A Top Trump Health Administrator Faces Test From Newly Elected Democrats
Stephanie Armour, The Wall Street Journal
Seema Verma, head of one of the most powerful federal health-care agencies, granted Republican states the authority to require that Medicaid recipients work to be eligible. Now, after November midterm elections that saw Democrats flip seven governorships and retake the House of Representatives, Democratic-run states are poised to ask for approval to expand coverage, including statewide single-payer or public health options.
Unvaccinated teens are fact-checking their parents — and trying to get shots on their own
Alex Horton, The Washington Post
Ethan Lindenberger, frustrated by years of arguments about his mother’s anti-vaccination stance, staged a quiet defection on Reddit. The Norwalk, Ohio, teenager needed advice, he said, on how to inoculate himself against both infectious disease and his family’s dogma.
Trump’s $500 million for childhood cancer? Scientists have ideas how to spend it
Sharon Begley, Stat News
Any other cancer where more than three-quarters of patients are cured might seem to be a low research priority — compared to, say, cancers with an approximately 0 percent cure rate, such as adult glioblastoma. But childhood cancers are, well, childhood cancers.
Republicans can’t wait to debate ‘Medicare for all’
Alice Miranda Ollstein, Politico
The only people more eager than progressive Democrats for hearings on Medicare for All are conservative Republicans. GOP lawmakers, fresh off an electoral shellacking fueled in large part by health care concerns, are now trolling Democrats with demands for hearings on the sweeping single-payer bill set to be introduced this month.
States Are Shifting Farther Apart on Abortion
Jacob Gershman, The Wall Street Journal
Conservative and liberal states are pulling farther apart on the issue of abortion in response to the heightened possibility that the Supreme Court could limit access to some procedures. In Republican-led statehouses, such as Ohio and Kentucky, lawmakers are getting behind proposals to ban the procedure within the first trimester of a pregnancy.
OB-GYNs remain conflicted about abortion, survey shows, but pills may be changing attitudes
Melissa Healy, Los Angeles Times
With the national abortion debate entering a new stage, a survey of U.S. obstetricians and gynecologists has found that while nearly 3 out of 4 had a patient who wanted to end a pregnancy in the past year, fewer than 1 in 4 were willing and able to perform one themselves.
Democrats Say Some States’ Medicaid Programs Aren’t Complying With Abortion Rules
Michelle Hackman, The Wall Street Journal
House Democrats are pressuring the Trump administration to crack down on several states that a government report found weren’t fully complying with a Medicaid requirement to cover abortions in cases of rape, incest or danger to a woman’s life. In a letter to Seema Verma, the Trump administration official overseeing Medicaid, the Democrats asked why 14 states were being permitted to not cover mifepristone, a drug necessary to perform nonsurgical abortions.
Trump’s HIV strategy faces potential minefield
Dan Diamond et al., Politico
President Donald Trump has vowed to end the nation’s HIV epidemic in a decade — but to do so, he’ll need to win over skeptics in the health community and on Capitol Hill, tamp down concerns from faith leaders and navigate hurdles inside his administration.
Trump Is in ‘Very Good Health’ Following His Annual Physical, His Doctor Says
Katie Rogers and Lawrence K. Altman, The New York Times
President Trump’s personal physician said on Friday that the president is in “very good health” and should remain so “for the remainder of his presidency and beyond” after Mr. Trump underwent a comprehensive physical examination at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center outside Washington.
False Lead: Senator’s Offer To Help Patient Import Cheap Insulin Goes Nowhere
Jay Hancock, Kaiser Health News
Sen. Mike Enzi said he knew of a foundation that would import insulin for patients, but it doesn’t appear to exist.
Democratic White House hopeful hits Medicare for all as ‘bad opening offer’
Alexander Bolton, The Hill
Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), who is mulling a 2020 presidential bid, says a plan to provide “Medicare for all” and take away private insurance, which has the support of several Democratic White House hopefuls, is “a bad opening offer.” Bennet is presenting himself as a moderate possible alternative in next year’s Democratic primary, although he has yet to formally announce his campaign.
Stocks Advance as Key Week for Trade Kicks Off: Markets Wrap
Todd White, Bloomberg
U.S. equity futures turned higher and stocks climbed in Europe at the start of a week that could be pivotal for the global trade outlook. The dollar strengthened for an eighth day.
Humana executives say Trump’s drug rebate proposal would raise premiums, restrict consumer choice
Bertha Coombs, CNBC
The Trump administration’s plan to force insurers to pass on drugmaker discounts to seniors at the pharmacy counter would upend the market and raise consumer premiums in the end, health insurance executives warned investors this week.
Hospital Mergers Improve Health? Evidence Shows the Opposite
Austin Frakt, The New York Times
Markets for both hospitals and physicians have become more concentrated in recent years. Although higher prices are the consequences most often discussed, such consolidation can also result in worse health care.
Addiction treatment providers go mobile
Harris Meyer, Modern Healthcare
Addiction treatment experts say there’s a huge need to expand high-quality outpatient care, including medication-assisted treatment, to Americans with opioid and other substance use disorders. After inpatient care, however, patients often can’t access or don’t stay connected to outpatient therapy, which contributes to a very high relapse rate.
24-Hour Flu Pill May Not Be Miracle Drug Doctors Thought
Megumi Fujikawa and River Davis, The Wall Street Journal
A new pill that can kill the flu virus in 24 hours with a single dose has become the most-prescribed influenza treatment in Japan, which is suffering through its worst flu season in two decades. But some doctors are backing away from the drug after new evidence emerged about mutant viral strains that prevent it from working well in some patients.
An ambassador to the Vatican. A GOP megadonor. And now, a rare Republican joining Democrats to take on pharma
Lev Facher, Stat News
Rep. Francis Rooney doesn’t sit on any of the congressional committees that deal with health care policy. His last government job was a stint as U.S. ambassador to the Holy See.
Fitbit has a new health tracker, but you can only get it through your employer or insurer
Christina Farr, CNBC
Fitbit has recently introduced a new activity and sleep tracker. But unlike it’s previous devices, this one is only available if your health plan or employer is signed up with Fitbit. There was no splashy rollout for the new Fitbit Inspire — just a website with a few details, which some users spotted on their corporate sites.
HHS using blockchain to streamline contract procurement
Shelby Livingston, Modern Healthcare
Interest in blockchain technology to solve big problems isn’t limited to the private sector. In December, HHS received authority to operate the first blockchain-based tool in the federal government.
Governments Need to Do More to Stop the Opioid Crisis. Technology Can Help
Erin Hawley, Morning Consult
The opioid crisis is still getting worse. In 2017, there were an estimated 72,000 overdose deaths in the United States from opioids, a 10 percent rise from the previous year. Yet even as the crisis continues to grow, federal, state and local efforts to contain it have fallen woefully short.
A Message from America’s 340B Hospitals:
At no cost to taxpayers, the 340B program is critical to the health of America’s patients because it allows hospitals serving vulnerable communities to address the health care needs of their communities, including providing free or substantially discounted prescriptions to low-income and rural patients, operating free clinics, treating patients with substance use disorders, and sustaining access to other lifesaving services for patients. Weakening this vital program will hurt patients.
Two hundred years of health and medical care
Maryaline Catillon et al., Vox
Growth in life expectancy during the last two centuries has been attributed to environmental change, productivity growth, improved nutrition, and better hygiene, rather than to advances in medical care. This column traces the development of medical care and the extension of longevity in the US from 1800 forward to provide a long-term look at health and health care in the US. It demonstrates that the contribution of medical care to life-expectancy gains changed over time.
