State Highlights: Minnesota Senate Approves Insurance Rebate Measure; Arizona A.G. Sues Theranos
Outlets report on health news from Minnesota, Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, California, Wisconsin and Ohio.
Minnesota Public Radio:
Senate Passes Health Insurance Rebate Plan
The Minnesota Senate moved quickly Thursday to pass a $450 million bill responding to sharp spikes in premiums for people who buy health insurance on the individual market. "We are in a health care crisis in Minnesota," said the bill's chief author, Sen. Michelle Benson, R-Ham Lake. That crisis has played out in the way about 5 percent of the state's residents buy their health insurance. (Bakst, 1/12)
Stat:
Arizona Takes Steps To Sue Theranos For Consumer Fraud
The Arizona attorney general is prepping for a lawsuit against Theranos, alleging consumer fraud by the embattled blood-testing startup. The office of Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich is looking to hire an outside firm to take legal action against Theranos and its subsidiaries according to a bidding contract filed Jan. 4. (Keshavan, 1/12)
Georgia Health News:
Sponsor Of Rural Hospital Donor Law Seeks To Expand Tax Credit
The lawmaker who created Georgia’s new tax credit program for rural hospitals wants to boost the incentives for donors. State Rep. Geoff Duncan, a Cumming Republican, has introduced a House bill that would raise the tax credit from 70 percent to 90 percent for individuals and corporations who donate money to rural hospitals. (Miller, 1/12)
The Philadelphia Inquirer:
Pa. To Test Fixed-Rate Funding Model For Rural Hospitals
Pennsylvania will be testing a new payment model for rural hospitals designed to improve the health of residents and help the hospitals they depend on stay financially solvent. With $25 million funding from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, the Pennsylvania Rural Health Model will try an innovative payment structure in which hospitals will be paid a fixed amount each month, instead of being reimbursed for services provided. (Twedt and Langley, 1/13)
The Associated Press:
US Agrees To Pay Billions To Marines Affected By Toxic Water
After years of wait, veterans who had been exposed to contaminated drinking water while assigned to Camp Lejeune in North Carolina may now be able to receive a portion of government disability benefits totaling more than $2 billion. Beginning in March, the cash payouts from the Department of Veterans Affairs may supplement VA health care already being provided to eligible veterans stationed at the Marine base for at least 30 days cumulative between Aug. 1, 1953, and Dec. 31, 1987. Veterans will have to submit evidence of their diagnosis and service information. (Yen, 1/13)
Sacramento Bee:
California Lawmakers And UCLA Researchers Cite Roadblocks To Breast Cancer Care
It’s one of the most high-profile, well-funded cancers out there, but breast cancer treatment is still hobbled by obstacles for thousands of California women who get diagnosed each year. That’s the prognosis by a UCLA research team that cited three main roadblocks: uneven insurance coverage, time limits on treatment programs and language/cultural barriers. (Buck, 1/12)
Atlanta Journal Constitution:
Kaiser Permanente Opens New Gwinnett Call Center, Vows 800 Jobs
Kaiser Permanente held an official grand opening Thursday morning for its new 185,000-square-foot call center in Gwinnett County. The health care giant has vowed that the facility off Duluth’s Breckinridge Boulevard will create 800 new jobs by 2020. Nearly 300 new employees have already been hired, officials said in a news release. (Estep, 1/12)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Milwaukee Startup Makes Health Care More Efficient
Access HealthNet, a Milwaukee startup founded in 2014, has developed a service to counter those flaws and potentially save employers as well as employees thousands of dollars from a single episode of care. The service, which is layered over an employer’s existing health plan, doesn’t limit the choice of hospitals or doctors. Employees and family members still can go to anyone within the health plan’s network. (Boulton, 1/12)
California Healthline:
California Aims To Boost Worker Safety, One Nail Salon At A Time
What stands out upon entering Mai Dang’s nail salon, located on a busy street in Berkeley, Calif., is what’s missing — the stinging smell of nail products. That wasn’t always the case. For a decade, Dang suffered from the effects of the chemicals she used at work every day. “When you do nails, workers get itchy skin and watery eyes,” said Dang, 40. She also used to have frequent headaches, and one of her workers developed asthma. So when she heard about an opportunity to improve the safety at her salon, she signed up. (Gold, 1/13)
Cincinnati Enquirer:
TriHealth, Xavier Unveil Plans For Fitness And Recreation Center
TriHealth and Xavier University, two of Greater Cincinnati’s leading health and educational institutions with a long relationship with each other, pledged Thursday to a broad, sweeping experiment to improve the health of a college campus. Beacon Orthopedic, a major regional private medical practice that provides medical services to XU athletics, will join the effort, officials announced at a news conference at the Cintas Center. (Saker, 1/12)
Columbus Dispatch:
Medical Residents Act As First-Responders To Experience Cold-Water Rescues
Floating in bright orange cold-water suits on Thursday were two medical residents acting out the part of victims who had fallen into the cold water. The water drill was part of a simulation put on by the fire department and OhioHealth to help doctors understand what patients and emergency responders go through before they reach the doors of an emergency department. (Viviano, 1/13)
The Star Tribune:
Case Of Tuberculosis Found At St. Louis Park High School
St. Louis Park High School will screen students and staff for tuberculosis after someone at the school tested positive for the disease. The St. Louis Park School District mailed letters notifying families Wednesday about whether the Hennepin County Department of Health recommends their student be tested. The district was first alerted in late November when the Health Department found that an individual at the high school had active tuberculosis. (Dupuy, 1/12)
Atlanta Journal Constitution:
Medical Marijuana In Georgia: Bill Could Expand State Program
Georgia voters would decide whether medical marijuana could be grown and sold in-state, under legislation filed Thursday in the state House. House Resolution 36 is a long shot, but offers a glimpse of what advocates say is the best solution for hurdles faced by hundreds of families already legally allowed to possess a limited form of medical marijuana in Georgia. (Torres, 1/12)