Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Colorado Triumphs In Drug Affordability Case
Stat: Amgen Loses Battle With Colorado Over Prescription Drug Affordability Board
In a blow to the pharmaceutical industry, a U.S. court judge ruled that a Colorado state board can proceed with plans to place limits on the prices paid for medicines, the first such decision to support the controversial attempts by some states to control their prescription drug spending. (Silverman, 3/28)
Healthcare Dive: Minnesota Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Against Wells Fargo Over Prescription Drug Costs
A federal judge has tossed out a lawsuit against Wells Fargo from a group of former employees arguing that the bank violated its fiduciary obligations by agreeing to pay steep prices for prescription drugs. It’s a victory for employers concerned they could be the next company accused of mismanaging health benefits. The litigation against Wells Fargo is the second lawsuit accusing a large, self-funded employer of failing to bring down drug costs for their workers and acting as a poor steward of their healthcare dollars in violation of ERISA. (Pifer, 3/26)
KFF Health News: Montana’s Small Pharmacies Behind Bill To Corral Pharmacy Benefit Managers
Montana’s small, independent pharmacies say they’re getting increasingly squeezed on reimbursements by pharmacy benefit managers — and are pushing an ambitious bill to rein in what they say are unfair practices by the powerful industry negotiators known as PBMs. “Who in their right mind would subject themselves to this sort of treatment in a business relationship?” said Mike Matovich, a part owner of eight small-town pharmacies in Montana. “It’s such a monopoly. We can be the best pharmacy in the world, and they can still put us out of business.” (Dennison, 3/31)
More health news from across the U.S. —
MSNBC: Florida Considers Easing Child Labor Laws After Pushing Out Immigrants
As Florida officials enable Trump’s mass deportation policies, lawmakers in the state are looking to children to take on some of the jobs that have typically been done by immigrants. Making its way through the state Senate is a new law, Senate Bill 918, that aims to loosen child labor laws and allow teenagers to work overnight shifts. S.B. 918 also “includes a number of changes including eliminating working time restrictions on teenagers aged 14 and 15 if they are home-schooled and ending guaranteed meal breaks for 16 and 17 year olds,” CNN reported. (Jones, 3/27)
The Colorado Sun: Colorado Lawmakers Send Governor Bill Requiring Training To Buy Many Guns
A bill that would ban the manufacture and drastically restrict the sale of certain semiautomatic firearms that can accept detachable ammunition magazines in Colorado is now headed to Gov. Jared Polis’ desk after it cleared its final legislative hurdle Friday. (Paul, 3/28)
AP: How A New Georgia Bill Could Change The Fate Of Domestic Abuse Survivors In Prison
Between 74% and 95% of incarcerated women have survived domestic abuse or sexual violence, according to the Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Many were tried without fair opportunities to prove the scope of the abuse and how it led them to act in self-defense, while others were coerced into crimes, according to advocates, who add that certain laws disproportionately criminalize abused women. At other times, they say, people simply don’t believe women’s stories, with women of color like Favors who survive abuse especially likely to end up in prison. But under the Georgia Survivor Justice Act, which passed the state House overwhelmingly with bipartisan support and still awaits Senate consideration ahead of the session’s end this week, abuse survivors could secure early release from prison. (Kramon, 3/30)
ProPublica: Political Power Grab Left NC Sexual Abuse Survivors In Crisis
For years, North Carolina’s Republican-majority Legislature has taken steps big and small to wrench power from Democratic governors and the agencies under their control. One move that didn’t get much attention — tucked into a 628-page budget bill four years ago — was to direct $15 million in funding for sexual assault victims away from Democratic-led agencies that had long overseen such money. The money instead would be funneled through the North Carolina Human Trafficking Commission, an obscure group that’s part of the state’s GOP-helmed courts system. (Clark, 3/30)
St. Louis Public Radio: Some Abortions Resume At St. Louis Planned Parenthood
More than four months after Missouri voters approved a measure that gave residents the right to an abortion, Planned Parenthood has begun offering the procedure at one of its St. Louis clinics. Clinic officials announced Friday that staff this week have started offering patients procedural abortions, sometimes known as surgical abortions. (Fentem, 3/28)
