First Edition: February 27, 2018
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Kaiser Health News:
Refusing To Work For Medicaid May Not Translate To Subsidies For ACA Plan
In general, people who are eligible for Medicaid — the federal-state health program for low-income people — or employer coverage can’t qualify for federal tax credits that help pay for premiums on plans sold on the health insurance exchanges. This year, Kentucky and Indiana became the first states to receive federal approval to require some Medicaid recipients to put in 80 hours each month at a paid job, school or volunteer work, among other activities, to receive benefits. Nearly a dozen other states have made similar requests. (Andrews, 2/27)
Kaiser Health News:
Following The Fire: Montana Scientists Seize Chance To Scrutinize Smoke Exposure
Jean Loesch and her family live in Seeley Lake, Mont., which saw the longest and most intense smoke from Montana’s wildfires last summer. Loesch has 10 children, adopted or in her foster care, and they are learning what it’s like to have lingering respiratory problems. The smoke from the fires was so thick outside, Loesch said, the family couldn’t see the trees across the street, so they stayed inside. It was still really hard to breathe. (Saks, 2/27)
California Healthline:
At Some California Hospitals, Fewer Than Half Of Workers Get The Flu Shot
How well are doctors, nurses and other workers at your local hospital vaccinated against the flu? That depends on the hospital. According to data from the California Department of Public Health, flu vaccination rates among health care staffers at the state’s acute care hospitals range from a low of 37 percent to 100 percent. (Wiener, 2/27)
Reuters:
Twenty States Sue Federal Government, Seeking End To Obamacare
A coalition of 20 U.S. states sued the federal government on Monday over Obamacare, claiming the law was no longer constitutional after the repeal last year of its requirement that people have health insurance or pay a fine. Led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel, the lawsuit said that without the individual mandate, which was eliminated as part of the Republican tax law signed by President Donald Trump in December, Obamacare was unlawful. (Beech, 2/27)
Politico:
20 States Sue Over Obamacare Mandate — Again
The GOP tax law "eliminated the tax penalty of the ACA, without eliminating the mandate itself,” the states argue in a complaint filed today in U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Texas. “What remains, then, is the individual mandate, without any accompanying exercise of Congress’s taxing power, which the Supreme Court already held that Congress has no authority to enact." The Supreme Court in 2012 upheld Obamacare’s individual mandate in one of the highest-profile court cases in years. The justices did not agree then with the Obama administration’s main argument that the mandate penalty was valid under the Commerce Clause. But the justices did say that the mandate was a constitutional tax. (Haberkorn, 2/26)
The Hill:
Iowa Lawmakers Move To Allow Health Plans That Skirt ObamaCare Rules
State lawmakers in Iowa are moving to allow the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation to offer health insurance plans that don’t comply with ObamaCare protections. Two bills moving through the state legislature aim to provide Farm Bureau members with plans that cost much less than plans that are currently available on Iowa’s individual market. (Weixel, 2/26)
The Associated Press:
Administration Considers Expanding Mental Health Treatment
Amid the outcry over the Florida school shootings, the Trump administration says it is "actively exploring" ways to help states expand inpatient mental health treatment using Medicaid funds. President Donald Trump again brought up the issue of mental hospitals in a meeting with governors on Monday, invoking a time when states maintained facilities for mentally ill and developmentally disabled people. "In the old days, you would put him into a mental institution," Trump said, apparently referring to alleged shooter Nikolas Cruz, whose troubling behavior prompted people close to him to plead for help from authorities, without success. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 2/27)
Los Angeles Times:
What The Florida School Shooting Reveals About The Gaps In Our Mental Health System
After Adam Lanza burst into Sandy Hook Elementary School and gunned down 20 students and six educators, Connecticut’s Office of the Child Advocate tapped Julian Ford to help make sense of the shooting. A professor of psychiatry at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine and a practicing psychologist for 35 years, Ford served on an expert panel that conducted a detailed review of Lanza’s brief life to look for “any warning signs, red flags, or other lessons that could be learned.” The resulting report painted a picture of an odd, sensitive child with significant communication difficulties who became an anxious and withdrawn adolescent. ... At every turn, the report saw missed opportunities to treat Lanza’s multiple interpersonal and mental health difficulties ... and to draw him out of his profound isolation. (Healy, 2/26)
The Washington Post:
What Will Congress Realistically Do On Guns After The Florida Shooting?
Congress is back this week for the first time since the Parkland, Fla., high school massacre. Sustained national media attention on the shooting, emotional confrontations between politicians and survivors and their families, as well as a public-opinion shift in favor of stricter gun laws could spur Congress to do something to tighten access to guns. But don't expect Congress to do something big. The party that tends to support looser gun laws controls both chambers, and President Trump has appeared to double down on a pro-gun position to arm some teachers. (Phillips, 2/26)
The Wall Street Journal:
Background-Checks Bill Runs Into Hurdles In Congress
Legislation designed to improve background checks for gun purchases ran into new hurdles Monday, raising doubts about lawmakers’ ability to act in the wake of the Florida school shooting. The background-checks bill, sponsored by Sen. John Cornyn (R., Texas), would encourage states and federal agencies, including the military, to submit criminal-conviction records to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, or NICS. That step has broad bipartisan support. (Peterson and Bender, 2/26)
Politico:
Trump Says He Is 'Writing Out' Bump Stocks
President Donald Trump said Monday he is “writing out” so-called bump stocks, which allow semi-automatic weapons to mimic the firing speed of fully automatic weapons. “Bump stocks, we are writing that out. I am writing that out,” he said, addressing a group of state governors at the White House. “I don’t care if Congress does it or not, I’m writing it out myself." (Alexander, 2/26)
NPR:
Trump Echoes NRA More, After Bipartisan Tone Started The Gun Discussion
Lawmakers in Washington and Tallahassee have discussed a lot of ideas to reduce school shootings, but on the hardest questions — like what to do about guns — there is just no clear consensus. There are few signs of clarity from President Trump, who has taken a leading role in the debate without providing strong direction to solve the problem. (Liasson, 2/27)
Politico:
Trump Won’t Meet With AGs On Guns
President Donald Trump said he wanted to meet with state attorneys general to hear their ideas about gun laws — he brought in two anti-gun-regulation Republicans, and the White House says that’s enough. Trump won’t be meeting with a bipartisan group of AGs in Washington this week for the National Association of Attorneys General conference, as he did last year. (Dovere, 2/26)
The New York Times:
What Are States Doing About Gun Violence After The Florida Shooting?
It is not just in Florida, where the mass shooting at a high school is prompting lawmakers to take up gun control legislation. The same thing is happening across the country, from Washington to Vermont. What was one of the deadliest school shootings in modern American history prompted Gov. Gina Raimondo of Rhode Island to sign an executive order on Monday to establish a policy to take guns away from people who pose a danger to themselves or others. (Seelye and Bidgood, 2/26)
Stateline:
Limits On Federal Gun Research Spur States To Step In
As deaths from mass shootings have mounted across the United States, some states are moving to collect hard data to guide their decisions about guns — even as the federal government has retreated from such research in the face of pressure from pro-gun groups. The New Jersey Legislature, for example, is weighing a measure that would create a gun-violence research center at Rutgers University. The center would be modeled on the new Firearm Violence Prevention Research Center at the University of California at Davis, which launched last summer with $5 million in state money over five years. (Ollove, 2/27)
Modern Healthcare:
Tide May Be Turning To Free Up Funding To Study Gun Violence
Dr. Marian Betz, a University of Colorado emergency medicine researcher, is studying how to counsel suicidal adults and their families on the best way to store their guns and reduce easy access. The two-year, $800,000 study, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, will evaluate whether such decision-support aids reduce suicide gun deaths. Such federal grants to study gun violence and how to reduce it have been rare since 1996 when a law was enacted barring the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from collecting data to advocate for gun control. Betz was able to get her grant only because in 2013, following the Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting in Connecticut, President Barack Obama restarted limited federal funding for such research. (Meyer, 2/26)
The Washington Post:
How Laz Ojeda And First Responders May Have Saved The Life Of Parkland Student Madeleine Wilford
As Madeleine Wilford bled from multiple gunshot wounds outside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the first responder struggling to keep her alive was faced with a choice. Coral Springs Fire Department Lt. Laz Ojeda could follow guidance to rush the high school student to a hospital 30 miles away, where policy dictates most child patients should go. The second option: Head for the closer, urgent-care-focused Broward Health North, about 12 miles from where a gunman had just killed 17 people on Valentine’s Day. (Horton, 2/26)
The Washington Post:
White House Meets With Veterans Groups Amid Dispute At VA, Tension Over Access To Health Care
White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly told top veterans advocates Monday that President Trump supports Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin, whose future in the administration was called into question this month amid a power struggle among political appointees, according to people who participated in the discussion. The meeting was arranged by Kelly following revelations that Shulkin, the only Obama-era holdover in Trump’s Cabinet, had become a target of conservatives hoping to install a new secretary who would be more supportive of their plan to expand health-care options beyond the VA system — a controversial program known as Choice. (Wax-Thibodeaux, 2/26)
NPR:
Supreme Court Hears Fiery Arguments In Case That Could Gut Public Sector Unions
The Supreme Court heard fiery arguments Monday in a case that could remove a key revenue stream for public sector unions. A sharply divided court could be poised to overturn a 40-year-old Supreme Court decision that would further undermine an already shrinking union movement. Attorneys for Mark Janus, a child support specialist for the state of Illinois, argue that people like Janus, who choose not to join a union, shouldn't be compelled to pay partial union fees. (Totenberg, 2/26)
Modern Healthcare:
Healthcare Leaders Worry Supreme Court Case On Union Fees Could Hurt Workplace Harmony And Quality Of Care
Joyce Robertson has been a public health nurse with the Cook County Health & Hospitals System in Chicago for 24 years. She says her labor union, National Nurses United, has repeatedly backed her up when her supervisors have retaliated against her for activism in protecting quality of care. Now she's worried about the outcome of a case being heard by the U.S. Supreme Court Monday that could have enormous ramifications for healthcare organizations. Janus v. AFSCME challenges the right of public-sector unions to collect mandatory fees, known as agency fees, from employees in the bargaining unit to represent them in contract negotiations. Twenty-two states allow such mandatory collections. Fees to cover a union's political activities already are optional under a previous Supreme Court ruling. (Meyer, 2/23)
The Associated Press:
Teacher Says She Got Fired Because Son’s Cancer Cost $1M
A teacher who says she was fired from a Massachusetts elementary school because of the high cost of her son’s cancer treatment has filed a discrimination complaint. Jacquelyn Silvani tells the Eagle-Tribune that her son’s treatment cost Andover Public Schools about $1 million before she lost her job at West Elementary School in 2016. Her son was 3 at the time.Silvani says she was told that federal funding for the position had been cut, but her complaint with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination says the district later hired someone else. (2/26)
The Associated Press:
Flu Shot Doesn't Cause Influenza Epidemic
You can't get the flu from a flu shot. And public health officials aren't blaming the vaccine for causing this season's nasty epidemic. Some "natural" health websites have misrepresented remarks of a Wisconsin county public health nurse, Anna Treague, who was trying to explain to a local newspaper why this year's influenza vaccine was not as effective as other years. (2/26)
The Hill:
FDA Advisory Committee To Analyze Changing Flu Vaccine For Next Year
A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committee will consider whether to change the flu vaccine for next year as the country faces a worse-than-expected flu season. The FDA convenes a panel annually to analyze what will make up next flu season’s vaccine. The panel examines the World Health Organization’s recommendations to help decide the composition of the next year’s shots. (Roubein, 2/26)
Stat:
Drug Makers Lobby For Antibiotic Incentives In Pandemic Preparedness Bill
A big legislative package due for renewal later this year could include hundreds of millions of dollars of drug incentives — and the medical community is already jostling to shape its contents. The Pandemic All-Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act, a 2013 update of a 2006 law, is slated to end in September. It helps fund disaster-response initiatives such as vaccines for smallpox, diagnostic tests for influenza, and hospital programs to treat victims of a nuclear attack. (Swetlitz, 2/27)
The Hill:
Judge Holds Martin Shkreli Responsible For $10.4 Million In Losses
A federal judge ruled Monday that former drug company CEO Martin Shkreli will be held responsible for $10.4 million worth of financial losses related to his time as head of Turing Pharmaceuticals. Judge Kiyo Matsumoto rejected Shkreli’s argument that he did not cause any losses for investors because they eventually came out with a profit, Reuters reported. The total losses will likely play a factor in Shkreli’s sentencing on March 9. (Samuels, 2/26)
Stat:
State Oversight Of Compounding Pharmacies Is Better, But Inspections Are Lagging
Amid ongoing scrutiny of compounding pharmacies, a new analysis finds that state oversight has largely improved recently, although one glaring weakness is a cause for concern: Inspections are not being conducted as frequently as in the past. Specifically, 32 states now require compounding pharmacies that make sterile medicines, which are injected or infused into the body, to fully comply with recognized quality standards, according to The Pew Charitable Trusts, a public policy organization. Two years ago, Pew conducted a similar analysis and found only 26 states had the same requirement. (Silverman, 2/26)
Stat:
A Biotech Doubled Its Value Off A Tweet About A Curious 'Breakthrough'
“A serious breakthrough in the lab,” began the tweet worth more than $8 million to a micro-cap London biotech company. The tweet, posted Sunday and totaling 50 characters, sent HemoGenyx Pharmaceuticals’ share price up nearly three-fold on Monday morning, making it the day’s best performing company on the London Stock Exchange. (Garde, 2/26)
Reuters:
Ohio Accuses Drug Distributors Of Helping Fuel Opioid Epidemic
Ohio on Monday accused four major pharmaceutical distributors of ignoring their responsibilities to ensure that opioids were not being diverted for improper uses, contributing to a drug abuse epidemic in the state. The lawsuit by Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine was filed in a state court against McKesson Corp, Cardinal Health Inc, AmerisourceBergen Corp and Miami-Luken Inc and marked the second he has pursued over corporations' roles in the opioid crisis. (Raymond, 2/26)
The Wall Street Journal:
NYC: Opioid Crisis Has Cost City $500 Million
Mayor Bill de Blasio offered few specifics when he said New York City litigation would seek about $500 million from opioid manufacturers and distributors to recover costs associated with abuse of the drugs. The breakdown of that half billion offers a window into how the opioid epidemic has taxed the city, with most of it borne by its financially strapped public-health system. (Ramey, 2/26)
Reuters:
Doctor Tied To Insys Opioid Kickback Probe Gets Prison Term
A Michigan doctor linked to a federal investigation into allegations that Insys Therapeutics Inc paid kickbacks to medical practitioners to prescribe its flagship opioid product was sentenced on Monday to 32 months in prison. Gavin Awerbuch, 59, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Arthur Tarnow in Detroit after admitting that he wrote prescriptions for Insys' fentanyl-based cancer pain medication Subsys for non-legitimate uses and committed health care fraud. (Friess, 2/26)
Reuters:
Fitbit Sees Lower Revenue From New Devices In First Quarter, Shares Fall
Wearable device maker Fitbit Inc on Monday forecast current-quarter profit and revenue below Wall Street estimates and predicted lower revenue from newly launched products such as Ionic and Alta HR. Fitbit shares fell 11.2 percent to $4.92 in after-market trading after the company's fourth-quarter results also missed estimates due to an about 17 percent drop in sale of its fitness trackers in the holiday quarter. (Khan, 2/26)
The Washington Post:
The Heart Skips A Beat With Palpitations But It May Not Be Serious
You might feel them as skipped heartbeats or unusually forceful beats. One friend describes her heart palpitations as a soft fluttering that starts in her chest, moves to her neck and sometimes makes her cough. Another says her heart feels as if it’s flipping over in her chest. Mine come in a “pause-thump” pattern that occasionally make me lightheaded. “Heart palpitations” is a catchall term used to describe anything unusual that people feel in the rhythms of their hearts. And pretty much everyone has them at some point, said Gregory Marcus, a cardiac electrophysiologist at the University of California at San Francisco. (Sohn, 2/26)
The Washington Post:
Autism Connection To Ultrasound Seems Unlikely, Study Says
Ultrasounds during pregnancy can be lots of fun, offering peeks at the baby-to-be. But ultrasounds aren’t just a way to get Facebook fodder. They are medical procedures that involve sound waves, technology that could, in theory, affect a growing fetus. With that concern in mind, some researchers have wondered if the rising rates of autism diagnoses could have anything to do with the increasing number of ultrasound scans that women receive during pregnancy. (Sanders, 2/26)
The Washington Post:
Statins Can Lower Cholesterol But Not Everyone May Need Them
High cholesterol, a risk factor for heart disease, affects nearly 1 in 5 American women who are at least 40 years old. Although heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death in women, there is little agreement on what to do about managing cholesterol. A recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report found that 17.7 percent of women ages 40 to 59 had high cholesterol, as did 17. 2 percent of those 60 and older. That’s a higher percentage than men in the middle-age cohort (16.5 percent) and dramatically higher than men in the older cohort (6.9 percent). (Adams, 2/26)
The Washington Post:
Failing To Tell Patients That Nothing Will Help May Only Make Them Suffer More
Why is it so hard to tell chronically ill patients that further treatment is futile — that it might erode their quality of life without making a difference in their life expectancy? Surgeons do it indirectly when they declare a patient “inoperable,” a determination of futility that people generally accept, maybe because the harm of ineffective surgery is so obvious that it can’t be avoided. (Harrington, 2/26)
Stat:
Scientists Reconstruct The Genome Of A Moa, A Bird Extinct For 700 Years
Scientists at Harvard University have assembled the first nearly complete genome of the little bush moa, a flightless bird that went extinct soon after Polynesians settled New Zealand in the late 13th century. The achievement moves the field of extinct genomes closer to the goal of “de-extinction” — bringing vanished species back to life by slipping the genome into the egg of a living species, “Jurassic Park”-like. “De-extinction probability increases with every improvement in ancient DNA analysis,” said Stewart Brand, co-founder of the nonprofit conservation group Revive and Restore, which aims to resurrect vanished species including the passenger pigeon and the woolly mammoth, whose genomes have already been mostly pieced together. (Begley, 2/27)
The Associated Press:
Indiana Close To Becoming 2nd State To Ban Eyeball Tattoos
Indiana could become the second state to effectively ban the unusual practice of tattooing eyeballs, after a committee on Monday unanimously backed a proposal whose sponsor calls it “the grossest bill of the session. ”Republican Sen. John Ruckelshaus of Indianapolis says he is not aware of any health-related issues that have arisen in Indiana from the process, in which ink is injected into the eye to make the whites change color. (Chuang, 2/26)
Los Angeles Times:
Santa Ana River Homeless Camp Cleared After More Than 700 People Relocated
The gates were locked and the Santa Ana River trail was quiet Monday night after a massive push, spanning six days, to relocate more than 700 people to motels and shelters across Orange County. "This was a landmark process with so many different groups combining forces," said Brooke Weitzman, an attorney who sued Orange County on behalf of seven homeless people, alleging that officials' goal to empty the tent city last month violated her clients' civil rights. (Do, 2/26)