General
Tom Price talks U.S. GOP health plan gap with Cobb conservatives
Ariel Hart, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The failure to replace the Affordable Care Act with a new plan during the two years Republicans had control of Congress under President Donald Trump “is one of my great sadnesses from my time up in D.C.,” Tom Price told an audience of Cobb County conservatives Monday night. Price, of Roswell, is a former Congressman and was Trump’s initial Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Sanders courts GOP voters with ‘Medicare for All’ plan
Peter Sullivan, The Hill
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is trying to use “Medicare for All” to win over white working-class voters, many of whom supported President Trump in 2016. The 2020 candidate went on Fox News, Trump’s turf, on Monday night for a town hall, where audience members cheered when asked if they would support Medicare for All.
Amid New York Measles Outbreaks, 1 County Orders Exclusions From Public Spaces
Francesca Paris, NPR News
As the number of confirmed measles cases in New York continues to tick up, one county is determined to stem the spread of the disease by keeping it out of public spaces. Rockland County, just north of New York City, issued an order Tuesday barring anyone diagnosed with measles from all places of public assembly, including schools, restaurants and places of worship.
House Dems unveil legislation aimed at curbing youth tobacco use
Juliegrace Brufke, The Hill
Two Democratic House lawmakers on Tuesday unveiled legislation aimed at tamping down the uptick of tobacco and e-cigarette use in young people. Under the Reversing the Youth Tobacco Epidemic Act — spearheaded by House Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) and Rep. Donna Shalala (D-Fla.), the former secretary of Health and Human Services under the Clinton administration — the government would raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco products to 21 years of age.
U.S. health officials probe multi-state Salmonella outbreak
Kanishka Singh, Reuters
U.S. federal health officials said on Tuesday an investigation is underway over a multi-state outbreak of Salmonella Newport infections linked to frozen ground tuna, which were imported into the United States by seafood retailer Jensen Tuna. No deaths were reported so far, but seven people have been hospitalized, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said in a statement
Republicans reject Democratic attempts to tighten vaccine laws
Arthur Allen, Politico
Most Republicans are rejecting Democrat-led state bills to tighten childhood immunization laws in the midst of the worst measles outbreak in two decades, alarming public health experts who fear the nation could become as divided over vaccines as it is over global warming. Democrats in six states — Colorado, Arizona, New Jersey, Washington, New York and Maine — have authored or co-sponsored bills to make it harder for parents to avoid vaccinating their school-age children, and mostly faced GOP opposition.
Michigan AG: No abortion prosecutions if Roe is reversed
David Eggert, The Associated Press
Michigan’s attorney general said Tuesday that she will not enforce a state abortion ban if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling. Democrat Dana Nessel, speaking at a Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan conference, told the crowd of abortion rights supporters that it is “likely” the 1973 decision legalizing abortion will be struck down by the high court’s conservative majority. Michigan is among 10 states that still have pre-Roe abortion bans on the books.
Stocks Edge Up as China Optimism Boosts Sentiment: Markets Wrap
Robert Brand, Bloomberg
Stocks edged higher on Wednesday as improving prospects for the world’s second-biggest economy helped lift investor sentiment and the earnings season rumbled on. Bonds fell and the dollar nudged lower.
Payers
Humana launches oncology payment model
Maria Castellucci, Modern Healthcare
Humana launched a new payment model for Medicare Advantage and commercial members receiving treatment for cancer, the Louisville, Ky.-based insurer announced Tuesday. The program, called the Oncology Model of Care, will offer additional payment to participating cancer practices for improved performance on certain metrics over a one-year period.
5 names to know at Amazon: The key players behind its health care push
Casey Ross, Stat News
If you woke up today from a five-year nap, you might be shocked by the breadth of Amazon’s health care business. The e-commerce giant has hired an A-list team to disrupt pharmacy services, drug development, distribution of medical supplies, and the delivery of care.
Employee Wellness Programs Yield Little Benefit, Study Shows
Reed Abelson, The New York Times
Companies have long embraced workplace wellness programs as a way to improve workers’ health and reduce overall medical spending, but a new study may prompt employers to rethink those efforts. The study, published on Tuesday in JAMA, a medical journal, looked at the experience of 33,000 workers at BJ’s Wholesale Club, a retailer, over a year and a half.
Providers
Ohio may increase hospital oversight after Mount Carmel patient deaths
JoAnne Viviano, The Columbus Dispatch
Concerned that Ohio is the only state in the nation that does not license general hospitals, the governor and state director of public health are looking at ways to increase regulation at such facilities. Their interest comes with the revelation that two central Ohio hospitals lacked policies to prevent staff members from bypassing alerts and approval systems to access and administer inappropriately high or fatal amounts of painkillers to patients.
Pharma, Biotech and Devices
Walgreens Could Use a Prescription for Ailing Drugstore Business
Robert Langreth, Bloomberg
When billionaire Stefano Pessina took over as chief executive officer of Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. in 2015, he soon began hunting for his next big deal. By October of that year, he’d found it: a $9.4 billion plan to buy Rite Aid Corp. that would have vaulted Walgreens past CVS Health Corp. to become by far the largest U.S. drugstore chain.
Big spending from AbbVie, Pfizer pushes pharma’s 2018 ad spend to $6.5B
Beth Snyder Bulik, FiercePharma
Pharmaceutical ad spending continued its upward climb last year. Spending topped $6.46 billion in 2018, according to Kantar Media, for an increase of 4.8% over the previous year.
First U.S. Patients Treated With CRISPR As Human Gene-Editing Trials Get Underway
Rob Stein, NPR News
The powerful gene-editing technique called CRISPR has been in the news a lot. And not all the news has been good: A Chinese scientist stunned the world last year when he announced he had used CRISPR to create genetically modified babies.
Stanford Clears Professor of Helping With Gene-Edited Babies Experiment
Pam Belluck, The New York Times
Stanford University has cleared Stephen Quake, a bioengineering professor, of any wrongdoing in his interactions with a Chinese researcher who roiled the scientific world by creating the first gene-edited babies. “In evaluating evidence and witness statements, we found that Quake observed proper scientific protocol,” said a letter from the university to Dr. Quake, obtained by The New York Times on Tuesday.
Most people pay less than $5 per month for the drug. But some pay $11,002
Nicholas Florko, Stat News
“Most* patients pay between $0 and $5 per month” for Janssen’s drug Stelara, the chart proclaims. But, boy, does that asterisk contain quite the caveat. Way down at the other end of the graphic, any patient paying the list price is shelling out a whopping $11,002 every month for the same drug.
A first-of-its-kind law in Tennessee limits lawyers’ ads seeking to sue drug makers
Ed Silverman, Stat News
A first-of-its-kind law was adopted last week in Tennessee that seeks to prevent lawyers from running deceptive ads as they go about soliciting consumers who may have been harmed by a prescription medicine or medical device.
Health IT
Don’t Count on 23andMe to Detect Most Breast Cancer Risks, Study Warns
Heather Murphy, The New York Times
In 2010, Dr. Pamela Munster mailed her saliva to 23andMe, a relatively new DNA testing company, and later opted in for a BRCA test. As an oncologist, she knew a mutation of this gene would put her at high risk for breast and ovarian cancer. She was relieved by the negative result.
Most diabetes apps lack real-time advice on blood sugar management
Lisa Rapaport, Reuters
Hundreds of smartphone apps promise to make managing diabetes easier, but very few offer real-time guidance on what to do for dangerously high or low blood sugar, a U.S. study suggests. Researchers looked at 5,185 apps for phones running Google’s Android software or Apple’s iOS system.
Opinions, Editorials and Perspectives
What Is the Path to Quality Nursing Home Care?
Katie Smith Sloan, Morning Consult
America’s population is aging rapidly: 10,000 baby boomers will reach age 65 each day until 2030. Nursing home care is, and will continue to be, a crucial component of our country’s health care system. Nursing home care and oversight has been a topic of congressional concern and media attention in recent months.
Research Reports
Effect of a Workplace Wellness Program on Employee Health and Economic Outcomes
Zirui Song and Katherine Baicker, JAMA
In this cluster randomized trial involving 32 974 employees at a large US warehouse retail company, worksites with the wellness program had an 8.3-percentage point higher rate of employees who reported engaging in regular exercise and a 13.6-percentage point higher rate of employees who reported actively managing their weight, but there were no significant differences in other self-reported health and behaviors; clinical markers of health; health care spending or utilization; or absenteeism, tenure, or job performance after 18 months.
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