First Edition: May 2, 2018
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Kaiser Health News:
As Proton Centers Struggle, A Sign Of A Health Care Bubble?
The Maryland Proton Treatment Center chose “Survivor” as the theme for its grand opening in 2016, invoking the reality-TV show’s tropical sets with its own Tiki torches, palm trees and thatched booths piled with pineapples and bananas.It was the perfect motif for a facility dedicated to fighting cancer. Jeff Probst, host of CBS’ “Survivor,” greeted guests via video from a Fiji beach. But behind the scenes, the $200 million center’s own survival was less than certain. Insurers were hesitating to cover procedures at the Baltimore facility, affiliated with the University of Maryland Medical Center. (Hancock, 5/2)
Kaiser Health News:
Postcard From D.C.: Kicking Around The ACA? For Tom Price, That’s So 2017.
This is the same Tom Price who only last summer laid the groundwork for the mandate’s eventual dismantling, saying it was “driving up the costs for the American people.” In some of his first public remarks since resigning as secretary of Health and Human Services amid a scandal about his travel expenses last September, Price criticized the elimination of the Affordable Care Act’s penalty for those who don’t have insurance. (Huetteman, 5/1)
The Hill:
Tom Price: ObamaCare Mandate Repeal Will Drive Up Costs
Democrats immediately highlighted the remark from President Trump’s own former health secretary and fierce opponent of ObamaCare. They say his statement reinforces the argument that Republicans are to blame for coming premium increases in large part due to their repeal in the December tax bill of the mandate that most people obtain health insurance or pay a fine. (Sullivan, 5/1)
The New York Times:
Trump’s Former Doctor Says Office Was Raided And Files Seized
He told NBC that he decided to speak out after seeing reports that Dr. Ronny L. Jackson, the president’s nominee to run the Department of Veterans Affairs, had been accused of doling out medications and behaving inappropriately while serving as the White House physician. Dr. Jackson withdrew from consideration for the post shortly afterward. (Rogers and Altman, 5/1)
The Hill:
Trump’s Ex-Doctor Says Trump Associates 'Raided' His Office
Bornstein said the incident, which he described as a "raid," took place days after he told The New York Times that Trump takes Propecia, a drug for men with enlarged prostates that helps with hair growth. Trump's longtime doctor said the president cut ties with him after he made the comments to the Times. (Samuels, 5/1)
CNN:
Bornstein Claims Trump Dictated The Glowing Health Letter
When Dr. Harold Bornstein described in hyperbolic prose then-candidate Donald Trump's health in 2015, the language he used was eerily similar to the style preferred by his patient. It turns out the patient himself wrote it, according to Bornstein. "He dictated that whole letter. I didn't write that letter," Bornstein told CNN on Tuesday. "I just made it up as I went along." (Marquardt, 5/1)
The Wall Street Journal:
Pentagon Begins Probe Into Former White House Physician Jackson
The Pentagon has begun an investigation into Navy Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson, who served as the personal physician for three presidents until misconduct allegations emerged last week, dooming his bid to become secretary of veterans affairs. The Defense Department’s Office of Inspector General is conducting the probe into allegations against Dr. Jackson and will decide afterward what further investigation or action should be taken, Pentagon spokesman Tom Crosson said in a statement. (Youssef, 5/1)
The New York Times:
Vaping Products That Look Like Juice Boxes And Candy Are Target Of Crackdown
Federal authorities said on Tuesday they were issuing 13 warning letters to companies that sell vaping products like liquid nicotine in packaging that may appeal to children, including products that resemble juice boxes and candy. The joint action by the Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission is the latest step by the federal government to crack down on the vaping industry, particularly on devices that are popular with teenagers. (Thomas, 5/1)
The Associated Press:
US Warns Liquid Nicotine Packets Resemble Juice Boxes, Candy
The action comes one week after the FDA disclosed a nationwide crackdown on underage sales of Juul e-cigarettes, which have become popular among some teenagers as a way to vape at school and in public. The FDA issued warnings to about 40 gas stations, convenience stores and other retailers for selling the devices to minors. Additionally, the agency asked manufacturer Juul Labs to turn over information about how it markets and designs its products, which resemble computer flash drives and work with nicotine flavors like mango, and "cool cucumber." (Perrone, 5/1)
The Washington Post:
Feds Crack Down On E-Liquid Packaging That Looks Like Candy, Juice Boxes
Federal regulators warned more than a dozen manufacturers, distributors and retailers Tuesday that they are endangering children by marketing e-cigarette liquids to resemble kid-friendly products such as juice boxes, candy and whipped cream. The Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission said the packaging of the products — some of which feature cartoonlike images — could mislead children into thinking the liquids, which can be highly toxic if swallowed, are actually things they commonly eat and drink. (McGinley, 5/1)
NPR:
FDA And FTC Crack Down On Nicotine Products For Vaping
E-liquids are used in electronic cigarettes, and they often use nicotine which can cause illness — even death — if ingested by a small child. Products targeted have names like Smurf Sauce and V'Nilla Cookies & Milk. These are being deliberately designed in ways that they can be just mistakenly confused by a child," Gottlieb said in the briefing. (Daley, 5/2)
The Associated Press:
US Seeking 1 Million For Massive Study Of DNA, Health Habits
Wanted: A million people willing to share their DNA and 10 years of health habits, big and small, for science. On Sunday, the U.S. government will open nationwide enrollment for an ambitious experiment: If they can build a large enough database comparing the genetics, lifestyles and environments of people from all walks of life, researchers hope to learn why some escape illness and others don’t, and better customize ways to prevent and treat disease. (Neergaard, 5/1)
The Wall Street Journal:
NIH Seeks One Million Volunteers For Medical Database
The endeavor by the nation’s leading government medical-research entity is aimed at deciphering the workings of poorly understood maladies ranging from cancers to migraines to dementia. The database will be open to medical researchers and will initially consist of data on volunteers age 18 and up, regardless of health status. Children will be eligible beginning in 2019 if their parents or guardians consent. (Burton, 5/1)
The Washington Post:
NIH Seeks Health Data Of 1 Million People, With Genetic Privacy Suddenly An Issue
The “All of Us” recruitment effort begins Sunday with community events in seven sites around the country, where people will be encouraged to sign up for the mammoth research project. Its goal is to supplement and in some cases replace the need to repeatedly recruit human subjects for research by providing a huge database of health and lifestyle information for scientists to plumb. The effort comes during a time of intense interest in data privacy. Authorities recently revealed that they had used DNA retrieved from a crime scene and GEDmatch, a website of genetic information, to find and arrest the man suspected to be the Golden State Killer, who terrorized Californians with a series of rapes and homicides in the 1970s and 1980s. (Bernstein, 5/1)
The Associated Press:
Genetic Website Subpoenaed In California Serial Killer Probe
Investigators hunting for the so-called Golden State Killer subpoenaed a genetic website last year while investigating an Oregon man who was misidentified as a potential suspect. The revelation that investigators compelled a genetic company to provide user information adds to a growing debate about legal and privacy concerns involving law enforcement and companies whose millions of users submit their DNA to discover their heritage. (5/1)
The Hill:
Trump Officials Abruptly Pull Back From Decision On Medicaid Lifetime Limits
The Trump administration planned to announce Tuesday that it was rejecting Kansas’s request to impose a three-year lifetime limit on Medicaid benefits, but canceled the announcement at the last minute due to internal administration disagreements, sources say. The rejection of Kansas’s request would be significant, in that the Trump administration would be drawing the line against major new restrictions on the health insurance program for the poor. (Sullivan, 5/1)
The Washington Post:
Sessions To Opioid Distributors: ‘I’m Not Shedding Any Tears If You’re No Longer Making Profits’
Next week, top executives from the nation’s largest distributors of prescription painkillers will testify before Congress about the role their companies played in the deadliest drug crisis in U.S. history. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said that if he were still senator, he would have tough questions and choice words for the company executives. “This has been a colossal detriment to America, and you have profited enormously by it,” Sessions said he would tell them. “And I’m not shedding any tears if you’re no longer making profits.” (Horwitz and Zezima, 5/1)
The Associated Press:
Wisconsin Senator Talks About Late Mother's Opioid Addiction
Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin, who is running for re-election this year in Wisconsin, opened up Tuesday about her mother's mental illness and prescription drug addiction, in a moment of candor Baldwin hoped would empower others with similar experiences to come forward. "This epidemic hits close to home for me and for so many others," Baldwin said, sitting across the table from a Milwaukee woman who also told her story of her father's struggles with addiction. (5/1)
NPR:
Study Questions: Bridge Device For Opioid Withdrawal
To the untrained, the evidence looks promising for a new medical device to ease opioid withdrawal. A small study shows that people feel better when the device, an electronic nerve stimulator called the Bridge, is placed behind their ear. The company that markets the Bridge is using the study results to promote its use to anyone who will listen: policymakers, criminal justice officials and health care providers. The message is working. (Harper, 5/2)
Los Angeles Times:
If You're Worried About Prescription Opioids, You Should Be Really Scared Of Fentanyl
The U.S. opioid crisis has passed a dubious milestone: Overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids like illicit fentanyl have surpassed deaths involving prescription opioids. This switch occurred in 2016, according to data published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Assn. And it seemed to happen pretty suddenly. Data from the National Vital Statistics System show that there were 42,249 opioid-related overdose deaths in 2016. That includes 19,413 that involved synthetic opioids, 17,087 that involved prescription opioids and 15,469 that involved heroin. (In some cases, more than one type of drug was implicated in the death.) (Kaplan, 5/1)
The New York Times:
Veterinarian Charged With Smuggling Heroin Inside Puppies
Of the puppies rescued in 2005 from a farm in Medellín, Colombia, and saved from fates as international drug couriers, one, a Rottweiler, was adopted by the Colombian National Police and trained as a drug-detection dog, investigators said. Another, a Basset Hound, went home with an officer as a family pet. (Baker and Piccoli, 5/1)
The Washington Post:
Government Gives More Time To Potential Bidders For Transplant Contract
The Trump administration on Tuesday extended the deadline to bid for the contract to run the nation’s organ transplant system after potential competitors complained that previous rules strongly favored the current operator, the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS). A notice on the website FedBizOpps.gov announced the extension of the bidding period from May 4 to May 30. That gives anyone who wants to bid for the contract 60 days from March 30, when the request for proposals was first announced. Potential bidders were initially given just 31 days to respond. The deadline was later postponed by four days, to May 4. (Bernstein, 5/1)
The New York Times:
Ecstasy As PTSD Relief For Soldiers: ‘I Was Able To Forgive Myself.’
The drug known by the street names Ecstasy or Molly could be a promising treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a new study. Research published Tuesday in the British journal The Lancet Psychiatry found that after two sessions of psychotherapy with the party drug, officially known as MDMA, a majority of 26 combat veterans and first-responders with chronic PTSD who had not been helped by traditional methods saw dramatic decreases in symptoms. (Philipps, 5/1)
The Associated Press:
VA ‘Doubling Down’ To Respond To Utah Vet’s Messy Room
Acting Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie said Tuesday the messy room and long wait times provided to an Army veteran at a Salt Lake City VA clinic were “unacceptable,” and that he was intervening in the case. The VA clinic in Utah and others across the country are “doubling down to ensure that exam rooms and other treatment areas meet VA’s strong standards,” Wilkie said in a statement. (Hattem, 5/1)
The Associated Press:
Health Insurer Aetna Swings To A First-Quarter Profit
Aetna made $1.21 billion and beat Wall Street earnings expectations in the first quarter, as the health insurer moved closer to sealing its roughly $69 billion combination with CVS Health. The nation's third largest insurer said Tuesday that it swung to a profit after booking a loss in the first three months of 2017 due to costs from another deal, its failed bid to acquire rival Humana. Several months after regulators rejected that combination, CVS Health said it would buy Aetna. (5/1)
The Hill:
Drug Industry Faces Trump-Fueled Storm Over Prices
Drugmakers are trying to navigate a growing storm over high drug prices as President Trump prepares to unveil new actions on the issue. The drug industry has traditionally been able to beat back actions from Washington, notably escaping unscathed in the fight over ObamaCare. But the climate appears to be changing. (Sullivan, 5/2)
The Wall Street Journal:
Pfizer Revenue Growth Stalls As Company Mulls OTC Unit’s Future
Pfizer Inc.’s revenue was little changed in its latest quarter as the drug company shifts focus to a new generation of products and sorts out what to do with its over-the-counter medicines unit, which hasn’t attracted a buyer. In the quarter, rising sales of newer drugs including cancer treatments Ibrance and Xtandi and blood-thinner Eliquis offset falling revenue for longtime products such as male-impotence pill Viagra, which is facing lower-priced generic competition. (Rockoff and Lombardo, 5/1)
The Associated Press:
Cecile Richards' Message: Now Is The Time To Get Involved
Cecile Richards, who steps down from the helm of Planned Parenthood on Tuesday after 12 years as one of the nation's most visible activists, has a message for her fellow women: Now is the time to get involved. Not soon, not next year. Now. "Don't wait for instructions," she says. "Don't wait for the perfect opportunity. Most of all, don't wait for somebody to ASK you to do something." And, she wants women to know, being an activist really isn't as daunting as it might seem. "It isn't dreary, it isn't depressing," she promises. "It can actually be incredibly joyful, and you meet amazing people." (Noveck, 5/1)
The Hill:
Anti-Abortion Groups Call On Trump To Cut Planned Parenthood Off From Family Planning Grants
A coalition of anti-abortion groups is calling on the Trump administration to cut Planned Parenthood off from family planning grants. More than 85 anti-abortion groups signed a letter Tuesday saying that the family planning money, known as Title X, should not go to Planned Parenthood and other groups that perform or refer women for abortions. This shift would reinstate a regulation put in place by President Reagan. (Sullivan, 5/1)
The New York Times:
Tick And Mosquito Infections Spreading Rapidly, C.D.C. Finds
Farewell, carefree days of summer. The number of people getting diseases transmitted by mosquito, tick and flea bites has more than tripled in the United States in recent years, federal health officials reported on Tuesday. Since 2004, at least nine such diseases have been discovered or newly introduced here. (McNeil, 5/1)
The Washington Post:
Diseases Spread By Ticks, Mosquitoes And Fleas More Than Tripled In The U.S. Since 2004
A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that illnesses from mosquito, tick and flea bites more than tripled in the United States from 2004 to 2016. The report, released Tuesday, shows that the number of reported cases of these diseases jumped from 27,388 cases in 2004 to more than 96,000 cases in 2016. The data includes illnesses reported in U.S. states and territories. During that period, more than 640,000 cases of these diseases were reported to the CDC. (Sun, 5/1)
The New York Times:
How To Protect Yourself From Mosquitoes And Ticks
Just when you thought it was warm enough to venture outdoors again, health officials are warning that the number of Americans infected by mosquito, tick and flea bites has more than tripled in recent years. Tick-borne diseases like Lyme and Rocky Mountain spotted fever have been increasing in the Northeast, Upper Midwest and California, and mosquitoes may be carrying West Nile virus and, in some parts of the United States, Zika. The only flea-borne disease is plague, but it, thankfully, is extremely rare. (Rabin, 5/1)
NPR:
Synthetic Lung Surfactant Could Ease Breathing
An engineer in California has an invention that she hopes will someday help people with damaged lungs breathe easier. Stanford University's Annelise Baron has developed a synthetic version of something called lung surfactant. Lung surfactant coats the tiny air sacs in the lung. Without it, every breath would be a struggle, like blowing up millions of little balloons. With surfactant, breathing is as easy as blowing soap bubbles. (Palca, 5/1)
Los Angeles Times:
Can You Skip Your Regular Workout And Just Shiver Instead?
What do shivering and exercise have in common? More than you might think. Both shivering and exercise cause you to contract your muscles and expend energy — that's pretty obvious. But less obvious is a new discovery, published Tuesday in Cell Metabolism, that they both release a molecule into the bloodstream that tells your muscles to start burning fat. (Netburn, 5/1)
The Associated Press:
Iowa Lawmakers Send 6-Week Abortion Ban To Governor
Iowa lawmakers have paved the way for the nation’s most restrictive abortion legislation in the country. The Republican-majority Iowa Senate fast-tracked a vote early Wednesday morning on a so-called “heartbeat” bill that seeks to ban most abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected. The GOP-controlled Iowa House approved the bill hours earlier. (Rodriguez and Stewart, 5/2)
The Associated Press:
Doctor In Badly Botched Abortion Is Tried For Manslaughter
A doctor who performed a badly botched abortion that caused a patient to bleed to death was characterized by prosecutors on Tuesday as careless, greedy and someone who operated far outside the medical norm. A jury in Queens heard closing arguments in the case against Dr. Robert Rho, who was charged with manslaughter in the 2016 death of Jamie Lee Morales. (5/1)
The Washington Post:
Scabies-Infested Georgia Nursing Home Neglected Rebecca Zeni, Suit Says
Pictures of Rebecca Zeni during her younger years showed her with flawless skin, well-defined eyebrows and long, thick lashes. Her hair, parted in the middle, was neatly tied with a bow behind her ear. Her beauty could capture a room, her daughter said, but she was more than just a beautiful face. She was a modern-day woman of the 1940s and 1950s, headstrong, career-oriented and hard-working, said Mike Prieto, a lawyer representing Zeni’s family. At a time when women were expected to marry young and have children, the small-town girl from North Carolina moved to Norfolk after high school to work at the naval base there, her daughter, Pamela Puryear, said. She later became a model in New York City and worked as an assistant for CBS News’s Mike Wallace before she married and became a stay-at-home mother. (Phillips, 5/1)
The Associated Press:
Missouri House Votes To Legalize Medical Marijuana
Missouri voters may have the option to legalize medical marijuana this November. Lawmakers are rushing to get there first. The Missouri House voted Tuesday to legalize medical marijuana and Republican Rep. Jim Neely, the bill's sponsor and a physician, argued that it was important that the Legislature set the rules for the industry."If we don't take action," Neely said, "voters of this state may very well take the decision out of the hands of the politicians and put it in the hands of the voters." (5/1)
The Associated Press:
Group Home Pays $450K To Family Of Boy Who Recorded Abuse
A group home in upstate New York will pay $450,000 to the family of a developmentally disabled boy who used his PlayStation to record caretakers threatening his life. The boy, Ralph White, was 12 when he allegedly was physically and psychologically abused at the privately run Northeast Parent and Child Society home in Schenectady in 2014. In one of the videos he recorded for his mother, White points to his swollen right eye and says “Mom, this is what it looks like.” (Klepper, 5/1)