State Highlights: Calif. Takes Aggressive Steps To Control Health Care Costs; Judge Delays Decision On Va. Timeline For Disability Reforms

The San Jose Mercury News: Amid Debate On Drug Prices, California Leads Way On Cost Controls
The Golden State's effort to tackle the issue of skyrocketing drug prices is among the most aggressive in the nation, opening up a wider debate over an industry whose sales account for 10 percent of the nation's $3 trillion in annual health care costs. (Seipel, 10/24)

The Washington Post: Judge Postpones Ruling On Speeding Va. Timeline For Disability Reforms
A U.S. District Court judge on Friday postponed a decision on whether to force Virginia to speed efforts to overhaul how the state treats people with severe disabilities. Judge John A. Gibney said he would rule in December on a Department of Justice request for hard deadlines in implementing changes agreed to in a 2012 court settlement. (Olivo, 10/23)

The Associated Press: Universal Health Care Advocates Heading To Colorado Voters
Supporters of universal health care loaded boxes of resident petitions off an ambulance and onto a stretcher Friday, launching their campaign to make Colorado the first state to opt out of the federal health law and replace it with taxpayer-funded coverage for all. (Wyatt, 10/23)

The Associated Press: Baker: Medicare Premium Hikes Could Hurt State
Gov. Charlie Baker is warning that an increase in premiums for some Medicare recipients could have a major impact on [Mass.] finances. Baker sent a letter Friday to the state's congressional delegation urging them to support efforts in Washington to reduce or eliminate the approximately 50 percent hike in Medicare Part B premiums that is scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1. (10/23)

The Miami Herald: Miami-Dade Patient Information Compromised
About 150 clients of the Florida Department of Health’s Children’s Medical Services program in Miami-Dade may have had their personal information compromised after vendors were faxed a clinic roster containing names, birth dates and membership numbers, agency officials reported Friday. Health department officials said that no Social Security numbers, bank accounts or credit card information were compromised. But federal patient privacy laws require healthcare providers to issue a notice to patients whenever personal healthcare information is disclosed without prior authorization. (10/23)

St. Louis Public Radio: Despite Shipping Delay, St. Louis County Holds Two FluMist Clinics
Shots aren’t for everyone, but the manufacturer of a nasal spray version of the vaccine experienced a technical issue early in the season that caused shipping delays. At Forest Park Peds in St. Louis, office manager Gail McCarthy says the clinic has been receiving just a percentage of the FluMist vaccines they’d originally ordered. (Bouscaren, 10/23)

The New York Times: Texas Orders Health Clinics To Turn Over Patient Data
For example, Planned Parenthood South Texas was told to produce five years of records — whether electronic, paper or ultrasound — concerning any patients billed to Medicaid who had an abortion in which any part of the fetus was removed or preserved for research use. Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast was to turn over a complete copy of certain patients’ records, including doctors’ orders, nursing notes and lab tests, as well as the center’s appointment books, patient sign-in sheets and contracts. “We’re concerned about the breadth and depth of what they’re asking for,” said Sarah Wheat, a spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas. (Lewin, 10/23)

Kaiser Health News: In L.A., Community Health Workers Are Part Of The Medical Team
Health officials across the country face a vexing quandary – how do you help the sickest and neediest patients get healthier and prevent their costly visits to emergency rooms? Los Angeles County is testing whether community health workers like Lopez may be one part of the answer. Lopez is among 25 workers employed by the county to do everything possible to remove obstacles standing in the way of patients’ health. That may mean coaching them about their diseases, ensuring they take their medications or scheduling medical appointments. Their help can extend beyond the clinic walls, too, to such things as finding housing or getting food stamps. (Gorman, 10/26)

Health News Florida: Florida Lawmaker Pushes For Needle Exchange
The Obama Administration has a new plan to combat the abuse of heroin and prescription drugs. The president is calling for a shift away from incarceration, and towards prevention, and a Florida Democratic Representative is working on just that: a needle exchange program. (Payne, 10/25)