Axios

Preventive screening for women's health is gaining ground worldwide — yet the latest Hologic Global Women's Health Index shows that a major disparity remains: 1.5 billion women have not received essential screenings for cancer, high blood pressure or diabetes.

States and insurers that administer Medicaid are scrutinizing autism therapy after spending quadrupled over five years amid a proliferation of fraudulent billings.

• The scrutiny is also driven by private equity expansion and reports of subpar care.

Why it matters: Moves to cap payments and drop some providers from Medicaid mark a pivotal moment for the program, but they could leave some patients and their families in the lurch.

I needed a specific tile for my hand. Within minutes, it was discarded by my opponent and taken out of play. Time for a new plan.

• Pivoting happens a lot in mahjong. It's also kind of the point.

Why it matters: Mahjong, the centuries-old Chinese game, isn't just trending. It's "one of the best things that you can do for your brain," says Gregg Swain, a historian of the game with a doctorate in clinical psychology.

Microsoft on Thursday announced Copilot Health, a new AI service that lets users upload electronic health records and data from fitness trackers and other devices.

Why it matters: Microsoft is entering one of AI's fastest-growing arenas — health care — as OpenAI, Amazon and others expand their medical chatbot offerings.

The Food and Drug Administration's most polarizing official may be leaving, but that's no guarantee that the agency is about to undergo what its critics say is a needed course-correction.

Why it matters: The agency's drug approval standards and its ability to avoid more upheaval are both in question.

Tens of millions of Americans have delayed surgeries, vacation plans, career moves and other big life decisions because of the cost of health care, a new West Health-Gallup survey found.

Why it matters: Affordability concerns are hanging over the midterm election cycle, with just over half of all Americans believing basic medical care is affordable and accessible.

The Trump administration is planning something new for people shopping for Affordable Care Act coverage next year: health plans without a list of in-network doctors and hospitals.

Why it matters: The "non-network" plans could inject a dose of long-sought innovation into health care pricing. But they also could expose patients to more surprise bills and further destabilize ACA markets, policy experts warn.

Danielle Decker Jones, senior adviser at Axios, writes:

My husband, Jeff, and his friend, Ryan, are made of the same stuff: They grew up watching their dads do the same job that they would go on to do, in the same way — without flash or self-promotion, but by putting their heads down, quietly, and doing the work.

• For more than 40 years, Jeff and Ryan have talked to each other; to their dads, Bob and Dave; and to each other's dads about winning the right way.

Why it matters: Ryan Odom has low-key become one of the biggest success stories in men's college basketball. He enters this week's ACC Tournament as the winningest first-year coach in UVA history, and the #2 seed behind Duke.

The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday approved using the drug leucovorin for a rare neurological condition — and not as a treatment for autism symptoms, as President Trump's health officials had suggested in September.

Why it matters: The label update dials back expectations that there could be a new autism remedy.

• It also represents a significant narrowing of the potential Trump administration officials had suggested for the little-known form of the vitamin folate.

Driving the news: The FDA has now approved the drug to treat cerebral folate deficiency, a condition that some people with autism also have but that is estimated to affect less than one in a million people.

Between the lines: That is well short of the potential promise for treating autism symptoms Trump administration officials suggested in September.

• FDA commissioner Marty Makary had suggested then that "hundreds of thousands" of children would benefit from the drug, and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. called it an "exciting therapy that may benefit large numbers of children who suffer from autism."

Yes, but: Though the FDA is not approving leucovorin for autism, "off-label" prescribing has surged following the White House event in September.

• A study published in The Lancet this month found a 71% increase in prescriptions after the White House briefing.
• Leucovorin is an existing drug that has traditionally been used alongside chemotherapy treatment.
• "This action may benefit some individuals with FOLR1- related cerebral folate transport deficiency who have developmental delays with autistic features," Makary said in a statement Tuesday.

The Trump administration is moving to speed up approvals of copycat biologic drugs as a way to lower health costs and boost an underused market.

Why it matters: Efforts to elevate biosimilars have been thwarted by unfavorable placement on formularies and doctors' refusal to switch patients to the look-alike treatments.