State Highlights: W.Va. Lawmakers OK 20-Week Abortion Ban; Federal Immigration Changes Don’t Fix State Health Issues
A selection of health policy stories from West Virginia, Virginia, Missouri, California, North Carolina and Minnesota.
Los Angeles Times:
West Virginia Lawmakers Pass 20-Week Abortion Ban
West Virginia's state Senate has approved an abortion ban at 20 weeks' pregnancy, as the state House of Delegates did earlier, and by hefty margins likely to withstand a possible veto. Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, a Democrat, vetoed a similar measure last year, when his fellow Democrats controlled the state Senate and the House of Delegates. Lawmakers had adjourned and could not try to override it. (Pearce, 2/26)
Stateline:
Immigration Changes Wouldn't Solve Health Issues
President Barack Obama’s controversial executive action on immigration has highlighted a thorny health care issue for states: Potentially millions of immigrants could legally stay here and work, but still lack health insurance. Unauthorized immigrants have limited access to health care coverage, and the president’s action likely will make them ineligible for most Medicaid services and bar them from purchasing insurance on the federal and state exchanges created under the Affordable Care Act. (Henderson, 2/26)
The Washington Post:
With Time To Spare, Va. Lawmakers Finish Work On Proposed Budget
The proposed budget rejects McAuliffe’s call for Medicaid expansion, increasing certain business taxes by $11.7 million and closing tax loopholes for the coal industry. But it provides the millions the Democrat had sought to spur economic development and expand mental-health services and school breakfast programs. It includes raises for teachers and state employees and restores half of the $60 million in aid to localities cut during a special session late last year when revenue projections looked particularly bleak. (Vozzella, 2/26)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Missouri Lawmakers Eye Earlier Health Insurance Rate Disclosure
Missouri lawmakers want consumers to learn about health insurance prices at least a month before enrollment begins. But that effort could serve as a catalyst for a larger debate about health plan price transparency in the state. (Shapiro, 2/26)
Los Angeles Times:
Q&A: What's Next For Prime Healthcare, Daughters Of Charity Hospitals
Six struggling Catholics hospital in California are up for sale, and their future is in the hands of a fast-growing hospital chain based in the Inland Empire. Prime Healthcare Services Inc., a for-profit company with headquarters in Ontario, has offered to buy the financially struggling Daughters of Charity Health System for about $843 million. On Feb. 20, California Atty. Gen. Kamala D. Harris approved the sale -- with several key conditions. She said Prime Healthcare must keep all of the hospitals open for 10 years, while offering the same services and providing the same amount of charity care for indigent patients as Daughters of Charity has been offering. (Pfeifer, 2/26)
San Jose Mercury News:
Daughters Of Charity Health System Sues Union That Opposed Sale To Prime Healthcare
As a controversial Southern California hospital chain weighs state-imposed conditions on its proposed $843 million purchase of the Daughters of Charity Health System, Daughters is suing a handful of entities it says have interfered with the deal since last year. (Seipel, 2/26)
Charlotte Observer:
Carolinas HealthCare To Extend Benefits If Contract Talks Fail
As the end of its contract with UnitedHealthcare approaches, Carolinas HealthCare System said Thursday that “an agreement may not be reached by the deadline” Saturday. If that happens, hospital officials say they’ll continue to provide care for UnitedHealthcare patients – at least for the next two or three months – as if they were not out-of-network. (Garloch, 2/26)
Minnesota Public Radio:
Minnesota Dentists Seek More State Aid To Treat Low-Income Kids
Calling Minnesota's payment rates for pediatric dental care the lowest in the nation, a coalition of dental groups Thursday urged lawmakers to raise rates to the average among states. (Benson, 2/26)
California Healthline:
Plan To Integrate L.A. County Health Departments Moves Forward
A proposal to integrate the Departments of Public Health and Mental Health with the Department of Health Services in Los Angeles County has taken its first step toward reducing bureaucracy and improving efficiency, supporters say. (Stephens, 2/26)
North Carolina Health News:
The Health And Human Services Budgets Compared
Every year, we at N.C. Health News spend hours slogging through the text and the numbers to make the year’s budget more discernible to the lay reader. This spreadsheet details how parts of the Department of Health and Human Services budget changed between passage of the Senate budget at the end of May and the House budget on June 13 and the final bill passed on Aug 2. (Hoban, Singh and Namkoong, 2/26)
