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About 4 million Americans gained health insurance last year, decreasing the nation’s uninsured rate to 9.1 percent, the lowest level since before the Great Recession, according to new federal figures. The figures, released Tuesday from a large annual Census Bureau survey, show that the gains were driven primarily by an expansion of coverage among people buying individual policies, rather than getting health benefits through a job. This includes, but is not limited to, the kind of coverage sold on the insurance exchanges that began in 2014 under the Affordable Care Act. (Goldstein, 9/13)

The Census Bureau also reported that the share of Americans with health insurance continued to increase. It said that only 9.1 percent of the population had no health insurance last year. Several states, including Alaska, Indiana and Pennsylvania, expanded their Medicaid programs in 2015, taking advantage of increased federal funding under the Affordable Care Act. Private sector coverage also increased as companies hired more workers and offered them better benefits. (Applebaum, 9/13)

Still, between 2013 and 2015, the first two full years the health law was in effect, the uninsured rate dropped by more than 4 percentage points. The total number of uninsured fell by 12.8 million. Meanwhile, the percentage of Americans with insurance for at least some part of the year climbed to 90.9 percent, by far the highest in recent memory. (Rovner, 9/13)

But one number buried in the Census Bureau report goes against the positive trend. It’s the Supplemental Poverty Measure, and it shows that the steep costs of health care continue to push millions of Americans into poverty. (Konrad, 9/14)

The uninsured rate fell in at least 47 states and the District of Columbia, with non-statistically significant changes in three states, the Census said. “All the states saw a reduction, but the big reductions came from the states that expanded Medicaid,” Ken Thorpe, professor of health policy and management at Emory University, said in a telephone interview. “If the remaining states expanded Medicaid, I believe the rate would decline as low as 6.1 percent, which would have an enormous impact on the economy and the health-care industry.” (Doherty, 9/13)

The uninsured rate fell to 9.1 percent in 2015, according to new data from the Census Bureau. The Census Bureau has found a significant drop in the uninsured rate since 2013, before ObamaCare’s coverage expansion went into effect. In 2013, the uninsured rate was 13.3 percent. The difference between then and 2015 translates to roughly 13 million people gaining insurance, as the number of uninsured people fell from about 42 million to about 29 million. (Sullivan, 9/13)

Inflation-adjusted household income increased in the United States last year for the first time since 2007, the U.S. Census Bureau reported Tuesday. The median household income of $56,516 in 2015 was up 5.2 percent over $53,718 in 2014. At the same time, the bureau said, poverty declined nationally and the number of households without health insurance also shrunk. (Exner, 9/13)

However, separate census data showed that medical out-of-pocket expenses dragged 11.2 million people into poverty in 2015, a potential symptom of the shift of moving employees and individuals into health plans that have higher deductibles, copays and coinsurance rates. “This (report) is really validating the point that the law is working to expand health insurance coverage,” said Erin Trish, a health policy professor at the University of Southern California. But, she said, “There's definitely evidence suggesting people are still having a hard time making their payments for the premiums and out-of-pocket expenses.” (Herman, 9/13)

California’s vigorous embrace of Obamacare, particularly its sharp expansion of Medi-Cal coverage for the poor, has ... reduced the state’s medically uninsured population by half, a new Census Bureau report says. Three years ago, California had one of the nation’s lowest rates of medical insurance coverage, with 17.2 percent of its nearly 40 million residents lacking coverage, but by 2015, its uninsured rate had dropped to 8.6 percent, the Census Bureau study found. (Walters, 9/13)

Georgia’s uninsured rate of 13.9 percent in 2015 was the nation’s third-highest, trailing only Texas and Alaska, according to U.S. Census Bureau data released Tuesday. The rate in Georgia fell from 15.8 percent the previous year. The number of Georgians without health insurance, 1,388,000, was the fourth-highest total in the nation in 2015. (By contrast, Georgia is the No. 8 state in overall population.) (Miller, 9/13)

The number of Illinois residents without health insurance dipped below the 1 million mark last year after implementation of the Affordable Care Act, according to Census Bureau data released Tuesday. About 900,000 Illinoisans, or 7.1 percent of state residents, lacked health insurance in 2015. That's down from 1.2 million uninsured in 2014 and far fewer than the 1.6 million who were without insurance in 2013, before many provisions of the Affordable Care Act took effect. (Schencker, 9/13)

The number of Iowans without health insurances continues to decline, according to new Census data. Five percent of Iowans lacked insurance in 2015, down from 6.2 percent in 2014 and 8.1 percent in 2013, according to the data released Tuesday as part of a national report on health insurance coverage. In all, about 155,000 Iowans don't have insurance. That's down from about 248,000 two years earlier, a 38 percent drop. (Aschbrenner, 9/13)

The uninsured rates in Kansas and Missouri continue to drop. But they’re declining faster in states that have expanded Medicaid, the health insurance program for low-income families, seniors and people with disabilities. New data out Tuesday from the U.S. Census Bureau estimates that Kansas’ uninsured rate dropped to 9.1 percent in 2015, down from 10.2 percent the year before and 12.3 percent in 2013. Over the three-year period, the number of Kansans age 19 to 64 without coverage has declined by about 87,000, dropping from 348,000 to 261,000. In Missouri, the drop from 13 percent to 9.8 percent means that approximately 190,000 residents have gained coverage since 2013 when the number of uninsured totaled about 773,000. (McLean, 9/13)

Only 6 percent of Kentuckians lacked health insurance in 2015, a drop of 8.3 percentage points since 2013, according to fresh data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The net gain of 355,000 insured people put Kentucky ahead of most other states. The Census Bureau, which released nationwide survey data on insurance coverage Tuesday, said the largest increases in insurance coverage are in the 32 states, including Kentucky, that expanded Medicaid to the working poor under the federal Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. (Cheves, 9/13)

The share of Minnesotans without health insurance fell sharply for the second straight year in 2015, reaching 4.5 percent, the U.S. Census Bureau said Tuesday. That gave Minnesota the fifth-lowest uninsured rate in the country, after Massachusetts, the District of Columbia, Vermont and Hawaii. An estimated 244,000 Minnesotans lacked health insurance in 2015, according to census estimates. That’s down almost half from 2013, when 440,000 were uninsured. (Howatt, 9/13)

Texas' rate of uninsured people fell to 17.1 percent in 2015 as part of a steady decline in the share of uninsured residents following the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, according to new Census estimates released Tuesday. The state's rate of uninsured fell two percentage points from 2014 to 2015, but Texas still has the highest percentage of people without health insurance in the country. Texas is also home to the largest number of uninsured people in the country with about 4.6 million uninsured residents. (Ura, 9/13)

The U.S. Census Bureau released data Tuesday that highlighted improvements in Virginia’s rate of insured residents — and showed how far it has to go. According to the bureau’s 2015 data, the number of insured residents in Virginia rose from 89.1 percent in 2014 to 90.9 percent in 2015. (Demeria, 9/13)

The uninsured rate in Wisconsin has fallen by more than one-third over the past two years, new federal data show. The number of Wisconsin residents without health insurance fell from 518,000 in 2013 to 323,000 in 2015, according to the figures from the U.S. Census Bureau. (Stein and Crowe, 9/13)

The number of Americans without health insurance declined to 9.1 percent last year, according to federal data released Tuesday. A set of maps released by the Census Bureau suggests an obvious way to decrease the uninsured rate even more: expand Medicaid in the 19 states that haven't. (Johnson, 9/13)

The chairman of the Texas Senate Health and Human Services Committee and other high-ranking Republicans on Tuesday expressed little interest in expanding publicly funded insurance coverage to low-income Texans, suggesting the issue is unlikely to gain traction when the state Legislature convenes in January. State Sen. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, the committee’s chairman, said at a public hearing that expanding Medicaid coverage would do little to help the finances of hospitals that treat uninsured patients. He also criticized expansion supporters for the “false tactic or verbiage that’s utilized frequently that expanding Medicaid’s going to solve everything.” (Walters, 9/13)

The dozen ObamaCare exchanges run by the states are struggling financially and could be headed toward collapse over the next several years, according to a new report released Tuesday by House Republicans. All of the active state-run exchanges are still relying on federal dollars, nearly two years after they were supposed to be self-sustaining under law, according to a lengthy report by Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. (Ferris, 9/13)

ConnectiCare, the single-largest insurer on the state’s health exchange, announced Tuesday it would participate in the exchange in 2017 working with the rate schedule the Insurance Department approved earlier this month. That decision means two of the four companies that have sold policies through Access Health CT will participate again next year. Anthem also will continue to sell policies through the exchange. (Phaneuf, 9/13)

ConnectiCare changed course Tuesday and will now remain part of the state's federally subsidized health insurance exchange next year. The health insurance company said Friday that it wanted to sell Obamacare policies in Connecticut in 2017, but only if it could charge more than the 17.4 percent average increase regulators have granted for next year. (Lee, 9/13)

For the first time in her life, 26-year-old freelance designer Susannah Lohr had to shop for health insurance this year. She called up a major insurer in the St. Louis area where she lives, and it offered her a plan with a hefty $6,000 deductible — that's the amount she would have to cover herself before the insurance kicks in. When she balked, the salesman on the phone suggested that she could buy a "gap plan," a separate policy for $50 a month to cover her deductible. "After I got off the phone with him, I realized: That's actually just insurance for my insurance," she said, laughing. (Sable-Smith, 9/13)

Negotiations over a stopgap measure to fund the government until Dec. 9 have stalled amid squabbling among Republicans over controversial riders related to Zika funding and the Export-Import Bank. Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (Nev.) on Tuesday said internal GOP discord is holding up work on the funding stopgap, the only must-pass legislation on the agenda before Congress can recess for the November elections. (Bolton and Ferris, 9/13)

Senate Democrats say they haven’t received offers from Republicans about a deal for a continuing resolution to fund the government into the upcoming fiscal year and provide funding for the Zika virus. Even so, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid says he remains “cautiously optimistic” about moving forward with a bill soon. ... A deal appeared to be within grasp last Friday, Reid said, but Republicans could not reach an agreement over how to settle on a provision regarding Planned Parenthood. That provision, which has been holding up Zika funding, would effectively bar funding from going to Planned Parenthood affiliates in Puerto Rico. (McIntire, 9/13)

Florida GOP Gov. Rick Scott came to Washington on Tuesday to press for long-overdue money to fight the Zika virus, making his case for the money with top congressional Republicans like House Speaker Paul Ryan — while blasting away at the Obama administration and Democrats like three-term Florida Sen. Bill Nelson. ... Scott made his trip as lawmakers struggle to reach a bipartisan deal to fund the government's months-long battle against Zika, which is a major hang-up for a temporary spending bill that's the top item on Capitol Hill's slim pre-election agenda. (Taylor, 9/13)

It was a call that public health officials were dreading, but for which they had prepared. An elderly man in Salt Lake City died after contracting the Zika virus, the first fatality from the disease in the continental United States. His son, who had been a caregiver, also had become sick, but health officials did not know how. Dr. Shannon Novosad was on a plane to Utah the next day, one of 10 detectives looking for answers about this case to help other professionals deal with this rapidly growing health problem. (9/14)

A case of the Zika virus in Utah is now the only one in the continental U.S. that's still puzzling researchers on exactly how it spread, health officials said Tuesday. The man caught the illness after caring for his infected father, who had an extremely high level of the virus in his blood when he died in June, according to a report released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One possibility is that he transmitted the virus to his son through a bodily fluid in a way that hasn't been recognized with Zika yet, officials said. (Whitehurst, 9/13)

Until now, scientists have said that Zika is spread primarily through the bite of an infected mosquito. It can also be spread through sex as well as blood transfusions, and a pregnant woman can pass the virus to her fetus. But information released Tuesday by federal and state health officials suggest that contact with bodily fluids, such as tears, discharge from infected eyes, saliva, vomit, urine or stool, could have been how a Utah man became infected after caring for his elderly father. The father died in June after contracting Zika from travel abroad. The father's blood had a level of infectious virus 100,000 times as high as the average level reported in people infected with Zika, according to a report released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Sun, 9/13)

The Mothers’ Milk Bank of Florida said its supply of donated breast milk is safe because Zika is a heat sensitive virus. That means the virus would be destroyed during the pasteurization process all of its donated milk goes through. One thing Kandis Natoli is concerned about is the nonprofit’s future supply. Natoli is executive director of the state’s only official milk bank. (Chavez, 9/13)

Hillary Clinton is returning to the campaign trail Thursday after scrapping her West Coast travel for Monday through Wednesday as she recovers from a case of pneumonia at home in Chappaqua, New York, said campaign spokesman Nick Merrill. (Debenedetti, 9/13)

Nearly two decades later, Clinton's desire to work through illness — and penchant for keeping her health secret — has helped cause the most damaging 48-hour period in her presidential campaign and given fresh ammunition to GOP rival Donald Trump. The incident has also stoked long-simmering conservative conspiracy theories about her health and questions about her commitment to openness (Lerer and Thomas, 9/13)

Donald Trump — who for weeks has accused opponent Hillary Clinton of having “failing” health — told Fox News he has “no view” on the matter Tuesday night. “I really have no view. I just hope she gets better and can get back out,” the Republican nominee told Fox’s Sean Hannity on Tuesday. “I just — I have no view. You know, I just don’t want to get involved with it.” (Lima, 9/13)

Donald J. Trump on Wednesday scrapped his previously announced plan to go over results from his most recent physical examination in a taped appearance with the television celebrity Dr. Mehmet Oz, aides to the Republican presidential nominee said. Instead, Mr. Trump, 70, will appear on the “Dr. Oz Show,” but the two men will have a general discussion about health and wellness, not one anchored to the fitness of one of the two major candidates for president. (Haberman, 9/14)

The Trump campaign now says it will likely release later this week information based on a physical exam Trump underwent last week. Trump will be talking with Oz about his physical activity, dietary habits, and broader health-related issues. The plan also calls for Trump to discuss political topics that are of interest to the "Dr. Oz Show" audience, like efforts to fight the Zika virus and Trump's new child care policies. Trump's daughter Ivanka, who joined him on the campaign trail Tuesday, will also join him for part of the "Dr. Oz Show" taping. (Stelter, 9/14)

Campaign manager Kellyanne Conway dismissed the notion that his records would be an expected topic of discussion. "No, he was going to talk about the fact that he had a physical. And that, what the results are, or what the doctor may have told him to date. I wasn’t present at his physical," Conway said on "America's Newsroom." "But I think on Dr. Oz, they’re actually going to talk about other concerns for America. They’re taking questions from the audience, as I understand. I would imagine that Dr. Oz will talk about what he talks about on his show every day: addiction or Zika or other health concerns for people. But he will, if he is asked a question about his health or his stamina, I’m sure he’ll be happy to answer it. He’s always happy to answer." (Gass, 9/14)

While the public scrutiny of modern campaigns has made speculation about the health of presidential candidates more relentless, concerns about the fitness of candidates for office have long been a hallmark of American politics, with many hopefuls trying to conceal their maladies and opponents doing their best to exploit signs of weakness. From brushing off gunshot wounds to working through paralysis, presidents, and those seeking the office, have been no strangers to challenging ailments. Here are a few of history’s most prominent examples. (Rappeport, 9/13)

Donald Trump seems to have accepted the evidence that vaccines are safe, if his campaign’s response to a Scientific American survey on the presidential candidates’ scientific positions is any guide. Asked what he would do to reverse declining vaccination rates attributed to theories of harm from shots, Trump said, “We should educate the public on the values of a comprehensive vaccination program. We have been successful with other public-service programs and this seems to be of enough importance that we should put resources against this task.’’ (Allen, 9/13)

Five states are voting this fall on whether marijuana should be legal, like alcohol, for recreational use. That has sparked questions about what we know — and don't know — about marijuana's effect on the brain. Research is scarce. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency classifies marijuana as a Schedule I drug. That classification puts up barriers to conducting research on it, including a cumbersome DEA approval application and a requirement that scientists procure very specific marijuana plants. (Bebinber, 9/13)

The FDA, which has taken a mostly hands-off approach toward the rapidly proliferating stem-cell clinics, is signaling that some of the treatments should be regulated as drugs are, which would require advance approval. That would entail a lengthy process, with extensive safety and effectiveness data, at a potential cost of millions of dollars. The issue has ignited a fierce debate among physicians, patients, scientists and politicians about whether the agency should crack down on therapies that critics deride as snake oil but that some patients swear by. And it is fueling a broader, longer-term debate over how cellular therapies should be regulated. (McGinley, 9/12)

Pharmacists are concerned that several forms of penicillin are in shortage, including one used as the primary treatment for syphilis. Penicillin G Benzathine, which comes in a pre-filled syringe known by the brand name Bicillin L-A, has been in shortage since spring. The medicine is the first-line treatment for syphilis, meaning that, although there are alternatives, it is highly preferred over other treatments. (Rubenfire, 9/13)

Menthol cigarettes account for about a third of all cigarettes sold in the United States, and they are particularly popular among black smokers — about four out of five report smoking them, according to federal surveys. The effects are devastating: About 45,000 African-Americans die each year from smoking-related illnesses — the largest cause of preventable death, more than homicides, AIDS and car accidents. Black men have the highest lung cancer mortality rate of any demographic group. (Tavernise, 9/13)

Workers for Newport, the nation’s No. 2 cigarette brand, spent the summer handing out coupons for cigarettes at a price of $1-a-pack. That is five cents a smoke. Usually they cost about seven times that much. The vouchers—distributed at concerts, bars and convenience stores—have been part of an aggressive push by Newport-owner Reynolds American Inc., to target young adult smokers and boost Newport sales. (Mickle and Valentino-Devries, 9/13)

Under normal circumstances, a doctor would not consult the patient before accepting an offered organ. Once an algorithm has determined that an organ could be a good match for a recipient, that person’s surgeon has an hour to make sure it is indeed a good fit. If it’s not, the organ goes to the next patient on the list. But in special cases, the surgeon needs the patient’s informed consent before accepting the organ. It could be that the kidney or lung comes from an older donor, and so may not last very long. Or the donor could be defined by the Public Health Service as being at an “increased risk” of carrying an infectious disease such as hepatitis C or HIV. (Boodman, 9/14)

The president and CEO of the influential Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is stepping down "as soon as a successor is found," the Princeton-based foundation announced Tuesday. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, who trained in geriatrics at the University of Pennsylvania and has an MBA from the Wharton School,  has headed the $10 billion private foundation since January 2003.   The foundation focuses on health care and has in recent years promoted efforts to build a "Culture of Health." (Burling, 9/13)

Dr. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, longtime president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, announced Tuesday she is stepping down after nearly 14 years as head of the nation's largest philanthropic organization dedicated solely to health and healthcare issues. Lavizzo-Mourey will remain in her role until a successor is chosen, according to a news release. (Castelluci, 9/13)

Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center is responding to a firestorm of criticism over its announcement to lay off between 270 and 460 employees by the end of this year. The hospital broke the news just two days after accepting a $35.5 million contract from the state. Some say Dartmouth-Hitchcock should have disclosed the layoffs before accepting the contract. (Rodolico, 9/13)

The CEO of Dartmouth-Hitchcock pledged that layoffs at the health care system would not touch the state’s psychiatric hospital after news of the cuts sparked a political firestorm over the weekend. “There is absolutely no connection between the employment actions we are taking at DHMC (Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center) and our clinics, and our work at New Hampshire Hospital,” Chief Executive Officer James Weinstein said in a written statement issued on Monday. Weinstein said the layoffs — up to 460 — would not affect the state hospital, and that Dartmouth-Hitchcock continues to recruit personnel “to address mental health issues across New Hampshire.” (Solomon, 9/13)

The emergency room at the Indian Health Services hospital in Rapid City, South Dakota, will close indefinitely, the federal government announced Tuesday, a move that some tribal officials say will threaten lives.The Sioux San Hospital emergency department is set to be closed on Sept. 20 due primarily to the age of the facility and equipment, IHS officials said, though the hospital will continue to offer urgent care services around the clock for needs that are not complicated or life-threatening. (Kolpack, 9/13)

On Beacon Hill Tuesday afternoon, key members of the Baker administration briefed legislators on a new plan to shift the approach on treatment of men at Bridgewater State Hospital. The facility treats mentally ill people who have been charged with or convicted of crimes. (Brown, 9/13)

New Jersey saved nearly 400 patients from dying of sepsis, an elusive but deadly infection, last year. The reason: a collaboration among dozens of hospitals and other healthcare organizations and their efforts to share diagnosis data, treatment protocols, and lessons learned. Working together under the leadership of the New Jersey Hospital Association, the group was able to dramatically reduce the occurrence of sepsis, a systemic infection that can trigger inflammation and major organ failure. (Stainton, 9/13)

Two advocacy groups have asked Johns Hopkins to stop participating in a study looking at whether allowing medical residents to work long hours hurts patient care...Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy group, and the American Medical Student Association said the study is unethical because patients aren't aware they are part of the research and have not consented to participating. They also say working long shifts leaves residents tired and more prone to making medical errors. (McDaniels, 9/13)

On Labor Day, 4,800 nurses represented by the Minnesota Nurses Association went on strike against the five hospitals of Allina Health. The strike continues at great cost to the nurses and Allina, as well as possible risk to patients, who are being cared for by 1,500 replacement nurses. Despite having agreed on many issues, the two sides are stuck on the central issue: Allina wants to replace four health plans covering union workers with plans that cover Allina’s nonunion employees, the majority of its workforce. (Feldman, 9/13)

The UCF board of trustees chose HCA on Tuesday as its partner for establishing a 100-bed academic teaching hospital near the medical school in Lake Nona. The decision comes less than two months after the school announced that it was getting ready to build a teaching hospital that's long been in its plans and was looking for a partner. Tuesday's announcement is still a long way away from a groundbreaking celebration. (Miller, 9/13)

Proposals for a micro-hospital and a skilled nursing facility in the area near Shawnee Mission Health, 9100 W. 74th St., were heard by the city council and planning commission at separate meetings Monday. Although some neighbors voiced concerns, both plans ultimately met with approval. The planning commission recommended approval of a special-use permit for Sunbelt Healthcare Centers to put a 120-bed skilled nursing facility at the address of the former McEachen Administrative Center of the Shawnee Mission School District, 7235 Antioch Road.  (Hammill, 9/13)

The Texas Medical Center's most recognizable landmark now belongs to Texas Children's Hospital. The hospital announced Tuesday that it has acquired the O'Quinn Medical Tower, well known for the spires atop the building often described as resembling a pair of hypodermic needles. Texas Children's did not disclose the purchase price, but the 29-story tower cost $95 million to develop in 1990. (Ackerman and Sarnoff, 9/13)

Humana Inc. has launched a new group health insurance option in Wisconsin that continues a trend toward narrower networks as a way to hold the line on costs.Dubbed the Wisconsin Value Network, the new system is aimed at employers of fewer than 1,000 people. Humana said it will begin quoting prices on health plans in the network on Oct. 1, with coverage beginning Jan. 1. (Romell, 9/13)

University of Washington Medical Center (UWMC) officials are stepping up testing of the hospital environment — and patients — in the wake of two cases of Legionnaires’ disease in the past month, including one in a patient who died. So far, officials have taken 70 separate samples from various hospital sites, including showers, scrub sinks, patient sinks, ice machine and operation-room equipment, all potential sources of the infections that cause a dangerous type of pneumonia. (Aleccia, 9/13)

UnitedHealth Group's Optum division is making its largest push thus far into patient care in Minnesota with up to 19 new urgent care centers planned by the end of 2017. Operating under the brand name MedExpress, two of the urgent care centers are scheduled to open Friday in Eden Prairie and Plymouth. Final tallies and precise locations for the other clinics could change over the next 15 months, company officials said. But the current plan calls for 12 urgent care centers in the Twin Cities and another seven beyond the metro. (Snowbeck, 9/13)

A national campaign to rewrite state laws and allow businesses to decide how to care for their injured workers suffered a significant setback Tuesday when the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled that Oklahoma's version of the law is unconstitutional. The 2013 legislation gave Oklahoma employers the ability to "opt out" of the state workers' compensation system and write their own plans, setting the terms for what injuries were covered, which doctors workers could see, how workers were compensated and how disputes were handled. (Grabell, 9/13)

Disabled tenants of federally-supported homes have filed a federal civil lawsuit against the Meeker Housing Authority claiming its rules prohibiting companion service animals violate their federal rights. The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Denver on behalf of Megan McFadden, Antonio “A.J.” White and his father, Lonnie White by Denver attorneys Siddhartha Rathod, Matthew Cron and Laura Wolf. (Mitchell, 9/13)

Southern California Gas Co. agreed to pay $4 million to settle criminal charges over the massive gas leak near Porter Ranch last year, but the utility still faces potentially costly civil actions from both residents and regulators. The settlement ends a prosecution brought  by the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office, which accused the gas company of failing to properly notify authorities when the largest recorded methane leak in U.S. history first occurred. The leak forced thousands of residents to flee their homes for months as officials worked to cap the leak. (Walton, 9/13)

A utility that owns a well that leaked massive amounts of natural gas and drove thousands of families from their Los Angeles homes pleaded no contest to a criminal charge Tuesday as part of a $4 million settlement with prosecutors. ... The well that wasn't plugged until February led more than 8,000 families to move out of their homes in the Porter Ranch area of the San Fernando Valley. Many experienced headaches, nosebleeds and nausea during the event that scientists said was the largest known release of climate-changing methane in U.S. history. (Melley, 9/13)

The variation in prices paid to hospitals for providing similar care is either one of the biggest problems plaguing the Massachusetts health care industry or is no problem at all. It depends on whom you ask.That was clear Tuesday at the first meeting of a special commission assembled to study price variation over six months and make recommendations for addressing it. The panel was created through legislation passed earlier this year to avoid a controversial ballot question that would have attacked price variation by redistributing money from higher-paid hospitals to their lower-paid competitors. (Dayal McCluskey, 9/13)

It has been four months since WLRN launched Pricecheck, an online guide to bring clarity to health care costs in Florida. Along with our partners WUSF in Tampa and Health News Florida and with input from our audience, we created a searchable database of prices of common health care procedures and supplies aiming to answer a single question: "How much does it cost?" (Hudson, 9/13)

A key component of the Obama administration's efforts to reform Medicare is a program that financially rewards doctors for reducing costs compared to a benchmark. That was a tough hurdle last year for Philadelphia-area doctors participating in so-called Accountable Care Organizations, or ACOs. None of the nine in the region earned a bonus for 2015, according to data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (Brubaker, 9/13)

Texas is currently plotting a major overhaul of its foster care system after a federal judge declared it broken last year, increasing pressure on lawmakers to address the issue in the interim and during the 2017 session. Straus said legislators must seek to lower case worker turnover — "We need to keep them on the job," he said — and look at prevention and early intervention programs. Straus said children can also be helped by fixing the state's public school finance system, which the Texas Supreme Court upheld earlier this year. (Svitek, 9/13)

A home-health agency owes the state $612,023, according to an release from State Auditor Dave Yost this morning. P.E. Miller & Associate, Inc., based in Columbus, provided services with unqualified aides and billed the state before proper service authorized was acquired. From July 2011 to June 2014, out of 1,833 services, the auditor’s office found 308 errors, resulting in Medicaid payouts totaling $573,184. (Fochesato, 9/13)

Healthcare Management Partners, an advisory firm, relocated its headquarters to Nashville from Philadelphia as it prepares for a wave of expansion. The company works with distressed hospitals, home care and senior living facilities to determine how the business can turn around. Over the years, its developed an expertise in rural and facilities in small communities, said founder Scott Phillips, who will continue to be based in Philadelphia. (Fletcher, 9/13)

In the near future, Baird and others say, drones could transform health care — not only in rural areas by bringing critical supplies into hard-to-reach places, but also in crowded cities where hospitals pay hefty fees to get medical samples across town during rush hour. By providing a faster, cheaper way to move test specimens, drones could speed diagnoses and save lives. (Landhuis, 9/13)

Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed bills Tuesday that would have repealed the sales tax on diapers and tampons, saying that they would cost the state budget too much money. Now the two legislators who authored the legislation have an idea they say will make that argument irrelevant: Tax candy instead. (Dillon, 9/13)

Six years after a similar initiative was rejected, a clear majority of California voters supports a measure on the November ballot that would legalize the recreational use of marijuana in their state, according to a new USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll.Proposition 64, which would legalize personal use, is backed by 58% of California voters, and that favorable view extends across most lines of age, race, income and gender, according to the survey. (McGreevy, 9/13)

Los Angeles County supervisors voted Tuesday to hold a countywide election in March, possibly setting the table for a sales tax initiative to fund homeless services. County officials had debated placing several possible funding measures to deal with homelessness on the November ballot. In July, they voted to put forward a tax on marijuana businesses, but then quickly reversed course after pushback from some homeless advocates and drug treatment providers. (Sewell, 9/13)

When officials see such high doses prescribed, they become suspicious that the drugs might be going to an addict or a dealer. Investigations led Morgan’s pain-treatment doctor to drop him as a patient out of concern that he could lose his medical license. Now, Morgan is tired of the pain, tired of fighting the bureaucracy and, at times, tired of fighting to live. (Perry, 9/14)

The Trevinos are one of 1,200 families helping Kaiser Permanente’s Northern California Division of Research build the Autism Family Biobank that the health care giant set up last summer for its Northern California member families with autistic children. Through samples of saliva or blood, Kaiser researchers are collecting the genetic material of each child and his or her biological parents, as well as medical and environmental information for all three members of the family. (Seipel, 9/13)

Maryland health officials on Tuesday said they have nearly eliminated the backlog of people who have been charged with crimes but require psychological treatment or evaluations, reducing the need to put those people in jails that can’t address their needs. ... The reduction comes after mental-health advocates and corrections officials raised concerns this summer that a shortage of beds at Maryland’s five state mental hospitals had reached a crisis point. (Hicks, 9/13)

Contra Costa County’s public mental health care system is in crisis, advocates told county leaders on Tuesday while lobbying for more funding in next year’s budgets — and for officials and the community to step up efforts to find new money anywhere possible. The problem, mental health care advocates told the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday morning, is a system whose services are sought out by 900 people each month, almost double the number of people in 2010, with no appreciable boosts in staffing. (Richards, 9/13)

North End residents on Tuesday criticized a proposal from Spaulding Rehabilitation Network to relocate a neighborhood nursing home to Brighton and sell the building, insisting the plan will harm seniors who have lived in the close-knit community their entire lives. The residents, many of whom held signs that said “Save Our North End Nursing Home,” spoke during a City Council hearing against the proposed sale of the Fulton Street property that currently houses the 140-bed Spaulding Nursing and Therapy Center. The Spaulding Rehabilitation Network, which runs the facility, plans to close that property and a nursing home in West Roxbury and transfer operations to a Brighton location. Spaulding is owned by Partners HealthCare, the state’s largest health system. (Anderson, 9/14)

MetroLink commuters in north St. Louis County will soon have access to health care services at their local stations. The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded $7.3 million in grants Monday to help communities connect commuters to health services, and St. Louis was one of 19 communities in 16 states that nabbed a piece of the funding. (Liss, 9/14)

Seven more people are now suing Tropical Smoothie Cafe amid a hepatitis A outbreak in which at least 109 people have contracted the liver disease.The newest lawsuit also aims to hold 10 other companies and individuals responsible for the illnesses that have been tied to frozen strawberries imported from Egypt and served in smoothies at locations primarily in Virginia. (Shulleeta, 9/13)

When Isa Traverso, of Morrison, Col., went to fill her son's EpiPen prescription in early September 2016, the pharmacy said it would cost her $1,500 for a pair of the life-saving devices—despite having health insurance coverage. That's because her family's Blue Cross Blue Shield health plan requires that they meet a $5,200 deductible before insurance coverage kicks in, a figure they haven't reached yet for the year. That left Traverso on the hook for the full price—and she couldn't afford to fill the prescription. "I'm angry. This is not something you want to have. It's something you have to have," says Traverso. She says she'll consider not using her insurance and switching to the cheaper EpiPen alternative, generic Adrenaclick ($140 at Walmart using a GoodRx.com coupon). (Skinner, 9/12)

A major food allergy advocacy group said this week that it would stop accepting donations immediately from drug companies selling epinephrine auto-injectors until there is “meaningful competition” in the market. While not mentioning Mylan by name, the statement from Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE) implies that the EpiPen manufacturer is one of the targets. (Swetlitz and Silverman, 9/9)

Congress is starting to get some answers on EpiPen pricing. And though, so far, Mylan’s not offering much beyond what’s readily available via Google search, that could change later this week. The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which demanded answers earlier this month, is expecting documents late this week, sources close to the investigation said. The committee had set a deadline for initial word from the company Monday. (Staton, 9/13)

Mylan, the company that makes the EpiPen, has been under fire for making the drug too expensive for many consumers. EpiPen is an auto-injector form of ephedrine that can stop a severe allergic reaction. It's only sold in pairs, retailing for about $600. But it's not the only prescription drug with an exorbitant price. (Goldberg, 9/12)

A bee sting while swimming one year ago prompted Donna Myrowto start carrying a life-saving EpiPen. When a pharmacy recently called to say her cost for a new pen had jumped $100, the Palm Springs retiree felt stung all over again...Myrow's pharmacy told her in August she would be responsible for roughly $300, or about half of the total price for her EpiPen renewal. Medicare and supplemental insurance would cover the rest. A year ago she paid $200. (Newkirk, 9/12)

Anyone who has watched college football on TV or played the game Words with Friends on their phone in recent days may have seen the ad featuring Stephanie Haney, Bill Remak and Ryan Dant, all of whom were beneficiaries of biotechnology treatments. The ad, called “Innovation Saves,” suggests that money spent by biotech companies on research and development ultimately saves healthcare costs, because drugs lessen the need for hospital stays, reduce the number of surgeries performed and, in some cases, cure costly diseases. The group behind the ad is the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), which is running it as part of a larger campaign to counter all the negative publicity surrounding drug companies of late, much of which has been fueled by pricing controversies surrounding drugs like Mylan’s EpiPen and Turing Pharmaceuticals’ Daraprim. (Weintraub, 9/13)

An Ohio court has given a significant boost to a controversial ballot measure that is designed to lower the cost of medicines. In a ruling last Friday, the state Supreme Court decided that thousands of contested signatures on petitions submitted to the General Assembly were valid. And the court also ordered the Secretary of State to permit consumer activists to submit yet another petition that is required for final approval by county officials so the measure can go before voters in November 2017. (Silverman, 9/12)

It's easy to see why EpiPen has become the focus of America's fury over drug prices. It treats potentially deadly allergic reactions — for example, in a child who is stung by a bee — and its price has spiked by over 500% in a few years. While it's easy to jump all over drugmakers, like EpiPen's maker, Mylan, other actors in the healthcare system ought to draw as much scrutiny.One group of companies, called pharmaceutical-benefit managers, or PBMs, serve as middlemen, and they touch every part of the purchase of a prescription drug. (Lopez, 9/12)

Generic drug prices in Medicare Part D decreased significantly in recent years, a new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) says. So why the worry about price hikes? Hundreds of products saw “extraordinary price increases," that's why. For a group of 2,378 generic drugs--including those that entered or exited the market from 2010 to 2015--Medicare Part D prices fell overall by 59%. But “established generics"--the 1,441 drugs that stayed on the market the entire time--fell by just 22%. More than 300 cases of “extraordinary price increases” kept prices from falling further, the GAO said. (Sagonowsky, 9/13)

The popular furor over rising drug prices has led to increased scrutiny of the patent protections that can allow drugmakers to sell medicines exclusively for many years. A new study helps quantify just how much a generic competitor can drive down the price of a brand name drug. The price of brand name drugs falls steeply in the first year after the loss of exclusivity and continues to fall over the next three years, according to a study published by the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics with numbers from IMS Health, a medical data wholesaler. (9/12)

Yet another drug maker is under scrutiny for its pricing. The US Department of Justice last Thursday sent grand jury subpoenas to Taro Pharmaceuticals and two of its senior commercial officers in its US unit seeking documents about generic pharmaceuticals and pricing, according to a filing that Taro made with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. (Silverman, 9/12)

European Commission court upheld an antitrust fine that was imposed three years ago against Lundbeck and four other drug makers for allegedly conspiring to delay the availability of a lower-cost generic version of an antidepressant. The ruling by the General Court of the European Union came in response to an appeal of a 2013 decision that found Lundbeck and the generic drug makers pursued a pay-to-delay deal that violated European Union anticompetition regulations. The European Commission had fined the companies a total of $165 million with Lundbeck ordered to pay the bulk of the fine, or about $105 million. (Silverman, 9/8)

Drugmakers have been under scrutiny since Mylan's EpiPen price hike, but government involvement in controlling costs is not necessarily the answer, Wells Fargo Securities analyst David Maris said Thursday. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has said if elected, she would create an oversight panel to monitor price increases and impose penalties for unjustified hikes. "I don't think that having government run that process is really the right way, because it's a Trojan horse for price controls. Once they start controlling a little bit of price, then the temptation is to control all of price, and if you do that, you really get fewer drugs invented," he said. (Fox, 9/8)

Last June, Celator Pharmaceuticals proudly displayed a large poster touting its experimental Vyxeos medication as an effective salve for treating acute myeloid leukemia. The poster was, in fact, one of countless placards featured prominently on the exhibit floor at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting in Chicago, a sort of Woodstock for cancer doctors and eager investors. Despite the numerous displays, however, the Celator poster managed to stick out.That’s because Vyxeos has not yet been approved to treat AML. (Silverman, 9/7)

David Maldonado, an inmate at a Pennsylvania state prison, is one of thousands of convicted criminals with hepatitis C, an infectious disease that is one of the country’s biggest killers. Powerful new drugs on the market could help Mr. Maldonado and cut the chances of it spreading outside prison walls. The medicines, however, are so expensive, and the problem so widespread, that to treat all sufferers would blow up most prison budgets. List prices for the newer drugs range from $54,000 to $94,000 a person for a typical 12-week course. (Loftus and Fields, 9/12)

The state of Illinois has backed off a 2-year-old policy that allowed only its sickest residents with hepatitis C who rely on the traditional Medicaid program to get disease-curing drugs. The policy change, announced Friday evening, means Illinois residents on Medicaid with stage 3 liver scarring — not just the sickest patients with stage 4 liver scarring — will be able to access the drugs. If left untreated, hepatitis C can lead to liver failure, cancer and even death. (Schencker, 9/12)

In just the last few years, new medications have turned hepatitis C into a widely and quickly curable disease — for those who can afford it. But the lesser-known origins of the story trace back to a 1990s laboratory invention that made it all possible. Now, two virologists who pioneered that pivotal development, and a drug researcher who created the first revolutionary drug, are being honored with one of the most prestigious awards in medical science. (Robbins, 9/13)

How much credit should we give Brent Saunders for trying to put a lid on drug prices? The Allergan chief executive last week issued a manifesto in which he vowed to avoid “price gouging” as part of a “social contract” with the public. And he promised that his company, which is best known for selling Botox, will limit price hikes to single-digit percentages each year — although he acknowledged that there may be exceptions. (Ed Silverman, 9/13)

There’s a conflict at the heart of pharmaceutical pricing in the U.S.: On the one hand, it’s in the public’s interest for pharma companies to get a good return on the huge investments they often make in developing new drugs. On the other, it’s in the public’s interest to be able to afford those drugs. (Justin Fox, 9/9)

The public reproach over the price of Mylan’s lifesaving drug EpiPen is the latest imbroglio in a much broader debate over drug costs. At issue is the rising list price on drugs. But as Mylan argued, these high reported prices often bear little relation to the real price actually paid, after rebates and discounts, by most health plans. The question is how we can bring more prudence to this complex system, in which drug discounts don’t flow evenly to the patients who need access to these medicines. (Scott Gottlieb, 9/12)

Recently there have been numerous articles and editorials understandably scrutinizing the increases in pricing of EpiPen produced by Mylan, a generic drug company. The strong reaction to the behavior of Mylan and a few other companies is threatening to impede the ability of R&D-focused innovator companies to provide innovative, life-changing new therapies to patients. (Ron Cohen, Paul J. Hastings, Rachel K. King, Jeremy M. Levin, John M. Maraganore and Michael A. Narachi, 9/12)

The bad press and outrage swirling around the pharmaceutical company Mylan has forced it to take an unusual new step. In response to criticism of the company’s $600 price tag for its EpiPen — an emergency response system for severe allergic reactions — Mylan is offering a generic version of its own product. The generic EpiPen will cost $300 dollars — half the current price of a two-pack of the product — and would compete directly with its name-brand counterpart. (Nathan Nascimento, 9/12)

We should be anything but surprised at the sky-high prices we now see for prescription drugs. In the past several weeks, the public’s attention has focused on Mylan and its 400% EpiPen price increase since 2009. Yet EpiPens are not—by a long shot—the only drugs that have sparked recent outrage due to price hikes. Generic epinephrine costs, for example, have risen by more than 200%. And the price of Naloxone, a life-saving drug that can help reverse opioid overdoses, has risen 17-fold in the past two years. What is shocking, then, is not that an EpiPen 2-Pak now costs as much as $600, but rather that it took Mylan nearly a decade to raise its price this high. (Ezekiel Emanuel, 9/8)

Over the past month, the EpiPen controversy has triggered a national debate on what to do about high drug prices. The enormous public attention stems from a doubling of the price over a three-year period. Families with life-threatening allergies can now end up paying more than $600 for a prescription. Heather Bresch, CEO of the company (Mylan) that makes the EpiPen, blames insurance plans. She says it’s high deductibles that are the root of the problem. I disagree. High deductible health plans are not causing the price hikes – they are just making them visible to consumers and the public. (David Grande, 9/12)

Outrage over a new $608 sticker price for a two-pack of life-saving EpiPens snowballed last week into an announcement that the U.S. Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations had opened a “preliminary inquiry” into the matter. Tough scrutiny of the decision by the pharmaceutical company Mylan to jack up EpiPens’ price by 550 percent since it bought rights to the product in 2007 is well-deserved. (9/11)

A year into tracking pharma TV ad spending with data provided by iSpot.tv, FiercePharmaMarketing is ready to declare a “winner.” No surprises here though: It’s AbbVie’s Humira. AbbVie has dropped more than $288 million on Humira TV ads for the year we followed from September through the end of August, according to data from realtime TV ad tracker iSpot. That includes spending across its three indications for arthritis, psoriasis and Crohn's disease/colitis, with arthritis spending the highest at $144 million, or half of the total. Crohn’s and colitis spending were next at $104 million, followed by Humira’s indication for psoriasis at $40.3 million. (Snyder Bulik, 9/12)

The squabble over Hillary Clinton’s pneumonia underlines the need for full medical disclosure by presidential candidates. Ms. Clinton is 68 and Donald Trump is 70. That’s not a disqualifying age for someone who seeks the job these days. But the public has a right to know whether they have the stamina and physical fitness to withstand the challenging demands of the office they seek. (9/14)

Replay after replay shows the coughing fit and then the weave-and-bob of her 9/11 episode. Anchors and commentators hit auto-pundit to produce the question du jour: Can this woman handle the presidency? Please. This woman has a bad cold. She needs rest. She’ll be fine. Another question also arose, at least in many women’s minds: Would anyone ask the same question about a man under similar circumstances? Here’s the more pertinent question: Why do women feel they can’t admit to being sick? You know the answer. It’s because women fear showing any sign of weakness lest others presume the worst — that she’s not as good as a man. (Kathleen Parker, 9/13)

Before we delve any further into the coughs heard round the world and the swoon that changed history, some perspective: Running for president isn’t hard. It’s brutal. The oddity isn’t that one of the candidates would succumb to illness and be forced off the trail for a few days. The oddity is that all of the candidates don’t drop like flies. What we ask of them is less preparation than mortification, physical as well as psychological. (Frank Bruni, 9/14)

It’s worth noting, as more information comes out and as more is sought, that full disclosure of medical records would almost certainly cause more harm than good. Serving up certain details of any candidate’s health, and past life, in a voracious social-media environment in which some elements of the media focus on “gotcha!” journalism and opponents leap to make attack ads has the potential to focus disproportionate attention on a candidate’s health–rather than a person’s readiness to govern and her or his positions on major issues. (Drew Altman, 9/13)

As a nation, we are considering two presidential candidates who are 68 and 70 years old for an office that requires at least four years—and possibly eight—of grueling work. Regardless of whom you support, it would be nice to know that the president will survive his or her tenure in office. (Susan Matthews, 9/13)

Poverty fell sharply, middle-class incomes rose steeply, and more people had health coverage last year, according to Tuesday’s report on household economic conditions from the Census Bureau — the best evidence to date that the growing economy is finally reaching households that had been left behind. (Jared Bernstein, 9/13)

The U.S. Census Bureau on Tuesday released its annual report on income, poverty and health insurance. Every year, the report serves as a key benchmark for how the American people are doing economically. ... Median income still hasn’t reached its pre-recession level. And although more and more Americans have protection against steep medical bills, thanks to Obamacare, millions still struggle with the combined effect of high premiums and high out-of-pocket expenses. In fact, medical bills are a major reason that America’s poverty rate, although lower than it was last year, remains higher than it is in other developed nations. (Jonathan Cohn, 9/13)

There have been notable improvements in three crucial measures of economic well-being: income, poverty and health insurance coverage. On Tuesday, the Census Bureau announced that all took a sharp turn for the better in 2015, the first time since 1999 that the three measures improved in the same year. The question now is whether the new data will inspire a deeper discussion about how to keep making progress. (9/13)

How many people have gained coverage as a result of the Affordable Care Act? That depends on who you ask -- and how you ask. ... we have … too many numbers. We have a poll from Gallup, which suggests that the number of uninsured people has fallen from a high of 18 percent in 2013 to 11 percent today, which would give us about 22 million people. The latest data from the Centers for Disease Control suggests that the number of uninsured has declined roughly 22 million since 2013, and 17.8 million since 2010 (darn you, financial crisis!). And today we got data from the Census Bureau, which suggests that the number of uninsured people has fallen from 13.3 percent to 9.1 percent since 2013, or by about 12.8 million. (Megan McArdle, 9/14)

To rescue President Obama’s health-care law, Hillary Clinton has proposed resurrecting the “public option.” This failed idea—a government-run health-care plan to compete with private insurers—can’t save ObamaCare. But introducing it across the country would move the U.S. much closer to the single-payer system progressives have always longed for. Mrs. Clinton positions the states as vehicles for the public option, and this isn’t because she discovered a late-in-life appreciation for federalism. Section 1332 of the Affordable Care Act, a little-known provision, allows states to renounce almost all of ObamaCare’s dictates. (Scott Gottlieb, 9/13)

We all agree that women should have equal pay for equal work, but that’s not enough. The lack of quality, affordable child care is one of the biggest challenges facing American parents. ... My father, in his campaign for president, has proposed a plan to bring federal policies in line with the needs of today’s working parents. (Ivanka Trump, 9/13)

Donald Trump released Tuesday a paid maternity leave plan — the first from a Republican presidential nominee. The measure, a pillar of the real estate mogul’s child-care proposal, bears close resemblance to an idea floated by Bill Clinton in 1999. Trump’s plan would guarantee six weeks of paid maternity leave to women; currently, federal policy provides only 12 weeks of unpaid time off. He would fund the change by tweaking the unemployment insurance employers must provide under federal law, according to the campaign. (Danielle Panquette, 9/13)

Historically, understanding a woman’s unique biology and developing optimal interventions for women has been somewhat of a blind spot for medical research. For much of the 20th century, scientists favored enrolling men in large clinical trials. Men were considered easier and safer to study because of the risk of women becoming pregnant mid-trial, among other reasons. Findings from studies in men were considered applicable to women, despite the fact that even beyond the reproductive system, a woman’s body differs significantly from a man’s, with variations in organ function, immune responses, and metabolism. (Barbra Streisand and Anthony S. Fauci, 9/13)

It has been more than five months since Gov. Terry Branstad handed over administration of Medicaid to for-profit insurers. Elderly Iowans have lost in-home care workers. Patients cannot get prescriptions refilled. Managed care companies are not paying health providers, forcing some of them to borrow money to stay afloat or close. The governor has refused to address these and other problems. Will the Obama administration, which allowed Branstad to pursue privatization, ignore them, too? (9/13)

So, faced with an enormous Medi-Cal bill and insufficient help from Washington, the state Legislature decided in 2009 to game the system. It imposed a tax on private hospitals, nominally to raise more money to pay for Medi-Cal. ... The Legislature has been approving the tax on a temporary basis, and it is currently set to expire at the end of next year. Proposition 52, which is sponsored by the California Hospital Assn. and backed by a spectrum of healthcare-industry groups, would write the current law into the state Constitution, making the tax permanent .... Generally speaking, it’s better for voters not to tie lawmakers’ hands on the budget. But the tradeoff presented by Proposition 52 is, on balance, a fair one. (9/13)

Senate Bill 7 (2013) directed the Health and Human Services Commission to create a tailored managed care program for 180,000 children and young adults under the age of 21 who have disabilities. On Nov. 1, those Medicaid clients will move into the new STAR Kids program, where they will receive comprehensive, coordinated and high quality care. Many of the kids are from the San Antonio area. Those in the new program will join more than 80 percent of the Texans on Medicaid already in managed care programs. (Charles Smith, 9/13)

The chronic organ shortage in this country is a well-known scourge, so any good idea for recruiting more organ donors is always welcome. Bravo, then, to the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and its voucher plan for kidney donors. It basically lets an individual donate a kidney to a stranger now and get a certificate for a future kidney transplant for a loved one. (Sally Satel, 9/13)

The history of wellness programs is inextricable from the history of rising health care costs in America. According to data from the federal government's National Health Expenditure Account, overall American health care spending almost quintupled between 1980 and 2014, from $634 billion to $3.03 trillion (all in 2014 dollars). Since companies are always looking for ways to slow rising health costs, the idea behind wellness programs sounds like a win-win. Throughout the 1990s, federal regulations kept workplace wellness programs in check. Companies were allowed to offer modest financial incentives, but the rewards could be tied only to participation, not to outcomes. (L.V. Anderson, 9/13)

Texas' population is as diverse as its geography, but one thing remains constant: Texas, like the nation at large, is growing older. Among the 50 states, Texas has the third-largest population of adults 60 and older, a number approaching 3.1 million. Demographers predict that the older population of the state could expand to more than 8 million by 2040. As a consequence, Texas will face serious challenges in providing for an older population, and Hispanics may bear the biggest impact. Texas lawmakers need to take notice. (Jacqueline Angel, 9/13)

World Suicide Prevention Day on Sept. 10 honors the lives lost to suicide and those touched by these deaths, and highlights the need for better suicide prevention and help for those left in its tragic wake. Suicide death and suicidal thinking and behavior are problems on Kentucky college campuses. For a growing number of young adults, the mounting pressures of college can lead to depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts. (Melinda Moore, 9/13)

Lifeline is now being expanded to include broadband services, with an eye to closing the “homework gap” for schoolkids. In Missouri only about one in four homes that could benefit from Lifeline are enrolled in it — there are an estimated 689,000 households in the state that qualify for the federal program — people currently getting Medicaid or Supplemental Security Income, for example. That is why talk in Washington, D.C., about further restricting the Lifeline program should be regarded with deep concern in Missouri and elsewhere. (Rose Eichelberger and Ken McEldowney, 9/13)

There is no question that San Jose residents want legal medical marijuana delivery. In fact 69 percent of residents polled are in favor of delivery. The real question is whether policymakers will do anything about it. The poll, commissioned by Eaze and completed by Tusk Ventures, asked more than 500 San Jose residents their opinions regarding medical marijuana. The results revealed a desire for common sense medical marijuana policies, particularly when it comes to delivery. (Keith McCarty, 9/13)