State Highlights: Paramedic-Coverage Bill Advances In N.J. Legislature; Mass. Home Care Workers Say Company Is Thwarting Union Efforts

The Philadelphia Inquirer: N.J. Bills Would Give Cooper Control Of Camden's Paramedic Services
South Jersey Democrats are fast-tracking a bill that would give Cooper University Hospital control over paramedic services in Camden, currently run by a rival hospital, in a move that critics say circumvents state regulations. Committees in the Assembly and Senate on Monday each advanced the legislation, sponsored by two Camden County Democrats, Assemblyman Gilbert "Whip" Wilson and Sen. Nilsa Cruz-Perez. (Seidman, 6/16)

NJ Spotlight: Cooper Scores First-Round Victory On EMS Legislation, But Key Senator Slams Plan
A paramedic-coverage bill sought by Cooper University Health Care advanced in Trenton yesterday, but not before the chairman of the Senate Health, Human Services, and Senior Citizens Committee questioned its impact and described it as a dangerous approach to health policy. The bill, S-2980/A-4526, would give Cooper the authority to operate Camden’s paramedic services, taking them away from rival Virtua Health. Committees in both the state Assembly and state Senate released the legislation, but Sen. Joseph F. Vitale (D-Middlesex) said was “not a good bill.” (Kitchenman, 6/16)

The Boston Globe: Home Care Workers Say Company Thwarting Union Efforts
A group of Boston home care workers say their company is trying to thwart their attempts to unionize, forcing them to cancel appointments with elderly clients to attend anti-union meetings, even promising $1,000 bonuses for some if they keep workers from organizing. ... Following an organizing campaign by the local health care workers union 1199 SEIU, Boston caregivers are holding a mail-in union vote this week overseen by the National Labor Relations Board. (Johnston, 6/17)

The Associated Press: Arizona Doctors Won't Have To Say Abortions Can Be Reversed
Arizona's attorney general won't enforce a disputed section of a new law requiring abortion providers to tell women they can reverse drug-induced abortions until the matter can be sorted in court. The decision made public Tuesday comes as the state prepares to defend itself in a lawsuit filed by abortion providers. Critics have said there's no science that shows drug-induced abortions can be reversed, and abortion providers argue it's unconstitutional to require doctors to say something that goes against their medical judgment. (6/16)

The Associated Press: State To Create New Office Of American Indian Health
Gov. Steve Bullock signed an executive order Tuesday to establish a state Office of American Indian Health, saying the current health care system in Indian Country limits access to preventative care and quality health care services and providers. He said the new office will address vast health disparities between American Indians and non-Indians in the state. A study done by the Department of Health and Human Services in 2013 shows that the average life expectancy for American Indians in Montana is 20 years shorter than for non-Indians. (Baumann, 6/16)

The Sacramento Bee: Sacramento County Approves Health Care For Undocumented Immigrants
Sacramento County supervisors on Tuesday approved health care for undocumented immigrants and other new social service programs as part of the county budget for the fiscal year starting July 1. ... Board chair Phil Serna called the budget historic, a term advocates and other county officials used to describe the county’s investment in new programs. Sacramento was one of a handful of counties in the state that once provided health care to undocumented immigrants, all of which stopped during the recession, Serna said. Sacramento County appears to be the first in California to restore its health care for undocumented immigrants. (Branan, 6/16)

The Associated Press: Miami Home Health Company To Pay $17M In Medicare Scam
A Miami home health company has agreed to pay $17 million for allegedly paying doctors to refer Medicare patients. Department of Justice officials said Tuesday that the settlement with Hebrew Homes Health Network Inc. is the largest involving alleged violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute by skilled nursing facilities in the United States. (6/16)

The Detroit Free Press: Is Your Boss Passing Health Care Costs On To You?
The rise in health care costs is beginning to slow for some southeast Michigan businesses. But not because health care is getting less expensive. A new employer survey shows that businesses and government employers are dealing with the growing expense of employee health care by passing more of the costs on to workers and introducing high-deductible insurance plans. (Reindl, 6/16)

Cincinnati Enquirer: New St. E Clinic To Treat Heroin Addicts With Meds
Northern Kentucky residents addicted to heroin will have a new avenue for help in about a month when St. Elizabeth Physicians opens a clinic offering intervention with medicine. The clinic, at 230 Thomas More Parkway in Crestview Hills, will be a pilot program for medication-assisted treatment for heroin addiction, to start. Gradually, it will encompass treatment of all opiate addiction and eventually, all substance-use disorder, said St. Elizabeth spokesman Guy Karrick. (DeMio, 6/16)

The Detroit Free Press: Murder-Suicide Underlines Strain Of Autism Care
The murder-suicide of a Melvindale father and his adult autistic son is unsettling but not exactly surprising, according to one expert, who says Michigan is facing an ongoing crisis in handling the vast number of people affected by the disorder. As autistic children age, it becomes increasingly difficult for many parents to handle their symptoms and behavior, said Colleen Allen, president and CEO of the Autism Alliance of Michigan. (Stafford, 6/16)

The Richmond Times Dispatch: C3 Nexus To Launch Study With Mayo Clinic
Richmond-based C3 Nexus will test its strategy to prevent hospital readmission in a study with the Mayo Clinic and the National Institutes of Health. C3 uses a heart monitor that tracks the blood pressure, heart beat and rhythm of heart failure and heart attack patients after they are discharged from the hospital. Nurses monitor the data, call and visit patients and try to catch potential problems before a patient winds up back in the hospital. (Geiger, 6/16)

The New York Times: John Kasich, Ohio’s Republican Rebel, Nears Run For President
The rebel tag is apt, but it may go only so far with conservatives. Mr. Kasich has expanded Medicaid under President Obama’s health care law, embraced the Common Core educational standards and said he was open to a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants — policies that he might have a hard time explaining to conservatives in Iowa. (Stolberg, 6/16)