The Wall Street Journal: A Century After The Tulsa Massacre, Inequities In Medical Infrastructure Drive Health Gap
One hundred years ago, a line of Black doctors’ offices in the Greenwood neighborhood were burned down during the Tulsa Race Massacre. After a brief recovery, the Black community’s medical infrastructure entered a long decline. It has never recovered. The health divide between North Tulsa, the area within the city where Black residents make up around one-third of the community, and almost anywhere else in Tulsa is large. Disparities are often greatest when compared with South Tulsa, the area where roughly 70% of residents are white and 10% are Black. (Ramachandran, 5/29)

CBS News: Biden Speaks To "Fill The Silence" About Tulsa Race Massacre 
President Biden on Tuesday commemorated the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre, becoming the first president to honor the victims in Tulsa of the two-day rampage by a White mob. "For much too long, the history of what took place here was told in silence, cloaked in darkness," Mr. Biden told the audience in his speech. "But just because history is silent, it doesn't mean that it did not take place. And while darkness can hide much, it erases nothing. It erases nothing. Some injustices are so heinous, so horrific, so grievous, they can't be buried, no matter how hard people try." (Watson, 6/1)

The Wall Street Journal: Biden Meets With Tulsa Massacre Survivors, Discusses Racial Wealth Gap
President Biden detailed what he said was the lasting impact of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre on Black Americans and laid out steps his administration will take aimed at narrowing the racial wealth gap, after meeting Tuesday with survivors of the tragedy. The president made the remarks at the Greenwood Cultural Center, located in the business district once known as Black Wall Street, where 100 years ago white mobs killed as many as 300 Black residents and destroyed the district’s roughly 35 city blocks. He is the first president to travel to Tulsa to commemorate the massacre. Mr. Biden issued a “Day of Remembrance” proclamation on Monday, committing to honor the legacy of the Greenwood community. (Parti, 6/1)

Politico: Biden In Tulsa: ‘Great Nations … Come To Terms With Their Dark Sides’ 
The administration on Tuesday announced new measures to address the wealth gap between Black and white Americans, with plans to expand home ownership and small-business ownership in communities of color and disadvantaged communities. The White House said the administration would also address racial discrimination in the housing market, where Black-owned homes are appraised less than comparable homes owned by white people. It will also issue new federal rules to combat housing discrimination. (Ward, 6/1)

The Washington Post: Anthony Fauci’s Pandemic Emails: ‘All Is Well Despite Some Crazy People In This World’
The correspondence from March and April 2020 opens a window to Fauci’s world during some of the most frantic days of the crisis, when the longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases was struggling to bring coherence to the Trump administration’s chaotic response to the virus and President Donald Trump was seeking to minimize its severity. (Paletta and Abutaleb, 6/1)

BuzzFeed: Fauci Emails Give Insight To Early Days Of COVID Response
More than 3,200 pages of emails obtained through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by BuzzFeed News — covering the period from January to June 2020 — provide a rare glimpse into how Fauci approached his job during the biggest health crisis of the last century, showing him dealing directly with the public, health officials, reporters, and even celebrities. (The Washington Post also received more than 800 pages of emails and published a story about them on Monday.) The emails reviewed by BuzzFeed News reveal him sparring over an antiviral drug with Ezekiel Emanuel, a former Obama administration health adviser, fielding questions about vaccines, and receiving an update from Mark Zuckerberg on Facebook’s plans for a coronavirus “information hub.” (Bettendorf and Leopold, 6/1)

Axios: 866 Pages Of Fauci Emails Shed Light On Early Days Of COVID Crisis 
Fauci told the Post that he would receive approximately 1,000 emails a day from colleagues, politicians, medical workers, foreign governments and strangers. "I was getting every single kind of question, mostly people who were a little bit confused about the mixed messages that were coming out of the White House and wanted to know what’s the real scoop," Fauci said. (Gonzalez, 6/1)

CNN: Fauci's Emails During The Pandemic's Early Days Were Published. Here's What They Show About Him 
"This is White House in full overdrive and I am in the middle of it," Fauci wrote in a February 2 email published by BuzzFeed. "Reminiscent of post-anthrax days." (Maxouris and LeBlanc, 6/2)

Insider: Fauci Emails: Health Official Said 'Doggie Cones' Could Be Used As PPE
A US health official suggested to Dr. Anthony Fauci early in the pandemic that medical workers could use "doggie cones" instead of personal protective equipment, according to emails obtained by The Washington Post.  ... In response to the suggestion from the Department of Health and Human Services official that dog cones — used to stop dogs from scratching dressings or wounds — could be used as PPE, Fauci replied with a polite thank you, The Post said. (Bostock, 6/2)

The Guardian: ‘Our Society Is Totally Nuts’: Fauci Emails Lift Lid On Life In Eye Of The Covid Storm
As Anthony Fauci, the US’s leading infectious diseases official, grappled with the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic last spring, he was pulled in many directions. Donald Trump’s White House, which was downplaying the dangers, was demanding he portray the outbreak on their terms; the media was hungry for answers; and Fauci’s email inbox was constantly full with officials, the public and celebrities offering advice and seeking information about the world’s deadliest health crisis for a century. (Luscombe and Pengelly, 6/1)

Politico: Moderna Seeks Full FDA Approval Of Its Covid-19 Vaccine 
Moderna has asked the Food and Drug Administration for full approval of its coronavirus vaccine in people 18 and older. The company is the second vaccine maker to seek full approval from U.S. regulators, which would allow it to market the shot directly to consumers. Full approval also makes it easier for schools, employers and the military to require inoculation against Covid-19. (Morello, 6/1)

CNBC: Moderna applies for full FDA approval of its Covid vaccine
The mRNA vaccine is currently on the U.S. market under an emergency use authorization, which was granted by the FDA in December. It gives conditional approval based on two months of safety data. It’s not the same as a biologics license application, or a request for full approval, which requires at least six months of data. Over 100 million of the shots have already been administered, according to data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Lovelace Jr., 6/1)

In other news about vaccine developers —

Politico: Moderna To Double EU Vaccine Manufacturing With New Dutch Site 
Moderna will start producing a retooled version of its coronavirus vaccine in the Netherlands, doubling the company's expected EU production, the company announced today. The new contract, inked with the subcontractor Lonza, will allow Moderna to make approximately 300 million doses a year starting at the end of 2021. The Dutch site, in addition to a drug-substance site run by Rovi in Spain, will allow Moderna to make 600 million doses a year in the EU. (Deutsch, 6/2)

The Wall Street Journal: Vaccine Makers Face Challenge In Sustaining Winning Streak 
Covid-19 vaccine-makers’ shares have soared since the beginning of 2020. Moderna Inc. is up about 850%, BioNTech SE has risen 510% and Novavax Inc. is up nearly 3,620%. Each of these companies has produced vaccines that have won regulatory authorization or are expected to win that backing. Some of the vaccine makers are racking up huge revenues. Their valuations assume more big gains, which depend on the next stages of the pandemic and whether the companies’ vaccine technology can be used to treat other diseases. (Zuckerman, 6/1)

Fox News: US Launches Study Mixing COVID-19 Booster Vaccine Regimens
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has initiated an early-stage study testing mixed COVID-19 booster vaccine schedules among fully vaccinated adults. The goal is to understand safety and immune responses following mixed boosted regimens, should booster vaccines become necessary. The NIAID-funded study involves some 150 people who already received one of the authorized COVID-19 vaccine regimens developed by Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson. (Rivas, 6/1)

The Wall Street Journal: Mixing And Matching Covid-19 Shots In Fully Vaccinated People Is Subject Of New Study 
Federal health officials have started a new study exploring whether mixing different Covid-19 vaccines can prolong immunity and better protect people from concerning variants of the coronavirus. The new study will enroll adult volunteers who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and give them booster doses of different vaccines, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said Tuesday. (Loftus, 6/1)

In other news on vaccine research —

ABC News: COVID-19 Vaccines Safe And Effective For Pregnant People, NIH Director Says 
Two new studies show Pfizer and Moderna's COVID-19 vaccines appear to be "completely safe" and effective for pregnant people, according to Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Collins wrote in a blog post Tuesday that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which both use mRNA technology, were found to provide in pregnant people the levels of antibodies and immune cells needed to protect them against COVID-19. (Kindelan, 6/1)

CIDRAP: Cancer Patients Show Good COVID Immune Response To Vaccine, Infection 
Two new studies were published late last week in JAMA Oncology on COVID-19 and cancer patients, one from Israel showing good immune response to the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine and one from Japan finding that cancer patients were as likely as healthcare workers (HCWs) to have serum SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. (Van Beusekom, 6/1)

Reuters: Israel Sees Probable Link Between Pfizer Vaccine And Myocarditis Cases 
Israel’s Health Ministry said on Tuesday it had found the small number of heart inflammation cases observed mainly in young men who received Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine in Israel were likely linked to their vaccination. Pfizer has said it has not observed a higher rate of the condition, known as myocarditis, than would normally be expected in the general population. (Heller, 6/2)

CIDRAP: Previous COVID-19 Linked To Risk Of Adverse Events Post-Vaccination
An increased risk of adverse events after the first Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-vaccine dose was associated with previous COVID-19 infection, according to a letter to the editor late last week in the Journal of Infection. ... Female sex and younger age were associated with increased risk of COVID-19 vaccination adverse events, but data also showed that those with previous COVID infections were associated with more vaccine symptoms (1.61 vs 0.89) and vaccine symptom severity (2.7 vs 1.5 symptom-days) after adjustments were made for age and sex. (6/1)

Also —

Axios: Universal Coronavirus Vaccine Interest Grows Among Researchers 
New science is breathing fresh life into the idea of a vaccine that works against all coronaviruses, including ones that could cause future pandemics. No one wants to do the last year over again. But the road to a universal coronavirus vaccine is filled with hurdles, and there's no guarantee that coronaviruses would cause the next global pandemic. (Owens, 6/1)

PBS NewsHour: Why You Shouldn’t Get A COVID Antibody Test After A Vaccine
Many Americans are basking in the warm light of what appears to be the end of the coronavirus pandemic. Millions of people are vaccinated, and restrictions that had prevented further spread of COVID-19 are loosening. People are planning summer travel and long-delayed reunions with loved ones. That optimism, however, is tinged with uncertainty — about the effectiveness of vaccines, the possibility of getting or transmitting the virus even after vaccination, and the rise of variants that may spread more easily or evade vaccines altogether. Some people are thinking about antibody tests as a way to check how effective their vaccines are. (Santhanam, 6/1)

The Washington Post: Blinken Says U.S. Will Soon Distribute Coronavirus Vaccines In First Visit To Latin America, But Details Are Slim
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday that the United States would soon distribute millions of doses of coronavirus vaccines around the world, including in Latin America, which is struggling to obtain them for its citizens amid rising hospitalization rates. But the question on the minds of many — which countries will receive doses first and how quickly will they be delivered — remained unanswered as Blinken began his first official visit to the region. (Hudson, 6/1)

Stat: Global Agencies Call For $50 Billion Investment To Combat Covid-19
In a plea to halt the Covid-19 pandemic, four global agencies are calling for investments of up to $50 billion – mostly from wealthy nations — to boost manufacturing capacity and supplies and ease trade rules to ensure equitable distribution of vaccines and other medical products. The “call to action” comes as the pandemic reaches a “perilous point,” but such an investment could reduce infections and the loss of lives, while accelerating an economic recovery, according to a statement from the World Health Organization, the World Bank, the World Trade Organization, and the International Monetary Fund. (Silverman, 6/1)

AP: Who Benefits? US Debates Fairest Way To Share Spare Vaccine
In April, the Biden administration announced plans to share millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses with the world by the end of June. Five weeks later, nations around the globe are still waiting — with growing impatience — to learn where the vaccines will go and how they will be distributed. To President Joe Biden, the doses represent a modern-day “arsenal of democracy,” serving as the ultimate carrot for America’s partners abroad, but also as a necessary tool for global health, capable of saving millions of lives and returning a semblance of normalcy to friends and foes alike. The central question for Biden: What share of doses should be provided to those who need it most, and how many should be reserved for U.S. partners? (Miller, 5/31)

Axios: World Anxiously Waits To See Where Biden Will Send America's Vaccines 
The U.S. is about to pivot from hoarding vaccines to sharing them globally, and countries around the world are trying to secure their places in line. President Biden has promised to donate 80 million doses by the end of June. With domestic demand waning, he’ll soon be able to offer far more. But the White House hasn't said how it will distribute the initial 80 million, or when it will feel comfortable truly opening its supply to the world. (Lawler, 6/1)

In news about intellectual property protections —

CNBC: Big Pharma Launches Campaign Against Biden Over Covid Vaccine Patent Waiver
The lobbying group that represents several top pharmaceutical companies last month quietly launched a campaign against President Joe Biden and his decision to back waiving intellectual property protections for Covid-19 vaccines. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, known as PhRMA, is a political advocacy group that represents more than 30 pharmaceutical firms, including Covid vaccine makers Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson. Late last month it started running a digital ad campaign on Facebook and Google targeting Biden’s decision, a CNBC search of the companies’ ad archives revealed. (Schwartz, 6/1)

AP: New Mexico Offers Largest Single Vaccination Prize In US 
New Mexico bet big Tuesday that cash can persuade people to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, offering the largest single cash prize among the growing number of states staging lotteries to promote inoculations. Vaccinated residents who register on New Mexico's “Vax 2 the Max” portal can win prizes from a pool totaling $10 million that includes a $5 million grand prize, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced. (Attanasio, 6/1)

The Oregonian: Fred Meyer And QFC’s Parent Company, Kroger, Giving Away $5 Million In COVID Vaccine Sweepstakes 
Go to Kroger, get a COVID shot and (maybe) win $1 million. Kroger Health, a division of Kroger, is launching an initiative to encourage COVID-19 vaccines by giving away money and free groceries to people who receive vaccines through their programs. The Community Immunity giveaway campaign will start this week and provides individuals, including customers and Kroger associates, the opportunity to win one of five $1 million payouts and 50 chances to win a year of free groceries. (Gore, 6/1)

CBS News: Krispy Kreme Has Given Away Over 1.5 Million Doughnuts To Vaccinated Americans
Krispy Kreme has made being vaccinated against COVID-19 a whole lot sweeter — since it first announced it would give vaccinated Americans a free doughnut every day this year, more than a million people have taken them up on the deal. On Tuesday, Krispy Kreme announced that it has shown its "sweet support to those doing their part to protect themselves and others" by giving free doughnuts to over 1.5 million Americans who have presented a valid vaccination card at participating locations. Vaccinated doughnut lovers can continue getting a free Original Glazed doughnut every single day through the end of 2021. (Lewis, 6/1)

In other updates on the vaccine rollout —

AP: Alaska Launches COVID-19 Airport Vaccination Program
Alaska has begun offering COVID-19 vaccines at airports, a move that was anticipated for the start of the summer travel season. The state health department said effective Tuesday, vaccine eligibility was expanded to include anyone in Alaska who is at least 12 years old, including visitors from other states or countries. Prior eligibility was for those who live or work in Alaska. (6/1)

San Francisco Chronicle: Bay Area Pediatricians Start To Give COVID Shots, The Next Phase Of Vaccinations
Inside a Larkspur pediatrician’s office with an ocean landscape on one wall and bright plastic chairs nearby, Ryan Youngberg turned his head to the right as a medical assistant stuck his left arm with the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine. Ryan, 12, was nervous beforehand — “I don’t really like needles,” he said. But afterward, as he and his father, Kris Youngberg, waited in the parking lot for 15 minutes to make sure he didn’t develop an allergic reaction, Ryan said he felt “a lot better, less nervous.” Once he is fully vaccinated, Ryan can safely see his grandparents for the first time since the pandemic began. (Ho, 6/1)

Bloomberg: Transplants Force Patients To Amass Vaccinations To Beat Covid
For Jennifer Woda, two doses of the Moderna Inc. vaccine were not enough protection against the Covid-19 virus. Over a month later, she got a third and fourth dose, this time with the Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE vaccine. An opera singer who teaches music to kids, Woda received a kidney transplant in September 2019, one of about 160,000 transplants that have occurred in the U.S. since 2017. Emerging research is now showing that these patients, who suppress their immune system with drugs so their bodies don’t reject donated organs, are dramatically less likely to develop protective antibodies using the authorized vaccine dosage. (Chen, 6/1)

NPR: Vaccine Data On Race Varies Widely Among States, Making Outreach Difficult
Throughout the COVID-19 vaccination effort, public health officials and politicians have insisted that providing shots equitably across racial and ethnic groups is a top priority. But it's been left up to states to decide how to do that and to collect racial and ethnic data on vaccinated individuals, so they can track how well they're doing reaching all groups. The gaps and inconsistencies in the data have made it difficult to understand who's actually getting shots. Just as an uneven approach to containing the coronavirus led to a greater toll for Black and Latino communities, the inconsistent data guiding vaccination efforts may be leaving the same groups out on vaccines, says Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, an epidemiologist at the University of California, San Francisco. (Smith, 6/1)

The Advocate: COVID Vaccine Misinformation Ran Rampant During This Louisiana Senate Hearing
Out of more than 3 million doses administered, there have been zero deaths to-date connected to COVID-19 vaccinations in Louisiana — but you wouldn't know that if you tuned in to the Senate's Judiciary A Committee hearing Tuesday. With legislation barring vaccine discrimination up for debate, a string of speakers repeatedly cited a federal database, often misinterpreted by anti-vaccine activist, to argue that the life-saving jab had killed nearly four dozen residents. It was one of several misleading — or flat-out false — claims bandied about at Tuesday's hearing, offering a peak into the myths and untruths that Louisiana's public health officials are confronting as they attempt to convince nearly two-thirds of the state's residents to get vaccinated. (Paterson, 6/1)

The Wall Street Journal: The Awkward Playdate Negotiations When Your Kids Aren’t Vaccinated Yet 
Julie Forcum has come to a conclusion about arranging playdates during a pandemic: Everyone thinks they’re on the same page—until they’re not. “You talk to [other parents] and realize they have a different understanding of ‘safe’ than we do,” says the Seattle leadership consultant, who has a 10-year-old daughter and 13-year-old son. For the newly vaccinated Ms. Forcum, 46, it means playdates with strict masking while indoors. To enforce the rules, she insists on hosting—sometimes in the garage—for better ventilation. (Dizik, 6/1)

In news about vaccine "passports" —

The New York Times: Will The Excelsior Pass, New York’s Vaccine Passport, Catch On? 
On the Upper East Side in Manhattan, a well-heeled crowd flashed it to get into a socially distanced dance performance at the Park Avenue Armory. In Chelsea, people showed it to attend a John Mulaney stand-up set at City Winery. And in Troy, N.Y., patrons are using it to enter an intimate, speakeasy-style bar that only admits vaccinated guests. This magic ticket is New York State’s Excelsior Pass, which was introduced in March as the first and only government-issued vaccine passport in the country, accessible, for now, only to people who have been vaccinated in the state. (Otterman, 6/1)

The Oregonian: Clackamas County Commissioner Mark Shull Compares Vaccine Passports To Jim Crow Laws 
The Clackamas County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday stripped Commissioner Mark Shull of certain duties after he compared COVID-19 vaccination passports to Jim Crow laws that legalized racial segregation. Shull said during Tuesday’s board meeting that his proposed resolution comparing the passports to Jim Crow laws was intended to generate discussion among the county board. Instead, he was excoriated by his fellow commissioners for invoking racist laws in speaking about his position on the passports. (Crombie, 6/1)

AP: Despite Vaccines, Nursing Homes Still Struggle With Covid Outbreaks, Deaths
Jeannie Wells had hoped that regular visits would resume at her elderly mother’s New York nursing home once all the residents were fully vaccinated against Covid-19. Around Easter, her wish finally came true, and she was able to hold the 93-year-old’s hand more than a year after bringing her mother to the facility for rehabilitation for a fractured hip and knee. But that reunion was short-lived. Visits were quickly stopped for about six weeks after an employee tested positive for Covid-19, and Wells said visits are still far from normal even when there haven’t been outbreaks. (6/1)

KHN: The ‘Grief Pandemic’ Will Torment Americans For Years 
Cassandra Rollins’ daughter was still conscious when the ambulance took her away. Shalondra Rollins, 38, was struggling to breathe as covid overwhelmed her lungs. But before the doors closed, she asked for her cellphone, so she could call her family from the hospital. It was April 7, 2020 — the last time Rollins would see her daughter or hear her voice. (Szabo, 6/2)

In updates on restrictions and reopenings —

AP: Disney Cruise Line To Set Sail On 2-Night COVID Test Cruise
After a catastrophic coronavirus cruise season, Disney Cruise Line will finally set sail later this month, the company said in a statement Tuesday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved the cruise line’s request to conduct a two night simulation cruise on June 29 on the Disney Dream departing from Port Canaveral. (6/2)

CNN: Gorsuch Denies Colorado Churches' Petition Challenging Covid-Related Restrictions 
Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch on Tuesday denied a request from two Colorado churches and their pastors challenging Covid-19-related restrictions that they said treated them less favorably than secular organizations. Gorsuch, who has jurisdiction over cases out of Colorado, denied the churches' petition without referring the matter to the full court, suggesting he didn't think his colleagues would be interested in the arguments put forward by the houses of worship in the case at hand. (de Vogue and Kelly, 6/2)

AP: Kentucky Reopening Senior Centers Starting June 11
Kentucky’s senior centers will reopen at full capacity starting June 11, Gov. Andy Beshear said Tuesday in announcing the latest coronavirus-related restriction nearing an end. The reopening date for senior centers will come on the same day that most of the state’s COVID-19 restrictions are lifted. The increasing number of vaccinations makes it safe to let Kentuckians gather once again at senior centers, the governor said at a news conference. (Schreiner, 6/1)

Los Angeles Times: California To Reconsider Some Workplace Mask Requirements
A California workplace safety board on Thursday is scheduled to consider whether to relax mask and physical distancing rules for workers. The proposal would allow workers in a room to take off masks if everyone in a room is fully vaccinated and do not have COVID-19 symptoms. Masks would still be required if anyone in a room was not fully vaccinated, according to the proposal. “Vaccinated persons are at lower risk for COVID-19 infection and transmission,” officials wrote. “In mixed groups of vaccinated and unvaccinated people, however, unvaccinated employees would be at risk without the use of face coverings indoors.” (Lin II, 6/1)

PBS NewsHour: Scientists Hope They’re Closing In On A Cure For COVID-19
The last time the world needed an antiviral medicine as quickly as possible, Daria Hazuda, vice president of infectious disease and vaccine discovery research at Merck, answered the call. Around 150,000 Americans were infected with HIV each year when rates peaked in the mid-1980s, and by the year 2000 nearly 500,000 people had died of AIDS in the U.S. Hazuda’s research at the time focused on HIV’s ability to insert its genetic material into the human genome. Her lab developed a novel way to target that process with a drug called raltegravir, which was approved for use in 2007 and is still used today. Now, she hopes to develop a drug for COVID-19 — at a substantially faster pace. (Meador, 6/1)

CIDRAP: COVID-19 Reinfections Probably Rare, According To Italian Study
COVID-19 infection was 94% less likely in people previously infected than in those never infected, according to a research letter late last week in JAMA Internal Medicine. However, the researchers note, their study concluded before COVID-19 variants became dominant. (6/1)

Modern Healthcare: COVID Unlikely To Be Passed Through Blood Donations
People who previously had COVID can donate blood without transmitting the virus, according to a National Institute of Health study released Tuesday. The findings show donors have a less than 1% chance of transmitting the virus as long as any COVID-related symptoms and infections cleared up 14 days prior to donating blood, per U.S Food and Drug Administration guidelines. (Gellman, 6/1)

Modern Healthcare: Yale New Haven Children's To Address 'Long COVID' In Kids
Yale New Haven Children's Hospital is the latest provider to specifically focus on treating long-term health complications from COVID-19. The hospital opened a new comprehensive care program within its Pediatric Specialty Center to provide a patient-centered approach for children experiencing lingering COVID-19 symptoms. The program is set to create a clinical specialist network in one setting to give children easier access to treatment, according to Rebecca Ciaburri, associate director of quality, safety and program development for Yale New Haven Children's. (Ross Johnson, 6/1)

Stateline: Obamacare Prices Continue To Fall
In addition to the decrease in premiums since costs spiked in 2018, more insurance carriers are now participating in the marketplaces, according to a report published by the Urban Institute, a left-leaning think tank based in Washington, D.C. The authors examined policies offering similar benefits in the 15 states that run their own marketplaces and the 36 states that rely at least in part on the federal marketplace. Premiums fell by an average of 1.2% from 2018 to 2019, 3.2% from 2019 to 2018 and 1.7% from 2020 to 2021, they found. That contrasts with a huge increase from 2017 to 2018 of nearly 32%, which the authors attributed largely to policies of the Trump administration intended to undercut the Affordable Care Act. (Ollove, 6/1)

The Boston Globe: She’s Stuck With $75,000 In Bills After Her ‘Health Care Sharing Ministry’ Refuses To Pay
Betsy Hargreaves wanted to save a few bucks on health insurance a couple of years ago so she switched to a religious-based plan. For a while it worked, cutting her monthly premium by hundreds of dollars. Then, in March, she had double hip-replacement surgery to relieve acute pain, followed by a four-day stay in the hospital and extensive physical therapy. The surgery was successful, but Hargreaves’s “insurer” refused to cover any of the costs, saying her surgery was the result of a preexisting condition. She was saddled with nearly $75,000 in medical bills. They told her the day before the surgery that it would not be covered, she said. (Murphy, 6/1)

Healthcare Dive: Privately Insured Face Worse Access, Higher Costs Than Those In Public Plans: JAMA Report 
Privately insured individuals are more likely to report worse access to care, higher medical costs and lower satisfaction than those on public insurance programs like Medicare, suggesting public options may provide more cost-effective care than private ones, according to a new study published in JAMA on Tuesday. (Pifer, 6/1)

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: Premium Hikes For State Plans Supported
The state Board of Finance on Tuesday recommended a 5% increase next year in health insurance premiums for both current and retired employees in the state's health insurance plan for state employees. The board also recommended changes in how wellness credits are handled. The plan covers more than 58,000 people. In a 6-3 vote, the Board of Finance approved a motion by board member Eric Munson for the changes, which mostly followed the recommendations made by the State and Public School Life and Health Insurance Board on April 20. (Wickline, 6/2)

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Nevada Governor Will Sign Public Option Health Care Bill
Nevada looks set to become the second state in the nation to enact a “public option” health insurance plan after Gov. Steve Sisolak said he intends to put his signature to state Democrats’ signature health care legislation. “I’m going to sign the public option (bill),” Sisolak said in a wide-ranging, post-Legislature interview Tuesday with reporters. The first-term Democrat also explained his reasoning for not supporting the failed death penalty ban, where his signature “innovation zones” concept goes from here and more. While billed as a “public option” by supporters, Nevadans who purchase plans via the system created by Senate Bill 420 won’t be buying their insurance directly from the state. (Lochhead, 6/1)

In related news about the Affordable Care Act —

Reuters: Major Rulings Including Obamacare Loom For U.S. Supreme Court
The U.S. Supreme Court heads into the last month of its current term with several major cases yet to be decided including a Republican bid to invalidate the Obamacare healthcare law, a dispute involving LGBT and religious rights and another focused on voting restrictions. The court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, now has 24 cases in total left to decide after issuing two rulings on Tuesday. There also is speculation about the potential retirement of its oldest justice, Stephen Breyer. Some liberal activists have urged Breyer, who is 82 and has served on the court since 1994, to step down so President Joe Biden can appoint a younger liberal jurist to a lifetime post on the court. (Hurley, 6/1)

CNN: Supreme Court's Final Month: Obamacare, Voting Laws And LGBTQ Rights In Play
The Supreme Court is staring at its self-imposed end of June deadline, but the justices have not yet released some of the most significant opinions of the term, including a challenge to the Affordable Care Act, the Voting Rights Act and a case on religious liberty involving a Philadelphia foster agency. Recent weeks have seen justices clear their desks of those opinions that produce fewer divisions, as the tension grows for the big-ticket cases. (de Vogue, 6/1)

The Washington Examiner: Voting Rules, F-Bombs, And Obamacare: Supreme Court Term To Wrap Up With A Bang 
It has been a tumultuous year for the court. Just before the justices began hearing cases last fall, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, long the most prominent liberal on the bench, died after a long battle with cancer. And when former President Donald Trump tapped Justice Amy Coney Barrett to fill her vacant seat, Democrats reacted with dismay and called for court expansion. Once President Joe Biden won the 2020 election, Justice Stephen Breyer faced increased pressure from many liberals to retire and make way for a younger judge. (Rowan, 5/31)

Modern Healthcare: JAMA's Bauchner Resigns Over Controversial Podcast On Racism
The top editor at one of the country's most prominent medical journals has resigned after his publication hosted a February podcast that ignited tremendous backlash by minimizing structural racism in medicine. The American Medical Association announced Tuesday that Dr. Howard Bauchner will voluntarily step down as editor in chief of JAMA and JAMA Network effective June 30. He had been on administrative leave since March while the AMA investigated the origins of a podcast and related tweet that said no physicians are racist. (Bannow, 6/1)

The New York Times: Editor Of JAMA Leaves After Outcry Over Colleague’s Remarks On Racism 
Following an outcry over comments about racism made by an editor at JAMA, the influential medical journal, the top editor, Dr. Howard Bauchner, will step down from his post effective June 30. The move was announced on Tuesday by the American Medical Association, which oversees the journal. Dr. Bauchner, who had led JAMA since 2011, had been on administrative leave since March because of an ongoing investigation into comments made on the journal’s podcast. (Mandavilli, 6/1)

In other news about health care personnel —

AP: Nurses Walk Off Job, Others Filling Shifts In Montana City
Hundreds of nurses at Logan Health in Kalispell, Montana began a three-day strike Tuesday over demands for better wages and working conditions. More than 100 nurses who were scheduled to work during the strike said they would still work their shifts, the Daily Inter Lake reported. (6/1)

Detroit Free Press: Michigan Health Care Providers Must Take Implicit Bias Training
Michigan's medical care providers will be required to complete regular "implicit bias" training starting in June 2022 to help ensure the quality of care residents receive is not affected by unconscious racial or other prejudices. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and other state officials announced Tuesday that new rules requiring the training were adopted by the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. Implicit bias describes prejudices that unknowingly influence thinking and reaction to events and information. Experts say it impacts how Black people and other racial minorities are treated by health professionals and can negatively influence access to COVID-19 tests and other health care services. (Egan, 6/1)

In obituaries —

The Baltimore Sun: Dr. Michael J. Holliday, Retired Johns Hopkins Otolaryngologist Who Was One Of The Foremost Experts In Acoustic Neuromas, Dies 
Dr. Michael J. Holliday, an otolaryngologist who spent more than four decades at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine as a member of its surgical faculty and was a founder of the Skull Base Surgery Center at Hopkins, died of Alzheimer’s disease May 17 at Stella Maris Hospice. The Lutherville resident was 77. “He was a great man and his death is a big loss,” said Dr. Henry Brem, the director of the Johns Hopkins Department of Neurosurgery and a professor of neurosurgery, who began working closely with Dr. Holliday when he came to Hopkins in 1984. (Rasmussen, 6/1)

The Boston Globe: Weymouth-Based Anesthesia Provider Agrees To $260k Settlement With State Over ‘Surprise Billing’ Allegations
A Weymouth-based health care provider has agreed to pay the state $260,000 to settle allegations that it used “surprise billing” methods with patients at South Shore Hospital, the attorney general’s office said in a statement Tuesday. Authorities say South Shore Anesthesia Associates, the anesthesia provider for the hospital , did not “adequately disclose to certain patients that SSAA was out of network with those patients’ health plans” and then sought to collect “unfairly high charges” from the patients. The sum South Shore Anesthesia Associates owes to the state includes a $185,000 civil penalty, the attorney general’s office said. (Stoico, 6/1)

Modern Healthcare: Quorum Health Sells Consulting Division To Private Equity Firm
Almost a year after emerging from bankruptcy, Quorum Health announced it has sold its consulting division to a private equity firm. The Brentwood, Tenn.-based rural and mid-sized market hospital operator sold a majority stake in its advisory and outsourced services subsidiary, QHR Health, to Grant Avenue Capital, a healthcare-focused private equity firm in a deal that took effect May 28. Quorum CEO Dan Slipkovich said in a statement that the sale will allow the company to focus on its primary goal of building out the hospital system, both by capturing market share in existing locations and through strategic acquisitions. (Bannow, 6/1)

Modern Healthcare: AHIP Rebrand Reflects Shifting Insurance Business
What's in a name? A more diversified membership, America's Health Insurance Plans hopes. After nearly two decades, the Washington D.C.-based powerhouse has rebranded and will simply be known as AHIP, with the revamp coming at a time when the traditional health insurance business has transformed from simply taking on individuals' health risk to directly providing care, social services, technology products and much more. (Tepper, 6/1)

Modern Healthcare: Epic Begins Return To In-Person Work, Others Consider Hybrid Method
Employees at Epic Systems Corp. will soon be required to work in person at the company's headquarters—at least part-time. Beginning July 19, employees at Epic will return to work on the company's 1,000-acre campus in Verona, Wis. for at least three days a week. The electronic health records system developer considered public health policy, employee input and competitor practice in its plans to return to office. In August, workers will physically clock in at least four days a week, and in September, workers will be required to be on campus for nine days during every two week period. (Devereaux, 6/1)

Stat: How CVS Is Tapping Into Its Consumer Expertise In A New Venture Fund
CVS Health recently expanded its investing efforts with the launch of the CVS Venture Fund, a $100 million vehicle to provide promising upstarts with access to CVS’ wealth of financial and strategic expertise and generous physical footprint. While the retail and pharmacy giant had previously backed more than 20 upstarts through a partnership between CVS Pharmacy and Aetna Ventures, it was spurred to create the new fund after seeing how the pandemic changed in health care delivery, including the rise of digital pharmacies and increasing interest in at-home testing and treatment, Josh Flum, CVS’ executive vice president of enterprise strategy and digital, told STAT. (Brodwin, 6/2)

Genomeweb: Amazon Web Services Doubles Down On Genomics
Amazon Web Services has been expanding its reach into genomics and continues to grow in areas like molecular diagnostics through new initiatives. As might be expected of one of the world's three largest commercial cloud platforms, AWS counts some well-known names in the genomics and bioinformatics world among its customers. "Over the past 15 years, AWS has helped remove the undifferentiated heavy lifting so that customers are able to figure out what's the differentiating value for them," Wilson To, AWS global head of healthcare, life sciences, and genomics, said this week during AWS's Healthcare & Life Sciences Virtual Symposium. "Genomics" is a recent addition to his title, indicating the field's increased importance to the company. (Versel, 6/1)

New York Post: NYC Sues McKinsey And Co. For Role In Opioid Crisis
New York City filed a lawsuit against a consulting firm accused of being a mastermind of the opioid epidemic. The lawsuit against McKinsey & Company was filed by the city and more than 20 state counties in Suffolk County’s state Supreme Court Tuesday, with plaintiffs claiming “the worst man-made epidemic in history” was due in part to the company’s “major role in crafting and implementing” deceptive marketing strategies to sell addictive prescription pills. (O'Neill, 6/1)

In other pharmaceutical and biotech news —

The Boston Globe: As FDA Decides On Biogen Drug For Alzheimer’s, Patients And Families Hold Out Hope
Within days, federal regulators will decide whether to approve the first new drug for Alzheimer’s disease in nearly two decades, a controversial medicine from Cambridge-based Biogen that seems to have as many detractors as proponents. It’s called aducanumab, and Kirsten Hano is among those hoping it wins approval. (Saltzman, 6/2)

Axios: Abbott's Stock Falls After Company Forecasts Fewer COVID Tests 
Abbott on Tuesday cut its profit guidance for the rest of this year after the medical device and diagnostics company projected lower demand for its coronavirus tests. Abbott's stock plunged 9%. COVID-19 cases have dropped heavily in the U.S. and other high-income countries due to mass vaccination campaigns. That's good for society, but now means less money for Abbott and other test makers that have profited from the pandemic's testing. (Herman, 6/1)

Stat: A Bootcamp For Digital Health Execs Seeks To Demystify The Drug Industry
Naomi Fried has watched the same plot unfold over and over again: A digital health startup pitches software to accelerate drug discovery, track medication use, or identify patients for clinical trials. But initial interest from pharma executives quickly fades. They stop returning emails, often with no explanation. But if the reasons are mysterious to startups, they are not to Fried, who has spent her career driving technology innovation at Biogen, Boston Children’s Hospital, and Kaiser Permanente. She said the startups are simply misunderstanding their audience and the business concerns that drive decision-making. (Ross, 6/1)

AP: Newer Methods May Boost Gene Therapy's Use For More Diseases
Jordan Janz knew his gamble on an experimental gene therapy for his rare disease might be paying off when he returned to work and a friend sniffed him. “He said, ‘you have a normal smell, you smell good,’” Janz recalled. “And I’m like, ‘that’s probably the nicest thing you’ve ever said.’” The 22-year-old Canadian man’s previous treatment required 40 to 60 pills a day and left him smelling like rotten eggs or stinky cheese. He was born with a flawed gene that left him unable to make a protein needed by virtually every organ in the body. Kids with this disease can throw up a dozen times a day, need eye drops every hour to prevent blindness and often kidney transplants before they’re adults. (Marchione, 6/2)

Fox News: Study Unpacks How LSD Lowers Brain’s Barriers
Many summers of love later and the experiences had with the drug, along with the word that describes them, But it’s only recently that scientists have begun to grapple with what exactly LSD does to the brain, and they've found evidence that it really does blow open your mind. According to new research, psychedelic drugs put the brain into a state where it can flow more freely, unconstrained by prior beliefs of how the world is supposed to work. The findings also have implications for treating anxiety and depression, the researchers said. (Turner, 6/1)

Stat: Machine Learning Is Booming In Medicine. It's Also Facing A Credibility Crisis
The mad dash accelerated as quickly as the pandemic. Researchers sprinted to see whether artificial intelligence could unravel Covid-19’s many secrets — and for good reason. There was a shortage of tests and treatments for a skyrocketing number of patients. Maybe AI could detect the illness earlier on lung images, and predict which patients were most likely to become severely ill. (Ross, 6/2)

The Washington Post: Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder: Supreme Court Won't Hear Company's Challenge Of $2.1 Billion Cancer Case Award
The Supreme Court ruled in low-profile cases Tuesday, but it was the justices’ decision to bypass an appeal that might have the most lasting impact. The court turned down a request from Johnson & Johnson to review a $2.1 billion award to women who claimed the company’s talc-based baby powder contained cancer-causing asbestos. (Barnes, 6/1)

CNBC: Supreme Court Rejects Johnson & Johnson's Appeal Of $2 Billion Baby Powder Penalty
The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected an appeal from Johnson & Johnson seeking to undo a $2.1 billion award against it over allegations that asbestos in its talc powder products, including baby powder, caused women to develop ovarian cancer. The top court announced in an order with no noted dissents that it will not hear the case. Justices Samuel Alito and Brett Kavanaugh recused themselves from consideration of the case, according to the order. (Higgins, 6/1)

In other public health news —

The Wall Street Journal: Covid-19 Prevention Measures Are Keeping Childhood Diseases Like Chickenpox At Bay 
The disinfecting and hand-washing that became common during the Covid-19 pandemic have also served as powerful tools against a host of childhood ailments such as chickenpox, stomach viruses and strep throat, recent data suggest. Doctors say that as countries with widespread Covid-19 vaccination, including the U.S., get back to normal, people would be well-advised to keep up some of the practices they have adopted—even if pandemic weariness makes them less than eager to take that advice. (Landers and Inada, 6/1)

Stat: Flu Virus Became Less Diverse, Simplifying Task Of Making Flu Shots 
In the eight years leading up to the Covid-19 pandemic, one of the subtypes of influenza A viruses started acting bizarrely. Flu viruses continuously evolve, to evade the immune defenses humans develop to fend them off. But after 2012, H3N2 started to behave differently. It was almost as if there was a falling out within a family. The viruses formed into factions — clades, in virologists’ language — drifting further and further apart with each passing year and making the process of choosing the version of H3N2 to include in flu shots an increasingly challenging task. (Branswell, 6/2)

Fox News: Accidental Drownings A Concern As Pandemic Postponed Swimming Lessons For Some
In June 2020 the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission released a report that found child drownings to be the leading cause of unintentional death among children ages 1 to 4 years old. Now, with an increase in at-home pool installations and the pandemic-related cancellation or delay of youth swimming lessons, some are concerned that the number of drownings could increase even further. "This summer, we’re going to see a surge in accidental drownings," Rowdy Gaines, a three-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer who partnered with the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance (PHTA) said in a statement. "As excited as we are about getting back in the water, it’s important that we stay focused on safe pool behaviors. Parents have to keep a close eye on their children 100% of the time, even when lifeguards are nearby." (Hein, 6/1)

San Francisco Chronicle: Lyme-Carrying Ticks Thriving On California Coast, Study Finds
Disease-carrying ticks, long considered something to fear in thick woods, are also prevalent in Northern California’s open coastal areas, a new study shows. The research, published after four years of field work in the Bay Area, indicates that the reach of tick-borne illnesses like Lyme disease is greater than previously thought and a concern that those headed to the beach or walking on a bluff should keep in mind. (Alexander, 6/1)

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Judge Signs Order To Stop Real Water Production
A federal judge signed an order on Tuesday that could effectively put Las Vegas-based Real Water permanently out of business in response to a deadly outbreak of liver disease tied to the product. Should the company ever intend to resume operations, it must follow a long list of requirements that include a sanitation plan, a bottling plan, a food safety plan and an employee training program, according to the permanent injunction signed by U.S. District Judge Jennifer Dorsey. (Ferrara, 6/1)

Also —

The Washington Post: Amazon’s OSHA Data Shows Its Workers Injured At Higher Rates Than Rival Companies 
Amazon, the second-largest private employer in the United States, is also a leader in another category: how often its warehouse workers are injured. New work-related injury data from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration showed those jobs can be more dangerous than at comparable warehouses. Since 2017, Amazon reported a higher rate of serious injury incidents that caused employees to miss work or be shifted to light-duty tasks than at other warehouse operators in retail. (Greene and Alcantara, 6/1)

Consumer Reports: Easing The Aches From Hand Osteoarthritis, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome 
We use our hands for activities from cooking to brushing our teeth to gardening to writing a shopping list. So when our hands, wrists or fingers hurt, that pain can interfere with much of what we do. This kind of discomfort can also be more likely to occur with age: The Arthri­tis Foundation estimates that about half of all women and a quarter of men will experience hand pain because of osteoarthritis — when the protective cartilage between bones wears down — by age 85. But there are ways to ease the ache. (Konkel, 5/31)

Philadelphia Inquirer: He Died Of A Brain Aneurysm, And His Heart Was Preserved For Donation With Warm-Temperature ‘Perfusion.’ The Technique May Help Others
The doctors said there was no hope. Alex Anaya was just 29, yet a weakened blood vessel had ruptured in his brain, and surgeons couldn’t save him. Family members decided that he should be removed from a ventilator, and they gathered at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital to say goodbye. His heart would keep beating for a while on its own, but soon he would die. Then the family was approached by a coordinator from Gift of Life, a nonprofit that arranges organ transplants in the Philadelphia region. She told them, gently, that it might be possible to restart Anaya’s heart and save someone else. But it would require the use of a new device to “perfuse” the organ with a warm solution of nutrients and oxygenated blood, allowing it to beat outside his body until it was time for the transplant. (Avril, 6/2)

KHN: Doctors Tell How To Make The Most Of Your Telehealth Visits
When the pandemic sidelined in-office visits at his practice, Dr. Dael Waxman “wasn’t exactly thrilled with being at home.” But he quickly shifted gears to video and telephone appointments. Now, he finds, there are good reasons to keep these options open even as in-office visits have resumed and many parts of the country have sharply loosened coronavirus restrictions. (Appleby, 6/2)

KHN: Readers And Tweeters React To Racism, Inequities In Health Care
Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories. (6/2)

Bloomberg: Senators Push to Expand Mental-Health Crisis Funding to Cities
A bipartisan pair of U.S. senators are pushing for legislation to support local governments that expand their ability to deal with mental health-care emergencies, seeking to shift the responsibility away from the police. The bill, introduced by Nevada Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto and Texas Republican John Cornyn, would provide funding to expand mental-health services, including to the uninsured. It would also create a nationwide set of standards for running crisis hotlines, urgent care facilities, residential centers and mobile units that respond to behavioral crises. (Akinnibi, 6/1)

In other news about mental health —

USA Today: Naomi Osaka's Withdrawal From French Open Fuels Mental Health Debate
For all the story's complexities, and for all the public still does not know about Osaka's health and the communication between her and tennis officials, psychologists say Osaka should be lauded for speaking openly about her mental health in a culture still skeptical of wounds it cannot see, for asserting boundaries to keep herself safe even at cost to her career, and for challenging her sport, the media and the public to rethink what we demand of athletes. "So much of the world has been set up that this is the way we do it, and this is the way we've always done it, and it's going to work this way," said Lynn Bufka, a senior director at the American Psychological Association. (Dastagir, 6/1)

The Wall Street Journal: Naomi Osaka, Reluctant Stars, And The Sports World’s Mental Health Challenge
Naomi Osaka spent all of one match and 72 hours at this year’s French Open, but her short stay in Paris was enough to ignite a conversation about mental health and sports that may reshape the lives of professional athletes for years to come. ... Her exit this week once again highlights the rising but complex question of how the sports world should handle mental-health issues. In a workplace built around performance under pressure, athletes are increasingly asking what can be done when that pressure begins to harm their well-being in the decidedly non-traditional workplace of sports. (Robinson and Bachman, 6/1)

The Washington Post: Washington Football Team Hires Barbara Roberts As Its First Full-Time Psychologist 
The Washington Football Team has hired Barbara Roberts, a psychologist and former Georgetown professor, as its first full-time director of wellness and clinical services. Roberts is only the seventh full-time clinician and only the fourth with a PhD in psychology hired by an NFL team as the league has made mental health more of a priority in recent years. Roberts said her hope is that she can continue to “destigmatize” mental health and “normalize” the process of addressing mental wellness. (Jhabvala, 6/1)

Also —

Anchorage Daily News: More Alaskans Are Being Diagnosed With Eating Disorders, But Treatment Options In State Remain Scarce
These days, when potential patients call Katie Bell, an Anchorage therapist whose specialty includes treating eating disorders, she tells them that she’ll probably have an opening in about three months at the earliest. Then she gives them the names of three other providers they can call because “three months is too long to wait,” she said. Over the past year, Bell’s waiting list has grown. She said it may be a sign of a trend that’s happening nationally and across Alaska: an increase in eating disorder diagnoses that have been fueled by the pandemic. (Berman, 6/1)

Fox News: Earlier Sleep Cycles Linked To Lower Depression Risk: Study
A one-hour shift to an earlier sleep schedule could drop risk of major depression by 23%, according to a study. A team of researchers from University of Colorado Boulder and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard published findings in JAMA Psychiatry last week, drawing on deidentified genetic data from 840,000 people in the U.K. Biobank and 23andMe, including some 85,000 people who wore sleep trackers for a week, and 250,000 respondents to sleep-preference questionnaires. Results offer "some of the strongest evidence yet that chronotype—a person’s propensity to sleep at a certain time —influences depression risk," per a CU Boulder news release. (Rivas, 6/1)

The Boston Globe: Student Leaders Call On Boston Superintendent Cassellius To Resign Over Handling Of Complaints Of Unlicensed Counseling
Four Boston high school students on Tuesday called for Boston Superintendent Brenda Cassellius to resign over her handling of revelations that student leaders were subjected to an inappropriate form of group therapy. The students, speaking at a news conference at the Boston Public Schools’ Roxbury headquarters, said Acting Mayor Kim Janey should fire Cassellius if she doesn’t step down because she didn’t adequately respond to students’ complaints that adult leaders subjected students on the Boston Student Advisory Council to “Re-evaluation Counseling,” or RC. (Martin, 6/1)

AP: Patient Influx From Other States Increases Kansas Abortions
The number of abortions performed in Kansas increased by 9.1% last year as far more women traveled from Oklahoma and Texas to terminate pregnancies than in 2019 and the state reported that out-of-state patients outnumbered Kansas patients for the first time in almost 50 years. The state Department of Health and Environment says 7,542 abortions were performed in 2020, an increase of 626 from 6,916 in 2019.Advocates on both side of the issue said Tuesday that much of that increase likely occurred because Republican governors in Oklahoma and Texas sought to ban most abortions last spring, prompting women from those states to travel to Kansas for the procedure. (Hanna, 6/2)

CBS News: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Signs Transgender Athlete Bill Into Law On First Day Of Pride Month 
On Tuesday, the first day of Pride Month, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law a bill that bans transgender girls and women from competing on female sports teams at the high school and college level. DeSantis appeared at Trinity Christian Academy in Jacksonville to sign the "Fairness in Women's Sports Act," which was introduced by Republican State Senator Travis Hutson in February. The law states that women and girls must play on the sport teams of the "biological sex" on their birth certificate. Therefore, a transgender girl whose birth certificate denotes her "biological sex" as male, cannot play on a girls' sports team. (O'Kane, 6/1)

Oklahoman: Oklahoma Supreme Court Says Medicaid Managed Care Plan Invalid
The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that the Oklahoma Health Care Authority does not have the authority to implement a managed care plan for the state’s Medicaid system. In a victory for state medical groups, the court said the health care authority created a new managed care program without legislative authority. “We find the actions of the OHCA are invalid under Oklahoma law,” the court said in a 6-3 decision striking down an initiative pushed hard by Gov. Kevin Stitt. (Casteel, 6/1)

NPR: Indiana Needle Exchange That Helped Contain Historic HIV Outbreak May Close
In 2015, rural Scott County, Indiana, found itself in the national spotlight when intravenous drug use and sharing needles led to an outbreak of HIV. Mike Pence, who was Indiana's governor at the time, approved the state's first syringe exchange program in the small manufacturing community 30 minutes north of Louisville, as part of an emergency measure. "I will tell you that I do not support needle exchange as anti-drug policy," he said during a 2015 visit to the county. "But this is a public health emergency." (Legan, 6/1)

Anchorage Daily News: Western Alaska Is Experiencing An Unprecedented Rabies Outbreak, Officials Say
State health and environment officials are warning residents of Western Alaska and the Bering Strait region to vaccinate pets and be wary of wildlife because of an unprecedented rabies outbreak. “I don’t think we’ve ever seen such a high number of cases of rabies,” said Dr. Robert Gerlach with the state Department of Environmental Conservation. The number of rabies cases varies year to year, but the Bering Strait region normally sees only four or five animals with confirmed cases each year, according to a statement from Alaska’s health and environmental conservation departments. Since October, over 35 cases have been confirmed in the area, officials said. (Williams, 6/1)

Oklahoman: In-House Newborn Screenings Return To Oklahoma's Public Health Lab
In-house newborn screenings have returned to Oklahoma's Public Health Lab after the tests were outsourced to a lab in Pennsylvania amid the lab’s ongoing move from Oklahoma City to Stillwater, health officials announced Tuesday. The screenings, which are blood tests that look for certain hidden genetic disorders in infants, were outsourced in March after inconsistencies were found in the testing and after the lab's director learned Oklahoma’s screenings didn’t test for a rare genetic marker most other states screen for. (Branham, 6/1)

KHN: From Racial Justice To Dirty Air, California’s New AG Plots A Progressive Health Care Agenda
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a longtime Democratic state lawmaker, comes to his new role well known for pursuing an unabashedly progressive agenda on criminal justice issues. He has pushed for legislation to eliminate cash bail and to ban for-profit prisons and detention centers. But Bonta also has a distinctive record on health care, successfully advancing legislation to protect consumers from so-called surprise medical bills when they inadvertently get treatment from out-of-network providers and framing environmental hazards like pollution as issues of social justice. (Hart, 6/2)

USA Today: UK Reports Zero Coronavirus Deaths For First Time In Nearly A Year
The British government reported no new coronavirus deaths Tuesday for the first time since July 2020, an announcement that comes with some qualifications but is much welcome nonetheless. There's concern about the increasing cases in the U.K. of the coronavirus variant first identified in India, and uncertainty about whether authorities will press ahead with the final stages of easing social restrictions later this month. Reported death numbers are typically lower on weekends, and this past one was extended by Monday's Spring Bank Holiday, raising some questions about Tuesday's tally. In addition, the official count only considers fatalities within 28 days of testing positive for the virus. (Bacon and Ortiz, 6/1)

In other global developments —

CNN: Sinovac: WHO Approves China's Covid-19 Vaccine CoronaVac For Emergency Use 
The World Health Organization (WHO) has approved a Covid-19 vaccine made by Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac for emergency use. The decision will allow CoronaVac to be used in WHO's vaccine-sharing program, COVAX, which seeks to provide equitable global access to immunizations. It is the second Chinese vaccine given WHO approval after Sinopharm was approved in early May. (Regan and Langmaid, 6/2)

Bloomberg: Even With 20 Million Covid Vaccines A Day, China Chooses Isolation
China is rolling out a world-leading 20 million Covid-19 vaccine doses a day, and more than 40% of the nation’s vast population has had at least one, homegrown shot. But as other countries move to reopen to the world, it seems to be in no hurry to turn the page on the pandemic. After a lackluster start dogged by hesitancy and some supply shortages, China has now administered more than 660 million vaccine doses, putting the country’s 1.4 billion people on track for herd immunity territory in just a few months. In its capital Beijing, more than 80% of people have had at least one dose, according to data from the municipal health authority reported by local media. (6/1)

AP: Japan's Vaccine Push Ahead Of Olympics Looks To Be Too Late
It may be too little, too late.That’s the realization sinking in as Japan scrambles to catch up on a frustratingly slow vaccination drive less than two months before the Summer Olympics, delayed by a year because of the coronavirus pandemic, are scheduled to start. The Olympics risk becoming an incubator for “a Tokyo variant,” as 15,000 foreign athletes and tens of thousands officials, sponsors and journalists from about 200 countries descend on — and potentially mix with — a largely unvaccinated Japanese population, said Dr. Naoto Ueyama, a physician, head of the Japan Doctors Union. (Yamaguchi, 6/1)

Salon.Com: Pharma Giant AbbVie Funds Ads Attacking Prescription Drug Bill — After Hiking Prices Up To 470%  
Pharmaceutical giant AbbVie inflated prices for widely-used drugs while its executives pocketed growing bonuses, according to a new report from the House Oversight and Reform Committee. Now it's helping fund ads attacking legislation that would lower prescription drug costs. The committee's two-year investigation found that AbbVie "pursued a variety of tactics to increase drug sales while raising prices for Americans, including exploiting the patent system to extend its market monopoly, abusing orphan drug protections to further block competition, and engaging in anticompetitive pricing practices." (Derysh, 5/26)

Stat: FTC Issues Report On 'Rebate Walls,' But Will The Agency Dig Deeper?
In response to Congressional concerns over prescription drug pricing, the Federal Trade Commission released a brief report that suggested the agency is poised to further investigate a controversial contracting practice known as a rebate wall. The term refers to arrangements between drug makers and pharmacy benefits managers over placement of medicines on formularies, or coverage lists used by health plans. By offering a higher rebate to a PBM for a medicine, but especially for a bundle of medicines, a drug maker can wall off rivals from gaining favorable formulary placement. (Silverman, 6/1)

Wisconsin State Journal: Prescription Drug Cost Proposals Could Soon Reappear In Wisconsin 
A copay cap on insulin, importation of prescription drugs from Canada and required reporting of drug price increases are among drug affordability measures stripped from Gov. Tony Evers’ budget that could appear as bills before or after the Legislature approves the state spending plan, likely in June or July. But while prescription drug expenses — especially on pricey specialty drugs for conditions such as cancer, hepatitis and rheumatoid arthritis — have been generating more attention from state and federal policymakers, curbing costs in the nation’s complex medication system has proven to be politically challenging. Drug costs make up about 10% to 15% of the country’s $3.8 trillion in annual health care spending, which accounts for nearly 18% of the economy. (Wahlberg, 5/31)

The Center Square: Pennsylvania Senators Revive Bipartisan Bill Calling For Transparency In Prescription Drug Costs 
When he was diagnosed with leukemia a dozen years ago, doctors told Paul O’Hara he would live, as he describes it, “a happy and normal life,” so long as he took the critically important drugs prescribed to him. Then came the sticker shock. In the early days of his diagnosis, O’Hara, a Doylestown resident, grappled with balancing the cost of monthly prescription, which he said were about the same as his mortgage payment. O’Hara eventually faced foreclosure notices and other challenges to take his medications, though his financial struggles have since improved. (Fidlin, 5/31)

KSAT: Life-Changing Bills For Those With Diabetes Headed To Gov. Abbott’s Desk For Signature
Two bills that will bring some financial relief to those with diabetes that use insulin are headed to the governor’s desk for a signature. If enacted, the bills would lower the cost of prescription insulin starting in September. Rep. James Talarico (D-Round Rock), a former San Antonio educator, knows firsthand what the life-saving medication means for people with diabetes. While on the campaign trail three years ago, he found out he had Type 1 diabetes. (Santos, 5/31)

MarketWatch: Inflation In Drug Prices Is Soaring And It’s Time To Break Big Pharma’s Grip On Our Health 
In the thick of the coronavirus pandemic, while receiving billions in taxpayer dollars to help develop critically needed vaccines, the biggest pharmaceutical corporations hoped no one would notice that they were raising prices on more than 800 prescription medicines that families rely on for their health and wellbeing. That’s nothing new: between 2007 and 2018, drug corporations increased list prices on prescription drugs by 160%. As a result, Americans today pay two- to four times more for prescription drugs than people in other countries for the same medicines. That’s why Democrats and Republicans alike have campaigned for years to lower drug prices, because the cost is simply unaffordable for too many. (Margarida Jorge, 5/29)

Star-Ledger: A Plan For New Jersey Residents To Pay Less For Their Prescriptions 
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a loss of focus on rising pharmaceutical drug prices. The industry bringing forth vaccines to protect our health and facilitate a return to a more favorable quality of life is laudable. However, in the first six months of 2020, when the pandemic was raging, pharmaceutical companies increased prices on 245 drugs according to a report by Patients for Affordable Drugs. The costs of pharmaceuticals have become unsustainable. (John F. McKeon, 5/30)

State Journal-Register: How Illinois Saved Money Using The Private Sector To Purchase Drugs
A sizable part of the Illinois budget provides medical care for its residents who do not have the means to purchase health insurance on their own. While reducing this cost without sacrificing the quality of care can be difficult and politically contentious, the state recently managed to save tens of millions of dollars simply by employing the private sector to help negotiate prices for a new lifesaving drug. Twenty percent of Illinois’ population is enrolled in Medicaid. Last year the state spent nearly $1 billion for prescription drugs, a good portion of the state’s $43 billion budget.  (Ike Brannon and Tony Lo Sasso, 5/30)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Too Little, Too Late On At-Home COVID Tests
The Food and Drug Administration recently approved two over-the-counter, at-home rapid coronavirus tests. Harvard epidemiologist Dr. Michael Mina called this development “a major advance.” He’s right. But the FDA should have reached this milestone months ago. Regulators dawdled, and thousands of people died. Public health experts have been calling for at-home COVID-19 tests since the early days of the pandemic. With more testing, more people would know they had the virus, stayed home, and slowed the virus’s spread. (Sally C. Pipes, 6/1)

CNN: I'm 12 Years Old And Here's Why I Got The Covid Vaccination 
I'm 12 and I've gotten my first Covid-19 vaccine dose. And this is what I'd like to tell my friends: I was a new sixth grader to our school last year. Looking forward to new friends, play dates on the basketball court and sleepovers, instead we got remote learning; classes where many of us had video screens turned off because we had just woken up and were embarrassed to share our bed head; endless socializing over Roblox and Fortnite, where we knew each other by screen names only. Now don't get me wrong, I love a good video game, but maybe I'd like to know what your real skin looks like -- rather than your Fortnite "skin." (Rai Goyal, 6/1)

The Boston Globe: Pharma’s Secrecy Hinders Global COVID-19 Vaccination. Joe Biden Could Fix That. 
At the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, we were told that we were all in this together. From Cape Town to California, leaders preached the virtue of solidarity. Now the United States has opened vaccine eligibility to all adults, while the rest of the world lags months — and even years — behind. Rich countries are vaccinating their people 25 times faster than poorer nations. Why are COVID-19 vaccines scarce? One critical reason is secrecy. Pharmaceutical corporations fiercely guard their COVID-19 vaccine recipes as trade secrets — despite receiving billions in taxpayer funding to come up with those recipes. (Christopher Morten, Christian Antonio Urrutia, and Zain Rizvi, 6/1)

The New York Times: Could Spilling Big Pharma’s Secrets Vaccinate The World? 
Just 12.5 percent of the world has been inoculated against Covid-19. To protect every country from the pandemic, regardless of economic level, there are many approaches global leaders could take. But they have to act fast. In this state of planetary emergency, should pharmaceutical companies that make vaccines be forced to break their patents? Is that the best or fastest way to get lower-income countries to catch up with vaccination rates? Weighing the pros and cons of a vaccine intellectual property waiver with Jane Coaston this week is Rachel Silverman, a policy fellow at the Center for Global Development, and Tahir Amin, a co-founder and co-executive director of I-MAK, the Initiative for Medicines, Access & Knowledge. (6/2)

USA Today: Some Evangelicals Spread Falsehoods About COVID Vaccines While The World Is Desperate
On a recent call with more than a dozen global evangelical leaders, and after hearing reports from and Indian leader, I mentioned that one of my recent social media posts on vaccines had provoked a strong (and mostly negative) reaction. One of the leaders on the call echoed the view of the group: He couldn't understand the attitude among Christians. Neither can I. The idea that some evangelicals are spreading misinformation about the vaccines while the majority of the world is desperate for them is hard to understand. Yet, we have to understand it to address it. Evangelical Christians need to be part of the solution, not part of the problem, as we all work to end the greatest global crisis of our lifetime. (Ed Stetzer, 6/2)

The Atlantic: A Conversation With NIH's Francis Collins 
As Francis Collins, the director of the National Institutes of Health, recounted the moment, his eyes welled with tears. A few months before, he and his colleague Anthony Fauci had confided in each other their hopes for a COVID-19 vaccine. The FDA had set the threshold for approval at 50 percent efficacy, roughly what the flu vaccine achieves each year. They would have been quite happy to hit 70 percent. (Peter Wehner, 6/2)

Stat: Research On Psychedelic Medicine Would Benefit From NIH Funding 
Just a few years ago, investments in medicinal psychedelic research were rare in even the riskiest of financial portfolios. But with entrepreneurs and financiers now pouring money into developing psychedelic treatments for mental and behavioral health issues, it’s clear that investors, like many scientists, envision a psychedelic path for psychiatry. There’s a notable holdout though: the National Institutes of Health, the world’s largest public funder of medical research. (Brian Barnett, Rick Doblin and Julie Holland, 6/2)

Dallas Morning News: A Victory For New Mothers From The Texas Legislature
The months after childbirth are a particularly vulnerable period for women who too often suffer from depression, thoughts of suicide and other physical and psychological issues that put at risk their health and the health of the newborn. Women who lose health coverage soon after giving birth are likely to stop taking medication or quit obtaining support for postpartum depression and treatable maladies such as infection, hemorrhage, preeclampsia, eclampsia and cardiovascular and coronary conditions. In the final days of this legislative session, the Senate and House signed off on a bill to extend coverage from 60 days to six months after childbirth. (6/2)

CNN: Haunting Lessons From 40 Years Of Fighting AIDS 
Recent headlines about the Covid-19 pandemic have careened between the hopeful -- in countries with effective vaccination programs -- and the tragic, as the unimaginable death toll in India and elsewhere continues to rise. Forty years ago this June, we saw the start of another global health crisis when the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) was first reported in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) and brought with it a similar sense of doom. Much like the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the initial wave of AIDS infections upended the world. (Kent Sepkowitz, 6/1)

The Boston Globe: Generation Pandemic Is Interested In Public Health. We Should Take Advantage
They came of age amid contact tracing and clinical trials. They are well versed in the “lab leak” theory and quite worried by the broad health disparities exposed by the coronavirus. The Association of Schools & Programs of Public Health reports that applications to graduate-level public health programs spiked 40 percent in March, compared to the year before. Public health, long an underappreciated field, is seeing a surge of interest among Generation Pandemic. And the task for policy makers and health care professionals in Massachusetts is to take advantage — to cultivate young talent now, while curiosity is piqued, so the state is well positioned to take on future pandemics and long-running inequities in public health. (6/2)

Newsweek: Right-Wing Opinion Vs. My Rights: Why The Texas Abortion Ban Is Wrong 
Within 24 hours of removing government mask mandates in the name of bodily autonomy, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a restrictive abortion ban that would strip Texans of those very same human rights. This latest attack on reproductive rights is part of a broad onslaught of anti-abortion bills passed by statehouses in 2021. It follows on the heels of the Supreme Court's announcement that it will hear a Mississippi case that could severely undermine Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide. We now face a terrifying possibility that a right so many fought to secure—a right that I was born with—could soon be taken away. (Theiija Balasubramanian, 6/2)

San Diego Union-Tribune: Can You Trust Doctors To Honor Your End-Of-Life Wishes? Here's What To Consider
No one doubts the importance of completing living wills — especially for advanced dementia — a cruel disease that most people dread since it can cause prolonged dying with severe, irreversible suffering as it imposes huge burdens on loved ones. But by themselves, living wills will not be adequate if your future physician refuses to honor its requests. A recommended request is: “Cease putting food and fluid into my mouth if I reach a specific condition.” Honoring this request can prevent being forced to endure years of suffering since you will not need to wait to die from a heart attack, or untreated infection such as pneumonia. After you no longer can feed yourself, the only legal, peaceful and effective intervention may be to cease assisted feeding and hydrating by another’s hand. This challenging and controversial intervention raises questions for your physician, and for you. (Stanley A. Terman and Karl E. Steinberg, 6/1)