First Edition: January 9, 2019

Kaiser Health News: Where Abortion Fights Will Play Out In 2019
With Democrats now in control of the U.S. House of Representatives, it might appear that the fight over abortion rights has become a standoff. After all, abortion-rights supporters within the Democratic caucus will be in a position to block the kind of curbs that Republicans advanced over the past two years when they had control of Congress.But those on both sides of the debate insist that won’t be the case. (Rovner, 1/9)

Kaiser Health News: Health Care Industry Spends $ 30B A Year Pushing Its Wares, From Drugs To Stem Cell Treatment
Hoping to earn its share of the $ 3.5 trillion health care market, the medical industry is pouring more money than ever into advertising its products — from high-priced prescriptions to do-it-yourself genetic tests and unapproved stem cell treatments. Spending on health care marketing nearly doubled from 1997 to 2016, soaring to at least $ 30 billion a year, according to a study published Tuesday in JAMA. (Szabo, 1/8)

Kaiser Health News: To Get Mental Health Help For A Child, Desperate Parents Relinquish Custody
When Toni and Jim Hoy adopted their son Daniel through the foster care system, he was an affectionate toddler. They did not plan to give him back to the state of Illinois, ever. “Danny was this cute, lovable little blond-haired, blue-eyed baby,” Jim said. Toni recalled times Daniel would reach over, put his hands on her face and squish her cheeks. “And he would go, ‘You pretty, Mom,’ ” Toni said. “Oh, my gosh, he just melted my heart when he would say these very loving, endearing things to me.” (Herman, 1/9)

The Hill: GOP Seeks Health Care Reboot After 2018 Losses 
Republicans are looking for a new message and platform to replace their longtime call to repeal and replace ObamaCare, after efforts failed in the last Congress and left them empty-handed in the 2018 midterm elections. Republican strategists concede that Democrats dominated the health care debate heading into Election Day, helping them pick up 40 seats in the House. (Bolton, 1/9)

The Hill: Democrats Demand Answers On Trump Short-Term Insurance Plans
House and Senate Democrats want answers about the Trump administration’s decision to expand the availability of short-term insurance plans that are not required to meet ObamaCare requirements. The letter sent Tuesday is the third time Democratic health care leaders have written to the administration about the short-term plan proposal, but the first time since Democrats took control of the House. (Weixel, 1/8)

The Hill: Dem Chairman Requests CBO Report On Design Of Single-Payer Bill
House Budget Committee Chairman John Yarmuth (D-Ky.) on Tuesday requested information from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) about single-payer health care proposals, a step forward in consideration of the idea. In a letter to the CBO, Yarmuth requested a report on the “design and policy considerations lawmakers would face in developing single-payer health system proposals.” (Sullivan, 1/8)

The New York Times: Background Check Bill Marks Gun Control As A Priority For House Democrats
Emboldened House Democrats, seeking a politically charged debate on gun control, unveiled legislation on Tuesday to expand background checks to nearly all firearms purchases, a move timed to mark the eighth anniversary of the mass shooting in Arizona that nearly killed former Representative Gabrielle Giffords. By introducing the measure less than one week after taking control of the House, Democrats are signaling that it is a top priority. A vote could come within the first 100 days of the new Congress. (Stolberg, 1/8)

The Hill: Democrats Seek Early Victories On Drug Prices
Newly empowered House Democrats plan to move first on smaller, bipartisan legislation to lower drug prices, hoping to notch some early victories before moving on to more sweeping measures. Democrats have targeted a number of measures that are smaller in scope but have support from some Senate Republicans, according to Democratic sources. They hope taking a strategic approach and passing those measures will build momentum as they prepare to tackle more controversial proposals further down the road, like allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices. (Sullivan, 1/9)

The Washington Post: The White House Says The Border Wall Would Keep Opioids Out Of The U.S. It Wouldn’t.
When President Trump makes his case tonight that there really is a border crisis, he’ll probably mention the opioid epidemic ravaging the United States, which killed thousands of Americans last year. Trump and his surrogates often cite the drug crisis as a reason the border wall with Mexico is needed. There is a “massive influx of drugs that come across the southern border,” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Sunday during an interview on Fox News. “Ninety percent of the heroin that comes into this country comes across through the southern border and 300 Americans are killed from that every single month,” she told Fox’s Chris Wallace. (Itkowitz, 1/8)

Reuters: Factbox: Impact On U.S. Government Widens On 18th Day Of Shutdown
A shutdown of about a quarter of the U.S. government reached its 18th day on Tuesday, with lawmakers and the White House divided over Republican President Donald Trump’s demand for money for a border wall ahead of his prime-time address to push the project. The shutdown, which began on Dec. 22, is the 19th since the mid-1970s, although most have been brief. This one now ranks as the second-longest, with Trump saying it could continue for months or years, even as he said he hoped it was resolved within days. (1/8)

The New York Times: As Government Shutdown Goes On, Workers’ Finances Fray: ‘Nobody Signed Up For This’
Tanisha Keller, a single mother who works for the federal Census Bureau, used to live paycheck to paycheck. Now, she is living nothing to nothing. Payday would have come this week for Ms. Keller, 42, and many of the 800,000 other federal workers across the country caught up in the partial government shutdown. But as the standoff drags on, no paychecks are arriving to replenish their savings or pay down their maxed-out credit cards. Ms. Keller’s bank balance has dipped to negative $ 169. She can no longer afford the $ 100 stipends she once sent to her son, Daniel, to help out with his college books and groceries. (Healy, Johnson and Tyalor, 1/8)

The Associated Press: Trump Officials Seek Dismissal Of Separated Families’ Suit
The federal government is urging a judge to throw out a lawsuit seeking monetary damages on behalf of children who were separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border. U.S. Department of Justice attorneys said in a brief filed Tuesday that Supreme Court precedent bars such a lawsuit for damages on challenges to government policy. They also argue Trump administration officials named in the case are shielded by qualified immunity, among other things. (1/8)

The New York Times: De Blasio Unveils Health Care Plan For Undocumented And Low-Income New Yorkers
New York City will spend at least $ 100 million to ensure that undocumented immigrants and others who cannot qualify for insurance can receive medical treatment, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Tuesday, seeking to insert a city policy into two contentious national debates. The mayor has styled himself, in his 2017 re-election campaign and during his second term, as a progressive leader on issues like education and health care, and as a bulwark against the policies of President Trump, particularly on immigration. (Goodman, 1/8)

Reuters: New York City Launches $ 100 Million Universal Health Insurance Program
De Blasio, now in his second term as mayor of the country’s most populous city, has long supported universal healthcare coverage. Extending the program to an estimated 300,000 illegal immigrants puts the Democrat at odds with U.S. President Donald Trump, who has made border security a top priority for his presidency. “No one should have to live in fear. No one should go without the health care they need. Health care is a human right. In this city, we’re gonna make that a reality,” de Blasio said during a news conference. “From this moment on in New York City, everyone is guaranteed the right to health care.” (Cherelus, 1/8)

The Associated Press: Mayor Says NYC Will Expand Health Coverage To 600,000 People
The city’s public hospitals already care for low-income New Yorkers, including those without legal immigration status, but too much of that care consists of expensive and inefficient emergency room visits, de Blasio said. “We want to flip the script,” de Blasio said. “The emergency room truly should be the last resort.” Dr. Mitchell Katz, the CEO of the public hospital system, said the city will hire additional primary-care doctors to meet an expected growth in demand. (Matthews, 1/8)

The Washington Post: New York City Mayor Vows Health Care For All — Including Undocumented Immigrants
De Blasio’s $ 100 million commitment was laden with political significance: He delivered it hours before a prime-time speech by President Trump, who was expected to defend his assertion that the country faces a crisis of illegal immigration. “I refuse the notion that these folks don’t deserve health care,” the mayor said of undocumented immigrants. “It is not only the morally right choice, but it will save taxpayers in the end.” The initiative also coincides with the start of the 2020 presidential election cycle as calls for universal coverage — often called Medicare-for-all — are emerging as a rallying cry among potential Democratic aspirants. (Goldstein, 1/8)

The Associated Press: Washington Governor, NY Mayor Push Expanded Health Coverage
Washington’s governor and New York City’s mayor unveiled major initiatives to expand health insurance coverage Tuesday, the latest moves by key Democratic leaders to address Trump administration health policies they say are keeping people from getting the care they need. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a likely presidential candidate, proposed a publicly run health insurance option for state residents who are not covered by private employers and buying insurance off the marketplace created under former President Barack Obama’s health care law. “We need to write another chapter of health care reform,” said Inslee, who provided no details on how the program would be funded. (1/8)

The Hill: Washington Governor Pushes Public Option Legislation
Reimbursement rates would be consistent with Medicare rates, Inslee said. “Under the Obama administration and the Affordable Care Act, Washington was able to make tremendous progress in expanding coverage and start bringing down costs in our health care system. Under the Trump administration, all that progress is at risk,” Inslee said in a statement. (Weixel, 1/8)

The New York Times: Police Collect DNA From Nursing Home Workers After Sexual Assault Of Patient
The police collected the DNA of male employees of a private nursing home in Arizona on Tuesday as they continued to investigate allegations that a woman in a vegetative state there who gave birth to a child last month had been sexually assaulted, the nursing home’s parent company said. The move represented an escalation in the case, just one day after the longtime chief executive of the company resigned. The police in Phoenix announced Friday that they had opened the investigation into the alleged assault. (Stevens, Rueb and Kramer, 1/9)

The Washington Post: Hacienda HealthCare Assault: Bill Timmons Resigns, San Carlos Apache Tribe Says Woman In Vegetative State Is Member Of Tribe
Hacienda “will accept nothing less than a full accounting of this absolutely horrifying situation, an unprecedented case that has devastated everyone involved, from the victim and her family to Hacienda staff at every level of our organization,” Gary Orman, a member of Hacienda’s board of directors, said in the statement. No one has been arrested in connection with the incident, and it’s unclear whether police have identified any suspects. In Arizona, sexually assaulting a vulnerable adult is a felony. (Wong and Wootson, 1/8)

The Associated Press: Comatose Woman Who Gave Birth Is Arizona Tribe Member
Police served a search warrant Tuesday to get DNA from all male employees at a long-term care facility in Phoenix where a patient who had been in a vegetative state for years gave birth, triggering reviews by state agencies and putting a spotlight on safety concerns for patients who are severely disabled or incapacitated. Hacienda HealthCare said it welcomed the DNA testing of employees. (1/8)

Politico: Trump Summons Advisers To White House Over Drug Price Hikes
President Donald Trump has summoned top officials for a White House meeting on drug prices, frustrated over a new round of price hikes after Trump promised to lower pharmaceutical costs, two individuals with knowledge told POLITICO. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Kevin Hassett and acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney are among officials set to meet with the president Tuesday, one individual said. (Diamond, Cancryn and Owermohle, 1/8)

Bloomberg: Drugmaker Won’t Put Price In TV Ads, But Patients Can Look It Up 
Eli Lilly & Co. won’t put the price of its prescription drugs in television ads, as the Trump administration has called for pharmaceutical companies to do, but will instead offer patients a link to a website with information about prescription costs. Starting Tuesday morning, the Indianapolis-based maker of popular diabetes treatments will start airing television ads touting the website lillypricinginfo.com, along with a toll-free telephone number. The site will have information about drug list prices, patient assistance programs and average patient cost for medicine. (Koons, 1/8)

Stat: Allergan CEO: We Stuck To Spirit Of Our Social Contract With Recent Price Hikes 
Earlier this month, numerous drug makers began raising prices after taking a hiatus last summer under political pressure from President Trump. Even so, the vast majority of recent price hikes were low single-digit increases, although there were a couple of notable exceptions. One was Allergan (AGN), whose chief executive, Brent Saunders, famously declared in September 2016 that his company would keep a “social contract” by ensuring price hikes — after paying rebates and discounts — would remain below double digits and not exceed inflation. (Silverman and Herper, 1/8)

The Washington Post: Should You Switch To A Mail-Order Pharmacy? Here Are The Factors To Consider
CVS does it. Walgreens does it. Now Amazon is getting in on the act. They’re all dispensing drugs by mail. With nearly 3 in 5 American adults taking at least one prescription drug, odds are your health insurer has steered you toward a mail-order pharmacy. And, if they haven’t, they probably will soon. “It’s all about convenience. You don’t have to leave home or wait in long lines. Plus, it’s easy to get all your medication refilled and shipped at one time and is usually more affordable,” says Mohamed Jalloh, a pharmacist and the official spokesman for the American Pharmacists Association. (Daily, 1/8)

The Wall Street Journal: Biotech Proposes Paying For Pricey Drugs By Installment
A Boston-area biotech says it may have a found a way to handle the expected seven-figure cost of its experimental gene therapy: paying on installment. Bluebird Bio Inc. is developing plans to sell its first gene-replacement therapy, for a rare inherited blood disease, on a five-year installment plan, with each annual payment contingent on its treatment’s continued effectiveness. (Walker, 1/8)

The Associated Press: Eli Lilly Giving Price Info On Advertised Drugs Via Website
Drugmaker Eli Lilly has started posting price information online for drugs advertised on TV. On Tuesday, the company began running TV ads for a popular diabetes drug that don’t give the price but direct viewers to the website. The site gives Trulicity’s monthly list price of $ 730.20, the average out-of-pocket costs based on insurance and details on financial assistance programs. (1/8)

The Associated Press: US Medical Marketing Reaches $ 30 Billion, Drug Ads Top Surge
Ads for prescription drugs appeared 5 million times in just one year, capping a recent surge in U.S. medical marketing, a new analysis found. The advertisements for various medicines showed up on TV, newspapers, online sites and elsewhere in 2016. Their numbers soared over 20 years as part of broad health industry efforts to promote drugs, devices, lab tests and even hospitals. (1/8)

The Associated Press: US Appeals Court Set To Hear New Orleans Abortion Case 
A federal appeals court planned to hear arguments Wednesday on a lawsuit claiming the state of Louisiana is needlessly and illegally delaying a license enabling Planned Parenthood to perform abortions at a new facility in New Orleans. Louisiana officials are seeking dismissal of the lawsuit, which was filed in February by Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast and Planned Parenthood Center for Choice. U.S. District Judge John deGravelles in Baton Rouge refused to dismiss the case in May. The state appealed to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which scheduled arguments for late Wednesday morning. (1/9)

The New York Times: 5 Reproductive Health Issues We Should Be Talking About
Premenstrual dysphoria. Pelvic floor disorders. Endometriosis. These can be serious health conditions for women, yet many of us are reluctant to discuss them, even with our doctors. In fact, the bulk of my knowledge on these and many other issues that affect women’s reproductive health have been passed along to me through word of mouth like some kind of lore. (Salam, 1/8)

The Washington Post: EPA Moves To Ban Toxic Paint-Stripper Chemical For Some — But Not All — Uses
In the past year, major retailers such as Lowe’s and Home Depot have pulled a toxic chemical used in paint strippers, methylene chloride, from their shelves. The families of those who have died after exposure to the substance have begged leaders of the Environmental Protection Agency to finalize a ban that the agency proposed on Jan. 19, 2017 — a day before President Barack Obama left office. And in May, then-EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt pledged to do just that. (Eilperin and Dennis, 1/8)

The Associated Press: US Cancer Death Rate Hits Milestone: 25 Years Of Decline
The U.S. cancer death rate has hit a milestone: It’s been falling for at least 25 years, according to a new report. Lower smoking rates are translating into fewer deaths. Advances in early detection and treatment also are having a positive impact, experts say. But it’s not all good news. Obesity-related cancer deaths are rising, and prostate cancer deaths are no longer dropping, said Rebecca Siegel, lead author of the American Cancer Society report published Tuesday. (1/8)

The New York Times: Mind May Trump DNA In Exercise And Eating Habits
Just in time to befuddle people who received genetic testing kits for the holidays, a new study finds that if you tell people that they have a genetic predisposition to certain health characteristics, such as a low capacity for exercise or a tendency to overeat, their bodies start to respond accordingly. Even if their DNA does not actually contain the gene variants in question. (Reynolds, 1/9)

The New York Times: Botox May Help Prevent Migraines
Botox injections are approved to reduce the frequency of migraine headaches, but studies of their effectiveness have had mixed results. Now a review of studies has concluded that Botox has small but significant benefits, with few serious side effects. Researchers analyzed data from 17 studies, including 3,646 patients, that tested botulinum toxin injections against placebos. More than 86 percent of the patients were women, and 43 percent had chronic migraines, with more than 15 headache days a month. The analysis is in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. (Bakalar, 1/8)

The Associated Press: Olympian Michael Phelps Honored For Mental Health Advocacy
Michael Phelps is picking up more hardware — this time for what he’s been doing outside the pool. The Boston-based Ruderman Family Foundation, a leading voice in calling for more opportunities for the disabled, said Tuesday the Olympic champion is the recipient of its fifth annual Morton E. Ruderman Award in Inclusion. (1/8)

The Associated Press: 2 More Flu-Related Deaths Bring Delaware Toll To 5
Public health officials say two more people have died from the flu in Delaware, bringing this flu season’s death toll in the state to five. The News Journal reports the Division of Public Health announced Monday a 51-year-old Kent County woman and a 55-year-old New Castle County woman had died. Both women were infected with Influenza A and had other, underlying health conditions. Authorities announced the first three flu-related deaths Jan. 2. The 65-year-old man, 73-year-old man and 77-year-old woman were all infected with Influenza A. (1/8)