The Washington Post: Democrats Take House, Breaking Up GOP’s Total Control Of Government
“Tomorrow will be a new day in America,” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) declared from the Democratic Party headquarters in Washington. “It’s about restoring the Constitutions’s checks and balances to the Trump administration. It’s about stopping the GOP and [Senate Majority Leader] Mitch McConnell’s assaults on Medicare, Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, and the health care of 130 million Americans living with preexisting medical conditions.” Pelosi promised action on lowering the cost of prescription drugs and rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure, and pledged to pursue bipartisanship where possible. (Werner and DeBonis, 11/7)

Kaiser Health News: Midterm Results Show Health Is Important To Voters But No Magic Bullet
Health care proved important but apparently not pivotal in the 2018 midterm elections on Tuesday as voters gave Democrats control of the U.S. House, left Republicans in charge in the Senate and appeared to order an expansion of Medicaid in at least three states long controlled by Republicans. In taking over the House, Democrats are unlikely to be able to advance many initiatives when it comes to health policy, given the GOP’s control of the Senate and White House. But they will be able to deliver an effective veto to Republican efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, convert the Medicaid health care system for low-income people into a block grant program and make major changes to Medicare. (Rovner, 11/7)

Politico: Redemption For Obamacare
Democrats ran on Obamacare and, finally, sailed to victory. The party that bet on surging enthusiasm for the Affordable Care Act flipped control of the House Tuesday night in what could amount to a major reset of the political direction on health care. Democrats also made gains at the state level, with wins in gubernatorial races that could prompt new expansions of Medicaid and energize lawmakers, who can claim they have a mandate to further build on a law that serves as the bedrock of their domestic agenda. (Ollstein and Cancryn, 11/6)

Stat: Democrats Took The House. Here's What It Means For Health And Medicine
The victory puts Democrats in a far better position to test the far-reaching health care agenda they have campaigned on for well over a year, though their ambitions will almost certainly be curtailed by a Republican-held Senate and President Trump’s White House. ...Democrats, however, failed to regain control of the Senate, leaving open the question of whether the new House majority can negotiate with McConnell, who has made repealing the Affordable Care Act central to his party’s agenda and is seen as an ally of the pharmaceutical industry. (Facher and Joseph, 11/6)

Huffington Post: The Republican Majority Is Dead And Obamacare Is Alive
Republicans fought the health care law and the health care law won. It was a close call, closer perhaps than many people realized. Had Republicans kept control of Congress in this year’s midterm elections, they would almost certainly have made another attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act. If anything, the result might have emboldened them, by convincing them that they could survive the kind of political backlash that their failed 2017 effort produced. But as of Tuesday evening, Republicans were set to lose their majority in the House of Representatives, with only the size of a new Democratic majority in question. And health care was a big reason why Republicans performed as badly as they did. (Cohn and Young, 11/7)

Politico: What Can Get Done In A Divided Washington
Expectations that the two sides could work out a major deal on something like negotiating drug prices in Medicare are low — but there is hope in both parties that impactful incremental reforms, like increasing transparency around drugmakers' relationships with pharmacy benefit managers to ensure there is no collusion to keep prices high, could get bipartisan support. And Democrats won't give up without a fight on bold moves like government negotiation of drug prices, which Trump supported on the campaign trail in 2016. Pelosi met with PhRMA execs this summer and “took the opportunity to deliver a message about the seriousness of Democrats’ commitment to legislative action to bring down soaring prescription drug prices,” her spokesperson Henry Connelly said. (Cassella, Cook and Orr, 11/6)

Washington Examiner: House Democratic Majority To Push Giving Medicare Power To Negotiate Drug Prices
With Tuesday night's victories in the House of Representatives, Democrats are set to make a run at a long-held goal of giving Medicare the authority to negotiate lower drug prices when they assume control. House Democrats have been infuriated that President Trump has done nothing to endorse the proposal even after touting it throughout the 2016 campaign. Trump’s administration has sought to install price controls for certain Medicare drugs, but it has stopped short of giving Medicare, and not private plans, the power to negotiate lower prices. (King, 11/6)

Politico Pro: The Veteran House Democrat Leading The Party's New Health Care Offensive
House Democrats swept into power Tuesday night on the strength of vows to protect the Affordable Care Act and check the Trump administration. Now it's up to a longtime congressman from New Jersey to keep that promise. Rep. Frank Pallone will take the gavel of the Energy and Commerce Committee for the first time next year, thrusting him to the fore of a high-volume health care debate likely to form the backdrop of the 2020 presidential race. (Cancryn, 11/7)

Politico Pro: GOP Senate Could See Grassley Revive Health Oversight
The prospect of another Republican-led Senate leaves a void atop the powerful Finance Committee, a coveted gavel Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) held for years and may want back. Grassley has played coy for months, telling reporters to ask him the day after the election if he wants to succeed departing Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) as the chamber's top tax-writer — a position that also gives him power over Medicare, Medicaid and other entitlement programs. (Roubein and Karlin-Smith, 11/7)

The Associated Press: AP Voter Poll Shows Focus On Trump, Immigration, Health Care
Health care, immigration and President Donald Trump were high on voters’ minds as they cast ballots in the midterm elections, according to a wide-ranging survey of the electorate conducted by The Associated Press. ... Health care was at the forefront of many voters’ minds: 26 percent named it as the most important issue facing the country. Immigration was not far behind, with 23 percent naming it as the most important issue. Nearly 4 in 10 of those who voted for a Democratic House candidate named health care as the most important issue facing the nation, while about as many Republican voters considered immigration to be the top issue. (Jalonick, 11/7)

MarketWatch: Exit Polls Suggest Midterm Election Voters Focused On Health Care And Immigration, Not The Booming Economy 
Health care ranked as the most important issue for voters in the 2018 midterm election, while immigration was No. 2 and the economy was third, according to preliminary results for exit polls. Some 41% of voters picked health care as the top issue facing the country, compared with 23% favoring immigration, 21% picking the economy and 11% going with gun policy. (Reklaitis, 11/6)

The Wall Street Journal: Voters Are Enthusiastic, Polarized, Engaged On The Issues
Reporters with the The Wall Street Journal spoke with voters Tuesday across the U.S., capturing a range of opinions that illustrated the nation’s polarized political climate. Turnout was huge, overwhelming election officials and yielding long lines at many polling sites. Immigration, health care and President Trump weighed heavily in races small and large. (Leary, 11/6)

The New York Times: Democrats Capture Control of House; G.O.P. Holds Senate
The candidates who delivered the House majority largely hailed from the political center, running on clean-government themes and promises of incremental improvement to the health care system rather than transformational social change. ... Indeed, the coalition of voters that mobilized against Mr. Trump was broad, diverse and somewhat ungainly, taking in young people and minorities who reject his culture-war politics; women appalled by what they see as his misogyny; seniors alarmed by Republican health care policies; and upscale suburban whites who support gun control and environmental regulation as surely as they favor tax cuts. It will now fall to Democrats to forge these disparate communities alienated by the president into a durable electoral base for the 2020 presidential race at a time when their core voters are increasingly tilting left. (Martin and Burns, 11/6)

The Wall Street Journal: For Nancy Pelosi, A Victorious Comeback As Democrats Retake The House
Mrs. Pelosi began plotting her caucus’s comeback two years ago. In those early days in the Democratic campaign to retake the House, she made a policy centerpiece of protecting the Affordable Care Act, her signature legislative accomplishment as House Speaker—but one that contributed to her party’s downfall in the 2010 midterms. ... On Martin Luther King Jr. Day in January 2017, Democratic lawmakers and outside groups held rallies opposing the GOP’s efforts to repeal the law. “When it comes to health care, all politics is personal,” Mrs. Pelosi said of her decision to focus on the issue. In many of the most hotly contested House districts in this year midterms, health care was cited as the top issue for many voters, and the issue most likely to come up in campaign ads. (Andrews and Peterson, 11/7)

The Washington Post: Record Number Of Women Heading To Congress
More than 100 women were projected to win seats in the House of Representatives, easily shattering the record. Overwhelmingly they were Democrats who helped the party take control of the chamber. ... Many of the winning candidates campaigned on the need for better health care for all Americans. They come from a wide variety of backgrounds — from military veterans to teachers — and many had never run for office before. (Jordan, 11/7)

The Washington Post: Democrats Wexton, Luria And Spanberger Unseat Republicans Comstock, Taylor And Brat, While Kaine Cruises In Virginia
A trio of Democratic women defeated Republican incumbents in Virginia congressional districts Tuesday, and Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine cruised to reelection as voters turned out in strong numbers around the state. (Schneider, 11/6)

The Hill: Shalala Beats Salazar To Flip Key Miami House District 
Democrat Donna Shalala delivered her party a key victory on Tuesday, defeating Republican Maria Elvira Salazar in a district that Democrats had been gunning to flip. ... Shalala, a former Health and Human Services secretary in the Clinton administration, does not speak Spanish in a district where nearly 60 percent of registered voters are Latino. (Greenwood, 11/6)

And in another closely watched race, an incumbent holds on to his seat despite being under indictment for insider trading -

Stat: Indicted For Biotech Insider Trading, Rep. Chris Collins Keeps His Seat 
Rep. Chris Collins, the New York congressman who tirelessly promoted an Australian biotech company and who now faces charges of insider trading related to the firm, prevailed in his re-election bid on Tuesday. Collins, who has denied the allegations, prevailed over Democrat Nathan McMurray. McMurray conceded the race late Tuesday night but called for a recall early Wednesday morning, after multiple media outlets had long since called the contest in favor of Collins. (Garde, 11/6)

USA Today: Republicans Make History By Growing Senate Majority While Losing House
The Democratic incumbents focused on nonpartisan local issues – such as helping veterans – while heavily emphasizing health care, an issue with a lot of crossover appeal, particularly for female voters. They promised to be with Trump when they agreed with him and stand up to him when they didn't. But those red-state Democrats had the difficult task of keeping their base enthused about their re-election bids while attracting enough of the Republicans they needed to carry their states. (Groppe, 11/7)

NBC News: In Senate Midterm Elections, Democrats Falls Short As Republicans Retain Control
Republicans retained control of the Senate on Election Day, trouncing at least three Democratic incumbents and building upon their 51-49 majority in Congress' upper chamber. (Smith, 11/6)

Stat: Bob Hugin Reflects On His Failed Senate Bid — And The Role Pharma Played 
On election night, Bob Hugin insisted it wasn’t his past as a pharmaceutical executive that did him in. Incessant attacks from his Democratic opponent [New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez], $3.5 million worth of ads labeling him “the guy who made a killing” by raising drug prices, and a pharma-focused interview on a nationally syndicated radio show beg to differ. (Facher, 11/7)

NPR: Democrats Gain In Governors' Races, But Miss Chance At History
Democrats made modest inroads against the GOP's commanding lead in governors' offices around the country after Tuesday's midterm elections. But two of their marquee candidates appear to have fallen short. And Republicans are projected to continue to hold power in the 2020 presidential battlegrounds of Florida and Ohio. (Horsley, 11/7)

The New York Times: Democrats Oust Walker In Wisconsin And Kobach In Kansas But Fall Short In Florida And Ohio
Democrats wrested control of governorships from Republicans in seven states on Tuesday including Wisconsin, where they ousted Scott Walker after eight tumultuous years as the state’s chief executive, and Kansas, a surprise victory in a longtime Republican stronghold. But Republicans fended off strong Democratic challenges to hold on to the governorships of Florida, Ohio and Iowa, maintaining their control of three states likely to be crucial in the 2020 presidential elections. (Nagourney, Ember and Mazzei, 11/6)

CNN: Scott Walker Loses Bid For Third Term In Wisconsin
[Democrat Tony] Evers, the Wisconsin state superintendent of public instruction, hammered [Gov. Scott] Walker throughout the campaign as a career politician who has been around too long with too few results. Evers, like Democrats across the country, ran in clear opposition to the Republican health care plan, but he also seized on the widely held view in the state that education had suffered under Walker. The governor was on defense for much of the campaign, accusing Evers of being a Democrat who wants to raise taxes on all Wisconsinites and arguing that he was wrong about his health care attacks. (Merica, 11/7)

Politico: Democrat Tony Evers Ousts Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker
Evers hammered Walker on state education funding and Medicaid, pledging to expand the low-income public health insurance program if he was elected. He proposed new infrastructure investments and criminal justice reform measures. (Strauss, 11/7)

The Wichita Eagle: Democrat Laura Kelly Defeats Kris Kobach To Become Kansas’ Next Governor
Kelly focused much of her time in the Legislature on the state’s child welfare system, which has been rocked by a series of shortcomings and controversies over the past several years. She has also been critical of how the state’s welfare programs have been run over the past few years as Brownback and Republican lawmakers restricted benefits. ... Kelly also wants to expand and overhaul the state’s Medicaid program, a move that could affect more than 400,000 participants. (Shorman and Woodall, 11/6)

The New York Times: Laura Kelly, A Kansas Democrat, Tops Kobach In Governor’s Race
Ms. Kelly, 68, a longtime legislator from Topeka, focused her campaign on issues like Medicaid expansion, school funding and highway construction, winning endorsements from many prominent Kansas Republicans and votes from across the political spectrum. (Smith, 11/6)

California Healthline: California Dreamin’? With Newsom’s Win, Single-Payer Unlikely To Follow Anytime Soon
Californians on Tuesday elected a governor who campaigned for a complete overhaul of how people get their health coverage — but they shouldn’t hold their breath. Rather, as Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom and the Democratic-controlled legislature take steps to provide more people with health insurance, they’ll likely approach it piecemeal over several years. Newsom himself is already tempering expectations about California’s move to a single-payer system, saying it will take more than the will of one person to realize. (Young, 11/6)

The New York Times: Gavin Newsom Is Elected Governor Of California
Nearly three decades younger than Jerry Brown, the governor he will be replacing, Mr. Newsom, 51, has seemed to relish challenging Mr. Trump on a number of issues that Californians care deeply about, from climate change to immigration to health care. In becoming governor of America’s largest state, Mr. Newsom faces the daunting task of solving the intractable issues he campaigned on: wealth inequality, homelessness, early childhood education and providing health care coverage to all, among others. (Arango and Fuller, 11/7)

Sacramento Bee/The Mercury News: Newsom Will Be California’s Next Governor
Like Brown, Newsom has vowed to aggressively fight efforts by President Donald Trump and his administration to roll back Obamacare, undo the state’s strong environmental laws and loosen protections for undocumented immigrants. In the later weeks of the campaign, he argued that he would also act as “the adult in the room,” as Brown did, to curb legislative excess. Newsom’s expensive policy promises — he has vowed to push for universal health care, a statewide preschool program for all and a massive investment in state infrastructure and job training — will present steep challenges once he assumes office. Brown has warned that the economy could falter. (Hart, 11/6)

And in another statewide election --

Georgia Health News: Beck Elected Georgia Insurance Commissioner
Republican Jim Beck, former general manager of the Georgia Underwriting Association, has been elected Georgia’s next insurance commissioner. ... The commissioner job is an important one, as insurance issues have become major pocketbook issues for many Georgia families. (Miller, 11/7)

CNBC: Utah, Idaho And Nebraska Approve Medicaid Expansion Ballot Measures
Three red states approved Medicaid expansion in Tuesday's midterm elections, changes that will potentially cover hundreds of thousands more low-income Americans, NBC News projected. Voters in Utah, Nebraska and Idaho were all expected to pass ballot measures to broaden the federal and state health insurance program, according to NBC. The support for Medicaid expansion, an Affordable Care Act provision, came over the objections of many officials who had so far declined to adopt it, citing budgetary constraints. (Pramuk, 11/7)

Huffington Post: Medicaid Is A Big Winner On Election Day
These four campaigns started out with grassroots organizing by local residents, who gathered support from allies including organizations representing physicians, hospitals, chambers of commerce, patient advocates and progressive groups. The approval of these ballot initiatives in deeply Republican states could be seen as a repudiation of President Donald Trump and his party’s attempts to scale back government health care programs, especially during a national campaign that focused heavily on health care. That’s despite Republican candidates winning key elections in those same states, including for governor in Idaho and Nebraska. (Young, 11/7)

Lincoln Journal Star: Medicaid Expansion Wins With Lincoln, Omaha Support 
After seven years of legislative refusal to expand Medicaid in Nebraska, voters on Tuesday night extended coverage to an estimated 90,000 adult Nebraskans who are working at low-wage jobs. That decision will bring an estimated $1.3 billion in federal funding flowing into the state during the first three years of the new program, which would provide health care coverage for Nebraskans who work at jobs like food service and retail sales that earn them less than $17,000 a year. (Walton, 11/7)

The Hill: Nebraska Voters Pass Medicaid Expansion
Voters in Nebraska approved a ballot measure to expand Medicaid, despite opposition from the state’s Republican governor and legislators. The approval means an estimated 90,000 people, many of whom earn less than $17,000 a year, will now be eligible for Medicaid coverage. Nebraska was one of 17 states that did not take federal money to expand Medicaid as part of ObamaCare. (Weixel, 11/7)

The Salt Lake Tribune: 150,000 More Utahns Poised To Get Medical Coverage As Voters OK Medicaid Expansion
Help is on the way for 150,000 low-income Utahns seeking health care coverage after Utah voters approved full Medicaid expansion, according to unofficial election results late Tuesday. Proposition 3 was carrying 55 percent of the vote at press time, with 45 percent opposing the measure. (Wood, 11/7)

Idaho Statesman: Medicaid Expansion Passes In Idaho
Idaho’s Proposition 2, Medicaid expansion, hit a groove early Tuesday night and just kept going. With 78 percent of votes tallied, the measure still had the support of more than 60 percent of residents at around 2 a.m. Wednesday. The Associated Press called it as passing shortly before midnight. Expanding the state’s Medicaid program to cover childless and low-income adults had the support of Idaho Gov. Butch Otter and certain Republican state lawmakers, as well as industry stakeholders such as hospitals. (Dutton, 11/6)

The Associated Press: Votes Still Being Counted For Montana Ballot Issues
Election officials counted votes late Tuesday for ballot issues on extending the state’s expanded Medicaid program by raising the tobacco tax and on imposing new cleanup standards on mines. ... The Medicaid measure would raise the state’s tax on a pack of cigarettes to $3.70 and on snuff to at least $3.70 per 1.2-ounce can. The extra money would go to help pay for the wider Medicaid program that covers about 96,000 people and is scheduled to expire next year. It also would flow to other health and veterans programs and into the state’s general fund. (Volz, 11/7)

Los Angeles Times: California Voters Reject Ballot Measure To Cap Dialysis Company Profits
Proposition 8, which would have imposed a cap on the profits earned by large dialysis companies such as DaVita, was defeated by voters on Tuesday. Sponsored by the Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers, the measure would have shrunk the profits of hundreds of dialysis clinics across California, requiring clinics to provide rebates to insurers and pay a penalty to the state on business revenue that exceed 115% of certain costs to deliver care. A coalition led by DaVita and Fresenius Medical Care, the two companies that control a combined 72% of the dialysis market in California, has given $110 million to a campaign to beat the measure — contributing to the most money raised for such a campaign in state history. (Luna, 11/6)

San Jose Mercury News: Prop. 8: Voters Reject Cap On Dialysis Revenue
Proposition 8 fell flat at the polls Tuesday, with voters rejecting the measure that would have capped revenue made by the state’s dialysis clinics. The union-backed measure broke campaign spending records and sparked fierce debate, with both sides vehemently arguing their position was the one that would protect the 80,000 kidney disease patients in California who rely on life-saving dialysis treatment every month. (Kendall, 11/6)

KQED: Proposition To Cap Revenues At Dialysis Clinics Fails, Supporters Vow To Try Again In 2020
California voters on Tuesday rejected a first-of-its-kind ballot measure that would have placed a 15 percent revenue cap on private dialysis clinics in the state. (Levi, 11/6)

USA Today: Ballot Measures: Florida Votes To Restore Felon Voting Rights; Missouri, Michigan Pass Pot
Elsewhere across the country, voters in West Virginia, Alabama and – surprisingly – Oregon voted on measures that would limit abortion. Alabama passed Amendment 2, according to The Associated Press, which makes it state policy to “recognize and support the sanctity of unborn life and the rights of unborn children, including the right to life.” It adds that no provisions of the Alabama Constitution provide the right to an abortion or require funding of abortions. West Virginians passed a similar measure with  Amendment 1, which will change the language of the West Virginia Constitution to say, “nothing in this Constitution secures or protects a right to abortion or requires the funding of abortion.” (Schnell, 11/7)

The Oregonian: Anti-Abortion Measure 106 Defeated In 2018 Oregon Election 
A ballot measure to restrict state funds for abortions was rejected Tuesday by 66 percent of the vote in partial returns. Oregon has long upheld abortion rights, even as other states have put restrictions on women's ability to obtain or pay for the procedure. Oregon is one of 17 states that allows state funds to pay for abortions. Still, the measure was significant because it was the first abortion-related ballot initiative since 2006. Oregon Life United, the group behind Measure 106, failed in two earlier attempts to get the issue on the ballot. This year, it captured a mere 221 signatures more than the minimum required. (Harbarger, 11/6)

KQED: Voters Pass Proposition 11, Say Ambulance Workers Should Stay On Call During Breaks
Californians voted to deny EMTs and paramedics uninterrupted rest and meal breaks, passing Proposition 11 by 62 percent. The measure requires ambulance staff to remain on duty during breaks, keeping their radios and pagers turned on while they get coffee or lunch. (Dembosky, 11/6)

KQED: Voters Pass $1.5 Billion Children's Hospital Bond
California voters on Tuesday approved Proposition 4, which authorizes the state to sell $1.5 billion in bonds for children's hospitals to be used mainly on infrastructure projects. As of midnight on Tuesday, the measure had nearly 60 percent support. (Klivans and Dembosky, 11/7)

Boston Globe: Voters Reject Question 1, Which Would Have Mandated Nurse Staffing Levels; Decision Has Far-Reaching Impact For Health Care
Massachusetts voters rejected a ballot measure Tuesday that would have set strict limits on the numbers of patients assigned to hospital nurses, following a bruising and costly campaign that pitted nurses against hospital administrators — and nurses against nurses. The ballot question was as passionately fought as it was difficult for many voters to decipher. The result was a blow to the Massachusetts Nurses Association, a labor union that sponsored the measure and had argued that limits were needed to ensure that patients were receiving safe care. (Dayal McCluskey, 11/6)

WBUR: Mass. Voters Say 'No' To Nurse Staffing Ballot Question
Massachusetts voters have decided the state will not write nurse-to-patient ratios into law. A ballot question that would have set the maximum number of patients assigned to a nurse in hospitals at any given time failed on Tuesday. (Bebinger, 11/6)

WBUR: Mass. Votes 'Yes' On Question 3 To Keep Law Protecting Transgender People In Public Accommodations
Massachusetts voters have passed Question 3, an expected decision that upholds a two-year-old state law that protects transgender people in public accommodations. With the vote, the 2016 state law allowing people to use bathrooms, locker rooms or other similar facilities that correspond with the gender with which they identify — instead of their assigned sex at birth — will remain on the books. (Creamer, 11/6)

The Associated Press: Massachusetts Backs Transgender Rights; Michigan OKs Pot Use
Voters in 37 states considered an array of intriguing ballot measures Tuesday. Michigan voters made their state the first in the Midwest to legalize recreational marijuana by passing a ballot measure that will allow people 21 or older to buy and use the drug. A similar measure was defeated in North Dakota, meaning there are now 10 states that allow recreational use of pot. Missouri became the 31st state to approve the medical use of marijuana, while Utah was considering that step. (Crary, 11/7)

KCUR: Missouri Is Next In Line For Medical Marijuana 
Missouri became the latest state to legalize medical marijuana Tuesday when voters went for one of the three ballot measures: Amendment 2. Both Amendment 3 and Proposition C failed, meaning that the courts won't have to decide which program is implemented. Many advocates at an Amendment 2 watch party at Boulevard Brewery in Kansas City celebrated the results as a victory for those seeking alternatives to mainstream medicine. (Smith, 11/7)

The Hill: Missouri Becomes Latest State To Legalize Medical Marijuana
Missouri became the latest state to legalize medical marijuana on Tuesday night. The measure, Amendment 2, will alter the state's constitution to allow doctors to prescribe the drug for several different medical conditions. The measure will include a 4 percent tax on marijuana sales, with proceeds being devoted to health care for veterans.  (Wise, 11/7)

Vox: Nevada Question 2 Results: “Tampon Tax” Eliminated
Nevada just became the 10th state to eliminate the so-called “tampon tax,” making menstrual products exempt from state sales taxes. Voters on Tuesday approved State Question No. 2, meaning Nevada consumers will be able to buy sanitary pads and tampons without paying the state’s 6.85 percent sales tax. Supporters of the measure, proposed by Democratic state Sens. Yvanna Cancela and Joyce Woodhouse, argued that taxing the products placed an unfair financial burden on women. The Food and Drug Administration regulates tampons as medical devices; other medical devices, like bandages and prosthetics, are exempt from Nevada sales tax. (North, 11/7)

Bloomberg: CVS Stock (CVS) Up As Same-Store Sales Defy Threats 
CVS Health Corp.’s same-store sales grew 6.7 percent in the third quarter, driven by strong performance at the prescription counter and front-of-the-store retail revenue that rose slightly despite continued pressure from online sellers. Adjusted earnings per share were $1.73, beating the $1.71 average of analysts’ estimates. The company reaffirmed its forecast for 2018 earnings. (Langreth, 11/6)

The Associated Press: CVS Health Tops 3Q Earnings Forecasts, Backs 2018 Outlook
More prescriptions and lower taxes pushed CVS Health past third-quarter expectations as the pharmacy giant closed in on a deal it will use to change how millions of people manage their health. CVS Health said Tuesday that it expects to complete its $69 billion acquisition of the nation’s third-largest health insurer, Aetna, before Thanksgiving. (Murphy, 11/6)

CNBC: CVS To Test Stores With More Health Services After Aetna Deal Closes
Consumers will soon start to see CVS Health's vision for the future of health care. CVS expects its roughly $69 billion acquisitionof health insurer Aetna to close before Thanksgiving, the company said Tuesday when announcing third-quarter financial results. The combined company has pledged to improve health services and outcomes and lower costs. CVS plans to open its first concept stores early next year, CEO Larry Merlo told Wall Street analysts Tuesday. (LaVito, 11/6)

Reuters: CVS Quarterly Profit Beats; Expects To Close Aetna Deal This Month
CVS, which last month won U.S. Department of Justice approval to buy Aetna, said it reached agreement with the state of California on the acquisition and expects to finalize terms over the coming days. The deal is expected to close before the Thanksgiving holiday, which falls on Nov. 22, CVS said. The combination is expected to reshape the healthcare sector as it brings together one of the largest PBMs and one of the nation’s oldest health insurers. (Mishra, 11/6)

The Wall Street Journal: CVS Lays Out Vision For Future As Aetna Merger Looms
CVS Health Corp. executives gave investors a window into its strategy after closing the acquisition of health insurer Aetna Inc., with an eye on becoming a one-stop shop for patients. ... CVS and Aetna operate in largely different businesses, with their most direct overlap coming in selling plans under the Medicare prescription-drug program, known as Part D. (Al-Muslim, 11/6)

Stateline: Too Few Doctors And Nurses For Veterans In Some Areas 
As the nation prepares to honor its veterans Nov. 12, many veterans in rural areas and some cities still face long wait times for health care because there aren’t enough doctors, nurses and support staff to provide it. Almost 40,000 of the 335,000 positions in the Veterans Health Administration are vacant, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs, which oversees the VHA. The VHA serves about 9 million veterans. (Henderson, 11/7)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Homeless Women Veterans In Georgia Slowly Rise In Numbers
Women who have served in the military have the same challenges in transitioning as their male counterparts, but with a few added stresses. Their family lives are frequently more complicated, especially if they are single mothers or the main custodial parent. (Emerson, 11/6)

New Hampshire Union Leader: Beyond The Stigma: State Launching Push To Promote 'Recovery-Friendly' Workplaces 
The state is ramping up its “recovery-friendly workplace” program to help New Hampshire businesses support their employees who have substance use disorders. Gov. Chris Sununu announced his RFW initiative at a press conference last March, and a working group has been meeting behind the scenes since then. The state has just started advertising for four positions, including a program director and three “recovery friendly advisers” who will help companies develop their own policies and programs. (Wickham, 11/6)

Los Angeles Times: Federal Judge Wants Investigation Into Mental Health Care At California Prisons Following Scathing Report
A federal judge on Monday said she plans to appoint an investigator to launch a probe into whether California has painted an inaccurately rosy picture of psychiatric care inside its prison system as part of a lawsuit against the state that has spanned nearly three decades. U.S. District Judge Kimberly Mueller’s move comes on the heels of a 161-page report written by the chief psychiatrist for the prison system alleging the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has concealed issues surrounding the adequacy of mental health care and staffing in prisons from officials who could mandate changes. (Fry, 11/6)

Boston Globe: N.H. Supreme Court Upholds Owen Labrie Conviction In Sex Assault On 15-Year Old Girl
The New Hampshire Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the convictions of Owen Labrie, the former St. Paul’s student found guilty in 2015 of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl in a room on campus the year before and using a computer to lure her into the encounter. Labrie’s convictions were affirmed by a 3-0 margin. (Andersen and Ellement, 11/6)

Crain's Chicago Business: Two Medicaid Managed Care Insurers Become One
And then there were six … again. The state’s overhauled Medicaid managed care program is back down to six insurers following the consolidation of two health plans. Harmony Health Plan is becoming part of Meridian Health Plan following WellCare’s $2.5 billion acquisition of Meridian. Harmony members will automatically be enrolled with Meridian on Jan. 1, unless they request otherwise. (Goldberg, 11/6)

Houston Chronicle: UTMB Takes Over Old Bay Area Regional Hospital, Holds Job Fair
University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston is seeking employees through a series of job fairs to staff its new campus at the former Bay Area Regional Medical Center in Webster, according to a UTMB spokesman. Jobs are available at the newly named UTMB Clear Lake Campus Hospital, which is expected to open in the spring, according to a UTMB press release. (Jones, 11/6)

NPR: How Hospitals Can Tackle The Maternal Mortality Crisis
Having a baby in the United States can be dangerous. American women are more likely than women in any other developed country to die during childbirth or from pregnancy-related complications. And while other countries' maternal death rates have gone down, U.S. rates have risen since 2000, a fact that has left both doctors and expectant mothers concerned about the state of maternity care in this country. But many of these problems could be prevented if hospitals would standardize the way they care for women in labor, according to the authors of a recent essay in the New England Journal of Medicine. They say hospitals can improve quality of care for three common complications in childbirth: heavy bleeding after delivery known as postpartum hemorrhage, problems with high blood pressure, and blood clots before or after delivery. (Gordon, 11/6)

Chicago Tribune: Barriers For Cops Seeking Mental Health Treatment Remain Despite FOID Card Law
When a new state law took effect in August, supporters believed it would finally remove an obstacle for police officers seeking mental health treatment and maybe help lower a high suicide rate. Turns out it was not that simple. The law prohibits police departments from firing officers whose firearm owner’s identification cards have been revoked after an inpatient stay at a mental health facility. Many departments, including the Chicago Police Department, require officers to have FOID cards. (Buckley, 11/7)

Bloomberg: Pharma Makes Lobbying Push To Roll Back Seniors' Drug Discounts 
Pharma giants have been quick to tout their efforts to help the Trump administration rein in runaway drug prices, but behind the scenes the industry has been lobbying furiously to roll back recently mandated medicine discounts for U.S. seniors. Drug companies are focusing lobbying efforts to use a possible lame-duck session of Congress to peel back a legislative loss they suffered earlier this year, according to people familiar with the efforts. On the line for the drug industry is $1.9 billion next year, according to one estimate. Critics say the effort by the industry has the potential to increase costs for some of the most vulnerable and medically fragile Americans: seniors on Medicare. (Koons and Brody, 11/5)

Stat: AMA Delegates To Weigh A Plan For Personal Importation Of Drugs From Canada
The nation’s largest group of physicians is wading into the debate over the cost of prescription drugs with a proposal to allow Americans to purchase medicines from Canada, but not by going online. At its semi-annual policy meeting that begins this coming weekend, the American Medical Association will consider a motion to endorse medicines that are obtained in person from licensed brick-and-mortar Canadian pharmacies, but only if there are limits on quantities and product safety assurances are in place. (Silverman, 11/6)

FiercePharma: Epidiolex Rollout: $32,500 List Price Spurs Critics As First Cannabis Drug Hits Shelves
It’s official—the first FDA approved CBD product is on the market. GW Pharmaceuticals announced this morning that its cannabinoid Epidiolex, approved in the treatment of two rare forms of epilepsy, is now available by prescription. However, it may already be facing its first stumbling block with its price tag. Epidiolex has racked up angry social media comments since August when it announced its list price as $32,500 per year—with a new surge following today’s news. GW Pharma has been quick to point out that the drug is a rare disease therapy specifically approved to treat seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut and Dravet syndromes, and its pricing is in line with similar FDA-approved anti-epileptics. (Bulik, 11/2)

Stat: Despite Scrutiny Of Patient Assistance Programs By The Feds, Pharma Appears Unprepared 
As the federal government scrutinizes various programs that provide some form of assistance to patients, drug makers are responding inconsistently to the legal hazards, according to a new survey. Approximately one-third of the companies queried say they have altered procedures for funding independent charities that provide financial assistance to patients, but very few are regularly monitoring or auditing the activities of their patient services teams. And 25 percent of drug makers report that they provide patient services, such as copay cards, to people using their medicines for unapproved uses. (Silverman, 11/6)

FiercePharma: Tale Of 2 CEOs: Merck Chief Treads Carefully On Pricing, While Pfizer's Read Predicts More Hikes
Two Big Pharma CEOs have sounded off on drug pricing, and what a difference between the two. Merck's Ken Frazier stayed in safe territory with his barbs against rebates, but Pfizer's Ian Read touched off controversy by predicting a return to price hikes. During separate sets of remarks this week, Frazier took a line that's approved even by the price-fighting Trump Administration by criticizing the payer rebates that hack into net sales. Meanwhile, even after a public lashing from Trump on price hikes, Read said Pfizer's ready to return to "business as normal" in 2019, indicating that price increases are likely on the way. (Sagonowsky, 11/2)

The Economist: The White House Makes A Last-Minute Proposal On Drug Prices
Such exceptional disparities in drug prices are typical in America. Pharmaceutical spending is the highest in the OECD club of mostly rich countries, at $1,174 per person—more than twice as much as in Britain. Voters have grown tired of the price- gouging. Over the past five years, prices of the 20 most-prescribed brand-name drugs have rocketed at ten times the rate of inflation. Out-of-pocket costs, the cash payments made for treatment that are not covered by health-insurance premiums, have spiked. For these reasons, health care has been the subject of nearly half of all political advertisements on television in the run-up to the mid-terms. (11/3)

Stat: Skin Cancer Immunotherapy Could Have Potential But Don't Hang Hopes On New Data
OncoSec Medical (ONCS), a biotechnology company focused on combination immunotherapies, offered anecdotal evidence last year suggesting its novel approach might help some skin cancer patients who do not benefit from the currently approved class of drugs known as checkpoint inhibitors. What OncoSec lacked was data from a clinical trial to hang its hopes on. On Tuesday, the company tried to remedy that scientific shortcoming, but the newly released sliver of data on the drug, called Tavo, are frustratingly early and hard to interpret. (Feuerstein, 11/6)

Bloomberg: Big Employers Will Use Online Startup To Save On Medicine Costs 
A group of large employers plans to use a new online prescription-savings tool as they confront high drug costs and try to steer patients to the most cost-effective medicines. The Health Transformation Alliance, a coalition of more than 40 big companies that includes IBM Corp., Verizon Communications Inc. and American Express Co., has agreed to use a new online tool from startup Rx Savings Solutions to help the millions of people who work for the group’s members get better deals on their medications. (Langreth, 11/1)

Stat: Can Novartis Charge $4 Million For A One-Time Drug? 
Novartis believes its new gene therapy is worth more than $4 million for a one-time dose, and the company has some data to back that up. But, with a global spotlight on the escalating cost of medicine, is it politically viable to set a new record for the world’s most expensive drug? The treatment, called AVXS-101, has demonstrated dramatic effects in spinal muscular atrophy, a rare genetic disorder whose most severe form is fatal for almost all patients before age 2. In a 15-patient trial, infants with SMA who got AVXS-101 had a 100 percent survival rate after 24 months, data that convinced Novartis to pay $8.7 billion for the gene therapy’s inventor. (Garde, 11/5)

FiercePharma: Gilead Investors Spooked By UnitedHealthcare Push To Cut HIV Drug Costs
The ongoing war over drug prices has spawned numerous cost-saving initiatives from payers and the federal government, and now a new program from UnitedHealthcare has Gilead Sciences feeling the hurt. Unveiled this week, UnitedHealthcare’s MyScriptRewards program will offer patients up to $500 in prepaid debit cards for medical expenses if they work with their doctors to choose lower-cost HIV drug regimens. The program is rolling out in HIV antivirals to start, with other specialty drug classes to follow. (Sagonowsky, 11/1)

The Wall Street Journal: Eli Lilly Raises 2018 Guidance After Strong 3Q
Eli Lilly & Co. on Tuesday raised its adjusted earnings per share guidance as it reported a more than doubled third-quarter profit. The Indianapolis, Ind.-based drugmaker earned a quarterly profit of $1.15 billion, or $1.12 a share, compared with $555.6 million, or 53 cents, for the same period last year. Excluding items, Eli Lilly reported an adjusted profit of $1.39 a share for the quarter, compared with $1.05 last year and analysts forecasts of $1.15. (Walker, 11/6)

Reuters: Sanofi And Regeneron's Dupixent Gets More Positive Feedback From U.S. FDA
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) regulator has given more positive feedback on the Dupixent eczema treatment being developed by drugmakers Sanofi and Regeneron, the companies said on Tuesday. Dupixent was launched in the United States in April 2017 for the treatment of moderate-to-severe eczema in adults, and the product is seen as a key sales driver for both companies. (11/6)

Stat: The New Congress Must Take Action To Lower Drug Prices
With the new Congress mostly in place, now split between a Democratic House and a Republican Senate, a new dynamic is in place. Any legislation, including efforts to rein in drug prices, will need to have bipartisan support to move forward. Bringing pricing restraint to the costliest prescription drugs should be a bipartisan priority, especially given President Trump’s public pledges to act on drug prices and the negative impact of costly drugs on the federal budget, not to mention on the budgets of families and employers. The change in the House should provide a new political dynamic that offers possibilities for real action on drug prices. Trump campaigned on a promise to lower “astronomical” drug prices, and called for giving Medicare more negotiating power. He summoned CEOs from the big pharmaceutical firms to the Oval Office shortly after he was sworn in, brought in the TV cameras, and promised to do something about drug prices. (John Rother and David Durenberger, 11/7)

Bloomberg: Big Pharma's Price Freezes Aren't Fooling Anybody
Pfizer Inc. was called out by Trump in a July tweet over mid-year price increases the drug giant pushed through on a number of its medicines, and the public shaming prompted the company to roll back the increases. That was followed by appeasement from other big pharma firms including Merck & Co., Novartis AG and Roche Holding AG. It’s been obvious from the start that these moves were cosmetic. Roche, for example, promised to forego further price increases this year only after it had already enacted hikes on some of its biggest sellers. But the earnings reports are further proof that efforts intended to mollify the president didn’t involve much if any sacrifice. (Max Nisen, 10/31)

Washington Times: 'Transparency' Alone Can't Convey The Context Or Complexity Of Pricing Drugs
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar wants to make prescription drug pricing more transparent. We agree, but his well-intentioned plan will only confuse and mislead consumers. What’s the good of listing drug prices in advertising if almost no one pays that “list price?” When patients say, “My drugs are too expensive,” they’re not talking about the list price — they’re talking about their co-pays at the pharmacy. While pharmaceutical companies determine a drug’s list price, known as the wholesale acquisition cost (WAC), health insurers and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) determine what patients will actually pay for those drugs. These “payers” negotiate discounts and rebates from drug companies that can reach 40 percent or 50 percent off the WAC price. Unfortunately, these health care middlemen keep much of those savings and pass only a paltry portion of the discounts on to consumers. (Peter J. Pitts and Merrill Matthews, 11/6)

The Columbus Dispatch: Editorial: Drug-Price Database Can Lead To Change
One thing we hope the Dispatch series “Side Effects” has made clear is just how unclear our nation’s drug-pricing system is — how many hidden manipulations affect the price we pay for medications and where that money goes. Making those machinations more visible is the key to driving change in a system that benefits invisible players at the expense of the taxpaying public and independent pharmacists. (11/7)

Bloomberg: Eli Lilly’s Big Picture Justifies Its Lofty Valuation
Eli Lilly & Co. has been a darling of pharma investors, as evidenced by the stock’s large premium to its peer group. But their fondness has been based more on promise than real-world delivery. The drug giant’s third-quarter earnings report Tuesday drove that home. Lilly wouldn’t have met sales expectations without a decent performance from some of its older medicines — something that can’t be counted on in future — and the company’s shares fell more than 4 percent in early trading as a result. (Max Nisen, 11/6)

Bloomberg: AbbVie Best-Seller Humira Shows Its Mortality
It’s pretty nice to be the maker of the world’s best-selling drug. Too bad investors always want to know what’s next. AbbVie Inc. announced third-quarter earnings Friday that beat analysts’ profit expectations and, on top of that, increased its 2018 guidance and boosted its dividend. As always, the gains were propelled by its super-blockbuster Humira, which generated $5.12 billion in sales in the quarter. But the good times, or at least the best of them, are coming to a close. (Max Nisen, 11/2)

The Wall Street Journal: A Democratic House 
The other liability for Republicans was their failure to repeal and replace health care. Democrats played on voter fears of repeal but the GOP could never point to the benefits of a replacement they didn’t pass. Then too many Republicans simply ran away from the subject, giving Democrats an open field. The late Senator John McCain delivered the final blow against reform, but the general GOP incoherence on the subject was also to blame. (11/7)

The Washington Post: The First Five Things The Democrats Should Do With Their House Majority 
Specifically, the new Democratic House majority should devote its first 100 days to passing five pieces of legislation, then dare the Senate and the Trump White House to follow suit or be called out for their refusal to act. ...Second, legislation to strengthen the Affordable Care Act, expand its coverage and patch up the gaps that the Trump administration has punched in it. Put aside the big debate over comprehensively changing the system for later; deliver on the core promise of most Democratic campaigns in 2018. (Ronald A. Klain, 11/7)

The New York Times: What Lawsuit To Gut Obamacare? Oh, That One
On Sept. 5, just as the Senate hearings for Brett Kavanaugh grabbed the nation’s attention, Judge Reed O’Connor, of the United States District Court in Fort Worth, heard oral arguments in a multistate, Republican-led lawsuit to destroy the Affordable Care Act, including key provisions aimed at protecting coverage for patients with pre-existing conditions. If the judge finds the states’ position persuasive — and he has given some indications in hearings that he does — he can invalidate the whole law. With Republican candidates throughout the country hailing the need to protect coverage for pre-existing conditions and promising to do so if elected, the lawsuit was a linchpin of Democrats’ efforts to denounce Republican hypocrisy and deception. But to the surprise of many, two months after that hearing, Judge O’Connor has yet to rule. (Cristian Farias, 11/6)

Boston Globe: Not A Blue Wave, But An Important Splash 
Other than Trump, there was one other notable issue in these midterms. After a succession of election cycles in which the Affordable Care Act weighed down Democrats, ACA-repeal efforts became an albatross for Republicans. That’s because voters belatedly came to appreciate the benefits the law bestowed, including the vital guarantee that people couldn’t be discriminated against in insurance coverage based on preexisting conditions. Tuesday’s results will end, at least for the short term, any serious effort to repeal the ACA. (Scot Lehigh, 11/7)

The Washington Post: Trump’s Hilarious Obamacare Gaffe Reveals The GOP Bind On Health Care
After weeks of Republicans claiming that they’re the ones who truly want to protect people with preexisting conditions despite having spent the past eight years fighting furiously to eliminate those protections, the health-care mendacity reaches its apotheosis with President Trump claiming that Democrats have a nefarious plan to eliminate Obamacare, which he and Republicans will save. Yes, it’s amusing. But it actually highlights an interesting question: What exactly are Republicans going to do about health care, and the Affordable Care Act in particular, after the election is over? (Paul Waldman, 11/6)

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Missouri’s Rural Residents Need Better Health Care Options
There are people all across Missouri who are struggling to access health care, but the situation is much worse for those living in rural communities and small towns.While about a quarter of Missourians living in metro areas like St. Louis and Kansas City are uninsured, 35 percent of those living in rural areas — the communities throughout most of our state — are uninsured. While the uninsured rate in big Missouri cities fell modestly after the Affordable Care Act was implemented, the rural uninsured rate has barely budged, according to a new report from researchers at Georgetown University and the University of North Carolina. (Aaron Griffin and Jen Bersdale, 11/6)

The Hill: Firearms, Violence And Hate Crimes Are Public Health Issues We Must Address Immediately 
A gunman opening fire in a grocery store, a yoga studio, or in a house of worship sounds like a scene from a nightmare — and the latter is eerily reminiscent of one of history’s darkest hours. Unfortunately, this is a reality that has become all too familiar across the U.S. From Pittsburgh, Aurora, Parkland, Orlando, Las Vegas, Newtown and South Carolina, it is clear that firearms violence has become a public health epidemic in America. (Ana Maria Lopez, 11/6)

The Hill: Flu Killed 65,000 People Last Year, But We Don't Seem To Care
Somehow, 12,000 to 65,000 deaths from the influenza virus each year in the U.S. alone has become acceptable to us. In fact, last year was the worst flu season in 40 years — 80,000 flu-related deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most years it is the elderly who pay the highest price — 80 percent of flu deaths are in people over 65, but their cause of death is usually noted as pneumonia. This year what’s making news is that the strains in circulation are killing people of all ages — young, healthy women and men and a chilling 100 reported deaths of children so far just in the U.S. (J. Joseph Kim, 11/6)

Stat: Executive Pay Shouldn't Be Protected From The Cost Of Opioid Legal Settlements 
Focusing on the “Big Three” drug distributors — Cardinal, McKesson, and AmerisourceBergen — we called for sweeping reforms to address the operational, cultural, and compliance problems that allowed these three companies to pump more than 420 million opioid pills into my home state of 1.8 million people in just six years. (All drug companies combined sent 780 million doses to the state.) As our successes demonstrate, shareholders of these companies have an inherent self-interest in reforming such reckless corporate behavior. (Ken Hall, 11/7)

The Hill: Marijuana Has Economic Benefits, But Public Health Risks Are Undecided
The marijuana business is booming in the U.S. medicinal marijuana is legal in 30 states and the District of Columbia. Eight states have legalized recreational marijuana. Sales figures are up wherever it is legally sold. In Colorado, for example, marijuana sales topped out at nearly $6B since 2014’s legalization. In 2017, sales there reached $1.5B and this year’s sales are on track to surpass that figure. This includes CBD (used medicinally — not the subject of this article) and plants with high levels of DTHC or THC, cannabis’s main psychoactive compound. This is all excellent news for municipalities and states that benefit from increased tax revenues and for savvy marketers who now sell marijuana at the rate of alcohol. Unfortunately, marijuana’s public health risks are not as clearly understood as the risks of alcohol. (Jonathan Fielding, 11/7)