Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: Md. Officials Give Customers Early Look At Exchange Plans; Infants Airlifted To Fla. Hospital After Hurricane
The Baltimore Sun: Maryland Health Exchange Opens Website For Browsing Plans
With consumers facing a shorter period to enroll in health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, Maryland health exchange officials have opened their online marketplace so residents can get an early look at the costs of plans, which are expected to be higher this year. Open enrollment starts Nov. 1 and lasts until Dec. 15 — 45 days down from three months last year. ...About 150,000 Marylanders bought private plans last year through the exchange and others bought directly from insurers, mostly people who do not get insurance through their employers. Many more enrolled in Medicaid, the federal insurance program for low-income residents, which was expanded under the health law. (Cohn and McDaniels, 10/2)
Miami Herald: Infants From Puerto Rico Get Heart Surgery At Nicklaus Children's
Three of the smallest and most frail Puerto Ricans made it through the worst of Hurricane Maria hunkered down in a hospital where the windows shattered, the water rushed in, and the power went out. It was the aftermath that nearly killed them — and the serendipity of professional networking that rescued the three newborns from the storm-wracked island, and brought them to Miami’s Nicklaus Children’s Hospital for emergency heart surgeries within 48 hours of the hurricane’s landfall in Puerto Rico. (Chang, 10/2)
Kaiser Health News: Flat-Fee Primary Care Helps Fill Niche For Texas’ Uninsured
Darrell Kenyon had been punting for years on various medical issues — fatigue, headaches, mood swings. The 43-year-old uninsured carpenter was particularly worried about his blood pressure, which ran high when he checked it at the grocery store. Then he heard about a different type of physician practice, one that provided regular primary care for a monthly fee. (Huff, 10/3)
Nashville Tennessean: Florida Medical Call Center Operator Bringing 200 Jobs To Spring Hill
A Florida-based provider of medical answering services plans this month to open a location in Spring Hill that will house roughly 200 call center agents and triage nurses. The 15,000-square-foot facility at the Workforce Development & Conference Center at Northfield will be the third business location for Delray Beach-based Call 4 Health, which also operates a cell center in Linthicum Heights, Maryland. (Ward, 10/2)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed Said He Will Review New Pot Legislation
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said late Monday he will review and sign new legislation that changes penalties on possession of small amounts of marijuana. ...The Atlanta City Council on Monday passed legislation that reduces the penalty for possessing an ounce or less of pot in the city from $1,000 to $75 and eliminates jail time under those circumstances. (Stafford, 10/2)
Miami Herald: Medical Marijuana Grower Pushes Florida To Set Rules For Edibles
One of the state’s largest cultivators and distributors of medical marijuana is pushing the Florida Department of Health to set rules that would allow thousands of cannabis patients to eat their medicine. (Smiley, 10/2)
