The purpose of this bulletin is to compile a handful of articles relating to health care coverage in the United States that are most pertinent to LIUNA and its health and welfare funds. We hope you find this biweekly bulletin helpful and informative.

ABC News: US Urges Shared Decisions With Pain Patients Taking Opioids
U.S. health officials again warned doctors Thursday against abandoning chronic pain patients by abruptly stopping their opioid prescriptions.
 
The Washington Post: What We Know About The Mysterious Vaping-Linked Illness And Deaths
Health officials, lawmakers and parents have been raising alarms about vaping for a couple of years, warning that products touted as healthier alternatives for smokers are instead drawing in young people with fun flavors and slick marketing — concerns the Trump administration cited this month while announcing plans to ban most flavored e-cigarettes.
 
CNN: Humans Have A 'Salamander-Like' Ability To Regrow Cartilage, Study Finds
The study, published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances, found that "cartilage in human joints can repair itself through a process similar to that used by creatures such as salamanders and zebrafish to regenerate limbs," according to the press release by Duke Health, which helped lead the research.
 
Kaiser Health News: Why Hospitals Are Getting Into The Housing Business
Hospital systems now invest in housing to help some of their most frequent patients. This allows them to safely discharge patients who otherwise would have no place to go, freeing up beds for sicker patients and saving the hospitals money.
 
The Advocate: Pest Control, Service Dog's Food -- Host Of New Benefits Await Medicare Advantage Customers
Medicare Advantage customers will soon be able to choose from new insurance benefits that go well beyond the usual coverage of doctor visits and other care in an effort to improve their health and prevent costly medical problems.
 
NBC News: Owning A Dog Linked To Lower Risk Of Death After A Heart Attack, Study Finds
Dog owners live longer and fare better after a heart attack or stroke compared with those who have no canine companions, two studies published Tuesday suggest.
 
The Hill: Trump Officials Move To Ease Doctor Anti-Fraud Rules In Modernization Bid
The very technical changes in the new proposed rules would create exceptions that allow for “value-based” payment arrangements, which is where doctors get paid more if their patients get better results.
 
The New York Times: Scientists Designed A Drug For Just One Patient. Her Name Is Mila.
A new drug, created to treat just one patient, has pushed the bounds of personalized medicine and has raised unexplored regulatory and ethical questions, scientists reported on Wednesday.
 
Military Times: Combat Troops At Higher Risk For Opioid, Heroin Addiction, Study Says
Combat exposure puts U.S. troops and veterans at substantial risk for abusing prescription opioids and even heroin — more so than service members who deployed but never saw a firefight, according to a working paper published last month by the National Bureau of Economic Research.
 
Vox: The Good, The Bad, And The Unknown In The House Plan To Lower Drug Costs
The unavoidable tradeoff in lowering prescription drug prices: fewer new drugs.
 

STATES IN THE NEWS

The Sacramento Bee: Kaiser’s Biggest Union, Representing 57,000 California Workers, Ratifies Four-Year Contract
Roughly 57,000 Kaiser Permanente workers, all working in California, ratified a four-year labor contract agreement that protects certain jobs from outsourcing and creates a program that aims to diminish a national shortage of health care workers, union leaders announced Wednesday.
 
North Carolina Health News: Business Leaders, Conservatives Across State Warm To Medicaid Expansion
The unanimous resolution, signed by four Republicans and one Democrat, throws local support behind House Bill 655, which recently passed through the General Assembly’s House Health Committee and awaits a vote on the House floor.
 
Cincinnati Enquirer: U.S. Lab Seeking Possible Links Between Vaping And Lung Disease Is In Cincinnati
The search for answers to the mysterious lung disease apparently related to vaping goes through a low-slung building in an industrial park in a northern Cincinnati neighborhood.
 
Georgia Health News: Rural Remedy: Mercer Med School Bringing Health Care To ‘Areas Of Need’
To fill in some physician gaps, the Medical College of Georgia is planning new incentives for med students to practice in rural areas by reducing tuition and shortening their time in school.
 
The Oregonian: Oregon Will Ban Flavored Vaping Products Oct. 15
Oregon will ban all flavored vaping products for six months starting Tuesday as federal officials remain stumped about exactly what’s causing severe lung injuries associated with e-cigarettes.
 
Boston Globe: An innovative Program That Helps Civilly Committed Kick Drugs
Hampden County Sheriff Nick Cocchi didn’t go into law enforcement to help people addicted to drugs. But setting those with substance use disorder on a path to recovery has become one of his life’s passions.