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With Democrats becoming increasingly ambitious in their policy goals, Republicans believe they have a killer answer to any new proposal: How are you going to pay for it? The fact that this question is asked in complete bad faith — the GOP is the party that recently passed a $1.5 trillion tax cut for corporations and the wealthy without bothering to pay for it — doesn’t mean it can’t be effective. And one reason is that it will probably also be asked by the Washington media, people who as a group are enthusiastic deficit scolds, at least when it comes to programs that actually benefit ordinary people. (Paul Waldman, 9/20)

Teens lighting up are hard to find these days, but there’s no mistaking the thick clouds of vapor they exhale in classrooms, school bathrooms and at parties. E-cigarettes have replaced the cancer sticks that hooked previous generations. Teen use has risen to an “epidemic of addiction,” says Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb.The FDA has announced a major crackdown on retailers selling vaping products to minors. If the industry doesn’t clean up its act, Gottlieb says, the FDA will ban the flavored liquids used in e-cigarettes that attract underage users and appear designed to get them hooked. This is a much-needed, tougher approach on a multibillion-dollar industry profiting at the expense of children’s health. (9/24)

There is growing interest in the problem of surprise medical bills in the media and on Capitol Hill, with a bipartisan group of senators drafting legislation to crack down on the problem. But the issue has not been prominent in midterm campaigns and is not showing up in campaign ads. Why it matters: Recent analyses, including polling and a report on employers' medical claims, show that surprise bills could have as much — or even more — traction with the public than other health issues being featured in the midterms. In an election where health care is top-of-mind, candidates may be missing an opportunity. (Drew Altman, 9/24)

One reason Planned Parenthood selected Baltimore City Health Commissioner Leana Wen as its new president is because of her background as an emergency room doctor. What better way to emphasize the critical role Planned Parenthood plays in providing health care services each year to nearly 2.5 million people than having a doctor at the helm? Another reason is likely hinted at by something Dr. Wen said in 2016, a year into her job as health commissioner. “I’ve learned that I like a fight,” she told NPR, “. . . and I’m good at it.” (9/21)

Make no mistake: Increased screening for colorectal cancer is important. It’s the third most common type of cancer (excluding skin cancer) in the United States, and is expected to kill more than 50,000 Americans this year. But many gastroenterologists like me are concerned about the referral cases we’re seeing for follow-up colonoscopies triggered by positive Cologuard tests, especially those in which Cologuard should not have been prescribed in the first place. Many of us are also concerned that an outsized focus on convenience is overshadowing serious limitations of the test. (Naresh Gunaratnam, 9/24)

When we think of biases in research, the one that most often makes the news is a researcher’s financial conflict of interest. But another bias, one possibly even more pernicious, is how research is published and used in supporting future work. A recent study in Psychological Medicine examined how four of these types of biases came into play in research on antidepressants. The authors created a data set containing 105 studies of antidepressants that were registered with the Food and Drug Administration. Drug companies are required to register trials before they are done, so the researchers knew they had more complete information than what might appear in the medical literature. (Aaron E. Carroll, 9/24)

There’s good news and there’s bad news. This summer, the people of Ireland voted overwhelmingly to repeal that country’s long-standing ban on abortion – a ban that shamed and forced Irish women to leave their country if they needed the safe and common medical procedure.The joy on Irish women’s faces as the results came in (repeal won with 66.4 percent of the vote) was infectious and inspiring. ...At home in Kentucky, however, we seem to be moving backwards. Our commonwealth has only one abortion clinic to serve millions of residents. Our General Assembly continues to pass, and our governor continues to sign, hostile legislation designed to chip away steadily at reproductive rights. It seems that those in power won’t rest until abortion access in Kentucky is merely theoretical. (Kim Greene, 9/21)

The boy who loves origami picked up a napkin, and with a few flicks of his fingers, turned it into a star. I could tell he was smart and at ease talking with adults even before I learned he had won a math competition and was asked by his school to serve as an ambassador for new families. On the day I met him, he was all smiles and excited energy. He was not a boy who looked like he wanted to kill himself. (Theresa Vargas, 9/22)

As suicide rates increase, each of us needs to take actions large and small to lower these numbers. Policymakers need to increase access to mental health services. ...Even though suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, the lack of funding for suicide research shows a lack of concern by elected officials. (André-Tascha Lammé, 9/21)

We must tell the federal government that Texans living with kidney failure deserve so much better. For the sake of patient choice, affordability and the right to good health, I urge every member of the kidney care community to contact your members of Congress to express your concern with proposed cuts through emails and phone calls. (Tiffany Jones-Smith, 9/23)

The measure would allow the Legislature to issue $2 billion of bonds to fund housing for homeless people with mental health problems. The money to pay off the bonds — estimated at $120 million a year — would come directly from Proposition 63 revenues, the tax on wealthy Californians that voters passed in 2004 to finance better mental health care.It’s both a humane and smart use of funds. (9/22)

The Board of Supervisors manages a $3.5 billion general fund budget and is charged with keeping the most basic services afloat, ranging from public health to transportation to public safety. ...Santa Clara County voters should take pride from living in an area that reaches out to help those who struggle to care for themselves. They make the county a better place for all. Vote yes on Measure A on Nov. 6. (9/21)