Federal Court Rules Oklahoma Law Regulating PBMs Is Unconstitutional
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit invalidated four provisions of an Oklahoma law targeting PBMs. In Ohio, a marijuana legalization question will be on the fall ballot. In the Bay Area, some 150,000 residents will have their Medi-Cal eligibility reconsidered. And more.
Modern Healthcare:
PBM Law In Oklahoma Is Unconstitutional, Federal Court Rules
An Oklahoma law aiming to regulate pharmacy benefit managers’ retail networks and pharmacist contracts is unconstitutional, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit ruled. The three-judge panel on Tuesday invalidated four provisions of an Oklahoma law targeting PBMs, third-party intermediaries that negotiate drug prices on behalf of insurers. (Tepper, 8/16)
AP:
A Marijuana Legalization Question Will Be On Ohio’s Fall Ballot After Lawmakers Failed To Act On It
A proposal to legalize recreational adult use of marijuana in Ohio was cleared Wednesday to appear on statewide ballots this fall after the Republican-led state Legislature failed to act on it. The measure would allow adults 21 and over to buy and possess up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis and to grow plants at home. A 10% tax would be imposed on purchases, to be spent on administrative costs, addiction treatment programs, municipalities with dispensaries and social equity and jobs programs. (Smyth, 8/16)
CBS News:
150,000 Bay Area Residents To Have Medi-Cal Eligibility Reconsidered
About 15.5 million Californians—including over 150,000 people across the Bay Area—will have their Medi-Cal eligibility reconsidered. As of June, 21% of Medi-Cal recipients in California—or approximately 225,000 people—have lost coverage as a result of the redetermination process, in which needs for the health coverage are reassessed, according to the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS). (8/16)
AP:
New Mexico Congressman In Swing District Seeks Health Care Trust For Oil Field Workers
A bill aimed at compensating oil field workers and immediate relatives for uninsured medical costs related to air pollution and heat-related illness has been introduced by a first-term congressman from New Mexico. Democratic U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez said Wednesday his bill would require that oil and natural gas companies nationwide pay into a trust that provides reimbursement to workers for health costs associated with ailments linked to methane and smog, including respiratory problems such as asthma. (Lee, 8/16)
AP:
Maui Wildfire Survivors Are Confronting Huge Mental Health Hurdles
The evacuation center at the South Maui Community Park Gymnasium is now Anne Landon’s safe space. She has a cot and access to food, water, showers, books and even puzzles that bring people together to pass the evening hours. But all it took was a strong wind gust for her to be immediately transported back to the terrifying moment a deadly fire overtook her senior apartment complex in Lahaina last week. “It’s a trigger,” she said. “The wind was so horrible during that fire.” (Rush, 8/17)
On LGBTQ+ health care —
North Carolina Health News:
Transgender Youth Will Face More Restrictions After Veto Overrides
Transgender youth in North Carolina will face more restrictions accessing health care, participating in sports and exploring gender identities at school after Republican state lawmakers overrode Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto of three bills Wednesday. After about six weeks of inactivity, state lawmakers returned to Raleigh to take the override votes, which passed mostly along party lines in the House and the Senate, with two Democrats voting with Republicans on two out of three of the bills. (Crumpler, 8/17)
Indiana Capital Chronicle:
Indiana AG Seeks Info On Gender-Affirming Care With Subpoena-Like Demands
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita’s office has issued at least three civil investigative demands to medical providers as he continues to seek out information regarding gender-affirming care practices across the state. ... The move by Rokita’s office comes after just three medical providers responded to a March 6 request for details on care for transgender minors. He laid out more than a dozen questions, including requests for data on hormone treatments, surgeries and consent. (Smith, 8/16)
PBS NewsHour:
This New Oklahoma Executive Order Narrowly Defines ‘Woman’
The order, which along with government agencies applies to schools and state institutions, stipulates definitions for certain terms, like “man,” “boy,” “woman,” “girl,” “father,” and “mother.” The narrow definitions in the so-called “Women’s Bill of Rights” exclude trans and nonbinary people or anyone whose gender does not fit into the binary categories of woman or man. The order’s language does not make room for those with chromosomal variations, like intersex people. (Kemp, 8/16)
