Los Angeles Times: COVID Tests May Be Taking Longer To Show Positive. Here's Why
It used to be that someone might test positive for the coronavirus one or two days after the onset of symptoms using a rapid test, said Dr. Elizabeth Hudson, regional chief of infectious diseases at Kaiser Permanente Southern California. Now, positive results might not show up until the fourth day after symptoms start. (Lin II, 1/9)

San Francisco Chronicle: Has JN.1 Made Home COVID Tests Less Effective? Here Is What We Know
Mutations to the virus mean that test kits may not spot it for up to a week after exposure. That’s because the kits were designed for earlier variants, and while they can still sense the newer ones, a greater buildup of virus samples in the nostrils is required to trigger a positive test result. ... For newer variants, experts recommend starting to test around three days after exposure. If the result is negative, keep testing every day or two until the sixth day. (Vaziri, 1/9)

More on the spread of covid —

The New York Times: We Are In A Big Covid Wave. But Just How Big?
The surge might reach its peak this week or soon after, modelers predict, with high levels of transmission expected for at least another month beyond that. ... Many of the metrics used early in the pandemic have become much less useful indicators of how widely the virus is spreading, especially since federal officials stopped more comprehensive data tracking efforts when they declared an end to the public health emergency last spring. Higher population-wide immunity has meant fewer hospitalizations even with high virus spread, and the sharp decline of Covid test results reported to authorities has made case counts far less relevant. (Paris, 1/10)

USA Today: This COVID Drug Is A Potential Lifesaver. So Why Aren't More People Taking It? What To Know
A recent National Institutes of Health study of about 1 million people found only 15% at risk for severe disease took a five-day course of the prescription medicine. Of the patients who took Paxlovid, the medication reduced the risk of death by 73% and hospitalizations dropped 26%, showing the medicine is highly effective for people at risk of severe complications. ... Doctors have been slow to prescribe Paxlovid, in part, due to concerns about interactions with other medicines, even though patients can pause taking the other drugs for a handful of days. (Alltucker and Weintraub, 1/9)

Newsweek: Vegetarians And Vegans At Significantly Lower Risk Of COVID, Study Claims
If you live by a plant-based diet, your risk of developing COVID-19 could be significantly lower than the general population, researchers from the University of Sao Paulo have claimed. ... The authors suggest that this difference in infection risk could be due to the abundance of plant-derived chemicals. "Plant-based dietary patterns are rich in antioxidants, phytosterols and polyphenols, which positively affect several cell types implicated in the immune function and exhibit direct antiviral properties," they write. (Dewan, 1/9)

NPR: Why Long COVID Can Cause Exhaustion, Or Post-Exertional Malaise, After Exercise
By taking biopsies from long COVID patients before and after exercising, scientists in the Netherlands constructed a startling picture of widespread abnormalities in muscle tissue that may explain this severe reaction to physical activity. Among the most striking findings were clear signs that the cellular power plants, the mitochondria, are compromised and the tissue starved for energy. "We saw this immediately and it's very profound," says Braeden Charlton, one of the study's authors at Vrije University in Amsterdam. (Stone, 1/9)

Also —

The Hill: Democrats Accuse GOP Of Distorting Fauci’s Testimony From Hours-Long Meeting
Democrats who took part in the two-day interview with former White House chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci said Republicans had distorted what the former government official told lawmakers on his first day. Fauci sat through roughly seven hours of interviewing with lawmakers Monday and returned to the Capitol on Tuesday for another round. These discussions marked his first time speaking with lawmakers since stepping down from government at the end of 2022. (Choi, 1/9)

The Wall Street Journal: Meta Imposes Mandatory Restrictions On Teen Instagram And Facebook Accounts 
Parents have long been frustrated by internet platforms that treat teen accounts much the same as adult accounts. Data-collection laws protecting children under 13 don’t extend to older minors. Social media’s biggest operator is addressing this with a shift in content filtering. Meta Platforms plans to automatically restrict teen Instagram and Facebook accounts from harmful content including videos and posts about self-harm, graphic violence and eating disorders. The changes are expected to roll out in the coming weeks. (Jargon, 1/9)

NPR: Meta Restricts Content For Teens On Facebook, Instagram
"Now, when people search for terms related to suicide, self-harm and eating disorders, we'll start hiding these related results and will direct them to expert resources for help," Meta stated in a blog post. (Kerr, 1/9)

Also —

Bloomberg: Online Mental Health: Students Use Technology Rather Than School Counselors
An overwhelming majority of teens and tweens — 87% — have sought mental health information online, and 64% have used mobile health apps, according to a report by the Jed Foundation, a nonprofit focused on emotional health and suicide prevention among US teens and young adults. But it’s not just a desire for relatability and privacy that is pushing high school and college students to seek mental health services virtually. Schools are straining to meet demand. (Li, 1/9)

More mental health news —

Military.com: VA To Fund Research On Using MDMA, Psilocybin To Address Mental Health Disorders In Veterans
The Department of Veterans Affairs has announced new funding for research into the potential use of psychedelic substances to treat post-traumatic stress disorder and depression in former military personnel. According to the VA, it is the first time in nearly six decades the department will fund such research and comes amid a growing but cautious optimism among the veteran community and Congress that the drugs, widely associated with illicit party culture, could offer breakthrough treatments for the unseen wounds of war and military service. (Kime, 1/8)

Los Angeles Times: For L.A. Transplants, Mobile Crisis Teams May Be Out Of Reach 
L.A. County says it needs a federal fix to make sure Angelenos with out-of-town area codes can access local services when they call 988. (Ellis, 1/10)

San Francisco Chronicle: S.F. Loses Out On Mental Health Beds Outside The City. Here's Why
Mayor London Breed on Tuesday will unveil a plan to cut through the city’s bureaucratic red tape to reduce wait times and bring new mental health and substance abuse treatment beds online faster. “People are in crisis, and we can’t allow delays and bureaucracy to get in the way of getting people help,” Breed said in a statement. “Our goal is to be able to deliver services as quickly as possible, and by removing these barriers, we can be ready when there are opportunities available to add beds to our system.” (Angst, 1/9)

Chicago Tribune: At ‘Climate Cafes,’ Mental Health Experts And Environmentalists Create A Community To Tackle Climate Anxiety 
Ten years ago, Beth Beyer’s youngest child walked out to Lake Michigan on a mild winter day and cried. The Lincoln Park resident thought her son would be excited about spending time outdoors, but the seventh grader was distraught thinking about what the unseasonably warm weather meant for the world and its climate. (Perez, 1/9)

The Washington Post: 7 Foods That Can Help You Reduce Anxiety 
We already know that what we eat affects our bodies. Now a growing body of research suggests our food choices can also affect our minds. The emerging field of nutritional psychiatry focuses on how eating certain foods may improve our mental health. Some research suggests that a variety of foods can help boost mood, improve cognition and even reduce the symptoms of depression and anxiety. (Soong, 1/9)

Modern Healthcare: Biden Administration Overturns Trump-Era Provider Conscience Rule
The Health and Human Services Department has once again revisited conscience protections for providers who object to delivering medical services such as abortions on religious or moral grounds. HHS issued a final rule Tuesday that takes effect immediately and mostly rescinds a 2019 regulation that aimed to broaden the conscience policy but was struck down by federal courts before HHS implemented it. HHS published a draft version of the new rule in 2022. (Hartnett, 1/9)

Politico: In The Fight Over Abortion Rights, The Government Bans Its First Company From Tracking Medical Visits 
The Biden administration stopped a company from selling data on people’s medical visits on Tuesday, its first settlement on a privacy issue that has many Americans concerned about who can see their most sensitive personal data — particularly visits to abortion providers. After an investigation, the Federal Trade Commission said it had reached a settlement with Outlogic, a location data broker formerly known as X-Mode Social, which had been collecting information on people’s visits to medical centers. (Ng, 1/9)

Abortion updates from Florida, Idaho, Kentucky, and California —

Truthout: “Unhinged And Extreme”: New Bill In Florida Would Enact Near-Total Abortion Ban
On Monday, Florida state Rep. David Borrero (R) introduced a bill, HB1519, that seeks not only to implement a near-total abortion ban in the state but also classifies performing an abortion as a third-degree felony. The proposed penalty includes a potential imprisonment term of up to 10 years, a fine of up to $100,000, or both.HB1519 defines a “person” as “including an unborn child beginning at the moment of fertilization,” therefore granting fetuses constitutional rights. Borrero, the representative who filed the bill, has said that he believes that “a person exists from the moment of fertilization.” This language is concerningly similar to that of fetal personhood bills that would equate abortions with murder. (McNeill, 1/9)

Stat: Idaho Abortion Case May Prompt More Restrictions In Other States 
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to consider the legality of Idaho’s abortion law — and to reinstate its highly restrictive ban in the meantime — is expected to galvanize a push for similar measures in other states, even before the court issues a ruling later this year. (Goldhill and Merelli, 1/10)

The Courier-Journal: 'Hadley's Law' Would Add Kentucky Abortion Ban Exceptions
Hadley Duvall's story was a key piece of Gov. Andy Beshear's reelection campaign. Now, she hopes it propels the Kentucky legislature to take action. Duvall, who miscarried as a teen years ago after being raped by her stepfather, joined state Sen. David Yates, D-Louisville, in the Capitol rotunda Tuesday morning as the legislator announced plans to file a bill that would add several exceptions to the Bluegrass State's near-total ban on abortions. "It took me a while to find my voice," Duvall said. "But now that I have, I intend to keep using it to speak out for other girls and women who need it." (Aulbach, 1/9)

KFF Health News: California Offers A Lifeline For Medical Residents Who Can’t Find Abortion Training 
Bria Peacock chose a career in medicine because the Black Georgia native saw the dire health needs in her community — including access to abortion care. Her commitment to becoming a maternal health care provider was sparked early on when she witnessed the discrimination and judgment leveled against her older sister, who became a mother as a teen. When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, Peacock was already in her residency program in California, and her thoughts turned back to women like her sister. (Udesky, 1/10)

A teen is prosecuted in Texas —

CBS News: Attorneys Say Strict Upbringing, Abortion Laws For Minors Contributed To Teen Murdering Her Baby
Attorneys for a 17-year-old girl told a jury in Fort Worth that her strict upbringing, and abortion laws for minors, contributed to her hiding her pregnancy and making plans to kill the child just after she gave birth. The girl has pleaded true to the capital murder charge, the juvenile equivalent of pleading guilty in adult court. ... Fort Worth police Detective Christopher Parker read a series of texts and Snapchat messages to the court, where the girl and the baby's father, a boy who lived down the street, discussed how they were afraid to tell their parents about the pregnancy and what they could do to end it. (Allen, 1/9)

In Planned Parenthood news —

The Tennessean: Planned Parenthood Opens Illinois Clinic Aimed At Patients In Tennessee And Other Abortion-Ban States
Planned Parenthood has opened a clinic in southern Illinois aimed at Tennesseans and others in abortion-ban states looking for such services, the organization announced this week. A ribbon cutting for the new health center in Carbondale was held on Monday. Abortion is banned in Tennessee, though the state has adopted an exception for women whose lives are medically at risk of death. (1/10)

CBS News: Planned Parenthood, SEIU Reach Tentative Agreement On 1st Contract For Union Workers In Minnesota, Iowa, Dakotas
The country's leading reproductive health care provider and a majority of its newly unionized employees in Minnesota and several other Midwestern states have reached a tentative agreement on its first contract. Service Employees International Union Healthcare Minnesota & Iowa (SEIU) announced Tuesday that the agreement with Planned Parenthood North Central States (PPNCS) was reached during their 37th bargaining session, with the final one wrapping up in the middle of the night after almost 14 hours of negotiations. (Swanson, 1/9)

More reproductive health news —

AP: Cesarean Deliveries Surge In Puerto Rico, Reaching A Record Rate In The US Territory, Report Says 
Cesareans are surging in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, which has one of the world’s highest rates with more than 50% of babies now delivered via surgery compared with only 32% on the U.S. mainland, according to a federal report released Wednesday. The rates of cesarean delivery on the island increased from 2018 to 2022 for each age group younger than 40 after remaining stable for nearly a decade, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The report did not provide an explanation, but medical experts in Puerto Rico say reasons behind the surge vary and include the island’s crumbling health care system. (Coto, 1/10)

St. Louis Public Radio: St. Louis Doula Agency To Offer Multilingual Training This Fall 
Across the country, maternity mortality rates are high, particularly for Black and Hispanic mothers. The racial disparity is causing many women to experience poorer childbirth outcomes. Virtuously B’Earthed Doula Services is working to help reduce that rate in the St. Louis region. This fall, women who are bilingual in Spanish, Arabic, French or Somali can receive doula training in English and materials in their other language through the agency’s Train-the-Trainer program. (Henderson, 1/10)

The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer: Former Head Of UH Fertility Lab Sues Attorney Who Defended Him In Embryo Litigation
The former director of the University Hospitals’ fertility lab on Monday sued the attorney who defended him in a lawsuit involving the malfunction that rendered 4,000 embryos and eggs nonviable in 2018. (Shaffer, 1/9)

Axios: Congress Faces Pressure To Reverse Doctors' Payment Cuts — Again
Congress is once again being urged to reverse a cut to physicians' Medicare payments, prompting calls for a broader overhaul of how the program reimburses doctors. Congress is still stuck in an annual dance of being pressured to increase physician payments, even after Washington nearly a decade ago put an end to the despised "doc fix" that forced lawmakers to regularly forestall deep cuts. (Sullivan, 1/10)

Updates on the government shutdown —

The Washington Post: Congress May Need Short-Term Government Funding Law Despite Bipartisan Deal
Congress may need to pass a temporary government funding bill before a looming deadline to prevent a partial shutdown — even though leaders announced a spending deal over the weekend meant to keep the government open. Funding for roughly 20 percent of the federal government — including for essential programs such as some veterans assistance, and food and drug safety services — expires on Jan. 19, and money for the rest of the government runs out shortly after that, on Feb. 2. (Bogage, 1/9)

American Hospital Association News: Coalition Ad Campaign Urges Congress To Reject Medicare Cuts To Hospitals
As the first of two deadlines to fund the federal government approaches Jan. 19, the Coalition to Protect America’s Health Care yesterday launched a television ad on network and cable news shows urging Congress to reject Medicare cuts to hospitals and health systems already pushed to the brink by broken supply chains, workforce shortages and high inflation. The Coalition, whose founding members include the AHA, also will resume running its recent ad highlighting how corporate insurers are driving up health care costs while too often denying essential care for patients who need it most. The Coalition will amplify the ads in digital campaigns. (1/8)

The Washington Post: Austin Treated For Prostate Cancer Before Emergency, Pentagon Reveals
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had surgery last month after a prostate cancer diagnosis, officials disclosed Tuesday, detailing for the first time what condition led to serious medical complications and a lengthy hospitalization that he kept secret for days from the White House, Congress and the American public. Austin’s condition was announced by the Pentagon in a statement attributed to John Maddox and Gregory Chesnut, doctors at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland. They said the retired Army general, 70, was diagnosed with cancer in December after routine screening and underwent a “minimally invasive surgical procedure” known as a prostatectomy, in which all or part of the organ is removed, while under general anesthesia. He was admitted Jan. 1 after developing complications from the surgery and remains a patient there. (Lamothe, Viser, Nirappil and Ryan, 1/9)

USA Today: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's Prostate Cancer Surgery, Explained
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had surgery last month for one of the most common cancers among American men, prostate cancer. The minimally invasive procedure to remove all or part of his prostate gland resulted in a severe infection that caused him to return to the hospital, according to Pentagon officials. ... Prostate cancer affects more than one in eight U.S. men, and one in six African American men, during their lifetime, the doctors said. The nonprofit American Cancer Society said it's the most common form of cancer in men other than skin cancer, and the risk of getting it increases with age. Austin, the first Black defense secretary, is 70. (Cuevas, 1/9)

Politico: When ‘Elective’ Doesn’t Mean Optional: Lloyd Austin’s Cancer Surgery
The Pentagon described Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s prostate cancer surgery as an “elective medical procedure,” which many people might take to mean it was minor. But that’s not the case, cancer experts say. “Elective means it’s not done on an urgent basis — it’s scheduled,” said Dr. Nitin Yerram, urologist and director of urologic research at Hackensack University Medical Center. “Most cancer operations are done on an elective basis.” A prostatectomy, the surgery Austin underwent last month, can be serious and is required for some patients, even if not urgently, said Dr. Quoc-Dien Trinh, co-director of the Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Prostate Cancer Center. The procedure removes some or all of the prostate to remove the cancer. (Payne, 1/9)

The Washington Post: Why A Urinary Tract Infections Can Become A Serious Health Problem 
News that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was hospitalized with a urinary tract infection has cast light on a common condition that can quickly turn life-threatening, especially among older patients. (Sima, Soong, Bever and Cimons, 1/9)

The White House has ordered a review of procedures —

The New York Times: Surprised By New Details About Austin’s Health, White House Orders Review 
While aides to the president said he would not fire Mr. Austin, they acknowledged the breakdown in communications and moved to assert new discipline over the administration. Jeffrey D. Zients, the White House chief of staff, ordered a review of procedures and sent a directive to cabinet secretaries making clear that they are to inform the White House when they are unable to perform their duties. ... John F. Kirby, a White House spokesman, said that Mr. Biden’s “first and foremost concern is the secretary’s health” and that the president still had “full faith and confidence” in Mr. Austin and would keep him until the end of his term. (Baker, 1/9)

Politico: ‘Reckless And Irresponsible’: Pentagon Officials Reel From News Austin Kept Cancer Diagnosis Quiet
Stunned Defense Department officials struggled on Tuesday to digest the news that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had been diagnosed with prostate cancer and kept it a secret for weeks. POLITICO spoke to five officials in the Pentagon and administration, as well as two former officials, all of whom were granted anonymity to give candid reactions to the disclosures. They said they are sympathetic to Austin’s desire for privacy, but confused as to why he kept his diagnosis and subsequent hospitalization from his own staff and top Pentagon leaders. And some are incensed that Austin withheld his cancer diagnosis from President Joe Biden until Tuesday, weeks after Austin learned of his condition in an early December prostate screening. (Seligman and Ward, 1/9)

The Washington Post: Republican Governors Are Rejecting Free Summer Lunch Programs For Kids 
Moving beyond efforts to block expansion of health care for the poor and disabled, Republican governors in 15 states are now rejecting a new, federally funded summer program to give food assistance to hungry children. The program is expected to serve 21 million youngsters starting around June, providing $2.5 billion in relief across the country. The governors have given varying reasons for refusing to take part, from the price tag to the fact that the final details of the plan have yet to be worked out. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) said she saw no need to add money to a program that helps food-insecure youths “when childhood obesity has become an epidemic.” Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen (R) said bluntly, “I don’t believe in welfare.” (Gowen, 1/10)

On transgender health care —

The 19th: Ohio House To Hold Veto Override Vote On Gender-Affirming Care Ban
On Wednesday, House Republicans in Ohio will vote on whether to override a veto from Republican Gov. Mike DeWine that blocked a ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth. This is the first step in allowing the ban to take hold; if passed, the bill moves to the Senate for another vote. DeWine is only the second governor in his party to block a state ban on hormone therapy and puberty blockers for minors. While announcing his veto in late December, he said that decisions on gender-affirming care should be left to parents and doctors — and emphasized that such care is life-saving, which he learned from direct conversations with trans youth and their families. (Rummler, 1/9)

CBS News: Trans Youth Sue Over Louisiana's Ban On Gender-Affirming Health Care
Five trans youth and their families filed a petition in Louisiana District Court on Monday over the state's ban on gender-affirming care for trans minors, alleging such an action "has endangered the health and wellbeing" of the plaintiffs. ... The suit alleges that the ban strips parents of their right to champion their children's health choices and violates the Louisiana State Constitution by a minor's right to medical treatment and discriminates against them based on sex and transgender status. (Mandler, 1/9)

Axios: States Are Limiting Gender-Affirming Care For Adults, Too
Amid a wave of state restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors, some red states are also limiting treatment for adults. Many states that enacted limits on transition-related care for minors in recent years said they were focused on protecting children. (Goldman, 1/10)

In other health news from across the U.S. —

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Man Found 3 Weeks After St. Louis Nursing Home Closed
After more than three weeks missing, a former resident of Northview Village Nursing Home was found Tuesday morning about a mile away, authorities said. Northview Village shut down without warning to residents or staff on Dec. 15. As workers scrambled to prepare residents for transfer to other facilities, and employees from other nursing homes arrived to take them, one resident, Frederick Caruthers, 61, walked away from the building. (Merrilees, 1/9)

The New York Times: New York City Hid Realities Of Homelessness Crisis, Report Finds 
As New York City faced a worsening homelessness crisis in recent years, officials repeatedly sought to hide the reality on the ground, according to a city investigation released on Tuesday. The investigation came after reports that homeless families stayed overnight at a Bronx intake office in the summer of 2022, violating a legal mandate requiring the city to provide them shelter. The former social services commissioner, Gary Jenkins, delayed reporting the violation and did not give a full accounting of the situation to the mayor’s office, according to the 49-page report by the New York City Department of Investigation. (Fitzsimmons, 1/9)

The Washington Post: Gov. Wes Moore Proposes First State-Level Gun Violence Prevention Center
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) on Tuesday announced three bills to tackle mounting concerns about crime, including one that would create a gun violence prevention center — the first state-level center in a Biden administration effort to reduce the number of fatal shootings across the United States. On the eve of a legislative session expected to have a strong focus on juvenile justice, Moore on Tuesday rolled out plans that he said would help hold children accountable for violence while keeping rehabilitation in mind, and lamented the devastating toll gun violence has had on Maryland communities. (Shepherd and Hilton, 1/9)

CBS News: East Bay City Managers Call For Faster Ambulance Response Times
The city managers of Livermore and Pleasanton recently sent a letter to the Alameda County's contracted ambulance provider, Falck, saying that medical help is taking too long to reach patients in the far eastern parts of the county. ... Falck is required to be on scene of a priority call in 10-14 minutes at least 90% of the time, but the city manager's letter says that's only happening on 82-85% of priority calls. (Nielson, 1/9)

North Carolina Health News: Too Few Resources To Meet Demand For Substance Use Disorder Treatment In NC Prisons
Nearly eight out of 10 people entering the North Carolina state prison system in fiscal year 2021-22 had a substance use disorder in need of treatment, according to a report from the Department of Adult Correction. Those numbers come from screenings done as people were coming into the system. But there’s a chance those numbers are even higher because, though the prison system screens most people for substance use problems, some people can be missed due to behavior issues, mental acuity and language barriers. (Crumpler, 1/10)

CBS News: Free Clinic At School Gives Denver Migrant Students A Shot, Or Up To 8 If Needed
As the City of Denver shelters more than 4500 migrants from the southern border, there's been an increase in incidents of chickenpox. The Denver Department of Public Health and Environment says 75 cases of chickenpox have been reported in the last 30 days across Denver's migrant shelters. ... McMeen Elementary recently held a free clinic to ensure the newcomer students are up-to-date on their school-required vaccines. (Alejo, 1/9)

The Boston Globe: Salem Hospital Doctors Are Organizing A Union
Citing budget cuts, overflowing hospital beds, and decisions being made without their input, doctors at Salem Hospital informed management on Monday that they are organizing a union to improve patient care. Nearly 100 of 145 physicians at the hospital, which is part of Mass General Brigham, have signed cards in support of joining Council 93 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. (Johnston, 1/9)

In corporate news —

Crain's Detroit Business: 3 Michigan Hospitals Merge To Form Aspire Rural Health System
Three hospitals in Michigan’s Thumb region are merging to become a single health system. The rural hospitals ... are now Aspire Rural Health System, the companies announced this week. ... The new health system will operate under a single board made up of members from the three hospitals’ individual boards, which will be dissolved. (Walsh, 1/9)

Modern Healthcare: Cigna Eyes In-Home Services M&A, CEO David Cordani Says
Cigna Group is on the lookout for deals that could expand its in-home care offerings and insurance services, CEO David Cordani said Tuesday at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference. He declined to comment on speculation that the company is in talks to sell its HealthSpring Medicare Advantage operations, or whether a sale would lead the insurer to once again pursue a deal with major Medicare Advantage carrier Humana. (Tepper, 1/9)

Stat: Morgan Health, With Ambitious Aims, Wants You To Know It’s Still Here 
Almost three years ago, the country’s biggest bank unveiled a lofty plan to fix the health care industry’s entrenched problems. It broke off $250 million to stand up a new business unit, Morgan Health, to do so. (Bannow, 1/9)

Axios: Hospital Fortunes Improved Heading Into Holidays
Hospitals continued to shake off the pandemic's long-term financial effects as the holidays approached, with key metrics like inpatient and outpatient revenue rising year-over-year, the latest Kaufman Hall report finds. (Bettelheim, 1/10)

The CT Mirror: Prospect Medical Holdings Chain Owes CT $67M, Tax Liens Show
The state has filed three tax liens against Prospect Medical Holdings because the California company has neglected to pay $67 million in taxes, records show. (Altimari, Carlesso and Phaneuf, 1/9)

On the treatment of breast cancer —

Fox News: Annual Breast Cancer Screenings Linked To Lower Risk Of Death, Study Finds
Making breast cancer screenings an annual event could save women’s lives, new research suggests. In a study led by Epic Research, a health analytics firm based in Verona, Wisconsin, women who were screened for breast cancer on a yearly basis were shown to have a 17% lower risk of death by any cause compared to those who received screenings every two years, according to a Jan. 4 press release. (Rudy, 1/9)

Minnesota Public Radio: Why Are More Young Women Getting Breast Cancer?
Imagine getting a phone call that changes your life. A phone call that says: “You have breast cancer.” One in eight women in the U.S. will get that call at some point. The median age at diagnosis is 62. But breast cancer diagnoses are on the rise for women under 40. And a cancer diagnosis in your 20s or 30s is typically more aggressive. You’re more likely to die. It’s more likely to come back. (Davis and Brown, 1/9)

Chicago Tribune: AI Model Could Suggest Better Treatment Plans For Breast Cancer Patients 
Mohamed Tageldin has worked at the intersection of artificial intelligence and pathology, the study and diagnosis of diseases, for six years. Tageldin, a resident physician at Northwestern University’s McGaw Medical Center, is part of a team of researchers that has developed an artificial intelligence model to more precisely predict long-term outcomes for breast cancer patients. (Guffey, 1/9)

KFF Health News: Mammography AI Can Cost Patients Extra. Is It Worth It?
As I checked in at a Manhattan radiology clinic for my annual mammogram in November, the front desk staffer reviewing my paperwork asked an unexpected question: Would I like to spend $40 for an artificial intelligence analysis of my mammogram? It’s not covered by insurance, she added. I had no idea how to evaluate that offer. Feeling upsold, I said no. But it got me thinking: Is this something I should add to my regular screening routine? Is my regular mammogram not accurate enough? If this AI analysis is so great, why doesn’t insurance cover it? I’m not the only person posing such questions. (Andrews, 1/10)

Military.com: Defense Department To Begin Tracking Drug Overdoses, Providing Antidote Drug Naloxone
A new law will require the Pentagon to start compiling data in 2024 on overdoses within the ranks, and to make available to troops an antidote for opioid overdoses, as the U.S. continues to battle increasing casualties from the fentanyl crisis. Previously, overdoses within the military -- fatal and non-fatal -- weren't systematically tracked. The Defense Department will now have to maintain information such as what substances were involved in an overdose, whether doctor-prescribed drugs were also involved in an overdose, and how many overdoses are deemed intentional or accidental, following the passage of the annual defense policy bill last month. (Baker, 1/9)

On alcohol use —

The Denver Post: Am I Drinking Too Much? Here Are Two Ways To Find Out 
If you’re wondering whether you’re drinking too much, the answer might depend on whether you’re thinking about your long-term risk of disease, or about whether your relationship with alcohol is becoming unhealthy right now. (Wingerter, 1/8)

The Boston Globe: App Helps Track The Days You Don’t Consume Alcohol
“We know that one-third of US drinkers are trying to cut back on alcohol, and Track Record will enable users to easily log the days they stay dry,” says Athletic chief marketing officer Andrew Katz.The app works like many other health tracking apps, allowing users to mark their number of dry days and then view their progress in a calendar, as well as showing dry “streaks” and dry days by percentage. The goal, Katz says, is to motivate users without the rigidness of a traditional Dry January routine, where even one day of drinking might chalk the whole month up as a loss. (Dzen, 1/9)

In other health and wellness news —

Reuters: Salmonella Tests Negative At Mexico Cantaloupe Plant Amid Outbreak
Tests were negative for traces of salmonella at a cantaloupe-processing plant in Mexico amid an investigation into a deadly outbreak in the United States and Canada, Mexico said on Tuesday. Mexican health officials in December ordered the temporary closure of the plant in the northern state of Sonora and took samples from surfaces and water. Health authorities in both countries have implicated Mexico's Malichita- and Rudy-branded cantaloupes as the sources of the outbreak and issued recalls of the fruit. (1/9)

The Washington Post: Pets May Lower Your Dementia Risk
Good news — your dog might be good for your brain. Among adults 50 or older who live alone, those with a pet were found to have less decline in verbal memory and verbal fluency than those without one, according to research published in the journal JAMA Network Open based on data from 7,945 people in that age group. (Searing, 1/8)

The Washington Post: How Plastic Hides In Supposedly Eco-Friendly Laundry Products
Laundry sheets, an alternative to pods, often come in plastic-free packaging but contain plastic as a top ingredient. (Coren, 1/9)

KFF Health News: Listen To The Latest 'KFF Health News Minute' 
This week on the KFF Health News Minute: In some states, anglers have little guidance about the “forever chemicals” in freshwater fish, and California once again expands access to its Medicaid program, opening the door wider for immigrants regardless of age or legal status. (1/9)

Stat: New Menopause Drug Shows Promise In Relief For Hot Flashes
More hopeful news on the menopause front: Bayer announced on Monday encouraging results in two Phase 3 trials for its non-hormonal drug candidate, elinzanetant, meant to treat hot flashes. The results follow the recent market launch of Veozah, Astellas Pharma’s groundbreaking non-hormonal treatment for hot flashes, which was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last spring and received approval in the U.K., under the name Veozah, in December. (Merelli, 1/10)

CIDRAP: Bivalent COVID Vaccine Very Effective Against Severe Illness In Children, Study Concludes 
Two new US studies suggest that the bivalent (two-strain) Pfizer/BioNTech mRNA COVID-19 vaccine offered children and adolescents good protection against severe outcomes such as hospitalization during Delta and Omicron predominance and that vaccine-induced antibodies can neutralize Omicron BA.2.86 but that the subvariant has features linked to severe symptoms. (Van Beusekom, 1/9)

CIDRAP: Linezolid Fails As Early Syphilis Treatment In Clinical Trial 
A randomized clinical trial conducted in Spain found that linezolid is not an effective treatment for patients with early syphilis, researchers reported yesterday in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. (Dall, 1/9)

CIDRAP: Study Describes Success With Early Use Of Mpox Drug Among People With HIV 
Today JAMA Internal Medicine published a study demonstrating that people with HIV (PWH) who receive early tecovirimat (Tpoxx) after having mpox symptoms are less likely to experience a full-blow course of illness. (Soucheray, 1/8)

Also —

Reuters: Rite Aid Gets Court Approval For $575 Million Elixir Sale
Pharmacy chain Rite Aid Corp on Tuesday received bankruptcy court approval to sell its Elixir pharmacy benefit manager business for $575 million. Rite Aid filed for bankruptcy in October with an agreement to sell the Elixir business to pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) MedImpact Healthcare Systems for that price. (Knauth, 1/9)

Stat: Doudna Institute Plans To 'Cure Hundreds Of Diseases' With CRISPR
A new effort from the Nobel Prize winner's nonprofit looks to use genome editing to help patients with diseases too rare for industry to care. (Mast, 1/9)

CIDRAP: Novo Nordisk Gives CARB-X $25 Million To Combat Antibiotic Resistance 
The Novo Nordisk Foundation today announced a $25 million, 3-year grant to CARB-X (the Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator) to support early-stage development of products to treat, prevent, and diagnose antibiotic-resistant infections. (Dall, 1/9)

Dallas Morning News: Biden’s Plan To Reduce Drug Prices Will Damage Innovation
Last month, the Biden administration issued a proposal that could be very damaging to American innovation. The plan would empower the government to seize patent rights for products that the government believes in its judgment are too expensive. (Lamar Smith, 1/8)

Stat: Federal Weight Loss Drug Coverage Is 30 Years Out Of Date 
Few medications have captured the national attention like Wegovy — and for good reason. In a country with a well-documented obesity epidemic, Wegovy and other members of a new type of weight-loss drug are highly effective: In clinical trials, people on Wegovy typically lose 15% of body weight, and a similar medication, retatrutide, has shown up to 24% weight loss. There is now evidence that they confer benefit beyond weight loss, including a recent large clinical trial demonstrating protection against cardiovascular disease. (Daniel Weiner, 1/8)

USA Today: One Pill Can Kill: Overdose Deaths High, Blame Fentanyl In Fake Drugs
And now a new type of drug is pushing overdose deaths higher: fake or counterfeit pills. Not the kind of illicit drug you buy from a dealer on a dark street corner. These are marketed as real prescription drugs for patients being treated for ailments like cancer, diabetes or depression. But they are largely unregulated and sold online, through social media, or in foreign pharmacies at a cheaper price than at your neighborhood pharmacy. (Cindy Abrams, 1/9)

Chicago Tribune: To Combat The Fentanyl Crisis, Look At The Supply Chain
Fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid, has created a major public health crisis in the United States. One of the most pressing questions our leaders face is: How can government at the federal and state level deter the flow of illicit fentanyl? By developing a multipronged supply chain strategy that controls the demand and stamps out the supply. (Christopher Tang and Thomas Choi, 1/9)

Los Angeles Times: Working Through COVID, Flu And RSV Has Become The Terrible New Normal 
A wave of infections has 38 states dealing with “high or very high” levels of respiratory illness because of COVID-19, RSV and the flu, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Symptoms range from sore throats and coughs that won’t go away to fevers that refuse to break. (LZ Granderson, 1/10)

Stat: ER Workers Need More Than Just Safety From Violence 
A slight man falls off his barstool. Now he’s an ER patient, slurring insults and flailing at staff trying to examine him for injuries. When a nurse begs him not to because we don’t know yet whether he has a neck injury, this respectable-looking man in a collared shirt tries to punch her. (Jay Baruch, 1/10)

Kansas City Star: Don’t Buy Myths About Kansas Medicaid Expansion’s Costs
An emergency room in Fort Scott, Kansas, is the latest casualty of the state’s stance on Medicaid expansion. Today, Kansas sits among just 10 states that have failed to leverage federal dollars to increase needed health care access, improve the local economy and give rural hospitals a fighting chance to survive. (Jeron Ravin, 1/10)

Houston Chronicle: Sweet E-Cigs Tempt, Hook Our Kids. Time To Crack Down
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2022 alone, over 2.5 million children in the United States reported having used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days, with 14.1% of high school students and 3.3% of middle school students succumbing to this concerning trend. This issue is not confined to the national level; it’s a crisis that hits close to home in our Texas communities. (Ann Johnson, 1/9)

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Menthol Cigarette Ban Is Long Overdue, Says Michael Nutter
For years, public health advocates have been calling on the Food and Drug Administration to ban menthol flavoring in cigarettes. The ban would primarily affect Black smokers, 85% of whom smoke menthol cigarettes. (In comparison, only 30% of white smokers use menthols.) Every year, 9,000 Black men die of lung cancer in the U.S., the highest death rate of any other group. (Michael A. Nutter, 1/10)