Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Georgia Begins Controversial Medicaid Expansion With Work Requirements
AP: Georgia Launches Medicaid Expansion In Closely Watched Test Of Work Requirements
Georgia is offering a new bargain to some adults without health insurance beginning Saturday: Go to work or school and the state will cover you. But advocates decry the plan, which will insure far fewer people than a full expansion of the state-federal Medicaid program, as needlessly restrictive and expensive. The program is likely to be closely watched as Republicans in Congress push to let states require work from some current Medicaid enrollees. (Amy, 6/30)
In other health news from across the U.S. —
Los Angeles Times: Homelessness Grows 10% In The City Of Los Angeles
Homelessness continues to rise dramatically, increasing by 9% in Los Angeles County and 10% in the city of Los Angeles last year, a stark illustration of the challenges faced by officials trying to reduce the number of people living on the streets. (Smith and Vives, 6/29)
The Washington Post: Legal Weed Sales Expand Maryland's Cannabis Industry, Beginning Saturday
At the back of an industrial park shared with a spice company, the thick summer air outside Verano’s humming two-story production warehouse in Jessup, Md., smells faintly like cinnamon, cumin and cannabis. Inside, cannabis production has tripled. The plant’s sticky flowers are pressed into joints rolled by machinery, distilled into tinctures, pressurized into vapor cartridges, and cooked into gummies, caramels and a line of edibles — all labeled, as required, with a little red marijuana leaf sticker and the words “THC MARYLAND.” The massive expansion aims to help meet the surge in demand expected when recreational marijuana use becomes legal in Maryland for people 21 and older on Saturday. (Shepherd and Cox, 6/29)
The Hill: DeSantis Signs Bill Allowing New Roads To Be Built With Mining Waste Linked To Cancer
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed a bill on Thursday that will allow new roads in the state to be built with “radioactive” mining waste that has been linked to cancer. HB 1191 adds phosphogypsum to a list of “recyclable materials” that can be used for the construction of roads. The list also includes ground rubber from car tires, ash residue from coal combustion byproducts, recycled mixed-plastic, glass and construction steel. (Oshin, 6/29)
AP: Louisiana Governor Vetoes Portion Of State Budget, Restores Health Department Increase
Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards vetoed parts of Louisiana’s budget on Thursday after lawmakers called on him to clean up the state’s hastily-passed plan. The Republican-dominated Legislature had allocated a chunk of money to pay down state retirement debt, but Edwards redirected a portion of it to increase funding for early childhood education and restore a proposed $100 million increase to the Louisiana Department of Health. In his veto message, Edwards said restoring the health department increase was necessary to “protect against devastating programmatic cuts” and avoid losing up to $700 million in federal funding. (Cline, 6/29)
AP: Health Clinic In Montana Superfund Town Faces Penalties For False Asbestos Claims
A health clinic in a Montana town plagued by deadly asbestos contamination faces millions of dollars in penalties — and potential bankruptcy — after a jury found it submitted more than 300 false asbestos claims to the U.S. government, making patients eligible for Medicare and other benefits they shouldn’t have received. (6/29)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: St. Louis Medical Examiner Retires After Decades Unraveling Mysteries In The Morgue
Dr. Michael Graham has worked for decades to unravel mysteries in the autopsy room and under a microscope. He has seen gun crimes evolve as firearms have become more lethal. He has examined the Waco siege. Witnessed the horrors of 9/11 up close. And he is still haunted by the unsolved death of a headless girl. Through it all, Graham has held onto his cool, collected persona. Graham, the chief medical examiner of St. Louis, retires Friday after 34 years in the top job. (Bell, 6/29)
