Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: Maine To Vote On Keeping Law Banning Religious Exemptions For Vaccinations; Conn. Residents Claim Religious Health Care Sharing Ministry Misled Them
The Wall Street Journal: Maine Referendum Targets Vaccine-Exemption Limits
Maine residents heading to the polls on Super Tuesday will decide whether to override a new law that eliminates nonmedical vaccine exemptions for school children. Supporters of the law say limiting the ways in which people can opt out of vaccines will help keep preventable diseases like measles at bay by curbing a growing rate of unvaccinated children. Democratic Gov. Janet Mills is urging voters to keep the new law, citing outbreaks of whooping cough in some Maine schools. (Kamp, 2/29)
The CT Mirror: 'I'm Relying On Prayer.' Complaints Pile Up Against Health Care Sharing Ministries As State Mounts A Defense
The pain in Timothy Corridon’s left shoulder began not long after he signed up for a new, nontraditional type of health coverage. It spread down his arm and turned into numbness. He noticed weakness in both of his hands. After seeing several doctors, the 57-year-old Norwalk resident was referred to a neurosurgeon and underwent an urgent operation to address a Chiari malformation, a condition in which brain tissue extends into the spinal canal. Untreated, the disorder can cause dizziness, problems with balance and hearing, an unsteady gait, difficulty swallowing and speech issues. (Carlesso, 3/2)
Coastal Review Online: School Boards Eye Filtration To Remove PFAS
Schools in New Hanover and Brunswick counties are installing new water filling stations and special filters in reaction to continuing concerns about levels of industrial contaminants found in drinking water systems. The move to reduce per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, comes after a nationwide report again highlighted high levels of the compounds in water supplies, with Brunswick County registering the highest levels in the country and the Wilmington region listed as the fifth highest. (Ross, 2/28)
NBC News: How DuPont May Avoid Paying To Clean Up A Toxic 'Forever Chemical'
Robin Andrews of Pedricktown, New Jersey, has been fighting an autoimmune disease and thyroid condition for the past three years, suffering severe dental problems, hair loss and other symptoms. All, she believes, are the result of exposure to drinking water tainted by a group of chemicals called PFAS, used widely for decades in products like Teflon pans, stain-resistant carpets, even cosmetics. (Morgenson, 3/1)
Stateline: Stop Milking It, Dairy Farmers Tell Plant-Based Competitors
The dairy industry wants the federal government to restrict use of the “milk” label to fluid “obtained by the complete milking of one or more healthy cows.” Legislation is pending on Capitol Hill, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is investigating the issue. In the meantime, dairy advocates are pressing their cause in state legislatures. (Mercer, 3/2)
Atlanta Journal Constitution: The Follow Up: Tighter Oversight Of Georgia Senior Homes Advances
Legislation moved through the House this past week to improve safety and strengthen the oversight of Georgia’s assisted living facilities and personal care homes. House Health and Human Services Chairwoman Sharon Cooper, a Republican from Marietta and the sponsor of House Bill 987, said she was unaware of many of the problems involving senior care in the state until an Atlanta Journal-Constitution investigation uncovered them in a series called “Unprotected.” (Denery, 2/28)
California Healthline: Corralling Hard-To-Reach Voters With Traveling Voting Machines
Instrumental string music filtered into the sprawling multipurpose room, where a dozen people rolled their hips, stretched their arms and twisted from side to side. Nearby, small groups of women huddled over elaborate needlepoint embroidery while men and women shuffled dominoes and mahjong tiles at game tables. A crowd formed outside an adjoining room of the AltaMed Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) center in Chinatown, where several seniors, some using canes, walkers and wheelchairs, lined up in chairs. (Almendrala, 2/28)
