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“We’ve lost more Americans from drugs in the past four years than we lost in World War II. Yeah. Our bloodiest war. More than we lost in World War II. Does anybody care? It is pathetic. It is pathetic. And do you hear a single word from Washington about doing anything about it?”— Tucker Carlson, Trump ally and former Fox News host. This is false. Mr. Carlson can certainly argue that lawmakers have not done enough to address the opioid crisis in the United States, but his suggestion that they have done nothing is wrong. (Qiu, 7/19)

JD Vance says he’s grown all too accustomed to hearing a certain phrase when his family calls to catch him up on life in small-town Ohio: “They died of an overdose.” The phrase, which Vance invoked Wednesday night at the Republican National Convention as he accepted his party’s nomination for vice president, is in keeping with the political identity he has cultivated since the 2016 publication of his famous memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy.” (Facher and Owermohle, 7/18)

�鶹Ů�� Health News: At Trump’s GOP Convention, There’s Little To Be Heard On Health Care

No talk of Obamacare. Or abortion. At the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee this week, where delegates officially nominated Donald Trump as the party’s 2024 presidential candidate, health care issues received little attention from prime-time speakers. The silence is surprising, given health care makes up the largest chunk of the federal budget, nearly $2 trillion, as well as 17% of U.S. economic output. (Galewitz, 7/19)

�鶹Ů�� Health News' 'What The Health?' Podcast: At GOP Convention, Health Policy Is Mostly MIA

The Republican National Convention highlighted a number of policy issues this week, but health care was not among them. That was not much of a surprise, as it is not a top priority for former President Donald Trump or most GOP voters. The nomination of Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio adds an outspoken abortion opponent to the Republican ticket, though he brings no particular background or expertise in health care. (Rovner, 7/18)

Well-connected Democratic Party insiders say they expect President Biden to make a major announcement about his future soon after the Republican National Convention concludes in Milwaukee and that congressional leaders expect that Vice President Harris will become their nominee for president if Biden drops his reelection bid. The talk among high-level Democratic strategists and donors has now turned to who is best positioned to serve has Harris’s running mate. (Bolton and Parnes, 7/18)

Nearly 1 of every 5 uninsured working-age adults across the 10 states that have not expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act are, according to a new analysis, stuck in a health care limbo known as a “coverage gap.” That means they earn too much money to receive Medicaid but not enough to qualify for financial help to purchase their own plan on the marketplace. In Alabama and Mississippi, more than a quarter of uninsured working-age adults are left with no affordable pathways to health coverage, according to the analysis from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a progressive think tank that researches federal and state budget policies. (Chatlani, 7/19)

Dementia is on the rise in the U.S., with 14 million projected cases by 2060. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, representing 60-80% of all diagnoses. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, approximately 6.9 million Americans age 65 and older had Alzheimer’s in 2024, or 10.9% of those 65 and older. ... “In addition to symptoms related to dementia, the overwhelming majority of dementia patients have one or more chronic health conditions,” says Matthew Baumgart, Vice President of Health Policy, at the Alzheimer’s Association. (Zable Fisher, 7/19)

Unaccompanied migrant children in the government’s custody have been repeatedly sexually abused over the last decade by employees of the contractor providing them shelter care, according to a lawsuit filed by the Justice Department. The suit alleges that Austin, Texas-based Southwest Key Programs, a nonprofit shelter operator that runs the largest number of migrant child shelters across the country, is responsible for years of “severe, pervasive” sexual abuse and harassment of children as young as 5 years old. (Hackman, 7/18)

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday authorized sales of certain tobacco-flavored Vuse Alto electronic cigarette products from R.J. Reynolds, allowing the company to keep the products on the market. Vuse is the top-selling e-cigarette brand in the country, according to Nielsen data, comprising more than 40 percent of the market. (Weixel, 7/18)

The Senate Health Committee is launching an investigation into the bankruptcy of Steward Health Care, a Dallas-based hospital chain with a significant presence in eastern Massachusetts, and will vote next week on issuing a subpoena to its CEO, Ralph de la Torre. Steward operates 31 hospitals in eight states, including eight in Massachusetts. It filed for Chapter 11 protection in May and is looking to sell all its hospitals. But bankruptcy documents show it paid executives, including de la Torre, millions of dollars. (Weixel, 7/18)

Amazon workers are injured at higher rates than previously reported by the company, according to an interim report released this week by the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee in Washington, D.C. (Wimbley, 7/19)

�鶹Ů�� Health News: Misleading Ads Play Key Role In Schemes To Gin Up Unauthorized ACA Sign-Ups, Lawsuit Alleges

The government is giving away money! So say ads on a variety of social media platforms. Consumers, the ads claim, can qualify for $1,400 or even $6,400 a month to use on groceries, rent, medical expenses, and other bills. Some mention no-cost health insurance coverage. But that’s not the whole story.And here’s the spoiler — no one is getting monthly checks to help with these everyday expenses. (Appleby, 7/19)