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What we're reading, September 13, 2016: GOP bill would exempt people who live in areas with 1 Obamacare plan or none from penalties for not having coverage; hepatitis C drugs threaten to bust prison budgets; and school challenges for children with mental illness.

Two new reports suggest that Medicaid block grants could lock in disparities in federal funding between states that spend a lot on the poor and those that do not.

FDA staff are not convinced that the smoking-cessation drugs varenicline (Chantix), developed by Pfizer, and bupropion (Zyban), developed by GSK, do not increase suicidal tendencies among users.

A study presented at the 2016 Palliative Care in Oncology Symposium has found that a majority users of the provisions under Oregon's Death With Dignity Act had cancer and most of them chose to die at home.

The trial showed use of the flash glucose monitoring system dramatically reduced the number of finger sticks while significantly reducing hypoglycemia, including at night.

The University of Minnesota filed a lawsuit against Gilead Sciences, maintaining that the pharmaceutical company infringed on a patent when it marketed 3 medications for the treatment of the hepatitis C virus.

What we're reading, September 12, 2016: Hillary Clinton's health is being called into question as her campaign confirms she has pneumonia; responders who helped during the 9/11 terrorist attacks may be sick and not know it; and Sanofi and Google team up for a diabetes venture.

While adoption of personal health records and electronic patient portals increased from 2012 to 2015, researchers at Weill Cornell Medical found that the adoption rates for Hispanics and low-income individuals have lagged behind non-Hispanics and higher-income individuals.

Two state-specific studies in Annals of Emergency Medicine provided insight into emergency department use and staffing since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

This week, the top stories in managed care were poll results that show Hillary Clinton is more trusted than Donald Trump when it comes to healthcare, multiple studies highlighting remaining disparities in healthcare, and results of a digital diabetes self-management program.

The treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus has been revolutionized by the development of direct-acting antivirals, but a small fraction of patients do experience resistance and treatment failure.

Millennials are one of the few bright spots in American well-being. According to Gallup, millennials in the United States have a lower obesity rate compared with older generations, and millennials have actually seen their obesity rate go down since 2008.

An early-phase, dose-finding study using a defined composition of chimeric antigen receptor-T cells, in patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, shows promise.

An update on some of the recent developments in the field of immuno-oncology.

A group of patients receiving intensive diabetes management treatment lived 7.9 years longer and had fewer cardiovascular events, the study found.

Highlights of our peer-reviewed research in the healthcare press.

What we're reading, September 9, 2016: Walgreens believes it may need to unload more stores to ease antitrust concerns over its Rite Aid purchase; the Senate may be nearing a Zika funding agreement; and American dissatisfaction with their healthcare system.

Analysis showed that late-life cognitive activities may have a protective effect in preventing and delaying the development of Alzheimer's disease or other types of age-associated dementia.

Nearly 25% to 33% of family caregivers across the United States tend to ignore their own needs, resulting in poorer self-care and symptoms of depression and anxiety, according to a research study to be presented at the 2016 Palliative Care in Oncology Symposium.

The study supports earlier findings that warning labels affect parental choices of beverages for their children.

Pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts said payers and employers are increasingly frustrated about paying in excess of $3000 a month for drugs that patients soon abandon, meaning they experienced little medical benefit.

What we're reading, September 8, 2016: An Arizona county at risk of having no Affordable Care Act plans in 2017 gains an insurer; the difficulty of obtaining medical records; and Ohio county offers immunity for anyone turning in deadly drugs.

The study is the first to show a protective benefit of having a vaginal delivery after a prior cesarean birth.

More communities across the country have implemented policies prohibiting the sale of tobacco products in retail pharmacy stores in an effort to respond to pharmacists’ concerns about their professional obligation to promote health and wellness among patrons in their stores.

Uninsured rates are much higher in states that have not expanded Medicaid, according to a CDC report.

A Blue Ribbon Panel of experts from diverse healthcare fields has provided preliminary recommendations to achieve the objectives of the government's Cancer Moonshot initiative.

The C-suite of the healthcare industry has grown dramatically over the last several years, and has been spurred by legislation that ties reimbursement rates under Medicare and Medicaid to the use of technology in medicine.

What we're reading, September 7, 2016: Allergan vows to limit drug price hikes; Senate votes again to block Zika funding bill; and CMS will institute a new process to screen people signing up for Obamacare coverage during special enrollment periods.

The FDA has accepted for priority review the supplemental Biologics License Application for Merck's pembrolizumab (Keytruda).

Pediatricians are advised to not simply focus on weight loss, but also to examine behaviors. Too rapid weight loss could be a sign of trouble and dieting in young teens often leads to being overweight later.