Supreme Court Again Favors Religion Over Covid Restrictions In California

NPR: Supreme Court Rules For Worshippers And Against California COVID Restrictions
For the fifth time, the U.S. Supreme Court has sided with religious adherents and against California's COVID-19 restrictions. This time, the court barred the state from enforcing a rule that for now limits both religious and non-religious gatherings in homes to no more than three households. The court's unsigned order came on a 5-4 vote. Chief Justice John Roberts cast his lot with the dissenters, but failed to join their opinion. He noted simply that he would have left the lower court order intact. (Totenberg, 4/10)

In news about abortion —

Boston Globe: TelAbortion, With Medication Through The Mail, Comes To Massachusetts
Is Massachusetts ready for abortion through the mail? Reproductive rights advocates certainly are. They note that medication abortions — safe and FDA-approved in the first 10 weeks of gestation — already make up 40 percent of abortions in Massachusetts. People have been ending pregnancies at home, on their own, for years. But the Food and Drug Administration requires a patient to pick up the medication in person from a health provider — a requirement the Trump administration upheld even during the pandemic. During last year’s lockdown, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists sued and got the requirement lifted temporarily in July. But the Trump administration appealed, and the Supreme Court reversed that decision in January. (Ebert, 4/11)

AP: Some GOP-Led States Target Abortions Done Through Medication
About 40% of all abortions in the U.S. are now done through medication — rather than surgery — and that option has become all the more pivotal during the COVID-19 pandemic. Abortion rights advocates say the pandemic has demonstrated the value of medical care provided virtually, including the privacy and convenience of abortions taking place in a woman’s home, instead of a clinic. Abortion opponents, worried the method will become increasingly prevalent, are pushing legislation in several Republican-led states to restrict it and in some cases, ban providers from prescribing abortion medication via telemedicine. (Crary and Samuels, 4/11)

In other news from the states —

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 1 In 3 Wisconsin Nursing Homes Violated COVID-19 Safety Rules
In one of the most comprehensive looks at nursing home safety during the pandemic, a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel investigation has found that 1 in 3 Wisconsin facilities violated coronavirus protocols, including by asking COVID-positive staff to keep working, not screening visitors for symptoms and not isolating infected residents. Even when inspectors were present, employees at several facilities didn't always wear face masks. Two homes substituted flannel shirts or plastic aprons for gowns, despite having an ample supply. At least five nursing homes didn’t tell residents or their families about coronavirus cases for days or weeks. (Chen, Volpenhein and Cohen, 4/9)

Health News Florida: Florida Lawmakers Move Forward On Telehealth Expansion
Throughout the coronavirus pandemic there have been few silver linings. But health experts say one good thing the pandemic has caused is an expansion of telehealth. A proposal to keep many of the state’s pandemic-era telehealth practices in place is moving forward, but some say a few important provisions aren't including in the legislation. (McCarthy, 4/9)

Axios: Maskless Woman Who Coughed At Pier 1 Customer Gets 30 Days In Jail 
The maskless woman who coughed on another customer in a Florida Pier 1 last June was sentenced to 30 days in jail Thursday for second-degree assault, the Washington Post reports. The incident, which illustrates the polarized tension surrounding mask-wearing, took place in June 2020 when COVID-19 cases were surging. A number of videos showing customers refusing to wear masks in stores went viral at the time. (Saric, 4/11)

Bangor Daily News: Maine’s Aggressive Lead Policy Has Child Testing Back Up After Pandemic Lull
Lead testing of Maine’s youngest and most vulnerable children is on the rise, with only a temporary dip early in the pandemic, moving the state closer to its goal of eradicating lead poisoning by 2030. A 2019 law that broadened screening and a trend toward more in-office rather than at-the-lab testing boosted screens for the heavy metal, which can damage the brains of young children. The law widened testing to all children aged 1 and 2 instead of only those covered by MaineCare, the state’s version of Medicaid. Monthly tests were up 43 percent this March compared to June 2019, when the law went into effect. While testing dipped in March and April of last year, when Gov. Janet Mills’ COVID-19 civil emergency proclamation discouraged non-urgent medical care, it quickly got back on track once office visits were again allowed. (Valigra, 4/12)

AP: West Virginia Lawmakers Approve Needle Exchange Regulations
A West Virginia bill that would regulate needle exchange programs gained final approval in the Republican-controlled legislature on Saturday amid a spike in HIV cases in the state. Critics have said its more stringent requirements for the programs will constrain the number of providers who give clean syringes to injection drug users not able to quit the habit. The legislation would also require participants show an identification card to get a syringe. (Dil, 4/11)

Modern Healthcare: Ohio Expects To Save $240 Million In Medicaid Drug Costs By Running Its Own PBM
Ohio officials expect that consolidating the seven private pharmacy benefit managers that run its Medicaid managed-care system into a single, state-regulated PBM will save more than $240 million every year. The change will go in effect starting in early 2022. Officials will administer PBM services through Gainwell Technologies, a state-regulated PBM that will replace the seven PBMs currently operating in the managed-care system. A pharmacy pricing and audit consultant will help state officials make decisions with regard to in-network providers, pharmacy reimbursement and more. (Tepper, 4/9)