Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: Complaints About Health-Sharing Ministry Draws Interest From Mo. AG; Cleveland Clinic, CareSource At Odds, Creating A Quandary For Many Ohioans
Kansas City Star: Missouri AG Investigating Health-Sharing Ministry Targeting KC
Health-sharing ministries predate the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, by decades but have burgeoned in popularity since the law passed in 2010. The ministries are exempt from Obamacare’s coverage requirements, and their members are exempt from the law’s penalties for not carrying insurance. (Marso, 8/25)
Cleveland Plain Dealer: Northeast Ohioans Deal With Uncertainty Between Cleveland Clinic And CareSource
In June, CareSource sent the Clinic a termination notice, which would have left thousands on the state's largest Medicaid managed care plan without access to care from the Clinic. During that time, affected Northeast Ohioans have had to make tough choices: stay with the Clinic and switch to a new insurance provider; stay with CareSource and find new doctors; or wait to see if there was a resolution between the two at the final hour and risk losing health coverage if there wasn't. (Christ, 8/27)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Pension, Health Care, Education Costs In Georgia Eating Up New Revenue
The boards that run schools, universities and the public health system have, combined, spoken for about $750 million of increased spending for the upcoming year. The money will go to pay for increased enrollment in K12 schools and universities, and the rising cost of Medicaid, the state-federal health care program for the poor and disabled. (Salzer, 8/25)
Idaho Statesman: Woman Eats Out Of Dumpster So She Can Afford Long-Term Care For Husband
The [Betsy and David] Winklers represent the intersection of two Gem State demographic trends. Idaho’s population is graying faster than the nation as a whole. And more than a third of the state’s households have difficulty making ends meet each month, left behind by a booming economy with its help-wanted signs and soaring construction cranes. (La Ganga, 8/27)
San Francisco Chronicle: New California Law Aims To Stop Spread Of Bedbugs
A new state law designed to battle bedbugs requires California landlords to provide tenants with written information about these blood-sucking, tenacious pests and how to report suspected infestations to the landlord. The disclosure requirement took effect for new tenants July 1 and will apply to existing tenants Jan. 1. (Pender, 8/26)
Minnesota Public Radio: At Last, The Measles Outbreak Is Over
With no measles cases in 42 days, state officials on Friday declared the outbreak over after the highly contagious virus sickened 79 Minnesotans this year. The vast majority of cases were in unvaccinated Somali-American children living in Hennepin County. (Zdecklik, 8/25)
California Healthline: New Commission Plans To Address State Health Care Worker Shortage
California faces a shortfall of primary care doctors and other health care providers, and the gap is expected to widen over time. A new commission unveiled this week will spend the next year investigating the problem and drafting potential solutions. The 24-member California Future Health Workforce Commission will focus on primary care, aging and mental health. Its members include politicians, doctors, educators, labor leaders and others. (8/28)
Kansas City Star: KC Close To 100 Homicides For 2017, On Pace For Record
It was the latest spate of violence in a city hurtling toward a grim milestone far quicker than it has in years past. If the two incidents recorded Friday both prove to be homicides, they will be No. 99 and No. 100 for 2017. (Marso, 8/25)
Boston Globe: White House Anti-Drug Office Asks Massachusetts For Medical Marijuana Data
An arm of the White House’s antidrug office has asked Massachusetts and several other states where medical marijuana is legal to turn over information about registered patients, triggering a debate over privacy rights and whether state officials should cooperate with a federal administration that appears hostile to the drug. (Adams, 8/25)
The Baltimore Sun: Baltimore Readies For 11 Medical Marijuana Businesses To Open
As Baltimore prepares for the opening of 11 medical marijuana dispensaries in the city, some residents say it’s been difficult to get information about where they’re opening or how the sites were selected. (Broadwater, 8/28)
