Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: Mass. Measure Would Tighten Hospital Merger Oversight; NYC Public Hospital System Unveils Financial Plan
The Associated Press: Mass. Bill Would Toughen Oversight Of Planned Hospital Mergers
Attorney General Maura Healey is pushing legislation designed to give her office stronger oversight of hospital mergers. The bill would toughen the authority of the Health Policy Commission when considering mergers of health care providers. (4/8)
The Wall Street Journal: NYC’s Public Hospital System Unveils Financial Plan
New York City’s cash-strapped public hospital system, tasked with caring for many of the city’s uninsured and vulnerable residents and facing growing budget deficits, unveiled a plan on Tuesday to help shore up its finances by 2020. Ram Raju, president and chief executive of the New York City Health & Hospitals Corp., spoke to hundreds of employees, labor leaders and elected officials at Manhattan’s John Jay College, outlining a plan to increase the number of patients treated and reduce wait times. (Kravitz, 4/7)
Modern Healthcare: Professors Urge Court To Rehear St. Luke's Antitrust Case
Seventeen law professors from across the country are urging a federal appeals court to rehear the antitrust case against Idaho's St. Luke's Health System. The professors filed a friend-of-the-court brief on Monday with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals asking it to grant St. Luke's request for a rehearing before a full panel of judges. Earlier this year, a three-judge panel of the court decided against St. Luke's, saying its acquisition of Saltzer Medical Group in Nampa, Idaho, was anti-competitive. (Schencker, 4/7)
NJ Spotlight: NJ High Court Upholds Ban On Medicaid Coverage For Recent Immigrants
Five years after new immigrants living in the state first lost eligibility for Medicaid, the New Jersey Supreme Court has ruled that they don’t have a right to the federal healthcare coverage. The ruling ends an extended legal battle that aimed to restore Medicaid coverage to those who have been in the country legally for less than five years. (Kitchenman, 4/7)
Los Angeles Times: With New Immigration Proposals, State Lawmakers Hope To Build Momentum
Democratic lawmakers will unveil a slew of new immigration-related proposals Tuesday, including measures that would extend state-paid health coverage to those in the country illegally and offer more protection against deportation. ... The most far-reaching of the new proposals would offer enrollment in Medi-Cal — California's healthcare program for the poor — to people who qualify regardless of immigration status. In California, about 1.8 million people who are in the country illegally lack healthcare coverage, according to estimates by UC Berkeley and UCLA. About 1.5 million of them would qualify for Medi-Cal. (Mason, 4/7)
The Associated Press: Kansas Attorney General Criticizes Federal Home Health Laws
Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt says new federal regulations threaten home health care services in Kansas. Schmidt asked a federal appeals court on Monday to affirm a lower court ruling that blocked new U.S. Department of Labor regulations. In a court brief, Schmidt argued the federal agency overstepped its authority by requiring overtime pay for home health care workers and reducing the services they can provide. (4/7)
The Salem News: Mass. Rehab Hospital Closes Due To Medicare Policy Change
Spaulding Hospital, a rehabilitation hospital whose roots in Salem date to the 18th century, is scheduled to close in September. Hospital officials said upcoming changes in federal regulations designed to cut Medicare costs will lead to dramatic reductions in the types of patients that Spaulding will be allowed to admit. (Leighton, 4/7)
The Associated Press: NY To Spend $50M On Alzheimer's, Dementia Care
New York state is making an unprecedented investment in care for people with Alzheimer's disease. The state budget approved by lawmakers last week includes $25 million this year and another $25 million next year for the expansion of services to support people with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia as well as their caregivers. (4/8)
Connecticut Mirror: Is It A Gag Order Or The Malloy Administration Speaking With One Voice?
This year, the state is facing a major projected deficit, and legislators are interested in significant changes to the governor's budget proposal. That plan, which tries to close projected deficits of $1.3 billion in the next fiscal year and $1.4 billion the year after, employs several steps, including hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts to health care and social service programs. (Phaneuf and Levin Becker, 4/7)
Minneapolis Star-Tribune: HealthPartners Plans $140 Million Remake At Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital
Construction projects in health care keep coming, with plans announced Tuesday for a $140 million expansion and renovation at Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park. (Snowbeck, 4/7)
The Associated Press: Illinois Mulls Expanded Disease List For Marijuana Program
Illinois residents have petitioned the state to add more than 20 medical conditions to the medical marijuana program, including anxiety, migraines, insomnia and post-traumatic stress disorder. Petitioners identifying themselves as veterans of Vietnam and Iraq asked that PTSD be included, making emotional pleas for help, according to 269 pages of petitions obtained by The Associated Press through the state's Freedom of Information Act. The state blacked out the names of petitioners before releasing the documents to protect patients' privacy. (4/7)
The Associated Press: New Law Clarifies Medical Marijuana Insurance Requirements
Workers' compensation carriers and self-insurers will not be required to pay for a patient's medical marijuana under a new bill [Arizona] Gov. Doug Ducey signed into law Monday. The state's more than 63,000 holders of medical marijuana cards will still be allowed to purchase their own cannabis, but the law removes the requirement that workers' compensation carriers and self-insurers reimburse patients for medical marijuana. (Van Velzer, 4/7)
The Kansas City Star: 'Aging In Place' In Kansas To Monitor Elderly After Hospital Stays
A program in Kansas City’s Northland called Aging in Place has been launched to help older adults return to — and stay in — their homes after hospital stays. It will use health monitoring devices and special attention from health professionals to help people avoid rehospitalization or expensive care facilities. (Stafford, 4/7)
