State Highlights: Illinois Lawmakers Examine Bill That Prevents Steep ACA Price Hikes; California Police Back Measure To Prevent Fatal Shootings

Chicago Tribune: As Health Insurance Prices Soared, 'The State Was Powerless To Stop It.' The House Just Passed A Bill To Change That. 
In recent years, many Illinois consumers were socked with steep price increases when buying health insurance on the Obamacare exchange. A bill that’s gaining traction in Springfield, however, could prevent that. The bill would give the Illinois Department of Insurance the power to say no to certain sky-high price increases proposed by insurance companies for plans sold to individuals and small businesses. The bill wouldn’t apply to plans offered by large employers. (Schencker, 4/22)

The Washington Post: California Police Promote Measure To Limit Fatal Shootings
Round two gets underway Tuesday in California’s fight over how best to limit fatal shootings by police through nation-leading reforms. State legislators are debating a measure that proponents said would set a national precedent by creating statewide guidelines on when officers can use lethal force and requiring that every officer be trained in ways to avoid opening fire. (Thompson, 4/23)

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Hospital Bills, Errors, Colonoscopies Among Philly’s Biggest Health Cost Concerns
Since joining the Philadelphia Inquirer a year ago, I’ve been studying your medical bills. I’ve talked to insurers, hospitals, economists and analysts about the problems you’ve experienced; and written about what I found out. Everyone seems to have a medical bill horror story and while they’re each unique, there are some common themes. (Gantz, 4/22)

Boston Globe: Mass. Foster Care Oversight Plagued By Conflict Of Interest, Advocates Say
Child advocates are calling for the creation of an outside, independent agency to regularly review foster care placements in Massachusetts, saying the current system is rife with conflicts of interest and lacks transparency and accountability. Under the current system, the Department of Children and Families is responsible for reviewing its own performance, something the advocates say is ineffective. (Lazar, 4/22)

Los Angeles Times: Mentally Ill Homeless People Keep Going To Jail. But A Study Says L.A. County Can Fix That
On a typical day, thousands of homeless and mentally ill people are behind bars in Los Angeles County’s jails. But more than half of them would be good candidates to divert into housing with supportive services instead, according a new study from the Department of Health Services. If enough housing and services were available, nearly 3,000 people in custody at any given time would be eligible for release — either before their trials or before finishing their sentences. The study, released Monday, shows the potential to break the well-worn cycle of homelessness, incarceration and return to homelessness, said Peter Espinoza, a retired judge who heads the Office of Diversion and Reentry. (Smith, 4/22)

Kansas City Star: Kansas Requires More Financial Disclosure For Nursing Homes
Nursing home managers — most of them from out of state — had fallen behind on bills for basics like food and utilities, putting residents’ health and safety at risk. Now the Republican-controlled Legislature and Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly have come together on a plan to keep it from happening again. Lawmakers this month passed a bill requested by the Kelly administration that will require much more financial information from people who apply for licenses to operate nursing homes. (Marso, 4/23)

Texas Tribune: Solitary Confinement Hard To Escape For Texas Inmates With Mental Illness
Psychiatry experts have agreed that solitary confinement can harm any prisoner, but it is especially detrimental for those with mental illness: the isolation and sensory deprivation often exacerbates symptoms and leads to increased suicide attempts. As part of an attempt to decrease the use of solitary confinement, the Texas prison system in 2014 created a mental health therapeutic diversion program to shift isolated inmates back into the general housing population. (McCullough, 4/23)

Boston Globe: Auditor Concerned That Communication Issues Hurt Foster Children’s Education
Foster children often bounce from school to school, suffer chronic absenteeism, experience disciplinary problems, and drop out more frequently than their peers. Yet poor communication between state child welfare administrators and local schools and conflicting regulations create significant hurdles and educational delays for abused and neglected children as they are moved from foster home to foster home, according to a new state auditor’s report. (Lazar, 4/23)