks, due to the close living quarters of passengers and crew. Researchers are still unsure exactly how the coronavirus spreads and how infectious it is. (Berlinger, Sidhu and Ogura, 2/5)

In other news on how the virus outbreak is impacting travel —

The Wall Street Journal: United, American Airlines Suspend Hong Kong Service As Coronavirus Saps Demand
Two major U.S. airlines suspended flights to Hong Kong and 10 people on a cruise ship under quarantine in Japan tested positive for the new coronavirus, as more Chinese cities imposed restrictions on movement meant to help contain the fast-spreading pathogen that has killed nearly 500 people. United Airlines Holdings Inc. and American Airlines Group Inc. said they were halting flights into and out of Hong Kong until Feb. 20, citing a lack of demand. (Li, 2/5)

Los Angeles Times: Airlines Cut 25,000 China Flights Over Health Leader Protests
Airlines that range from the world’s largest, American Airlines, to small carriers like Turkmenistan Airlines are eliminating some or all service to mainland China, representing one of the biggest blows to international travel in many years. “The response like this to such a business travel focused nation is a big deal,” said Hayley Berg, economist for the travel site Hopper. She noted that China has in the last few years become a big source of heavy-spending international tourists and a center for business travel. (Martin, 2/4)

The Washington Post: Here’s When To Worry About Getting Sick From Being On A Plane
It seems as inevitable as cramped overhead space or a battle for the armrest: Someone on your flight is coughing, sneezing or sniffling. Or all three. And during flu season — not to mention a time when a fast-spreading new coronavirus has halted much of the world’s air traffic to and from China — that can be disconcerting. (Sampson, 2/4)

The Wall Street Journal: How To Handle Air Travel During The Coronavirus Outbreak
Health experts say the best protections you can undertake are the same prescribed for avoiding flu, common cold and other viruses: washing hands frequently and using hand sanitizers. On airplanes, open the air vents and aim them at your face to breathe filtered air. Though much of the focus of the novel coronavirus outside of China has been on travelers, riding on airplanes doesn’t expose you to any greater risk than other situations where you are in close contact with possibly sick people: subways, movie theaters, lines at the grocery store. (McCartney, 2/4)

Bloomberg: Charting The Global Economic Impact Of The Coronavirus
As China struggles to contain the deadly new coronavirus, it’s becoming increasingly evident that the disruption to its economy will spill over to the rest of the world. Provinces accounting for almost 69% of Chinese GDP will remain closed for more than an extra week after the annual Lunar New Year holiday, shutting factories, shops and restaurants, leaving ships trapped at port, and slamming household spending. Travel restrictions limit the movement of more than 48 million people, with the crucial manufacturing and logistics hub of Wuhan—the epicenter of the virus—most impacted. (Dormido and Leung, 2/5)

CNN: Global Airlines Took A $7 Billion Hit From SARS. The Coronavirus Outbreak Will Likely Be Much Worse
The last time the aviation industry faced this kind of crisis was back in 2003, when the SARS outbreak cost Asia Pacific carriers $6 billion in revenue, according to the International Air Transport Authority (IATA). North American airlines lost $1 billion, while European carriers largely escaped unscathed, analysts say. It took nine months before international passenger traffic returned to normal, IATA said. The coronavirus will "definitely" surpass that $7 billion SARS hit, said Ivan Su, an analyst with financial services firm Morningstar. (Pham, 2/5)

PBS NewsHour: How China’s Novel Coronavirus Outbreak Is Disrupting The Global Supply Chain
The spread of novel coronavirus in China has focused great attention on public health in that country and around the world. But the outbreak is also having a major economic impact, with quarantines imposed, flights suspended and factories shuttered. William Brangham reports and talks to The Washington Post’s David Lynch about the outbreak’s implications for the global supply chain and more. (2/4)

The Hill: Kudlow Predicts Coronavirus Will Have 'Minimal Impact' On Economy
White House chief economic adviser Larry Kudlow on Tuesday said that he thinks the novel coronavirus will have a minimal impact on the U.S. economy. "Our estimates are minimal impact. The world is not in Wuhan province," Kudlow said in an interview with Fox Business Network. He estimated the outbreak could cost the economy 0.2 percent in the first quarter and potentially another 0.2 percent later on.China's latest figures on the virus estimated that 20,000 people had been infected, and 425 people had died from it. But while Kudlow predicted that the virus would not be "catastrophic" for the U.S. economy, he said it could dampen a promised rise in exports to China resulting from last month's "Phase One" trade deal. (Elis, 2/4)

The Associated Press: Calorie Counts On Nutrition Labels May Not Be That Precise
Almonds used to have about 170 calories per serving. Then researchers said it was really more like 130. A little later, they said the nuts may have even less. Calorie counting can be a simple way to help maintain a healthy weight — don’t consume more than you burn. And the calorie labels on food packaging seem like an immutable guide to help you decide what to eat and drink. (2/4)

The New York Times: Could A Keto Diet Be Bad For Athletes’ Bones?
A low-carbohydrate, high-fat ketogenic diet could alter bone health in athletes, according to a thought-provoking new study of elite race walkers and their skeletons. The study, one of the first to track athletes during several weeks of intense training, finds that those following a ketogenic diet developed early signs indicative of bone loss. The study adds to the considerable existing evidence that how we eat can affect how exercise affects us. It also raises concerns about possible, long-term health impacts from popular diet plans, including a high-fat, ketogenic diet. (Reynolds, 2/5)

The New York Times: The Heavier The Baby, The Fitter The Young Adult?
Higher birth weight may predict better cardiovascular fitness in adulthood, researchers report. Scientists measured fitness in 286,761 Swedish men ages 17 to 25 by having them ride a bicycle ergometer and recording the wattage they were able to generate. They used data on birth weights from the Swedish Medical Birth Registry. (Bakalar, 2/4)

The Associated Press: California May Pause Student Fitness Tests Due To Bullying
California Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to pause physical education tests for students for three years due to concerns over bullying and the test discriminating against disabled and non-binary students. The move also comes after annual test results show a growing percentage of students scoring not healthy. H.D. Palmer, spokesman for the Department of Finance, said the state has received complaints that the current examination’s measurement of body mass index is discriminatory to non-binary students. (Dil, 2/4)

Stateline: Confusion Reigned In Iowa Caucus — Even Before The Chaotic Results
Reyma McCoy McDeid designed an Iowa caucus precinct that was tailored to voters with disabilities. But it almost got derailed. While normal Democratic caucuses are standing affairs, every caucusgoer at the Central Iowa Center for Independent Living in Des Moines had a chair in their candidate’s section. When it was time for supporters to give speeches for their candidate, they had a microphone wheeled to them. In an adjacent room, around 20 people with hearing impairment participated in the state’s only all-sign-language caucus. But a half-hour after residents were supposed to begin caucusing here, long lines and confusion with the Iowa Democratic Party about whether participants had to pre-register left McCoy McDeid, the center’s executive director, visibly shaken. “I’m really irritated,” she said, wearing a black T-shirt and jeans. “The messaging around accessibility has been great, but the reality has not been great. It’s enraging to me. It’s absurd. “I call it ‘Iowa-nice’ voter suppression.” Some who waited to get in, like Jamie Cotten, who is hampered by an injured ankle and using a knee scooter, didn’t know whether they would have to find another location to caucus. This was not what the Iowa Democratic Party had in mind when it attempted to open up caucuses to more participants this year by shortening the candidate selection process and establishing satellite locations that could run hours before the normal 7 p.m. start of other caucuses throughout the state. (Vasilogambros, 2/5)

Stat: Amid Iowa Chaos, Some With Disabilities Got An Accessible Caucus Location
For a small handful of Iowans, simply participating in Monday’s caucuses was a momentous feat in itself. For the first time this year, people with disabilities could take advantage of 87 new satellite caucus locations set up by the Iowa Democratic Party, aimed at making the complicated process of caucusing, which can involve standing to move across a room or up and down bleachers and stairs, that much easier. All of the locations offered the chance to participate outside of normal hours. And some provided language assistance and accessibility features like an elevator and gender neutral restrooms that might otherwise have been unavailable for those with disabilities. (Satter and Vercellone, 2/4)

Stat: 4 Ways Walmart Is Hoping Retail Savvy Can Overhaul The Health Care System
Walmart made waves in September when it announced an ambitious plan to create new, freestanding primary care clinics — Supercenters for health that one vice president called the “epicenter” of the retail giant’s health care strategy. But Walmart is also working quietly on several smaller, coordinated efforts to revamp its approach to health care. Some, like the clinics, are aimed at consumers. Walmart is working with the Department of Veterans Affairs to expand telemedicine offerings for veterans. It’s also starting to sell “bundles” of health discounts to its Sam’s Club members on things like dental care. (Thielking, 2/5)

Modern Healthcare: Nurse Practitioner Workforce Doubles Amid Primary-Care Push
The nurse practitioner workforce more than doubled over a seven-year span as the healthcare industry ramps up primary care, according to new research. The number of NPs grew at an unprecedented rate across major professions from around 91,000 in 2010 to 190,000 in 2017, an analysis of U.S. Census data that Health Affairs published Monday revealed. The outpatient setting represented the fastest-growing sector that employed NPs. Meanwhile, that employment shift may have drawn up to 80,000 registered nurses from their practice, leaving hospital executives to grapple with higher turnover rates. (Kacik, 2/3)

Modern Healthcare: Low-Value Services' Prevalence Varies Across Regions
Residents who live in the north and southeast are more likely to receive a low-value healthcare service than those living in western and Midwestern states, according to a new analysis. The report, published by researchers at consultancy Altarum and funded by the PhRMA Foundation, found that about 20% of members of a large national insurer living in Florida, New Jersey, North Carolina and New York received at least one low-value service in 2015 while roughly 10% of the insurer's members living in Alaska, North Dakota, Utah and Oregon experienced a low-value service. (Castellucci, 2/4)

Modern Healthcare: House Lawmakers Introduce Bill To Tighten CMMI's Reins
A bipartisan group of House lawmakers on Monday introduced a bill to ramp up transparency and accountability efforts for the CMS' Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. The Strengthening Innovation in Medicare and Medicaid Act—HR 5741—would require the HHS secretary to keep track of how a demonstration model affects beneficiaries' access to care. HHS would also have to monitor the effects of delivery and payment changes on healthcare disparities and alleviate related issues that could negatively affect health outcomes. (Brady, 2/4)

The Philadelphia Inquirer: This Addiction Treatment Medicine Is Often Sold On The Streets — And May Be Preventing Overdoses
It’s a refrain dealers chant every day up and down Philadelphia’s Kensington Avenue, the city’s largest drug marketplace: “Subs — subs — subs! ”They’re referring to Suboxone, one of the brand names for the opioid-based addiction treatment medicine buprenorphine, prescribed by physicians and shown to produce more lasting recovery from opioid addiction than abstinence-based therapy. As with so many prescription medications, there’s a robust black market for it on the avenue. But drug users, advocates, and researchers say that many people aren’t buying buprenorphine to get high. Rather, they’re using it to protect themselves from overdoses, to get through the pain of withdrawal, or even to engineer their own do-it-yourself addiction treatment. (Whelan, 2/3)

Capital News Service: Virginia Bill Aims To Save Lives In Event Of Overdose
Cullen Hazelwood died of an overdose last year 2 miles from the hospital because his friend was scared to call for help, according to his mother Christy Farmer. Farmer wants to see legislation passed in the General Assembly that would extend immunity from prosecution to people reporting an overdose. (Smith, 2/4)

MPR: In Twin Cities, HIV Infections On The Rise Among People Who Inject Drugs
The Minnesota Department of Health is warning medical professionals to be on the lookout following an outbreak of HIV infections in Twin Cities residents who inject drugs. At least 18 Twin Cities residents who inject drugs were diagnosed with HIV between December 2018 and last month, which was a “significant increase” over previous years, said Christine Jones, a section manager with the Minnesota Department of Health. (Collins, 2/4)

NPR: 'Smacked' Author Eilene Zimmerman Explores An Ex-Husband's Secret Addiction
Writer Eilene Zimmerman and her ex-husband Peter had been separated for several years when Peter, a wealthy, high-powered attorney, began acting erratically. Days would go by and Zimmerman would hear nothing from him. Peter forgot to prepare meals for the kids and missed cross-country meets and school pickups. Then, when the kids were 16 and 18, Zimmerman drove to check in on her former spouse, who had been exhibiting alarming flu-like symptoms. She was shocked to find him dead on the floor. (Gross, 2/4)

The Wall Street Journal: The Philadelphia Suburbs Where Many Don’t Drink The Water
Jessica Watson has cooked with bottled water in her spacious kitchen, with its granite countertops, ever since she became afraid to drink her tap water four years ago. About 80,000 people in three townships outside Philadelphia live in an area where the groundwater has been contaminated by chemicals used for decades in firefighting foam at two nearby decommissioned military bases. The Defense Department has cited 401 bases in the U.S. with a known or suspected release of the firefighting foam containing chemicals known as perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. (Maher, 2/4)

Boston Globe: Caregiver Shortage Emerges As A Crisis For Massachusetts Elders
Massachusetts is facing a growing shortage of paid caregivers for frail older and disabled residents, with thousands of jobs going unfilled and rampant turnover reported at skilled nursing homes and home care agencies across the state. At a State House hearing Tuesday, front-line care workers and senior living officials attributed the worsening shortage to low wages, lack of opportunities for advancement, and a surfeit of better-paying jobs in the hot Massachusetts economy. (Weisman, 2/4)

Georgia Health News: Latest Medicare Penalties On Patient Harm Hit 26 Georgia Hospitals
Medicare is penalizing 26 Georgia hospitals for high rates of infections and other patient injuries. They are among the 786 hospitals identified by federal health officials that will get lower payments under the patient safety program, created by the Affordable Care Act. (Miller, 2/4)

New Hampshire Public Radio: Bipartisan Support For Bills To Reauthorize New State PFAS Limits, Help Towns Cover Costs
A plan to offer loans for New Hampshire towns to cover the cost of new limits on PFAS chemicals in drinking water got bipartisan support from state lawmakers Tuesday. The state's strict PFAS limits were supposed to take effect last fall, but are on hold under a court injunction. (Ropeik, 2/4)

Modern Healthcare: Mayo Clinic, Destination Medical Center Revamp Of Rochester Questioned By Locals
In early November, snow clings to every surface in this town, and locals dart from their cars into the warmth of low-slung buildings. The gray sky is still, save the clouds of steam dissipating off of rooftops. That is, until you get downtown. There, the largest public-private economic development project in the state’s history is taking shape. The city’s modest skyline is now dotted with high-end hotels and apartments. There are glassy, modern-looking buildings where startups dream of breakthroughs. Concrete construction barriers, chain-link fences, orange cones and cranes mark the site of the next flashy thing. (Bannow, 2/1)

The Baltimore Sun: After $229 Million Verdict, Maryland Hospitals Seek New Way To Pay For Injured Babies
A record $229 million awarded last year to a baby born with brain damage at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center is refueling an effort by the state’s hospitals to change how birthing centers pay when they are found liable for injuries. For years, the hospitals have sought to create a birth injury fund, but the push has gained little traction in the state legislature. This year the hospitals are proposing a new kind of fund that still involves the court system. The fund would pay for a lifetime of care for those who win legal judgments or settlements but eliminate giant lump sum payments by paying out on an as-needed basis, a cost control that hospitals say would preserve obstetrical care for the more than 71,000 born annually in the state. “This still allows families their day in court,” said Kevin Sowers, president of the Johns Hopkins Health System. “If we make a mistake we should be held in account.” (Cohn, 2/4)

Cleveland Plain Dealer: Ohio Lawmakers Unlikely To Address State’s Death-Penalty Problems Soon
Ohio legislative leaders indicated Tuesday that they will likely not take action anytime soon to abolish or formally freeze the state’s death penalty despite ongoing problems with finding lethal-injection drugs. Speaking at the Associated Press’ annual legislative preview event, House Speaker Larry Householder and Senate President Larry Obhof acknowledged that fellow Republican Gov. Mike DeWine is in a “dilemma” by having to repeatedly reschedule execution dates because pharmaceutical companies have refused to sell the state the drugs used in lethal injections. (Pelzer, 2/4)

Chicago Sun Times: Nearly $40 Million Worth Of Legal Weed Sold Across Illinois In January
Nearly $40 million was spent on recreational pot in Illinois in the first 31 days of legalization, marking the second largest rollout in the country’s history. Despite facing a pervasive supply shortage, 41 Illinois dispensaries sold 972,045 individual pot products totaling $39.2 million in sales, according to figures provided by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Of that, $30.6 million was spent by Illinois residents, while the rest was spent by visitors from out of state. Andy Seeger, an analyst at the Brightfield Group, a Loop-based cannabis industry research firm, noted that January’s sales totals were only trumped by California’s roughly $70 million in first month sales in 2018. Illinois is trailed by Nevada, which unloaded over $27 million worth of recreational pot when sales kicked off in 2017. (Schuba and Charles, 2/3)

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Philadelphia’s International Students Face Barriers To Mental-Health Services
International students often struggle with adjustment on all levels, from language barriers to harder classes to homesickness. Tasks such as going to the bank or scheduling a doctor’s appointment can be extremely stressful, which can lead to self-doubt and lower self-esteem, making students more susceptible to anxiety and depression. Global news events taking place in their home countries can add to their stress, such as the recent coronavirus outbreak in China. Racist reactions, as have been reported in the U.S., only pile on the pressure. Seeking out help can be challenging — like other students, international students say they often wait too long for appointments. But they also struggle with opening up due to cultural stigma, and then face mental-health professionals who have too little understanding of their cultures to be truly helpful. (Ao, 2/5)

North Carolina Health News: Mental Health Advocates Use Gathering To Push For Funding, Priorities 
Hundreds of people concerned about North Carolina’s mental health system convened in Chapel Hill on Saturday morning for an annual event that’s become a prime forum for laying out the priorities and concerns of the mental health community. About 400 service providers, advocates and consumers of mental health services were joined by some two dozen county and state lawmakers for the 42nd annual Mental Health Legislative Breakfast, at UNC Chapel Hill’s Friday Center for a morning of talk, tales of life in the mental health system and opportunities to make the case to lawmakers for improved services. This year’s event saw a significant presence of leadership from the Department of Health and Human Services, with Sec. Mandy Cohen, behavioral health chief Kody Kinsley and Debra Farrington, who helps lead the state’s Medicaid program, on which many behavioral health patients rely, in attendance. (Hoban, 2/5)

The Washington Post: Surrogate Mothers Cannot Be Forced To Abort Multiples Under Bill Approved By Virginia Senate
A surrogate mother could not be forced to abort a fetus with abnormalities or reduce the number of fetuses she is carrying under a bill that won unanimous support Tuesday in the Virginia Senate. The surrogate also could not be prohibited from terminating the pregnancy, under an amendment that was critical to winning support from Democrats, who hold a majority of seats in the chamber and were opposed to the idea when it was first proposed last year. (Vozzella, 2/4)

CBS News: Priests On Sex Offender Registry Find A Home In Alternative Ministry And Independent Catholic Churches
Similar to Roman Catholic faith, the church's website states it adheres to the seven sacraments and the Sacred Traditions, but it also stresses a message of inclusion. It ordains women, married people and those who identify in the LGBTQ community. It says that nobody is denied Holy Communion or a chance to be a part of the religious community — a welcome extended even to those with sexual misconduct in their pasts. Forsythe, now 65, offered an explanation for his past child sex abuse in a phone call with CBS News, saying he "was a very unhealthy person" in an institution "that was unhealthy for me." "The young man I was involved with was just, like, two months shy of his 16th birthday, which would have been the age of consent in Kansas at that time. But that is neither here nor there," Forsythe said. "God doesn't make mistakes … what I see now is that my past experience really makes me a much more compassionate person." And he is not the only person with a history of misconduct to be accepted as a priest in the National Catholic Church. It is part of a church system called The National Catholic Church of North America, but it is not affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church. Forsythe was hired as a priest there in 2005, according to the church. The alternative diocese is home to about 200 parishioners in seven parishes in Florida, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Washington, D.C. (Cohen, 2/5)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Influenza Rise In Milwaukee: Wisconsin Health Officials Urge Flu Shots
As cases of coronavirus have soared in recent days in China, Milwaukee health officials said the influenza outbreak was a more pressing issue locally. Four times as many people have been hospitalized in Milwaukee for the flu this season compared with last season, Mayor Tom Barrett said Tuesday at a news conference. There have been no confirmed cases of coronavirus in Wisconsin. (Carson, 2/4)

The CT Mirror: Lamont's New Budget Takes Aim At Vaping, Debt-Free College Program
Gov. Ned Lamont will unveil a revised budget Wednesday that bans flavored vaping liquids, including menthol, and places new restrictions on the debt-free community college program, according to sources briefed on the plan late Tuesday. And while it includes no major tax hikes, sources said the governor’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year would increase the levy adopted last May on e-cigarettes, offer an amnesty program for captive insurance companies, and impose a new surcharge on those who pay for state licenses and permits by credit card. (Phaneuf, 2/5)

MPR: MN House Leaders Not Committing To Floor Vote On Legal Cannabis This Session
Democrats in the Minnesota House say they are preparing a marijuana legalization bill for the upcoming legislative session, but they’re no longer promising a floor vote. The legislation will be based on input gathered during a series of 15 public meetings over the past few months, said House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler, DFL-Golden Valley. (Pugmire, 2/4)

Kaiser Health News: Good Rehab Is Hard To Find
Pattie Vargas saw with frightening clarity that her son Joel, 25 at the time, had a life-threatening drug problem. He came home one day in 2007 “high as a kite,” went to bed and slept four days straight, Vargas, now a 65-year-old resident of Vacaville, California, recalls. As Joel lay listless, a terrified Vargas realized her son needed help, but she didn’t quite know where to start. She searched online and dialed the number of a treatment center she found. (Wolfson, 2/5)

Stat: If Medicare Negotiated Insulin Prices Like The VA, It Could Save Billions
As insulin becomes a poster child for the growing outcry over the cost of medicines, a new analysis suggests that Medicare could have saved $4.4 billion in 2017 for the diabetes treatment if the program negotiated the same prices as the Department of Veterans Affairs, which already bargains for discounts. For more than two dozen different insulin products covered by Medicare Part D that year, spending was $7.8 billion, based on estimated rebates of 41% received from drug makers. However, if the federal health care program had negotiated as the VA does — and used the same formulary, or list, of covered medicines — spending would have dropped to nearly $3.4 billion. (Silverman, 2/3)

Stat: Employers Shoulder Plenty Of Drug Costs, But Haven’t Lobbied Much To Lower Them — Until Now
The new group called EmployersRx, a joint project of the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions, the Pacific Business Group on Health, the ERISA Industry Committee, and the Silicon Valley Employers Forum, is hoping to push lawmakers to start thinking about drug pricing policies that will affect the broadest number of Americans, not just changes to federal programs.And it’s going further than you’d expect: it’s “intrigued by” the progressive package of reforms being pushed by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in part because the current version would give employers the chance to buy drugs at prices that Medicare had negotiated. The group hasn’t formally endorsed the bill, but its coy position on it is a startling departure from the rest of the business community, which has blasted the bill as socialist and bad for business. (Florko, 2/3) 

The Hill: Democrats Slam GOP On Drug Prices In Bilingual Digital Ads
The House Democrats' campaign arm Tuesday released a batch of digital ads in English and Spanish slamming Republicans for blocking drug pricing legislation while taking contributions from big pharma. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) ads, timed for release with the State of the Union address, will hit vulnerable Republicans in eight districts. The ads, which will run on Facebook, will tie House Republicans to President Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). “As President Trump prepares to peddle empty promises and sweet nothings in his State of the Union address, House Democrats will remind voters that Trump, McConnell, and Washington Republicans are blocking bipartisan House-passed legislation to bring down drug prices,” said DCCC Spokesperson Robyn Patterson. (Bernal, 2/4)

Bloomberg Law: State Drug-Pricing Laws Hampered By Resistance, Lack Of Teeth
State laws aimed at forcing the pharmaceutical industry to account for rising prescription-drug costs have done little to dampen price increases, in part because the companies skirt robust disclosure with relative impunity. At least 11 states have laws requiring manufacturers to provide data on drugs’ costs, warnings before some prices increase, and justifications for changes. But many companies are complying only partly or not at all, saying the information is confidential under federal law, and some of the laws have few or no enforcement powers, Bloomberg Law found. (Goth and Lee, 2/3)

Stat: A Former Taro Pharma Executive Is Indicted In Generic Price-Fixing Probe
Aformer senior executive at Taro Pharmaceuticals USA was indicted for his role in a wide-ranging conspiracy to fix prices for generic drugs, the third time that a high-ranking drug company official has been charged since federal authorities began their investigation several years ago. Ara Aprahamian, a former vice president of sales and marketing at Taro, was indicted for working with executives at another drug maker to increase prices and allocate customers for numerous drugs, including medicines used to treat and manage arthritis, seizures, pain, various skin conditions, and blood clots, according to the indictment that was filed in federal court in Philadelphia. (Silverman, 2/4)

The Wall Street Journal: Takeda Pharmaceutical Swung To Net Loss In 3Q, Raises Guidance
Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. (4502.TO) said Tuesday it swung to net loss in its third quarter due to greater amortization costs and other expenses, as it continues to integrate the European company Shire which it bought last year. Net loss for the quarter ended Dec. 31 was 35.9 billion yen ($330.3 million), compared with Y37.8 billion in net profit a year earlier. That missed the estimate for a net loss of Y27.3 billion from a poll of analysts by Visible Alpha. (Narioka, 2/4)

Modern Healthcare: CVS: Insurers Can Cover Out-Of-Pocket Drug Costs And Still Save Money
CVS Health said it has worked out a way for employers and insurers to cover the out-of-pocket costs of their members' diabetes medications while also saving money. Despite shouldering the added cost of their members' drugs, CVS' pharmacy benefit manager, CVS Caremark, said its clients will ultimately save money through its new plan, called RxZERO. CVS claimed the savings will come from a combination of adopting its formulary that steers patients toward generic drugs as well as simply having less expensive members. (Bannow, 1/29)

Modern Healthcare: Drug Price Inflation Slows, But Problems Persist
Drug prices will rise an estimated 3.59% through next year, continuing a recent trend of moderate increases, although the high cost of some pharmaceuticals still rankle health systems and patients, according to research by one group purchasing organization. Advocacy and awareness as well as a more competitive market have contributed to more modest price increases over recent years, according to Vizient's outlook from July 2019 through June 2021. (Kacik, 1/29)

Stat: U.S. Officials Will Let Novartis Pay Expenses For Some Kymriah Patients Who Must Travel For Treatment
In an unexpected move, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will allow Novartis (NVS) to pay for travel, lodging, and meal expenses for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries who must leave home to be administered the Kymriah gene therapy. The HHS OIG issued a so-called advisory opinion in response to a request from the drug maker, which wanted to avoid sanctions that would normally be levied against a pharmaceutical company that sought to reimburse Medicare and Medicaid patients. Under federal law, such payments would normally be considered the equivalent of a kickback. (Silverman, 1/30)

Kaiser Health News: Warren Is Right. Presidents Have The Power To Bypass Congress On Drug Pricing.
On the presidential primary campaign trail in Iowa, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) brought out a favorite talking point: ways the president can bring down drug prices without waiting for Congress. It’s not the first time Warren and other candidates have referenced this alleged power. In this case, she pointed to insulin, EpiPens and HIV/AIDS drugs as possible targets. (Luthra and Knight, 1/31)

Bloomberg: Slapping Around Martin Shkreli Won’t Cut Drug Prices
If you’re a prosecutor or a regulator looking to get a little good press, one surefire approach is to sue Martin Shkreli, the infamous “pharma bro.” ... Shkreli is a perfect target. Five years ago, he became the symbol for outrageous drug prices after he raised the cost of his company’s one drug, Daraprim, to $750 a pill from $13.50 — and then basically laughed at everyone who complained. His nonstop smirking during a subsequent congressional hearing infuriated lawmakers. In the spring of 2018, he was sentenced to seven years in prison for committing financial fraud. Last year, he was transferred from federal prison in New Jersey after the Journal reported that he was using a contraband mobile phone to run the company from his cell. (Joe Nocera, 1/30)

Stat: What Record-High Funding For Neglected Diseases Doesn’t Tell Us About R&D For Them
In recent weeks, scientists have raced to understand the deadly new coronavirus and develop new tools to diagnose and contain it. As with past emerging threats, I’ve been impressed to see how this novel virus has mobilized collective action that transcends borders, sectors, and individual interests over such a short period. During those same few weeks, more familiar pathogens have been quietly exacting a far heavier toll on human health and prosperity. Neglected diseases like diarrheal illnesses, tuberculosis, malaria, and pneumonia kill thousands of people every day. But because they have been doing so for decades, they simply don’t catalyze the same urgency we see in the face of a novel, fast-moving outbreak. (Nick Chapman, 2/4)

BuzzFeed News: Trump Said He'd Battle Big Pharma. Instead, He Let It Run The White House.
In 2016, President Donald Trump said, “I’m going to bring down drug prices. I don’t like what has happened with drug prices.” In his February 2017 address to Congress, he said he would “bring them down immediately.” In his 2018 State of the Union address, he said “fixing the injustice of high drug prices” was one of his administration’s top priorities. In his 2019 State of the Union address, he said of sky-high drug prices: “This is wrong, this is unfair, and together we will stop it — and we’ll stop it fast.” Americans are facing a prescription drug cost crisis of devastating proportions, all while big pharmaceutical companies and their CEOs are making money hand over fist. In 2016, for the first time in a long time, policymakers seemed to be on the same page about the need to take on Big Pharma and tackle this challenge. Instead, three years since Trump committed to getting this done, prices continue marching upward, patients are still paying the price, and people across the country deserve to know why. (Kyle Herrig, 1/24)

VailDaily.Com: Why We Need Transparency In Prescription Drug Pricing
Imagine a cell phone made in the mid-nineties — a big clunky piece of equipment that had one function, to make and receive calls. These devices certainly were not equipped with fancy apps and a camera, let alone the ability to access your email or the internet. Yet, back then, the ability to make wireless phone calls was worth the price of that big, clunky cell phone. However, would you ever pay the price of the latest iPhone today for a 1990s cell-phone? No, of course not.  Well, that is exactly what is happening with our prescription drug market in the United States and it simply does not make any free-market, economical sense. (Dylan Roberts, 2/4)

The Wall Street Journal: Stop A U.S. Coronavirus Outbreak Before It Starts
The Wuhan coronavirus continues to spread at an alarming rate. More than 20,000 cases have been confirmed in China, with another 23,000 suspected. Many in China aren’t even being tested due to a shortage of diagnostic supplies. The true number infected is likely much higher than reported. The virus has turned up in 28 other countries, including the U.S. A pandemic seems inevitable. The U.S. government has moved quickly to try to delay the spread throughout America. As of Feb. 2, most foreign nationals who have traveled in China in the preceding 14 days aren’t able to enter the country. (Luciana Borio and Scott Gottlieb, 2/4)

The Washington Post: The Coronavirus Outbreak Shows The Vulnerability Of The ‘Chinese Model’
The “Chinese model,” as enthusiasts sometimes describe Beijing’s autocratic system for dictating policy, can look eerily successful — until you consider catastrophic events such as the recent coronavirus outbreak. China’s response to the epidemic that began in Wuhan nearly two months ago shows some advantages of its police-state approach, and some severe disadvantages: Chinese authorities can commandeer resources to build a hospital in 10 days. But by stifling bad news and even arresting vigilant doctors, they create deep distrust at home and abroad, risking their ability to be effective. (David Ignatius, 2/4)

The New York Times: The Subtle Muckrakers Of The Coronavirus Epidemic
The outbreak of the coronavirus has brought international scrutiny down on China’s political system. Again. A few commentators have applauded the efficiency of the Chinese Communist Party’s response, but most have zoomed in on its weaknesses. Some have even blamed the party itself for the outbreak, calling the disease a “Communist coronavirus” or “the Belt and Road Pandemic.” Once again, China is largely being depicted as a monolith, and the party as though it exercises near-complete control, “crushing almost every wisp of freedom and oversight,” according to one columnist. (Maria Repnikova, 2/5)

Des Moines Register: Trump's Broken Health Care Promises
In his State of the Union Address Tuesday night, President Donald Trump is sure to “self-proclaim” accomplishments on many issues, including health care. Rather than proposing policies to lower health care costs and expand coverage for Americans, he’ll repeat his false promises on health care, as he’s done since the beginning of his 2016 presidential campaign. Trump has already let down Iowans on health care. Prescription drug prices continue to rise, the Affordable Care Act is being whittled away, and he proposes drastic cuts for Medicare and Medicaid. (Marti Anderson, 2/3)

Los Angeles Times: Trump's Pathetic State Of The Union Attack On Abortion Rights
It was beyond the pale outrageous that President Trump, in his State of the Union address, would somehow link support for (admirable) advances in neonatal medicine to asking for a (probably) unconstitutional ban on late-term abortions. On a night when he claimed he supported healthcare for all, he exhorted — bullied — the lawmakers in the room to cut off and demonize those who would exercise their right to abortion. (Carla Hall, 2/5)

The Washington Post: Healthy Food For Food Deserts
At the Shipley Super Market in Southeast Washington, Crystal Dozier walked past a rack of potato chips and pork rinds. There were shelves of candy bars and cookies, but she ignored those, too. Long rows of sodas, beer and booze hardly warranted a glance. Instead, she grabbed some bananas and a grab-and-go cup of diced fruit. “They have good-quality fruits and vegetables,” said Dozier, a mother of four who lives a block from the corner store. “The produce is affordable and convenient, and the kids can come in and get fruit instead of candy.” (Courtland Milloy, 2/4)

WBUR: I'm An Emergency Room Physician. Inadequate Access To Health Care Is Breaking Us
Emergency rooms no longer just exist for emergency care, but now encompass all available care. With limited beds and staff, the surplus of sick patients spills into the waiting rooms, and tragedies are left in the wake. We are health care's safety net — America’s safety net — and we are intensely proud to be that.But what happens when safety nets are stretched to their limit? (Amy Faith Ho, 2/4)

Stat: In Hospitals, Housekeepers Are Truly The 'Keepers Of The House'
Malcolm cleans patient rooms and offices in the large medical center where we both work as pediatric doctors. After finishing our respective rounds one afternoon, we noticed that Malcolm was deep in conversation with the parents of one of our very sick patients. We met him later in the hall, and the three of us began to talk. After Malcolm told us a bit about the concerns of our patient’s family, he mentioned the ways he often supports and cares for the children being treated on our ward.“ I don’t call myself a housekeeper,” said Malcolm, who has been with the hospital for 10 years. “I am the keeper of the house.” (Neil Prose and Ray Barfield, 2/5)