State Highlights: Assisted-Suicide Bill Reintroduced In Del.; Florida Blue Works To Fix Payment Glitch That Affected About 9,500 Members

The Associated Press: Delaware Lawmaker Reintroduces Assisted-Suicide Bill
A Delaware lawmaker has reintroduced legislation allowing doctor-assisted suicide. Democratic Rep. Paul Baumbach of Newark admitted Tuesday that he does not expect to win passage of the legislation, which was tabled in committee two years ago, but wants to continue to shine light on the issue. (Chase, 5/2)

Tampa Bay Times: Florida Blue Working To Resolve Payment Glitch 
A payment processing issue over the weekend caused an unknown number of Florida Blue customers to be charged multiple times for the same bill, Florida Blue spokeswoman Christie Hyde DeNave said. The nonprofit company found out about the glitch Monday and immediately started working on a fix. (McGrory, 5/2)

Orlando Sentinel: Florida Blue: 9,500 Members Affected By Payment System Issue 
Approximately 9,500 members were affected by Florida Blue’s payment system problem over the weekend, which led to multiple withdrawals from their bank accounts, insurance company officials said on Tuesday. The problem happened over the weekend, through a vendor, according to the insurance company. (Miller, 5/2)

The Associated Press: NY Lawmakers Split On Court-Ordered Mental Health Treatment
More than 4,000 New York residents are treated each year under Kendra's Law, a controversial program that requires a person dealing with serious mental illness to attend outpatient psychiatric treatment as a condition for living in the community. It was passed in 1999 on a trial basis after 32-year-old Kendra Webdale was pushed in front of a subway train by a man with untreated schizophrenia. It is has since been temporarily reauthorized twice, but New York lawmakers have balked at making the 18-year-old law permanent. It is set to expire in June unless lawmakers grant yet another extension. (Gronewald, 5/2)

New Hampshire Union Leader: Senate Committee Endorses $20M Plan For New Mental Health Beds, DCYF Oversight 
A wide-ranging proposal to increase the number of mental health beds throughout the state and improve services at the Division for Children, Youth and Families was unanimously endorsed by the Senate Health and Human Services committee on Tuesday. The amendment to House Bill 400 will provide much-needed relief to the state psychiatric hospital and the Department of Health and Human Services, which has struggled to keep pace with the number of patients suffering from mental illness. (5/2)

Texas Tribune: Bill Would Spur Study Of Why More Black Mothers Die After Childbirth 
While the maternal health of black mothers has been studied nationally for years, researchers and advocates have been baffled by recent reports showing black women in Texas are twice as likely to die after a pregnancy-related hospital stay than any other group of women. Though black women accounted for only 11 percent of all Texas births in 2012, they made up 29 percent of maternal deaths, according to a July 2016 report from the state’s Task Force on Maternal Mortality and Morbidity. (Evans, 5/2)

The CT Mirror: Connecticut House Votes To Bar Gay ‘Conversion Therapy’ 
The House of Representatives voted 141 to 8 Tuesday to pass and send to the Senate a bill that would make Connecticut one of a half-dozen states barring conversion therapy, the discredited practice of trying to change the sexual orientation of young homosexuals... The bill would enshrine in state law the conclusions of the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association and other national associations of health professionals: Homosexuality is not a disease, and forcing conversion therapy on a minor can be harmful. (Pazniokas, 5/2)

Texas Tribune: Sandra Bland Act Gets Nod From Texas Senate Panel 
The Senate Criminal Justice Committee on Tuesday approved its version of the Sandra Bland Act, which aims to comprehensively change the way police and civilians interact. The Senate version of the bill, authored by Criminal Justice Committee Chairman John Whitmire, D-Houston, would mandate that county jails route people with mental health and substance abuse issues to treatment and install electronic sensors or cameras to better monitor inmates. (Silver, 5/2)

Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio, Ky. Need More Prep For Health Emergencies
Ohio held steady while Kentucky fell in a national ranking of day-to-day preparedness to manage health emergencies, according to a new study by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation... The foundation’s National Health Security Preparedness Index analyzes more than 130 measures, such as hazard planning in public schools, monitoring food and water safety, wireless 911 capabilities, flu vaccination rates and numbers of paramedics and hospitals, to calculate a measure of health security and preparedness. (Saker, 5/3)

Stat: Utah Watchdog Investigating Patrick Soon-Shiong's Gift To University
Alegislative watchdog in Utah has launched an investigation of a controversial donation to the state’s flagship public university from biotech billionaire Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong. The probe, requested by the Utah House speaker, comes at a tumultuous time for the University of Utah. Soon-Shiong’s donation, which ended up boosting his business interests while advancing medical research at the university, has raised eyebrows in the broader research community. (Robbins, 5/3)

Cleveland Plain Dealer: Ohio Department Of Health Publishes List Of 540 Lead Hazard Homes That Should Be Vacant 
The Ohio Department of Health has followed up on a promise to make public a list of homes across the state with known lead hazards that have not been addressed by landlords or property owners. The list of 540 homes represents only the properties that have received an order to vacate from public health investigators, one of the last steps officials can take when a property owner refuses to clean up an identified source of lead poisoning in a home where a child has been poisoned. (Dissell, 5/2)

Kansas City Star: Bourbon Virus Still Hard To Diagnose, Treat, KU Doctor Says
In the summer of 2014, a farmer from Bourbon County in southeast Kansas was transferred to the University of Kansas Hospital with an unknown disease that was causing his organs to fail... Three years later, as another tick season approaches, little more is known about the mysterious disease. (Marso, 5/2)

San Antonio Express-News: San Antonio Moms Receive Free ‘Baby Boxes’ For Infants’ Safe Sleeping 
More than 50 new and expecting moms in San Antonio received a free “baby box,” in which their infants can safely sleep, during a Baby Box Company launch event at the DoSeum on Tuesday. The San Antonio moms are the first in the state to receive the boxes, which will soon be available for free online to every new and expecting mom in Texas. (Martin, 5/2)

Nashville Tennessean: HCA Adds 'Healthcare' To Name
Nashville-based HCA Holdings will be renamed HCA Healthcare later this month — a move that reflects trends around the industry. The change better reflects how the company interacts with patients, said CEO Milton Johnson on an earnings call about first quarter results. The company will continue to trade as HCA. Branding is increasingly important as hospital operators continue to adapt to retail and consumer-driven changes. Its patients in many markets can choose from a variety of facilities, including urgent care facilities and freestanding emergency rooms. (Fletcher, 5/2)

Richmond Times-Dispatch: Owens & Minor To Acquire New York-Based Medical Products Distributor For $380 Million 
Hanover County-based Owens & Minor Inc. is planning to buy a New York-based distributor of medical supplies for about $380 million in cash. The acquisition will extend the company’s sales of medical supplies beyond hospital settings and into home health care. (Blackwell, 5/2)

The Philadelphia Inquirer/Philly.com: AmeriHealth New Jersey Lost Money, But How Much?
Cooper Health System, which owns 20 percent of AmeriHealth New Jersey,  said its share of the health insurer's 2016 loss was $5.29 million, down sharply from a $9.26 million loss the year before. Based on Cooper's 20 percent stake, that would translate into overall AmeriHealth New Jersey losses of $26.43 million last year and $46.28 million the year before, but the New Jersey insurer's majority owner, Independence Health Group, disputed the magnitude of the losses. (Brubaker, 5/2)

The Baltimore Sun: Milner-Fenwick Acquired By National Patient Education Company 
Milner-Fenwick, a Hunt Valley firm that makes educational films for medical professionals, has been acquired by The Wellness Network, which owns in-hospital television and digital channels. Under the deal, the 65-year-old family-owned business will maintain its offices in Hunt Valley and continue producing videos as a part of The Wellness Network, which is based in Wisconsin. Financial terms were not disclosed. (Gantz, 5/2)