Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Minn. Lawmakers, Unwilling To Wait For Federal Action, Tackle Soaring Health Costs In State
Minnesota Public Radio: Minnesota Lawmakers Strike Reinsurance Deal
Saying they cannot afford to wait for a congressional rewrite of the nation's health laws, House and Senate negotiators announced a deal on a bill that aims to rein in soaring health insurance costs in Minnesota. The proposal would prop up the individual insurance market by creating a reinsurance program to help insurers cover expensive medical claims. (Bakst, 3/29)
Pioneer Press: Will Mark Dayton Veto Bill Stabilizing Health Insurance Market?
Minnesota lawmakers have adopted a plan to try to stabilize the state’s individual health insurance market — but it’s uncertain whether Gov. Mark Dayton will sign it. The measure, called “reinsurance,” would spend $542 million in state money over two years to try to lower premiums in the individual market. That covers roughly 4 percent of Minnesotans who have neither employer-sponsored insurance nor a government health plan such as Medicare or Medical Assistance. If implemented, the $271 million per year would pay for some high-cost claims borne by the state’s HMOs. (Montgomery, 3/29)
Denver Post: Colorado Lawmakers Give Initial Nod To $26.8 Billion Budget That Threatens Hospitals
A handful of rural Colorado hospitals are facing the risk of closure from the spending cuts embedded in the $26.8 billion state budget bill that won preliminary approval Wednesday in the state Senate. The budget package cuts more than $500 million in payments to the state’s hospitals for uncompensated care in part of an effort to balance a spending bill in a year mired by fiscal constraints and increasing demands. (Frank, 3/29)
Texas Tribune: House Budget Writers Approve Massive Health Care Cut, Predict No Harm To Patients
Just one day after the Texas Senate passed its two-year budget, a key House committee sent their own spending proposal to the full House – but not before cutting $2.4 billion from the state’s largest health care program for the poor and disabled. Emboldened by the election of President Donald Trump, Texas House budget writers voted to cut $1 billion in state funding for Medicaid, the federal-state insurance program that mostly serves children, pregnant women and people with disabilities. (Walters, 3/29)
Houston Chronicle: After Years Of Controversy, Telemedicine Gets Texas Senate OK
A longstanding fight over the use of telemedicine in Texas appeared to end Wednesday, as the Texas Senate unanimously approved legislation to legalize online doctoring on a wide scale for the first time. Sen. Charles Schwertner, the Senate's health and human services chairman who authored the measure, said Senate Bill 1107 will allow doctors to see patients electronically in what will benefit patients, especially in rural areas. (Ward, 3/29)
The Associated Press: Maryland Lawmakers OK Panel To Monitor Health Care Changes
A measure to create a commission to monitor federal actions that could affect health care in Maryland has cleared the General Assembly. The Senate voted 32-14 on Wednesday for the bill, sending it to Gov. Larry Hogan. (3/29)
Sacramento Bee: Dialysis Centers Focus Of California Bill
A bill before the Senate Health Committee today attempts to crack down on the more than 550 chronic dialysis clinics in California. The centers serve roughly 63,000 patients with end-stage kidney failure, according to the state. Patients sit at stations for hours as machines clean and filter the blood back into the body, taking on the role of a healthy kidney. (Luna, 3/29)
