Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: Contract Dispute In Ariz. Leaves Many Out Of Network At Dignity Health Hospitals; Texas Lawmakers OK Maternal Health Bills
Arizona Republic: Thousands Of Arizonans Lose 'In-Network' Insurance Coverage At Dignity Hospitals
A contract dispute has left thousands of Health Net customers without insurance coverage at Dignity Health’s Arizona chain of hospitals, clinics and doctors. A three-year contract that guaranteed Health Net-insured customers could access and pay lower, in-network rates at Dignity-owned hospitals and health facilities expired Saturday. (Alltucker, 5/23)
Texas Tribune: Texas Legislators Pass Bills Aimed At Maternal Mortality, Postpartum Depression
Texas legislators from both chambers passed bills on Tuesday aimed at helping mothers before and after they give birth... About 17 percent of Texas mothers experience postpartum depression, according to a 2016 report from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission and the Texas Department of State Health Services. (Evans, 5/23)
Sacramento Bee: Health Care For Illegal Immigrants Proposed By California Senator
State Sen. Ricardo Lara doesn’t only want to reconstruct the way health care is delivered and paid for in California. As the debate around publicly funded universal health care heats up in the Capitol, Lara is also seeking to expand the state’s low-income health program to undocumented adults up to age 26. (Hart and Miller, 5/23)
The Star Tribune: Minnesota Surveillance Camera Ruling A Victory For Nursing Home Residents
With state health inspectors overwhelmed by maltreatment complaints, the tiny cameras have become an important tool for families who suspect abuse or neglect but feel nursing home authorities dismiss their concerns. Yet the cameras — small enough to fit inside a potted plant or a stuffed doll — have become a major point of controversy. (Serres, 5/23)
Georgia Health News: State AG Backs Wider View Of Records In Hospital Court Fight
The state’s attorney general has urged the Georgia Supreme Court to reverse a lower court opinion that barred access to Northside Hospital’s financial records. Chris Carr, in office since late last year, said in a Monday court filing that the Georgia Open Records Act is broader in its applications than what Northside Hospital has argued. (Miller, 5/23)
Atlanta Journal Constitution: GA Attorney General Weighs In On Northside Hospital Open Records Case
Georgia law requires open government even when a private party is carrying out the public’s work, Attorney General Christopher Carr argued in a brief filed Monday in the Northside Hospital open records case before the Georgia Supreme Court... The Georgia Supreme Court asked the Attorney General’s office to file an opinion in the hotly-contested case that started when attorney E. Kendrick Smith requested documents from Northside under the state’s sunshine law. (Teegardin, 5/23)
Texas Tribune: Grieving Mom “Humbled” And “Relieved” After Senate Passes Autopsy Bill
As the Texas Senate passed a bill on Tuesday that would ensure parents can view their deceased child's body before an autopsy is conducted, a grieving mother shed tears from the gallery... Currently, parents need permission from a justice of the peace or medical examiner to see their deceased child if his or her death occurs outside a hospital or health care institution. (Mansoor, 5/23)
Austin American Statesman: Texas Senate Approves Bill Aimed At Identifying Postpartum Depression
The Texas Senate on Tuesday approved a bill aimed at increasing identification of postpartum depression among mothers participating in federally backed health care programs for low-income families. Under House Bill 2466 by Rep. Sarah Davis, R-West University Place, mothers who bring their kids in for checkups can get screened for postpartum depression by their children’s pediatricians. (Collins Walsh, 5/23)
Denver Post: New Leadville Hospital Dealt Major Setback After Feds Withhold Loan
Lake County’s only hospital, St. Vincent in Leadville, has put plans to build a new facility on hold after financial projections came up shorter than expected, indicating the small hospital has recovered from the financial brink but still needs to improve its balance sheet before a much-needed building upgrade. In 2014, the hospital announced it would be shutting down because of critical building repairs and declining revenues, but service cuts and a partnership struck several months later with Centura Health — which also runs St. Anthony Summit Medical Center in Frisco — kept the 138-year-old hospital open. (5/23)
Sacramento Bee: Abortion Reversal Therapy Grows More Popular Despite Doubts
Several California clinics advertise the therapy, claiming to be able to undo the effects of the first dose containing mifepristone, which blocks progesterone production and causes the uterine lining to shed. The second set of pills contains misoprostol, which makes the uterus contract and initiates bleeding and cramping. More than 350 providers nationwide perform abortion reversal therapy, according to proponents of the treatment. (Caiola, 5/23)
Kansas City Star: Kansas Records: Several Hotline Calls Still Didn’t Save Adrian Jones
The head of Kansas’ child welfare agency said earlier this month that social workers’ last contact with the family of Adrian Jones was in February 2012. But records obtained by The Kansas City Star on Tuesday show that social workers with the Kansas Department for Children and Families investigated a hotline call 10 months later, in December 2012. (Baurer and Woodall, 5/23)
Kansas City Star: Missouri Hospital And Clinic Settle Medicare Fraud Suit
A Missouri hospital, clinic and infusion center have agreed to pay $34 million to settle a federal lawsuit that alleged they defrauded Medicare. The suit alleged that Mercy Hospital Springfield and its affiliate, Mercy Clinic Springfield Communities, had an improper financial agreement that provided kickbacks to oncologists based on the value of their chemotherapy referrals to the infusion center. (Marso, 5/23)
KQED: Valero Outage Prompts Benicia To Consider Industrial Safety Ordinance
City officials would have greater oversight over the Valero refinery under a proposal set to be unveiled at the Benicia City Council meeting on Tuesday—a potential reform prompted by the major outage at the facility earlier this month. Mayor Elizabeth Patterson is proposing the city develop regulations similar to those in Contra Costa County, home to several refineries. That county’s industrial safety ordinance, considered to be one of the strongest in the country, requires oil refining facilities to undergo safety audits and have risk management plans. (Goldberg, 5/23)
Miami Herald: John Morgan ‘Prepared To Invest $100M’ In Medical Marijuana
John Morgan spent nearly $7 million pushing two statewide ballot initiatives to expand medical marijuana throughout the state of Florida. But that’s a drop in the bucket compared to what the wealthy Orlando attorney and possible gubernatorial candidate says he’s prepared to invest in the industry now that it’s about to explode. (Smiley, 5/23)
