State Highlights: Aggressive Calif. Bill Proposes Letting State Set Prices For Many Medical Services; Michigan Cuts Off Free Bottled Water To Flint

Los Angeles Times: An Ambitious California Bill Would Put The State In Charge Of Controlling Prices In The Commercial Healthcare Market
In one of the most aggressive efforts in the nation to curb soaring healthcare spending, a new California measure would put the state in charge of setting prices for hospital stays, doctor's visits and most other medical services covered by commercial insurers. The bill, backed by labor unions and consumer groups, is certain to rouse fierce opposition from physicians and hospitals, setting the stage for a brawl between some of the Capitol's top lobbying heavyweights. Proponents also face friction on the left from advocates of single-payer healthcare, who espouse an alternate vision of how to overhaul the state's healthcare. (Mason, 4/9)

The New York Times: Michigan Will No Longer Provide Free Bottled Water To Flint
Michigan will stop providing free bottled water to the city of Flint, Gov. Rick Snyder said on Friday. City officials criticized the decision, in part because Flint is still recovering from a crisis that left residents with dangerous levels of lead in their tap water beginning in 2014. But Michigan officials said lead levels in the water there have not exceeded federal limits for about two years, so the state was closing the four remaining distribution centers where residents have been picking up cases of free water since January 2016. (Fortin, 4/8)

CQ: Restrictive Abortion Laws Leave Some States With Few Providers
West Virginia, Wyoming, North Dakota and South Dakota all have only one clinic left. Arkansas is awaiting a court decision placing restrictions on medication abortions, which if upheld would leave the state with only one abortion provider. ...The prospect of an abortion-free state in the near future could have an effect not only on the women in that area but also on the momentum behind the movement to limit abortion choices. Anti-abortion advocates are hopeful for a sea change, especially after the success they’ve seen at the local level in pushing for restrictions on things like waiting periods and gestational limits. (Raman, 4/9)

The New York Times: Tainted Synthetic Marijuana Sickens More Than 90 In Midwest, Killing 2
The patients have arrived at emergency rooms across Illinois with mysterious, unnerving symptoms. Some were vomiting blood or bleeding from their gums and noses. Others had arms and legs that were mottled purple, splotched with unexplained bruises. Many were young and previously healthy, panicked and confused about what was happening to them. Health officials say the patients are believed to have inhaled synthetic marijuana, otherwise known as Spice or K2, laced with a pesticide called brodifacoum that is used as rat poison and causes severe bleeding. The outbreak has sickened 95 people in Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana; two of them have died. (Bosman, 4/6)

Reuters: New Jersey Health Officials Investigating Potential E.Coli Outbreak
Health officials in New Jersey said they are investigating an E. coli outbreak in four counties that left at least eight people hospitalized. The New Jersey department of health said it was in preliminary stages of an investigation that was possibly associated with a restaurant chain without naming it.However a Business Insider report citing county officials said the chain under investigation was Panera Bread. (Balu, 4/6)

The CT Mirror: After Abuse Scandal, CT Lawmakers Push To Reform Whiting
About a year after cruel, ongoing abuse of a Whiting Forensic patient was revealed, the legislature’s Public Health Committee has reported out three bills aimed at reforming the state’s only maximum-security psychiatric facility by increasing transparency and oversight. (Rigg, 4/9)

Cleveland Plain Dealer: Nursing Home Assistants Among Ohio's Most Dangerous Occupations: A Critical Choice
For the more than 75,000 residents of Ohio's 960 nursing homes, nursing assistants provide nearly all of the hands-on care. It is a job that requires dedication, passion and empathy. It is also a job that comes with a serious cost: It has one of the highest reported rates of injury in Ohio and across the nation, according to researchers and government reports. (Caniglia and Corrigan, 4/8)

Cleveland Plain Dealer: Solutions To Nursing Home Worker Injuries Seen As An Investment: A Critical Choice
Researchers and government reports make clear that working as a nurse's assistant is among the jobs with the highest reported rates of injury in Ohio and the country. Nursing assistants are hurt three times more often than the average worker, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (Caniglia and Corrigan, 4/8)

The CT Mirror: Healthcare Union Suspends Group-Homes Strike - For Now
The state’s largest healthcare workers’ union suspended plans Friday to strike on April 18 at 250 group homes for the disabled to give state officials time to consider boosting funding for these services. But SEIU Healthcare 1199 New England also warned that its members would meet on April 25 to assess any state response, and that another strike notice could be forthcoming. (Phaneuf, 4/6)

The Associated Press: Florida Eye Doctor Behind Bars Ordered To Pay Millions More
A federal judge is ordering a prominent Florida eye doctor behind bars to pay millions more in restitution. The Palm Beach Post reported that this week U.S. District Judge Kenneth Marra upped the restitution owed by Dr. Salomon Melgen by more than $10 million to a total of $52.9 million. Melgen was sentenced in February to 17 years for stealing $73 million from Medicare by persuading elderly patients to undergo excruciating tests and treatments they didn't need for diseases they didn't have. (4/8)

Pioneer Press: Liberians Hold Key Roles In Twin Cities Health Care Fields, Some Say Deportation May Weaken Workforce 
With an estimated 11,000 to 25,000 Liberians, Minnesota is thought to be home to one of the nation’s largest Liberian communities. President Donald Trump has declined to renew a long-standing immigration policy that has allowed thousands of Liberians to remain in the U.S. almost since the onset of the the nation’s civil war more than 28 years ago. With their temporary protected status expiring within a year, entire families may be uprooted. ...Liberians make up a large percentage of allied health workers such as nursing home employees and home health aides. Census surveys show that 36 percent of Liberian workers are employed in health-related fields. (Melo, 4/7)

WBUR: How Maine Handles Child Abuse Is Being Called Into Question
The recent deaths of two Maine children from abuse have called into question whether the state — which had knowledge of the cases — handled them properly. (Wright, 4/6)

KQED: Trauma Surgeon Who Treated YouTube Victims: 'Every Day There Are People Who Are Getting Shot And Hurt'
Campbell surfaced from the emergency room to talk to the press on Tuesday afternoon, emphasizing that gun violence happens daily in the Bay Area and across the United States, whether a scrum of reporters is there to cover it or not. (Klivans, 4/6)

The CT Mirror: Frustrated Auditors Appeal To AG On Prison Officials' Refusal To Turn Over Report
State auditors have asked the attorney general to weigh in on whether the Department of Correction must turn over a report they’ve been asking for since July. The report by Criminal Justice Institute, Inc. is one of two outside assessments commissioned under Correction Commissioner Scott Semple, and it could shed light on the quality of health care inmates are receiving at a time when prison health care has come under close scrutiny. (Kara, 4/6)

Health News Florida: New Psychiatry Residency Program Will Help With Shortage In Central Florida
A new psychiatry residency program will help offset rising demand for mental health providers throughout Florida. The University of Central Florida says it will eventually train more than 600 providers a year. UCF says there were more than 17-hundred applicants for six spots in the program that will train residents at Osceola Regional Medical Center and Orlando VA Medical Center. (Prieur, 4/6)

New Orleans Times-Picayune: Local Clinics Are Working To Lower High Blood Pressure Rates Among New Orleans' Residents
When the American Heart Association (AHA) released new guidelines for diagnosing and treating high blood pressure last year suddenly half the U.S. population met the criteria for having hypertension (or high blood pressure). For the past 14 years, high blood pressure has been defined as 140/90, affecting about one in every three Americans. The American Heart Association adjusted their guidelines to 130/80 last fall after research showed complications from hypertension affected people with lower readings. (Clark, 4/7)

Chicago Sun Times: U. Of C. Protesters Demand Police Disarmament, Mental Health Resources
University of Chicago students and faculty members on Friday demanded disarmament of campus police and greater funding for mental health resources after the police shooting of a student who ran toward officers during an apparent mental health crisis. At a campus rally, organizers expressed anger over the shooting of fourth-year political science student Charles Thomas, who is currently hospitalized at Northwestern and faces felony and misdemeanor charges. About 200 protesters marched across the quad to deliver a list of demands to university officials at the administration building. (Arriaga, 4/6)