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In tapping Rep. Tom Price and Medicaid consultant Seema Verma Tuesday for top health positions, President-elect Donald Trump has signaled that he intends to put conservative health-policy goals at the forefront of his administration. (Radnofsky, 11/29)

In choosing Representative Tom Price of Georgia to be his health secretary, President-elect Donald J. Trump has signaled an undiminished determination to repeal President Obama’s signature domestic achievement, the Affordable Care Act, and replace it with a health law that would be far less comprehensive. And Mr. Trump is handing Republicans and their base voters what they have clamored for since the Affordable Care Act became law in 2010 — a powerful force to reverse course. (Pear, 11/29)

Price, a former orthopedic surgeon and six-term House member from suburban Atlanta, has proposed policies that are more conservative than those of many House Republican colleagues. His vision for health reform hinges on eliminating much of the federal government's role in favor of a free-market framework built on privatization, state flexibility and changes to the tax code. The vast majority of the 20 million people now covered under Obamacare would have far less robust coverage — if they got anything at all. “Young, healthy and wealthy people may do quite well under this vision of health care reform,” said Larry Levitt, a senior vice president at the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation. “But the people who are older and poorer and sicker could do a lot worse.” (Cancryn, Haberkorn and Pradhan, 11/29)

Price's major complaint about the ACA is that it puts the government in the middle of the doctor-patient relationship. "They believe the government ought to be in control of health care," Price said in June at the American Enterprise Institute event where Ryan unveiled the Republican proposal to replace Obamacare. "We believe that patients and doctors should be in control of health care," Price continued. "People have coverage, but they don't have care." (Kodjak, 11/29)

President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Republican Rep. Tom Price of Georgia to become the next secretary of Health and Human Services. Price, a surgeon by training, has been one of the loudest and most ambitious critics of the Affordable Care Act, even introducing a nearly 250-page replacement plan. One core principle in Price's proposal: the idea that everyone in the country will get a subsidy to buy insurance.  (Gorenstein, 11/29)

The future of the Affordable Care Act looks both bleaker and cloudier with President-elect Donald Trump's nomination for his administration's top health jobs. House Budget Committee Chairman Tom Price, R-Ga., a surgeon and outspoken critic of the law, was named to head the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Price introduced a replacement plan last year that includes some elements that are similar to the ACA, but removes the mandate that everyone have insurance. (O'Donnell, 11/29)

President-elect Donald Trump has selected U.S. Rep. Tom Price of Georgia as his nominee to head the Department of Health and Human Services. Price, 62, an orthopedic surgeon, has been a fierce critic of the Affordable Care Act, and has also discussed major changes to the Medicare program. (Miller, 11/29)

As an orthopedic surgeon, Tom Price is used to calling the shots in the operating room. If confirmed to run the federal Department of Health and Human Services, the doctor-turned-congressman from Georgia may find it a lot harder to exercise authority. ... Almost everything the vast department does is circumscribed by law and regulations, and churned out through layers of bureaucracy not always in full communication with each other. (11/29)

In tapping Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) to be his Health and Human Services secretary, [Trump] has elevated one of the most aggressive proponents of dramatically overhauling the government safety net for seniors and low-income Americans, a long-held conservative goal. Trump also took a step toward a potentially explosive political battle over the entitlements, which account for close to half of all federal spending.Such a battle — and the threat of benefit cuts to more than 100 million Americans — risks alienating some of the very working-class voters who fueled Trump’s unexpected victory. (Levey and Bierman, 11/29)

Donald Trump ran for president as a conservative populist, not a traditional Republican. He blasted free trade deals. He embraced massive government infrastructure spending. And he promised to safeguard two massive - and massively popular - safety-net programs for older Americans, Social Security and Medicare. “You can’t get rid of Medicare," Trump said in a press conference in the fall of 2015, during the Republican primaries. "It’d be a horrible thing to get rid of. It actually works." Those positions boosted Trump electorally, particularly among aging whites in the industrial Midwest, where he secured his Electoral College victory. (Tankersley, 11/29)

As chairman of the House Budget Committee, Price emerged as a top advocate of Speaker Paul Ryan's plan to transform Medicare from a program that supplies a defined set of benefits into a "premium support" model that would, similar to Obamacare, offer subsidies for participants to purchase health care directly from insurance companies. He also wants the Medicare eligibility age to rise to 67. (11/29)

President-elect Donald Trump’s selection of Rep. Tom Price to head the Department of Health and Human Services signals that the new administration is all-in on both efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act and restructure Medicare and Medicaid. Price, a Georgia Republican who currently chairs the House Budget Committee, was among the first to suggest that not just the ACA but also Medicare are on the near-term agenda for newly empowered Republicans. (Rovner, 11/29)

Democrats pledged Tuesday to wage a vigorous war questioning Tom Price’s nomination as secretary of health and human services, centering on his sympathy for privatizing Medicare. “He is going to get a lot of very strong and very thorough questions about the kinds of things that he has proposed,” said Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who will be the Senate’s Democratic leader next year. “And if he sticks with them, I think there’s a chance that his nomination will fail.” Schumer accused Republicans of “plotting a war on seniors next year.” (Lightman, 11/29)

Senate Democrats plan to put up a fight against Donald Trump’s choice of Representative Tom Price to become secretary of Health and Human Services, though members of the minority party know they can’t block confirmation by themselves. Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, who becomes minority leader in January, said Tuesday that Democrats could block Price if a few Republicans join them. Price of Georgia has led efforts to dismantle Obamacare and backs offering Medicare recipients a fixed sum to shop for private coverage. (Dennis, 11/29)

Sen. Chuck Schumer, the incoming Senate Democratic leader, said Price has proven to be far out of the mainstream of what Americans want" for health care programs and services for seniors, the disabled and women."Nominating Congressman Price to be the HHS secretary is akin to asking the fox to guard the hen house," Schumer said. (11/29)

Connecticut Democrats on Tuesday sharply criticized President-elect Donald Trump’s selection of Rep. Tom Price, the architect of the House GOP’s repeal of the Affordable Care Act, as the next secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. (Radelat, 11/29)

President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of Georgia Congressman Tom Price to be U.S. secretary of health and human services didn’t just send shock waves through California because of his plan to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. After all, Trump had already promised numerous times to “repeal and replace” President Barack Obama’s signature health care program on the campaign trail. What really rattled California health care experts and advocates was Price’s written plan for overhauling Medicaid, the nation’s health plan for the poor, and privatizing Medicare  — which covers 57 million Americans age 65 and older. (Seipel, 11/29)

As governor of Indiana, Mike Pence created an alternative Medicaid program he hoped could be a national model for revamping the joint federal and state health care program for the poor. On Tuesday, the architect of Pence’s program, which requires participants to make monthly contributions, was tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to head the agency which oversees the Medicare and Medicaid programs. (Groppe and Cook, 11/29)

Verma’s approach to expanding the state’s Medicaid program was unusual and somewhat controversial. In return for significant choice in their health coverage and enhanced benefits, the plan required many of the state’s poorest residents to contribute a few dollars into health savings accounts, then purchase their own insurance with help from the state. The idea was to make sure that the newly covered patients had some skin in the game when they made their health-care decisions. (Bernstein, 11/29)

Given her extensive experience reforming state Medicaid agencies, the next CMS administrator could lead efforts to make Medicaid patients more financially responsible for their insurance coverage. President-elect Donald Trump Tuesday announced that Seema Verma, the president, CEO and founder of SVC, a national health policy consulting company that has helped craft Medicaid expansion plans in Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio, would work under Rep. Tom Price, who currently is a congressman from Georgia but has been nominated for HHS secretary. (Dickson, 11/29)

Her selection to lead CMS is likely to provoke strong reactions from Democrats and advocates of universal coverage and the Affordable Care Act who argue that her reforms have restricted access to medical services. Trump also selected Republican Congressman Tom Price of Georgia, a fierce critic of Obamacare, to be secretary of Health and Human Services. (Ross, 11/29)

On Tuesday, President-elect Donald Trump tapped Seema Verma, a health care consultant, to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. That’s the part of the Department of Health and Human Services that oversees Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program and has a budget of just under a trillion dollars in 2016.Verma comes to the job with extensive Medicaid experience. Her consulting firm, SVC, Inc., worked closely with Indiana Gov. Mike Pence to design Indiana’s Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. (Harper, 11/29)

President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is Seema Verma, the founder and CEO of a health policy consulting firm. Verma has experience working with the Indiana state government, crafting its Medicaid expansion. What might Indiana’s model mean for Medicaid in other states? (Kim, 11/29)

A $6.3 billion bill heading for a vote in the final weeks before adjournment could provide an infusion of money for biomedical research and opioid-addiction therapy while taking steps favored by drug and medical-device companies to ease federal approvals of their products. The measure would wrap in provisions based on a bill sponsored by Rep. Tim Murphy (R., Pa.) and passed by the House in July aimed at improving patients’ access to mental-health treatment. (Burton, 11/29)

Republicans and Democrats put finishing touches Tuesday on a $6.3 billion medical research bill as GOP leaders prepared to try pushing the measure through the lame-duck Congress by next week. The White House said it backs the measure, all but ensuring its approval. (Fram, 11/29)

Legislation to bolster medical research and revamp the way new drugs and medical devices are approved is on the fast track through a Congress that has had little success to celebrate this year. The House could vote Wednesday on a vast bill that stretches nearly a thousand pages and holds changes large and small for the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration. (Harris, 11/29)

The goal of the 21st Century Cures Act, which has bipartisan support, is to help bring drugs and devices to market faster and at lower cost. It would increase funding for the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration and would provide grants to states to address the growing problem of narcotic overdoses. But tucked into the 996-page bill, released on Friday, are provisions that would water down some requirements of the Physician Payments Sunshine Act, passed in 2010 as part of the Affordable Care Act. That law requires drug and device companies to publicly report virtually all payments to doctors, including meals, gifts, travel, royalties, as well as speaking and consulting fees. (Ornstein, 11/29)

If Congress passes the 21st Century Cures Act, the federal government would be barred from axing the worst performers in Medicare Advantage through 2018. The provision, Section 17001 in the 996-page bill being floated in Congress this week, flexes the lobbying muscle of private health insurers that could face the chopping block if their Medicare Advantage quality ratings falter. The Cures legislation essentially would ensure the CMS stays on the sidelines. (Herman, 11/29)

Amid intense criticism, lawmakers have removed a controversial provision in the 21st Century Cures Act that would have exempted companies from reporting payments made to doctors for receiving continuing medical education sessions, medical journals, or textbooks. The provision “is not going to be in the bill when it gets to the House floor” on Wednesday for a vote, a spokeswoman for Rep. Diana DeGette, a Democrat from Colorado, wrote us. The change came one day after Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) threatened to put a hold on the entire bill unless the language was removed. We asked the House Energy and Commerce Committee for comment and will pass along any reply.

Tapping the brakes on an effort to speed new stem cell treatments to patients by relaxing regulations, Congress this week is considering a modified proposal that is attracting cautious support from the research community. Stem cell experts say they are still trying to tease apart how exactly the regenerative medicine sections of the 21st Century Cures Act, a behemoth bill that would expedite drug approval and increase funding for medical research, would affect the field. But a number of vocal critics of the original measure, the so-called Regrow Act, said some of their worries had been assuaged. (Joseph, 11/30)

Efforts to strengthen the country’s tattered mental health system, and help millions of Americans suffering from mental illness, are getting a big boost this week, thanks to a massive health care package moving through Congress. Key provisions from a mental health bill approved last summer by the House of Representatives have been folded into the $6.3 billion 21st Century Cures Act, which aims to speed up drug development and increase medical research. The act also would provide $1 billion in the next two years for prevention and treatment of opioid addiction. (Szabo, 11/30)

Rep. Sander Levin, the top Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee, will not seek re-election to his panel post, clearing the way for a younger lawmaker to grab the spot on the powerful committee. In a letter to his colleagues late Tuesday, the 85-year-old Levin informed them of his decision and said he wanted to do his part to ensure that the Democrats are united in stopping President-elect Donald Trump and Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., as they try to take the country in a different direction and “turn back the clock on progress we have made.” (11/29)

Congress may vote to repeal President Barack Obama's health care law before coming up with a replacement, GOP leaders said Tuesday. The approach could allow congressional Republicans to take swift action on one of President-elect Donald Trump's campaign promises, while putting off the hard part. And while repealing the law could be done with GOP votes alone, any replacement plan would likely require the cooperation of minority Democrats in the Senate, something that will not be easy to come by. (11/29)

Today, with Republicans poised to take control of the White House and Congress and promising to repeal Obamacare, 13.5 million Californians have Medi-Cal coverage, a 71 percent expansion since 2014 and more than a third of the state’s population... It means that California has, by far, the greatest stakes in the forthcoming battle over whether Obamacare lives or dies. And if its fate is the latter, California would have to decide whether to kick millions off the Medi-Cal rolls or cover them with state tax money.A new report from the California Budget and Policy Center, which advocates for programs serving the poor, contains a county-by-county breakdown of those stakes.It reveals, not surprisingly, that rural counties with the state’s highest levels of unemployment and poverty, have the most to lose. (Walters, 11/29)

The number of people who have trouble paying their medical bills has plummeted in the last five years as more people have gained health insurance through the Affordable Care Act and gotten jobs as the economy has improved. A report from the National Center for Health Statistics released Wednesday shows that the number of people whose families are struggling to pay medical bills fell by 22 percent, or 13 million people, in the last five years. (Kodjak, 11/30)

The state’s health insurance marketplace, MNsure, announced on Tuesday, Nov. 29, that the number of Minnesotans getting financial aid for 2017 policies tripled over this year. Rural Minnesotans especially benefit from the aid, which comes from the federal government, MNsure Allison O’Toole said in a Forum News Service interview. Sixty-eight percent of greater Minnesota enrollees will receive financial aid to buy private health insurance plans, O’Toole said, compared to 53 percent in the Twin Cities. (Davis, 11/29)

As it rolls out the biggest changes to its Medicaid program in two decades, the state has enlisted six health care provider networks to start testing a new model of delivering and paying for medical care. The organizations plan to launch pilot programs on Thursday that will cover about 160,000 residents signed up for Medicaid, known here as MassHealth. (Dayal McCluskey, 11/29)

Anthem Inc. executives told a judge Tuesday that consumers would benefit from the company’s proposed acquisition of Cigna Corp., saying the new company would be highly innovative while not reducing the fierce competition in the health insurance marketplace. (Kendall, 11/29)

Anthem Inc. fired back against U.S. claims that the health insurer’s planned $48 billion takeover of rival Cigna Corp. will undermine competition, with an Anthem executive testifying that the company plans to use Cigna to compete in new markets. Acquiring Cigna will give Anthem a way to vie for business against Blue Cross & Blue Shield Association plans around the country, said Morgan Kendrick, Anthem’s president of national accounts. As a member of the association, Anthem is restricted in competing against other Blue Cross Blue Shield plans, but Kendrick testified Tuesday that Cigna won’t be. (McLaughlin, 11/29)

U.S. stocks edged higher Tuesday, as gains in health-care stocks helped offset losses in the energy sector. Stocks have rallied in the weeks since the Nov. 8 presidential election, sending the S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average, Nasdaq Composite and the Russell 2000 index of small-capitalization companies to fresh records. All four indexes declined Monday, stalling the rally. But health-care shares led U.S. stocks higher again Tuesday. (Otani and Gold, 11/29)

Stocks closed slightly higher on Tuesday, boosted by health-care companies like UnitedHealth Group, which helped outweigh steep declines in energy companies. (Sweet, 11/29)

The Supreme Court on Tuesday appeared skeptical of the way Texas decides who must be spared the death penalty on account of intellectual disability, with several justices indicating that the state’s standards were either too strict or too arbitrary. But there was also disagreement and confusion over precisely what the state’s standards required. (Liptak, 11/29)

The U.S. Supreme Court appeared fairly split among party lines during oral arguments Tuesday in a Texas case involving how to define intellectual disability among death row inmates. The high court has previously ruled that executing people with intellectual disabilities is unconstitutional, but it left it up to the states to legally determine the condition. In 2014, the court weighed in on borderline cases, ruling that states can’t use an IQ below 70 as the sole way to define the disability. (McCullough, 11/29)

Opponents of abortion rights are planning to push a raft of new rules and restrictions after their allies scored big wins in state legislative chambers and gubernatorial races.Legislators in some states have already filed measures to prohibit or limit abortions that occur after 20 weeks of pregnancy and to ban abortions conducted by dismembering a fetus. (Wilson, 11/29)

A three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal upheld an Escambia County circuit judge's decision to refuse to grant a waiver from the state's parental-notification law. The ruling did not detail the age or the hometown of the minor, identifying her only as "Jane Doe 16-A.” The ruling does not prevent the minor from having an abortion but requires that a physician notify her parents before it can be performed. (11/29)

A Tennessee woman who is accused of trying to abort her fetus at 24 weeks with a coat hanger last year is facing new felony charges, in a case that has raised concerns among some abortion-rights advocates over strict abortion laws. The case concerning the woman, Anna Yocca, 32, has wound its way through the courts in Rutherford County for nearly a year, seesawing between multiple charges in three indictments as she has continued to sit in a central Tennessee jail. (Hauser, 11/29)

The discredited researcher who launched the anti-vaccine movement met with Donald Trump this summer — and found him sympathetic to the cause. Now, with Trump preparing to move into the White House, leaders of the movement are newly energized, hopeful they can undermine decades of public policy promoting childhood vaccinations. At the most basic level, they’re hoping Trump will use his bully pulpit to advance his oft-stated concern — debunked by an extensive body of scientific evidence — that there’s a link between vaccines and autism. (Robbins, 11/30)

Unlike school buses, ambulances are not regulated by the federal government. While states set minimum standards for how they operate, it’s usually up to local EMS agencies or fire departments to purchase the vehicles and decide whether to require their crew to undergo more stringent education and training. Some agencies demand that crew members in the back of an ambulance use lap and shoulder restraints for their patients and themselves, but many agencies don’t. In some places, ambulance drivers don’t receive any special training before they get behind the wheel, even though they must speed through traffic under tremendous pressure. (Bergal, 11/30)

Why can’t we learn to love fat? The answer to that question is embedded in a bigger story, one about how our collective fixation on the components of food — like fat or salt or starch — rather than food itself, has warped our national diets. Over decades of hyperfocus, we turned our backs on actual fruits and vegetables in favor of mixed fruit “snacks” — 100 percent of your daily vitamin C! — and snack straws made of processed veggie powder. (Moran, 11/29)

The Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday released a list of toxic chemicals that will be the first reviewed under a recently enacted law that gives regulators increased authority to ban substances shown to endanger human health. (11/29)

The number of new Zika cases in Puerto Rico has dropped dramatically in recent weeks, yet health officials worry the full effect of the outbreak on the island may not be known for months or years to come. Puerto Rico has confirmed more than 34,000 Zika infections since the virus was first detected on the island in November 2015. (Beaubien, 11/29)

A Southwest Florida research company said it has developed a medication to combat Zika. The pill is meant to treat people who’ve already contracted the mosquito-borne virus. Joshua Costin has worked on these kinds of viruses, like dengue fever, since 2005. He said he helped create two patented dengue medications. Now, Costin is a researcher with Herbal Science Group in Bonita Springs. He and his team crafted an anti-Zika drug that works like this: the virus has one major viral protein. The medication binds to that protein and stops it from entering people’s cells. (Meszaros, 11/29)

Needle exchanges, long credited with helping to slow the spread of infectious diseases by public health experts, have made inroads in recent years, even in states traditionally opposed to them. A ban on federal funding for needle exchanges was lifted earlier this year. States including Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia have made it easier, or in some cases possible for the first time, for programs to operate. Even Vice President-elect Mike Pence, who resisted needle exchanges on moral grounds, repealed a ban on syringe exchanges as governor of Indiana when confronted with an HIV outbreak (albeit too slowly for many experts). (Joseph, 11/29)

Needle-sharing by opiate addicts is placing rural white communities at much greater risk of new HIV infections than ever before, and the United States doesn’t have enough syringe programs in place to address the problem, according to a federal report released Tuesday. Although needle exchange programs have been politically controversial for decades, studies have demonstrated their public health benefits in dramatically reducing the rate of HIV transmission and risk of hepatitis infections among injection drug users without increasing the rate of illegal drug use....For the first time, in 2014, whites who inject drugs had more HIV diagnoses than any other racial or ethnic population in the country, the report said. (Sun, 11/29)

The nation’s progress in slowing the spread of HIV among people who inject drugs is in jeopardy as heroin use expands across the country and preventive services fall short, a top federal official said Tuesday. (Freyer, 11/30)

More white people are dying than being born in about one-third of the states, a new peak in a trend that is reshaping the social, political and economic landscape of the U.S. Research released Tuesday by the University of New Hampshire found that the number of states where white deaths outpace births has climbed rapidly over the last decade, rising to 17 in 2014 from just four in 2004. (Adamy, 11/29)

Naloxone, which also is sold under the brand name Narcan, works by blocking the effect that painkillers and heroin have in the brain and reversing the slowed breathing and unconsciousness that come in an overdose. It can be given by an injection or nasal spray. Until the late 1990s, naloxone, which has been around for more than four decades, could be bought for as little as a dollar a dose. Now the drug runs from a little less than $40 for a single generic dose to $3,800 for two auto-injectors that give people administering the drug voice instructions, according to an analysis of Ohio prices by HealthPlan Data Solutions. (Pyle, 11/30)

Massachusetts regulators are ordering nursing homes to begin stocking the overdose-reversing drug naloxone and to make sure that staff members are trained to care for residents battling addictions, further evidence of the extent of the state’s opioid crisis. The issue of substance abuse in nursing homes came into sharp focus this year when the Globe reported that state inspectors declared patients in at least two facilities in “immediate jeopardy” because of serious violations, including lack of substance abuse treatment and inadequate staff training. (Lazar, 11/30)

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration on Tuesday added furanyl fentanyl, a deadly cousin of the synthetic opioid fentanyl, to its most restrictive list of controlled substances. The ban comes as the DEA tries to thwart the fast-evolving market for synthetic opioids, including several fentanyl analogues and relics from old pharmaceutical research like the chemical U-47700. (Kamp, 11/29)

As rates of prescription painkiller abuse remain stubbornly high, a number of states are attempting to cut off the supply at its source by making it harder for doctors to prescribe the addictive pills to Medicaid patients. Recommendations on how to make these restrictions and requirements were detailed in a “best practices” guide from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (Luthra, 11/30)

State health officials have finished work on an interactive website containing information about how the opioid addiction epidemic is affecting Massachusetts. The site is based on the so-called "Chapter 55 Report," which analyzed information from public and private databases on the opioid epidemic. (Becker, 11/29)

Since launching the city's Safe Stations program less than two weeks ago, 13 individuals have sought help for drug addiction at local fire stations, and nearly a dozen more have called the fire department for assistance...Nashua officially began operating its Safe Stations on Nov. 17. Anyone seeking treatment or recovery from addiction to opioids or other substances may visit a city fire station at any time for help. Once there, trained firefighters will connect the individual with help, and representatives from American Medical Response and Harbor Homes will immediately respond to each report. Since opening, 13 individuals have arrived at the fire stations asking for help, according to Donchess. (Houghton, 11/29)

The owner of two now-defunct New York City pharmacies was sentenced to four years in prison on Tuesday for engaging in what authorities have called one of the largest opioid painkiller diversion schemes ever uncovered in the city. Lilian Jakacki, the pharmacies' owner, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff in Manhattan, who cited the nation's growing opioid drug epidemic as one factor he considered in imposing the prison term. (Raymond, 11/29)

The number of seniors in California is expected to more than double by 2060, from roughly 5 million to 12 million. A new report from the Legislative Analyst’s Office says this future senior population will be more racially diverse than seniors in the U.S. as a whole: the state’s elderly population is projected to become majority nonwhite as soon as 2030. The proportion of these future seniors who are disabled will also increase. That’s because nonwhite populations have higher disability rates. Seniors are also expected to live longer, and seniors over age 85 experience higher disability rates as well. (Feibel, 11/29)

There's a new online tool from the Council of Aging of Middle Tennessee to help guide people through the early steps of whether an aging loved one needs more, or different, care. The council is partnering with Roobrik, a start-up in Durham, N.C., to put a 23-question assessment on COA's website that asks questions of family members, friends or even the individual to better understand the status and the options for care. The online tool is great for the Council on Aging of Middle Tennessee's audience, who are often professionals who don't have the time to exhaustively research options, said Grace Smith, executive director. The Council on Aging puts together a directory of resources that people can peruse, but has been getting feedback that indicates the volume is overwhelming. (Fletcher, 11/28)

Colorado’s aging population will have a profound impact on “virtually every Coloradan” over the next 14 years, according to a new report commissioned by state lawmakers. And, the planning group says, if steps aren’t taken to prepare, it could have a dramatic impact on the state budget, which would see its revenue growth slow just as the costs of health care and other senior services are expected to explode. (Eason, 11/29)

Older people who smoke may think there's no reason to give up the habit. After all, hasn't the damage to their bodies already been done? But it turns out there's a benefit to quitting even later in life. Research published Wednesday in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine finds that older adults who quit smoking in their 60s had a lower chance of dying in the years that followed than contemporaries who kept smoking. (Hobson, 11/30)

Data released Tuesday comparing cities on various measures of public health showed Kansas City residents more likely than those elsewhere to drop dead from drugs in the heroin family, to get injured or killed by firearms or to die from lung cancer. The numbers released by the Big Cities Health Coalition compared 28 cities on measures ranging from cancer deaths to binge drinking. (Canon, 11/29)

During the 10-year existence of Tobacco Free Florida -- Florida's tobacco education and prevention program -- adult and teen smoking rates have hit a record low, state data shows. The adult smoking rate in Florida has dropped from 21 percent to 16 percent, the lowest it has ever been, according to the Department of Health. Smoking rates among young people has decreased from 11 percent to 3 percent during the past decade. (Miller, 11/29)

Texas House Speaker Joe Straus said Tuesday that lawmakers in the Capitol’s lower chamber would seek to restore funding for disabled children’s in-home therapy services during the upcoming legislative session, potentially reversing the state's course in an emotionally fraught, year-long legal battle. (Walters, 11/29)

Westgate Hills Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center has a new look after a $1.5 million renovation by parent company Marquis Health Services. The 120-bed center, on the Baltimore City border with Catonsville, features an Activities of Daily Living suite — complete with a bedroom and functioning kitchen — designed to prepare patients for a return home by giving them a chance to practice tasks such as getting out of bed and cooking, and an expanded gym with parallel bars, stairs, treadmills, space for floor exercises and hydraulic equipment to assist with physical therapy. (Bleiweis, 11/29)

The manager of a Towson assisted living facility pleaded guilty this week to a scheme in which he stole residents' personal information to open credit card accounts, spending more than $70,000, the Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office said. Salah Eldean Sood, 35, of Lutherville, who ran Holland Manor Eldercare, was charged with bank fraud and aggravated identity theft, after federal prosecutors said he opened credit card accounts using patients' stolen information between July 2014 and January 2016. (Anderson, 11/29)

Air quality officials are taking enforcement action against two metal-processing plants they believe are contributing to alarming levels of cancer-causing hexavalent chromium discovered recently in Paramount. The South Coast Air Quality Management District filed for an administrative order Tuesday against Aerocraft Heat Treating Co. and Anaplex Corp. to force them to cease operations or take steps to stop violating pollution and public nuisance rules. (Barboza, 11/29)

The Cal State students are instructors in a free exercise program offered at parks in the San Fernando Valley, South Los Angeles, San Francisco and Stanislaus County. The participants are mostly Latino, and many had never exercised regularly before joining the group. Several have diabetes, high blood pressure or other chronic diseases. Irma Fuentes, 53, attends the exercise boot camp three times each week. She said it has motivated her to change her diet, lose weight and start hiking with her husband on the weekends. (Gorman, 11/30)

As lawmakers grapple with implementing medical marijuana in Florida, a powerful senator is pushing for the state to set up a pot research program at the Moffitt Cancer Center. State Sen. Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, is working on legislation establishing Florida's first major cannabis research center at Moffit, focusing on the drug's potential benefits for cancer patients. He wants to put money in the state budget to start the program, as well. (Auslen and McGrory, 11/29)

Less than 44 percent of Chicago restaurants and 24.8 percent of bars are being inspected as often as state law requires — undermining public trust and jeopardizing state funding — because the city’s Department of Public Health is “seriously understaffed,” Inspector General Joe Ferguson has concluded. State law requires the city to inspect high-risk food establishments twice a year. The category includes restaurants, hospital kitchens, day care centers and schools that prepare food on site. (Spielman, 11/29)

The rising costs of prescription medicines have made headlines for the past two years. From the dramatic new cancer breakthroughs to century-old drugs, spiraling price tags have caught lawmakers’ eyes. Martin Shkreli’s AIDS drug price hike and the soaring cost of EpiPen, insulin, and other lifesaving treatments have added to mounting public pressure. Polls show both Democratic and Republican voters consistently rate the cost of medicine as their No. 1 health concern. (11/28)

Donald Trump’s surprise presidential win has many industry executives taking a wait-and-see approach, including those in advertising. However, pharma company advertisers may not have as much to be wary about, according to industry executives interviewed by FiercePharma. One key reason is the ongoing steady flow of FDA drug approvals, which means pharma companies will need to market and advertise at a similarly steady pace to get the word out about new drugs and indications. (Bulik, 11/26)

Pfizer Inc. raised the list price of Viagra by 13% in June. Less than a week later, Eli Lilly & Co. pushed up the price of its competing pill Cialis by the same percentage. ... The practice highlights what many see as a big problem in the drug industry: Even when there is competition, prices can continue to climb. That is because patients tend to stick with a drug that works for them, and health insurers and drug-benefit managers sometimes have contracts for drugs that prevent switching to cheaper options. (Rockoff, 11/27)

A $110 million bet on a prostate cancer medicine gave Astellas Pharma Inc. a blockbuster that helped turn it into one of Asia’s most valuable drugmakers. Now, with patent expirations looming in 2019, Chief Executive Officer Yoshihiko Hatanaka is setting off on a hunt for his next best seller. Armed with about $3.6 billion in cash, the Japanese drugmaker is assessing various investment options. Astellas has a history of using deals to expand and on the company’s executive floor, banker plaques and trophies from deals are on prominent display. More acquisitions are possible and the Tokyo-based drugmaker’s internal growth team is also looking at new diseases to expand into, Hatanaka said in an interview. (Khan, 11/29)

Pfizer Inc.’s Viagra and Eli Lilly & Co.’s Cialis dominate the $3.3 billion U.S. male-impotence-drug market, and the companies’ practice to raise prices in tandem has led both drugs to more than double in price in five years. After the two drugmakers raised their prices this summer, the highest dose of Viagra retails for $48.28 a tablet, while Cialis’s maximum dose costs $51.74 a tablet. (Rockoff, 11/27)

Jess Franz-Christensen did not realize the seriousness of her son’s Type 1 diabetes diagnosis until staff in the doctor’s office offered to call an ambulance to take him to the hospital. Her next shock: The cost of Jack’s medicines. The drugs, administered through an insulin pump, cost $1,200 a month. (Kirkby, Hall and Bowden, 11/28)

Higher prescription drug prices, combined with changes to Medicare and Social Security, could deal a $1.6 billion blow to state budgets next year by forcing them to ratchet up spending on Medicaid, the federal-state health care program for the poor. Without congressional intervention, most state Medicaid agencies will have to come up with tens of millions of dollars to cover the bill. The new costs could prompt states to tighten eligibility requirements or cut benefits. (Ollove, 11/23)

Substantially more health plans on the federal insurance marketplaces require consumers next year to pay a hefty portion of the cost of the most expensive drugs, changes that analysts say are intended to deter persistently ill patients from choosing their policies. (Rau, Appleby and Lucas, 11/30)

Pharma companies’ marketing communications to their target audience of healthcare providers are increasingly digital. That's not terribly surprising, considering the uptake in digital channels among physicians for professional use. What is changing, however, is the way pharma reaches doctors, according to an annual report from from healthcare and pharma solutions provider Indegene. In 2016 in the U.S., brand promotional emails, healthcare provider portals and key opinion leader webinars are the top three ways pharma companies reach out. However, by 2018, KOL webinars, social media and mobile apps will top the list, with social media and mobile apps growing the fastest, by 50% and 27%, respectively. (Bulik, 11/25)

A behind-the-scenes clash in Canada over generic competition has ensnared two Costco pharmacy directors, who were accused of professional misconduct in connection with an alleged scheme in which drug makers reportedly paid to have their medicines stocked by the retailer. (Silverman, 11/23)

The rollout of new drugs like Sovaldi, the pricing revelations at Turing Pharmaceuticals, and the Epipen episode have fed both concerns about pharmaceutical pricing and problematic proposals to address these concerns. Three-quarters of Americans say they want more government interventions to address public alarm around drug prices. Clearly there is widespread unease about the pricing of treatments, availability of lower-cost generics, competition in the pharmaceutical sector, and the ability for patients to access the drugs they need. (Doug Holtz-Eakin, 11/29)

In the furor over high drug prices, both Congress and the media have largely focused on the role played by drug companies such as Turing Pharmaceuticals, Valeant, and Mylan. Another contributor — pharmacy benefit managers and the rebates they get from drug companies — is only now getting the attention it deserves. (Douglas Hoey, 11/28)

The most anticipated pharma news of 2016 lived down to expectations. Following in the footsteps of nearly every other company that has sought to treat Alzheimer's disease, Eli Lilly announced Wednesday that its Alzheimer's drug solanuzemab (sola) failed a huge Phase 3 clinical trial, sending shares down 10.5 percent. (Max Nisen, 11/25)

It's no secret that drug costs have been steadily increasing year by year. From 2014 to 2015, overall drug spending increased 12 percent, the highest rate of increase in more than a decade. It's not just specialty drugs increasing in price: Older generic drugs are becoming more expensive and scarce. At least 315 generics have doubled in price since 2012, many of which lack market competition. (Julia Michaloski, 11/27)

Actelion Ltd. is a $20 billion company with ambitious founder-owners known for spurning takeovers, two potential blockbuster drugs, and a strong late-stage research pipeline. If Johnson & Johnson is going to buy this company, then it will likely have to pay up. At first glance, such a deal would seem to run counter to J&J's promises to be disciplined about acquisitions. But some things are worth a higher price. (Max Nisen, 11/28)

If you can have your cake and eat it, why wouldn't you? That may be what Johnson & Johnson has to offer the managers of the Swiss biotech Actelion Ltd. to get some kind of deal done. The target is reportedly more open to merging some assets in return for a stake than being taken over outright. Actelion's managers would get the benefits of a tie-up while staying independent. What's in it for J&J is less clear. (Chris Hughes, 11/29)

In picking Representative Tom Price, President-elect Donald Trump has chosen as his secretary of health and human services a man intent on systematically weakening, if not demolishing, the nation’s health care safety net. Mr. Price, a Republican from Georgia, is a fierce opponent of the Affordable Care Act, the 2010 health reform law, and beyond that, supports plans to slash Medicare and Medicaid, which cover tens of millions of elderly, disabled and low-income Americans. (11/30)

To get a sense of the future of American health care, amidst the post-election uncertainty, watch what happens to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. This agency, created as part of the Affordable Care Act, has attracted substantial opposition. A recent proposal to change reimbursement to doctors for administering certain drugs, in particular, has led to calls that it be abolished. But let's hope the center survives, because it could prove crucial to any new effort to raise the value of health care in the U.S. (Peter R. Orszag, 11/29)

Donald Trump has chosen GOP Rep. Tom Price of Georgia, a longtime critic of the Affordable Care Act, as his secretary for Health and Human Services. This likely means that, at best, the health law will be repealed and replaced by something that covers far fewer people, or that, at worst, it will get repealed outright, leaving even more people without coverage. So what does this mean for poor and working-class white Trump voters who are currently benefiting from the law, some no doubt enjoying health coverage for the first time in their lives? (Greg Sargent, 11/29)

For years, Republicans have tried to sabotage the Affordable Care Act by any means possible. House Republicans have voted at least 60 times to kill the law. Sabotaging a law doesn’t take legislative skill; it merely requires a party marching in ideological lockstep to defy a president they never liked. But now that a Republican president will be in the White House with a GOP-majority Congress, Republicans will have the burden of governing. They — and the incoming president — will find that crafting thoughtful legislation, if that’s what they truly want, to improve the lives of Americans is harder than sending out a tweet. (11/29)

Millions of Americans won’t mourn the passing of the expensive, complex and ultimately unworkable Obamacare law. But just as the demolition of a large building must be carefully planned and executed, so too must the dismantling of Obamacare. Millions of Americans rely on it for coverage. Tossing them off the rolls without offering them something better is cruel and invites a political backlash. (11/30)

Now that the elections are over, it’s just the beginning of what could be a troubling reform process to the Affordable Care Act, particularly for those with pre-existing conditions. Whether significant changes to the Affordable Care Act are on the horizon in the very near future remains to be seen, but people with pre-existing conditions will be paying close attention in the coming weeks as a new administration takes over governing entities. While there is a notable outcry regarding the recent announcement that premiums for plans under the Affordable Care Act will rise by an average of 25 percent next year, there is a much more serious, if not deadly, issue facing Americans. It’s an insurer maneuver that denies patient access to life-saving treatments. (Paul Gileno, 11/29)

Workers unattached to traditional long-term jobs typically have limited access to social insurance such as health care, disability insurance and retirement savings, which provide peace of mind and a safety net to protect them if needed. At the same time, we have never made it easy for even successful independent contractors, such as consultants and lawyers, to find or fund their own social insurance. (Mark R.Warner, 11/29)

Medicare was not one of Donald J. Trump’s signature issues during his campaign for the presidency, but Congressional Republicans and Mr. Trump’s nominee for health and human services secretary have indicated that they are eager to move forward with their longtime goal of privatizing the government health care program for the elderly. What changes, if any, does Medicare need? (11/29)

Once again, an assisted living center in Iowa is giving up its license and converting to an apartment complex. And once again the elderly residents are the ones who are suffering. (11/29)

There’s been much discussion recently about Iowa’s mental health system. Unfortunately, this discussion often centers on one type of intensive care — inpatient psychiatric beds — instead of pushing us forward, collectively, on developing a full array of mental health services which can effectively serve individuals with all acuities of mental illness closer to home. (Charles Palmer, 11/29)

One of our fellow mental health advocacy groups, Mental Health America, recently issued its State of Mental Health Care in America report, based on data from 2014. About a week before the general election, the governor’s office pounced on this report and widely distributed a press release, stating that Iowa’s overall ranking had moved from 13th to 7th in the nation with respect to a combination of 15 measures. The premise is that states with higher rankings have lower prevalence rates and higher rates of access. (Jane Hudson, 11/29)

The market for wearable health monitoring devices is booming — except among seniors. That’s something we need to fix, because older Americans can benefit from wearable devices as much as, if not more than, younger ones. ... Wearables can do far more for the health of older Americans than alert a loved one about a fall. They can help seniors easily view changes in their health patterns and become more empowered advocates for their own health. That can help drive earlier intervention and more proactive health care treatment. It can also bring valued peace of mind to their caregivers, who also aren’t taking full advantage of the available digital technologies. (Paul Adams, 11/29)

A patient walks into an optometrist’s office for an eye exam. He walks out an hour later with a box of contact lenses, conveniently purchased in-office with the eye-care provider's encouragement. If the patient is typical, he probably doesn’t stop to wonder why he wasn't provided a copy of his prescription. In fact, he's likely wholly ignorant of the significantly cheaper lens options available online. And he's almost certainly oblivious to the fact that his friendly optometrist just violated the law. (Ashley Baker, 11/29)