Mississippi Attorney General Alleges Insulin Price-Fixing, Sues Makers

Stat: Mississippi Sues Drug Makers And PBMs Over The Cost Of Insulin
In a first-of-its-kind move, the Mississippi attorney general last week filed a lawsuit accusing several drug makers and pharmacy benefit managers of conspiring to set prices for insulin, the life-savings diabetes treatment that has become a poster child for the high cost of prescription medicines. The lawsuit alleged that the manufacturers benefited from a scheme in which prices were “artificially” inflated to win placement on formularies, the list of medicines for which insurance is provided. And pharmacy benefit managers profited by receiving “secret” rebates from the manufacturers and also through their own mail-order pharmacy sales. (Silverman, 6/14)

Mississippi Clarion-Ledger: Mississippi Settles With Centene Over Medicaid Drug Costs
Mississippi will receive $55.5 million after Attorney General Lynn Fitch and Auditor Shad White on Monday reached an agreement with Centene, the country's largest Medicaid contractor, following a years-long investigation into whether the company overcharged Medicaid for prescription drugs. Between 2016 and 2020, the Mississippi Medicaid program paid Centene more than $1.1 billion for pharmacy services, according to a report from the Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting. Centene reported $111.1 billion in revenue in 2020. The settlement is one of the largest ever in Mississippi, according to the State Auditor's Office. (Sanderlin, 6/14)

AP: Groups Ask Judge To Block Arkansas' Near-Total Abortion Ban
Abortion rights supporters asked a federal judge on Monday to prevent Arkansas’ near-total ban on the procedure from taking effect while the groups challenge its constitutionality. The American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood asked the judge to issue a temporary restraining order or preliminary injunction against the ban, which is set to take effect July 28. The groups filed a lawsuit last month challenging the ban, which prohibits abortions except those to save the life of the mother. (DeMillo, 6/14)

Bloomberg: Illinois Chemical Fire Leads To Evacuations
A massive fire at a chemical plant in northern Illinois spurred the governor to deploy the National Guard to the area as local residents were evacuated. No injuries have been reported. The industrial fire broke out early Monday morning at a lubricants plant operated by Chemtool, owned by a unit of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. The blaze, burning in Rockton, Illinois, continued to send a thick plume of black smoke into the sky in the late afternoon. Residents are being evacuated within a 1-mile (1.6-kilometer) radius from the plant and asked to wear face masks within a 3-mile radius as a precaution to protect themselves from the smoke, officials said during a press conference Monday. Governor J.B. Pritzker activated the state’s National Guard on Monday afternoon and deployed emergency vehicles to support local authorities. (Chapa and Singh, 6/14)

AP: Alcohol-Involved Utah Traffic Deaths Doubled During Pandemic
Transportation officials have reported nearly twice as many people died in alcohol-involved crashes on Utah roads last year compared to the year before, despite less commuter traffic during the coronavirus pandemic. The state Department of Transportation said there were 61 fatal crashes involving alcohol last year compared to the 32 crashes in 2019, The Salt Lake Tribune reported. (6/14)

Axios: New York City To Host Ticker Tape Parade For Essential Workers 
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Monday that the city will host a ticker tape parade on July 7 to honor health care workers, first responders, and essential workers. It will be the city's first official parade since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, de Blasio said. The announcement comes as the city prepares to fully reopen on July 1. (Saric, 6/14)

Los Angeles Times: California Offers $100 Million To Aid Legal Cannabis Industry
The California Legislature on Monday approved a $100-million plan to bolster California’s legal marijuana industry, which continues to struggle to compete with the large illicit pot market nearly five years after voters approved sales for recreational use. Los Angeles will be the biggest beneficiary of the money, which was proposed by Gov. Gavin Newsom to be provided as grants to cities and counties to help cannabis businesses transition from provisional to regular licenses. (McGreevy, 6/14)

In news about clean-water initiatives —

Anchorage Daily News: New York-Based Charitable Trust Announces $20M Grant To Help Address Rural Alaska Water Issues
A New York-based charitable trust, a nonprofit and an Alaska regional health corporation on Monday announced a three-year plan to invest $20 million in improving access to clean water and sewer in parts of rural Alaska. The funds will help support a utility-assistance program in 15 rural communities in the Norton Sound region of the state and to-be-determined water and sewer projects in those communities. It will also support the installation of water system monitoring equipment in dozens of other rural communities around the state. (Berman, 6/14)

Indianapolis Star: Why Some Indianapolis Parents Fear Getting Their Homes Tested For Lead
In recent years, lead was found in the water of more than half of Marion County's schools and child care facilities. In some of these schools, the amount of lead was more than 500 times the level that federally requires corrective action. By all estimations, lead is likely also flowing through the taps and floating in the air of Indianapolis' homes. Despite the serious health impacts that can come with lead exposure, some people are reluctant to request testing from the health department, said Rev. Ivan Douglas Hicks, senior minister at First Baptist Church North Indianapolis, fearing it will open the door for other inspections in their homes that could require costly mitigation or involve Child Protective Services. At the same time, commercial testing kits can cost as much as $250. (Gibson, 6/15)

Also —

The Baltimore Sun: Man In Medical Crisis Takes Baltimore Ambulance To Drive Himself To Hospital, Police Say 
A 38-year-old man experiencing a medical crisis tried to drive himself to a hospital in a Baltimore City Fire Department ambulance from Cherry Hill early Monday, police said. The man, whose name was not released, took the ambulance, which had been left running in the 900 block of Seagull Ave., where medics had been called about 1:22 a.m., police said. (Campbell, 6/14)

Health News Florida: Orange County's New Infectious Diseases Chief Talks Contact Tracing, Next Pandemic 
Alvina Chu has been named interim director of infectious diseases for the Florida Department of Health in Orange County. Chu led the county’s COVID-19 tracing efforts during the pandemic, and in her new role she’ll focus on infectious disease prevention, testing and treatment. WMFE talked with Chu about how she’d like to improve public health in the county and whether she thinks we’re ready for the next pandemic. (Prieur, 6/14)

KHN: Violent Colorado Arrest Puts Spotlight On How Police Treat Disabled People 
Nearly a year after police officers in Loveland, Colorado, injured an elderly woman with dementia and then laughed at footage of her arrest, two of those officers are facing criminal charges while the rest of the department undergoes additional training. The fallout has drawn national attention to a problem that experts say is widespread across law enforcement agencies: Police often lack the skills to interact with people with mental and physical disabilities. Last June, a Walmart employee called police after Karen Garner, 73 at the time, tried to leave without paying for $14 worth of items. Soon after, Officer Austin Hopp’s body camera video showed, he pulled over beside her as she walked down a road and wrestled her to the ground in handcuffs after she failed to respond to his questions. Afterward, Garner’s lawyers say, she sat in jail for several hours with a dislocated and fractured shoulder as Hopp and two other officers laughed while watching the body camera video. (Paterson, 6/15)