State Highlights: ‘No Party’ Candidate Running For Calif. Insurance Commission; Milwaukee Mayor Disputes Official’s Comment On Vaccines, Autism

Los Angeles Times: He Once Held The Job As A Republican, But Now Steve Poizner Is Making A No-Party Bid For California Insurance Commissioner
Eight years after losing a bitter Republican primary for governor and stepping away from California's political scene, Steve Poizner said Monday that he will run again for the elected office he gave up in that contest — state insurance commissioner. This time, he won't run as a Republican. (Myers, 2/12)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee Mayor Disputes Health Chief's Comments On Vaccines, Autism
Mayor Tom Barrett is disputing recent comments from Milwaukee's new top health official about a possible link between some vaccines and autism. ...Barrett's comments, made at a news conference about flu risks, came in response to interim Health Commissioner Patricia McManus telling a radio audience last week that "the science is still out" on whether there's a link between some vaccines and autism. (Spicuzza and Garza, 2/12)

Wyoming Public Radio: Wyoming Department Of Health Releases New Healthcare App
The Wyoming Department of Health recently rolled out a new mobile phone app intended to provide health tracking and management tools to families across Wyoming. The app’s features include height and weight trackers, as well as feeding and growth trackers for pregnant moms and newborns. By entering their zip code, residents can also access local resources. (Eagan, 2/13)

Arizona Republic: Arizona Bill Would Speed Up Adoptions, Cut Off Parents
A bill that passed a Senate committee last week would cut off parental rights more quickly, deny services that might help parents address their addiction or other problems, and open a quicker path to adoption. Proponents say the legislation is a way to protect the rights of children, particularly the very young. (Pitzi, 2/12)

The Baltimore Sun: New President Appointed To Lead Baltimore Hospital Where Woman Was Put Outside In Gown 
The University of Maryland Medical Center is moving to tighten control of its Midtown Campus, a month after a patient there was found outside the emergency room in frigid temperatures wearing just a gown. Video of hospital staff putting the 22-year-old woman out went viral, stoking national outrage and sparking discussion of the practice known as patient dumping. (McDaniels, 2/12)

Kaiser Health News: California Joins States That Would Evict Veterans Who Seek Aid-In-Dying Option
California voters passed a law two years ago that allows terminally ill people to take lethal drugs to end their lives, but controversy is growing over a newer rule that effectively bans that option in the state’s eight veterans’ homes. Proponents of medical aid-in-dying and residents of the Veterans Home of California-Yountville — the largest in the nation — are protesting a regulation passed last year by the California Department of Veterans Affairs, or CalVet, that requires that anyone living in the facilities must be discharged if they intend to use the law. (Aleccia, 2/13)

Houston Chronicle: Tear Gas, Pepper Spray Use Up In Texas Prisons, Including On Suicidal Inmates
As violence behind bars continues to rise, Texas prisons over the past 10 years have seen a 71 percent increase in the use of chemical agents on inmates, often those attempting suicide or self-harm. The shift comes amid an increase in the number of violent offenders and a growing mentally ill population - factors that prison officials and officers cite in explaining the growing reliance on tools like pepper spray and tear gas. (Blakinger, 2/12)

Arizona Republic: Arizona Legislator Kills Bill To Give Inmates Free Pads, Tampons
Women are sending tampons and pads to an Arizona legislator to pressure him into moving forward a bill that would provide a free, unlimited supply of feminine hygiene products to women in Arizona's state prison. Currently, incarcerated women automatically get 12 free generic-brand pads each month. (White, 2/12)

Detroit Free Press: Former Execs Accuse Centria Healthcare Of Fraud, Forgery, Violations
Michigan’s largest autism therapy provider is accused of running a Medicaid fraud scheme targeting poor and minority communities, particularly in metro Detroit, according to former senior executives. Former employees of Centria Healthcare, who now find themselves defendants in a defamation lawsuit filed by the company, claim the business has engaged in billing fraud, violating patient privacy, forgery, falsifying reports and employing unqualified people in an effort to boost profits, according to court filings, documents reviewed, and interviews conducted during a three-month Free Press investigation.  (Rochester, Wisely and Anderson, 2/12)

The Star Tribune: Judge Allows UnitedHealth Medicare Fraud Case To Proceed 
A whistleblower case alleging that Minnetonka-based UnitedHealth Group defrauded the federal Medicare program can move forward, a federal judge ruled Monday, although the decision narrowed the set of claims that the government might pursue. The ruling came in a case brought by a former UnitedHealth Group employee in Minnesota alleging the company submitted false information about patient conditions to collect higher payments. (Snowbeck, 2/12)

Kaiser Health News: Maryland Offers Many Insured Men Free Vasectomy Coverage
It was a well-intentioned effort to provide men with some of the same financial protection from birth control costs that women get. But a new Maryland law may jeopardize the ability of thousands of consumers — both men and women — to use health savings accounts. The law, which took effect Jan. 1, mandates that insurers cover vasectomies without requiring patients to pay anything out-of-pocket — just as they must do for more than a dozen birth control methods for women. (Andrews, 2/13)