Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: In Mass., Lyme Disease Legislation Highlights Division; In La., Federal Judge Saves Clinic From Eviction
Boston Globe: Legislation Highlights Divisions On Lyme Disease
Health insurers would have to cover long-term antibiotic treatment for Lyme disease under a measure approved by the Massachusetts Legislature — a vote that places Governor Charlie Baker in the crossfire between mainstream medicine and patient activists. Baker has until midnight Thursday to sign or veto the legislation or to let it become law without his signature. The governor, a former health insurance executive, has reservations about the bill. In a letter to lawmakers, he wrote that “long-term antibiotic therapy is not clinically recognized as an appropriate form of treatment.” (Freyer, 7/28)
The New Orleans Times-Picayune: Judge Decries 'Pettiness,' Blocks Jefferson Clinics' Eviction
A federal judge has stopped the Jefferson Parish Council from evicting the non-profit Jefferson Community Health Care Centers from government-owned clinics in Marrero and River Ridge -- at least temporarily. The ruling requires the Parish Council to let the non-profit continue operating at the two locations until another medical provider is found. (Bacon-Blood, 7/27)
The Tennessean: Healthways To Sell Division, Brand To Sharecare In Major Corporate Shake-Up
Healthways has reached an agreement to sell a key division — as well as its name and brand — to Atlanta-based digital health company Sharecare. Under the deal, Sharecare is getting a variety of Healthways' signature programs, including its Blue Zones Project, Dr. Ornish's heart disease reversal program, Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, Healthways' stake in a joint venture in Brazil and a weight-loss collaboration with Johns Hopkins Medicine. (Fletcher, 7/27)
Stateline: Decades After Ban, Lead Paint Lingers
In the wake of the Flint water crisis, states are rushing to test for high levels of lead in drinking water. But many are failing to come to grips with a more insidious problem: lingering lead paint in homes and schools. Paint, rather than drinking water, remains the main source of lead poisoning of young children in the U.S. (Wiltz, 7/27)
Boston Globe: Marijuana Candy Sends Two Teens To Hospital
Hingham police are warning teenagers and parents about the dangers of marijuana-laced candy after a teenager last week called 911 to report that his friend was having an allergic reaction to food. Under questioning from a dispatcher, the 18-year-old boy said that the girl, who is 17, was “reacting to marijuana-laced candy,” according to a statement issued Wednesday by the police. (Quintana, 7/27)
The Baltimore Sun: NCAA, State Reach Settlement In Case Of Frostburg Football Player Who Died After Head Injury
The National Collegiate Athletic Association and the state of Maryland have reached settlements with the family of a Frostburg State University football player who died from concussion-related injuries in a case that could have nationwide implications for college sports...The [Board of Public Works] voted in favor of the proposed $50,000 payout to the family of Derek Sheely, who died in 2011 after he collapsed on the practice field from a traumatic brain injury. (Dresser, 7/27)
