Abortion Rights Groups Say Missouri Ballot Measures Are Misleading
AP reports on a push for a rewrite of what abortion-rights advocates say are misleading descriptions on of several constitutional amendments on abortion that may be on Missouri's 2024 ballot. Among other news: gender care medications, the 988 crisis lifeline, and more.
AP:
Challengers Seek Rewrite Of Missouri Abortion-Rights Ballot Measures, Calling Them Misleading
Abortion-rights advocates asked a judge on Monday to rewrite what they call misleading descriptions of several constitutional amendments on abortion that voters could see on Missouri’s 2024 ballot. Missouri is among several states, including Ohio, where abortion opponents are fighting efforts to ensure or restore access to the procedure following the fall of Roe v. Wade last year. (Ballentine, 9/11)
More health news from across the U.S. —
The New York Times:
Washington University Stops Offering Gender Medications To Minors
Washington University in St. Louis will stop prescribing gender medications to minors, the school said on Monday, citing “unacceptable” legal liability under a new Missouri law banning such treatments. The change comes seven months after a former employee of the university’s youth gender clinic claimed that doctors there were hastily prescribing the treatments, throwing the center into the cross hairs of politicians trying to outlaw so-called gender affirming care for adolescents. (Hughes, 9/11)
Los Angeles Times:
L.A. Care To Pay $1.3 Million To Settle Patient Privacy Violations
L.A. Care, a Los Angeles-based health plan for Medi-Cal recipients, has agreed to pay $1.3 million in a settlement to resolve two privacy and security rule violations and chart a corrective plan to secure their members' information. The violations involve the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 that covers what specific healthcare organizations can share about patients without their consent. (Garcia, 9/11)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Georgia Insurers Fail To Prove Compliance With Mental Health Law
Last year, state officials fired a warning shot to insurance companies that operate in Georgia: All insurers, they said, must treat mental health services the same as physical health. Now, one year later, a report from the insurance commissioner shows that not a single insurer has proven it is doing so, according to the state’s insurance department. (Landergan and Prabhu, 9/11)
WMFE:
988 Crisis Lifeline Rolls Out Services In ASL. Here's How Floridians Can Use Them
There are more than 800,000 people who are deaf of hard of hearing in Florida. Over the past year, calls to the 988 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline have jumped by 30 percent in the Orlando area alone. As of Friday, the lifeline offers services in American Sign Language. (Prieur, 9/11)
News Service of Florida:
Florida House Creates Select Committee On Health Care Innovation
Signaling that health care could be a key issue during the 2024 legislative session, House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, announced Friday that he has created the House Select Committee on Health Innovation. The committee, which will be chaired by Rep. Kaylee Tuck, R-Lake Placid, will “review issues relating to access and affordability in health care,” Renner said in a memo to House members. (9/11)
St. Louis Public Radio:
St. Louis County Seeks Federal Status And Funding For Clinics
In Missouri, there are dozens of federally qualified health centers — government-supported clinics that are required to serve every person who walks in the door. Most of those clinics are operated by nonprofit organizations. But St. Louis County health officials are banking on a plan that would grant its government-operated health clinics a similar status. (Fentem, 9/11)
AP:
Drinking Water Testing Ordered At A Minnesota Prison After Inmates Refused To Return To Their Cells
State officials have ordered additional tests on drinking water at a Minnesota prison after concerns about the water’s quality and other issues were raised when dozens of inmates refused to return to their cells during a heat wave earlier this month. The “additional and more comprehensive water testing” has been ordered at the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Stillwater “to assure staff and incarcerated individuals that the water is safe for drinking,” the Department of Corrections said in a statement released over the weekend. (9/11)
