The Washington Post: Democratic Debate Highlights
For two hours, six Democratic presidential candidates focused on issues of foreign policy, healthcare and the question of electability — particularly the issue of whether a woman could defeat President Trump —in the last primary debate before Iowa caucuses on Feb. 3. On stage were former vice president Joe Biden; former South Bend, Ind., mayor Pete Buttigieg; Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.); Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.); investor Tom Steyer; and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). (1/15)

The Wall Street Journal: January Democratic Debate In Iowa: The Moments That Mattered
Health care was expected to come up in the debate after Mr. Trump this week tweeted that he had saved pre-existing conditions. The Trump administration has backed a lawsuit that would invalidate the Affordable Care Act, which bars insurers from denying people health coverage because of past and current medical issues. ... Candidates sparred over the costs of their proposals, with Mr. Sanders saying the average family would ultimately benefit from Medicare for All whereas Mr. Biden called for reinstating Obamacare with the addition of a public option. Ms. Klobuchar’s point, echoing that of many moderate critics, was that the debate over Medicare for All was largely irrelevant because it is so unlikely to ever pass through Congress. (Siddiqui and Glazer, 1/15)

Los Angeles Times: Candidates Tear Into One Another Over ‘Medicare For All’
Warren tried to make the case that every plan proposed by every candidate on the stage is an improvement over the Trump administration’s policy of dismantling Obamacare. But she aggressively attacked the moderates on the stage when they took aim at her proposal. “The numbers the mayor is offering just don’t add up,” Warren said of Buttigieg’s argument that transformational change can happen in healthcare without spending the tens of trillions Sanders and Warren envision. She said the Buttigieg plan simply would not provide the needed relief to a low-income family struggling with medical bills that average $12,000 per year. “You can’t cover that with the kind of money the mayor is talking about,” Warren said. Buttigieg took exception. “It’s just not true that the plan I am proposing is small,” he said. He complained of a “Washington mentality” that he said judges the bigness of a plan by how many trillions it cost and the boldness is judged by “how many Americans you can alienate.” (Halper, 1/14)

The Hill: Warren, Buttigieg Spar Over Health Care Costs
Buttigieg's campaign has said his plan, which would create a public option to compete with private insurance, would cost $1.5 trillion over a decade. "We've got to move past the Washington mentality that suggests that the bigness of plans only consists of how many trillions of dollars they put through the Treasury," Buttigieg said Tuesday. Warren has talked less about Medicare for All on the campaign trail amid declining poll numbers. (Hellmann, 1/14)

Politico: What We Learned About The Democratic Field From Tuesday's Debate
As in every debate, there was a lengthy domestic policy discussion anchored by health care. The moderators on Tuesday night zeroed in on one of the broad philosophical disagreements between the candidates that rarely gets spelled out: to what extent should the government subsidize healthcare, college, and childcare for all Americans? The use of means testing — requiring those with higher incomes to contribute more for government services — varies across the proposals of the candidates. Sanders is the most consistent, arguing for the largest welfare state across all those categories with the least amount of means testing. His argument is that for government programs to enjoy wide popularity they need to be available to all Americans regardless of income. Buttigieg and Klobuchar, who, for instance, frequently attack free college plans as subsidizing tuition for millionaires, are on the other side of the spectrum. (Lizza, 1/15)

The Washington Post: Takeaways From The January Democratic Debate
Klobuchar on health care: Medicare-for-all has come up so much in these debates that bringing it up often elicits groans from people who cover these things. Little of it seems new anymore. But Klobuchar carved out her niche on it Tuesday night. “This debate isn’t real,” she said. “I was in Vegas the other day, and someone said don’t put your chips on a number on the wheel that isn’t even on the wheel. That’s the problem. Over two thirds of the Democrats in the U.S. Senate are not on the bill that [Sanders] and Senator Warren are on.” Klobuchar then went a step further, pointing to concrete things she’s done and would do, including on drug importation and a bipartisan bill on lowering drug prices. (Blake, 1/14)

CNN: Fact Check Of The January Democratic Debate
In defending her plan to build on the Affordable Care Act instead of pushing for the more sweeping Medicare for All plans proposed by her rivals, Klobuchar pointed out that more people support Obamacare than approve of President Donald Trump. "I would also note practically, that the Affordable Care Act right now is 10 points more popular than the president of the United States," the Minnesota Democrat said at CNN's debate on Tuesday night. Facts First: While no poll directly compares the two, it's true that Obamacare is better liked. (Luhby, 1/15)

The New York Times: Democratic Debate Recap: Gender, War And Taking On Trump
Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. came under far less scrutiny than his standing as the national front-runner might have merited in the final debate before voting begins in Iowa on Feb. 3. Just as notable, Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Ind., who has slipped in Iowa, seemed satisfied to make his own case without sharply criticizing his top rivals. New polls in Iowa show that Democratic voters are roughly split between four top candidates: Mr. Biden, Mr. Sanders of Vermont, Ms. Warren of Massachusetts and Mr. Buttigieg. (Goldmacher and Martin, 1/14)

Sacramento Bee: Why Joe Biden Favors Obamacare Over Medicare For All
While his son died and he didn’t end up needing the money, Biden says he came away from the experience with a renewed sense of purpose to preserve the Affordable Care Act and help comfort others who are struggling. (Anderson, 1/14)

NPR: Democratic Debate: Often-Used Health Care Terms Defined
If the last few Democratic presidential debates are any guide, tonight's will likely delve into health care proposals. Do voters know what we're talking about when we talk about various plans and concepts, including "Medicare for All?" Or any of the other health policy terms that get thrown around? Pretty much no. (Simmons-Duffin, 1/14)

CNN: Watch The Full CNN/Des Moines Register Democratic Debate
Six presidential candidates took the stage in Des Moines, Iowa, for the last debate before voting begins in February. (1/15)

Just the facts, please: Media outlets check the candidates' health claims —

The Associated Press Fact Check: Trump Distorts Data, Dems Cut Some Corners
BERNIE SANDERS: “Medicare for all ... will cost substantially less than the status quo.” THE FACTS: There’s no guarantee that “Medicare for All” will cost less. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said in a report last year that total spending under a single-payer system like Sanders is calling for “might be higher or lower than under the current system depending on the key features of the new system. ”Those features have to do with the design of the system, questions like payment rates for hospitals and doctors, and whether patients are required to pay part of the cost of their care. (Woodward, Boak and Yen, 1/14)

The New York Times: Fact-Checking The January Democratic Debate
WHAT MR. SANDERS SAID: “Medicare for all will end the absurdity of the United States paying by far the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs and health care in general.” This is exaggerated. Mr. Sanders is correct that nearly every kind of medical service costs more in the United States than in other developed nations. Many health economists believe it is these higher prices paid in the United States that explain the bulk of why the American health care system is so unusually expensive. A Medicare for all plan like the one Mr. Sanders has proposed would have the power to lower such prices by making the government the only purchaser of health care services. (1/14)

The Washington Post: Fact-Checking The Seventh Democratic Primary Debate
“You got 500,000 people going bankrupt because they cannot pay their medical bills.” — Sanders. Sanders often repeats this talking point, asserting that 500,000 people go bankrupt every year because of medical bills. That’s approximately two-thirds of the 750,000 total bankruptcies per year. We’ve previously given Three Pinocchios to Sanders for this claim, which he keeps repeating. (Kessler, Rizzo and Kelly, 1/14)

Kaiser Health News: Sanders Targets Health Industry’ Profits. Are His Figures Right?
At the January Democratic debate, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders zeroed in on the question of profits in the health care industry. Under “Medicare for All,” he said, “We end the $100 billion a year that the health care industry makes.” (Luthra, 1/15)

Stat: Democrats Zero In On High Drug Prices In Iowa Debate
Until Tuesday, nearly every single Democratic primary debate has focused on the same health care issue: “Medicare for All.” So when Democrats got the chance to talk about their plans to lower drug prices, they jumped. Candidates uniformly criticized drug companies as examples of corporate irresponsibility and outsize political influence. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), in particular, doubled down on a pledge to lower drug prices on her first day as president, using executive action to make it easier for generic drug makers to move in on brand-name drugs that were created using federally-funded research. (Facher, 1/14)

USA Today: Democratic Debate: Candidates Talk Health Care, Child Care In Iowa
"Thirty-six million people last year went to the doctor to get a prescription ... and they couldn't afford to have the prescription filled,'' [Warren] said. "I have worked out a plan where we can do that without raising taxes on middle-class families by one thin dime.'' Using presidential powers, "On the first day, we can cut the cost of prescription drugs,'' she said. "I'll use the power that's already given to the president to reduce the cost of insulin and epipens and HIV AIDS drugs ... And I will defend the Affordable Care Act.'' (Jones, 1/15)

Kaiser Health News: Warren And Klobuchar Say They Can Lower Drug Prices Without Congress’ Help
On Tuesday, two Democrats running for president promised to do — each by herself — what Washington has so far proven unable to do: lower the prices of prescription drugs. Speaking during the last Democratic debate before the Iowa caucus on Feb. 3, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota said, if elected president, they would each act immediately to directly reduce the cost of certain drugs. (Huetteman, 1/15)

Politico: Trump To Lift Hold On $8.2B In Puerto Rico Disaster Aid
The Department of Housing and Urban Development will allow Puerto Rico to access more than $8 billion in blocked disaster aid funding, ending a monthslong hold by the Trump administration, according to people familiar with the matter. Puerto Rico, which suffered devastating losses from Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017, has received just $1.5 billion of the roughly $20 billion in congressionally authorized disaster funds that HUD is supposed to administer. (O'Donnell, 1/15)

The Hill: Schumer, Senate Democrats Push Trump To Release Full Aid To Puerto Rico Following Earthquakes
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) joined 33 other Senate Democrats on Tuesday in a letter calling on the Trump administration to approve full aid to Puerto Rico in the wake of a series of earthquakes that hit the island in January. In the wake of a particularly strong 6.4-magnitude quake Jan. 7, “more than one million of our fellow Americans in Puerto Rico were still without power” more than two days later, the letter states. (Budryk, 1/14)

The Washington Post: More Than 100 Billion Pain Pills Saturated The Nation Over Nine Years
Newly disclosed federal drug data shows that more than 100 billion doses of oxycodone and hydrocodone were shipped nationwide from 2006 through 2014 — 24 billion more doses of the highly addictive pain pills than previously known to the public. The data, which traces the path of every pain pill shipped in the United States, shows the extent to which opioids flooded the country as deaths from the epidemic continued to climb over nine years. The Washington Post and the company that owns the Charleston Gazette-Mail in West Virginia first obtained the data, collected by the Drug Enforcement Administration, from 2006 through 2012 after waging a year-long legal fight. (Rich, Higham and Horwitz, 1/14)

The Hill: House GOP Reopens Investigation Into Opioid Manufacturers Over Role In Crisis
The top Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee is reopening an investigation into three drug companies that make opioids over their role in the epidemic of overdose deaths. Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.), along with Reps. Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) and Morgan Griffith (R-Va.), sent letters on Tuesday to the companies with new questions about whether they could have done more earlier to stem the tide of opioid-related deaths. (Sullivan, 1/14)

In other news on the opioid crisis —

CNN: Pharmaceutical Distributor Embroiled In Criminal Charges Ceases Opioid Sales
A New York-based wholesale pharmaceutical distributor has announced it will no longer distribute opioid medications, almost nine months after two of its former executives were charged with illegally distributing opioids and conspiring to defraud the US Drug Enforcement Administration. "The ever-increasing expenses associated with the legal and regulatory compliance for this segment of drugs are simply not sustainable," Rochester Drug Co-Operative (RDC) said in a statement released by the company spokesman, Jeff Eller. "While these specific drugs represent a relatively small percent of total sales, they account for significant legal and compliance expenses." (Moghe, McDonnell Nieto del Rio, 1/14)

Reuters: Nektar Withdraws Application For Opioid Painkiller After FDA Panel's Vote
Nektar Therapeutics said on Tuesday it was withdrawing the application for its opioid painkiller for adults with chronic low back pain, after a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) panel unanimously voted against the drug’s approval. Independent advisers to the U.S. FDA voted 27-0 against the approval of the oral pill, NKTR-181, on concerns over the chances of its misuse or abuse as well as the lack of data to determine the possible abuse when snorted or injected and its potential for liver toxicity. (Joseph and Chander, 1/14)

The Associated Press: Amid Doc's Murder Case, Lawsuits Reflect Battle Over Blame
In the year since an Ohio hospital system announced an intensive care doctor had ordered excessive painkillers for dozens of patients who then died, the allegations led to murder charges against him, lawsuits, firings and potential disciplinary action for some of his colleagues. As the criminal case moves toward possible trial this year, related pending lawsuits reflect a battle over blame. A look at where things stand. (Franko, 1/14)

The Hill: Democrats Warn Against Tennessee Medicaid Block Grant
A pair of Democrats from the House and Senate want a government watchdog to make sure Tennessee does not abuse funding if the Trump administration approves the state’s request to block-grant Medicaid. In a letter sent Tuesday, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.) urged the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General to “exercise vigorous oversight” if Tennessee’s waiver request is granted. (Weixel, 1/14)

Modern Healthcare: Kansas Hospital Association CEO Praises Bipartisan Medicaid Expansion Deal
Kansas Hospital Association CEO Tom Bell will retire in September after helping push through a hard-fought bipartisan deal to expand Medicaid to an estimated 150,000 adults earning up to 138% of the federal poverty level. The expansion, which would start next January, is expected to ease the rural hospital crisis in his state, where five hospitals have closed since 2010 and another 29 are on the financial brink. Bell, who started with association as legal counsel in 1986 and has served as CEO since 2005, spoke with Modern Healthcare senior reporter Harris Meyer about how the Kansas agreement fits into the national battle over Medicaid expansion. (Meyer, 1/14)

Dayton Daily News: Ohio Medicaid Says It Inherited 'Mess' From Kasich Administration
The director of the Ohio Medicaid program said Gov. Mike DeWine’s administration inherited a “mess” from the Kasich administration. Ohio Department of Medicaid Director Maureen Corcoran, in a 2019 year-end summary memo to DeWine, described what she called a series of inherited issues the department confronted during its first year under the DeWine administration. (Schroeder, 1/14)

ProPublica: Border Patrol Officials Dodged Congress’ Questions About Migrant Children’s Deaths 
The Trump administration sought to “conceal information” about the death of a 16-year-old Guatemalan boy in Border Patrol custody, a House subcommittee chairwoman said at a hearing Tuesday. Rep. Kathleen Rice, D-N.Y., said the Department of Homeland Security has “consistently failed to maintain transparency by stymying congressional inquiries. (Moore, 1/14)

In other news —

Dallas Morning News: Asylum Seekers Forced To Wait In Mexico Get Video Access To Attorneys In U.S.
Faced with a rising humanitarian crisis, immigrant rights organizations from both sides of the border on Tuesday launched a pilot program to create a virtual bridge aimed at providing legal aid to thousands of asylum seekers forced to wait in Mexico. The program, Puentes Libres, or Free Bridges, spearheaded by Texas state Sen. Jose Rodriguez and Juarez Mayor Armando Cabada, will help migrants awaiting the outcome of their U.S. asylum cases consult with U.S.-based lawyers via teleconferencing. Organizers hope the program will serve as a model for other border communities, where close to 60,000 migrants are stuck in Mexico waiting for their cases to go through U.S. immigration courts because of recent Trump administration policies. (Corchado, 1/14)

Stat: At JPM, Debate On Alzheimer’s, Family Drama In Oncology, And A Glum CEO
While the early hours of biotech’s biggest annual meeting didn’t bring any of the 10-figure transactions that tend to please investors, the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference offered plenty to debate when it comes to the future of medicine. Here are some of the highlights so far, including a hot-button issue in Alzheimer’s disease, some family drama in oncology, and a reliably upbeat CEO forced to reckon with undeniably bad news. (Feuerstein and Herper, 1/14)

Stat: Intercept’s CEO Talks Payers, Pruritis, And Price
Six years ago at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, Intercept Pharmaceuticals (ICPT) sent investors (and journalists) scrambling to Google the definition of NASH after the surprising and positive results from a mid-stage clinical trial sent the biotech’s stock price soaring. It’s been a long and bumpy road since January 2014, but Intercept’s NASH drug, called obeticholic acid, or OCA, is finally on the cusp of a highly anticipated Food and Drug Administration approval and commercial launch later this year. (Feuerstein, 1/14)

Stat: After A Big Stock Surge, Patrick Soon-Shiong Makes His Case To Investors
Not many investors had pegged the long-stagnant immunotherapy developer NantKwest as one of the big stock winners of this week. But on Monday, the first day of the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, the stock soared 91% after the company’s founder and CEO, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, gave an unusual television interview. (Robbins, 1/14)

Stat: With A Different Method For Gene Therapy, Generation Bio Eyes An IPO
Seven years ago, one of Generation Bio’s scientific founders couldn’t convince any top-tier journals to publish his research. Now, the same company earned itself a presenting spot at this week’s J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, after it raised more than $200 million in two years. (Sheridan, 1/15)

Stat: Proteus Digital Health, Maker Of 'Smart Pills,' Sees Key Pharma Pact Unravel
It was supposed to be a showcase for the way in which technology can revolutionize how some patients take their medications — and ultimately improve health outcomes. It has proven far more complicated. Proteus Digital Health, a Silicon Valley company, raised close to $500 million and soared to a valuation of $1.5 billion on the promise that its sensor technology could be used to monitor whether patients with a wide range of health conditions have taken their pills. Then, late last year, the company’s funds fell dangerously low. (Robbins, 1/14)

In other pharmaceutical news —

NPR: FDA Drug Approvals Are Faster But Rely On Less Evidence Than They Used To
The Food and Drug Administration has gotten faster at approving new prescription drugs over the past four decades, but the evidence it relies on in making those decisions is getting weaker, according to new research published Tuesday. As a result, there are more cures and treatments on the market but less proof that they are safe and effective. (Lupkin, 1/14)

Bloomberg: NantKwest Gains 91% After Promising Cancer Result
NantKwest Inc. shares rose by a record after the company’s CEO said its experimental cancer therapy had shown a dramatic result in one patient with pancreatic cancer. In an interview with Bloomberg Television, Chief Executive Office Patrick Soon-Shiong said one patient with metastatic pancreatic cancer had their tumors eradicated after treatment with the company’s experimental immune-system-based therapy. The patient had previously been treated unsuccessfully, and received the drug as a compassionate measure for people without other treatment options. (Ludlow and Cortez, 1/13)

Prescription Drug Watch: For news on rising drug costs, check out our weekly roundup of news coverage and perspectives of the issue.

Stat: 'How Long Do I Have?’ A Website On Cancer Survival Rates Seeks To Help
Talking about cancer is hard. Talking about your chances of surviving cancer is even harder. Now one of the entrepreneurs behind the drug-pricing information site GoodRx wants to make conversations about cancer easier with a new site called CancerSurvivalRates.com. Launched this month, its mission is to make information about cancer prognoses more accessible to patients and families. The idea is to improve on what people can find on the internet or even sometimes in their doctors’ offices, co-founder and drug supply chain veteran Stephen Buck said. (Cooney, 1/15)

Modern Healthcare: AMA Links Docs With Health Tech Startups, Investors
The American Medical Association is expanding its physician innovation network with a new effort centered on early-stage startups and investors. The network, an online forum that connects physicians with digital health companies, on Tuesday launched an online hub in collaboration with RedCrow, a crowdfunding company focused on healthcare startups. The new hub is part of the AMA's broader push to encourage healthcare technology startups to work with physicians. By connecting health technology startups and companies with physicians, the AMA hopes to help spur creation of new technologies that respond to the needs of front-line medical staff. (Cohen, 1/14)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Doctors Spend More Time On Electronic Devices Than With Patients
A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine on Tuesday revealed physicians spent an average of 16 minutes and 14 seconds of active time using electronic health records during each appointment. Doctors reviewed EHRs for chart reviews 33% of the time, spent 24% of their time on documentation and 17% of their time on ordering functions. Reuters reported that broke down to 5 minutes and 22 seconds spend on EHRs, 3 minutes and 51 seconds per patient on documentation, and an average of 2 minutes and 42 seconds ordering things like lab tests. (Willis, 1/14)

Politico Pro: Health Care Data-Sharing Rules Touch Off Intense Lobbying Fight
The looming release of data-sharing rules for health care have sparked an intense lobbying fight, with hospitals, digital health firms and patient access groups joining a battle that pits the promise of care coordination and streamlined research against nightmares over compliance and privacy. On Tuesday, former HHS Secretary and Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson jumped into the fray with an op-ed denouncing the rules on behalf of a hometown company, health records giant Epic, which is based outside Madison. (Tahir, 1/14)

The Hill: CDC: More People Obtain THC Vapes From Family, Friends Than Dispensaries
A large majority of the people suffering from a vaping-related lung illness said they used products containing THC, and most of them obtained the products through “informal” sources, according to new federal data released Tuesday. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), obtaining products from only informal sources was substantially more common for THC products than for just nicotine-containing products while obtaining products only from commercial sources was much more common for nicotine than for THC-containing products. (Weixel, 1/14)

USA Today: Vaping: CDC Warning Includes Products From More Legal Marijuana Vendors
One-sixth of patients who developed lung injuries after vaping marijuana obtained the product from legal dispensaries, a new federal report says, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said reinforced its current recommendations to not use THC-containing e-cigarette, or vaping, products. (Bacon and O'Donnell, 1/14)

Dayton Daily News: Northmont HS Adds Vaping Detectors To Reduce Student E-Cig Use
Northmont High School officials have installed sensors that can detect the use of e-cigarettes, or vaping, in the school, joining a growing list of Ohio districts trying to limit student use of the products. In addition to Northmont’s effort, Franklin-Monroe schools in Darke County, Riverside schools near Bellefontaine and multiple districts in Columbus and Akron are using the small sensors, which resemble a smoke detector. (Kelley, 1/15)

The Hill: Police Investigating Teens Who Filmed 2-Year-Old Vaping
Pennsylvania State Police announced Tuesday they are investigating a video posted to social media of a 2-year-old appearing to vape. The video, circulated through Snapchat, depicts the child inhaling from a vaping device before coughing and crying, with two teen girls heard laughing. State police said the two were a 17-year-old who was babysitting the toddler and an 18-year-old who was also present. (Budryk, 1/14)

Meanwhile, in other news —

The Hill: House Panel Set To Examine Federal Marijuana Policies
A House panel on Wednesday is set to examine some of the barriers to marijuana research amid a growing disconnect between federal and state policies. “There is a chasm between the federal laws and what over 30 states are doing,” Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) told The Hill in an interview Tuesday. (Weixel, 1/14)

The Associated Press: US Drinking More Now Than Just Before Prohibition
Americans are drinking more now than when Prohibition was enacted. What’s more, it’s been rising for two decades, and it’s not clear when it will fall again. That’s the picture painted by federal health statistics, which show a rise in per-person consumption and increases in emergency room visits, hospitalizations and deaths tied to drinking. (1/14)

The Hill: Americans Drink About 2.3 Gallons Of Alcohol A Year: Study
Consumption by the average American was just over 2 gallons per year at the time, according to the AP, which noted that the number of deaths per year (88,000) associated from excessive drinking actually ranks higher than the opioid crisis in terms of total deaths. “Consumption has been going up. Harms (from alcohol) have been going up,” Dr. Tim Naimi, an alcohol researcher at Boston University, told the AP in an interview. “And there’s not been a policy response to match it.” (Bowden, 1/14)

The Hill: Lawmakers Express Alarm Over Rise In Cocaine Overdose Deaths
The bipartisan leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee are raising alarm over an increase in overdose deaths from cocaine and methamphetamine. The lawmakers wrote to the Trump administration requesting a briefing on the fight against these drugs by Feb. 4. (Sullivan, 1/14)

CNN: Climate Crisis, Epidemics Among Next Decade's Urgent Health Challenges, WHO Says
Climate change, infectious diseases, anti-vaxxers and antimicrobial resistance all made their way onto the World Health Organization's list of health challenges facing the next decade. The list, published on Monday, was developed with input from experts around the world and presented "urgent, global health challenges," according to WHO, the United Nations' public health agency. (Howard, 1/14)

Reuters: U.S. Warns Citizens In China Against Pneumonia Outbreak
The U.S. State Department warned Americans in China about an outbreak of pneumonia in the central city of Wuhan believed to be caused by a new strain of coronavirus, and which has killed one person. Wednesday's notice referred to an alert by the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention urging citizens in China travelling to Wuhan to avoid contact with animals, animal markets or animal products, among other precautions. (1/15)

The Wall Street Journal: Heart Disease Strikes Back Across The U.S., Even In Healthy Places
Colorado is ranked as one of the nation’s healthiest states. It often doesn’t feel that way to David Rosenbaum. The Colorado Springs cardiologist regularly sees men and women in their 30s and 40s with heart problems, such as high blood pressure, an irregular heart rhythm, heart attacks. A visit from a young patient was rare when he started practicing there 17 years ago. Not anymore. “People say, oh, Colorado, we’re so healthy,” said Dr. Rosenbaum, who works for UCHealth, a not-for-profit health-care system. “Not so much.” (McKay and Overberg, 1/14)

The New York Times: Run A First Marathon, And Your Arteries May Look 4 Years Younger 
Complete a first marathon and rejuvenate a major artery. That is the message of an inspiring new study of novice runners and their aortas. The study finds that training for and finishing a marathon can spruce up arteries, leaving them more flexible, healthy and biologically younger than before, even if runners are older or slow. But the study also raises some pointed questions about whether a lone marathon is the ideal goal for people hoping to improve their arterial health over the long term. (Reynolds, 1/15)

NBC News: How To Lose Weight: Doctor Shares Daily Dozen Checklist For Healthy Weight Loss
Healthy weight loss comes with its own checklist. Dr. Michael Greger, a physician who specializes in clinical nutrition, calls it his Daily Dozen — a summary of all the "healthiest of healthy foods" and habits he tries to fit into his daily routine to stay slim and prevent disease. Eating all of the items on the list is filling, but it adds up to 1,250 to 1,500 calories — about 500 fewer than people normally eat — leading to weight loss, Greger said. (Pawlowski, 1/15)

NPR: A New Solution For Postpartum Depression: A Help Line For Obstetricians
As a young woman, Jennifer Ford struggled with anxiety and depression. When she got pregnant, her physician advised her to stay on the antidepressant she took to manage her symptoms. Her first pregnancy and childbirth went smoothly, she says, but things were different after she gave birth the second time. "It's when I hit my wall," says Ford. She remembers feeling overcome by grief, immediately after she got home. (Chatterjee, 1/15)

Kaiser Health News: No Shield From X-Rays: How Science Is Rethinking Lead Aprons
Patients have come to expect a technician to drape their torsos with a heavy lead apron when they get an X-ray, but new thinking among radiologists and medical physicists is upending the decades-old practice of shielding patients from radiation. Some hospitals are ditching the ritual of covering reproductive organs and fetuses during imaging exams after prominent medical and scientific groups have said it’s a feel-good measure that can impair the quality of diagnostic tests and sometimes inadvertently increase a patient’s radiation exposure. (Jaklevic, 1/15)

MPR News: The Challenges Home Care Workers Face
As the elder population grows - and wants to stay at home rather than turn to a nursing home or hospital - the need for home health aides does, too. Employment in this field is expected to increase more than 30 percent over the next decade, much faster than the overall average.With fast growth, however, come growing pains. (Farrell and Schossow, 1/14)

Health News Florida: Senators Back School Safety Measures
Nearly two years after the mass shooting at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Florida senators on Monday started moving forward with additional school security proposals. On the eve of the start of the annual legislative session, two measures that aim to improve response times in case of school shootings or attacks were unanimously approved by the Senate Infrastructure and Security Committee. (Ceballos, 1/14)

Health News Florida: Senate Panel Backs Closing Gun Show 'Loophole'
Over the objections of the National Rifle Association, a Senate panel Monday unanimously signed off on a far-reaching measure that would close the gun-show “loophole,” create a record-keeping system for private gun sales and set aside $5 million to establish a “statewide strategy for violence prevention.” The proposal (SB 7028) is a priority of Senate President Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, as evidenced by the Senate Infrastructure and Security Committee’s consideration and passage of the measure the day before the 2020 legislative session begins. (Kam, 1/14)

The Washington Post: Virginia Governor To Ban Guns On Grounds Of State Capitol
Gov. Ralph Northam on Wednesday will announce at least a temporary ban on firearms on the grounds of the state Capitol, two people briefed on his plans said late Tuesday. The move comes just days after newly empowered Democrats banned guns from the Capitol building and an adjacent legislative office building. And it comes just ahead of a gun rights rally planned for Monday, which organizers say will draw tens of thousands to Capitol Square. (Vozzella and Schneider, 1/14)

Georgia Health News: Surprise Billing, Maternal Mortality, PBMs: Lawmakers Talk Health Care Agenda
A key state senator said Tuesday that he is optimistic a compromise plan on easing the problem of surprise medical billing will finally pass the Georgia General Assembly this year. Sen. Ben Watson (R-Savannah), who chairs the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, told a breakfast gathering that the Governor’s Office has been involved in crafting legislation on the billing issue. (Miller, 1/14)

The Oregonian: Bad Math Means Oregon Needs $12 Million More To Pay Pledged Raises To Caregivers 
A contractor’s calculation error that went undetected for months will delay changes to the way caregivers of vulnerable Oregonians are paid, a state official told lawmakers during public hearings this week. A coding mistake undercounted how many people need the most extensive -- and costly -- services, said Lilia Teninty, who directs the Office of Developmental Disabilities Services. The incorrect figure was unknowingly used to approve a larger-than-budgeted raise to workers caring for people with disabilities. (Young, 1/14)

San Francisco Chronicle: California Bills Would Make Insurers Cover More Mental Health
California legislators on Tuesday introduced two bills aimed at improving access to mental health and addiction treatment by requiring health insurance companies to authorize some forms of treatment more quickly and to cover more comprehensive mental health services. State Sens. Jim Beall, D-San Jose, and Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, co-authored Senate Bill 854 and Senate Bill 855 — which both would apply to private health insurance plans only, and not to public insurance programs such as Medi-Cal, the joint federal and state health insurance program for low-income residents. (Ho, 1/14)

Sacramento Bee: California Congressman Wants Homeless Disaster Declaration
A California congressman wants to allow states to apply for emergency funding for homelessness crises in the same way they’re granted funding for natural disasters like wildfires or hurricanes. Promoting the idea as a way to “bridge the gap between Washington and Sacramento,” Rep. Josh Harder, D-Turlock, announced he was introducing the bill Tuesday. It would allow governors to declare homelessness crises as a state of emergency to receive additional federal funding. (Irby, 1/14)

Health News Florida: State Sued Over Transgender Health Benefits
Two transgender state employees who have been denied medical treatment for gender dysphoria filed a federal lawsuit Monday against the Florida Department of Management Services alleging unlawful sex discrimination. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Jami Claire and Kathryn Lane by attorneys for Southern Legal Counsel, Inc., and the ACLU Foundation of Florida, seeks compensatory damages and an injunction banning the state from enforcing an exclusion in the state employees’ health-insurance plan for coverage of medically necessary gender-affirming care. (Sexton, 1/14)

The Associated Press: Bills Seek To End 'Conversion Therapy' In Kentucky
Twice a week for four years when he was in high school, gay student Zach Meiners underwent “conversion therapy,” a practice that attempts to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity. Once the sessions ended, it took almost 10 years before he started “to heal and learn to love" himself, Meiners said Tuesday during a rally to promote bills that would effectively ban conversion therapy in Kentucky. (1/14)

Cleveland Plain Dealer: State Reveals $1.2 Billion Ohio Benefits System Riddled With Defects A Year Out From Medicaid Work Requirements
The state’s technology system that determines whether adults and children are eligible for Ohio Medicaid has nearly 1,100 defects, the department’s director announced Tuesday. Ohio Benefits, an information technology system that has cost the state $1.2 billion since it was implemented six years ago, has been found to overwrite and eliminate historical documentation needed to prove Ohio Medicaid enrollees’ eligibility. (Hancock, 1/14)

NH Times Union: Banning Trans Students As Female Athletes Sparks Debate 
Legislation to prevent students born male from competing on female sports teams drew passionate testimony Tuesday, with supporters defending it as a way to ensure fairness and opponents decrying it as a violation of state anti-discrimination law. (Landrigan, 1/14)

The CT Mirror: Lawmakers Set Hearing On Proposal To Repeal State's Religious Vaccine Exemption
Lawmakers are wasting no time seeking public input on a proposal to erase Connecticut’s religious exemption from mandatory vaccinations. They have scheduled a public hearing on the plan for Feb. 19 – just two weeks into the legislative session. A draft of the bill is expected to be released next week. (Carlesso, 1/14)

North Carolina Health News: Could N.C. Ban Smokable Hemp? 
Hemp plants can be made into anything from rope and insulation to granola. But today, most U.S. hemp farmers are growing hemp to produce cannabinoids, such as CBD — which means they’re growing plants that look like marijuana, smell like marijuana and, increasingly, are rolled into joints and smoked like marijuana. People smoke marijuana to feel high, but they smoke hemp — a non-psychoactive form of cannabis — to ingest cannabinoids users say ease aches, pains and stress. Now some state lawmakers, alarmed by how difficult it is for law enforcement officers to tell the difference between hemp bud or joints and illegal pot products, are cracking down on smokable hemp. (Quinton, 1/15)

The Associated Press: Arizona Bill Banning Sex Ed Before 7th Grade Going Nowhere
A conservative Arizona Republican senator who was pushing a contentious proposal that would bar any sexual education instruction for students before the 7th grade and create new requirements for the subject conceded Tuesday that her proposal stood no chance of advancing. (1/14)

The Associated Press: Kentucky Clinic Given OK To Apply For Abortion License
Kentucky officials are inviting a Planned Parenthood clinic to apply for a license to perform abortions after it was denied by former Gov. Matt Bevin's administration. If a license is approved for the Louisville clinic, it would become only the second abortion provider in the state. (1/14)

Austin American-Statesman: Texas Women Three Times More Likely Than Women In Other States To Attempt DIY Abortion, Study Finds
Texas women are three times more likely than women across the country to report having attempted to end a pregnancy themselves, a recent study has found.6.9% of Texas women who sought an abortion at a clinic said they had attempted to end their pregnancy on their own before coming in, according to the study. Comparatively, a national survey found that only 2.2% of women across the country had ever tried to end a pregnancy on their own. (O'Donnell, 1/14)

Modern Healthcare: Is Upcoding Pushing Up Inpatient Acuity In Massachusetts?
While higher inpatient spending in Massachusetts has been linked to rising prices and acuity levels, the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission reinforced its findings that state residents may not actually be getting sicker. Despite a nearly 14% decline in commercial inpatient utilization from 2013 to 2018, inpatient spending grew about 11%, according to the commission's annual cost trends report. Higher prices and acuity inflated spending, the commission's analysis of quality metrics and coding frequency shows. Inpatient acuity grew more than 10% over that span while length of stay only inched up 1.5% and intensive and critical care days fell almost 10%. Commissioner David Cutler said this puzzled him during Tuesday's board meeting. (Kacik, 1/14)

The Oregonian: 11 Indicted In Alleged Multnomah County Inverness Jail Drug Ring After Inmate Dies From Overdose 
Eleven people have been indicted on charges related to smuggling drugs and other illegal items into the Multnomah County Inverness Jail, which may have resulted in the drug overdose death of an inmate in July. The Portland Tribune first reported that an alleged drug ring, from which the indictments stem, hid ingestible meth and heroin packets under rail ties near an equipment shed outside Inverness. The shed is used by work crews, and the Multnomah County district attorney’s office alleges that the drugs smuggled in led to the death of Richard Jason Forrest. (Ramakrishnan , 1/14)

New Hampshire Public Radio: Lawsuit Over Breastfeeding Accommodation In The Workplace Heard In N.H. Supreme Court
A former state employee fired for what she alleges was hostility over a request for breastfeeding accommodation argued her case before the Supreme Court of New Hampshire on Tuesday. The case has been winding its way through both federal and state courts for more than six years. Kate Frederick, who now resides in Vermont, alleges she was fired from her position at the Department of Health and Human Services in September 2012. (Bookman, 1/14)

Austin American-Statesman: 8 Texas Children Died From Flu This Season, Health Officials Say
Eight Texas children have died from the flu so far this season, Austin health officials announced Tuesday.Flu season, which began in late September, has so far been severe in the United States. This season was the first time in nearly three decades that an influenza B strain — which is more likely to cause complications in children and young adults — has been the dominant circulating flu virus in the United States. (Hall, 1/14)

San Francisco Chronicle: Free Dental Care For All? SF Supervisor Wants City To Explore The Possibility
Over the past year, San Francisco lawmakers have called for universal mental health care and free Muni for all. The newest push? Free dental care for every San Franciscan. (Thadani, 1/14)

North Carolina Health News: NC Research Points To Possible PTSD Treatment 
A procedure historically used to treat pain could also be used to help people with post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a recent clinical study by Research Triangle Park-based RTI International. Researchers found that a treatment called stellate ganglion block (SGB) improved symptoms of PTSD in their study participants. The treatment involves an injection of local anesthetic to the stellate ganglion, located in the neck. The stellate ganglion is part of the sympathetic nervous system which controls the body’s “fight or flight” response. “Nobody knows how it works, we now just know that it does,” said Kristine Rae Olmsted, behavioral epidemiologist at RTI and co-investigator on the study. (Knopf, 1/14)

The Oregonian: Family Of Former West Point Cadet Who Died By Suicide Alleges Death Resulted From Portland VA Medical Center’s Negligent Health Care
A 24-year-old woman who injured her ankle as a West Point Military Academy cadet ended her life due to medical negligence after she was treated at Portland’s Veterans Affairs Medical Center for chronic pain and associated anxiety, her family alleges in a federal lawsuit. Emylee Darneille was discovered dead in Spain on July 5, 2015, two months after she was prescribed an anti-depressant called fluoxetine, a generic form of Prozac, at the medical center. (Bernstein, 1/14)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: State Auditors Examine Georgia Hospitals’ Expenses On Lobbying
Georgia hospitals fund one big expense that most patients probably don’t think about as they’re handing over their co-pays: lobbying.A report released by state auditors as lawmakers started a new legislative session showed that in one recent year the state’s hospitals spent more than $7 million trying to influence legislation. (Bluestein and Hart, 1/14)

The Associated Press: Michigan Sues 3M, DuPont Over ‘Forever’ Chemicals In Water
Michigan on Tuesday sued 3M, DuPont and other companies for financial damages from contamination caused by potentially harmful “forever” chemicals that are turning up in drinking water across the industrial state. The lawsuitfiled in state court alleges that 17 defendants deliberately concealed the dangers of a class of substances known collectively as PFAS. (Eggert, 1/14)

Stat: A Health Care Veteran Tries To Upend The System And Bring Drug Prices Down
The U.S. health system could get some relief from rising drug prices from an unlikely source: a venture capitalist starting a new company to try to make medicines less expensive. Alexis Borisy, 47, is a fixture in Boston biotech, known for his striking felt fedoras. He co-founded Foundation Medicine and Blueprint Medicines, both of them based in Cambridge, Mass., and focused, in different ways, on using genetics to treat cancer — the kind of approach that has produced remarkable outcomes but also driven up the price of drugs. His next company, called EQRx and being launched Monday, seeks to bring them down. He will serve as both CEO and chairman. (Herper, 1/12)

The Hill: Big Pharma Looks To Stem Losses After Trade Deal Defeat
The powerful pharmaceutical industry is trying to cope with a rare loss in the North American trade deal now moving through the Senate. Drug companies are protesting the elimination of a provision that would have given them 10 years of market exclusivity for an innovative type of drug called biologics. That measure was dropped from the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) at the behest of House Democrats, who warned it could have locked in higher drug prices. (Sullivan, 1/14)

Reuters: Eli Lilly To Offer Half-Priced Versions Of Two More Insulin Products
Eli Lilly and Co said on Tuesday it plans to sell two versions of insulin products at half their current U.S. list prices, eight months after it started selling a half-priced version of its widely-used Humalog injection. Lilly will sell new versions of Humalog Junior KwikPen and Humalog Mix75/25, which contains a mix of fast- and intermediate-acting insulin, at a list price of $265.20 for a pack of five KwikPens. They will be available at that price by mid-April, the company said. (Mishra and Erman, 1/14)

The Associated Press: Prescription Drug Costs Under Review In Maryland
A new board that will investigate how to keep prescription drugs affordable in Maryland met for the first time Monday to discuss hiring staff members and finding an office. The five-member Maryland Prescription Drug Affordability Board will conduct studies on prescription drug costs. A study due later this year will focus on generic drug markets and how drug prices affect insurance premiums. The board also has a mandate to conduct an annual study on drug pricing trends. (Witte, 1/13)

Sacramento Bee: Were Prescription Drugs Biggest Culprit In CA Premium Hike?
The California Department of Managed Care put out its second report aimed at increasing transparency on prescription drug costs, but perhaps the most startling revelation from the document comes in a footnote showing that health plans greatly expanded their reporting the data. Insurers build a margin of profit into their annual premiums, and in 2018, they more than doubled the profits they received, driving it up to $2.75 billion from $1.01 billion the prior year. (Anderson, 1/14)

Boston Globe: Prescription Drug Overload: Critics Fighting To Curb An Epidemic Of Medication Side Effects
Forty-two percent of adults over 65 take five or more prescription drugs, and nearly 20 percent take 10 or more, according to the Lown Institute, a health care think tank in Brookline. The institute warns of a growing epidemic of overmedication that’s sent millions of seniors to hospitals and emergency rooms in the past decade with often serious side effects. (Weisman, 1/13)

The Wall Street Journal: High Drug Prices? Pharma Startup Thinks It Has The Right Medicine
A startup pharmaceuticals company wants to capitalize on the backlash against high drug prices by developing slightly different versions of expensive brand-name drugs and selling them at a significantly lower price than competitors. The new company, EQRx Inc., aims to bring 10 drugs to market over the next decade and sell them for perhaps as little as one-third to one-fifth of rivals’ prices, the company’s co-founder and Chief Executive Alexis Borisy said. (Walker, 1/12)

The Hill: Appeals Court Skeptical Of Trump Rule On TV Drug Ads
The Trump administration urged a federal appeals court Monday to overturn that ruling, arguing it has the authority under the law to run the Medicare and Medicaid programs efficiently. The health care programs for the elderly and the poor paid about $240 billion for prescription drugs in 2016. (Hellmann, 1/13)

Stat: Supreme Court Will Review Arkansas Law Governing PBMs
In a move with the potential to affect health care costs, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to review a case that will determine the extent to which the states can regulate pharmacy benefit managers, the controversial middlemen in the pharmaceutical supply chain. At issue is an Arkansas law that governs the reimbursements rates that pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, must pay to pharmacies. Specifically, the law requires PBMs to reimburse pharmacies at or above their wholesale costs paid for generic drugs. (Silverman, 1/11)

The Wall Street Journal: Drugmakers Test New Ways To Pay For Six-Figure Treatments
Drugmakers are experimenting with new ways to get paid for their most expensive medicines, as resistance to escalating prices builds and the collection and analysis of patient data improves. Now that six-figure price tags are common, drug companies are finding creative ways to get reimbursed, from installment plans and subscriptions to more complex value-based contracts that tie payment to when a drug helps a patient. (Hopkins, 1/13)

Stat: High Cost Of MS Medicines Forcing Patients To Take 'Drastic Actions'
The high cost of multiple sclerosis treatments has forced 40% of patients to take “drastic actions” and alter their use of the medicines, such as cutting back or skipping dosages altogether. And many report the financial burden is not only hurting their lifestyle, but impairing their ability to save for retirement or college for their children, a new survey found. For instance, 14% reported they switched to a generic, despite being satisfied with their existing treatment; 12% stopped using their medication for a period of time; 9% skipped or delayed filling a prescription; and 8% took less of their medicine than prescribed, according to the survey by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. (Silverman, 1/13)

The Hill: How Congress Can Help Curb Skyrocketing Prescription Drug Prices
Consumer Reports recently published a startling report stating that 30 percent of Americans said they are paying more money for their prescription drugs because they have seen a rise from last year in their out-of-pocket prescription costs. To cover the increased costs, many of them said they had to look for a second job, spend less on groceries, or outright forgo filling their prescriptions. But what caused the price hike? There are many possible contributing factors, but Consumer Reports identified one primary reason: there is “no federal law… [that] keeps drug prices in check.” However, there is a bipartisan bill introduced by Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) that would keep prices in check. Still, until it is passed, Americans will, unfortunately, continue to face the brunt of rising costs. (Robert Foley, 1/8)

Stat: What Roulette And Basketball Can Teach Biogen About Aducanumab
Say that one day you see me walk up to a roulette table and win big on my first spin. You might mumble, “Lucky guy.” Later on you happen to see me on the basketball court, where I hit 15 of 20 shots from the three-point line. To that you might say, “Wow, Peter has game.” (Peter B. Bach, 1/13)

Stat: Innovation In Biotech R&D: New Resources Offer New Hope
Public optimism about American health care seems in short supply if you read the news, which is dominated by coverage of partisan fights over the Affordable Care Act and the continuing crisis of opioid addiction. But innovation in the life sciences sector offers reason to cheer. We’re seeing vital new approaches to research and development driven by the private and philanthropic sectors, focused both on how we finance research and development and how we conduct it. (David Beier, 1/14)

Fortune: Pharma Needs To Stop Chasing Shiny Objects And Start Embracing Practical Technology
As we enter the new decade, pharmaceutical leaders are envisioning a new era of innovation, one in which the discovery of life-saving treatments, enhanced patient experience, and improved overall health will be driven by the transformative power of digital technology. As it stands, the pharma industry lags behind other highly regulated industries, such as banking and insurance, when it comes to successful digitization. But there are immense opportunities for our industry to leverage technology. (Paul Hudson, 1/7)

Stat: All Talk, No M&A Makes For A Down JPM Day 
Logically, the absence of a large M&A deal during a single, 24-hour period means very little over the course of an entire year. If buyouts come to fruition next week or next month, no one will care about a snoozy JPM Monday. But biotech investing doesn’t always make sense. Sentiment often drives the trading narrative. And Monday, healthcare investors — tipsy on high expectations — were bummed out and selling stocks. (Adam Feuerstein, 1/13)

Stat: Using States As Living Laboratories To Solve Surprise Medical Billing
Although surprise billing has been the subject of vigorous debate in federal and state legislatures, work to resolve the issue on the federal level reached an impasse when the House passed a spending package that did not include anticipated surprise bill legislation. Surprise bills are those sent to consumers from out-of-network providers for emergency services or for nonemergency services unexpectedly rendered by an out-of-network provider, typically at an in-network facility. (Robin Gelburd, 1/15)

Los Angeles Times: Do Women Regret Their Abortions? Absolutely Not!
Of all the annoying arguments trotted out against legal abortion, the most irksome of them is the claim that women need to be protected from themselves, that they will act rashly to terminate unwanted pregnancies and then spend the the rest of their lives regretting it. Such nonsense has even found its way into Supreme Court decisions on abortion. In 2007, in a decision upholding a law banning so-called partial-birth abortions, Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote that “some women come to regret their choice to abort the infant life they once created and sustained,” despite the fact, as even he acknowledged, that the court found “no reliable data to measure the phenomenon.” (Robin Abcarian, 1/15)

The New York Times: How The Health Insurance Industry (And I) Invented The ‘Choice’ Talking Point
There’s a dangerous talking point being repeated in the Democratic primary for president that could affect the survival of millions of people, and the finances of even more. This is partly my fault. When the candidates discuss health care, you’re bound to hear some of them talk about consumer “choice.” If the nation adopts systemic health reform, this idea goes, it would restrict the ability of Americans to choose their plans or doctors, or have a say in their care. (Wendell Potter, 1/14)

Boston Globe: How Medicare For All Would Affect The Doctor-Patient Relationship
In the lead-up to Tuesday night’s Democratic presidential debate, much of the back and forth on health care in the Democratic primary boils down to one theme: How can the country provide low-cost, high-quality health care to all Americans as quickly as possible? (Vin Gupta, 1/14)

WBUR: I Survived Getting Hit By A Truck, But Nothing Could Save Me From The Medical Bills That Followed
Besides gifted caregivers to treat my concussion, partially collapsed lung, and fractured ribs and shoulder socket, I had good health insurance, abetted by the driver’s motor vehicle insurance. A bewildering barrage of medical bills flooded the mail for which we wrote checks that insurance reimbursed: almost $1,300 for the radiologist, $230 for the ambulance, $800 to the hospital. Just the hospital’s share of a three-day stay exceeded $20,000; other sums were four-figures staggering.Just how staggering is the subject of a new survey by a global health insurance group that should trigger a five-alarm response by voters and leaders. (Rich Barlow, 1/14)

Stat: 'Stuck In A Tornado Of Life': A Patient's Chaos Narrative
Cheryl overdosed on heroin — or so she’d hoped — the night before. But that’s not the reason she’s in the emergency department late the next day with me sitting at her gurney, confused. She woke up this morning so upset to be alive she kicked a wall at the homeless shelter and broke her toe. But that’s not why she’s in the ED, either. (Jay Baruch, 1/15)

Modern Healthcare: Healthcare Workplace Violence Bill Needs To Pass Senate
Last November, the U.S. House of Representatives took a vote that received little notice amid the din of politics in Washington, D.C., but nonetheless represented a historic event for America's embattled healthcare workforce. Nurses, doctors, social workers and others have been a relentless force in the movement to seek protection from the epidemic of workplace violence in healthcare settings. Thanks to them, the House passed H.R. 1309, the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, in a bipartisan vote of 251-198. (Rep. Joe Courtney, 1/14)

The New York Times: I’m Six Weeks Pregnant, And I’m Telling The World
For the past five years or so, I have been an interested observer of a vast unnamed secret club: a large number of women in their 30s who are pregnant, or trying to get pregnant, but don’t want anyone to know. These women take a sudden interest in drinking “gin and tonics” at the bar, when everyone knows Manhattans are their drink. They have innovative new diets to announce in response to dinner party invitations (“I’m going vegan for January”). (Betsy Cooper, 1/14)

The New York Times: ‘You’re A Complete Mystery To Me’: Meet My Brother Jamie
My brother, Jamie, has a profound learning disability. Despite being close to nonverbal, he demonstrates charisma, a sharp sense of humor and emotional sensitivity. In the Op-Doc above, “Music and Clowns,” I team up with my parents to discuss what it is like caring for someone with Down syndrome. We piece together fragments of insight to gain a sense of his inner life, but our differing perspectives reveal as much about our own subjectivity as they do Jamie’s. (Alex Widdowson, 1/14)

Los Angeles Times: Using AI To Diagnose Cancer Could Mean Unneeded Treatments 
The new decade opened with some intriguing news: the journal Nature reported that artificial intelligence was better at identifying breast cancers on mammograms than radiologists. Researchers at Google Health teamed up with academic medical centers in the United States and Britain to train an AI system using tens of thousands of mammograms. But even the best artificial intelligence system can’t fix the uncertainties surrounding early cancer diagnosis. (Adewole S. Adamson and H. Gilbert Welch, 1/12)