First Edition: Oct. 26, 2022

KHN:
$38,398 For A Single Shot Of A Very Old Cancer Drug

Dr. Josie Tenore and Paul Hinds were introduced by a mutual friend in 2017 and hadn’t been going out long when she laid down the law: He had to get a physical. “I don’t date people who don’t take care of their health,” said Tenore, who practices cosmetic dermatology and functional medicine in suburban Chicago. One of Hinds’ blood tests that summer came back with an alarming result: His prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, level was very high. A biopsy confirmed he had advanced prostate cancer. (Allen, 10/26)

KHN:
States Opting Out Of A Federal Program That Tracks Teen Behavior As Youth Mental Health Worsens 

As the covid-19 pandemic worsened a mental health crisis among America’s young people, a small group of states quietly withdrew from the nation’s largest public effort to track concerning behaviors in high school students. Colorado, Florida, and Idaho will not participate in a key part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Youth Risk Behavior surveys that reaches more than 80,000 students. Over the past 30 years, the state-level surveys, conducted anonymously during each odd-numbered year, have helped elucidate the mental health stressors and safety risks for high school students. (Chang, 10/26)

KHN:
How Private Equity Is Investing In Health Care: A Video Primer

In the past decade, private equity has moved aggressively into health care, gobbling up physician practices and even entire hospitals. But what exactly is private equity? And what does its involvement mean for patients and for the American health care system? KHN explains. (Norman and Tempest, 10/26)

The Hill:
House Investigation Finds Insurers, Benefit Managers Improperly Limit Access To Birth Control 

Some of the nation’s largest insurers and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) impose coverage exclusions and other restrictions on birth control products, contrary to an Affordable Care Act (ACA) requirement, according to a House investigation. Under the ACA, health plans must cover Food and Drug Administration-approved contraceptive products without cost-sharing. But a staff report from the Democrats on the House Oversight and Reform Committee found insurers and PBMs required patients to pay some of the cost or otherwise limited coverage of more than 30 birth control products. (Weixel, 10/25)

Axios:
ACA’s Preventative Care Requirement Under Attack

Plaintiffs in an Affordable Care Act lawsuit are now asking a federal judge to toss all parts of the law requiring coverage of preventive health services. The filing raises the stakes in the closely watched case, Kelley v. Becerra: If U.S. District Court Judge Reed O’Connor sides with the plaintiffs, millions of Americans could lose coverage for cancer screenings, behavioral counseling and other recommendations made by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. (Gonzalez, 10/25)

Axios:
HHS Reports Surge In Black, Latino ACA Health Care Enrollment Since 2020

Black and Latino Americans saw surges in enrollment in the federal government’s health care marketplace between 2020 and 2022, according to a new report released by the Department of Health and Human Services. (Chen, 10/25)

The Wall Street Journal:
Health-Insurance Inflation Is Poised To Drop Sharply 

Health insurance has put upward pressure on the main measure of inflation, but is now swinging into reverse. This swing will act as a much-needed, albeit small, drag on inflation currently running at four-decade highs, economists say. … However, this swing—the result of a methodological quirk—might be offset by broader price pressures building in medical services as labor costs climb. (Guilford, 10/25)

The Washington Post:
Justice Alito Says Leak Of Abortion Opinion Made Majority ‘Targets For Assassination’

Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. said Tuesday that the leak of his draft opinion to overturn Roe v. Wade made his colleagues in the majority on the U.S. Supreme Court “targets for assassination.” The leak last spring before the court eliminated the nationwide right to abortion was a “grave betrayal of trust by somebody, and it was a shock,” he said. The threat to the justices, he added, was not theoretical because it “gave people a rational reason to think they could prevent that from happening by killing one of us.” (Marimow, 10/25)

The New York Times:
Alito Says Leak Of Ruling Overturning Roe Put Justices’ Lives At Risk 

Justice Alito took issue with criticism of the court’s legitimacy in the wake of the Dobbs decision. “Everybody in this country is free to disagree with our decisions,” he said. “Everybody is free to criticize our reasoning, and in strong terms. And that certainly is done in the media, in writings of law professors and on social media.” “But to say the court is exhibiting lack of integrity is something quite different,” he said. “That goes to character.” (Liptak, 10/25)

Newsweek:
Oz Opposes Federal Abortion Ban But Backs ‘Local’ Politicians Having A Say

Dr. Mehmet Oz, the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, is under fire for arguing that “local political leaders” should have a say on abortion rights .Oz said that he did not want the “federal government” involved in abortion while backing the involvement of local politicians during his debate with Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman, his Democratic opponent, on Tuesday night. (Slisco, 10/25)

NBC New York:
NY Governor Debate: Crime, Abortion and Trump Take Center Stage for Hochul, Zeldin

Sparring over crime, abortion and the deadly U.S. Capitol insurrection took center stage Tuesday as New York Gov. Kathy Hochul faced her Republican challenger, Rep. Lee Zeldin, in the campaign’s only televised gubernatorial debate. Hochul blasted Zeldin’s past support for abortion restrictions and for former President Donald Trump, while Zeldin vowed to repeal liberal criminal justice reforms and criticized Hochul’s push to send millions to abortion providers to expand access for a predicted surge in out-of-state patients. (10/25)

AP:
Nebraska Struggling To OK Ban Despite Anti-Abortion History 

Nebraska Republicans are expected to dominate as usual at the polls in November and retain control of the officially nonpartisan Legislature. They face a far tougher challenge flipping enough seats to push through a statewide abortion ban. (Beck, 10/25)

Stateline:
Minnesota Has Become An Island Of Abortion Access

The move, as the crow flies, was about two miles — just across the Red River into Minnesota. But for North Dakota’s last abortion provider, it was a world apart. “We were very sad to leave Fargo,” said Tammi Kromenaker, director of the Red River Women’s Clinic. “The state forced our hand. … It was time to hop the river.” (Peterson, 10/25)

AP:
Low-Wage Workers Bear Financial Brunt Of Denied Abortions 

There are wide-ranging reasons why women may seek to terminate their pregnancies but for those struggling to make ends meet, finances are inevitably part of the calculation. Now many of them will be thrust into a circumstance they can’t afford as abortion bans and restrictions take hold in half the country after the Supreme Court overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling guaranteeing abortion rights. (D’Innocenzio and Olson, 10/26)

Axios:
15% Of Republicans Have “Great Deal” Of Confidence In Scientists

Just 15% of Republicans have a “great deal” of confidence in scientists to act in the best interest of the American people, according to the Pew Research Center. (Scribner, 10/25)

Newsweek:
Herschel Walker Pushes Fentanyl Candy Conspiracy Theory Ahead Of Halloween

Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker claimed fentanyl is being dressed up to imitate candy by “the people of China and Mexico,” during a rally on Monday. … “So, I want you to be very vigilant when you’re taking your kids on Halloween, because there’s a new war in town and that war is China, because China don’t like us.” (Bickerton, 10/25)

Bloomberg:
New Bivalent Covid Boosters Aren’t Better Than Original Shots, Study Finds

Bivalent booster shots from Moderna Inc. and Pfizer Inc. failed to raise levels of protective proteins called neutralizing antibodies against the dominant omicron strains any more than four doses of the original Covid vaccine, according to an early independent study on a small group of people. (Langreth, 10/25)

Reuters:
Biden Gets Latest COVID Vaccine, Urges Americans To Do Same

U.S. President Joe Biden rolled up his sleeve and received an updated COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday, using the occasion to urge more Americans to get the booster before the upcoming holiday season, especially seniors. “I’m calling on all Americans to get their shot just as soon as they can,” Biden said shortly before a doctor gave him the new shot. (Mason and Shalal, 10/25)

San Francisco Chronicle:
Walgreens To Offer Free Delivery Of Paxlovid In Underserved Communities

As part of President Biden’s efforts to increase access to COVID-19 treatments, Walgreens has partnered with Uber and DoorDash to provide free delivery of the antiviral treatment Paxlovid to Americans living in underserved communities. (Vaziri and Buchmann, 10/25)

Fortune:
Regular Physical Exercise Could Boost The Effectiveness Of Your COVID-19 Vaccine

Hitting the gym after getting your COVID-19 shot may not be on your to-do list, but new research shows that regular physical activity may boost the vaccine’s effectiveness. According to a study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, the level of protection a person receives against the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 rises with the amount of physical activity performed. The study also found evidence that regular physical activity can help mitigate “consequences of serious COVID-19 infection, reducing the risk of hospital admission, intensive care, assisted ventilation, or death,” a press release about the study says. (Payton, 10/24)

The Hill:
Judge Orders NYC To Reinstate Workers Fired For Not Complying With COVID Vaccine Mandate

A judge ordered New York City to reinstate 16 sanitation workers fired earlier this year for refusing to comply with a COVID-19 vaccination mandate for city employees. Judge Ralph Porzio, who sits on the New York Supreme Court in Staten Island, ruled on Tuesday that the city’s health commissioner could not change the workers’ terms of employment, also referencing President Biden saying “the pandemic is over” and Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) ending New York’s state of emergency. (Schonfeld, 10/25)

The Boston Globe:
Baker Offers To Reinstate Dozens Of State Workers Fired Under Strict COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate

Massachusetts officials are offering to reinstate dozens of workers who lost their jobs after Governor Charlie Baker required that all executive branch employees be inoculated against COVID-19, a strict policy that, at its inception, was among the furthest-reaching in the nation. (Stout, 10/25)

The New York Times:
Some Breast Cancer Patients Could Skip Surgery, Study Suggests 

The conventional approach to fighting breast cancer is to deploy all the tools modern medicine has to offer. Surgery to excise the tumor is considered a critically important step, along with drugs, radiation, and hormone treatments and immunotherapy when appropriate. A new study questions that approach, suggesting surgery may not always be necessary for all patients. The study, an early-stage clinical trial, found that a carefully selected group of patients who responded remarkably well to chemotherapy could skip surgery altogether. (Rabin, 10/25)

The New York Times:
Uterine Cancer Cases Are Rising. Here’s What to Know.

Rates of uterine cancer have been increasing in the United States, particularly for Black and Hispanic women. The number of cases diagnosed each year rose to 65,950 this year, compared to 39,000 15 years ago. Black women are also more likely to have more aggressive cases of the cancer, Dr. White said, and the study showed they were disproportionately more likely to use hair straighteners. (Blum, 10/25)

Roll Call:
Administration Eyes National Hepatitis C Treatment Plan

The Biden administration is preparing a comprehensive initiative to fight hepatitis C that would streamline testing and treatment and secure an agreement with drugmakers to bring down the cost of treatment of the disease, which has spiked during the pandemic. (Raman, 10/25)

CIDRAP:
WHO Identifies Life-Threatening Fungal Pathogens 

The World Health Organization (WHO) today released its first-ever list of fungal “priority pathogens,” identifying 19 fungi that have emerged as significant public health threats because of their ability to cause severe invasive infections and their growing resistance to antifungal drugs. … Among fungi in the critical priority group is Candida auris, the multidrug-resistant yeast that was first-discovered in Japan in 2009 and since then has spread worldwide. (Dall, 10/25)

CBS News:
Many U.S. Labs Cannot Test For Ebola Strain Behind Uganda’s Swelling Outbreak

The Biden administration is racing to expand the number of U.S. labs that are able to test for the virus behind a swelling Ebola outbreak in Uganda, as health officials prepare for what they say remains an unlikely but real possibility that the virus could enter the country. (Tin, 10/25)

Modern Healthcare:
Amazon Inks Pharmacy Deal With Blue Cross Plan

Amazon Pharmacy has landed another Blue Cross and Blue Shield customer, Florida Blue announced Tuesday. Florida Blue will rely solely on Amazon Pharmacy to deliver medications to its more than 2 million commercial and self-insured customers next year. (Tepper, 10/25)

Modern Healthcare:
Cigna’s Express Scripts Wins Centene PBM Contract

Centene will contract with Cigna’s Express Scripts to manage its $40 billion in pharmacy spending in 2024, the companies announced Tuesday. “We’re feeling good about moving forward with the core services and ability to expand the relationship if that makes sense,” Centene CEO Sarah London said during the health insurer’s third-quarter earnings call with investors. (Tepper, 10/25)

Modern Healthcare:
Centene’s Low Medicare Advantage Ratings Jeopardize 2024 Revenue

Federal regulators assess Medicare Advantage plans’ quality through star ratings, which span a five-point scale. Plans that achieve a score of four stars or higher receive bonuses, which insurers rely on to offer generous benefits to differentiate their products in the crowded Medicare Advantage market. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services awarded $10 billion in bonuses in 2022, according to an analysis by Kaiser Family Foundation. (Tepper, 10/25)

Axios:
Physicians Brace For Medicare Cuts, Will Ask Congress For Help

Radiologists, nuclear medicine specialists and vascular surgeons are bracing to see if they’ll take the worst of Medicare physician payment cuts next year. (Dreher, 10/26)

Axios:
States Brace For Medicaid Spending Surge

States could start the new year grappling with a surge in Medicaid spending to accompany supply chain pressures, workforce shortages and the effects of inflation. (Goldman, 10/26)

AP:
Sleep Apnea Device Recall Drags On, Stoking Frustration

A massive recall of millions of sleep apnea machines has stoked anger and frustration among patients, and U.S. officials are weighing unprecedented legal action to speed a replacement effort that is set to drag into next year. … Philips initially estimated it could repair or replace the units within a year. But with the recall expanding to more than 5 million devices worldwide, the Dutch company now says the effort will stretch into 2023. That’s left many patients to choose between using a potentially harmful device or trying risky remedies. (Perrone, 10/25)

Reuters:
Judges Must Divert More Cases To Mental Health Treatment, Task Force Says 

Court systems in the U.S. need to do a better job of diverting individuals in some cases to mental health treatment and to establish new best practices for cases involving those with behavioral health issues, according to a task force that spent the last two years studying mental health in the judicial system. The National Center for State Courts, creator of the task force, said that at least 70% of people in the country’s jails and prisons have been diagnosed with a mental illness or substance-use disorder, and people with mental illness are 10 times more likely to be put in a jail than a hospital. (Osakwe, 10/25)

USA Today:
Cigna Survey Measures Vitality’s Effect On Mental, Physical Health

The survey of more than 10,000 U.S. adults found 18% had high vitality. Those individuals were healthier, more likely to exercise, less likely to be obese and more likely to have a primary-care doctor. The 15% of adults with low vitality had poorer diets, less sleep and more chronic medical conditions. They also are more likely to be socially isolated, obese, depressed or anxious. (Alltucker, 10/25)

Axios:
Lonely America

Loneliness in America is widespread — and it’s a public health problem. More than 1 in 3 Americans are lonely, per a Harvard study. That rises to 61% when looking at younger people, and 51% among mothers with young kids. (Pandey, 10/25)

NBC News:
NIH-Funded Psychedelic Trial Will Study Whether Hallucinogen Can Help Smokers Quit

The study, a randomized controlled trial expected to start later this year, will investigate whether psilocybin, the psychedelic compound found in “magic mushrooms,” can help people quit smoking tobacco. Hopkins researchers will lead the trial, which will be done in collaboration with researchers at NYU Langone Health and the University of Alabama at Birmingham. (Syal, 10/26)

USA Today:
Lawsuit: Companies Liable To Nashville Children Born Opioid Addicted

Six Nashville children born addicted to opioids, now between 2 and 8 years old, are suing top opioid manufacturers like Endo and Johnson & Johnson as well as the pharmacies CVS, Rite Aid and Walgreens. (Timms, 10/25)

Stat:
When It Comes To Addiction, Word Choices Are Part Of The Problem

Who gets better medical care in the United States: “addicts,” or “people with substance use disorders”? The terms, of course, mean functionally the same thing. But in the field of addiction medicine, the question presents something of a crisis. (Facher, 10/26)

NPR:
Study: Most Teens Who Start Puberty Suppression Continue Gender-Affirming Care

A large majority of transgender adolescents who received puberty suppression treatment went on to continue gender-affirming treatment, a new study from the Netherlands has found. (Wamsley, 10/26)

The New York Times:
For Disabled Workers, A Tight Labor Market Opens New Doors 

The strong late-pandemic labor market is giving a lift to a group often left on the margins of the economy: workers with disabilities. Employers, desperate for workers, are reconsidering job requirements, overhauling hiring processes and working with nonprofit groups to recruit candidates they might once have overlooked. At the same time, companies’ newfound openness to remote work has led to opportunities for people whose disabilities make in-person work — and the taxing daily commute it requires — difficult or impossible. (Casselman, 10/25)

USA Today:
Climate Change Is Worsening Health And Disparities: What Can Be Done?

Researchers across the globe collaborate to study climate and health in an annual report, the Lancet medical journals’ “countdown” on health and climate change. In this year’s U.S. portion of the report, released Tuesday, scientists break down research on the health impacts of a warming climate and outline policy recommendations, focusing on health equity. (Hassanein, 10/25)