First Edition: February 13, 2019
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Kaiser Health News:
Texans Can Appeal Surprise Medical Bills, But The Process Can Be Draining
In Texas, a growing number of patients are turning to a little-known state mediation program to deal with unexpected hospital bills.The bills in question often arrive in patients’ mailboxes with shocking balances that run into the tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. When patients, through no fault of their own, are treated outside their insurers’ network of hospitals, the result can be a surprise bill. Other times, insurers won’t agree to pay what the hospital charges, and the patient is on the hook for the balance. (Lopez, 2/13)
Kaiser Health News:
Facebook Live: Helping People Age With Independence
What are the keys to aging with independence? How can we help you or your parents find ways to live independently? What tools and support are helpful? How do we help older adults do as much for themselves as possible, despite physical limitations? What can be done about depression and pain? How can Medicare and Medicaid help meet the needs of those who live at home and need more help? (2/12)
Politico:
Sherrod Brown Separates From Dem Pack On Medicare, 'Green New Deal' Proposals
Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) is declining to say whether he supports "Medicare for all" and "Green New Deal" proposals pushed by other members of his party as he considers a run for president, saying he doesn't need to weigh in to underscore that he's progressive. Brown has been pressed on the health care and climate change ideas as he's toured early primary states and fielded questions from voters and reporters. He has said that he broadly supports the philosophies of expanding Medicare and fighting climate change. Senate colleagues running for president, including Sens. Kamala Harris and Kirsten Gillibrand, have gotten behind the proposals. (Strauss, 2/12)
The Associated Press:
Parkland Anniversary Highlights Democratic Shift On Guns
In the final weeks before the 2008 election, Barack Obama's campaign sent mailers to Florida voters reassuring them that he supported the Second Amendment. In the opening days of the 2020 Democratic primary, it's hard to imagine any candidate feeling the need to make a similar gesture. "Guns are no longer the third rail," said Steve Schale, a political operative who ran Obama's Florida campaign in 2008. "Ten to 12 years ago, Democrats had to — for political necessity — be really careful about how they talked about it. Now, if you don't talk about it, you're not part of the political conversation." (Riccardi, 2/12)
The New York Times:
Trump Pledged To End H.I.V. But His Policies Veer The Other Way.
In his State of the Union address, President Trump announced a bold plan to end the scourge of H.I.V. by 2030, a promise that seemed to fly in the face of two years of policies and proposals that go in the opposite direction and could undermine progress against the virus that causes AIDS. In November, the Trump administration proposed a rule change that would make it more difficult for Medicare beneficiaries to get the medicines that treat H.I.V. infection and prevent the virus from spreading. (Pear, 2/12)
The Hill:
Trump Raises Fracking, Abortion In Meeting With Cuomo
President Trump on Tuesday suggested that New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) open the state up to fracking to improve its economy, and he also raised concerns about the state's recent legislation that expanded access to abortion. The two New Yorkers spoke at the White House after Cuomo requested a meeting to discuss a provision in the Republicans' 2017 tax-cut law that caps the state and local tax (SALT) deduction at $10,000. (Samuels, 2/12)
The Wall Street Journal:
New Mothers At Risk Of Depression To Get Counseling Services, Covered By Insurance, Under New Guidelines
Women who are pregnant or have just given birth should receive counseling if they have risk factors for depression, a U.S. panel of experts has recommended for the first time, forcing many health plans to cover such services at no additional cost. The recommendation was made Tuesday by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a group whose guidance most insurance plans are required to follow. (Abbott, 2/12)
The New York Times:
Depression During And After Pregnancy Can Be Prevented, National Panel Says. Here’s How.
Some kinds of counseling can keep some women from developing debilitating symptoms that can harm not only them but their babies, the panel reported on Tuesday. Its report amounted to a public call for health providers to seek out women with certain risk factors and guide them to counseling programs. The recommendation, by the United States Preventive Services Task Force, means that insurers will be required to cover those services — with no co-payments — under the Affordable Care Act. “We really need to find these women before they get depressed,” said Karina Davidson, a task force member and senior vice president for research for Northwell Health. (Belluck, 2/12)
NPR:
Cognitive Behavioral Counseling Can Prevent Postpartum Depression
The consequences of maternal depression can be severe, according to Davidson, who describes a "cascading set of problems" including premature birth, low birth weight and failure to thrive. After childbirth, new mothers who are depressed can be neglectful and inattentive to their newborn, putting the infants at risk for an even greater number of problems. In 2016, the Task Force recommended screening for depression among all adults, including pregnant women, and if depressive symptoms are detected, that adults, including pregnant women be treated. This year, the Task Force has taken their recommendation further. (Neighmond, 2/12)
The New York Times:
What You And Your Family Need To Know About Maternal Depression
Perinatal depression can occur during pregnancy or any time within a year after childbirth. As defined by the panel, it can involve major or minor depressive symptoms that last for at least two weeks, including loss of energy or concentration, changes in sleeping and eating patterns, feelings of worthlessness or suicidal thoughts. It’s not the same as the “baby blues,” which is less severe and doesn’t last as long. The panel said “baby blues” can occur right after childbirth and can include crying, irritability, fatigue and anxiety, symptoms that usually disappear within 10 days. (Belluck, 2/12)
The New York Times:
F.D.A. Panel Recommends New Depression Treatment
In a move that may clear the way for the first new treatment in years for depression, an expert panel recommended on Tuesday that federal regulators approve a nasal spray that delivers the active ingredients of ketamine, a popular club drug in the 1980s and 1990s. The new drug, called Esketamine and developed by Johnson & Johnson, is aimed at people with severe depression, particularly those with suicidal thinking. (Carey, 2/12)
Stat:
Depression Drug Related To Ketamine Wins Endorsement Of Advisory Panel
In a 14-to-2 vote, the panel said the benefits of the Johnson & Johnson drug, known as esketamine, outweigh the risks. The vote brings the novel type of rapid-acting treatment for depression one step closer to approval. The drug — delivered in a nasal spray — is related to the anesthetic ketamine. If approved, it would be the first major depression treatment approved in decades. The drug was tested in combination with oral antidepressants as a therapy for treatment-resistant depression. (Thielking, 2/12)
The Washington Post:
Three Teen Suicides In Eight Months Have Devastated This Midwest Village
In June, the death of 16-year-old DeAnte Bland jolted the rural village of Kingsley — population 1,600 in northwest Michigan. Four months later, 14-year-old Kayden Stone’s death sent shock waves again through the close-knit community. Then, Shealynn Pobuda, also 14, died in early February and the community met its breaking point. Eight months, three teenagers, three suicides. “Everyone was devastated,” said Keith Smith, the superintendent of Kingsley Area Schools. “This is a small community, and not only do we all know each other, we all know each others’ kids.” (Thebault, 2/13)
The New York Times:
Congress Poised To Help Veterans Exposed To ‘Burn Pits’ Over Decades Of War
Everywhere he went in Iraq during his yearlong deployment, Ryne Robinson saw the burning trash pits. Sometimes, like in Ramadi, they were as large as a municipal dump, filled with abandoned or destroyed military vehicles, synthetic piping and discarded combat meals. Sometimes he tossed garbage on them himself. “The smell was horrendous,” said Mr. Robinson, who was in Iraq from 2006 to 2007. (Steinhauer, 2/12)
USA Today:
Veterans Can Track VA Health Records On Their IPhones
Active members of the military and those who’ve left the service who receive care through Veteran Health Administration hospitals will be able to view all their personal medical data through the Health Records feature on their iPhones. Apple and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs made the announcement on Monday. Starting this summer, vets will be able to view an integrated snapshot of records from such providers pertaining to allergies, immunizations, vitals, test results, medications, procedures, conditions, and so on. The data is encrypted. (2/12)
The Washington Post:
Military Family Advisory Network: Military Family Housing Is Slum-Like, Report Says
For thousands of service members and their families, military housing is decrepit, dangerous and inescapable, according to survey results released Wednesday by an armed services advisory organization. The grievances paint a picture of slum-like conditions at bases across the United States, including black mold, lead, infestations of vermin, flooding, radon and faulty wiring. (Horton, 2/13)
Politico:
Health Plans Don’t Want Patients On Opioids. So What Are They Doing For Pain?
The national effort to curb the opioid crisis faces another big potential obstacle — insurers who won’t pay for less-addictive ways to control patients’ pain. Patients seeking other pain treatment options often find that their insurers won’t foot the bill or are forcing them to jump through maddening hoops to get coverage. Experts in and out of government worry that this will make it more difficult to reverse the deadly opioid crisis that killed more than 47,000 people nationwide in 2017, even as doctors cut back on opioid prescribing and state and federal governments step up efforts to prevent and treat addiction. (Demko, 2/12)
Stat:
Lawmakers Want FDA To Explain Why It Approved Painkiller Dsuvia
A pair of Democratic lawmakers is asking the Food and Drug Administration to provide documents that would explain its decision last fall to approve Dsuvia, a tablet version of a decades-old intravenous painkiller that is up to 10 times more potent than the highly addictive fentanyl. The agency greenlighted its use amid controversy that alternatives exist and that such a powerful opioid could easily be abused by being diverted, despite a prohibition on retail pharmacy sales. But as noted previously, the endorsement was championed by the military, which maintained that such a medicine is needed in combat zones. (Silverman, 2/12)
The Wall Street Journal:
FDA Warns McKesson To Properly Account For Opioid Violations
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration sent a warning letter Tuesday to McKesson Corp. that said the company had failed to put adequate systems in place to properly flag illegitimate opioid medications and suspicious drug activity in its distribution network. The FDA said the specific violations by the pharmaceutical distribution company included the failure to properly respond to illegitimate product notifications and not quarantine and investigate suspect product. (Chin, 2/12)
The Associated Press:
Hospital Tightens Drug Access, Rules After Excessive Dosages
The Ohio hospital system that found a doctor ordered possibly fatal doses of powerful painkillers for dozens of patients has tightened policies and drug access to address problems in pharmaceutical services that jeopardized Medicare participation for two hospitals, according to corrective plans submitted to the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The changes outlined for Mount Carmel West hospital in Columbus and Mount Carmel St. Ann's in suburban Westerville included further limiting when and how such medication can be accessed from an automated dispensing system using emergency orders outside of the usual protocols. (2/12)
NPR:
'Never Enough' Explains The Biology Of The Addicted Brain
Growing up, neuroscientist Judith Grisel would take little sips of alcohol at family events, but it wasn't until she was 13 that she experienced being drunk for the first time. Everything changed. "It was so complete and so profound," she says. "I suddenly felt less anxious, less insecure, less inept to cope with the world. Suddenly I was full and OK in a way that I had never been." Grisel began chasing that feeling. Over the years, she struggled with alcohol, marijuana and cocaine. But along the way, she also became interested in the neuroscience of addiction. (Gross, 2/12)
The Wall Street Journal:
FDA Panel Assesses Risks Of Women’s Surgical Mesh
Officials should consider women’s reports of pain, sexual dysfunction and other maladies as they re-evaluate a medical device used in women’s pelvic surgery that has triggered thousands of lawsuits, an advisory panel said. The panel of outside doctors, convened to advise the Food and Drug Administration, recommended that the agency evaluate women’s medical self-reports as it decides whether synthetic mesh products should stay on the market. Such recommendations are generally, but not always, followed by the federal agency. (Burton, 2/12)
USA Today:
CVS Concept Store Introduced With Space For Health Care Services
Someday soon you may walk into your local CVS Pharmacy with your prescription in one hand and your yoga mat in the other. That's because CVS Health is testing a new concept store format as the company plans to shift more of its floor space to health care services. The drug store chain, one of America's largest retailers, is debuting three HealthHUB locations in Houston as it heads toward a future with less space devoted to retail goods like seasonal items. (Bomey, 2/13)
Stat:
What Happened To Bird Flu? How A Threat To Human Health Faded From View
Just over a dozen years ago, a bird flu virus known as H5N1 was charting a destructive course through Asia, North Africa, and the Middle East, ravaging poultry in apocryphal numbers and killing 6 in 10 humans known to have contracted it. ...The virus continued to kill chickens and to occasionally infect and sometimes kill people. But as the years passed, the number of human H5N1 cases subsided. There has not been a single H5N1 human infection detected since February 2017. This is the good news. The bad news is that the situation could change in an instant. (Branswell, 2/13)
The Washington Post:
Breast Cancer Survivors Sometimes Encounter Sex And Intimacy Problems
Jill was just 39 in July 2010 when she was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. Her longtime boyfriend had felt a lump in her right breast. Two weeks later, she had a mastectomy and began chemotherapy. The shock, stress, fatigue and treatment took its toll on the relationship, and her boyfriend left. “That’s when I began to realize that breast cancer was not only threatening my life, but would affect me physically, emotionally and sexually going forward,” said Jill, a library specialist in Denver who asked that her last name not be used to protect her privacy. (Sadick, 2/12)
USA Today:
Infected Raw Milk From PA Farm Reached People In 19 States, CDC Says
Federal and state health officials are investigating an outbreak of raw milk tainted with Brucella, a drug-resistant bacteria which can cause serious complications such as heart problems, arthritis and miscarriage. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says people in 19 states have bought or consumed the raw milk from Miller's Biodiversity Farm, a members-only club in Quarryville, Pennsylvania, that sells dairy products to its members. (Rossman, 2/12)
The New York Times:
Exercise May Help To Fend Off Depression
Jogging for 15 minutes a day, or walking or gardening for somewhat longer, could help protect people against developing depression, according to an innovative new study published last month in JAMA Psychiatry. The study involved hundreds of thousands of people and used a type of statistical analysis to establish, for the first time, that physical activity may help prevent depression, a finding with considerable relevance for any of us interested in maintaining or bolstering our mental health. (Reynolds, 2/13)
Bloomberg:
Measles Outbreak 2019: Anti-Vaccine Movement Spurs New Cases
A growing band of immunization detractors is driving a surge in measles cases from the Philippines to Washington State that threatens to derail efforts to wipe out the disease. Worldwide cases of the viral illness increased by about 50 percent to 2.3 million last year, according to data from the World Health Organization, which included “vaccine hesitancy” in its list of top ten threats to global health this year. The contagion has cropped up in Israel, Greece, Madagascar, the Ukraine and Venezuela, among others. (Altstedter and Griffin, 2/12)
The New York Times:
Eating Processed Foods Tied To Shorter Life
Eating highly processed foods could shorten your life, a new study suggests. The study, in JAMA Internal Medicine, tracked diet and health over eight years in more than 44,000 French men and women. Their average age was 58 at the start. (Bakalar, 2/12)
The Associated Press:
Settlement Over USC Doctor Abuse Requires School Reforms
Attorneys for women who said they were sexually abused by a longtime gynecologist at the University of Southern California say a $215 million settlement includes groundbreaking campus reforms. Attorneys say a proposed lawsuit settlement filed Tuesday in federal court will require the university to put procedures in place for identifying, preventing and reporting sexual abuse and racial misconduct. Hundreds of students and alumni accused Dr. George Tyndall of committing sexual or inappropriate conduct during physical exams. Tyndall denied the allegations. (2/12)
Los Angeles Times:
USC’s Controversial $215-Million Settlement With Gynecologist's Victims Moves Forward
Under the terms of the class-action settlement, every former patient who saw Tyndall for a women’s health issue will be eligible for a minimum payment of $2,500. ... Women who submit to an interview with the special master will be eligible for an award of up to $250,000. To calculate each patient’s award, the special master will work with a team of experts in gynecology, psychology and sexual trauma. Beyond the compensation, the settlement requires USC to agree to a series of administrative changes. The university is to create a position for “an independent women’s health advocate” to ensure complaints about improper sexual or racial conduct are investigated. (Ryan and Hamilton, 2/12)
Los Angeles Times:
LGBTQ Alumni At USC Allege Men's Doctor Sexually Abused Them
In another blow to USC’s student health clinic, six male graduates filed a lawsuit this week accusing a men’s health doctor of sexual battery and harassment during appointments. The suit in Los Angeles Superior Court alleges that Dr. Dennis Kelly made demeaning remarks to defendants, all recent graduates who identify as gay or bisexual, about their sexual practices and performed unnecessary rectal exams designed to embarrass them or “to satisfy his own prurient sexual desires.” (Hamilton and Ryan, 2/12)
Frontline/The Wall Street Journal:
'Predator On The Reservation': A Documentary Film
For more than two decades, government pediatrician Stanley Patrick Weber raised suspicions that he was a pedophile. The Wall Street Journal and Frontline investigate how the Indian Health Service doctor was transferred from reservation to reservation and allowed to continue to treat children despite accusations he was sexually abusing Native American boys. (2/12)
The Baltimore Sun:
Proposed Bill Would Forbid Nonconsensual Pelvic And Other Exams On Unconscious, Anesthetized Patients
Del. Heather Bagnall has proposed legislation to forbid health care practitioners, students and trainees from performing pelvic, rectal or prostate exams on unconscious or anesthetized patients without written consent or unless medically necessary. House Bill 364 would give patients peace of mind who may be concerned about such examinations as Maryland currently does not outlaw it, said Bagnall, D-Arnold. (Cook, 2/12)
Los Angeles Times:
In State Of The State, Gov. Gavin Newsom Sprints Out Of The Shadow Cast By His Iconic Predecessor
Speaking to a Legislature stocked with Democrats — who now hold 88 of its 120 seats — Newsom renewed his support for a state single-payer healthcare system, an effort Brown refused to even consider without first knowing where the money would come from. Where the former governor insisted California’s wildfire future depends on loosening the liability standards that force utility companies to pay billions, Newsom instead framed the path forward as one focused on “justice for fire victims, fairness for employees, and protection for ratepayers.” And while just a few months ago Brown heralded his last budget’s record-breaking support for K-12 schools, the governor who inherited that fiscal framework said Tuesday that California is overdue for an “honest conversation” about whether the state is doing enough for education. (Myers, 2/12)
NPR:
'No More Xenophobia': Calif. Governor Criticizes Trump On Immigration
In addition to immigration, the governor criticized the White House on health care as "laser-focused — has been for years — on destroying the Affordable Care Act," blaming the end of the individual mandate to purchase insurance coverage for a sharp increase in premiums on California's state-run health care exchange. (Adler and Miller, 2/12)
The Washington Post:
Pittsburgh Pushes Strict Gun Laws After The Synagogue Massacre. People Still Don’t Want Them.
How does a city mourn when the debris of national tragedy begins to settle? “There is no one word,” said Rabbi Jeffrey Myers, who survived the October attack at Pittsburgh’s oldest synagogue. The pain still smolders, and communities have not yet come to grips with what happened, he said. While Myers has focused on the harms of hate speech, which he calls the “root” problem, elected officials have drafted gun-control legislation. (Paul, 2/12)
The Associated Press:
Washington Attorney General Calls Out Sheriffs Who Say They Won’t Enforce New Gun Law
Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson on Tuesday called out sheriffs and police chiefs who have publicly said they won’t enforce Initiative 1639, saying they should follow the new gun law because it is the “will of the people” and because their inaction could cost taxpayers. Several sheriffs across Washington, including those in Lincoln, Grant, Okanogan and Stevens counties, have said they don’t intend to follow Initiative 1639, which was passed by about 60 percent of state voters in November and adds requirements on gun storage and background checks and raises the age limit to purchase semi-automatic “assault” rifles. (Clouse, 2/12)
The Associated Press:
Health Groups Back Down Payment Insurance Plan In Maryland
Health organizations in Maryland are backing a proposal to create an individual health care mandate at the state level. Several groups and lawmakers will gather in Annapolis on Wednesday to endorse legislation in the Maryland General Assembly that would revive the mandate that was gutted at the federal level. But instead of requiring those who remain uninsured to pay a penalty, the measure would require them to pay a down payment on health insurance. (2/13)
The Associated Press:
Bill In New Mexico Legislature Would Create Databank To Track Children’s Welfare
After years of hand-wringing over worst-in-the-nation poverty levels and education rankings, reports repeatedly declaring New Mexico “the worst place to raise a family,” a persistent opioid epidemic and a rising prison population, policymakers are pushing legislation they say will finally lead to solutions. Without the Child and Family Databank Act, one researcher said, the state won’t ever be able to solve its woes, largely rooted in multigenerational poverty. (Miller, 2/11)
The Associated Press:
FBI: Planned Parenthood Clinic Fire Is Possible Hate Crime
Federal civil rights crimes investigated by the FBI include violations of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, which makes it a crime to intentionally damage or destroy the property of a facility because it provides reproductive health services. Planned Parenthood president and CEO Dr. Brandon Hill said in a statement Tuesday that the clinic will remain closed for the rest of the week. The staff hopes to reopen next week and is working with patients to reschedule appointments, he said. (2/12)
Los Angeles Times:
L.A. County Supervisors Vote To Replace Men's Central Jail With Mental Health Hospital For Inmates
Los Angeles County supervisors narrowly approved a plan Tuesday to tear down the dungeon-like Men’s Central Jail downtown and build at least one mental health treatment facility in its place. The new plan modifies a $2.2-billion proposal that would have created the Consolidated Correctional Treatment Facility, which was slated to house 3,885 “inmate patients” in a rehabilitation-focused center in the footprint of the Central Jail, which was built in 1963. (Lau, 2/12)
Reuters:
Proposed U.S. Migrant Shelter May Be Polluted, Green Group Warns
Parts of a Texas military base that the Trump administration had proposed for a temporary detention facility for migrant children contain toxins that could pose a health risk, according to a report released by an environmental group on Tuesday. Last June, then-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said the U.S. military was preparing to house immigrant families at Fort Bliss, an Army base in El Paso, Texas, and unaccompanied minors at Goodfellow Air Base in San Angelo. (2/12)
The Associated Press:
Las Vegas Police Seek Thief Who Stole Box With Cancer Drug
A thief in Las Vegas made off with a delivery package containing what a mother told police was $40,000 worth of cancer treatment drugs for her 14-year-old son, authorities said Tuesday. Police issued a plea for help finding the thief and released a photo of the man seen in doorbell security video. He took two packages from the front of a home Thursday, Officer Laura Meltzer said. (2/12)
The Associated Press:
South Dakota House OKs Limits On Teaching Gender Dysphoria
South Dakota representatives approved a bill Tuesday that would prohibit public school instruction about gender dysphoria through seventh grade. The House voted 39-30 to send the measure to the state Senate. Republican Rep. Tom Pischke, the sponsor, said the intent of the measure is to make sure that public schools are not "teaching and confusing our young children to be more susceptible to this dysphoria." (2/12)
The New York Times:
F.B.I. Was Told About Tallahassee Gunman Months Before Fatal 2018 Attack At Yoga Studio
About three months before Scott P. Beierle shot two women to death, injured five other people and killed himself at Hot Yoga Tallahassee in November 2018, the F.B.I. received a tip about him, the Tallahassee Police Department said Tuesday. In August 2018, Mr. Beierle shared a link to his website “Path of Defiance” with a childhood friend and his wife, who was so disturbed by the content — it included songs about the rape and torture of women — that she shared it with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. But according to police records, the bureau did not have enough information to pursue the lead. (Rueb, 2/12)