Private Equity In Dental Care Hits Snag In NC; Similar Reforms In CT Are A Dud

North Carolina Health News: Dentists Press Lawmakers On Private Equity Rules, Medicaid Reimbursement Rates, Self-Governance 
A legislative proposal put forward by the state Senate that would open the door for hedge funds and private equity firms to acquire, open and operate dental practices not run by licensed dentists in North Carolina has hit a hurdle in the state House of Representatives. (Blythe, 6/20)

The CT Mirror: Amid Prospect Medical Bankruptcy, CT Private Equity Reform Fails
After Prospect Medical Holdings, the formerly private equity-backed owner of three Connecticut hospitals, declared bankruptcy in January, Gov. Ned Lamont and state officials from both sides of the aisle proposed measures aimed at reining in private equity in the state’s health care system. But when the 2025 legislative session drew to a close in the first week of June, Connecticut had failed, for the second year in a row, to pass any legislation related to private equity ownership of health care facilities. (Golvala, 6/20)

On the loss of federal funding for states' health programs —

The Texas Tribune: Meals On Wheels Texas Wait Lists Grow As Funding Cuts Loom 
Each month, Meals on Wheels Central Texas CEO Henry Van de Putte faces a growing number of seniors looking to get on the food delivery schedule offered by his organization. Last month, the nonprofit group brought on 121 more Austin-area seniors to join the more than 4,000 clients his group serves. And as of this week, there’s another 171 who are waiting to be added. (Langford, 6/20)

Becker's Hospital Review: NIH Grant Funding Losses, By State
National Institutes of Health grant terminations have hit some states dramatically harder than others, with just three accounting for more than two-thirds of all rescinded funding this year, according to a June 17 report from Grant Watch. Since March, more than $3.2 billion in NIH funding has been withdrawn from research institutions nationwide. This figure excludes any reinstated grants. (Bean, 6/19)

More news from across the U.S. —

St. Louis Public Radio: Missouri May Offer Alternative Health Plans For Farmers 
It’s hard for Megan Richner to know what her health care will look like in a year. “Every year we go back to the drawing board to figure out a policy or a plan that would be right for our family,” Richner said. That’s largely an occupational hazard. Richner and her husband raise cattle in El Dorado Springs, Missouri, about 75 miles northwest of Springfield. (Schleis, 6/20)

The New York Times: How Florida’s Attempt To Let Teens Sleep Longer Fell Apart 
After lawmakers required high schools to start no earlier than 8:30 a.m., school administrators complained that it was unworkable. Last month, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a repeal. (Alcorn and Mazzei, 6/18)

CNN: Two Years After Train Derailment, NIH To Commission Longer-Term Health Studies Of East Palestine Residents 
The National Institutes of Health said Thursday that it will fund longer-term health studies of the residents of East Palestine, Ohio, after a 2023 train derailment that sent more than a million pounds of hazardous chemicals into the soil, water and air. (Goodman, 6/19)

AP: The US Plans To Open A Fly Factory In Texas As Part Of Its Fight Against A Flesh-Eating Parasite
The U.S. government plans to open what amounts to a fly factory by the end of the year, announcing its intent Wednesday to breed millions of the insects in Texas near the border with Mexico as part of an effort to keep a flesh-eating parasite from infesting American cattle. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said sterile male New World screwworm flies bred at the $8.5 million facility would be released into the wild to mate with females and prevent them from laying the eggs in wounds that become flesh-eating larva. It would be only the second facility for breeding such flies in the Western Hemisphere, joining one in Panama that had largely kept the flies from migrating further north until last year. (Hanna, 6/18)

The Guardian: Mental Health And Poverty Remain A Struggle For Maui Wildfire Survivors, New Study Says
Mental health problems and economic hardship remain widespread among survivors of the Maui wildfire, as access to food, stable housing, work and healthcare remains a struggle for many, according to a study tracking 2,000 survivors. Two in every five (41%) adults report declining overall health since the August 2023 fire, with the burden falling heaviest on those still exposed to ash, smoke and debris, according to the latest findings of the Maui Wildfire Exposure Study (MauiWES), a pioneering longitudinal research initiative by the University of Hawaii (UH) and local community groups. (Lakhani, 6/18)

KFF Health News: With Property Seized And Federal Funding Uncertain, Montana Asbestos Clinic Fights For Its Life 
Dozens of feet of tubing connect Gayla Benefield to her oxygen machine so she can walk from room to room inside her home on the picturesque Kootenai River, surrounded by the Cabinet Mountains. Like many people who live in this remote town about 80 miles from the U.S.-Canada border, the 81-year-old Benefield has asbestosis, or scarring of the lungs from asbestos exposure. (Bolton, 6/20)

KFF Health News: Trump Team’s Reworking Delays Billions In Broadband Build-Out 
Millions of Americans who have waited decades for fast internet connections will keep waiting after the Trump administration threw a $42 billion high-speed internet program into disarray. The Commerce Department, which runs the massive Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program, announced new rules in early June requiring states — some of which were ready to begin construction later this year — to solicit new bids from internet service providers. The delay leaves millions of rural Americans stranded in places where health care is hard to access and telehealth is out of reach. (Tribble, 6/20)