New York, epicenter of measles outbreak, bans religious exemptions for vaccines

The tide of public opinion has been changing as measles have surged to the highest levels since 1992, with less than half the year underway. The majority of those cases are located in New York.

from Health https://wapo.st/2wQ3yf4

With 2020 in mind, Trump overruled top health official on fetal tissue

His antiabortion record figures large in the political calculus of his reelection campaign.

from Health https://wapo.st/2XsUfgR

Drug maker of addictive fentanyl spray agrees to pay $225 million for prescriptions-for-cash scheme

The company pleaded guilty to five counts of mail fraud, admitting that a speaker program supposedly for brand awareness was actually a vehicle for bribes and kickbacks to doctors, officials said.

from Health https://wapo.st/2Kxjz1x

The Health 202: New report shows dramatic improvement in melanoma survival rates

The National Cancer Institute's annual report also showed cancer deaths overall are declining.

from Health https://wapo.st/2KgbnCH

White House runs into health-care industry hostility as it plans executive order

Order seeks to increase hospital cost transparency and position Trump as an ally of consumers.

from Health https://wapo.st/2X8rCW5

What is rat lungworm disease? Five people in Hawaii recently found out.

Hawaii’s Department of Health has announced new cases of rat lungworm, a parasitic worm that has infected five people statewide this year.

from Health https://wapo.st/2YPm03o

The Health 202: Democratic 2020 contenders are seizing on wave of antiabortion laws

The restrictions could change voting patterns on the issue.

from Health https://wapo.st/2MePl60

Oklahoma opioid trial begins as state lays blame for crisis on drug companies

Oklahoma lawyers allege Johnson & Johnson, motivated by greed, flooded the market with prescription painkillers. The company said its business is closely regulated and isn’t tied directly to overdose deaths.

from Health https://wapo.st/2VTgRFO

Planned Parenthood could close in Missouri, making it the first state without abortion access

Planned Parenthood says it is suing the state of Missouri in an effort to continue providing abortion procedures at the state's lone clinic, in St. Louis.

from Health https://wapo.st/2VYMk9j

A violation of ‘privacy, liberty, dignity’: Civil rights groups sue HHS over religious exemption rule

The challenge to a rule published May 21 is being mounted by Lambda Legal, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Center for Reproductive Rights, in conjunction with California's Santa Clara County.

from Health https://wapo.st/30SLzTh

The Health 202: There's just one female physician in Congress. We talked to her.

Democrat Kim Schrier doesn't think Medicare-for-all is necessarily the answer.

from Health https://wapo.st/2EByrbi

A good Rx for lowest prices, best service at a pharmacy

Here are tips on how to find the best dispensary for your needs — and how to get the most out of any one that you visit.

from Health https://wapo.st/2Wtlbjg

Drug company to face first opioid trial in Oklahoma as families of the dead seek recompense

The first test of pharmaceutical companies’ liability in the nation’s opioid crisis is scheduled to open Tuesday in a Norman, Okla., courtroom.

from Health https://wapo.st/2XadX0A

The Big Number: 4,535 people a year go to the ER because of pool chemical exposure

More than half of these injuries occurred at a home swimming pool, the CDC says.

from Health https://wapo.st/2HE3021

A final comfort for dying children: ‘Palliative transport’ to send them home

Some hospitals help parents move their children out of the ICU, with life support in tow, to let them die in familiar surroundings.

from Health https://wapo.st/2XeApWJ

In rare occasions, dark-skinned people can get skin cancer. But sunscreens won’t help.

For black people, melanoma is not associated with UV exposure and develops in such places as the palms of the hands and soles of the feet.

from Health https://wapo.st/2JFfFUU

‘When I tell people what happened, they freak out’: A sore arm results in 4 surgeries and 8 days in a hospital

A 39-year-old real estate executive wasn’t sure the midnight ER trip was necessary. Without it, he might be dead.

from Health https://wapo.st/2Hzs2PQ

At 10, I wrote a suicide note. Today, I have an urgent message for that troubled little girl — and others like her.

Trust me, one day you will have a much happier life — no matter how dismal things look now.

from Health https://wapo.st/2K3841z

Instagram public awareness campaign aims for real talk about mental health

#RealConvo offers graphics, photos and personal stories to help inspire, fight stigma and reframe how people think about the issue.

from Health https://wapo.st/2QnkVNn

The price of insulin is surging. This state is the first to make insurance companies eat the cost.

The Colorado law will cap monthly co-payments at $100, but doesn't change how much insulin manufacturers can charge.

from Health https://wapo.st/2X5qQcg