Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
KHN:$80,000 And 5 ER Visits: An Ectopic Pregnancy Takes A Toll Despite NY’s Liberal Abortion Law
When Sara Laub’s period was late, the New York City resident shrugged it off. She’d used an intrauterine device, or IUD, for three years and knew her odds of getting pregnant were extremely slim. But after 10 days had passed, Laub, 28, took a home test in early July and got unwelcome news: She was pregnant. Laub went to a Planned Parenthood clinic because she knew someone could see her immediately there. An ultrasound found no sign of a developing embryo in her uterus. That pointed to the possibility that Laub might have an ectopic pregnancy, in which a fertilized egg implants somewhere outside the uterus, usually in a fallopian tube. (Andrews, 10/5)
KHN:Addiction Experts Fear The Fallout If California Legalizes Sports Betting
Since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2018 that states could legalize betting on sports, California — with 40 million people and numerous professional teams — has been the great white whale, eluding gambling companies and casino-hosting tribal communities. At stake is $3.1 billion in annual revenue, according to one industry consulting firm. It’s little surprise, then, that voters will face not one but two ballot propositions this fall aimed at capturing California’s sports betting market. Although neither appears to have strong public support, gambling addiction experts are worried about one far more than the other. (Kreidler, 10/5)
The 19th:Education Department Issues Title IX Guidance On Abortion
The Biden-Harris administration issued fresh guidance Tuesday reinforcing the legal protections for pregnancy and abortion under Title IX as it recognizes the 100-day milestone since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. (Panetta and Haines, 10/4)
AP:White House Keeps Focus On Abortion As Midterms Approach
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris gathered several Cabinet secretaries and other top administration officials on Tuesday in a bureaucratic show of force as they met with doctors from around the country. The event marked 100 days since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that legalized abortion nationwide. Most abortions are banned in at least 14 states now following a Republican-led effort, and others are weighing severe restrictions. (Megerian and Long, 10/4)
The Hill:Biden Bashes University Of Idaho Policy On Contraception: ‘What Century Are We In?’
President Biden on Tuesday bashed the University of Idaho over its new guidance against offering birth control for students, arguing contraception shouldn’t be controversial in this day and age. “Folks, what century are we in? What are we doing? I respect everyone’s view on this — personal decision they make. But, my lord, we’re talking about contraception here. It shouldn’t be that controversial,” Biden said during a meeting of the White House Task Force on Reproductive Healthcare Access. (Gangitano, 10/4)
The 19th:Petition To FDA Asks For Mifepristone Label To Include Miscarriage Management
Over 40 medical and advocacy groups submitted a petition to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asking for miscarriage management to be added as a use case for mifepristone, a drug commonly used in medical abortions, and ease the restrictions around who can prescribe it. (Gerson, 10/4)
Bloomberg:Sheryl Sandberg Donates $3 Million To ACLU For Abortion Causes
The gift from the former Meta Platforms Inc. chief operating officer, which will be announced Tuesday, is one of the biggest abortion-rights grants ever received by the 102-year-old nonprofit, according to its longtime executive director Anthony Romero. The money will give the ACLU’s political arm a “running start” against state anti-abortion efforts spurred by the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade in June, he said. (Larson, 10/4)
AP:Arizona Abortion Rights Backers Sue To Overturn Old Ban
Supporters of abortion rights on Tuesday sued to block an old Arizona law that criminalizes nearly all abortions, arguing that laws passed by the state Legislature after 1973′s Roe v. Wade decision should take precedence and abortions should be allowed until 15 weeks into a pregnancy. The lawsuit filed by a Phoenix abortion doctor and the Arizona Medical Association repeats many of the arguments made by Planned Parenthood and its Arizona affiliate in their failed effort last month to persuade a Tucson judge to keep in place a 50-year-old injunction barring enforcement of the pre-statehood law. The judge said it was not procedurally proper for her to try to reconcile 50 years of later law with the old law. (Christie, 10/4)
AP:Wisconsin Senate Convened For 15 Seconds, To Gavel In And Adjourn Special Session Called By Evers
Wisconsin’s Republican-controlled Legislature took mere seconds on Tuesday to reject Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ call to create a way for voters to get a chance to repeal the state’s 1849 abortion ban, even as Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson voiced support for letting the people decide the issue. The move by Evers is the latest by Democrats in the battleground state to turn the Nov. 8 election into a referendum on abortion. But Evers’ opponent Tim Michels, Johnson and other Republicans are focusing instead on crime and public safety in arguing that Democrats have failed to keep the state safe. (Bauer, 10/4)
Houston Chronicle:Federal Judge Orders Texas AG Ken Paxton To Testify In Abortion Fund Suit
A federal judge on Tuesday ordered Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to testify in a lawsuit over the ability of abortion funds to help people access the procedure in states where it's still legal. (Goldenstein, 10/4)
Politico:Walker’s Team Knew Of An Abortion Allegation Months Before It Surfaced
Months before news broke alleging that Herschel Walker paid for an abortion, top Republicans in the state — including those advising his team — warned him that the story could torpedo his campaign. Four people with knowledge of those preliminary discussions said that the abortion issue was well known within the state, even before reporters began inquiring about it. (McGraw, Allisonand Stein, 10/4)
Bangor Daily News:Paul LePage Says He’d Veto 15-Week Abortion Ban In Debate With Janet Mills
Former Gov. Paul LePage said he would veto a 15-week abortion ban in a first debate with Gov. Janet Mills on Tuesday that featured feisty exchanges on the economy and the opioid crisis ahead of their high-profile November election. (Shepherd, 10/4)
Roll Call:Midterm State Races See Increased Emphasis On Abortion Post-Roe
Democratic candidates are ramping up messaging on reproductive health in races for governor and attorney general as they capitalize on renewed interest in protecting access to abortion and contraception ahead of the 2022 midterm elections. (Raman, 10/4)
The Hill:Fauci Says He Should Have Been ‘More Careful’ On Pandemic Messaging: ‘No One’s Perfect’
Chief White House medical adviser Anthony Fauci on Tuesday said he should have been “much more careful” in his messaging on COVID-19 early on in the pandemic, including doing a better job of conveying the uncertainty present at that time. ... Fauci bemoaned that the only remarks that were “thrown back” at him from that time were his recommendations that things did not have to change. (Choi, 10/4)
Axios:Fauci Says Another COVID-19 Variant Could Emerge This Winter
NIAID director Anthony Fauci said Tuesday that "we should not be surprised" if a new COVID-19 variant emerges this winter. (Doherty and Habeshian, 10/4)
San Francisco Chronicle:Doctors Who Question COVID Vaccines Sue California Over New Medical Misinformation Law
“The goal of AB2098 is to chill speech — in particular the speech of doctors who make a different assessment of the available evidence than the state of California,” attorneys from two conservative nonprofit organizations said in a lawsuit filed in federal court in Los Angeles on behalf of doctors seeking to declare the law unconstitutional. (Egelko, 10/4)
San Francisco Chronicle:S.F. Father And Son Who Claimed To Create Apparel That Could Detect COVID Charged With Fraud
Federal prosecutors accused a San Francisco father and son on Tuesday of defrauding investors out of millions of dollars with fabricated business promotions — including a claim that their company had designed apparel equipped with a device that could detect whether the wearer was infected with COVID-19. (Egelko, 10/4)
San Francisco Chronicle:Excess Death Rates Higher Among Republican Voters, Study Finds
Republican voters have experienced a higher rate of excess deaths since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study from the National Bureau of Economic Research. In an analysis of data on “excess deaths” in Ohio and Florida since January 2018, Yale University researchers found a sharp divergence between political party affiliation shortly after the first year of the pandemic. (Vaziri, 10/4)
CBS News:Health Officials Warn Severe Flu Season Is Coming, Urge Vaccinations
"I don't want to be alarmist, but I am concerned. We know that it's going to be a strain of flu that tends to be more severe," said Dr. Michael Phillips, an infectious disease expert at NYU Langone Health. "For those ages greater than 65, there's a specific formulations of vaccines that you should get and it dramatically reduces the likelihood of hospitalization and death."(Lapook and Hastey, 10/4)
Reuters:Exclusive: Biden To Nominate U.S. Surgeon General To Join WHO Executive Board, Official Says
President Joe Biden intends to nominate Surgeon General Vivek Murthy to be the U.S. representative on the World Health Organization's executive board, administration officials told Reuters on Tuesday. Murthy has served as the top U.S. doctor under Biden and under former President Barack Obama. He will continue in that role while taking on the WHO position, if confirmed by the U.S. Senate. (Mason, 10/4)
Modern Healthcare:Elevance Health To Face DOJ Medicare Advantage Fraud Case
Anthem must face a Department of Justice lawsuit alleging the Medicare Advantage insurer intentionally submitted inaccurate patient information to the federal government thatallowed it to fraudulently collect more than $100 million in overpayments.(Tepper, 10/4)
Bay Area News Group:A $6,000 Urine Test? Bay Area Hospital Firm Sued Over 'Unconscionable' Fee
Savannah Thompson walked into the emergency department at John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek just after midnight June 14, fearing she had ingested fentanyl — a synthetic opiate responsible for a North America-wide epidemic of fatal overdoses — in what she had been told was cocaine, according to a new lawsuit accusing John Muir Health of fraud. (Baron, 10/4)
Becker's Hospital Review:John Muir Health Sued For Allegedly Overcharging Patients
The law firm Hagens Berman has filed a lawsuit against Concord, Calif.-based John Muir Health accusing the health system of "unconscionable" billing practices. The proposed class-action suit alleges the health system charged a patient more than $6,000 for a routine drug screening during an emergency department visit, according to an Oct. 4 news release from the firm. (Cass, 10/4)
Des Moines Register:MercyOne Online Systems Shut Down Following 'IT Security Incident'
MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center has shut down some of its information technology systems, including its electronic health records, after its parent organization faced an unspecified cybersecurity incident Monday. (Ramm, 10/4)
Houston Chronicle:Some Appointments Rescheduled At St. Luke's Health In Houston Following IT Security Incident
Some appointments have been rescheduled at CHI St. Luke's Health in Houston following an IT security incident affecting its parent company, CommonSpirit Health, the hospital system said.The security incident, the details of which have not been released, prompted CommonSpirit facilities throughout the country to take precautions.(Gill, 10/4)
Dallas Morning News:North Dallas Surgical Center Reopens After Investigation Into Compromised IV Bags
Baylor Scott & White Surgicare North Dallas reopened last week for normal operations following a federal investigation into a doctor who is accused of tampering with IV bags at the facility. Baylor Scott & White said in a written statement that the Department of Justice concluded the incidents were isolated to one person. (Volmert, 10/4)
New Hampshire Public Radio:N.H. Lawmakers Eye Changes To Medical Board Transparency
State lawmakers are considering changes to how New Hampshire's medical board holds physicians accountable, and what kinds of information about doctors' records it shares with the public, in the wake of a Boston Globe investigation into a former heart surgeon at Catholic Medical Center in Manchester. (Cuno-Booth, 10/4)
Becker's Hospital Review:A Single Health System Among 100 Big Companies With Competitive Pay
Tech reigns supreme and healthcare providers are scant when it comes to competitive compensation among companies with more than 500 employees, according to workplace review site Comparably's 6th annual list of Best Companies for Compensation, released Oct. 4. (Gamble, 10/4)
The Boston Globe:After Years Of Increases, Massachusetts Health Insurance Rates Set To Rise Another 7.6 Percent
Nearly 86,000 people who purchase largely unsubsidized health insurance on the Massachusetts Health Connector will face a 7.6 percent premium increase next year, on top of increases totaling at least 31 percent since 2015. (Bartlett, 10/4)
Oklahoman:Oklahoma DHS Implements 25% Targeted Provider Rate Increase
As part of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services' push to eliminate its 13-year waiting list for developmental disability services, the agency has implemented a 25% rate increase for providers who work with some of the state's most vulnerable individuals. (Forman, 10/4)
The Boston Globe:R.I. To Build New Public Health Lab As Part Of $165 Million Project
Governor Daniel J. McKee on Tuesday announced that the 212,000-square-foot building will house both the public health lab plus space that will be available for lease to life-sciences organizations. The building will be at 150 Richmond St., near the state’s Garrahy Judicial Complex and the Wexford Innovation Center. (Fitzpatrick, 10/4)
Becker's Hospital Review:Palomar Health Launches Nurse Advice Line For All Local Residents
Escondido, Calif.-based Palomar Health has debuted an advice line that connects registered nurses with community members in need of guidance and treatment options.The system's nurse advice line is available to all members in the San Diego area — regardless of whether they have been a patient at the health system before — and is available 24/7, according to an Oct. 3 news release sent to Becker's.(Carbajal, 10/4)
Oklahoman:Oklahoma Bill Keeps OU Hospital From Providing Gender-Affirming Care
The governor signed Senate Bill 3 that earmarks $108.5 million in federal stimulus funds for the University of Oklahoma health system on the condition that none of its medical facilities offer "gender reassignment medical treatment" to children. (Forman, 10/4)
WUSF Public Media:Hospital Patients And Emergency Crews Are Recovering Following Evacuation Chaos
In total, 67 babies had to be evacuated from Southwest Florida hospitals to regions throughout the state. All Children's in St. Petersburg has 21 of them. (Lebron, 10/4)
WGCU:Cleanup In Storm Surge Aftermath Can Pose Health Risks For Lungs
A Broward County pulmonologist warns that storm surge aftermath may present health problems and that people need to protect themselves while cleaning up from Hurricane Ian. (10/4)
News Service of Florida:U.S. Supreme Court Rejects Florida's Request To Hear The Case Over 'Medically Fragile' Kids
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected Florida’s request to take up a dispute with the federal government stemming from concerns about “medically fragile” children being placed in nursing homes. (Saunders, 10/4)
AP:5 Legionnaires' Disease Cases, Including 1 Death, In Vermont
The Vermont Health Department has confirmed five cases of Legionnaire’s disease in Franklin County, including one death, but the source of the infection is unknown, it said Tuesday. The cases were reported between Aug. 12 and Aug. 29 and appear to be clustered in the St. Albans area, the department said. The death was in a person in their 70s, it said. (10/4)
Detroit Free Press:Judge Dismisses Flint Water Crisis Cases Against Ex-Officials
A circuit court judge on Tuesday dismissed charges against former state and Flint officials for their roles in the water crisis that gripped the city beginning in 2014. The result had been a likely outcome after the Michigan Supreme Court ruled in June that state prosecutors incorrectly used a one-man grand jury to issue indictments last year. (Lobo, 10/4)
Las Vegas Review-Journal:Nevada Violates Law By Segregating Kids With Behavioral Issues, DOJ Finds
The Justice Department has determined that Nevada violates the Americans with Disabilities Act by failing to provide adequate community-based services to children with behavioral health disabilities. (Clarkson, 10/4)
St.Louis Post-Dispatch:New St. Louis Program Provides Dental Care To Severely Disabled
Cassandra Holland, 42, of St. Louis, has spastic quadriplegia cerebral palsy. She uses a wheelchair because her muscles are rigid and stiff. She’s prone to seizures. She can’t speak. For years, her mom and caretaker, Sallye Holland, 69, struggled to find a dentist for Cassandra. (Munz, 10/4)
AP:Trucker Strike Raises Concerns About Disrupted Food Delivery
More than 300 truck drivers at New England’s largest wholesale food distributor have gone on strike, raising concerns about disrupted food deliveries to schools, hospitals and nursing homes. The drivers represented by the Teamsters Local 653 took to the picket line at Sysco Boston early Saturday seeking better pay and benefits. (Pratt, 10/4)
The Washington Post:New Model Says Type 1 Diabetes Cases Worldwide Could Double By 2040
Using a new model for projecting the number of people with Type 1 diabetes worldwide, members of an international team of researchers estimate up to 17.4 million cases by 2040, double the number of people known to have the disease today. A study published in the Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology says 8.4 million people now live with Type 1 diabetes, which occurs when the pancreas produces little or no insulin, leading to a buildup in blood sugar that can be disabling or fatal. Symptoms include excessive thirst and urination, blurred vision, exhaustion, dry skin and unintended weight loss. (Blakemore, 10/3)
Bay Area Reporter:Taking Doxycycline After Sex Reduces STI Risk, Study Finds
Taking the antibiotic doxycycline as post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) after sex can lower the risk of gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis, according to a study presented at the recent International AIDS Conference in Montreal. San Francisco health experts discussed the findings and local implementation at the September 22 meeting of the Getting to Zero Consortium. The DoxyPEP trial showed that gay and bisexual men and transgender women who were living with HIV or on PrEP reduced their risk of acquiring the three most common bacterial sexually transmitted infections by more than 60% if they took doxycycline within 72 hours after condomless sex. (Highleyman, 9/30)
Houston Chronicle:Scientists Say Obesity Should Be A Neurodevelopmental Disorder
“This is something that is established long before you ever have any say in the matter. This isn't necessarily because you are weak willed,” said MacKay, who is now a behavioral scientist in Canada. “It's difficult to lose weight because you're fighting against stuff that was ingrained in your brain’s architecture.” (MacDonald, 10/4)
NBC News:Eating Early In The Day And Within A 10-Hour Window Brings Health Benefits, Research Finds
Eating relatively early may be beneficial for weight loss, and keeping meals within a 10-hour period could improve blood sugar and cholesterol levels, according to two small studies published Tuesday in the journal Cell Metabolism. (Bendix, 10/5)
The Washington Post:Every 2,000 Steps A Day Could Help Keep Premature Death At Bay
For every 2,000 steps you take each day, your risk for premature death may fall by 8 to 11 percent, according to research published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine. Along with the results from a related study, published in JAMA Neurology, the researchers also found that walking more, accumulating up to roughly 10,000 steps a day, was linked to a reduction in the occurrence of cardiovascular disease (including heart disease, stroke and heart failure), 13 types of cancer and dementia. (Searing, 10/4)
AP:Expert: School Shooter Faked Fetal Alcohol Symptoms
Prosecutors spent several hours Tuesday trying to prove Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz purposely did poorly on tests administered to see if he suffers from fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, the primary reason his attorneys say he murdered 17 people four years ago. But after presenting dozens of charts showing the results of IQ tests and other examinations and long explanations of averages and standard deviations that even had the judge joking she understood why some jurors were drinking strong Cuban coffee, assistant prosecutor Jeff Marcus pulled his trump card. (Spencer, 10/4)