CDC To Probe Ohio Derailment Site; Operator Must Pay For Cleanup

Politico: CDC Expects To Launch Probe Into Derailment Aftermath
CDC epidemiologists and environmental health scientists are in Ohio this week, Krista has learned. They’re helping assess and investigate the health risk after a 150-car train derailed in the small town of East Palestine earlier this month carrying dangerous chemicals. (Mahr and Payne, 2/21)

The New York Times: E.P.A. Orders Norfolk Southern To Pay All Cleanup Costs In East Palestine, Ohio
The operator, Norfolk Southern, will not only be compelled to identify and clean contaminated soil and water, but also must reimburse the E.P.A. for the costs of cleaning private homes and businesses, according to the agency. If the E.P.A. deems that Norfolk Southern has failed to complete any of the tasks it has been ordered to do, the agency will conduct the cleanup itself and charge the company triple the cost, it said. (Robertson, 2/21)

In other health news across the states —

ProPublica & The Salt Lake Tribune: 94 Women Allege A Utah Doctor Sexually Assaulted Them. Here’s Why A Judge Threw Out Their Case.
Under Utah’s rules of medical malpractice, claims made by victims who allege a health care worker sexually assaulted them are literally worth less than lawsuits brought by someone who was assaulted in other settings — even if a jury rules in their favor, a judge is required to limit how much money they receive. And they must meet a shorter filing deadline. (Miller, 2/22)

The Washington Post: Pregnant Woman's Fetus Should Be Released From Jail, Writ Argues
A few months after becoming pregnant, Natalia Harrell sat in a corrections van without air conditioning, according to a recent petition in Florida’s appellate courts. It was more than 100 degrees inside the van, the petition says, and a Miami-Dade County jail employee opened a door only after hearing Harrell banging against the walls. (Melnick, 2/22)

The Hill: Florida ‘Reverse Woke Act’ Would Make Employers Liable For Detransition Care
Companies offering coverage for gender-affirming health care in Florida may soon find themselves responsible for the total costs of an employee’s detransition care under a new state Senate bill filed this week. Florida’s proposed “Reverse Woke Act,” introduced Monday by Republican state Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, would require businesses that cover gender-affirming medical care to be financially responsible for any subsequent detransitions — even for individuals that it no longer employs. (Migdon, 2/21)

Politico: Exclusive: Patients Are Languishing In New York Hospitals At A Cost Of Millions
Long delays in discharging patients cost dozens of New York hospitals an estimated $169 million over a three-month period last year, according to a new report from the Healthcare Association of New York State, which was shared first with POLITICO. Each emergency department delay cost hospitals $18,000 on average, while inpatient discharge delays cost about $168,000 per case — but the report concluded those estimates were likely conservative. (Kaufman, 2/21)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Bipartisan Bill Aims To Build On 2022 Effort To Boost Georgia’s Mental Health Care
A year after passing legislation that aimed to improve Georgia’s mental health system, the same bipartisan group of lawmakers has filed a new bill that they say will address the shortage of mental health providers and streamline the way agencies share information about patients. Last year’s effort was a priority of then-House Speaker David Ralston, who aimed to ensure that mental health care was covered by insurance companies in the same way that physical health care is covered. Lawmakers also greatly increased funding for mental health services. Ralston died in November. (Prabhu, 2/21)

The CT Mirror: Lamont Administration Seeks Change In CT Hospital And Drug Costs
Gov. Ned Lamont addressed rising health costs and hospital consolidation Tuesday with two bills that put a free-market governor at odds with Big Pharma and a hospital industry that is a major employer throughout Connecticut. (Pazniokas, 2/21)

AP: Medical Marijuana Advances Again At North Carolina Senate
Marijuana legalization in North Carolina for medical purposes is advancing again within the state Senate, less than a year after a very similar measure setting a structure for its sale and consumption passed the chamber by a wide margin. (Robertson, 2/21)

AP: Mississippi Governor Vows To Sign Limit On Transgender Care
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves confirmed Tuesday that he plans to sign a bill to ban gender-affirming care in the state for anyone younger than 18 — part of a broad effort in conservative states to restrict transgender athletes, gender-affirming care and drag shows. House Bill 1125 won final approval Tuesday in the Republican-controlled Mississippi Senate, and it will be sent in the coming days to Reeves, a Republican who is running for reelection. (Wagster Pettus and Goldberg, 2/21)

CBS News: Wisconsin Supreme Court Race Could Have Big Implications For Abortion, Election Laws
Wisconsin voters winnowed a field of four state Supreme Court candidates to two on Tuesday in a critical race to determine which party will hold the majority on the state's highest court. Liberal Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Janet Protasiewicz and the conservative former state Supreme Court Justice Dan Kelly have advanced to the general election, The Associated Press reported. (Navarro, 2/21)

Lexington Herald Leader: Drugs In Vape Pens May Have Have Sickened Kentucky Students
A school district in southeastern Kentucky has asked businesses to guard against selling vape pens to minors after students in a nearby county got sick from using vape pens that may have contained an illegal drug. Officials from the Harlan County school district distributed letters Monday to businesses across the county urging them to move vaping products behind the counter and to try to make sure employees don’t sell to minors. (Estep and Spears, 2/21)