Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Parents Win Pause On NC Medicaid Cuts For Intensive Autism Therapy
North Carolina Health News: Parents Win Pause On NC Medicaid Cuts
The parents of more than 20 children with autism notched a recent victory in a lawsuit that accused the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services of discrimination after it slashed Medicaid reimbursement rates for certain behavioral health providers. (Baxley, 11/14)
Modern Healthcare: State Medicaid Programs Predict 2026 Enrollment, Funding Trends
As state Medicaid agencies brace for major enrollment changes and funding cuts in the coming years, spending growth is expected to slow and enrollment to stagnate in 2026. Impending financial constraints from the “One, Big Beautiful Bill” and rising care costs are putting considerable pressure on state Medicaid agencies, according to an annual report from the health policy research and news institution KFF and the consulting firm Health Management Associates. While many of the impacts won’t occur until 2027, states are already making budget changes. (Early, 11/13)
More health news from Oklahoma, Oregon, and Illinois —
AP: Oklahoma Ammonia Gas Leak Sends Dozens To Hospitals And Forces Evacuations
A leaking tanker truck spewed dangerous ammonia gas outside a hotel overnight, filling its hallways with fumes and forcing hundreds of nearby residents of a small Oklahoma city to evacuate, authorities said Thursday. Several dozen people were treated at hospitals. Officials lifted a shelter-in-place order Thursday morning, hours after firefighters wearing gas masks went door to door in Weatherford, waking people up and telling them to leave because of the anhydrous ammonia leak. (Brunt, McCormack and Brumfield, 11/14)
Bloomberg: Nike Ends Perk That Gave Employees A Week Off For Wellness
Nike Inc. has ended an initiative that gave employees an extra week off each year to promote mental health and wellness. Nike’s annual “Wellness Week,” which started in 2021, had been held each August, with the world’s largest sportswear company powering down its corporate headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon, to give staff more time to unwind. (Bhasin, 11/13)
AP: Ailing Civil Rights Icon Jesse Jackson Hospitalized For Rare Neurological Disorder
The Rev. Jesse Jackson, who has been receiving around-the-clock care at home, has been hospitalized with a rare neurological disorder, according to his Chicago-based organization. The civil rights leader was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease about a decade ago. But his Rainbow/PUSH organization said Thursday that the 84-year-old remained under observation at a Chicago hospital for progressive supranuclear palsy, or PSP, a neurodegenerative disorder he has been “managing for more than a decade” and received a diagnosis for in April. He was reported in stable condition. (Tareen, 11/14)
