Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Appeals Court Orders End To Children's Climate Change Lawsuit
Politico: Appeals Court Orders Youth Climate Suit Dismissed — Again
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit on Wednesday ordered a lower court judge to end a climate change lawsuit filed against the federal government by children for the second time. The appellate court “reluctantly” ruled in 2020 that the case should be dismissed, but the district court judge in Oregon hearing the case allowed the children to file a new version of the suit. The 9th Circuit rebuked that decision in an order issued Wednesday and unequivocally directed the case be dismissed. (Guillen, 5/1)
The Baltimore Sun: Retired State Workers In Maryland Outraged By Drug Plan Switch
Before receiving a heart transplant in 2020, Mark Varner avoided imagining his life too far into the future. Instead, Varner — a professor emeritus at the University of Maryland, College Park, who was diagnosed with multiple organ failure — only allowed himself to think ahead to the next day, to wonder if he’d wake up that morning. (Roberts, 5/1)
WBEZ: Illinois' Weight-Loss Drug Coverage Costs Could Skyrocket
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office pushed to expand coverage of high-priced weight-loss drugs for state government’s workforce, a quiet maneuver which could cost Illinois taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars starting this summer. (McKinney, 5/2)
NBC News: 'Outbreak' Of Opioid Overdoses In Austin, Texas, Linked To 8 Deaths And Over 50 Emergency Calls
Police in Austin, Texas, said they responded to an "outbreak" of over 50 opioid-related overdose calls from Monday to Tuesday morning that has been linked to as many as eight deaths. Authorities said they started receiving an increase in opioid calls around 9 a.m. Monday. ... EMS usually gets an average of two to three calls a day, White said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon. During the surge, authorities responded to about 51 calls, he said. (Burke, 5/1)
Los Angeles Times: Do Dying People Have A 'Right To Try' Psilocybin Or Magic Mushrooms?
Do dying patients have a “right to try” illegal drugs such as psilocybin and MDMA if they might alleviate end-of-life suffering from anxiety and depression? That question is now before one of the nation’s highest courts, with a Seattle-based palliative care physician appealing a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration decision barring him from prescribing psilocybin to his late-stage cancer patients. (Rector, 5/1)
Minnesota Public Radio: Meet One Of The ‘Cultural Brokers’ Helping Minnesota’s Karen Community Access Health Care
Minnesota is home to the largest Karen community in the country. Many are refugees from Burma, now called Myanmar, and cultural differences and language barriers make it exceptionally difficult to navigate the American health care system — which is complicated enough on its own. To bridge the gap for Karen immigrants and other groups, health care organizations hire professionals who come from the same communities they are helping to find health care and other services. (Moini and Younger, 5/1)
KFF Health News: ‘Breaking A Promise’: California Deficit Could Halt Raises For Disability Workers
Families of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities say Gov. Gavin Newsom is reneging on a scheduled raise for the workers who care for their loved ones, and advocates warn of potential lawsuits if disability services become harder to get. Citing California’s budget deficit, the Democratic governor wants to save around $613 million in state funds by delaying pay increases for a year for about 150,000 disability care workers. (Sánchez, 5/2)
