Los Angeles Times: What Happens If Congress Doesn't Fund The Health Insurance Used By Almost 2 Million Kids And Pregnant Women In California?
Unless Congress comes to an agreement fast, federal funding for a program that provides health insurance to 2 million California children and pregnant women will run out around the end of the year. After that, California could be on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars because the state is required to offer the insurance even if the federal funds don’t show up. (Wire, 11/29)

ABC News: Thousands Of Kids Could Lose Health Insurance Next Month If Congress Doesn't Act Fast
Eleven states are anticipating running out of funding by the end of the year, according to an analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation -- California, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Ohio, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Hawaii. Another 21 states anticipate their funding to run out soon after the new year. (McGraw, 11/29)

Pacific Standard: How San Diego Is Trying To Use A Hepatitis A Outbreak To Solve Its Housing Crisis
Today, news of the hepatitis A outbreak targeting California's homeless is inescapable in San Diego—pamphlets and fliers besiege the city, nurses make vaccination runs, homeless camps have disbanded and re-formed around hand-washing stations—but back in June, Norris says it took the community by surprise, especially because the United States has not had an outbreak of this kind in 20 years. (Moon, 11/30)

KPBS: Website That Rates Hospice Providers Runs Into Problems
Quality of care in the nation’s hospices came under the spotlight in August when the agency that runs Medicare rated some 3,800 facilities nationally, including about two dozen in San Diego County, on seven measures. Now, the same federal agency that published the online scorecard, Hospice Compare, is getting attention because its website has flaws, and that has delayed the release of more current data. (Wingard, 11/29)

KPCC: 15 Million Gallons Of Mystery Chemicals Dumped On California. On Purpose.
So far this year California has dropped 15 million gallons of fire retardant on burning forests and hillsides across the state. But here’s the thing: No one really knows what it's made of — or its full environmental impact. (11/29)

Capital Public Radio: Recreational Pot Dispensaries Will Be Allowed In Sacramento
The Sacramento City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to allow businesses to sell recreational marijuana in the city. People will be able to apply for permits for recreational pot dispensaries, delivery services and distribution centers. (Schilling, 11/29)

Los Angeles Times: Trump Health Secretary Nominee, A Former Pharmaceutical Executive, Pledges To Take On High Drug Prices
Alex Azar, a former pharmaceutical executive tapped by President Trump to be Health and Human Services secretary, told senators Wednesday that making prescription drugs more affordable would be one of his top priorities. “Drug prices are too high,” Azar told the Senate health committee, pledging to look at ways to increase competition and stop drugmakers from gaming the system. “I believe I can bring the skills and experiences to the table that can help us address these issues.” (Levey, 11/29)

The Hill: Five Takeaways From Trump Health Nominee’s Hearing
Alex Azar, President Trump’s nominee to lead the Health and Human Services Department (HHS) took his first step forward Wednesday at a relatively quiet confirmation hearing by the Senate Health Committee. If confirmed, the former HHS general counsel and deputy secretary would replace former Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.), who resigned after reports that he’d repeatedly used private jets to fly around the country at taxpayer expense. (Roubein, 11/29)

Stat: In A Shift, Debate Over Drug Prices Overshadows Obamacare
After years in which the debate over Obamacare has dominated all health policymaking discussion on Capitol Hill, U.S. lawmakers are increasingly turning their attention to the prices that everyday Americans pay for their prescription drugs. Less than one year ago, when the Senate health committee spent four hours grilling Tom Price, President Trump’s nominee as secretary of health and human services, Democrats focused their most aggressive attention on his support for repealing Obamacare and for making major changes to the Medicare and Medicaid programs, as well as his investments in an Australian biotech company. (Mershon, 11/29)

In other drug pricing news —

Stat: How The Orphan Drug Tax Credit May Change. What You Need To Know
As congressional Republicans race toward a vote on their tax code overhaul, a key tax credit for biotech and pharmaceutical companies — the so-called orphan drug tax credit — is on the line. The House passed a tax reform package earlier this month that would entirely repeal the credit, which is aimed at incentivizing research into treatments for especially rare diseases. The Senate version, up for a vote this week, lessens the amount companies can claim under the credit but keeps the idea in place. If it clears the Senate, the two chambers would have to reconcile their different versions before it could head to President Trump’s desk. (Mershon, 11/29)

Stat: Pharma Charity Under Fire For Letting Drug Makers Access Data
A charity that has received hundreds of millions of dollars from drug makers lost an important designation from federal authorities for allowing donors to influence how patient data was used. Caring Voice Coalition, which takes industry donations to help patients pay for their medicines, allowed drug makers access to information that could be used in deciding whether to raise prices. By doing so, authorities said, the companies could shield patients from the immediate effect of increased out-of-pocket costs, because federal health care programs, such as Medicare, would pick up the tab. Charities are prohibited by government regulations from disclosing detailed information about their operations. (Silverman, 11/29)

Modern Healthcare: FDA To Pave Clearer Path For Generic Drugs
U.S. FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb relayed a new guidance Tuesday that may shed some light on the path generic-drug manufacturers can take to get their products to market. The Food and Drug Administration aims to make it easier for generic-pharmaceutical developers to plan how they can copy complex drugs, which should ultimately lower pharmaceutical prices when more of the cheaper drugs enter the market. Certain drugs have been difficult to replicate and gain regulatory approval for, particularly drug-device combinations like EpiPen, because there has been minimal guidance from the FDA on how to adequately do so. (Kacik, 11/29)

Bloomberg: Stabilization Bill Couldn’t Fix The Damage Of Repealing Obamacare’s Mandate
Passing a bipartisan Obamacare stabilization bill wouldn’t do much to cushion the blow from repealing the health law’s requirement that all individuals buy health insurance, the Congressional Budget Office said. The CBO has estimated that scrapping the mandate would result in 4 million people losing health coverage in 2019 and premiums in the individual market to increase by 10 percent. On Wednesday, the nonpartisan Congressional agency said a stabilization proposal backed by some Republican Senators would have no impact on its calculations. (Tracer, 11/29)

The Hill: Collins Gets Promise To Pass ObamaCare Funding This Year
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said Wednesday she has received a commitment from Senate GOP leadership to include ObamaCare funding in a must-pass bill. Collins said she got a promise from Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) that the deal crafted by Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) would be included in legislation this year. (Carney, 11/29)

The Hill: Freedom Caucus Chair Opposes ObamaCare Funding Pushed By GOP Senator
House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) said Wednesday that he opposes ObamaCare funding known as "reinsurance" that was part of a commitment given to Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) to help gain her vote for tax reform. "That's a totally different thing because that actually puts more money into a failing system where the money will not actually lower premiums and reduce costs in a substantial way," Meadows told The Hill. "I think that's a bigger problem." (Sullivan, 11/29)

And how is 2018 enrollment going so far? —

Reuters: Sign-Up Pace Much Slower In Week 4 Of 2018 Obamacare Enrollment
The pace of people signing up for individual insurance under Obamacare slowed significantly during the fourth week of 2018 enrollment, as nearly 37 percent fewer people signed up for the healthcare plans than in the previous week, a U.S. government agency reported on Wednesday. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said that 504,181 people signed up for 2018 Obamacare individual insurance in the 39 states that use the federal government website HealthCare.gov for the week ended Nov. 25, down from 798,829 people in the previous week. New consumer sign-ups fell to 152,243 from 220,323 in the previous week. (11/29)

The New York Times: The Tax Bill’s Automatic Spending Cuts
If Congress passes its tax bill and then takes no other action, the funding for dozens of federal spending programs could be cut — in many cases to nothing — beginning next year. The cuts would be automatic, the consequence of a 2010 law that Congress passed to keep itself from increasing the deficit too much. The biggest program affected would be Medicare, the health insurance program for older people and the disabled. But the law allows Medicare to take only a relatively small cut: 4 percent. (Sanger-Katz, 11/29)

The Hill: Insurance Officials Worry Mandate Repeal Will Damage Markets
Many state insurance officials, even some in red states, are warning that repealing ObamaCare's individual mandate in the GOP tax-reform bill would cause damage to their markets. Insurance commissioners warn that premiums would rise, insurers could drop out of the market and more people would go without coverage if the mandate is repealed, as Senate Republicans are poised to do as part of their tax bill this week. (Sullivan, 11/30)

Reuters: U.S. Healthcare Shares Climb As Investors See Upside From Republican Tax Bill
Shares of U.S. healthcare companies mostly climbed on Wednesday, as investors saw some potential upside for the stocks from a Republican-led bill to cut taxes. ... “We see tax reform as providing a durable benefit to healthcare services companies,” Bernstein analysts wrote in a research note. “Healthcare services companies generally pay the full 35 percent corporate tax, as domestic companies with limited adjustments.” (Valetkevitch, 11/29)

The orphan drug tax credit also remains in play —

Stat: How The Orphan Drug Tax Credit May Change. What You Need To Know
As congressional Republicans race toward a vote on their tax code overhaul, a key tax credit for biotech and pharmaceutical companies — the so-called orphan drug tax credit — is on the line. The House passed a tax reform package earlier this month that would entirely repeal the credit, which is aimed at incentivizing research into treatments for especially rare diseases. The Senate version, up for a vote this week, lessens the amount companies can claim under the credit but keeps the idea in place. If it clears the Senate, the two chambers would have to reconcile their different versions before it could head to President Trump’s desk. (Mershon, 11/29)

The Hill: Justice Department Announces New Steps To Combat Opioid Epidemic
Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced Wednesday that the Justice Department will award $12 million in grants to help law enforcement agencies combat the opioid crisis and create a new office in the Appalachian region to crack down on illicit drug trafficking. Sessions is also ordering all U.S. attorneys' offices to designate an opioid coordinator to work with prosecutors and other federal, state, tribal and local law enforcement officials to coordinate opioid prosecutions. (Hellman, 11/29)

The Hill: GOP Bill Would Limit Opioid Prescriptions For First-Time Users
Two Republican lawmakers are proposing to restrict the prescriptions of opioids for first-time users, calling it a necessary step to combat abuse. A new bill introduced Wednesday by Reps. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) and Jim Renacci (R-Ohio) would limit a patient's first opioid prescription for acute pain to seven days, except in cases of traumatic injury, chronic conditions, cancer care, end-of-life care, palliative care, or based on a physician’s recommendation. (Hellmann, 11/29)

Bloomberg: Opioid Crisis Affects Farmers Harder Than Their Rural Neighbors
The U.S. opioid crisis that’s sweeping through America’s heartland has hit farmers harder than the wider rural population. Almost three-quarters of U.S. farmers and farm workers say they have been directly affected by opioid dependence, either from taking an illegal dose or dealing with a habit themselves, or by knowing someone who has used. That compares with about 45 percent for the rural population as a whole, according to a poll commissioned by the American Farm Bureau Federation and the National Farmers Union, the two biggest U.S. farmer groups. (Bjerga, 11/30)

USA Today: 'Scary' Prediction For U.S. Kids: 57% Could Be Obese By Age 35
A whopping 57% of the nation’s children and teens will be obese by age 35 if current trends continue, according to a sobering new study out Wednesday. The research, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, goes beyond previous studies suggesting unhealthy childhood weights often lead to adult obesity. It suggests that while heavy children face the highest risk, even those who make it to age 20 in good shape face substantial peril in a world where obesity could soon be the new normal. (Painter, 11/29)

And in other childhood nutrition news —

USA Today: Hey Kids! You Can Soon Have Low-Fat, Chocolate Milk With Your School Lunch
Lunchroom bosses across the nation are getting a bit more flexibility in what they serve under a new federal rule unveiled Wednesday amid criticism that easing restrictions means less healthy young Americans. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue cited President Trump's February executive order to alleviate unnecessary regulatory burdens in announcing the interim rule, effective for the 2018-2019 school year. (Bacon, 11/29)

The New York Times: Air Pollution May Weaken The Bones
Air pollution increases the risk for osteoporosis and bone fractures, researchers report. (Bakalar, 11/29)

NPR: Gene Therapy Shows Promise For A Growing List Of Diseases
So far, gene therapy has only been tested on a relatively small number of patients who have been followed for relatively short periods of time. Many more patients will have to be studied for longer periods before anyone really knows how well the therapies work, how long the benefits last, and whether the therapies are safe. But doctors and families of those helped so far are elated at the progress. (Stein, 11/29)

The Associated Press: Health Groups Urge Congress Not To Allow AIDS Fight To Wane
A coalition of nearly 40 advocacy groups said Wednesday they’re concerned about the Trump administration’s commitment to the global fight against AIDS so they’re urging senior members of Congress to make sure money for key prevention programs isn’t cut back. (Lardner, 11/29)

Reuters: New Vaccine, Long-Acting Drug Trials Buoy Hopes In HIV Fight
Researchers announced the launch of two big studies in Africa on Thursday to test a new HIV vaccine and a long-acting injectable drug, fueling hopes for better ways to protect against the virus that causes AIDS. (Hirschler, 11/30)

The Associated Press: US Troops Get Freeze-Dried Plasma For Battlefield Bloodshed
All of the U.S. military’s special operations fighters sent off to warzones and raids now have an essential addition to their first-aid kits: freeze-dried blood plasma. Last month, the Marines Corps’ special ops units became the last of the military branches to begin carrying freeze-dried plasma. The plasma helps clot blood and can prevent badly wounded troops from bleeding to death on the battlefield. (Dalesio, 11/30)

The Washington Post: Quitting Smoking Is Hard. FDA Wants New Nicotine-Replacement Therapies To Help.
The Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday it is taking new steps to encourage the development of innovative nicotine-replacement therapies to wean smokers off conventional cigarettes. In a blog post on the agency's website, three top officials said they want to ensure the FDA has the right policies to advance new products to help smokers. ... The post said a new Nicotine Steering Committee made up of senior FDA officials will explore the agency's handling of smoking-cessation products. (McGinley, 11/29)