Nebraska Medicaid Work Requirements Will Start May 1, Ahead Of Schedule
The Cornhusker State will be the first to fall in line with the Trump administration's law that mandates 80 hours of work or community service each month, or part-time school enrollment for people 19 to 64 who have Medicaid coverage. States have until 2027 to implement that policy.
AP:
Nebraska Plans To Be The First State To Implement New Medicaid Work Requirements
Nebraska will become the first state to implement new work requirements for some people with Medicaid health insurance under a law President Donald Trump signed last year. Gov. Jim Pillen, a Republican, announced Wednesday that the requirement would take effect in the state May 1 and could impact about 30,000 people who have slightly higher incomes than traditional Medicaid beneficiaries. (Mulvihill, 12/17)
More health news from across the U.S. —
AP:
New York To Legalize Medically Assisted Suicide, Gov. Hochul Says
New York is set to become the latest state to legalize medically assisted suicide for the terminally ill under a deal reached between the governor and state legislative leaders announced Wednesday. Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul plans to sign the proposal next year after pushing to add a series of “guardrails” in the bill, she announced in an op-ed in the Albany Times Union. (Izaguirre and Hill, 12/18)
Stat:
Meta Urged By State AGs To Regulate Weight Loss Drug Ads
More than three dozen state attorneys general are urging Meta to better enforce its policies to thwart a “surge of misleading” pharmaceutical and wellness ads for weight loss drugs on Instagram and Facebook. And the state officials also want the company to take additional measures to prevent artificial intelligence-generated content in the ads. (Silverman, 12/17)
WFSU:
FSU, Tallahassee Reach Tentative Agreement TMH Sale Price
Florida State University and the city of Tallahassee say they've reached a deal on the sale of Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare. The Tallahassee City Commission voted 3-2 in October for city staff to enter negotiations, though talks had been ongoing at the time. FSU president Richard McCullough announced the tentative terms Tuesday. (Wood, 12/17)
The Wall Street Journal:
Heart Attacks, Lung Conditions Jumped After Los Angeles Wildfires
The Los Angeles wildfires of nearly a year ago took an unexpectedly heavy toll on residents’ health, a new study found. An unusually large number of people suffered from heart attacks, lung conditions and a perplexing rise in unexplained illnesses, according to an analysis by researchers of emergency-department data at Cedars-Sinai, the largest hospital in Los Angeles County. (McKay, 12/17)
The New York Times:
With Rights And Resources Uncertain, They’re Seeking Sterilization
After Roe was overturned in 2022, more younger, child-free women opted for the consequential procedure, effectively eliminating their chances of unintended pregnancies. One study, published last April, which looked at medical records from across the country, found that from June 2022 to September 2023, 21,180 18- to 30-year-olds had tubal ligations, up from 11,480 in that age group in the four years before the decision. (Gupta, 12/17)
AP:
Jeff Bezos, Lauren Sánchez Bezos Award $5 Million To Leader In Neurodiversity Education
Mega billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his wife, former news anchor Lauren Sánchez Bezos, are awarding $5 million to the founder of a neurodivergent student support network, a recognition that the lesser-known recipient credits to the students powering his fast-growing movement for more inclusive classrooms. (Pollard, 12/17)
KFF Health News:
Washington’s Homeless Hide In Plain Sight, Growing Sicker And Costing Taxpayers More
Every night, Abdullah Ibrahim retreats from the streets into a wooded stretch along the Potomac River. As night falls and temperatures drop, he erects a tent and builds a fire beneath a canopy of pine, hemlock, and cedar trees. He evades authorities by rotating use of three tents of different colors at three campsites. As day breaks, he dismantles his shelter, rolls up his belongings, and hides them for the next night. (Hart, 12/18)
KFF Health News:
Call 911 Or Risk Losing The Baby? Raids Force Some Immigrants To Avoid Care
As immigrants in southeastern Louisiana and Mississippi braced for this month’s U.S. Homeland Security operation, Cristiane Rosales-Fajardo received a panicked phone call from a friend. The friend’s Guatemalan tenant, who didn’t know she was pregnant, had just delivered a premature baby in the New Orleans house. The parents lacked legal residency, and the mother refused to go to a hospital for fear of being detained by federal immigration officers. (Parker, 12/18)
On substance abuse —
AP:
Survey Finds Teen Drug Use Remains Low In US
Teen use of alcohol, nicotine and marijuana remains at record lows, according to national survey results released Wednesday. They consume a lot of energy drinks, though. And there are slight, but concerning, increases in heroin and cocaine use. But overall, the findings indicate teens are drinking, smoking and using substances at much lower rates than in the past. (Stobbe, 12/17)
The New York Times:
Twelve Men Saturated East Harlem Housing Project With Drugs, U.S. Says
For more than three and a half years, officials said, the men used the Johnson Houses as “an open drug market” to sell crack cocaine and fentanyl. (Cramer, 12/17)
The New York Times:
For Families Fighting Addiction, Reiner Tragedy Strikes A Nerve
Nick Reiner, 32, struggled with drug addiction for nearly two decades, something he and his family shared with the public. This week, he was charged with murder in the death of his parents, the director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner. His ordeal, and its impact on his parents and family, has resonated with millions of people, including Pattie Vargas. Her daughter isolated herself and lived on the streets while battling addiction to alcohol and drugs. Her son developed a heart condition from drug use and died of heart failure in 2017 while intoxicated, just one month shy of turning 36. (Rao, 12/18)
