First Edition: April 11, 2019
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Kaiser Health News:
As Sanders Officially Revives Medicare-For-All, Plan B For Democrats Gains Traction
That tension is pushing a number of candidates toward an emerging option called “Medicare for America.” The bill was introduced last December to little fanfare by two Democrats, Rep. Rosa DeLauro (Conn.) and Rep. Jan Schakowsky (Ill.). It hasn’t been reintroduced in the new Congress. This proposed system would guarantee universal coverage, but leaves job-based insurance available for those who want it. Unlike Medicare-for-all, though, it preserves premiums and deductibles, so beneficiaries would still have to pay some costs out-of-pocket. It allows private insurers to operate Medicare plans as well, a system called Medicare Advantage that covers about a third of the program’s beneficiaries currently, and which would be outlawed under Medicare-for-all. (Luthra, 4/11)
Kaiser Health News:
The Blame Game: Everyone And No One Is Raising Insulin Prices
The three drug manufacturers that make insulin — Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk and Sanofi — joined three pharmacy benefit managers — CVS Caremark, Express Scripts and OptumRx — to testify before the Oversight and Investigations panel at its second hearing probing the corporate maneuvers behind the skyrocketing costs. Pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, are the go-between companies that negotiate with drugmakers on which medicines will make insurance plans’ lists of covered drugs and how much insurers’ plans will pay for them. (Bluth, 4/10)
Kaiser Health News:
Making Smarter Decisions About Where To Recover After Hospitalization
Every year, nearly 2 million people on Medicare — most of them older adults — go to a skilled nursing facility to recover after a hospitalization. But choosing the facility can be daunting, according to an emerging body of research. Typically, a nurse or a social worker hands out a list of facilities a day or two — sometimes hours — before a patient is due to leave. The list generally lacks such essential information as the services offered or how the facilities perform on various measures of care quality. (Graham, 4/11)
The New York Times:
Lawmakers In Both Parties Vow To Rein In Insulin Costs
Members of Congress from both parties expressed immense frustration on Wednesday at big increases in insulin prices and vowed to work together on legislation to prevent more people from dying because they could not afford the lifesaving medicine. Representative Earl L. Carter, Republican of Georgia, said at the end of a three-hour hearing with pharmaceutical executives and middlemen, known as pharmacy benefit managers, “You’ve done something here today that we’ve been trying to do in Congress for years, and that is to create bipartisanship.” (Pear, 4/10)
Stat:
‘I Don’t Know How You People Sleep At Night’: Visibly Irate Lawmakers Blast Pharma, PBMs Over Insulin Prices
Drug makers and their middlemen counterparts spent the first three months of the 116th Congress successfully dodging hard blows from members of Congress over the high cost of prescription drugs. That all changed Wednesday. Insulin makers and drug industry middlemen faced hours of hard questions Wednesday from an irate panel of lawmakers, many of whom appeared far more interested in threatening to blow up the entire drug pricing system than in hearing from the pharma company or pharmacy benefit manager executives who testified. (Florko, 4/10)
Modern Healthcare:
High Insulin Costs Targeted By Lawmakers At House Hearing
Energy and Commerce Chair Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) told manufacturers his constituents are asking him to set list prices and demanded justification for why Congress shouldn't follow that path. Pallone will wield considerable influence in the forthcoming package to lower pharmaceutical costs. "They don't even believe in the market-based system anymore," the chairman told executives of Eli Lilly and Co., Novo Nordisk, Sanofi, CVS Health, Express Scripts and OptumRx. (Luthi, 4/10)
Stat:
Before House Hearing, Sanofi Cuts Insulin Prices For Some Patients
Just hours before one of its executives is set to testify at a Congressional hearing to review insulin pricing, Sanofi (SNY) on Wednesday offered a program that will lower the cost of the diabetes treatment to $99 a month for uninsured patients and others who pay cash in the U.S. Under the plan, the drug maker maintained patients can buy up to 10 boxes of insulin pens or vials with a valid prescription, beginning in June, and expands a program that began a year ago in which patients were paying $99 for each vial of insulin and $149 for each pack of insulin pens. (Silverman, 4/10)
Reuters:
Sanofi To Cut U.S. Insulin Costs For Some Patients To $99 Per Month
The price of other manufacturers' leading insulin products is $178 to $300 per vial and $235 to $563 per pack of pens, according to Sanofi. The move is an expansion of Sanofi's "Insulin Valyou Savings Program" launched last year and represents a significant savings for patients already enrolled who had been paying $99 for each vial of insulin and $149 for each pack of insulin pens. "When you hear us say in our testimony in the hearing tomorrow that it is heartbreaking and no one should have to go without insulin, we mean it," Michelle Carnahan, Head of North America primary care at Sanofi, said in an interview on Tuesday. (Erman, 4/10)
The Associated Press:
Insulin Too Pricey? Some Options To Cut Costs For Diabetics
The skyrocketing price of insulin has some diabetics scrambling to cover the cost of the life-saving medication. Others are skipping doses or using smaller amounts than needed, and sometimes landing in the emergency room, patients and advocates told Congress recently. About 7.4 million Americans use insulin to keep their blood sugar at safe levels. Insulin needs vary by patient, as do costs depending on insurance coverage. (Johnson, 4/10)
Stat:
Gilead Sciences To Lay Off One-Fifth Of Sales Force As Pressures Build
Gilead Sciences (GILD) is preparing to lay off approximately 20% of its sales force now that two of its older drugs have lost patent protection and face competition from lower-priced generics, STAT has learned. The decision to cut 150 long-tenured sales people — confirmed by a Gilead spokesperson — is being explained internally as an unfortunate but necessary cost-cutting move. But to some Gilead employees, the firings are another worrisome sign that the company’s executive team, led by recently appointed CEO Daniel O’Day, is struggling to find ways to grow revenue and earnings. (Feuerstein, 4/10)
Stat:
Despite Pharma's Best Efforts, Maryland Advances Major Drug Pricing Bill
The drug industry has long been seen as invincible in this small state capital, where last year it retained more than 100 lobbyists: two for every state senator, plus a dozen to spare. So drug pricing advocates considered it nothing short of a triumph this past Monday when, with an hour remaining before their 2019 session expired, lawmakers passed a first-of-its kind law to create a state board that could cap payments for ultra-expensive prescription drugs. (Facher, 4/11)
The New York Times:
Medicare For All And Beyond, Sanders Uses The Senate As His Launching Pad
Senator Bernie Sanders stepped to the lectern on Wednesday, red-faced and rumpled as ever, with a placard screaming “Medicare for All,” and likened his quest for a government-run universal health plan to earlier movements for women’s rights, civil rights, workers’ rights and gay rights. “What we are involved in is not just health care legislation,” he declared, flanked by admiring doctors in lab coats, Democratic senators and one of his rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York. “We are involved in a great struggle.” (Stolberg, 4/10)
The Washington Post:
Bernie Sanders Unveils New Medicare-For-All Legislation, A Key Component Of His 2020 Presidential Bid
At an event on Capitol Hill, Sanders unveiled his latest version of a single-payer plan, which would replace the patchwork of public and private insurers with a government-run system that Sanders argues would ultimately save consumers money. Sanders said he is seeking to replace a “dysfunctional” system based on “greed and profiteering” by health insurance companies. “Together we are going to end the international embarrassment of the United States of America, our great country, being the only major nation on earth not to guarantee health care to all as a right,” Sanders said. “This is a struggle for the heart and soul of who we are as American people.” (Wagner and Sullivan, 4/10)
Bloomberg:
Bernie Sanders Medicare For All Proposal: What You Need To Know
His proposal would replace private health insurance with a government-run plan that covers primary care, hospital stays and prescription drugs for all Americans, dramatically changing America’s $3.5 trillion health-care industry. Sanders, who also sought the Democratic nomination in 2016, has backed the concept for years and offered similar legislation in 2013, when it attracted no co-sponsors. Of 14 Democratic senators who have signed on this time, four are competing with Sanders for the Democratic nod: Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, Kirsten Gillibrand and Elizabeth Warren. Gillibrand is the only fellow candidate who attended the rally. (Litvan and Tozzi, 4/10)
The Associated Press:
Sanders Relaunches ‘Medicare For All’ With Dems Divided
Several independent studies of Medicare for All have estimated that it would dramatically increase government spending on health care, in the range of about $25 trillion to $35 trillion or more over a 10-year period. But a recent estimate from the Political Economy Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst suggests that the cost could be much lower. Sanders and his supporters say it’s a matter of principle. (Alonso-Zaldivar and Schor, 4/10)
Politico:
From Abortion To Immigration, Things You Didn’t Know Were In Medicare For All
The Medicare for All bill unveiled by Sen. Bernie Sanders on Wednesday would provide universal health care coverage, swallowing both the current public programs like Medicare and Obamacare, as well as private health insurance, into one new unified system. Progressives embrace the plan because the coverage is free, streamlined and fair. They believe it will save money by squeezing out the profit-driven model of care. Opponents counter that one-size-fits-all, government-run health care would balloon the country’s health spending and limit access to care — or both. (Ollstein and Kenen, 4/10)
Politico:
Sanders Vows To Blow Up Senate Rules To Pass Medicare For All
A President Bernie Sanders isn’t going to let something as trivial as the Senate rules thwart his drive to pass Medicare for All. The Vermont independent, one of the top-tier contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination, has been skeptical of getting rid of the legislative filibuster to pass a sweeping legislative agenda. Instead, Sanders is taking a page from Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who wanted to shred Senate rules in order to pass ambitious GOP health care legislation in 2017. (Everett, 4/10)
The Hill:
White House Slams Sanders's 'Medicare For All' Rollout
The White House on Wednesday slammed Sen. Bernie Sanders's (I-Vt.) rollout of an updated version of his "Medicare for all" bill, chiding the 2020 presidential hopeful as health care promises to be a key election issue. Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders derided the plan as a "total government takeover of health care that would actually hurt seniors, eliminate private health insurance for 180 million Americans, and cripple our economy and future generations with unprecedented debt." (Samuels, 4/10)
The Wall Street Journal:
Senate Republicans And Democrats Unveil Health-Care Plans
A group of Senate Republicans is reviving legislation aimed at guaranteeing protections for people with pre-existing conditions, as the GOP attempts to blunt the Democrats’ perceived political advantage on health care before the 2020 election. The narrowly tailored proposal, which Sen. Thom Tillis (R., N.C.) and 17 other Senate Republicans unveiled Wednesday, would preserve some of the most popular elements of the Affordable Care Act, which the Trump administration has moved to strike down in court. (Duehren, 4/10)
Politico:
GOP Eyes ‘Medicare For All’ Vote To Highlight Democratic Splits
Senate Republicans, eager to exploit Democrats’ divisions on health care, want to put their legislative rivals on the spot by bringing Sen. Bernie Sanders’ “Medicare for All” bill to the floor for a vote. Republicans used a similar tactic last month when Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell brought the “Green New Deal” plan from freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) to the Senate floor for a vote to highlight Democrats’ disunity and portray them as out of step with Americans. But most Democrats voted present, deeming the vote a stunt. (Levine, Cancryn and Ollstein, 4/11)
The Washington Post:
Trump Administration Appeals Rulings That Blocked Medicaid Work Requirements
The Trump administration appealed court rulings Wednesday by a federal judge that blocked federally approved programs in two states to compel some able-bodied people to work to qualify for Medicaid. The appeals, in cases challenging Kentucky and Arkansas’s Medicaid work requirements, come two weeks after a federal judge in Washington issued opinions that President Trump’s top health aides had been “arbitrary and capricious” in allowing the new rules and failed to consider their effect on vulnerable residents’ access to health insurance. (Goldstein, 4/10)
The Associated Press:
Trump Administration Appeals On Medicaid Work Requirements
The rulings last month by Judge James Boasberg in Washington D.C. blocked requirements for “able bodied” adults in Arkansas and Kentucky under which Medicaid recipients either had to work, study, volunteer or perform other “community engagement” activities. The Justice Department filed notice appealing to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Arkansas also appealed. (4/10)
The Washington Post:
Democrats File Bill To Overturn Trump Travel Ban, Prevent Family Separation
Democratic lawmakers filed legislation Wednesday to end President Trump’s travel ban, asylum ban and “extreme vetting” of refugees, a measure that is unlikely to pass the Senate or gain White House approval but attempts to prevent family separations and rally support for immigration leading up to the 2020 elections. Sen. Christopher A. Coons (D-Del.) and Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) announced the bill with support from freshman lawmakers Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and others. (Sacchetti, 4/10)
Politico:
Mulvaney Huddles With Senate Dems To Discuss 'Humanitarian Crisis' At Border
The White House met with Senate Democrats to discuss possibly jump-starting talks to fix the situation at the southern border on Wednesday afternoon. Mick Mulvaney, President Donald Trump's acting chief of staff, huddled in a closed door meeting with Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) in Feinstein’s office. (Levine, 4/10)
Reuters:
Pentagon To Find Places To Potentially House Up To 5,000 Unaccompanied Migrant Children
Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan has approved a request to identify locations to potentially house up to 5,000 unaccompanied migrant children if asked, the Pentagon said on Wednesday. In March, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) requested Pentagon support to identify locations to house unaccompanied migrant children through September 30. (4/10)
The Associated Press:
Family Seeks Answers In Immigrant’s Death After Detention
A 27-year-old man died in a California hospital after he suffered a brain hemorrhage while detained by U.S. immigration authorities, his wife said Wednesday, demanding to know what caused his injury and whether he received appropriate medical care in custody. Melissa Castro said she was called Feb. 8 by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement official and told that her husband had a “passing out episode” while in the custody of detention officials in Adelanto, California, and had been taken to the hospital. (Taxin, 4/10)
Politico:
White House Eyeing Former Head Of Anti-Immigration Group For DHS Job
The White House is considering nominating the former head of an anti-immigration group to lead U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, according to a White House official and three people briefed on the deliberations, the latest development in a series of staffing shakeups that have alarmed some Republican senators. (Hesson, Kumar and Restuccia, 4/10)
Politico:
It’s Trump Vs. Trump As Immigration Divides White House
President Donald Trump is in a fight over immigration — with himself. Trump denied on Tuesday that he is “cleaning house” at the Department of Homeland Security. But on Wednesday, the White House was eyeing a replacement for a senior DHS official whose job congressional Republicans are trying to save. (Johnson, Cook and Kumar, 4/10)
Stat:
AIDS Activists Skewer CDC For Stance On Reaping HIV Drug Royalties
Amid ongoing efforts to thwart HIV, AIDS activists are growing increasingly frustrated with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for failing to reach a deal with Gilead Sciences (GILD) over royalties on its sales of the Truvada prevention pill. Although the agency has refused to publicly discuss the subject, the activists hope any funds that could become available will be used for combating the virus. (Silverman, 4/10)
The Hill:
CDC Says Nearly 600 Cases Of Deadly Drug-Resistant Fungus Reported
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed hundreds of cases of a deadly multidrug-resistant fungus nationwide. The CDC has confirmed 587 cases of the fungus, Candida auris, in 12 states over the past few years, most of them in Chicago, New Jersey and the New York City area. The fungus is a yeast infection with a one-in-three mortality rate in cases where the infection reaches the heart, blood or brain, according to the CDC. (Budryk, 4/10)
Politico's Pulse Check:
Tony Fauci, The Nation's Top Infectious Disease Doctor
Tony Fauci joined NIH in 1968. He was named head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in 1984. And on a warm day in April 2019, he sat down with POLITICO's Dan Diamond to reflect on his ongoing work — from the emergence of HIV/AIDS nearly 40 years ago to how the Trump administration is trying to end the epidemic. On the podcast, Fauci also discussed the resurgence of measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases, his perspective on the Trump administration and what it's like to give advice to a president. (4/11)
Reuters:
CEO Sees Bayer 'Massively' Affected By Herbicide Litigation
Bayer's chief executive on Thursday acknowledged the German maker of pharmaceuticals and crop chemicals was facing massive challenges from a wave of lawsuits over an alleged carcinogenic effect of its Roundup weedkiller. "We have lost two cases in lower courts. That is why the company is massively affected. You see it in our share price," CEO Werner Baumann said in a panel discussion at an academic business event in Cologne. (4/11)
NPR:
Consumer Safety Agency May Ask Fisher-Price To Recall Rock 'n Play Sleepers
The Consumer Product Safety Commission is considering asking Fisher-Price to voluntarily recall its popular Rock 'n Play sleeper, according to acting chairman Ann Marie Buerkle. The federal agency, tasked with regulating consumer products, has "identified a hazard with rollover issues," in which babies move onto their stomachs or sides and can't return to their back. Buerkle has confirmed that 10 babies older than three months have died in the cot since 2015, and says the agency is in the midst of investigating another 22 deaths to see if they are linked to the sleeper. (Ellis, 4/10)
The New York Times:
Abnormal Levels Of A Protein Linked To C.T.E. Found In N.F.L Players’ Brains, Study Shows
Experimental brain scans of more than two dozen former N.F.L. players found that the men had abnormal levels of the protein linked to chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the degenerative brain disease associated with repeated hits to the head. Using positron emission tomography, or PET, scans, the researchers found “elevated amounts of abnormal tau protein” in the parts of the brain associated with the disease, known as C.T.E., compared to men of similar age who had not played football. (Belson and Carey, 4/10)
The Associated Press:
Brain Scans May Reveal Concussion Damage In Living Athletes
Researchers may be closing in on a way to check athletes while they’re alive for signs of a degenerative brain disease that’s been linked to frequent head blows. Experimental scans found higher levels of an abnormal protein tied to the disease in a study of former National Football League players who were having mood and thinking problems. It’s the first time a major study has tested these scans for detecting chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, which is only diagnosed now after death, with brain autopsies. (Marchione, 4/10)
Stat:
Study Reveals HIV Vulnerabilities, Path To Possible Therapies
One of the many mysteries that scientists working with HIV have been trying to solve is how the virus keeps its identity hidden in the body. The virus can be detected in blood, but once it gains entry into our cells, it remains obscure and out of reach of the immune system. And this inability to detect the virus in our cells has hindered efforts to properly eliminate the disease. But a new study’s findings suggest that we may have found a way to reveal the virus’s presence in human cells. In the study published Wednesday in Cell & Host Microbe, scientists were able to identify a new shape of an essential HIV protein that allows the virus to gain entry into our cells. (Chakradhar, 4/10)
NPR:
Should A Nurse's Fatal Medical Error Be Prosecuted?
A former nurse at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn., was arrested and charged with reckless homicide and abuse in February for making a medical mistake that resulted in an elderly patient's death. Criminal charges for a medical error are unusual, patient safety experts say. Some are voicing concern that the move sets a precedent that may actually make hospitals less safe by making people hesitant to report errors. The nurse, RaDonda Vaught, pleaded not guilty. Her next hearing is scheduled for April 11. She told NPR in an emailed statement from her lawyer that Vanderbilt terminated her employment after the incident. (Gordon, 4/10)
Stat:
In The Microbiome Field, It’s Academics Who Are Doing The Heavy Lifting
To figure out what microbiome therapeutics companies will do next, the best move may be to step away from the press releases and open a scientific journal. Academic science has been the foundation of almost every treatment, from insulin to gene therapy. But eventually, as a field matures, scientists in industry will start to show up as authors on more and more papers and as presenters at more and more conferences. (Sheridan, 4/11)
The Associated Press:
How Safe Is Running A Marathon? Heart Doctors Say It Depends
It was the death heard ‘round the running world. In July 1984, acclaimed author and running guru Jim Fixx died of a heart attack while trotting along a country road in Vermont. Overnight, a nascent global movement of asphalt athletes got a gut check: Just because you run marathons doesn’t mean you’re safe from heart problems. Fast-forward 35 years, and Boston Marathon race director Dave McGillivray is amplifying that message for marathoners, especially those who have coronary artery disease or a family history of it. (Kole, 4/11)
The New York Times:
Very Low Cholesterol May Increase Stroke Risk
Having extremely low cholesterol may increase the risk for stroke, a new study suggests. Researchers found that very low LDL, or “bad” cholesterol, and very low triglycerides are associated with an increased risk for hemorrhagic stroke, the type caused by a ruptured blood vessel in the brain. For the report, in Neurology, researchers reviewed data on total cholesterol, LDL, HDL (“good” cholesterol) and triglycerides for 27,937 women. During an average follow-up of 19 years, there were 137 hemorrhagic strokes. (Bakalar, 4/10)
The Wall Street Journal:
Drug Tests Show Marijuana Use At 14-Year High Among Workers
More American workers are testing positive for marijuana, a new report finds, as lawmakers in New Jersey and Illinois push to join nearly a dozen more states where recreational use of the drug is now legal. The number of workers and job applicants who tested positive for marijuana climbed 10% last year to 2.3%, according to an analysis of 10 million urine, saliva and hair samples by Quest Diagnostics Inc., one the nation’s largest drug-testing laboratories. (Gee, 4/11)
Stat:
Can N.Y. Require Measles Vaccinations? A 1905 Case May Offer A Foothold
When New York’s health department announced this week that it would mandate vaccinations in parts of Brooklyn to quell a ballooning measles outbreak, it was not the first to take such a step. In fact, its legal basis for the rare effort may be predicated on the actions of Massachusetts authorities who tried — and succeeded — in doing so over a century ago. In 1902, a Massachusetts man defied an order to be vaccinated against smallpox despite the fact the dangerous disease — since eradicated, thanks to vaccine — was spreading in Cambridge. The fight that ensued between the Rev. Henning Jacobson and public health authorities became a pillar on which public health powers have relied since the Supreme Court handed down its ruling in the state’s favor three years later. (Branswell, 4/10)
The Associated Press:
US Measles Tally Hits 465, With Most Illnesses In Kids
U.S. measles cases are continuing to jump, and most of the reported illnesses are in children. Health officials say 465 measles cases have been reported this year, as of last week. That's up from 387 the week before. (Stobbe, 4/10)
The Wall Street Journal:
Eight Measles Cases Found In New York’s Westchester County
Westchester County has confirmed eight measles cases, primarily confined to one family whose children were unvaccinated, officials said Wednesday. The infected children range in age from 6 months to 14 years old, and live in the Mount Kisco, N.Y., area, part of northern Westchester. The children were exposed to measles while attending family events in nearby Rockland County and Brooklyn, where there are two large measles outbreaks, County Executive George Latimer said. Some of the children attend a private yeshiva, he said. (West, 4/10)
The New York Times:
Parkland Victims’ Families Sue, Claiming Negligence In Mass Shooting
The families of some of the victims of the mass shooting last year in Parkland, Fla., filed 22 lawsuits on Wednesday accusing the local school district and sheriff’s office of negligence and seeking potentially millions of dollars in damages as compensation. The lawsuits claim that the Broward County Public Schools failed to keep students and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School safe in spite of warning signs that the shooting suspect, Nikolas Cruz, a former student, had threatened violence against the school community. (Mazzei, 4/10)
The Washington Post:
Families Of Massacre Victims Criticize Notification Process
Families whose loved ones perished in last year’s Florida high school massacre told a state commission Wednesday they waited hours, often alone in a room, before being told of the death in a process that seemed chaotic and lacking empathy. Parents of students Luke Hoyer, Gina Montalto and Jaime Guttenberg and the wife of athletic director Chris Hixon told the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission stories whose details differed but carried the thread that the Broward Sheriff’s Office had no apparent protocol for notifying families of a mass tragedy, which led to confusion in the hours after the Feb. 14, 2018, shooting that left 17 dead and 17 wounded. (Spencer and Kennedy, 4/10)
The Washington Post:
States Pushing Near-Bans On Abortion, Targeting Roe V. Wade
Emboldened by the new conservative majority on the Supreme Court, anti-abortion lawmakers and activists in numerous states are pushing near-total bans on the procedure in a deliberate frontal attack on Roe v. Wade. Mississippi and Kentucky have passed laws that would ban most abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, which means as early as six weeks, when many women don’t even know they’re pregnant. Georgia could join them if Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signs a measure that has been sent to him. (Crary, 4/10)
The New York Times:
Failed Texas Bill Would Have Made Death Penalty Possible In Abortion Cases
A bill considered by members of the Texas House of Representatives this week would have criminalized abortions and opened up the possibility for women and physicians to receive the death penalty. On Wednesday night, the legislation appeared to have no chance of progressing after the Republican chairman of the committee that heard testimony about the bill declared his opposition. The bill would have allowed women who obtained an abortion or doctors who performed one to be charged with assault or criminal homicide, the latter of which is punishable by death in Texas. (Jacobs, 4/10)
The Washington Post:
Bill Banning Abortions After Heartbeat Sent To Ohio Governor
No topic seemed off limits, including tales of back alleys and coat hangers, as abortion-rights supporters in Ohio fought perhaps the last battle over a twice-vetoed heartbeat abortion ban, which Gov. Mike DeWine has said he will sign. After nearly 10 years of fighting, Democrats let loose during the run-up to final House and Senate approval Wednesday with lessons from slavery, predictions of economic harm, references to the book of Genesis, and testimonials about their own rapes. Faith groups brandished banners and made pleas for religious tolerance. An advocate for reproductive rights threatened Republicans with the loss of young voters’ support in 2020. (Smyth, 4/10)
The Associated Press:
North Dakota Governor Signs Bill Banning Abortion Procedure
North Dakota Republican Gov. Doug Burgum signed legislation Wednesday that makes it a crime for a doctor performing a second-trimester abortion to use instruments such as clamps, scissors and forceps to remove the fetus from the womb. The bill that passed easily in the GOP-led Legislature last month outlaws the abortion practice known as dilation and evacuation — the most commonly used procedure in second-trimester abortions, according to the New York-based Guttmacher Institute, an abortion rights research organization. (MacPherson, 4/10)
The New York Times:
Facing Nurses Strike, New York Hospitals Reach Landmark Deal On Staffing
For several weeks, New York City has been at the center of a national debate about how many nurses should be on duty at hospitals. Nurses unions have pressed for rules setting minimum staffing levels, arguing that having too few nurses leaves patients at risk. Hospital officials have countered that they need flexibility in deploying their workers and should not be bound by rigid ratios. That dispute spurred more than 10,000 nurses to threaten to walk off their jobs this month at three of New York’s biggest hospital systems. (McGeehan, 4/10)
The Washington Post:
Jon Sander Convicted Of Murdering Neighbor Sandy Mazzella And His Family
Before it went bad, Jon Sander and Sandy Mazzella were buddies. They had been business partners in a lawn and landscaping company. The bond between the two North Carolinians was so tightly knit they lived with their families next door to one another on Clearsprings Drive, a residential street with long driveways and spacious lawns in Wake Forest, N.C., just northeast of Raleigh. Sander and Mazzella smoked weed together every day after work, the News & Observer would later report. They shared family vacations and Christmas dinners. Sander reportedly referred to Mazzella as “my little brother.” (Swenson, 4/11)
The Associated Press:
Georgia Confirms 17 Sickened In Multistate E. Coli Outbreak
A state agency says at least 17 people in Georgia have been sickened in an outbreak of E. coli infections affecting five U.S. states. The Georgia Department of Public Health said in a news release Wednesday that the number of E. coli cases is expected to increase. A total of 96 E. coli infections have been confirmed by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention working with state health officials in Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia. No deaths have been reported. (4/10)
The Wall Street Journal:
Mount Sinai Increases Effort To Cut Medical-Student Debt
New York City’s Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai announced Wednesday that it will expand scholarships in a bid to lower the total debt of its medical students, a move that follows other recent debt-relief efforts at New York medical schools. The plan, called the Enhanced Scholarship Initiative, will enable students to graduate with no more than $75,000 in debt, or about $18,750 a year in institutional and federal loans. (West, 4/10)