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Good morning! I’m Molly Castle Work, a KFF Health News correspondent based in Los Angeles. When I found out Paris Hilton would be speaking to California state legislators in Sacramento this week, I immediately knew why. I’d watched her revelatory<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOg0TY1jG3w"> documentary</a> and listened to the gripping<a href="https://www.sltrib.com/sentaway/"> podcasts</a> about facilities that mistreat troubled youths. Got a tip? Send it to <a href="mailto:mollyw@kff.org">mollyw@kff.org</a>. Not a subscriber? <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/newsletters/the-health-202/">Sign up here</a>.&nbsp;

Today’s edition: The White House is hosting a Making Care Work event. A House subcommittee is taking up a draft privacy bill with sweeping implications for the health sector. But first …

Hilton shines her spotlight on the “troubled teen industry”

Rich Pedroncelli

Heiress Paris Hilton is on a mission to shine a light on the “troubled teen industry,” a largely unregulated<a href="https://www.unsilenced.org/the-industry/"> multibillion-dollar</a> industry that is gaining public scrutiny for alleged abuse of vulnerable youths.

Hilton told state lawmakers in Sacramento on Monday she was subjected to abuse disguised as therapy decades ago when she was housed in residential facilities for teenagers struggling with substance abuse, mental illness and problematic behavior.&nbsp;

She testified at the state Capitol in support of<a href="https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB1043"> a bill</a> ordering disclosure of the use of restraints or seclusion rooms in disciplining minors at residential facilities.

“When I close my eyes at night, I still have nightmares about solitary confinement 20 years later,” said Hilton, 43, at a news conference before the hearing. “The sounds of my peers screaming as they were physically restrained by numerous staff members and injected with sedatives will also never leave me.”

Having already won regulation in several other states, Hilton made clear that she wants federal oversight of the mental and behavioral health facilities — even as the reality star bumps up against the reality of this contentious Congress.

“If you are abusing children, I will find out,” Hilton said. “I will find you and I will come with my huge spotlight and shine it on wherever you are.”

Hilton visited D.C. last year to advocate the federal <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/2955">Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act</a>, which would establish best practices and transparency in youth residential care programs.

But the proposal is stalled in Congress, and similar federal efforts have failed for <a href="https://www.congress.gov/search?q=%7B%22source%22%3A%22legislation%22%2C%22search%22%3A%22%5C%22Stop+Child+Abuse+in+Residential+Programs+for+Teens+Act%5C%22%22%7D">more than a decade</a>.

After the 2020 release of the documentary “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOg0TY1jG3w">This is Paris</a>,” in which Hilton details abuses that she said she faced while attending Provo Canyon School in Provo, Utah, she has testified at state capitols, supporting successful bills in<a href="https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?bill=HB557&amp;year=2021&amp;code=R"> Missouri</a>,<a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/montana-adds-protections-for-kids-in-private-residential-treatment-programs/"> Montana</a>,<a href="https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2021R1/Downloads/MeasureDocument/SB710"> Oregon</a> and<a href="https://le.utah.gov/~2021/bills/sbillenr/SB0127.pdf"> Utah</a>.

Now, fresh off the<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@parishilton/video/7358136088696720682?is_from_webapp=1&amp;sender_device=pc&amp;web_id=7343304196966647342"> Coachella slide</a> with pal Kesha, Hilton is eyeing the most populous state.

There is no formal opposition to the bipartisan bill, which passed unanimously out of the state Senate’s Human Services Committee. It still has multiple steps before passage, including consideration by the full membership of both houses of the legislature.

The National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs, the nation’s largest such member organization, told KFF Health News that it supports the California bill as well as federal proposals.

Republican state Sen. Shannon Grove of Bakersfield, the bill’s lead author, said the goal is to protect young people housed in short-term residential therapeutic programs. Her legislation would require the California Department of Social Services — which licenses the facilities — to produce a public dashboard by 2026 on the use of restraints and seclusion rooms as well as serious injuries or deaths associated with them.

“There are complaints of broken arms, slammed hands in doors,” Grove said, noting that the facilities typically house vulnerable populations, including foster youths. “There’s no data to show what happened and what caused that. And so, the goal is to go after the data.”

Grove certainly found an ally in Hilton and her 16.4 million followers on the social platform X.

<a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/">KFF Health News</a> is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at <a href="https://www.kff.org/">KFF</a> — an independent source of health policy research, polling and journalism.

On tap today: Senior Biden administration officials will be joined by Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek (D), New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) and Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey (D), along with tradeswomen, care advocates and business community representatives, for a Making Care Work event at the White House.&nbsp;

During the event, participants will announce new actions aimed at strengthening the nation’s care economy and discuss the importance of supportive services, including long-term care, for building a skilled, diverse workforce.&nbsp;

E&amp;C subcommittee takes up sweeping privacy bill

Jabin Botsford

On tap today: The House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on innovation <a href="https://energycommerce.house.gov/posts/chair-rodgers-and-ranking-member-pallone-announce-legislative-hearing-on-data-privacy-proposals-1">will debate</a> a national privacy proposal with implications for the health-care sector, among a slate of other tech measures.&nbsp;

The draft bipartisan, bicameral legislation <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/04/07/congress-privacy-deal-cantwell-rodgers/">unveiled last week</a> by Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Energy and Commerce Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) would give consumers broad rights to control how tech companies use their personal data. The bill would preempt a patchwork of state requirements that have <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/01/20/states-are-readying-flurry-privacy-bills-washington-stalls/">sprung up amid congressional inaction</a>, with exceptions for certain health laws.

A closer look: Under the <a href="https://d1dth6e84htgma.cloudfront.net/PRIVACY_02_xml_005_6e97fe914c.pdf">draft American Privacy Rights Act</a>, health, genetic and biometric information would be classified as “sensitive covered data,” requiring companies to obtain consumer consent before collecting or sharing such content with third parties. The bill empowers individuals to sue firms for privacy breaches and opt out of automated decision-making for “consequential decisions,” including about medical care.&nbsp;

Our colleague Dan Diamond sends this dispatch:

Takeaways from Xavier Becerra’s latest budget defense — The Department of Health and Human Services secretary was grilled by the Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday, with lawmakers using the HHS budget hearing to demand updates on the agency’s work on maternal health, substance abuse disorders and other high-profile health issues.

Sen. John Neely Kennedy (R-La.) emerged as a particularly persistent antagonist, arguing in his first round of questions that Democrats are too permissive on matters of reproductive health.

“Do you really support abortion of the baby up to the moment of birth?” the Louisiana Republican repeatedly pressed the HHS secretary.

“I’ve heard no one say that,” Becerra countered, adding that he supports a pregnant person’s right to choose.

Another Kennedy-Becerra flash point, in the second round of questions 30 minutes later, centered on Medicare’s private health plans. “You’re trying to destroy Medicare Advantage, aren’t you?” Kennedy said, pointing to rate cuts recently announced by the health department.

“Senator, saying something doesn't make it true,” Becerra responded, citing the growth of the program under the Biden administration.

Shortly after the second Kennedy-Becerra clash, Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), the panel’s chair, said she’d entertain a third round of questions.

Up today: Becerra is <a href="https://energycommerce.house.gov/events/health-subcommittee-hearing-fiscal-year-2025-department-of-health-and-human-services-budget">set to face</a> the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s budget subcommittee at 2 p.m. for yet another budget showdown.

Halle Berry hits the Hill — Dan spotted the Hollywood actor heading into a meeting in the Capitol with Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), who’s focused on reproductive health issues. A person familiar with the discussions said Berry was back in Washington to continue her push on women’s health research and menopause legislation, as Politico's Alice Miranda Ollstein <a href="https://www.politico.com/newsletters/women-rule/2023/12/15/ms-berry-goes-to-washington-00131927">detailed last year</a>.

The 57-year-old Berry has been open about being <a href="https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2024-03-27/halle-berry-perimenopause-misdiagnosed-herpes">misdiagnosed with herpes</a> rather than menopause-related symptoms, and she has called for more awareness of menopause and research into treatment. Her advocacy adds some star power to a legislative effort underway from Murray and other lawmakers.

White House rolls out new global health strategy

Demetrius Freeman

The White House <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/04/16/statement-from-president-joe-biden-on-the-release-of-the-global-health-security-strategy/">unveiled a new strategy</a> aimed at bolstering global health security to stave off future pandemics.

The details: The Biden administration is expanding its health security partnerships from 19 to 50 countries. Over the next five years, the United States will collaborate with these nations to beef up their infectious-disease response, with a focus on testing, surveillance, lab capacity and immunizations, according to <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Global-Health-Security-Strategy-2024-1.pdf">the new strategy</a>.&nbsp;

The plan also aims to streamline coordination within the U.S. government and encourage other nations to boost their pandemic preparedness investments.&nbsp;

Yes, but: Funding for the initiative is dependent on the fiscal 2025 budget passed by Congress. The global effort at pandemic preparedness is <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2024/04/16/1245142431/the-u-s-has-come-up-with-its-own-global-strategy-to-thwart-the-next-pandemic#:~:text=The%20senior%20administration%20official%20says,happens%20on%20the%20global%20stage.">estimated to cost</a> $30 billion annually, per NPR’s Gabrielle Emanuel.&nbsp;

The bigger picture: The strategy coincides with an ongoing effort at the World Health Organization to establish a global treaty on pandemic preparedness. We’re watching to see whether negotiators can <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/04/11/who-pandemic-treaty/">hammer out disagreements</a> over intellectual property and information sharing before the deadline to reach an agreement next month.&nbsp;

Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra:

Ohio judge temporarily blocks gender-affirming care ban from taking effect

Maddie McGarvey

An Ohio judge temporarily blocked a law yesterday that would have banned gender-affirming care for minors in the state, just a week before it was set to take effect, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/04/17/ohio-trans-gender-care/">The Post’s Anumita Kaur reports</a>.&nbsp;

The restraining order is in place for two weeks, or until a full hearing to consider a longer-term order blocking the law, “whichever is sooner,” Franklin County Court Judge Michael J. Holbrook wrote in <a href="https://wp.api.aclu.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/24-2481-Decision-on-TRO.pdf">the order</a>. Families of trans youths can continue accessing medical treatments like puberty blockers and hormone therapy in Ohio until then.

The response: The law’s supporters pledged to ensure the ban on gender-affirming care for minors remains in place. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said in <a href="https://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/Media/News-Releases/April-2024/Statement-from-AG-Yost-on-House-Bill-68-Ruling">a statement</a> Tuesday evening he is “confident” the law will be upheld and promised to “fight vigorously.” State Rep. Gary Click (R), who introduced the bill last year, said in a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RepGaryClickOH88/">statement</a> he is “disappointed but not surprised by the decision.”

For families of transgender youths, the judge’s decision brings relief as they navigate the uncertainty caused by the impending restrictions, opponents of the law told The Post. If upheld, the law’s impact would extend beyond Ohio, affecting families in states with bans who have been traveling there for treatment.

Public health agencies <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2024/04/16/botox-hospitalizations-counterfeit/?itid=lk_inline_manual_82">are warning</a> that counterfeit versions of Botox have been found across nine states and are believed linked to at least 19 people reporting botulism-like illness after receiving the injections for cosmetic purposes, The Post’s Kim Bellware reports.&nbsp;

The Health and Human Services Department’s inspector general <a href="https://news.bloomberglaw.com/health-law-and-business/hhs-asks-congress-for-funds-to-fight-medicare-medicaid-fraud?context=search&amp;index=3">told lawmakers</a> yesterday her office declines to investigate “300 to 400 viable fraud cases” involving Medicare and Medicaid each year because of understaffing, Tony Pugh reports for Bloomberg Law.&nbsp;

Beijing is helping fuel an opioid crisis in the United States by “directly” subsidizing the manufacturing and export of illicit fentanyl materials and other synthetic narcotics, the House panel on China alleged in a <a href="https://selectcommitteeontheccp.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/selectcommitteeontheccp.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/The%20CCP%27s%20Role%20in%20the%20Fentanyl%20Crisis%204.16.24%20%281%29.pdf">new report</a>.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/interactive/2024/cancer-blood-test-screening/" target="_blank">A blood test to detect cancer? Some patients are using them already. (By Marlene Cimons | The Washington Post)</a>

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/indiana-abortion-privacy-election-2024-16571935725314dc037ff915a257eb17" target="_blank">Indiana limits abortion data for privacy under near-total ban, but some GOP candidates push back (By Isabella Volmert | The Associated Press)</a>

<a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/lgbtq/4597992-finance-dems-accuse-republican-ags-of-abusing-authority-to-get-records-of-transgender-minors/" target="_blank">Four Republican AGs accused of abusing authority to get records of transgender minors (By Brooke Migdon | The Hill)</a>

Trying to Discharge a Patient

Molly Castle Work

American University, BA in journalism

McKenzie Beard is a researcher for The Health 202, a morning newsletter and daily guide to Washington's health-care policy debate. She started at the Post as an American University practicum student on the investigative desk in 2021 and has previously reported for Voice of America and Teen Vogue.

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