Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
New Mexico Nears Passage Of Law That Would Legalize Opiate Test Strips
AP: New Mexico May Legalize Test Strips To Detect Fentanyl
New Mexico lawmakers are poised to legalize test strips that can detect the presence of the potent opiate fentanyl and potentially help avoid deadly overdoses. The Democrat-sponsored bill from legislators in Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Los Alamos would lift restrictions on public access to devices that can test for drug impurities. It also gives state health health officials new authority to intervene and prevent the spread of diseases like HIV and hepatitis through intravenous drug use. (Lee, 2/14)
In reproductive health news from Maryland, Texas, and Maine —
The Washington Post: Maryland House Speaker Adrienne Jones Seeks State Constitutional Right To Abortion
Maryland House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones wants voters to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution, pushing a measure that could be on the ballot this fall. Flanked by female lawmakers and Planned Parenthood of Maryland leaders, Jones (D-Baltimore County) launched the effort Monday against a backdrop of mounting challenges to the landmark Roe v. Wade case. (Cox, 2/14)
The New York Times: Abortion Opponents Hear A ‘Heartbeat.’ Most Experts Hear Something Else
The Texas law banning abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy is based on a singular premise disputed by many medical experts: that once an ultrasound detects electrical cardiac activity in an embryo, its heart is beating and a live birth is on the way. At this very early stage of a pregnancy, however, the embryo is the size of a pomegranate seed and has only a primitive tube of cardiac cells that emit electric pulses and pump blood. (Rabin, 2/14)
AP: Bills Would Lower Drug Prices, Expand Contraceptive Coverage
A pair of bills in the Maine Legislature would require state-regulated health care plans to cover all prescription contraceptives while linking prescription drugs rates to lower costs paid in Canada. Senate President Troy Jackson, D-Allagash, and Sen. Ned Claxton, D-Auburn, discussed the bills on Monday, a day before the proposals were to be considered by the Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services Committee. (2/14)
In news from New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, and Missouri —
NBC News: State Takes Over New Jersey Nursing Home Where 17 Bodies Were Stacked In A Morgue
The state of New Jersey has suspended new admissions at a nursing home where 17 bodies were found stacked in a morgue in 2020, citing the results of recent inspections in which staff members allegedly failed to do CPR or call 911 for unresponsive patients or provide lifesaving medicine for Covid patients. According to state officials, 16 residents at the facility have died from Covid since September. (Strickler, 2/14)
North Carolina Health News: Do You Need An ID To Buy Syringes In North Carolina?
It’s early evening in mid-December when a middle aged man walks up to the pharmacy counter at a Walgreens in Asheville. He asks to buy a bag of syringes. The pharmacy technician walks to grab them from a shelf toward the back. When the tech returns to the register, he asks the customer for his ID. The man doesn’t have one. I’m sorry, the tech says, I can’t sell them to you without an ID. The man stares at him blankly. He asks again for the syringes. The store’s pharmacist chimes in, repeating what the tech said. (Donnelly-DeRoven, 2/15)
Columbus Dispatch: Housing In Columbus: Grant To Fix Mold, Other Health Issues In Homes
The city of Columbus has received $2 million in federal funds to make housing safer from health hazards in city neighborhoods. The money will go toward supporting projects for 155 homes in those neighborhoods through additions to homes that need more space, completing safe units, and educating occupants, owners, contractors, and others about healthy housing practices. That includes repairs to Columbus homes that will help families with young children, seniors, and disabled residents to be able to afford to stay in their homes. (Ferenchik, 2/14)
Kansas City Star: Missouri Is The Fifth-Most Stressed State In The United States
Is everybody okay? Do we all need to take a collective vibe check? Find someone you’re close to and hug them tight. A lot is going on in the world, and its impact reflects on Missourians. The state is the fifth-most stressed state in the United States, according to a study by William Russell, an international insurance company. The study also found that the U.S. is the third-most stressed country in the world, ranking below South Korea and Chile. Missouri finished with a stress score of 6.08 on a scale of 10. If you’re wondering about our friends on the other side of Kansas City, Kansas finished 12th with a score of 5.48. (Hernandez, 2/15)
In news from Utah, Idaho, and the Navajo Nation —
Stateline: Utah's Tougher DUI Law Cut Deaths, Study Finds
Utah’s lower blood alcohol level standard for drivers has resulted in decreased traffic deaths and improved road safety, a new federal study has found. In 2019, Utah became the first and only state to make it illegal to drive with a blood alcohol level of .05% or higher. All other states and the District of Columbia use a .08% standard. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study found that Utah’s fatal crash rate dropped by nearly 20% in 2019, compared with 2016. (Bergal, 2/14)
The Hill: Idaho Lawmakers To Consider Bill To Keep Source Of Lethal Injections Secret
A bill that would hide the source of lethal injection drugs was introduced in the Idaho state legislature on Monday, with the lawmaker behind it saying that "woke" anti-death penalty activists have shamed lethal drug makers. As Boise State Public Radio reported, state Rep. Greg Chaney (R) argued on Monday that anti-capital punishment groups have concentrated a tactic to "leverage woke, cancel culture to shame providers of lethal injection drugs away from providing those drugs for executions for states." (Choi, 2/14)
KHN: ‘American Diagnosis’ Episode 3: Uranium Mining Left Navajo Land And People In Need Of Healing
Episode 3 is an exploration of the forces that brought uranium mining to the Navajo Nation, the harmful consequences, and the fight for compensation that continues today. (2/15)
