Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Treasury Secretary Accuses Blue States Of Poor Healthcare Fraud Prevention
The Hill: Scott Bessent: Fraud Prevention 'Loosest' In Blue States
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent accused Democratic-led states Friday of having poor fraud prevention mechanisms while at a Minnesota press conference. The state has been at the center of a healthcare fraud scandal for much of this year after the Justice Department indicted more than a dozen people on accusations of defrauding taxpayers, using funds for improper billing and childcare fraud, among other allegations. (McCracken, 10/30)
Other Medicaid news from Georgia, California, and Wyoming —
KFF Health News: Georgia Helped Inspire The Medicaid Work Rules. Its Own Rules Could Soon End
After years of searching for affordable health insurance, Trey Wright discovered Georgia Pathways to Coverage. The state’s limited Medicaid expansion program allowed the 27-year-old living in the rural city of Jesup in southeastern Georgia to finally visit a primary care doctor regularly. It also covered weekly shots to manage an array of allergies, saving him more than $1,700 a year in out-of-pocket costs, he said. (Lumpkins and Whitehead, 11/2)
KFF Health News: A GOP Congressman Backed Medicaid Work Requirements. His Voters Might Be Exempt
When U.S. Rep. David Valadao defended voting for a bill aimed at reducing Medicare spending by billions, the Republican noted his role in securing a key provision that will require some adult beneficiaries to work — a mandate he called “not an unreasonable ask.” But the voters in his California Central Valley district, home to one of the most competitive House races in the nation, might get a pass from the Medicaid work rules in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law last summer. (Fortiér, 11/2)
Wyoming Public Radio: More States Are Reimbursing Doulas Through Medicaid. But Not Wyoming
Doulas can be a lifeline for new moms, but the emotional and physical support they provide is often not covered by insurance. While many states have made doula care more accessible, Wyoming has yet to get on board. (Merzbach, 10/30)
More health news from across the U.S. —
The New York Times: Halloween Shootings Leave At Least 24 Dead And 94 Wounded Nationwide
Experts on violence say Halloween is one of the most dangerous days of the year. (Mokan, Jiménez and Gee, 11/1)
The Baltimore Sun: Baltimore Board To Take Up $19M In Health Contracts, Some 2 Years Old
More than $19 million in emergency health service procurements — some involving contracts dating back to 2023 — will come before Baltimore’s Board of Estimates on Wednesday, with no item scheduled for public discussion. (Pryce, 11/2)
Verite News New Orleans: Sewerage & Water Board Still Doesn’t Do Enough To Protect New Orleans From Toxic Lead Exposure: Report, Advocates
Nearly a decade after the New Orleans Office of the Inspector General found that the city’s Sewerage & Water Board failed to notify residents of the risk of toxic lead exposure through drinking water, a new report shows the utility neglected to implement several recommendations to protect public health. The 2017 report by former Inspector General Edouard Quatrevaux found thousands of New Orleans residents may have been unknowingly exposed to elevated levels of lead as the local agency replaced parts of its service lines. (Parker, 11/1)
Chicago Tribune: At Least 14 People Died In Cook County This Summer From Heat
At least 14 people have died in Cook County this summer from heat-related causes, with July marking the area’s deadliest month for heat-related deaths in more than a decade, according to data from the medical examiner’s office. Successive heat waves in late June and early-to-mid-July this year pushed the heat index, a combination of temperature and humidity, above 100 degrees for several days. (Perez, 11/1)
North Carolina Health News: As Mental Health Needs Grow In NC Prisons, State Leaders Look To Improve Care After Release
More than one-quarter of North Carolina’s state prison population — just over 9,000 people — has a mental health diagnosis requiring treatment. The percentage of the prison population on the mental health caseload has more than doubled since 2014, from 12 percent to 26.9 percent now, according to N.C. Department of Adult Correction data. (Crumpler, 11/2)
The New York Times: He Was A Rising Star At West Point. Then He Got His Girlfriend Pregnant.
Caleb Suh, a former West Point cadet and current Columbia student, pleaded guilty in June to forcing an abortion on another cadet in 2022. His ex-girlfriend is now suing him for assault and battery. (Nerkar and Meko, 10/31)
