Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
DC Jail Inmates Say Gross Items In Food Are Affecting Their Mental, Physical Health
The Washington Post: Inmates Describe Eating Mice And Bugs In Food Served At Aging D.C. Jail
Kevin Condray recalls feeling an unexpected crunch as he bit into a spoonful of rice and beans. In a sliver of light in his dim cell in the D.C. jail, as he tells it, he examined the wad he had just spit out of his mouth and saw a dead baby mouse. (Scott and Solano, 10/15)
More news from the District of Columbia —
The Washington Post: Teachers And Kids Carried In A ‘Human Elevator’ Amid Disrepair At D.C. Schools
They called it “Operation Human Elevator.” When an elevator broke down at Cleveland Elementary last school year, staff mobilized to find three colleagues to carry Carolyn Diaz up and down the stairs so the ESL teacher, who uses a wheelchair, could reach her students. The improvised accommodation went on for weeks until the elevator was repaired, Diaz recently told the D.C. Council. “A functioning elevator in a four-level public school is not a luxury. It is essential infrastructure,” Diaz said at a city hearing last week. (Hernandez and Flynn, 10/15)
Medicare and Medicaid news from Maryland, Minnesota, and Iowa—
Maryland Matters: Moore Backs Tying Maryland Drug Costs To Medicare Prices
Gov. Wes Moore offered his support for proposed legislation that would allow the state to more quickly reduce the price of some expensive drugs for non-Medicare recipients by piggybacking on the federally negotiated price limits under Medicare. And at a news conference Wednesday announcing the legislation, he promised to sign the bill, assuming it survives the 2027 legislative session. The current odds look promising. (Brown, 10/15)
MPR News: As Medicare Advantage Plans Disappear Across Minnesota, Seniors Face Difficult Choices
Daren Wysocki received a letter last week from Eagan-based Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota. The heading was blunt: “Important notice: Your Medicare plan won't be offered in 2027.” The letter also outlined his options, including purchasing supplemental insurance or enrolling in another Medicare plan. (Zurek, 10/16)
Iowa Public Radio: Iowa Health Agencies Provide Resources As Refugees Lose Medicaid Coverage
Local support groups in Iowa estimate that nearly 2,000 refugees are feeling the impact of new eligibility rules for Medicaid that took effect early October. The requirements restrict refugees without a green card from being eligible for coverage. (Curran, 10/15)
From Oregon, Wyoming, and Texas —
Oregon Universal Healthcare News: Is It A Tax? Oregon Universal Healthcare Board Seeks To Avoid The 'T' Word.
The Oregon panel working to craft a universal health care proposal for the state has bumped up against a thorny issue: what to call the payments that Oregonians will have to make to fund the plan. (Hawryluk, 10/15)
Wyoming Public Radio: Wyoming First Lady’s Hunger Initiative Plans For The Future
Wyoming First Lady Jennie Gordon plans to continue working on her signature program, the Wyoming Hunger Initiative, after her husband leaves the governor’s office. The food security program provides grants to feed people in Wyoming communities and helps get locally grown fruits, veggies and beef into the bellies of Wyomingites. (Edwards, 10/15)
The New York Times: For Texas Schoolchildren, Minor Misbehavior Can Mean Criminal Charges
Over the past decade, school districts across Texas have sought to make classrooms safer by swelling the number of police officers on campuses and taking a tougher stance on misbehavior. But the crackdown has had an unexpected consequence: sweeping tens of thousands of elementary students and middle schoolers into the justice system. ... Most of the students were accused of minor offenses, like making threats, using cannabis vapes or lashing out at classmates or teachers, the analysis found. Few caused serious physical harm. (Hernandez, Lehrer-Small, Amari and Cima, 10/15)
From Missouri, Illinois, Ohio, North Carolina, New York, Massachusetts, and Florida —
KCUR: Missouri's Midwife Rules Are So Strict, They're Pushing Providers And Patients Across State Lines
Lindsey Wilson spent years as a certified nurse-midwife in rural Missouri in the mid-2010s but, after moving away from the area and back again, Wilson chose to practice in Kansas because laws restricting the services she could offer proved too burdensome. (Taborda, 10/15)
Lake County News-Sun: Troubled Vista Medical Center Loses Fifth CEO In Three Years
Daisy Rodriguez became the fifth CEO to leave Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan over the past three years, stepping down on Oct. 6, but she says she remains committed as a consultant to helping the hospital climb out of its difficult financial situation. (Sadin, 10/15)
The Marshall Project: Cuyahoga County Jail Struggles To Implement New CPR Policy
The Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department quietly changed its employee handbook earlier this year to require corrections officers to administer CPR in serious medical emergencies — so quietly that many jail staff remain unaware of the change months later. (Livingston and Hailer, 10/15)
The Assembly NC: Staff Cite Supply, Maintenance, And Paycheck Issues At Randolph Hospital
Employees at Asheboro’s only hospital say conditions are deteriorating under its private equity-trained owner. (Still, 10/15)
North Carolina Health News: Three Housing Pilots Offer NC Blueprints For Adults With Disabilities
When John Pendzich, 27, moved out of a group home for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and into his studio apartment in downtown Raleigh, his life opened up. (Knopf, 10/16)
AP: FIT Student Was Raped, Died After Being Given Fentanyl, Prosecutors Say
A man raped a student at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology after giving her fentanyl that left her unconscious and ultimately killed her, federal prosecutors said Thursday. The student’s friend also took the drug and nearly died. Moises Freire, 19, of the Bronx, was charged with participating in a fentanyl distribution conspiracy and distributing a deadly drug with intent to commit rape. Brian Peralta Cabrera, 18, of Queens, was also charged in the drug conspiracy. (Sisak and Neumeister, 10/16)
The New York Times: Tim Janus, One Of The World’s Greatest Competitive Eaters, Has Died
Tim Janus, one of the world’s highest-ranked competitive eaters who, at various competitions, consumed four pounds of tiramisu in six minutes, 10.5 pounds of ramen in eight minutes, 71 tamales in eight minutes, 7.7 pounds of boneless Buffalo wings in 12 minutes and 141 pieces of nigiri in six minutes, died in Boston on Sept. 16. He was 49. He was diagnosed with an aggressive form of lung cancer in 2022, said his sister, Tess McNair. (Risen, 10/14)
The Washington Post: Matt Gaetz Accused Of Sex Trafficking Young Women, Lawsuit Says
Two women are accusing former congressman Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) and two other men of involvement in a sex trafficking scheme involving recent high school graduates and drugs, according to a federal lawsuit filed Thursday. The plaintiffs, identified as Jane Does 1 and 2, allege that Gaetz and former Seminole County, Florida, tax collector Joel Micah Greenberg coordinated “recruitment, payments, drugs, and travel” to obtain “commercial sexual acts” from young women. The lawsuit also accuses former Florida state representative Chris Dorworth (R) of having “knowingly participated in these events” by making his home available for them. (Westfall, 10/15)
