More Want Rent Control As It Gets Harder To Afford Food, Medicine, More

The Wall Street Journal: Rent-Control Measures Are Back As Home Rents Reach New Highs 
Lawmakers across the U.S. are looking to enact rent control, reviving measures largely shunned in recent years in an effort to curb the surge in home rental prices throughout the country. These proposals, which would generally allow landlords to boost monthly rents by no more than 2% to 10%, are on the legislative agenda in more than a dozen states. Rental prices are up about 18% on average over the past two years, according to real-estate broker Redfin Corp. , hitting record levels across the U.S. (parker, 3/13)

In news from Florida —

Health News Florida: Telehealth Bill Expanding Doctor's Prescribing Powers Heads To Governor 
The Senate on Friday unanimously approved a measure that would expand the ability of doctors to prescribe controlled substances through telehealth. Senators agreed to changes made by the House, with the bill (SB 312) now ready to go to Gov. Ron DeSantis. Telehealth, also known as telemedicine, has grown in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic, as it has allowed patients to receive treatment remotely. The bill would ease restrictions on doctors prescribing controlled substances through telehealth, though they would continue to be barred from prescribing what are known as Schedule I and Schedule II controlled substances, which include highly addictive drugs such as morphine, according to a Senate analysis. (3/14)

Health News Florida: Legislature Passes Medicaid Bill After The House Drops A Proposal On 'Essential' Providers 
Florida lawmakers passed a plan Friday that will help set the stage for the Agency for Health Care Administration to award billions of dollars in Medicaid managed-care contracts. The bill (SB 1950) passed after the House agreed to drop a controversial proposal that dealt with disputes between managed-care plans and “essential” providers, such as children’s hospitals and teaching hospitals. The House proposal could have led to withholding what are known as Medicaid “supplemental” payments from essential providers that do not reach agreements to be part of managed-care networks. (3/14)

WFSU: Advocates Applaud Long-Desired Updates To Florida's Baker Act 
For years, mental health advocates have been trying to get the state to reexamine its laws around involuntary psychiatric commitment. Previous legislative sessions has taken some incremental steps, but this year marks the biggest change, advocates say. Still, the work to reduce the number of people being committed against their will isn’t over, according to some providers. The version of the bill that passed includes two issues that have continued to vex mental health advocates: how people are transported to facilities, and whether they can commit themselves. The Baker Act is the section of law written to allow a person to be involuntarily committed for psychiatric evaluation, while the Marchman Act is similar and deals directly with substance abuse. (Hatter, 3/14)

In news from Georgia —

Georgia Health News: CON Opponents Win A Round In Latest Legislative Fight Over Health Care Regulations
It wouldn’t be a Georgia General Assembly session without a fierce debate about the state’s health care regulatory apparatus. That system, known as certificate of need (CON), mostly governs how the health care industry functions in the state. It has been targeted annually by legislators proposing reforms to relax its rules. But these bills have been vigorously – and successfully — opposed by Georgia’s hospital industry. House Bill 1547, breaking late in this year’s session, isn’t just any CON reform bill. It aims to repeal the whole system in 2025. (Miller, 3/11)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Legislature Debates Pandemic Science Without State Scientist
Sen. Clint Dixon stood before the Georgia Senate last week, he said, to “fight for the well being of students.” His bill, the Unmask Georgia Students Act, was close to passage. And an ally’s proposal to expand its scope from one year to five years, he said, was backed by none other than the state’s top pandemic scientist, Georgia Commissioner of Public Health Dr. Kathleen Toomey. “The governor did discuss this with Dr. Toomey, and she is in favor of the bill,” as well as the proposed expansion, Dixon told the senators. That last part was not true, it turned out; Toomey had not vetted the expansion. But the exchange highlighted a glaring absence in hearings this year about bills on pandemic measures at the state Capitol: testimony from the state’s own public health pandemic experts. (Hart, 3/11)

In other updates from Ohio, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, and California —

Cincinnati Enquirer: Facing Pushback, Cincinnati Council Members Drop Plan To Ban Soda On Children's Menus
A city of Cincinnati proposal that would have banned sugary drinks from being included on children's menus is being shelved for now, Councilman Greg Landsman told The Enquirer. The "healthy beverage" legislation was intended to combat childhood obesity and had support from the American Heart Association, the Cincinnati Health Department and the Ohio Restaurant Association. It wouldn't have banned the sale of sugary drinks by restaurants, just their inclusion on children's menus. Customers could have still requested sodas for their kids. Four other Ohio cities, and other across the country, have already passed similar legislation. (Coolidge, 3/10)

AP: Assisted Living Facility Worker Charged After Woman's Death 
An employee of an Iowa assisted living facility is now facing charges related to the Jan. 21 death of a 77-year-old resident. KCCI-TV reports that 30-year-old Catherine Forkpa of Ankeny has been charged with dependent adult abuse and intentional reckless abuse. (3/13)

AP: St. Louis County Man Awarded $20 Million In Asbestos Suit 
A south St. Louis County man who sued Ford Motor Co. over his exposure to asbestos has been awarded $20 million. In his lawsuit, William Trokey, 76, alleged that his exposure to asbestos while working on Ford brakes as a gas station mechanic in the 1960s led to him being diagnosed with mesothelioma, a form of cancer. (3/12)

Omaha World-Herald: Omaha City Council Will Consider Stripping Health Director Of Pandemic Authority
A proposal heading before the Omaha City Council on Tuesday would strip decision-making powers from the city health director in the event of an epidemic. Under the proposed ordinance, the city health director would only have the power to certify the presence of an epidemic. After a threat is recognized, a newly established special epidemic health director would be responsible for coming up with a plan to manage it. (Stephens, 3/12)

KHN: Despite Seniors’ Strong Desire To Age In Place, The Village Model Remains A Boutique Option 
Twenty years ago, a group of pioneering older adults in Boston created an innovative organization for people committed to aging in place: Beacon Hill Village, an all-in-one social club, volunteer collective, activity center, peer-to-peer support group, and network for various services. Its message of “we want to age our way in our homes and our community” was groundbreaking at the time and commanded widespread attention. Villages would mobilize neighbors to serve neighbors, anchor older adults in their communities, and become an essential part of the infrastructure for aging in place in America, experts predicted. (Graham, 3/14)

KHN: Listen: An Unsettling Investigation Into The Closure Of A Chain Of Pain Clinics
Last spring, Lags Medical Centers, a sprawling chain of pain clinics serving more than 20,000 patients in California, abruptly shuttered amid a cloaked state investigation into “credible allegations of fraud.” Tens of thousands of patients were left scrambling for care, most of them low-income Californians covered by state and federal insurance programs. Many have struggled for access to their medical records and to find doctors who would renew long-standing opioid prescriptions. In the months since, the state has declined to elaborate on the concerns that prompted its investigation, which is ongoing. (3/14)