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In This Edition:

From Kaiser Health News:

Kaiser Health News Original Stories

1. Facts Vs. Fears: Five Things To Help Weigh Your Coronavirus Risk

As the numbers of coronavirus fatalities and infections rise, the threat posed by the outbreak in China can seem frightening. But public health officials say the risk in the United States is low. Experts discuss some important issues that can help U.S. residents understand how the epidemic is unfolding. (Liz Szabo, 2/14)

2. Changing Clocks Is Bad For Your Health, But Which Time To Choose?

State legislatures are considering new bills proposing a permanent time standard instead of the spring-forward and fall-back clock changes. Most people want to stop adjusting clocks, but scientists and politicians are at odds over which time is better for society and our health. (Roxie Hammill, 2/14)

4. KHN's 'What The Health?': Live from D.C. With Rep. Donna Shalala

President Donald Trump's proposed budget includes billions of dollars in health spending cuts, Congress gets back to work on surprise medical bills, and health care remains a top issue for the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates. Rep. Donna Shalala (D-Fla.), a former Health and Human Services secretary, joins the panel at a special taping before a live audience in Washington, D.C. Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post, Rebecca Adams of CQ Roll Call and Joanne Kenen of Politico join KHN's Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. (2/13)

6. Political Cartoon: 'Put On A Good Face?'

Kaiser Health News provides a fresh take on health policy developments with "Political Cartoon: 'Put On A Good Face?'" by Mike Twohy, That's Life.

Here's today's health policy haiku:

IS THAT REALLY TRUE?

ER shrugs: "Sorry -
We can't know which networks our
Providers are in."

- Anonymous

If you have a health policy haiku to share, please Contact Us and let us know if you want us to include your name. Keep in mind that we give extra points if you link back to a KHN original story.

Summaries Of The News:

Global Health Watch

7. China Extends 'Wartime' Campaign To Round Up Infected People Beyond Epicenter As COVID-19 Death Toll Rises

Meanwhile, Chinese officials report that at least 1,716 health care workers tested positive for the coronavirus so far, and that six of them have died. Political unrest continues to ripple through the top echelons of the Communist Party as frustration mounts against the government.

The New York Times: China Expands Chaotic Dragnet In Coronavirus Crackdown
China's leaders expanded a mass roundup of people possibly sickened with the coronavirus on Thursday, widening their dragnet well beyond the epicenter of the outbreak to at least two more cities in what the government has called a "wartime" campaign to stamp out the epidemic. But the campaign, first announced last week in the city of Wuhan, already has been marred by chaotic conditions that have isolated vulnerable patients without adequate care and, in some cases, left them alone to die. The expansion of the decree to "round up everyone who should be rounded up" in the Wuhan area of central China has deepened the nation's sense of anxiety. (Qin, 2/13)

Reuters: China's Hubei Province Reports 116 New Coronavirus Deaths
The death toll from a coronavirus outbreak in China's Hubei province has risen by 116, with the total number of cases up by nearly 5,000, the province's health commission said on Friday. The commission did not disclose the total number of deaths from the newly identified virus, which stood at 1,310 on Thursday. (2/13)

Reuters: China Says 1,716 Health Workers Infected By Coronavirus
China National Health Commission Vice Minister Zeng Yixin said on Friday that 1,716 health workers have been infected by the coronavirus and six of them have died as of Tuesday. Zeng, at a press conference about protecting medical workers, said the number of infected medical staff is increasing. (2/14)

The Wall Street Journal: China Ousts Senior Officials As Beijing Seeks Distance From Outbreak
China ousted two top Communist Party officials in Hubei province, the center of the coronavirus outbreak, demonstrating Beijing's disapproval of how local officials handled a threat that has mushroomed into an epidemic killing more than 1,300 people and halting business across the country. ... Chinese leaders doled out similar punishments during the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, nearly two decades ago, when China's health minister and Beijing's mayor lost their jobs. But in those cases, top Communist Party leaders were largely left in place. (Woo, 2/13)

The New York Times: How The Coronavirus Numbers Changed So Sharply
The number of cases and deaths in the coronavirus epidemic in China jumped sharply on Thursday as the authorities there changed how they keep track of the disease, and not, primarily, because of any change in the shape of the outbreak. There is still a lot of uncertainty about the true numbers — as with any new disease — and that will continue for the foreseeable future. Underscoring that point, hours after China revised its figures, the World Health Organization put out a lower set, saying that for now, it would not change the way it counts. (Perez-Pena, 2/13)

The New York Times: A Timeline Of The Coronavirus
The coronavirus, which surfaced in a Chinese seafood and poultry market late last year, has spread to 24 countries, killing more than 1,000 and sickening tens of thousands of people in a matter of weeks. The World Health Organization has declared the situation a global health emergency. Here's a timeline of what we know so far about the outbreak. (Bryson Taylor, 2/13)

Reuters: Dying A Desperate Death: A Wuhan Family's Coronavirus Ordeal
There were no doctors, nurses or medical equipment at the Wuhan hotel converted into a temporary quarantine facility for suspected coronavirus patients when brothers Wang Xiangkai and Wang Xiangyou arrived two weeks ago. The next day, Xiangkai, 61, woke to find that Xiangyou, 62, had died. The Wangs are among tens of thousands of families devastated by the coronavirus in Wuhan, where the medical system has been overwhelmed by the outbreak, despite massive reinforcements and two speedily built new hospitals. (Chen and Munroe, 2/14)

Reuters: Solo Lunches And Masks: Chinese Returning To Work Grapple With Coronavirus
Chinese government employee Jin Yang returned to work in Beijing this week to find his usual workplace rules upended as China battles a coronavirus epidemic. His office has banned the practice of eating lunch in its canteen with colleagues, in favor of boxed meals, packaged in house and eaten at desks, he said. "It's anything but normal," the 28-year-old told Reuters. (Yu, Sun and Goh, 2/14)

CBS News: Coronavirus Death Toll Mounts In China As U.S. Braces For Long Fight, More Cases
The head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the new coronavirus, which has killed almost 1,400 people and is still spreading in China, could be around for at least another year. With the Chinese government reporting 121 more deaths and more than 5,000 new cases Thursday alone, the illness dubbed COVID-19 didn't even appear to have peaked. Chinese health officials in the epicenter province of Hubei changed the way they officially diagnosed the disease this week, leading early Thursday to a sudden, alarming jump of about 14,000 new cases recorded in the region. But the person in charge of managing emergencies for the World Health Organization said that jump in the Chinese statistics did not indicate "a significant change in the trajectory of the outbreak." (2/14)

CNN: China's Coronavirus Numbers Highlight The Challenges Of An Evolving Epidemic
When China reported a drop in the number of new cases of the deadly coronavirus earlier this week, hopes were raised that the outbreak might be slowing down. But on Thursday, health authorities in Hubei, the province at the center of the epidemic, announced there had been nearly 15,000 new cases overnight -- almost 10 times the number of cases announced the previous day. (Kottasova, 2/14)

8. U.S. Health Officials Warn That Coronavirus Will Likely Gain 'Foothold' As 15 Americans Tests Positive

While the 15th American to test positive for the coronavirus was an evacuee from China, public health officials are braced for human-to-human transmission in the longterm. "This virus is probably with us beyond this season, beyond this year, and I think eventually the virus will find a foothold and we will get community-based transmission," said CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield. Meanwhile, the U.S. said it will help North Korea fight the virus.

The Associated Press: US Announces 15th Virus Case, This One In Texas Evacuee
U.S. officials on Thursday announced the country's 15th confirmed case of the new coronavirus — an evacuee from China who had been under quarantine in Texas. The patient, who had been flown to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio last week, is now in isolation at a hospital and was reported in stable condition. The infection was confirmed through a Wednesday night lab test , making the person the first coronavirus patient in Texas. (Stobbe, 2/13)

The New York Times: Some Wuhan Evacuees Ask Why They Aren't Being Tested For The Coronavirus
When 195 Americans, including diplomats, were evacuated from Wuhan, China, last month, they were tested for the coronavirus on arrival at a California military base. Health officials swabbed the throats and noses of everyone in the group — the first to be evacuated from Wuhan — and they were relieved when all of their tests came back negative. But as more government-arranged flights evacuated Americans from China in the days that followed, the federal health authorities adopted a new protocol: Only people who showed symptoms of illness during a 14-day quarantine period would be tested. (Jordan and Bogel-Burroughs, 2/13)

CNN: Novel Coronavirus 'Is Probably With Us Beyond This Season, Beyond This Year,' CDC Director Says
As an outbreak of a novel coronavirus has swept through Hubei province, China, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been preparing for its worst case scenario -- a widespread outbreak of illnesses in the United States... "We don't know a lot about this virus," [CNN's Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta] said. "This virus is probably with us beyond this season, beyond this year, and I think eventually the virus will find a foothold and we will get community-based transmission." (Andone and Shoichet, 2/14)

The New York Times: U.S. Supports Aid To North Korea For Fighting The Coronavirus
The United States said it would approve humanitarian assistance to North Korea to help international aid agencies fight the coronavirus there, amid fears that the impoverished country may be hiding an outbreak. North Korea has not reported any cases of the new coronavirus. But in the past week, some South Korean news reports, citing unnamed sources within the secretive North, said there had been deaths that were suspected to be related to the virus. The reports could not be confirmed. (Sang-Hun, 2/14)

Associated Press: US Says It's Ready To Help North Korea Combat Virus
The United States expressed deep concern about North Korea's vulnerability to the outbreak of a new virus and said it was ready to support efforts by aid organizations to contain the spread of the illness in the impoverished nation. North Korea has moved to strengthen quarantines and other preventive measures to protect itself from the COVID-19 illness that has killed hundreds and sickened tens of thousands in China, North Korea's neighbor and closest ally. (Tong-Hyung, 2/14)

Reuters: Trump Says China Is Handling Coronavirus 'Professionally'
U.S. President Donald Trump praised China over its handling of the fast-moving coronavirus outbreak in an interview that aired on Thursday, adding that the United States was working closely with Beijing. "I think they've handled it professionally, and I think they're extremely capable," Trump said in a podcast broadcast on iHeart Radio. (2/13)

Reuters: U.S. Disappointed With China's Coronavirus Response: White House Adviser
The United States is "quite disappointed" with China's response to the coronavirus outbreak, a top White House adviser said on Thursday, criticizing Beijing for a lack of transparency. Speaking to reporters at the White House, National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow said the Trump administration had thought there was better transparency than there has turned out to be. (2/13)

NPR: If Coronavirus Surges, Would The U.S. Health System Be Ready To Respond Quickly?
Another U.S. case of infection with the novel coronavirus was confirmed Thursday, bringing the total number of domestic cases to 15. Around the world, cases have reached nearly 60,000 to date. But if something changes and large numbers of people get infected in the U.S., is the country's health system prepared to cope with a surge of patients with this virus, or any future pathogen? (Neighmond, 2/13)

Los Angeles Times: In The San Gabriel Valley, Coronavirus Fear Is In The Eye Of The Beholder
Marta Ayala and Chong Taing, both Rosemead residents, couldn't see the threat of the coronavirus more differently. You can see it on their faces. While walking out of Superior Grocers supermarket in El Monte, Ayala's face scrunched in annoyance as she spotted an Asian customer wearing a white medical mask coming from the opposite direction. Despite hearing about the fast-spreading illness, to the 64-year-old Mexican immigrant, the mask is an overreaction that just stokes alarm. (Campa, 2/13)

North Carolina Health News: North Carolina Plans For Coronavirus
Even before news feeds were disseminating story after story on the coronavirus outbreak in China, North Carolina's state epidemiologist and others dedicated to protecting the public's health were in high gear. Zack Moore, the state epidemiologist and a physician who has been with the North Carolina Division of Public Health since 2006, outlined some of the behind-the-scenes work that he and his colleagues have been doing during a meeting this week of the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services. (Blythe, 2/14)

9. Coronavirus Highlights Humans' Psychological Shortcomings In Assessing Danger

How the world is reacting to the outbreak of the coronavirus, which has killed far less people than the common flu, illustrates the unconscious biases in how human beings think about risk, as well as the impulses that often guide our responses — sometimes with serious consequences. "We're hearing about the fatalities," said said Paul Slovic, a University of Oregon psychologist. "We're not hearing about the 98 or so percent of people who are recovering from it and may have had mild cases." In other news: the "thermometer guns," the infection rate, the symptoms and treatment for coronavirus, and more.

The New York Times: Coronavirus 'Hits All The Hot Buttons' For How We Misjudge Risk
Shortly after the University of Washington announced that the school's fourth suspected case of the new coronavirus had turned out negative, two professors, one of public policy and the other of public health, held a small dinner for students and faculty members. Like everywhere else on campus, and in much of the world, the coronavirus was all anybody could talk about. But one of the attendees, a public health student, had had enough. Exasperated, she rattled off a set of statistics. (Fisher, 2/13)

Kaiser Health News: Facts Vs. Fears: Five Things To Help Weigh Your Coronavirus Risk
The news about the novel coronavirus in China grows more urgent daily. The number of related deaths is now greater than 1,300, while tens of thousands of people have been infected — most of them in China. People returning to the U.S. from China are quarantined for 14 days. It can be frightening to think about the threat, but public health officials in this country constantly remind people that the risk of the disease here is low. Still, scientists have more questions than answers about important issues surrounding the coronavirus, now officially named COVID-19. Here's some help in understanding the unknowns and evaluating the risks. (Szabo, 2/14)

The New York Times: 'Thermometer Guns' On Coronavirus Front Lines Are 'Notoriously Not Accurate'
It has become an iconic image of the coronavirus outbreak in China: a masked official aiming what appears to be a small white pistol at a traveler's forehead. For weeks, this ominous-looking device has been deployed at checkpoints across China — tollbooths, apartment complexes, hotels, grocery stores, train stations — as government officials and private citizens screen people for fevers in an effort to prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus. Sometimes described as a "thermometer gun," the device is equipped with an infrared sensor that can quickly measure surface temperature without making any contact with a person's skin. (Yaffe-Bellany, 2/14)

The Wall Street Journal: How Many People Might One Person With Coronavirus Infect?
When an infection erupts the way coronavirus has exploded in Wuhan, China, and elsewhere in the world, public-health experts try to gauge the potential for an epidemic—or, worse, a pandemic—by calculating the pathogen's basic reproduction number. The figure, generally written as R0 and pronounced "R naught," is an estimate of how many healthy people one contagious person will infect. Because viruses spread exponentially, a few cases can quickly blow up to an overwhelming number. An R0 of two suggests a single infection will, on average, become two, then four, then eight. (McGinty, 2/14)

The Wall Street Journal: What We Know About The Coronavirus, From Symptoms To Treatment
Concern is high about a dangerous new coronavirus behind an epidemic in China and illnesses in 24 other countries. The number of people sick with or dying of a viral pneumonia caused by the virus has continued to rise in the epicenter of Hubei Province, China, despite a quarantine of some 60 million people and other measures to stop it. Worries about the potential global impact have interrupted travel and business and disrupted supplies of some goods—including supplies needed to fight the epidemic. Scientists and public-health officials are learning more all the time about the virus. It has been named Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2, or SARS-CoV-2. The disease it causes is called Covid-19. (McKay, 2/13)

The Associated Press: Virus Renews Safety Concerns About Slaughtering Wild Animals
China cracked down on the sale of exotic species after an outbreak of a new virus in 2002 was linked to markets selling live animals. The germ turned out to be a coronavirus that caused SARS. The ban was later lifted, and the animals reappeared. Now another coronavirus is spreading through China, so far killing 1,380 people and sickening more than 64,000 — eight times the number sickened by SARS. The suspected origin? The same type of market. (McNeil and Choi, 2/14)

Reuters: Gilead Drug Prevents Type Of Coronavirus In Monkeys; Raises Hope For China Trials
An experimental Gilead Sciences antiviral drug prevented disease and reduced the severity of symptoms in monkeys infected with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), an infection closely related to the fast-spreading coronavirus that originated in China, a study published on Thursday found. The results, reported in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, raise hope that the drug, remdesivir, currently in clinical trials in China, might be effective against the new virus that has infected some 60,000 people globally, and killed more than 1,300, mostly in China. (Steenhuysen, 2/13)

Reuters: Fake News Makes Disease Outbreaks Worse, Study Finds
The rise of "fake news" - including misinformation and inaccurate advice on social media - could make disease outbreaks such as the COVID-19 coronavirus epidemic currently spreading in China worse, according to research published on Friday. In an analysis of how the spread of misinformation affects the spread of disease, scientists at Britain's East Anglia University (UEA) said any successful efforts to stop people sharing fake news could help save lives. (Kelland, 2/13)

KQED: 'An Outbreak, Not An Epidemic': Bay Area Doctors Talk Coronavirus Risks And Prevention
Researchers have traced COVID-19, and viruses like it, to bats. Animal-to-human transmission, however, typically occurs through a secondary host. Scientists have traced the MERS outbreak to palm civets (a cat-like mammal), and SARS to camels. Greene said public health experts don't yet know the secondary host for this strain of coronavirus, but they believe the outbreak began at a seafood market. (Arcuni, 2/13)

San Francisco Chronicle: Bay Area Drug Company's Experimental Coronavirus Drug Generates Excitement
As the new coronavirus continues to spread across the globe with no known cure, an experimental drug made by Foster City's Gilead Sciences — in one of the highest-profile clinical trials under way for coronavirus patients — is generating excitement. The drug, an injectable antiviral called remdesivir, was given in late January to the first confirmed case of coronavirus in the United States, a 35-year-old man in Washington state, after he returned from Wuhan, China, and his symptoms worsened after a week in the hospital. His condition improved the next day. (Ho, 2/13)

10. Some Passengers May Be Let Off Quarantined Cruise Ships As Criticism Over Bungled COVID-19 Response Mounts

Japan wants to start moving people who are 80 or older with underlying medical conditions or windowless cabins off the cruise ship. The news didn't come as a relief to those who are going to remain stuck aboard the ship where cases are climbing daily. "People in the ship's surroundings are kind of in a cesspool of probability of being infected," said Dr. Peter Katona, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California, Los Angeles. Other global news on the outbreak focuses on the economic fallout, increased evacuation attempts, and more.

The New York Times: As Passenger Angst Grows, Japan To Let Some Off Ship, But Fewer Than Hoped
For a moment on Thursday, John and Carol Montgomery thought they might be departing early from the cruise ship quarantined in Yokohama, Japan, where new cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed almost daily. Japan's health minister said a few categories of passengers could spend the remainder of the two-week quarantine ashore. The Montgomerys thought they qualified because they share a cabin without windows or a balcony and Mr. Montgomery, 68, has diabetes. (Rich, 2/13)

Reuters: Passengers On Ship Turned Away Over Virus Fears Disembark In Cambodia
Passengers on a cruise ship that spent two weeks at sea after being turned away by five countries over coronavirus fears started disembarking in Cambodia on Friday. The MS Westerdam, carrying 1,455 passengers and 802 crew, docked in the Cambodian port town of Sihanoukville on Thursday. It had anchored offshore early in the morning to allow Cambodian officials to board and collect samples from passengers with any signs of ill health or flu-like symptoms. (2/14)

The Washington Post: Economic Fallout From China's Coronavirus Mounts Around The World
The economic casualties from China's coronavirus epidemic are mounting as Asian and European auto plants run short of parts, free-spending Chinese tourists stay home and American companies brace for unpredictable turbulence. That's just the start of a financial hangover that is expected to linger for months even if the flulike illness is soon brought under control, economists and supply chain experts say. The Chinese epidemic's aftereffects will probably cause the global economy to shrink this quarter for the first time since the depths of the 2009 financial crisis, according to Capital Economics in London. (Lynch, 2/13)

The Wall Street Journal: Coronavirus Outbreak Slams Iran's Embattled Economy
Iran's crude-oil sales have been battered by a sudden downturn in demand from its last big trading partner, China, following the deadly coronavirus outbreak, U.S. and Iranian officials said, a blow that lands as the Islamic Republic faces the risk of an economic collapse. In addition to declining oil sales, turmoil in China also is disrupting the supply of spare parts and cheap goods Tehran needs for its factories and bazaars. (Faucon and Lubold, 2/13)

Reuters: Vietnam Quarantines Rural Community Of 10,000 Because Of Coronavirus
Vietnam has quarantined a community of 10,000 people near the capital, Hanoi, for 20 days because of fears the coronavirus could spread there, two local officials told Reuters on Thursday. The rural commune of Son Loi, in the northern Vietnameseprovince of Vinh Phuc, 44 km (27 miles) from Hanoi, is home toll of the 16 coronavirus cases in the Southeast Asian country,including a three-month-old baby. (Vu and Pearson, 2/14)

Associated Press: Health Concerns Meet Politics Amid Taiwan's WHO Exclusion
Taiwan's exclusion from the World Health Organization is pitting health concerns against geopolitics during the current crisis over the new illness known as COVID-19. Taiwan has called repeatedly for it to be allowed to participate in WHO, from which it has been barred by China. So strong is China's diplomatic pressure that Taiwan can no longer take part in the organization's annual World Health Assembly, even as an observer. (Jennings, 2/14)

CNN: Where Coronavirus Has Been Confirmed Worldwide
The novel coronavirus has spread throughout the world since the first cases were detected in central China in December. At least 1,380 people have died and more than 65,000 people have been infected, and the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. China's National Health Commission has confirmed the virus can be transmitted from person to person through "droplet transmission" -- where a virus is passed on due to an infected person sneezing or coughing -- as well as by direct contact. There are at least 585 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus in more than 25 countries and territories outside mainland China. Three people have died outside of mainland China from the virus -- a 44-year-old Chinese man in the Philippines, a 39-year-old man in Hong Kong, and a Japanese woman in her 80s. (Cheung, 2/14)

Administration News

11. Abrupt Firing Of Undersecretary Once Again Throws Veterans Affairs Into Turmoil Ahead Of Big Health Revamp

VA Secretary Robert Wilkie fired a well-liked top official within the agency in the midst of a controversy over sexual assault allegations from a House staffer. All of this comes as the VA prepares to embark on an ambitious health plan to improve veterans' access to care. Meanwhile, veterans are demanding an investigation into radium exposure.

The New York Times: Veterans Affairs, A Trump Signature Issue, Is Facing Turmoil Again
As President Trump enters his re-election year, his administration's focus on the nation's veterans has emerged as a centerpiece of the campaign. But the agency tasked with caring for more than nine million former service members, a department he claims to have transformed, is showing signs of disarray. The mysterious firing last week of the deputy secretary of veterans affairs was only the latest in a string of incidents that have shaken the second-largest cabinet agency in the government as it embarks on ambitious changes to veterans health care. (Steinhauer, 2/13)

ABC News: K2 Veterans Demand Investigation Into Deadly Exposure: 'Congress Needs To Act'
Former Senior Airman Kelly Earehart used to joke with his friends about what they were being exposed to while deployed in Uzbekistan. "Watch out for that puddle -- it could be chemical weapons," he remembers saying. The reality now is less light-hearted. "Two of my good friends are dead," he told ABC News. "And I believe it has something to do with K2." (Dubnow, 2/14)

In other news from the administration —

The Wall Street Journal: U.S. Indian Health Service Doctor Indicted On Charges Of Sexual Abuse
A U.S. Indian Health Service doctor was indicted Thursday on charges of sexually abusing his Native American patients at a health center in South Dakota, deepening a crisis over the handling of sexual misconduct that has consumed the federal agency for a year. The doctor, Pedro Ibarra-Perocier, a family medicine physician, was indicted on eight counts of sexual abuse involving four different adult patients at the agency's clinic on the Yankton Sioux Reservation, in the town of Wagner in the southeastern corner of the state. A lawyer for Dr. Ibarra-Perocier declined to comment. A U.S. District Court clerk in Sioux Falls said he had pleaded not guilty. (Weaver and Frosch, 2/13)

Health Law

12. Azar Grilled About Administration's Lack Of A 'Replacement' Plan For ACA If It's Overturned By Supreme Court

Although the Trump administration promises that it will protect popular provisions of the Affordable Care Act even if the law is struck down, officials have yet to provide a detailed plan on how they would accomplish that without the less popular parts. HHS Secretary Alex Azar bore the brunt of congressional Democrats' frustration during a Senate Finance Committee hearing on Thursday.

Modern Healthcare: Senate Democrats Blast Azar Over Affordable Care Act Lawsuit
Senate Democrats grilled HHS Secretary Alex Azar on Thursday over the Trump administration's lawsuit that could strike down the Affordable Care Act and its reluctance to provide details about a plan to protect consumers if the lawsuit succeeds. While Democrats on the campaign trail have primarily focused on the differences between their own healthcare plans, Democrats in Congress have homed in on President Donald Trump's repeated claims that he supports protecting patients with pre-existing conditions despite pursuing a lawsuit that could eliminate existing protections. (Cohrs, 2/13)

Women's Health

13. McConnell Tees Up Two Senate Votes On Anti-Abortion Bills As Battle Intensifies Ahead Of Supreme Court Case

The legislation would ban abortions after 20 weeks and require care for infants born after failed abortions, respectively. Democrats framed the latter as misleading and unnecessary as there are already protections for living children. Abortion news comes out of Virginia, Wisconsin and Iowa.

Politico: McConnell Forces Senate Votes On Anti-Abortion Bills
Mitch McConnell on Thursday set up two votes on anti-abortion bills for later this month, a move intended to excite conservatives and put a vulnerable Senate Democrat in a difficult position. The Senate majority leader teed up votes on a bill banning abortions after 20 weeks and also the "Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act." Both bills have been rejected by the Senate in recent years after failing to clear the chamber's 60-vote threshold. But forcing votes on them in an election year could help boost enthusiasm on the right for keeping the Senate in Republican hands. (Everett, 2/13)

The Hill: McConnell Tees Up Votes On Two Abortion Bills
The first, from Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), would ban abortions after 20 weeks with exceptions for the life of the mother and victims of rape or incest. Doctors who violate the bill could face up to five years in prison. The second bill, from Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), would penalize doctors who fail to "exercise the proper degree of care in the case of a child who survives an abortion or attempted abortion." (Carney, 2/13)

The Associated Press: More Than 1,000 Gather In Richmond To Oppose Abortion Bills
More than 1,000 people rallied at the Virginia Capitol on Thursday, protesting legislation advancing in the Democratic-controlled General Assembly that would ease restrictions on abortion access. Speakers urged the crowd that gathered in a steady rain to pressure lawmakers to vote against bills that they say would undo regulations that protect pregnant women. They encouraged attendees to join anti-abortion advocacy groups to push back against Democrats who retook control of the General Assembly in November, and they vowed to unseat members of the new majority. (Rankin, 2/13)

Richmond Times Dispatch: Abortion Opponents Rally At Virginia State Capitol To Protest Legislation
Bearing signs wrapped in plastic and strapped to umbrellas, a crowd of about 2,500 demonstrators arrived at the steps of a rainy Virginia Capitol on Thursday to protest abortion access legislation moving through the state legislature. The second annual Virginia March for Life rally followed a larger demonstration last year focused on Gov. Ralph Northam's comments defending late-term abortions. (Leonor, 2/13)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Some In Wisconsin Seek 'Personhood Amendment' To Block Courts On Abortion
A group of Republicans is seeking to change the state constitution to prevent courts from keeping abortion legal, but Democrats contend the measure could outlaw some forms of birth control. The tactic has split abortion opponents, with some saying the proposed constitutional amendment would hurt their long-term goal of outlawing abortion. Because of that internal dispute, the proposal faces no chance of getting through the Republican-controlled Legislature this spring. (Marley, 2/13)

Elections

14. Uncertain Of Where Democratic Candidates Stand On Gun Control?: Here's A Breakdown By Candidate

The Los Angeles Times reports that all the Democratic presidential hopefuls agree something needs to be done to change a culture of gun violence, but its story dives deeper to display the candidates' differences. Other gun control news is reported out of Florida, as well.

Los Angeles Times: Here's Where Democratic 2020 Candidates Stand On Gun Control
As Democratic voters settle in to decide which candidate to support in the presidential primary contest, they'll notice two things about their gun control policies. First, the Democratic Party as a whole has tilted to the left on pushing for increasingly expansive federal gun control policies. Second, there's not much broad-stroke distinction between the candidates' views on how far to go. The 2020 Democratic presidential candidates agree on big gun control policies, including banning the sale of semiautomatic rifles such as the AR-15. (Pearce, 2/14)

The Associated Press: In 2 Years, Florida 'Red Flag' Law Removes Hundreds Of Guns
A 23-year-old man who posted on Facebook, "I don't know why I don't go on a killing spree." A West Palm Beach couple who shot up their home while high on cocaine. A 31-year-old Gulf Coast man who pointed a semiautomatic rifle at a motorcyclist. All four Florida residents had their guns taken away by judges under a "red flag" law the state passed three weeks after a mentally disturbed gunman killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland two years ago Friday. (Spencer, 2/14)

Health IT

15. Watchdog Launches Probe Amid Wave Of Relentlessly Efficient Telemarketing Schemes Phishing For Medicare Data

Although seniors are warned about the Medicare data schemes, a report found that they tend to let their guard down when they think they're talking to a trusted source like a pharmacist.

The Associated Press: Feds To Track How Private Medicare Info Gets To Marketers
A government watchdog plans to launch a nationwide probe into how telemarketers may be getting hold of seniors' personal Medicare information, a red flag for potential fraud and waste. An official with the Health and Human Services inspector general's office told The Associated Press the audit will be announced next week. It would follow a narrower probe which found that an electronic system designed for pharmacies to verify Medicare coverage was being used for searches that appeared to have nothing to do with filling prescriptions. The official spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of a formal announcement. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 2/14)

In other health technology news —

Stat: Health Apps Collecting Sensitive Data Need More Transparent Terms Of Service, Law Experts Argue
We've all been there. We've downloaded a new app or visited a website that requires us to enter personal data and immediately been presented with a long agreement that we have to agree to before using the service. But a new policy paper published Thursday in Science argues that these health tech companies don't go far enough with giving consumers a say when terms of service are changed, limiting how much control people have over their personal data. (Chakradhar, 2/13)

Marketplace

16. Americans Are Still Paying More And More In Health Costs But Not Because Amount Of Care Is Increasing

Three-quarters of the rise in costs as found in the annual spending report from Health Care Cost Institute was attributed to hospitals, doctors, drug companies and others raising prices.

Stat: Drug Costs' Growth Topped Other Medical Spending For Covered Americans
Americans with private employer health insurance spent nearly 26% more on prescription drugs from 2014 to 2018, according to a new analysis. At the same time, the average price of a medicine purchased by each employee rose by almost 21% and their usage rose more than 4% during that time period. Moreover, the rate at which prescription drug spending rose also outpaced the increased cost of other medical services, such as doctor visits and hospital admissions, during those five years. On a year-over-year basis, prescription drug spending per person rose 4.7% in 2018, although the rate of growth declined from 2014. Notably, usage rose a modest 1% that year. (Silverman, 2/13)

Modern Healthcare: Employer Health Plan Spending Jumped 4.4% In 2018
Per-capita health spending for the 160 million Americans in employer-sponsored health plans grew by 4.4% in 2018, the third consecutive year of increases above 4%, according to the latest annual spending report by the Health Care Cost Institute. Medical price growth slowed to 2.6% in 2018 but still accounted for most of the total spending increase. Higher prices accounted for nearly three quarters of spending growth between 2014 and 2018, while increased utilization accounted for 21%. Utilization rose 1.8% in 2018, the largest increase in five years, with use of professional services showing the biggest hike — 3.1%. (Meyer, 2/13)

Axios: Health Care Prices Still Rising Faster Than Use Of Services
The intrigue: Two small pieces of data stick out within the report. The average out-of-pocket price for emergency room visits jumped 37%, from $368 in 2014 to $503 in 2018 — a reflection of surprise billing tactics. The average price of drugs administered in doctors' clinics soared 73% from 2014 to 2018. These infusion medicines overseen by doctors are driving up drug spending by a lot, and they don't usually come with rebates. (Herman, 2/14)

In other health care spending news —

Kaiser Health News: Would 'Medicare For All' Cost More Than U.S. Budget? Biden Says So. Math Says No.
During the Feb. 7 Democratic presidential debate, former Vice President Joe Biden once again questioned the price tag of "Medicare for All," the single-payer health care proposal championed by one of his key rivals, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Biden argued that the plan was fiscally irresponsible and would require raising middle-class taxes. Specifically, he claimed, the plan "would cost more than the entire federal budget that we spend now." (Luthra, 2/14)

Kaiser Health News: 'An Arm And A Leg': What We've Learned And What's Ahead For The Show
In this bonus episode of "An Arm and a Leg," reporter and colleague Sally Herships ("Planet Money," "Marketplace") takes a turn in the host's chair. The conversation covers what we have learned so far and what's ahead for the show.You'll hear stories culled from the cutting-room floor, including an early adventure from the medical-bill ninja profiled early on in Season 3. (Weissmann, 2/14)

17. CEO Faces Criminal Investigation Following Accusations He Has Not Operated Hospitals With Eye On Public Safety

The owner of a St. Alexius Hospital, a facility in south St. Louis, is under criminal investigation and cannot properly manage the facility, an official in its bankruptcy case said. The trustee in the case said in a court filing earlier this month that CEO Grant White has mismanaged St. Alexius and three other hospitals, lied to the court and isn't trusted by his lenders. Hospital news comes out of Texas, Florida, Washington, North Carolina and Iowa, as well.

St. Louis Post Dispatch: St. Alexius Hospital Owner Raided By FBI, Court Documents Say
The CEO of the company that owns St. Alexius Hospital is under civil and criminal investigation, according to documents filed in the company's bankruptcy case. In a court filing, the U.S. Trustee's office said that Americore Holdings CEO Grant White "grossly mismanaged" his business and "has not operated the hospitals in a manner that is consistent with public safety and welfare." The documents were filed in Americore Holdings' bankruptcy case earlier this month by acting U.S. Trustee Paul Randolph. (Merrilees, 2/13)

Houston Chronicle: Houston Methodist Doctors Still In-Network For UnitedHealthcare For Now
Houston Methodist and UnitedHealthcare have agreed not to terminate hundreds of Houston Methodist doctors from the insurer's network two months early, nearly two weeks after the hospital filed a petition accusing the insurer of dropping roughly 600 doctors from in-network status. It took a temporary restraining order and caused much confusion for patients and physicians, but Houston Methodist doctors will remain in-network with UnitedHealthcare through April 1, the insurer said Wednesday. (Wu, 2/12)

CNN: A Seventh Child Who Contracted A Mold Infection At Seattle Children's Hospital Has Died
An infant who developed a mold infection at Seattle Children's Hospital has died, becoming the seventh patient at the facility killed by the same infection since 2001... Last year, the hospital confirmed that six patients who developed the same Aspergillus infection have died and several others have been sickened since 2001. The main operating rooms were shut down, first in May and again in November, after the hospital detected the common mold Aspergillus in the air. (Chavez and Riess, 2/14)

Health News Florida: Mease Countryside Hospital Volunteer Infection Case Moves Forward
An appeals court Wednesday cleared the way for a lawsuit filed against a Pinellas County hospital by a volunteer who was diagnosed with the disease Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, or MRSA. Ronald Wendel, who had served as a volunteer at Mease Countryside Hospital, filed a lawsuit alleging that he contracted the disease because of the hospital's negligence, according to the ruling by a panel of the 2nd District Court of Appeal. (News Service Of Florida, 2/13)

North Carolina Health News: Lawmakers Blast HCA For Performance At Mission
"We are writing with deep concern regarding the state of Mission Hospital Systems since the purchase by Hospital Corporation of America last year." So began a scorching condemnation of HCA Healthcare's performance in a letter read aloud to a packed room of community and health care leaders who turned out Monday night for a listening session with Gibbins Advisors, the Nashville, Tenn.-based firm hired to monitor HCA's compliance with 15 obligations stemming from its acquisition of Mission Health. (Cotiaux, 2/13)

The Associated Press: Man Sued Over Iowa Sexual Arousal Study Ran Kansas Facility
A child psychologist facing a federal lawsuit in Iowa stemming from sexual arousal experiments he oversaw on residents at a state care center for people with intellectual disabilities conducted similar research in Kansas while running one of its state hospitals. The Kansas agency that oversees the state's hospitals says its initial investigation of sexual arousal research involving Jerry Rea in Kansas suggests that ethics guidelines and proper protocols were followed. (2/13)

Medicaid

18. Even Governors Who Have Steadfastly Supported Trump Are Raising Concerns About Medicaid Changes

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration wrote to CMS that a proposed funding rule that the agency says would increase transparency, integrity and clarity would "cripple" the state's program. Meanwhile, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker also spoke out about the changes.

Health News Florida: Medicaid Chief Says New Rule Would Be 'Crippling'
The administration of Gov. Ron DeSantis, a steadfast supporter of President Donald Trump, is raising concerns about a proposed federal rule that would strike a financial blow to the state's Medicaid program if allowed to go into effect. The rule deals with arcane funding mechanisms used by state governments to draw down billions of dollars in federal money for Medicaid, which provides health-care services to 3.8 million poor, elderly and disabled Floridians. (Sexton, 2/13)

State House News: Medicaid Rule Leaves Up To $2.5B At Risk In Mass.
Charlie Baker is among governors around the country who are fighting the Trump administration over proposed changes to how the federal government reimburses states for Medicaid, seeking to avoid a shift that could blow a massive hole into state budgets. The new regulations proposed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services could jeopardize some of the financing arrangements Massachusetts uses to pay for its $16.7 billion MassHealth program, according to the Baker administration and various state health care groups. (Murphy, 2/13)

In other Medicaid news —

Texas Tribune: Health Insurers Say Texas Improperly Picked Winners For Medicaid Contracts
The state of Texas is trying to give away a business opportunity valued at roughly $10 billion. To win, all an applicant has to do is score highly on something like a standardized test. The applicants — in this case, health insurance companies vying for a chance to collect premiums for covering elderly, blind or disabled adults in the state's Medicaid program — spent months answering test questions that spanned almost 60 pages, comprising mostly essay prompts and a few true-false questions. (Walters, 2/13)

Columbus Dispatch: Ohio Won't Seek Federal Block Grant For Medicaid, For Now
Medicaid Director Maureen Corcoran says Ohio has no plan to take up an offer by President Donald Trump's administration that would give states greater flexibility in Medicaid spending in exchange for limits on how much the federal government contributes.Corcoran told The Dispatch on Wednesday that while she appreciates the option, Republican Gov. Mike DeWine has other priorities and she will not seek such block-grant funding, at least not now. (2/12)

Opioid Crisis

19. Opioids' Serious Adverse Effects Came Up In Only 12% Of Doctor, Sales Rep Interactions, Analysis Finds

And the addictive quality of the painkillers was mention in only 49 percent of the interactions. Meanwhile, 59% of the physicians judged the quality of the scientific information the sales reps provided to be good or excellent. Other news on the opioid crisis comes out of Wyoming.

Stat: As Opioid Crisis Intensified, Many Family Doctors Liked Promotional Pitches
As the opioid crisis accelerated a decade ago, pharmaceutical sales reps emphasized the benefits of the addictive painkillers, but rarely mentioned serious harms — and physicians generally believed the information was sufficiently useful to consider additional prescribing, according to a new analysis. Specifically, the health benefits of opioids — such as tramadol and hydromorphone — were discussed in 78% of the interactions, but in 54% of the meetings, adverse events were not mentioned. Serious adverse events did come up, but in only 12% of the encounters. Meanwhile, safety claims, such as statements that the pills were well tolerated, were mentioned nearly half of the time, or 49%. (Silverman, 2/13)

Pharmaceuticals

20. Georgia Senate Bill Aims To Regulate Pharmacy Middlemen To Achieve Lower Medication Prices

But pharmacy benefit managers argued at hearings this week that measure SB 313 will only increase profits for independent pharmacy. Other news is on an emergency measure for free insulin in Minnesota and a potential new herbicide.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Georgia Bill Seeks Lower Drug Prices By Focusing On Middlemen
In an effort to attack high drug prices, Georgia lawmakers are focusing on powerful middlemen who negotiate on behalf of insurance companies.State Sen. Dean Burke, R-Bainbridge, has introduced a bill that aims to shed light on prices that pharmacy benefits managers negotiate with pharmaceutical companies and pharmacies, and to ensure that patients are able to get the drugs when they need them. The legislation is Senate Bill 313. (Hart, 2/16)

MPR News: Senate Panel Approves Emergency Insulin Bill
The ongoing debate over insulin access and affordability took another turn Thursday when the state Senate Health and Human Services Finance and Policy Committee approved a plan to provide access to insulin to Minnesotans who can't afford it. The newly revised Senate insulin bill evolved much later than another version backed by House Democrats, which has drawn sharp opposition from the pharmaceutical industry. Unlike the House bill, the Senate version does not impose a new fee on insulin manufacturers. (Pugmire, 2/13)

St. Louis Public Radio: Bayer Discovers New Herbicide That Could Help Farmers Fight Roundup-Resistant Weeds
Bayer AG announced today that its researchers have discovered a molecule that it could use to develop new herbicide products. The biotech company is conducting field tests of the compound, which it hasn't yet named. It's been 30 years since scientists have developed an herbicide molecule, largely due a lengthy regulatory process and the widespread use of Monsanto's Roundup, which contains the molecule glyphosate. (Chen, 2/13)

Public Health And Education

21. Florida Aims To Increase Regulation Over Vape Shops

The American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association and the American Lung Association oppose Florida's new legislation, saying it's not enough to solve the issue. Vaping news comes out of Oregon, as well.

Health News Florida: Amid Teen Vaping 'Epidemic,' Florida House Seeks To Regulate Sales
Vape shops would have to be permitted and regulated by the state, under a House effort to combat an "epidemic" of electronic-cigarette use by teens. Under the proposal, the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, which oversees sales of tobacco products, would also have authority over retail establishments that sell e-cigarettes and other vape products. Vape shops in Florida currently are unregulated. (Kam, 2/13)

The Oregonian: Oregon Flavored Vape Ban Proposal Dies
Flavored nicotine vape products dodged another bullet after Oregon lawmakers killed a proposal to ban them. Sen. Laurie Monnes Anderson, who championed the bill, said the priority is now to create a program to license all nicotine retailers. (Zarkhin, 2/13)

22. Advocates Cheer Growing Trend Allowing Babies In Workplace Even In States Where Family Leave Is Available

Bosses and co-workers have to support the idea, but due to multiple financial factors young families face, including the high costs of child care, parents are learning that toting junior to the office can be very rewarding. Public health news is on transgender treatments, sex-linked cancers, rare diseases, aging population boom, weight loss drug danger, measles, STDs screenings, clock switching, coffee habits, chronic fatigue, gene-editing technology and air pollution, as well.

Stateline: You Can Bring Your Baby To Work (But Wouldn't You Rather Be At Home?)
The United States is the only industrialized country in the world without a paid family leave policy, according to a 2018 study in the journal Milbank Quarterly. The District of Columbia and a handful of states have paid leave policies, however. But not Vermont. Gov. Phil Scott, a Republican, vetoed a paid family leave bill late last month that would have allowed new parents the chance to develop family bonds at home for 12 weeks while still receiving a paycheck. The Vermont House fell just short of overriding the governor's veto this month, voting 99-51 to override, one away from the 100 needed. (Povich, 2/14)

Reuters: Trans Patients May Struggle To Access Breast Cancer Screening
At a time when a growing number of transgender Americans are getting gender-affirming treatments to make their bodies match their identity, breast imaging centers may not be changing to meet their needs. Approximately 1.4 million U.S. adults identify as transgender today, double the number a decade ago, researchers note in the Journal of Breast Imaging. And while it's still not clear how gender-affirming treatments like hormones or surgery might impact breast health, most doctors agree that transgender people have unique screening needs. (2/13)

Reuters: High Lifetime Number Of Sexual Partners Linked To Increased Cancer Risk
People who have had 10 or more sexual partners during their lifetime may have increased odds of being diagnosed with cancer, a new study suggests. Women, in particular, had nearly twice the risk when they had 10 or more past partners compared to when they had one or none, researchers report in BMJ Sexual & Reproductive Health. (2/13)

CNN: A Rare Disease Among Children Is Discovered In A 66-Million-Year-Old Dinosaur Tumor
A rare disease that still affects humans today has been found in the fossilized remains of a duck-billed dinosaur that roamed the Earth at least 66 million years ago. Researchers at Tel Aviv University noticed unusual cavities in two tail segments of the hadrosaur, which were unearthed at the Dinosaur Provincial Park in southern Alberta, Canada. They compared the vertebrae with the skeletons of two humans who were known to have a benign tumor called LCH (Langerhans cell histiocytosis), a rare and sometimes painful disease that affects children, mainly boys. (Hunt, 2/14)

The Associated Press: By 2060, A Quarter Of U.S. Residents Will Be Over Age 65
By 2060, almost a quarter of all U.S. residents will be over age 65, and life expectancy will reach an all-time high of 85 years, according to new reports the U.S. Census Bureau released Thursday. The growth in life expectancy in the U.S. over the next four decades is expected to be slower than it was in the four previous decades. (2/13)

The Associated Press: Weight Loss Drug Belviq Pulled From Market Over Cancer Risk
The maker of a weight loss drug pulled it from the market Thursday at the request of federal regulators, who said it posed a slight increased risk of cancer. Japan's Eisai Inc. said it was voluntarily withdrawing the drug, Belviq. However, the company said in a statement that it disagreed with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's interpretation of new data on the drug's safety and still believes Belviq's benefit outweighs the risk. (Johnson, 2/13)

Stat: Weight-Loss Drug To Be Pulled From Market Over Concerns Of Cancer Risk
The Japanese drug maker Eisai on Thursday said it would withdraw the weight-loss drug Belviq from the U.S. market after the Food and Drug Administration expressed concerns about an increased occurrence of cancer reported in people who used the product. The agency recommended that people using Belviq to lose weight should stop taking the medicine immediately, although the FDA is not recommending special cancer screening for people who have used the drug. (Feuerstein, 2/13)

PBS NewsHour: How Vaccine Hesitancy Is Contributing To Deadly Measles Resurgence
As health care officials around the world struggle to respond to novel coronavirus, another deadly -- and far more contagious -- disease is on the rise, fueled in large part by insufficient immunization. In some countries, military conflict diminishes access to vaccines. But in other parts of the world, misinformation and vaccine hesitancy allow the disease to flourish. (Sreenivasan and Norris, 2/13)

New Orleans Times-Picayune: Federal Guidelines Don't Recommend STD Testing For Straight Men. Check It Is Screening Them Anyway.
As rates of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) continue to skyrocket in the United States, with Louisiana ranking high among them, one group is notably absent from federal recommendations for yearly testing — straight men. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the country's leading public health institute, suggests annual STD screening only for sexually active women, pregnant women, gay and bisexual men, and people who use needles. (Poche, 2/13)

Kaiser Health News: Changing Clocks Is Bad For Your Health, But Which Time To Choose?
Changing over to daylight saving time — a major annoyance for many people — may be on its way out as lawmakers cite public health as a prime reason to ditch the twice-yearly clock-resetting ritual. The time change, especially in the spring, has been blamed for increases in heart attacks and traffic accidents as people adjust to a temporary sleep deficit. But as legislatures across the country consider bills to end the clock shift, a big question looms ahead of this year's March 8 change: Which is better, summer hours or standard time? (Hammill, 2/14)

The New York Times: Is Coffee Good For You?
We've come a long way from the cans of Folgers that filled our grandparents' cupboards, with our oat milk lattes, cold brews and Frappuccinos. Some of us are still very utilitarian about the drink while others perform elaborate rituals. The fourth most popular beverage in the country, coffee is steeped into our culture. Just the right amount can improve our mood; too much may make us feel anxious and jittery. (MacKeen, 2/13)

Chicago Tribune: Chronic Fatigue Goes Undiagnosed For Latino, Black Children
According to a January study from DePaul University, most children living with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) have not been diagnosed. Together with Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, researchers screened more than 10,000 children in the Chicagoland area aged 5-17 for chronic fatigue syndrome. Ultimately, the study found the prevalence of chronic fatigue among children to be 75 in 10,000, and less than 5% of chronically fatigued children were previously diagnosed. The study also showed children of African American and Latinx descent were twice as likely to be living with undiagnosed ME. (Rockett, 2/13)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Penn Study Suggests Editing Human Genes To Fight Cancer Is Safe. But Does It Work?
Three patients with advanced cancer suffered no serious side effects from being treated at the University of Pennsylvania in the first U.S. clinical study of cells edited with CRISPR, the gene-editing technology. But neither did they benefit, according to results published last week in Science. One patient with a bone marrow cancer called multiple myeloma has died and another has progressed. A patient with sarcoma, a soft-tissue cancer, also progressed. (McCullough, 2/12)

Reuters: Air Pollution May Aggravate Nasal Suffering With Colds And Seasonal Allergies
People who get rhinitis - an inflamed or congested nose - from colds or allergies may feel much worse if they're exposed to high levels of air pollution, a recent study suggests. Rhinitis usually involves some combination of congestion, sneezing, nasal irritation and sometimes a reduced sense of smell, and it affects up to half of the world's population, the study team writes in Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology. (2/13)

State Watch

23. State Highlights: LA Mayor Works With Trump Administration To Pave Way For Homeless Beds; Baltimore Mayor Kept Reselling Same 'Healthy Holly' Books For Profit In Illegal Scheme

Media outlets report on news from California, Maryland, Alabama, Florida, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Arizona, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Oregon and Washington.

Los Angeles Times: Trump Officials And Mayor Garcetti Team Up To Fix L.A. Homelessness
Taking the next step in months of negotiations over ways to combat L.A.'s homelessness crisis, Mayor Eric Garcetti and U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson on Thursday announced the formation of a joint working group. Although much about the collaboration remains unknown, the mayor and secretary said their staffs would be working together to identify red tape and other impediments to getting people off the streets and housed quickly. (Oreskes, 2/13)

The Baltimore Sun: Just How Many 'Healthy Holly' Books Were There? Memo Offers Most Detailed Account Of Baltimore Mayor's Fraud Scheme
Disgraced former Mayor Catherine Pugh possessed just 8,216 copies of her self-published "Healthy Holly" children's books ― but resold those repeatedly, netting $859,960, federal prosecutors wrote in a new sentencing memo. In the most detailed accounting yet of Pugh's fraud scheme, assistant U.S. attorneys Martin J. Clarke and Leo J. Wise laid out in the Thursday filing how the onetime Baltimore mayor "methodically expanded her illegal scheme and managed to conceal it." (Broadwater, 2/14)

Al.com: Alabama Lawmaker's Bill Would Force Men To Get Vasectomies At 50
A state representative from Birmingham filed a bill Thursday that would require Alabama men to get a vasectomy once they reach 50 years old or father three children, "whichever comes first." The legislation by state Rep. Rolanda Hollis, D-Birmingham, says that a man will have to pay for the vasectomy "at his own expense." (Koplowitz, 2/13)

Health News Florida: Health Professionals Aided On Loan Defaults
With no discussion, the Florida Senate on Wednesday gave final approval to a bill that would shield health-care providers from disciplinary action if they default on student loans. The Senate voted 35-1 to pass the bill (HB 115), with Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, opposed. The House unanimously approved the bill last month, meaning it is now ready to go to Gov. Ron DeSantis. (News Service Of Florida, 2/13)

New Hampshire Public Radio: DHHS Employee Files Whistleblower Lawsuit Over Child Protection Services
An employee of the state Department of Health and Human Services, Anna Carrigan, has filed a lawsuit alleging the state is failing its legal responsibilities to protect children from abuse and neglect in New Hampshire. The lawsuit also alleges Carrigan was retaliated against by supervisors at DHHS for speaking publicly on the issue. "[Carrigan] been subject to inconsistent and arbitrary directives and other conduct that have suppressed and chilled her ability to speak to the public and the press about DHHS's dysfunction," the complaint reads. (Moon, 2/13)

The Star Tribune: Minnesota Doctors Are Now Being Graded On Women's Bone Health
MN Community Measurement has released its 2019 clinic ratings, and for the first time it ranked medical groups by the percentage of their elderly female patients who received recommended osteoporosis management after suffering broken bones. An annual report card on clinic quality is now evaluating Minnesota doctors on their efforts to prevent osteoporosis — a rare area of medicine in which the state's doctors appear to be performing worse than their peers nationally. (Olson, 2/13)

Boston Globe: Massachusetts Law Meant To Protect People With Mental Illness May Make Them Sicker
The law that remains most problematic in the treatment of these illnesses is the Rogers Guardianship statute. This law requires a separate adversarial court proceeding in order to treat a patient with antipsychotic medication outside of emergency situations, even after that patient has been found dangerous enough — to themselves or others — to be civilly committed by the court to a hospital. The intention of the statute — to preserve a patient's right to refuse medication — is well-meaning. However, in practice, it falls short in recognizing that a patient's refusal of medication may reflect their underlying disease state. (Biswas, 2/13)

CNN: Oklahoma To Resume Executions Now That It Has 'Reliable Supply' Of Lethal Injection Drugs
Oklahoma state officials announced Thursday that the state will resume executions by lethal injection, having found a "reliable supply." The state hasn't executed a death row inmate since January 2015, when Charles Warner was put to death by lethal injection. Another inmate, Richard Glossip, was scheduled to be executed in September of that year but then-Gov. Mary Fallin called for it to be postponed. A ban on executions was put in place several days later as the state investigated whether the wrong drug was mistakenly used and a grand jury reviewed the execution protocol. (Almasy, 2/14)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Advocates Want Gov. Tom Wolf To Declare Philadelphia Schools A 'Disaster' Area Because Of Asbestos
A group of federal and local officials is preparing to ask Gov. Tom Wolf to issue a formal disaster declaration for the Philadelphia School District, citing the growing number of school closures because of potentially toxic asbestos exposure. Their push, detailed at a Thursday news conference, came as district officials closed two more city schools — Barton Elementary in Feltonville and Sullivan Elementary in Frankford — because of damaged asbestos. So far this school year, nine schools and an early childhood program have been shut because of the potential danger to children and staff. (Graham and Ruderman, 2/13)

Tampa Bay Times: Former Moffitt Cancer Center Director Sues Over Forced Resignation
A top official at Moffitt Cancer Center who resigned under pressure amid a controversy over exploitation of American-funded research by China has filed a lawsuit, alleging he was unjustifiably forced to leave his job. Thomas Sellers, a vice president and director of cancer research at Moffitt until his resignation late last year, says in the lawsuit that he was not part of the now-contentious "Thousand Talents" program, an initiative designed to recruit experts from the U.S. and elsewhere to collaborate with researchers in China. (Ross, 2/13)

CNN: Mentally Ill Woman Dies In Custody, Lawsuit Alleges Deprivation Of Medical Care
A lawsuit filed by the family of a Washington woman who died while in jail in 2018 alleges inhumane confinement and deprivation of adequate medical care where she was held. The death of Damaris Rodriguez, who was suffering from symptoms of psychosis, followed four days of "inexcusable neglect and appalling conditions at the South Correctional Entity Jail," the lawsuit says. (Riess, 2/14)

The Oregonian: Concordia University's Sister School Offers Help For Nursing Students
Two days after Concordia University-Portland announced the 115-year-old institution will close in May, its sister school in Minnesota is planning to accept students from the Portland college's popular nursing program. Concordia University-St. Paul officials announced they're working on a program that would allow Portland-based nursing students to graduate on time and remain in Portland. The program, which would require regulatory and accreditation approval, would also be open for future students, according to a press release. (The Oregonian/OregonLive Politics Team, 2/13)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Grand Jury Investigators Are 'Dead Serious' About Revealing Sexual Abuse Cover-Ups Among Jehovah's Witnesses
The existence of a Pennsylvania grand jury investigation into the Witnesses's handling of child sex abuse cases — the first of its kind in the country — was only disclosed a week ago, in a story by USA Today, which was met with a no comment from Attorney General Josh Shapiro. But The Inquirer this week interviewed five ex-Witnesses who have already testified for the grand jury, including Chase, and their recollections paint a portrait of an investigation focused on shattering the wall of silence that has long surrounded the religion's reclusive leaders, and unearthing secretly-maintained records about suspected pedophiles. (Gambacorta, 2/14)

Weekend Reading

24. Longer Looks: Violent Crime And Head Trauma; The Battle Over A Plant; Warship Accidents; And More

Each week, KHN finds interesting reads from around the Web.

The Washington Post: An Olympic Hockey Hero Was Accused Of A Violent Crime. Was Head Trauma To Blame?
He walks into the courtroom, hands cuffed at his waist, an armed deputy in a flak jacket at his side. He wears a white-and-gray striped jumpsuit with "Lake Co. Jail" in large red letters on the back. Short with neatly combed hair, a trimmed gray beard and brown plastic-rimmed glasses, he does not glance at his 87-year-old mother in the front row or at his sister beside her, or his brother or two cousins and a friend. He sits at a small table beside his attorney and faces the judge. This does not look like someone who beat his neighbor so badly with a metal bar in August that the man was hospitalized with two cracked ribs, a bruised kidney, a fractured vertebra, and welts over his legs, arms and back. Nor does he look like the American hero who set up the goal that beat the Soviets in the 1980 "Miracle on Ice." (Rosengren, 2/12)

Undark: For Israelis And Palestinians, A Battle Over A Humble Plant
For just under three months a year, towards the end of the winter rains, Samir Naamneh and his wife Nadya get up at 4 in the morning, gear up in improvised camouflage, and pack into a truck headed from Arraba, their Arab village in Israel, to the Golan Heights. During this season, the volcanic plateau is carpeted with delicate wildflowers and dotted with hundreds of endangered gazelles. To the trained eye, the lush, grassy slopes are also bursting with an unassuming, wildly lucrative thistle known as akoub."It's healthy because it's from the wild," says Samir, who has been illegally foraging akoub with his wife for the last 15 years, in defiance of an Israeli ban intended to prevent over-harvesting of what officials consider an endangered native species. Akoub is a spiky, edible plant found in a wide swath of the Middle East, from the mountains of Turkey down through the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Golan Heights to the Sinai Desert in Egypt. (Rubin, 2/10)

ProPublica: Warship Accidents Left Sailors Traumatized. The Navy Struggled To Treat Them.
Two and half years after a massive oil tanker cleaved the side of the USS John S. McCain, leaving a gaping hole and killing 10 sailors, hospital corpsman Mike Collins is still haunted by the aftermath. That morning in August 2017, awoken by the thunderous shaking, the 23-year-old was thrust into round-the-clock motion: Tending to the chemical burns of the sailors whose sleeping area flooded, their flesh raw from the fuel that spilled in with the seawater. Collecting the heavy stack of the dead's medical records. Staying up late trying to purge the stink of diesel that clung to their uniforms, so the clothes could be returned to grieving families. (Rose, Tsutsumi and Miller, 2/12)

The New York Times: He Had Trouble Breathing, And Inhalers Didn't Help. What Was Going On?
The 65-year-old man collapsed into the driver's seat of his car in a small town outside Philadelphia. He could hear his breath: ragged, wheezy and fast, interrupted by a relentless cough. Winter was always bad for his breathing, but that year had been particularly hard, and that morning felt more difficult than usual. Just walking from his house to his car left him gasping for air as if he had sprinted the short distance. (Sanders, 2/12)

The Washington Post: Esports Pros Say Adderall Is Everywhere. Leagues Don't Have Many Solutions.
Aspiring to become a full-time streamer and make a career out of his love for gaming, former semipro Halo player Matthew "MellowMajik" Murphy follows a weekly ritual. Every Friday and Saturday night, he comes home and gets on his new favorite game, Fortnite. But before he logs on, Murphy swallows a pill he thoroughly believes will aid him in becoming the best player he can be. "Typically I would be exhausted, tired and lose motivation after only a couple hours," Murphy said. "With Adderall, I am able to play better than I ever have for up to 12 hours." (Hamstead, 2/13)

Editorials And Opinions

25. Perspectives: Lessons About Silencing Chinese Doctor Who Warned About Coronavirus; Supporting U.S. Chinese Communities Needs To Replace Blaming

Editorial pages focus on public health issues surrounding the coronavirus

The New York Times: The Coronavirus Story Is Too Big For China To Spin
Reactions to Li Wenliang's death last Friday filled the timelines of my social media accounts almost immediately. Post after post on my WeChat. Grief, frustration, anger.A week later, the groundswell of emotions seems unabated. Dr. Li, a 34-year-old ophthalmologist in Wuhan, the Chinese city at the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, was one of the first doctors to try to warn about the disease, and then to die from it. The story of how the authorities muzzled Dr. Li became an instant parable for their trampling on the Chinese public's right to know. (Kiki Zhao, 2/14)

The Washington Post: The Coronavirus And The Long History Of Blaming 'The Other' In Public Health Crises
Dirty looks, deserted restaurants, bullied children — this is the reality for many Asian Americans after the outbreak of the coronavirus six weeks ago. Although the epicenter of the illness is in China, where tens of thousands have been affected, there have been only 15 cases in the United States as of Thursday. Still, Asians in America have been subjected to suspicion and ridicule, and not for the first time in this country's history. (Marian Liu, 2/14)

JAMA: US Emergency Legal Responses To Novel Coronavirus: Balancing Public Health And Civil Liberties
With increasing numbers of cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) globally and in the United States, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar declared a national public health emergency on January 31. The emergency declaration of the HHS authorizes additional resources, enhanced federal powers, interjurisdictional coordination, and waivers of specific regulations. State and local public health emergency declarations are also likely. During crises, government has a special responsibility to thoughtfully balance public health protections and civil liberties. (Lawrence O. Gostin and James G. Hodge Jr., 2/13)

The Washington Post: Health-Care Workers Are The Front-Line Warriors Against Coronavirus. We Must Protect Them.
Of all our endless wars, the most protracted is our war against dangerous microbes, of which the covid-19 coronavirus is the latest battle. Just as we honor our fallen warriors on the battlefield, we should honor 34-year-old Li Wenliang, the Wuhan physician who died of the disease last week after defying Chinese authorities by trying to get the word out about the growing outbreak. Hospitals themselves are amplification points for the virus's spread, as evidenced by the more than 500 confirmed cases (and an additional 600 suspected) of health-care workers stricken in Wuhan hospitals through mid-January, including at least two more deaths. (Michael T. Osterholm and Mark Olshaker, 2/13)

26. Viewpoints: No Surprise That No One Seriously Plans To Fix Surprise Medical Bills; 'Medicare For All' Isn't What's Hurting Warren, Other Dems

Opinion writers weigh in on these health care issues and others.

The New York Times: Who's Profiting From Your Outrageous Medical Bills?
Every politician condemns the phenomenon of "surprise" medical bills. This week, two committees in the House are marking up new surprise billing legislation. One of the few policy proposals President Trump brought up in this week's State of the Union address was his 2019 executive order targeting them. In the Democratic debates, candidates have railed against such medical bills, and during commercial breaks, back-to-back ads from groups representing doctors and insurers proclaimed how much the health care sector also abhors this uniquely American form of patient extortion. (Elisabeth Rosenthal, 2/14)

Axios: What Iowa And New Hampshire Tell Us About Medicare For All
Health care was voters' top issue in both Iowa and New Hampshire, and it benefitted Sen. Bernie Sanders as well as his more moderate rivals. The big picture: Sanders has emerged as a national front-runner thanks in part to a base that's deeply committed to his Medicare for All plan, even as polling data indicate that more moderate ideas like a public option have a broader base of support. (Drew Altman, 2/14)

The Wall Street Journal: Culinary Union Vs. Bernie Sanders
Now that Bernie Sanders is the Democratic presidential candidate to beat, his socialism is drawing fresh scrutiny—and not merely from capitalists. With Nevada's caucuses coming on Feb. 22, the state's powerful Culinary Union is pointing out that Mr. Sanders wants to abolish the health benefits it has spent years bargaining to get. (2/13)

Los Angeles Times: Being Rich Is The Best Defense Against Heart Disease
Because I am a cardiologist, people often ask me how they should live to help their hearts. The truth is, it matters more where you live than how you live. Traditionally, heart disease was considered a disease of affluence; today, it is more an economic ailment than a medical disorder, correlated far more closely with one's ZIP Code and bank balance than with one's gene pool. As medical treatments have rapidly advanced, the chasm in heart disease risk between haves and have-nots has stretched farther. Closing this gap will require more from public officials and politicians than from doctors and nurses. (Haider J. Warraich, 2/14)

The New York Times: The Supreme Court In The Mean Season
The Freudian concept of psychological projection refers to the behavior of people who, unable to acknowledge their own weaknesses, ascribe those same failings to others. President Trump provides a striking example in his multiple post-impeachment rants calling those who sought his removal "vicious" and "mean." His choice of the word "mean" caught my attention, because I've been thinking for some time now that the United States has become a mean country. There has been meanness, and worse, in the world, of course, long before there was a President Trump. But it doesn't require suffering from the agitation of Trump derangement syndrome to observe that something toxic has been let loose during these past three years. Much of it has to do with immigration: the separation of families at the border and the effort to terminate DACA, the program that protects from deportation undocumented young people brought to the United States as children. (Linda Greenhouse, 2/13)

The Wall Street Journal: The Dangerous Denial Of Sex
Transgender ideology can take on a comical character, as in a recent American Civil Liberties Union commentary objecting to sales tax on tampons and similar products while pondering: "How can we recognize that barriers to menstrual access are a form of sex discrimination without erasing the lived experiences of trans men and non-binary people who menstruate, as well as women who don't?" Yet it's one thing to claim that a man can "identify" as a woman or vice versa. Increasingly we see a dangerous and antiscientific trend toward the outright denial of biological sex. (Colin M. Wright and Emma N. Hilton, 2/13)

The New York Times: Are 'Near-Death Experiences' Real?
"Have you stood at the gates of doom? Or looked through the gates of death? Have you been to the edge of the universe?" In the Old Testament, The Voice from the Whirlwind poses these questions to Job. The implied answer is no, for these seem to be divine prerogatives. For humans, heaven is a gated community, and we typically can't even peer through. This is one reason (among many) near-death experiences inspire awe: They seem to give us a "God's eye" view of what really lies beyond. They take us to the edge of the universe. (John Martin Fischer, 2/13)

Los Angeles Times: For Doctors, Second-Guessing May Do More Harm Than Good
You always remember the first patient who died on your watch. Mine was an older man with a faulty heart — the main pump had failed and his heart was beating irregularly and far too fast. We tried to slow it down with medications, but later that night, it suddenly stopped beating completely. In the following months, I kept questioning if I should have done something differently. Whenever I would have a case like that one, I found myself second-guessing my clinical management. However, it turns out that thinking twice may actually cause more harm than good. (Abraar Karan, 2/13)

The New York Times: Searching For Meaning In My Epilepsy
Among the many special causes entrusted to the patronage of St. Valentine — beekeeping, love — is epilepsy, though no one seems to know exactly why. The great 20th-century psychiatrist Leo Kanner guessed in a 1930 paper on epileptic folklore that the association was earned by the similarity between the sound of Valentine's name spoken in German and the epithet "fallende Sucht," "the falling disease." It may have been that over time, entreaties to Valentine from epileptics were answered with particular generosity. They needed all the help they could get. Kanner cites several other saints known to be patrons of epilepsy, whose names were given over time as euphemisms for the disease — St. John, St. Donato, St. Cornelius and scores more. (Elizabeth Bruenig, 2/14)

The Washington Post: Makenzie Anderson, Homeless Baby Killed At D.C. Quality Inn, Compared To Relisha Rudd
"We knew that baby was in trouble," she said, turtle-hunched inside her jacket against the rain as she waited for the D6 bus with a knot of other women who live in a hotel on one of the District's ugliest stretches of street. "It's Relisha all over again." She's remembering Relisha Rudd, the 8-year-old girl whose disappearance from the largest family shelter in the nation's capital nearly six years ago awakened the city to its staggering crisis of homeless children. (Petula Dvorak, 2/13)