State Highlights: Texas Gov. Perry Touts Tort Reform; Calif. Lawmakers Want To Pass 100 Bills Per Day
A selection of health policy stories from Texas and California.
The Texas Tribune/Kaiser Health News: Texas Outbreaks Make A Case For Vaccinations
A measles outbreak in a vaccination-wary North Texas megachurch and soaring rates of whooping cough across the state are drawing renewed calls for immunization legislation, which some lawmakers and medical professionals argue would help the state prevent public health crises (Aaronson, 9/10).
The Associated Press: Perry Touts Effects Of Tort Reform On Doctors
Gov. Rick Perry chose a South Texas county that he said had been at the epicenter of the medical malpractice lawsuit "crisis" to commemorate the 10th anniversary of legislation capping how much juries could award plaintiffs. Speaking at the doctor-owned Doctors Hospital at Renaissance on Monday, Perry said the changes, commonly known as tort reform, expanded access to health care and made Texas an attractive destination for physicians (Sherman, 9/9).
California Healthline: Lawmakers Shooting For 100 Bills A Day
The Senate last week passed a bill to require coverage of fertility therapy for younger cancer patients, one of several health-related bills sent to the governor. Friday's floor votes were just a preamble to the work in the Legislature coming up this week, according to Sen. Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento). The Senate President pro Tem said lawmakers will have about 500 bills to pass before the current session ends Friday. "That means we have to go through about 100 bills a day, on average," Steinberg said. "We've done that and more in a day” (Gorn, 9/9).
