State Highlights: Fla. Regulators Publicly Mull Proposed Mergers of Insurance Giants; Will Calif. Budget Surplus Zap Tax That Funds Low-Income Health Care?

The Orlando Sentinel: Office Of Insurance Regulation Holding Public Hearings On Proposed Mergers Of Insurance Giants
The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation is conducting public hearings to discuss the proposed mergers of insurance giants Humana and Aetna, and that of Cigna and Anthem. These mergers could affect millions of Floridians. Although shareholders of the companies have approved the mergers, the acquisitions still need to be approved by the federal regulators. Many hospitals and consumer groups have urged the U.S. Justice Department to closely watch the deal, according to a recent report in Forbes, saying that deals don't help consumers and will reduce competition. (Miller, 12/1)

Los Angeles Times: State Lawmakers Worry Projected Budget Surplus Saps Effort To Revise Healthcare Tax
One of healthcare advocates' unspoken fears is being voiced by state lawmakers who worry a projected multibillion-dollar budget surplus could weaken political resolve to revamp a soon-to-disappear tax that helps fund healthcare for low-income Californians. "The lack of alarm is troubling," state Sen. Holly Mitchell (D-Los Angeles) said at a Tuesday legislative hearing on the fate of California's managed care organizations, or MCO, tax. (Myers, 12/1)

The Houston Chronicle: Nursing Home Agrees To $3 Million Settlement In Ambulance Swapping Case
Galveston-based nursing home operator Regent Management Services has agreed to pay more than $3 million to settle allegations that the company received illegal kickbacks from ambulance providers. The settlement is believed to be the nation's first to hold a medical institution – a hospital or nursing home – rather than a transportation company accountable for what are called ambulance-swapping arrangements. In these arrangements, providers often give price breaks or do not charge residents for certain ambulance rides in exchange for referrals of other lucrative Medicare and Medicaid business. (George, 12/1)

The Associated Press: NY Adds Tax Check-Offs On Mental Illness, Women's Cancers
New York taxpayers will have the option of contributing to 13 causes next year that will include educational efforts to prevent women's cancers and against the stigma of mental illness. At the same time, another new state law will generally require spending contributions in the fiscal year they're collected, meant to stop leaving millions of donated dollars languishing as the state comptroller found in a report almost two years ago. (12/1)

The Columbus Dispatch: Faster Treatment Possible Under New OhioHealth Stroke Protocol
OhioHealth announced on Tuesday that it is working with Columbus fire officials to deploy a specially equipped ambulance to care for stroke patients before they reach a hospital. But the move has exposed a rift with other local hospital systems on how best to care for patients in the early stages of such medical emergencies, during which the timeliness of treatment can not only save a patient’s life but also can have major implications for the patient’s quality of life. (Sutherly, 12/1)

The Tampa Bay Times: At Tampa Eye Lab, A Discovery Involving Retinas Puts Big Advances In Sight
A discovery made in a Tampa laboratory could one day help millions of people regain their vision. Working at the Lions Eye Institute last summer, Daniel Lindgren, of the Nevada-based research firm OcuScience, found a way to preserve retinas from human donors — and bring them back to life. Now he's working to patent the technology. The development is significant because donated retinas have been considered too perishable for functional research, Lindgren said. Most studies have used animals. (McGrory, 12/1)

The Associated Press: Utah Prison Settles Suit After Inmate Missed Dialysis, Died
Utah State Prison settled a wrongful death lawsuit involving an inmate who died after a dialysis provider didn't show up to give him treatment for two days, according to court documents filed Tuesday. Inmate Ramon C. Estrada, 62, had been in prison since 2005 on a rape conviction. He died less than three weeks before he was set to be paroled. Prison officials didn't acknowledge legal responsibility for Estrada's death. (Whitehurst, 12/1)