Oregon Plans To Skirt Covering Drugs Like Aduhelm Under Medicaid
Oregon is seeking a way to avoid having to pay for drugs (like Aduhelm) approved through a fast-track route. In other news, the first seasonal flu death of a child in Mississippi is reported, and thousands remain without heat and water in Kentucky after the tornados.
Stat:
Oregon Wants To Get Out Of Covering Drugs Like Aduhelm In Medicaid
Oregon is gearing up to ask the Biden administration if its Medicaid program can avoid paying for drugs approved through a fast-track approval pathway — like Biogen’s pricey, controversial new Alzheimer’s drug, Aduhelm. Oregon announced this month it is planning to formally submit a request to the administration to let its state out of a law that requires Medicaid programs to cover nearly all Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs. (Florko, 12/14)
In other updates from across the U.S. —
Mississippi Clarion Ledger:
First Pediatric Flu Death Reported In Miss. In The 2021-2022 Season
The Mississippi State Department of Health reported the state's first pediatric influenza death in 2021-2022 flu season, according to a Monday news release. Since flu deaths became reportable during the 2008-2009 season, 23 pediatric flu deaths have been recorded in Mississippi. (Haselhorst, 12/13)
AP:
Alaska Tribal Group Offers Free Sex Transmitted Disease Tests
An Alaska Native health entity is providing free, at-home test kits to detect sexually transmitted infections in an effort to provide more access to the tests and reduce stigma for people who want to be tested. The point of the effort is to make it easier and more discreet for people to detect and treat the infections, Hanna Warren, an infection prevention manager with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, told KYUK Public Media. (12/13)
WMFE:
The Orlando VA Healthcare System Is Building A New Outpatient Clinic In Daytona Beach
The Orlando VA Healthcare System is building a 130,000-square-foot outpatient center in Daytona Beach that is scheduled to open in 2024. The Daytona Beach VA Multi-Specialty Clinic will replace two existing clinics that have a combined total of 74,000 square feet. The clinic will serve veterans with primary care, mental health services, radiology and labs on-site. Construction is expected to wrap up in the fall of 2023. Florida is home to more than 1.5 million veterans, the third largest veteran population behind California and Texas. (Prieur, 12/13)
Cincinnati Enquirer:
New Mason City Council Votes to Repeal Abortion Ban
Mason's abortion ban is no longer in place. Mason, the largest city in Warren County, was the second city in Ohio to pass an ordinance criminalizing abortions. The ban passed by a 4-3 vote on Oct. 25. Nearby Lebanon passed a similar ordinance in May. (Glynn, 12/13)
Billings Gazette:
County Health Officer Seeks Clarity In Law That Strips His Position Of Authority
Keeping one boss happy is hard enough. Trying to do it with two dozen bosses could be impossible. It's a challenge that Yellowstone County's public health officer John Felton spends time contemplating. The county's public health office exists through an interlocal agreement between the county and its three commissioners, the 11-member Billings City Council, the nine-member Laurel City Council and the city of Broadview. (Rogers, 12/13)
And from Kentucky —
AP:
Thousands Without Heat, Water After Tornadoes Kill Dozens
Residents of a Kentucky town devastated by a tornado could be without heat, water and electricity in chilly temperatures for a long time, the mayor warned Monday, as officials struggled to restore services after a swarm of twisters leveled neighborhoods and killed dozens of people in five states. (12/13)
