Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
'Obamacare' Rates In Virginia May Rise After Lawmakers Fail To Reach Deal
AP: Some 'Obamacare' Plans Could See Big Rate Hikes After Lawmakers Fail To Agree On Reinsurance Program
Some Affordable Care Act health plans could see big rate hikes in 2024 after Virginia lawmakers failed to reach agreement on a widely supported program that reduced premiums this year, state officials and insurance companies said this week. At issue is the state’s relatively new reinsurance program, which the General Assembly voted to create in 2021. Launched this calendar year, the program works by essentially pooling certain expensive claims and using mostly federal and some state money to cover them. By reducing risks and costs to insurers, it aims to lower premiums in the “Obamacare” individual marketplace — and did so successfully this year, according to state data. (Rankin, 8/10)
In other health news from across the U.S. —
Axios: St. Paul Mayor Proposes Erasing $100 Million In Medical Debt For Residents
Thousands of St. Paul residents could see their medical debt wiped away under a proposed partnership with a national nonprofit. In his Thursday budget address, Mayor Melvin Carter pitched spending $1.1 million in remaining federal COVID relief funds to contract with RIP Medical Debt to resolve unpaid hospital bills. The nonprofit estimates that it can use that cash to pay off $110 million in balances for 45,000 families, Carter said. The average recipient would see $2,324 in bills eliminated. (Van Oot, 8/10)
AP: Coal Miners Plead With Feds For Stronger Enforcement During Emotional Hearing On Black Lung Rule
Laboring to breathe, West Virginia coal miner Terry Lilly told federal regulators Thursday he is appreciative the U.S. government is finally considering a proposal to limit the poisonous rock dust causing a severe resurgence of black lung. But Lilly said the rule — a half-century in the making — will mean nothing if there aren’t strict enforcement mechanisms in place to ensure companies comply. (Willingham, 8/10)
AP: Trendco To Build $43 Million Facility In Tuskegee, Creating 292 Jobs
A medical equipment manufacturing company plans to invest $43 million in a plant in Alabama to produce nitrile medical gloves, Gov. Kay Ivey said Wednesday. Trendco USA, based in Columbia, South Carolina, has committed to creating 292 new jobs over the next five years at the facility in Tuskegee in the new Regional East Alabama Logistics Park off Interstate 85 in Macon County, she said. (8/9)
Las Vegas Review-Journal: Las Vegas Health And Wellness Center To Serve Homeless, Low-Income Patients
The two-story clinic in the city of Las Vegas’ Courtyard Homeless Resource Center sat mostly empty Wednesday morning as workers added finishing touches in preparation for its upcoming opening. But come Monday, Las Vegas officials hope that the Health & Wellness Center will become a “medical home” for those experiencing homelessness, and for low-income earners who live in the surrounding neighborhoods. (Torres-Cortez, 8/10)
The Wall Street Journal: Some 911 Call Centers Still Haven’t Adapted To The Cellphone
Decades after the debut of the cellphone, some 911 centers are still struggling to modernize their communications infrastructure—the result of funding scarcity and hesitation over the high stakes of making changes. But the continued use of legacy systems, installed when pay phones dotted city corners and every household had a landline, has led to a host of challenges for call center operators, including misrouted calls, potentially increasing response times. (Bousquette, 8/10)
The Texas Tribune: Texas Fights Compensation For Prison Worker Who Lost Her Baby
On a warm November night, Salia Issa had just begun her shift as an Abilene prison officer when she felt the intense pain of what she believed was a contraction. Seven months pregnant, Issa said she quickly alerted her supervisors. She told them she needed to go to the hospital but knew prison policy wouldn’t allow her to leave her post until someone could replace her. No one came for hours. (McCullough, 8/11)
KFF Health News: On Abortion Rights, Ohio Is The New Kansas
Ohio voters — in a rare August election — turned out in unexpectedly high numbers to defeat a ballot measure that would have made it harder to pass an abortion-rights constitutional amendment on the ballot in November. The election was almost a year to the day after Kansas voters also stunned observers by supporting abortion rights in a ballot measure. (8/10)
