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Any adult knows that if you want to get a child’s attention, there is no enticement like candy. This currency of youth has become the weapon of choice for tobacco companies. They are making huge investments in nicotine-loaded e-cigarettes and selling them in a rainbow of sweet and fruity flavors like cotton candy, gummy bear, mango and mint. They’re turning millions of young people into addicted customers, all the while insisting that they aren’t targeting kids at all. (Bloomberg and Myers, 9/10)

A public health crisis underscores the urgency of coming to grips with the dangers and benefits of vaping. There are still more questions than answers about the electronic devices that vaporize fluids in an alternative to the known hazards of burning tobacco, but both the immediate crisis and the longer-term regulatory and health issues suggest much more scrutiny needs to be given to vaping, and especially to the health risks for young people. (9/9)

In 1994, at the tail end of the genocide in Rwanda, I headed to the border of the country to work as a physician at a sprawling camp of 170,000 refugees. The camp aimed to meet refugees’ basic needs: water, food, shelter, and medical care. As refugees arrived, I examined them and triaged them to one of many tents depending on their health needs, where they were treated for cholera, malaria, meningitis, and other health issues needing immediate attention. (Laszlo Madaras, 9/10)

Security and sovereignty are part of the reality of immigration, but they are not all of it. Sovereignty has moral content, but it is not an absolute value. The immigration policy of states should combine security with a generous spirit of welcome for those in danger and in need.That necessary combination of values is seriously lacking in the United States today. (Sean P. O'Malley, 9/9)

Tech companies trying to disrupt the health care system still have a long way to go. Why it matters: Splashy health tech announcements are everywhere, but many are more hype than reality, according to a poll conducted for this column. By the numbers: 70% of the people we surveyed say they’ve used the internet to research symptoms or learn more about health conditions. And 51% use apps or other tech tools to track their sleep, fitness or diet. (Drew Altman, 9/10)

The Trump administration’s recent efforts to undermine the nation’s Title X family planning program are already having their intended effect, making it harder for women’s health clinics to stay afloat and for patients to afford birth control and other services. Three weeks after Planned Parenthood was effectively forced out of the Title X program, the group has announced that two of its clinics in the Cincinnati area will close this month — a fate that Planned Parenthood officials say was accelerated by the administration’s changes to Title X. Those changes include barring clinics that perform or even refer patients for abortions from receiving federal family planning dollars unless they jump through a near-impossible series of hoops. (9/9)

As a scientist, I am fascinated by the new international study that found thousands of genetic variants associated with same-sex sexual behavior, and not a mythical “gay gene.” The findings offer an intriguing glimpse into the complexity of sexual behavior. It reveals some differences in the genetics of same-sex sexual behavior between men and women, for instance. It also illustrates that human sexuality is more nuanced than many believe. (Emily Drabant Conley, 9/9)

Once more an American city faces a lead crisis, with thousands of residents unable to drink from their taps. Lines for bottled water have stretched into the hundreds. Politicians are scrambling to overhaul the water system — and fast. This time it’s happening in New Jersey’s largest city, Newark.Like the fiasco in Flint, Michigan, the Newark lead crisis had its own unique causes, including mismanagement and political infighting. But the two debacles have one crucial thing in common: pipes. Specifically the lead pipes installed decades ago, by the millions all over the country, to connect mains to houses and businesses. Pipes that can shed invisible molecules of metal when water passes through. (9/9)

As lawmakers consider policies aimed at lowering the cost of medicine for older patients, one way of providing relief would be requiring that the savings bio-pharmaceutical companies negotiate with insurers and pharmacy benefit managers be shared directly with seniors at the pharmacy counter. ...This idea has support from policymakers on both sides of the aisle, including more than 86% of AARP members, yet AARP continues to oppose it. (Tiffany Haverly, 9/10)

In a recent opinion editorial regarding surprise medical billing, the author is correct in stating that too many Kentucky patients are impacted by surprise medical billing. This is a situation when patients unknowingly or without a choice (emergency care) receive care from an out-of-network physician or other provider. Both physician and insurer agree that patients should not be caught in the crossfire in disputes between the health insurance company and physician. Other than their in-network cost-sharing obligation, patients should be protected from other costs. Similarly, a physician often does not know which networks the patient has joined; but, legally and ethically, the physician is compelled to provide services regardless of the patient’s coverage. And that’s about where our agreement on the issue ends. (Tuyen T. Tran, 9/6)