State Highlights: Conn. Lawmakers Set Sights On Health System Changes; Bill To Ban Vaccine Exemptions Dropped In Oregon

Connecticut Mirror: In Controversial Health Care Bills, Some Agreement On Transparency
This year, some top legislators have their sights set on addressing what they see as troubling changes in the state’s health care landscape. Senate President Pro Tem Martin M. Looney and Minority Leader Len Fasano teamed up to develop a series of proposals focused on the growth of large hospital systems, hospitals' acquisitions of physician practices, and what the two lawmakers warn are the increased costs that result from both. The proposals have been criticized by hospital officials and some others in health care, and are likely to undergo changes before a final version emerges. (Levin Becker, 3/12)

The Associated Press: Oregon Lawmaker Drops Bill To Ban Most Vaccine Exemptions
Legislation aiming to pressure Oregon parents to get their children vaccinated was abandoned Wednesday because of formidable opposition in a state that has the nation’s highest rate of nonmedical exemptions, a move that comes as several other states wrestle with similar proposals. (3/11)

The Associated Press: Bills Banning Most Vaccine Exemptions Fail In Northwest
Legislative efforts to increase pressure on parents to get their kids vaccinated failed in Oregon and Washington state Wednesday amid stiff opposition as a handful of other statehouses consider similar bills prompted by a measles outbreak at Disneyland. Oregon's measure, which had the support of Democratic Gov. Kate Brown, would have made the state the third in the country allowing exemptions from immunizations only for medical reasons, and no longer for religious, philosophical or personal reasons. Mississippi and West Virginia are the only other states that have comparable laws in place. (3/11)

The Associated Press: Hospital Subsidy Bill Becomes Law Without Mead's Signature
Gov. Matt Mead is allowing a bill to put up roughly $2.5 million to subsidize hospitals in the state to become law without his signature. Mead on Wednesday released a letter that he wrote this week to Wyoming Secretary of State Edward Murray expressing his dissatisfaction with the hospital-funding bill. (3/12)

Los Angeles Times: Countering Criticism, Steinberg Says Mental Health Law Showing Results
Seeking to quell criticism that his signature mental health initiative lacks accountability, former state Senate leader Darrell Steinberg pushed back Wednesday with a study he commissioned showing declines in homelessness, arrests and incarcerations for people receiving treatment under the law. “The public has every right to know exactly how these dollars are being spent and what results are being attained because of this investment,” Steinberg said at a Wednesday news conference. (Mason, 3/11)

The Sacramento Bee: Prop. 63 Is Helping Mentally Ill Californians, Steinberg Report Says
A massive tax program former state Sen. Darrell Steinberg pushed to fund mental health services is providing relief to tens of thousands of Californians and decreasing homelessness, hospitalizations and arrests among mentally ill people treated in the programs, according to a report Steinberg released Wednesday. (Rosenhall, 3/11)

The Kansas Health Institute News Service: Judge Throws Out Centene's Extortion Claim In Lawsuit Over KanCare Practices
A federal judge has thrown out Centene Corp.’s abuse-of-process claim against a former employee who alleged she was fired after complaining about the managed care organization’s business practices. Centene is the parent company of Sunflower State Health Plan Inc., one of three for-profit companies managing KanCare, Kansas’ privatized version of Medicaid. (Margolies, 3/11)

North Carolina Health News: Lawmakers Expected To Consider Chemotherapy Cost Parity
Cancer treatment advocates are looking to reduce the cost to patients for oral chemotherapy drugs. (Namkoong, 3/12)

The Washington Post: Maryland House Takes Steps To Reverse Cuts Made In Hogan’s Budget
The plan, which must also be considered by the Senate before reaching Hogan’s desk, will probably restore cuts made by Hogan to Medicaid reimbursements, K-12 education funding and state employees’ salaries. ... Several panels of the House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday voted on recommendations that would allow for the restoration of Medicaid coverage for pregnant women whose income levels were slightly above the regular eligibility for the federal program, and on full funding for some of the state’s most expensive public school systems. (Wiggins, 3/11)

The Associated Press: Disability Advocates Keep Close Watch On New Texas Governor
Abbott’s physical limitations provide more exposure to the difficulties faced by disabled Americans, and the new governor could be an asset to organizations pressing for changes to ease the public lives of the disabled in Texas and elsewhere. But while advocates take some pride in having a governor with visible disabilities, their optimism is muted by Abbott’s record. (3/11)

Nextstar Broadcasting: Proposal Expands Role Of Nurse Practitioners
Pennsylvania State Representative Jesse Topper has introduced a bill that would allow certified nurse practitioners to treat patients without having a business contract with two doctors. Nurse practitioners are trained to perform and interpret diagnostic tests, diagnose and treat conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, infections, and injuries. They can also prescribe medication. (3/11)

USA Today: Kentucky Looks At Needle-Exchange Success In Ohio City
A steady stream of weary-looking addicts, many with bags of used hypodermic needles stuffed into old winter coats, walked into an alley behind the health department and joined a small line inside. Called in one by one to a tiny room, the mix of young women, couples and older men gave only their initials, ZIP code and drug of choice to two health workers at folding tables. "Heroin?" asked Lisa Roberts, a nurse with the Portsmouth City Health Department. "Tar, powder or both?" (Kenning, 3/10)

The Seattle Times: Telemedicine Making Sense For More Doctors And Patients
Increasingly, health-care providers are turning to telehealth — physician services provided over a video or telephone connection — to save dollars and deliver care to remote areas or to patients who may have difficulty getting to medical facilities. (Marshall, 3/11)

NPR: When Life Overwhelms, This Group Lends A Healthy Hand
Health Leads operates in seven cities across the U.S. and has more than a thousand volunteer advocates, the vast majority of whom are college students. It was founded by Rebecca Onie. Now the organization's CEO (and recipient of a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship in 2009) Onie came up with the idea as a college sophomore in the 1990s. While volunteering at a hospital in Boston, she often asked doctors this question: If you had unlimited resources, what's the one thing you would give your patients? (Kelto, 3/12)