Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
DC Shooting Suspect Was A Doctor With A Beef Against Condo's HOA, Metro Police Say
Becker's Hospital Review: DC Shooting Suspect Identified As Physician, Health Tech Executive
Matt Lambert, MD, a 55-year-old emergency medicine physician and longtime health technology executive, has been identified by police as the gunman who killed one person and wounded four others Nov. 12 in Washington, D.C. Jeffrey Carroll, the Metropolitan Police Department’s interim chief, said during a press conference that just before 8 a.m., officers responded to a report of a shooting at the Vida Fitness center at the 1500 block of 15th Street NW in the Logan Circle neighborhood. (Scheetz, 11/12)
On HIV and AIDS —
The Texas Tribune: CDC Eliminates $29 Million For HIV Prevention In Texas
The federal government has cut $29.2 million from Texas health organizations that test thousands of people for HIV directly in their communities, the latest in a series of public health funding cuts statewide. Texas was the nation’s largest beneficiary of PS21-2102 funding, with grant money going to 11 community-based organizations (CBOs), mostly in urban areas, over the last five years. (Draeger-Mazer, 11/12)
The Washington Post: San Francisco Approves First Gay Bathhouse Since AIDS Epidemic
San Fransisco had as many as 20 gay bathhouses at their peak in 1982. Today there are none, but that may change soon. (Kirkpatrick, 11/12)
On caring for people with disabilities —
The CT Mirror: Advocates Concerned Lamont May Revisit Cuts To Disability Services
Disability rights advocates gathered Thursday to call on the Lamont administration to safeguard funding for programs serving people with disabilities, including a critical one that makes it possible for people to receive care of their choosing in their own homes, known as Community First Choice. (Tillman, 11/12)
The 19th: Caregivers Of Disabled Children See A Lifeline In Democrats’ Midterm Wins
Yasmina Halim approached this year’s midterms with “a sense of dread.” On election night, the 44-year-old went to bed early after Republicans won the major statewide races in Florida, where she lives with her family. Her 13-year-old daughter, Lily, is dying from a neurodegenerative condition called juvenile Tay-Sachs disease, and Halim works full-time caring for her. That sense of dread stemmed from looming cuts to Medicaid, as well as attacks on the right to inclusion for people with disabilities like her daughter. (Luterman, 11/12)
The Washington Post: College Students With Disabilities May Soon Face Less Red Tape
Students with disabilities may soon have an easier transition from high school to college if federal lawmakers move bipartisan legislation that aims to remove barriers for one of the fastest-growing populations in higher education. This week, the Senate passed the Respond, Innovate, Succeed and Empower (RISE) Act, which lets college students use existing documentation from their K-12 schools — such as an individualized education program or a 504 plan — to qualify for accommodations, rather than undergo new diagnostic testing. (Douglas-Gabriel, 11/12)
More health news from across the U.S. —
The 19th: Texas Democrats Could Change Abortion Laws In The State
After capturing control of key leadership positions, Texas Democrats intend to push for a repeal of the state’s near-total abortion ban, which has been linked to the death of multiple women. (Luthra, 11/12)
Florida Phoenix: Florida Department Of Veterans Affairs Wants More Money For Veteran Nursing Homes
The Florida agency that helps aging American veterans in the state is asking for tens of millions in extra funding in the coming year from the Florida Legislature. The money is needed to help the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs staff and run veterans nursing homes around the state. The budget request suggests the agency is dealing with a growing population at its locations along with more extensive health care needs for veterans who reside in the homes. (Sexton, 11/12)
The Marshall Project: Ohio Lawmaker Calls For Monitors For Children In Treatment Centers
An Ohio lawmaker who has proposed giving the state greater authority to shut down troubled residential treatment centers for children says that kids locked away need access to a professional who is ready to report abuse and neglect to police and state regulators. (Hailer, 11/11)
North Carolina Health News: NC House Democrats Outline Health Care Priorities For 2027
For the first time in 15 years, Democrats are poised to control the North Carolina House of Representatives — a political shift that should reshape the state’s approach to health policy. (Fredde, 11/13)
Los Angeles Blade: West Hollywood Creates Registry For Polyamorous Relationships
The West Hollywood City Council voted unanimously on Nov. 2 to create a registry for those in “multi-partner domestic relationships.” The measure gives those in polyamorous relationships the same legal rights afforded to monogamous couples. Those include visitation rights in hospitals and jails in West Hollywood and certain tenant protections. (Kaufman, 11/11)
MPR News: Medicare Advantage Plans Differ By County. Now Minnesota Seniors Are Navigating Unexpected Cost Increases
Steve Myhro, 71, and his wife, Sarah, 68, moved from Rochester to Nisswa a year and a half ago to be closer to family. He is a retired history and government teacher and she is a professional violinist. But the couple's new life in Crow Wing County has brought an unexpected financial twist: changes to Medicare coverage that could increase their annual health insurance costs by thousands of dollars. (Zurek, 11/13)
KFF Health News: Medicaid Work Rules Don’t Apply To Native Americans. They Could Still Lose Coverage
Two months before the deadline to implement new Medicaid work requirements, states had yet to receive detailed guidance from federal health officials on how to exclude Native Americans from those rules, leading to a patchwork of eligibility checks that pose challenges for qualified enrollees trying to keep their health insurance. President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act excluded Native Americans from having to meet the work requirements to keep their Medicaid eligibility. (Jones, Houghton and Orozco Rodriguez, 11/13)
KFF Health News: Fed Up With The Healthcare Industry, This Red State Capped Insulin Prices For Patients
The Kritzberger family has farmed in the Red River Valley for more than a century. They once had livestock. Now they grow sugar beets, soybeans, and grains. Like many farmers, they labor to balance the books. “We’re in an incredible amount of debt,” Ang Kritzberger said as she walked the farm on a recent fall morning. For the past 10 years, the Kritzbergers have had another worry. Their daughter Nina has Type 1 diabetes. That’s landed the family in a national debate about how to protect patients from high insulin costs. (Levey, 11/13)
