Inmates Say State Bungled Covid Response

Kansas City Star: Missouri Inmates Allege State Has Mismanaged COVID Response 
Several people incarcerated in Missouri prisons believe the state’s department of corrections has failed to properly manage its response to the coronavirus, which has now killed 40 inmates. Jails and prisons have been a hotbed for the spread of the disease. According to the COVID Prison Project, more than 308,000 inmates across the country have tested positive and 1,832 have died. (Moore, 1/4)

AP: "Mask Up" Video Contest To Show Importance Of Wearing Mask
State medical groups are sponsoring a video contest to explain why it’s important to wear a mask during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Alabama Department of Public Health, the Alabama Hospital Association and the Medical Association of the State of Alabama are sponsoring the “Mask Up Alabama” video contest. A Health Department news release says the contest is for Alabamians of all ages to share why they feel it is important to wear a mask. The videos should be 30-second or less and need to highlight basic information related to mask wearing and COVID-19. The deadline for submissions is noon on Jan. 11. There is no fee to enter the contest and the full rules can be found on the Health Department website. (1/3)

Boston Globe: Baker Signs New Health Care Law Covering Telehealth, Other Services Into Effect
The COVID-19 pandemic has strained the health care system in myriad ways over the past year, but Governor Charlie Baker said Friday that a “silver lining” of the public health crisis is that reforms like telehealth were able to be tested, and proved effective. Baker signed into law on New Year’s Day a multi-faceted health care bill that requires insurance companies to cover telehealth visits the same way they cover in-person care, and provides a short-term model for how those services will be paid. The new law also protects coverage for COVID-19 testing and treatment, expands the scope of practice for advanced practice nurses and optometrists, addresses surprise out-of-network billing by requiring patient notification before nonemergency procedures and gives community hospitals two years of enhanced Medicaid reimbursements. (Murphy, 1/1)

Boston Globe: Mass. Renews Public Health Campaign To End The Stigma Of Addiction
As the state experiences a slight rise in overdose deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health has rolled out a new phase of its media campaign to combat the stigma of substance addiction. The #StateWithoutStigMA campaign features a fresh voices and faces reminding people of the importance of accessing lifesaving care including treatment, recovery and support resources, the department said in a statement. The $575,000 campaign, funded through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s State Opioid Response federal grant, features people from all walks of life talking about how and why they support fighting the stigma of addiction. (Saric, 1/2)

AP: New Washington Law Sets $100 Cap On Copayments For Insulin
Many Washington residents with diabetes will have an easier time affording insulin this year, as a law imposes a $100 cap on patient copayments. The law applies to any health-care plan issued or renewed after Jan. 1 that covers insulin drugs. It includes language to protect people who have “high deductible” insurance from paying more than $100 per 30-day supply, the Seattle Times reported. (1/2)

AP: Wyoming Group Seeks To Improve Public Access To Healthy Food
Last winter, a group of farmers, educators and economic development professionals gathered on the Casper College campus to discuss what it would take to develop a self-sustaining food network in Wyoming and begin to solve food security issues that have long plagued small communities around the state. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, Wyoming — one of the few states in the country without a food council at the time — saw food insecurity rates in the double digits and, despite its agrarian reputation, offered few opportunities for farmers to either reach new markets or even begin selling their wares. (Reynolds, 1/3)

CNN: Man Who Pleaded Guilty To Practicing Medicine Without A License As A Teen Faces New Fraud Charges 
Malachi A. Love-Robinson, the Florida man who pleaded guilty to practicing medicine without a license as a teen, has been arrested on new allegations of fraud. Love-Robinson, 23, was booked Thursday morning into the Palm Beach County Jail in south Florida on charges of grand theft and fraud, jail records show. (Riess and Caldwell, 1/2)