Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Oklahoma House Approves Near-Total Abortion Ban
The 19th: Oklahoma's House Passes A Texas-Style Ban On Almost All Abortions
Oklahoma’s state House on Tuesday voted 78-19 to pass a near complete ban on abortions, legislation that far surpasses Texas’ six-week ban. The bill is now headed to the Senate and, if passed, will be the strictest anti-abortion bill in the country. The legislation — known as House Bill 4327 — bars a physician from performing or inducing an abortion at any point in the pregnancy unless it is “to save the life” of the pregnant person. Similar to Texas’ six-week abortion ban, the new legislation would allow private citizens to pursue civil actions of up to $10,000 against anyone who performs or “aids and abets in the provision of such an abortion.” An “emergency clause” adopted means that, if the bill is signed into law, it would take effect immediately. (Padilla, 3/22)
Axios: Oklahoma House Passes Near-Total Abortion Ban
The Oklahoma House voted 78-19 Tuesday to ban all abortions unless it's necessary for saving a pregnant person's life. The bill, which would incentivize private citizens to sue anyone suspected of helping a person get an abortion, would surpass Texas' six-week abortion ban to become the most restrictive in the nation. The bill now heads to the state Senate. If signed into law, it would take effect immediately but would likely face legal challenges. (Chen and Gonzalez, 3/22)
California takes another step for abortion rights —
San Francisco Chronicle: Newsom Signs Bill To Prevent Health Insurance Companies, Plans From Charging Abortion Co-Pays, Fees
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation Tuesday that officials said will reduce barriers to reproductive health care in California, namely by eliminating out-of-pocket costs for people seeking abortions and related services through health plans. The Abortion Accessibility Act, SB245, prevents health insurance companies from requiring co-pays, deductibles and other charges for abortions, and it prohibits them from imposing utilization management practices on covered reproductive health services, Newsom’s office said in a statement. (Picon, 3/22)
AP: California Governor Signs Law Making Abortions Cheaper
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a new law on Tuesday that will make abortions cheaper for people on private insurance plans, the first of more than a dozen bills the state’s Democratic leaders plan to pass this year to prepare for a potential U.S. Supreme Court ruling that could overturn Roe v. Wade. The new conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court is weighing whether to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling that banned states from outlawing abortion. If they do, at least 26 states are likely to either ban abortion outright or severely limit access, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research and policy organization that supports abortion rights. (Beam, 3/23)
In other health news from across the U.S. —
AP: Beshear Accuses Lawmakers Of 'Cruel' Votes On Veto Overrides
Republican lawmakers cast votes that will “kick struggling Kentuckians while they are down” when they passed bills impacting jobless benefits and food assistance, Gov. Andy Beshear said Tuesday. The Democratic governor responded on social media a day after the GOP-led legislature voted to override his vetoes of the two measures. Both proposals now become state law. Meanwhile, the wrangling continued Tuesday over the measure ending Kentucky’s two-year-old pandemic-related state of emergency a few weeks early. (Schreiner, 3/23)
Chicago Tribune: State Fines Blue Cross And Blue Shield Of Illinois $339,000 For Violations
Illinois is fining the parent company of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois — the largest health insurer in the state — $339,000 for allegedly violating state law. Health Care Service Corp. is facing the penalty because it was late filing documents proving it’s providing adequate networks of doctors and other providers to patients, according to the Illinois Department of Insurance. When Blue Cross stopped including the Springfield Clinic — a large, private multispecialty medical clinic in Springfield — in its network, it was supposed to submit updated filings to the state showing how it would continue to make sure patients in central Illinois would have adequate access to in-network doctors and providers, according to the Illinois Department of Insurance. (Schencker, 3/22)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Missouri Lawmakers Seek Lower Drug Prices With Plan To Regulate Pharmacy Benefit Managers
Missouri lawmakers waded into a nationwide fight between independent pharmacies and companies that negotiate prescription drug benefits on behalf of health insurers. With smaller, non-chain pharmacies claiming pharmacy benefit managers are unfairly setting drug prices and clawing back a percentage of sales later, the Missouri House debated legislation Tuesday that would regulate PBMs in an attempt to protect pharmacy access for Missourians. The proposal, which could address the ballooning cost of prescription drugs, brought support from pharmacists and opposition from major insurers during an earlier committee hearing. (Erickson, 3/22)
The Boston Globe: Salem To Receive $1.3 Million In Opioid Settlement
Salem will receive $1.3 million over the next 16 years as part of the recent national settlement of lawsuits brought against a pharmaceutical company and drug distributors relating to the opioid crisis. The $26 billion agreement settled civil claims brought by states and localities against Janssen, Johnson & Johnson, and the distributors, McKesson, Cardinal Health, and AmerisourceBergen. Salem will receive $60,000 to $150,000 annually through 2038. All the funds will be directed toward opioid overdose prevention, education, and treatment. (Laidler, 3/22)
Health News Florida: Governor Receives A Bill That Would Create Student Epilepsy Plans
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday formally received an education bill that calls for creating individualized plans to care for students who have epilepsy or seizure disorders. Lawmakers unanimously passed the bill (HB 173) during the legislative session that ended last week. DeSantis will have until April 6 to act on it. The bill would require schools to create “individualized seizure action” plans at the request of parents, with the plans providing guidelines for caring for students with epilepsy. (3/22)
