Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Newsom Signs Package Of Gun Control Bills Into California Law
CalMatters: Gavin Newsom Signs 10 New CA Gun Control Laws
Have a gun? You’re going to need to take another safety class after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a package of bills Saturday that are a boon to gun control advocates and anathema to Second Amendment groups. (Zinshteyn, 9/27)
Bloomberg: Billionaire Tax Is Dividing California Healthcare System It's Designed To Help
A proposal to tax California’s billionaires has fractured Democratic politics, repelled some of the state’s richest residents and exploded into a costly battle that’s overshadowing even the gubernatorial election. Known as Proposition 40, the ballot measure is also dividing the very industry it’s supposed to help. The healthcare-workers union behind the initiative, which would authorize a wealth tax on billionaires, says the levy would raise sorely needed funds to shore up health coverage. (Clanton, 9/25)
More news from across the U.S. —
AP: States Tell Patients To Prove They're Too Sick For Medicaid Work Requirement
Work requirements for some Medicaid beneficiaries begin across the U.S. in January, the result of President Donald Trump’s big 2025 tax cut and policy law, and a handful of Republican-led states are imposing tougher rules than the law requires. At issue is how someone can prove they are too medically frail to work. While federal regulations say the state can take the recipient’s word for it for the first year, at least six states are requiring documentation immediately. There is a continuing push in other states to follow suit eventually. (Mulvihill, 9/26)
Maryland Matters: Maryland Health Insurance Premiums To Rise 14.6% In 2027
Marylanders who buy individual health insurance through the state marketplace will face a second consecutive year of double-digit premium increases after regulators approved an average 14.6% increase for 2027. (Brown, 9/27)
WGCU: Hendry County, Fla., Schools Launch Employee Clinics To Lower Health Costs
School district employee health clinics have grown steadily as they turn to on-site or dedicated direct primary care models to combat surging healthcare and self-funded insurance claims. And rural Hendry County is about to join the fold. Employees on the district's self-funded insurance plan could have little to no out-of-pocket expenses for medical care and prescriptions as of Oct. 1. (Kelley, 9/27)
ProPublica: Two Years After Hurricane Helene Hit North Carolina, People Are Still Living In Harm’s Way
This past weekend marked the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene, which claimed more than 250 lives — 108 in North Carolina — and left hundreds of thousands of people without power for days to weeks. In Asheville, the largest city in the western part of the state, the storm left residents without drinking water for 53 days. (Larson, 9/28)
Chicago Tribune: Looming 7-OH Ban Has Illinois Providers Readying For More Patients
Many Illinois residents have likely never heard of 7-OH, even though a federal official has warned that the substance — often sold in tablet, liquid and gummy form in vape shops and convenience stores — could drive the next wave of the opioid epidemic. (Schencker, 9/27)
ProPublica: StayCon Marijuana Company Recalls Dozens Of Contaminated Products
A Colorado manufacturer of a popular brand of marijuana vapes warned dispensaries last week that it is recalling products due to contamination by methylene chloride, a chemical the Environmental Protection Agency has sought to ban for most uses because it can cause cancer. The recall comes amid a protracted delay in state implementation of expanded testing procedures that would have detected methylene chloride and other solvents that pose health risks. (Osher, 9/25)
The Marshall Project: Will Texas Ruling Actually Ease Prison Heat?
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice has spent millions of dollars to address “excessive moisture and heat buildup” in its facilities, noting that “great care must be taken to maintain a comfortable environment.” For chickens. (Lartey, 9/26)
Also —
AP: Dance Program Helps Dancers With Down Syndrome Connect
Finn Vester, who has autism and Down syndrome, tried a martial arts class but it proved unsuitable because he learns differently, his mother said. Then he joined Dance Abilities, a program at Academy of Dance Arts in the Indianapolis suburb of Fishers for people with physical or intellectual disabilities. Now dance has become his way to communicate and connect with others, his mom, Nicole Vester, said. (Lamy and Gruver, 9/28)
