Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: Worried About Homelessness In Big Cities, Boise Court Case Would Test 'Policing'; Georgia Waits For Public To Comment On Plans To Overhaul Health Care
The New York Times: How Far Can Cities Go To Police The Homeless? Boise Tests The Limit
During a recent mayoral debate at a Boise homeless shelter, after disposing of icebreakers like the candidates’ favorite Metallica album, the moderator turned to something more contentious: a decade-old lawsuit, now a step away from the Supreme Court. The case, Boise v. Martin, is examining whether it’s a crime for someone to sleep outside when they have nowhere else to go. The suit arose when a half-dozen homeless people claimed that local rules prohibiting camping on public property violated the Eighth Amendment protection against cruel and unusual punishment. (Dougherty, 12/3)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Public Comment Period Nearly Over For Major Health Care Proposals For Georgia
Gov. Brian Kemp’s health care plans are within weeks of going to the Trump administration for federal review. Opponents have already scheduled a press conference for Tuesday at the Georgia Capitol to voice their scorn. Supporters have posted praise on social media. Analysts across the country have weighed in with published opinions. And for one more day, ordinary Georgians can comment, too. (Hart, 12/2)
The New York Times: The Rapper T.I.’s Remarks Lead To N.Y. Plan To Ban ‘Virginity Tests’
State lawmakers are considering banning doctors from performing so-called virginity testing, after widespread backlash followed the rapper T.I.’s recent disclosure that he takes his daughter to see a gynecologist every year to ensure that her hymen is still intact. His comments last month sparked a national conversation around a procedure that scientists have long denounced as bogus and unsupported by evidence, as well as a violation of a woman’s rights. (Ferre-Sadurni, 12/3)
Colorado Sun: To Boost Low Measles Vaccination Rates, Public Health Agencies Are Targeting Colorado’s Biggest Counties
Public health officials in five of Colorado’s most populous counties are trying to make a dent in the state’s low measles vaccination rate, targeting parents of kindergarteners as they warn rates are too low to prevent an outbreak. (Brown, 12/2)
Modern Healthcare: Centene To Sell Illinois Plan To CVS Health
Health insurer Centene Corp. announced plans on Monday to sell its Illinois health plan subsidiary to CVS Health to help secure state approval for its proposed merger with WellCare Health Plans. Centene said its sale of IlliniCare Health Plan includes Medicaid and Medicare Advantage, but Centene will keep its Medicare-Medicaid Alignment Initiative business and a statewide foster-care contract set to begin in February. (Livingston, 12/2)
Los Angeles Times: Peter Lynn, L.A. Homeless Agency Leader, To Step Down
In a major change for the team tasked with addressing rising homelessness in the region, Peter Lynn announced Monday that he is stepping down as head of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. Chief Program Officer Heidi Marston will fill in as interim director during a national search for a replacement when Lynn officially leaves at the end of this month. (Smith and Oreskes, 12/2)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: In Georgia, Food Stamp Use And Prices Highest In Rural Areas
Rural Georgians are more likely to need the help of food stamps to pay for their groceries, but that public help probably doesn’t stretch as far as it does in places such as Atlanta because of higher food prices in small-town stores. Poor, rural Georgians pay more for fresh lettuce, macaroni and cheese, and other foods in part because there is so little competition for their business, according to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution review. (Prabhu, 11/27)
Miami Herald: Proposed Class Action Moves Forward Against HCA Florida
One of the largest for-profit hospital chains in Florida is accused of charging patients who received care in its affiliated emergency rooms undisclosed “surcharge” fees that can total thousands of dollars, according to a lawsuit claiming the billing practice is “unfair, deceptive and unlawful.” The lawsuit was filed earlier this year in the Southern District of Florida against HCA Healthcare Inc., which does business as HCA Florida in hospitals across the state. (Conarck, 12/3)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Armor Correctional Faces Criminal Trial In Milwaukee County Jail Death
The company that formerly provided medical services at the Milwaukee County Jail has lost its appeal and could now face trial on criminal charges in the dehydration death of an inmate in 2016. Armor Correctional Health Services Inc. is charged with seven misdemeanor counts of intentionally falsifying a health care record and a felony count of abuse of residents of a penal facility. (Vielmetti, 12/2)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Winnebago Mental Health Institute Faces Dozens Of Staff Vacancies
Two years after a patient death brought a flood of attention, state inspectors have left Winnebago Mental Health Institute in Oshkosh, but staff shortages have gotten worse. At the state's only facility required to accept anyone having a mental health crisis, the staff has been forced to work significant overtime while officials address safety hazards and gaps in care. The facility draws patients from every county in Wisconsin. (Linnane, 12/2)
Tampa Bay Times: Florida Workers Rank Near The Top In How Much They Pay For Health Insurance
Workers are spending a larger chunk of their paychecks on health insurance, and Floridians are some of the worst off. For years, the cost of insurance has outstripped incomes and the trend continues, according to a recent study from the Commonwealth Fund, a nonprofit that advocates for improvements to the health care system. In 2008, the average employee in the country paid 7.9 percent of the median household for health insurance. Last year, the number reached 11.5 percent. (Brink, 12/3)
Cleveland Plain Dealer: Divided Cuyahoga County Council Rejects Possibly Less Costly Alternative To Tax Increase For Health And Human Services
Cuyahoga County Council voted 7-3 on Monday to reject a possibly less costly alternative to a proposed $35 million tax increase to support health and human services in the county. The alternative, proposed by Councilman Jack Schron, would have placed two tax issues on the county’s March ballot that collectively would have raised an extra $35 million, but would have given voters the option of approving only one tax to raise an extra $11 million. (Astolfi, 12/2)
The Star Tribune: State DHS Leader Lays Out Plan To Rebuild Trust In Troubled Agency
A senior official from the Walz administration acknowledged Monday that the state Department of Human Services (DHS) has been "soft around the edges" for 10 to 20 years, but denied that the agency is in "free fall." In her most comprehensive remarks since taking over the huge agency in September, Commissioner Jodi Harpstead acknowledged the financial and personnel missteps that have produced repeated embarrassments since early summer. But she also said the agency, which runs an $18.5 billion budget and serves more than 1 million Minnesotans, is facing up to its challenges. (Howatt and Serres, 12/2)
Georgia Health News: Fighting The Doctor Shortage In Rural Georgia
A recently released state report shows some gains in the number of such primary care physicians in the state. But major doctor shortages still exist in rural Georgia, according to the report from Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce. Nine of the state’s 159 counties have no physician at all. Each is in a rural area of the state. (Miller, 12/2)
CNN: Deadly Mold Infestation Spurs Class-Action Lawsuit Against Seattle Children's Hospital
Seattle Children's Hospital knew for years that a mold infestation in its facilities could be related to its air-handling system, but "engaged in a cover-up" that sickened many patients and resulted in the deaths of six children, according to a class-action lawsuit filed Monday. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of patients who sought treatment at the hospital and became infected by mold. It claims that Seattle Children's knew since at least 2005 when a family sued the hospital that Aspergillus mold, which is especially dangerous to those with an already weakened immune system, could be transmitted through its air-handling system. (Holcombe, 12/3)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: After Shelter Closed, Atlanta's Homeless Hypothermia Deaths Shot Up
At least 18 homeless people died from hypothermia since Atlanta’s infamous homeless shelter known as Peachtree-Pine officially closed in August 2017, according to an internal city report.Fourteen of those deaths occurred in the 2018 calendar year. (Deere, 12/2)
