Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Texas Leads US In Dementia Mortalities
Houston Chronicle: Dementia Burden: Texas Leads US In Mortality, Cognitive Decline, More
Texas has the greatest dementia burden score in the country, highlighting a lack of support received by loved ones of dementia patients, according to a report published by Seniorly Resource Center. According to the report, Texas averaged 41.9 deaths from Alzheimer’s per 100,000 people in 2021, with numbers expected to rise by 22.5 percent by 2025. (Holmes-Brown, 4/18)
In other health news from across the U.S. —
AP: States Restrict 'Tranq,' Animal Sedative Linked To Overdoses
States are increasingly looking to restrict access to a powerful animal tranquilizer showing up in supplies of illicit drugs and contributing to a growing number of human overdose deaths. Pennsylvania’s governor said Tuesday that his administration will add xylazine to the state’s list of controlled substances, tightening regulations on the drug and allowing authorities to charge people who violate those rules. (Levy, 4/18)
AP: Planning A Trip? Oregon's Magic Mushroom Experiment Advances
Oregon’s pioneering experiment with legalized magic mushrooms took a step closer to reality as the first “facilitators” who will accompany clients as they experience the drug received their state licenses, authorities said Tuesday. Voters approved the regulated use of psilocybin in a 2020 ballot measure, and anticipation has been building over the past 2 1/2 years for the day — expected to come later this year — when people can gain access to the drug that studies indicate has therapeutic value. (Selsky, 4/18)
Billings Gazette: Senate, House Both Sign Off On Gov's Amendments To Ban On Some Care For Trans Minors
On Tuesday the House joined the Senate in approving Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte's amendatory veto to a bill that would ban some gender-affirming care for transgender minors in Montana. The legislation is Senate Bill 99, from Sen. John Fuller, a Whitefish Republican. It passed through the House and Senate largely along party lines, with all its support coming from Republicans. A few GOP legislators, along with all Democrats, have opposed it. It's now heading back to Gianforte. (Michels, 4/18)
Des Moines Register: Groups Plead With Kim Reynolds To Veto Public Assistance Restrictions
A coalition of anti-hunger groups are urging Gov. Kim Reynolds to veto a bill that would subject Iowans to a new asset test to receive food benefits. Matt Unger, CEO of the Des Moines Area Religious Council, said his network of food pantries is already providing Iowans with record assistance. He believes Senate File 494 will make it more difficult for Iowans to receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. (Gruber-Miller, 4/18)
Anchorage Daily News: Alaska Department Of Health Sued Over Cash Assistance Delays For Blind, Disabled And Elderly Alaskans
An Anchorage civil rights law firm filed a class-action lawsuit Monday against the state Department of Health over delays processing applications for a program that provides assistance for thousands of vulnerable Alaskans. (Maguire, 4/18)
CBS News: Source Of Deadly Fungal Outbreak At Michigan Paper Mill May Be Impossible To Determine, Says Union Chief
Workers at a northwest Michigan paper mill shuttered by a deadly fungal outbreak may never know how the outbreak started, according to the head of their union local. Gerald Kell, president of the United Steel Workers Local 21, told CBS News on Tuesday the fungus afflicting the plant, blastomycosis, is endemic to the area, but pinpointing the source could be impossible. (Tin and Nelson, 4/18)
San Francisco Chronicle: Here’s How Much Soda Sales Dropped After Oakland Taxed Sugary Drinks
Purchases of soda and other sugary drinks dropped 27% in Oakland in the first 2½ years after the city adopted a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages, according to a new study by UCSF researchers. (Ho, 4/18)
KFF Health News: California’s Medicaid Experiment Spends Money To Save Money — And Help The Homeless
Sporting a bright smile and the polished Super Bowl ring he won as a star NFL player in the late 1980s, Craig McEwen doesn’t fit the archetype of someone teetering on the brink of homelessness. Evicted from his San Diego County apartment last July, McEwen — who endured repeated concussions during his six seasons in the NFL — scoured housing listings for anything he could afford. (Hart, 4/19)
