State Highlights: Mass. Returns To Nurse-Staffing Debate; Fla. House Panel Gives Preliminary OK To Hospital Deregulation Plan

The Boston Globe: Debate Renewed On Nurse Staffing
The state is poised for the first time to mandate a minimum level of nurse staffing in hospitals, reigniting a debate over patient safety and health care costs. The Health Policy Commission, the agency that monitors medical costs and related issues, will vote Wednesday on regulations requiring hospitals to staff intensive care units so that each registered nurse is responsible for no more than two patients. If approved, the rules would implement a law passed last year. (Dayal McCluskey, 6/9)

The Miami Herald: Florida House Advances Plan To Deregulate Hospital Expansion
Determined to show that more competition will lead to better access to healthcare, a Florida House committee gave preliminary approval Tuesday to a plan to eliminate the controversial law that requires state approval for the building of new hospitals. The House Health Innovation Subcommittee voted 9-3 along party lines to eliminate the so-called “certificate of need” process that requires state regulators to review and approve the construction of any new hospitals, the replacement of existing hospitals, or the development of certain expansive medical services such as organ transplants. (Klas, 6/9)

Georgia Health News: Cold Feet: WellStar Calls Off Merger With Emory
In a move that caught the health care industry by surprise, WellStar Health System has broken off talks to create a mega-merger with Emory Healthcare. The merger discussions had gone on for months and were aimed at producing a giant hospital-based system – the biggest in Georgia and perhaps the Southeast. (Miller, 6/9)

Health News Florida: HCA Hospitals, Humana In Contract Dispute
Humana has sent letters to its Florida customers alerting them that as of July 10, HCA hospitals will no longer be part of the insurer’s network. When it comes to insurance disputes, this is the heavyweight division. Humana, based in Louisville, has close to 1 million Medicare patients in Florida plus hundreds of thousands of business and individual customers who sign up through insurance agents or the federal Marketplace for subsidized plans under the Affordable Care Act. (Gentry, 6/9)

Kaiser Health News: Organ Donation: State Efforts Have Done Little To Close The Supply Gap
In the U.S., an average of 21 people die every day waiting for an organ transplant, and the wait times can range from four months for a heart to five years for a kidney, dependent on the how sick the patient is, according to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) and the Gift of Life Donor Program. But public policies have done little to close this gap between supply and demand, according to a study published earlier this month in JAMA Internal Medicine. (Gillespie, 6/10)

Stateline: Adult Dental Coverage Expanding Slowly In Medicaid
Federal law requires state Medicaid programs to include dental care for children, and the Affordable Care Act extended that requirement to private insurers. But the federal health law did little for adults. ... "The ACA was a big flop when it comes to adult dental coverage,” said Dr. Jonathan Shenkin, vice president of the American Dental Association (ADA). Even so, some states have stepped up coverage for at least some adults on Medicaid. Virginia added a dental benefit for pregnant women in March. Colorado introduced limited adult dental coverage for the first time last year. Also last year, California, Illinois, Massachusetts and South Carolina reinstated benefits that had been cut in the years since the recession began in 2007. Indiana began offering expanded adult dental benefits this year. (Vestal, 6/10)

The Associated Press: San Francisco Approves Health Warning On Sugary Drink Ads
San Francisco supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to approve health warnings on ads for sugary sodas and some other drinks, saying such beverages contribute to obesity, diabetes and other health problems. It’s believed that San Francisco would be the first place in the country to require such a warning on ads for soda if it receives a second approval from the Board of Supervisors next week and the mayor does not veto it. (Har, 6/9)

The Wall Street Journal: Soda’s New Enemy: San Francisco
Likening the fight against soda to the old public-policy wars over tobacco, San Francisco city officials unanimously voted Tuesday on a package of ordinances that would make it the first in the U.S. to require health warnings on ads for sugary drinks. Before it can be enacted, the proposal first has to pass another vote before the San Francisco Board of Supervisors next week, and then goes before the mayor. Advocates hope the passage will spark similar legislation in cities and states across the country. ()Audi and Esterl, 6/9)

The Associated Press: Casino Union To Icahn: Benefit Elimination 'Not OK'
Casino workers from Atlantic City's Trump Taj Mahal went to billionaire investor Carl Icahn's New York offices, saying the casino's elimination of health insurance and pension plans is "not OK." Icahn is in the process of taking over the casino's parent company, Trump Entertainment Resorts. (6/9)

The Associated Press: NYC Health Department Proposes High-Sodium Warning On Menus
New York City's Health Department wants all chain restaurants to warn customers about products that are high in salt. The department is proposing at a meeting of the Board of Health on Wednesday that all chain restaurants add a salt-shaker-like symbol on menus next to products that contain more than the recommended daily limit. That's 2,300 milligrams of sodium, about 1 teaspoon of salt. If the city Board of Health votes to consider the proposal, a final vote could come as soon as September and the warnings by December. (Peltz and Barr, 6/9)

The Associated Press: NY Lawmakers Vote For Single-Use Tattoo Needles
New York lawmakers have voted to require single-use needles and inks by tattoo and piercing studios. They would also require customers sign consent forms stating the materials were sterile and unpackaged in front of them. Bill sponsors say there are no current rules holding tattoo and piercing specialists accountable for materials used, while diseases can be easily spread when needles and ink are re-used. (6/10)