State Highlights: Autism Coverage Changes Proposed In Kan.; Va. Lawmakers Allow Non-Health Law Conforming Plans

Kansas Health Institute News Service: Lawmaker Says Adjustment Needed In Law Mandating Autism Coverage
The Kansas House member who last session championed a bill that expanded insurance coverage for autism treatment said it may be adjusted in the upcoming legislative session. Rep. John Rubin, a Shawnee Republican who was re-elected last week, said he will propose changes to House Bill 2744, which was a compromise struck between insurance companies and autism treatment advocates. The bill passed last session was expected to extend coverage to about 750 Kansas children from birth to age 5, which is about 20 percent of those estimated to need such treatment in the state. The new mandate requires insurance companies to cover up to 25 hours per week of a therapy known as applied behavior analysis treatment. Rubin said when the legislative session begins in January, he will push to loosen licensure requirements established in HB 2744 that restrict who can provide the treatment. (Marso, 11/11)

The Associated Press: Lawmakers Approve Health Care Law Change
Virginia lawmakers approved emergency legislation Monday allowing health insurance companies to renew plans that do not meet the standards of the Affordable Care Act. (11/10)

The Associated Press: Maui Hospitals Expect Massive Cash Flow Deficit
Maui County hospitals in Hawaii's state-subsidized public hospital network will have a cash-flow deficit of more than $46 million in two years if the status quo continues, administrators said. Decreased state funding, a decline in federal Medicare reimbursements and increased infrastructure and labor costs are pushing the hospitals into the red, The Maui News reported Tuesday. The Maui region of Hawaii Health Systems Corp. includes Maui Memorial Medical Center, Kula Hospital and Lanai Community Hospital. The deficit may force the hospitals to drastically cut services and jobs. They say families may have to fly to Oahu to receive care, administrators said in a statement. (11/11)

The Boston Globe: Program For Needy Patients Struggles
An experiment to improve care for thousands of Massachusetts’ sickest residents is proving more complex and expensive than health insurers and regulators envisioned, forcing the state and federal governments to shoulder more costs for the first-in-the nation program. Called One Care, the initiative was designed to better coordinate health care services for about 95,000 disabled and low-income adults under age 65 when it launched last October. But the state’s latest count shows fewer than 18,000 enrolled, and officials have repeatedly declined to release detailed information about the program’s finances or the quality of patient care because they say they want to be able to analyze a year’s worth of data first. (Lazar, 11/10)

The Wall Street Journal: Arizona Ballot Measure That Pushes Back Against Federal Actions Passes
The measure garnered strong support from conservative groups, and reflects growing angst in conservative-leaning states about federal laws, including the health-care mandates. (Carlton, 11/11)

Richmond Times-Dispatch: Divided JLARC Panel Delays Decision On Medicaid Study
The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, generally known for staying above the General Assembly’s partisan and ideological fights, was headed for a sharply divided vote on a two-year study of Medicaid that would rely on outside consultants at an unspecified cost. The commission decided to defer acting on the study resolution until next month, after advocates of the study agreed to give members more time to determine the potential costs and scope of the review. Later on Monday, the General Assembly agreed on legislation to allow health insurers to offer customers the option of keeping health policies that don’t comply with the Affordable Care Act through Sept. 30, 2017. (Martz, 11/10)

The Associated Press: California: Nurses Go On Strike
As many as 18,000 nurses went on strike Tuesday and picketed in front of Kaiser Permanente facilities in Northern California over concerns about patient-care standards and Ebola. The two-day strike by the nurses, who have been in contract talks since July, was expected to affect at least 21 Kaiser hospitals and 35 clinics and last until 7 a.m. Thursday. (11/11)

The Washington Post: Ebola Victim Thomas Eric Duncan’s Family Has Settled With Dallas Hospital
Now, after alleging that Texas Presbyterian had not done right by Duncan, his family has reached what its attorneys called a “resolution” with the health-care facility. According to a statement issued by the law offices of Miller Weisbrod, Duncan’s family will hold a press conference on Wednesday morning “regarding a resolution they have reached on behalf of the children and parents of the deceased with Texas Health Resources and all related entities,” as WFAA 8 reported. (Moyer, 11/12)

Stateline: With New Casinos, Some States Offer Help To Gambling Addicts
Michael Rosen, an admitted gambling addict, is well-acquainted with the danger of proximity to temptation. Twice during substantial periods of abstinence, he found himself – by chance, he insists – staying in hotels with casinos. And both times, he didn’t remain in his room. “I couldn’t resist,” he said. Now 71 and “sober” since 2008, Rosen is a coordinator with the Maryland Center of Excellence on Problem Gambling. His job is to help others with a gambling problem get the help they need to prevent gambling from wreaking havoc with their lives. For many, that help may be the resolve to stay away from one of the five casinos that have sprouted in Maryland since voters approved casinos in 2008. Of the 23 states that allow casino gambling, 18 have statutes that provide services for people with gambling problems, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. All five of the states that authorized casino gambling since 2004 (Florida, Kansas, Maryland, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania) passed legislation creating problem gambling programs at the same time. Some of the other states that previously allowed casino gambling, such as Nevada, New Jersey and New York, have since initiated their own addiction programs. (Ollove,11/11)