Viewpoints: Yes, An Abortion Ban Proposal In Ohio Is Unconstitutional. But …; GOP Attack On Medicaid Is Backfiring

The New York Times: An Ohio Bill Would Ban All Abortions. It’s Part Of A Bigger Plan.
While Donald Trump once said he was “very pro-choice,” since the start of his presidential campaign his stance on abortion has been consistent: It should be banned, no matter the consequences to women. At times, he has even veered to the right of the mainstream anti-abortion movement, as when he said during a primary season town hall event that women who seek abortions should face “some form of punishment.” Most anti-abortion politicians profess to want to protect women, even when they pass laws that harm them. Now legislators in one state want Mr. Trump’s cruel vision to become reality. Ohio lawmakers have proposed legislation to ban all abortions, period, with no exceptions for victims of rape or incest or to save a woman’s life. (3/25)

USA Today: As Voters Lead On Medicaid, Health Care Could Be The Next Gay Marriage
Since the day Donald Trump took office, he and Republicans in Congress have had government health care programs like Medicaid in their sights. And reactions across the country, highlighted by recent special elections in Pennsylvania and Alabama, suggest this is backfiring in a spectacular way. Their policies are so out of line with public thinking that the more they push them, the higher the likelihood that they put the country on an inevitable path to Medicaid, Medicare or some other health care plan that is ubiquitous and available to all. (Andy Slavitt and Jonathan Schleifer, 3/26)

The New York Times: Why It’s So Hard To Reform Canadian Health Care
Too many Canadians and Americans are negatively fixated on each other’s health systems — and the distortions that accompany so many conversations about health reform make it harder to improve care on both sides of the border. Canadians staunchly support our universal health care system, according to polls over many years. We live longer, healthier lives than Americans, and our survival rates for cancer and other diseases are comparable. The father of universal health coverage in Canada, Tommy Douglas, is considered a national hero. (Danielle Martin, 3/23)

The Hill: Small Businesses Hurt From Trump's Health-Care Sabotage
Though the ACA has been far from perfect for small business owners since it was signed eight years ago, it did offer stable, single-digit increases in premiums from year to year. But for more than a year, President Trump and his Republican allies have been actively sabotaging our health-care system. After repeatedly failing to repeal and replace the ACA in the face of overwhelming public opposition, they’ve instead resorted to dismantling our health care piece by piece. (Amanda Ballantyne, 3/25)

Richmond Times-Dispatch: It's Time To Close The Health Care Gap In Virginia
Virginia lawmakers have an opportunity to adopt a health-care coverage plan with conservative reforms that help people and give them a stake in their own success. It’s a deal they should make. (Bill Bolling, 3/24)

The New York Times: What We Know (And Don’t Know) About How To Lose Weight
The endless array of diets that claim to help you shed pounds tend to fall into two camps: low fat or low carbohydrate. Some companies even claim that genetics can tell us which diet is better for which people. A rigorous recent study sought to settle the debate, and it had results to disappoint both camps. On the hopeful side, as The New York Times noted, people managed to lose weight no matter which of the two diets they followed. The study is worth a closer look to see what it did and did not prove. (Aaron E. Carroll, 3/26)

The Wall Street Journal: What’s A Single Mom To Do During A Week In The Hospital?
Eleven days after the birth of her daughter last September, Charlotte—who asked me not to use her last name—began to have complications from pre-eclampsia, a serious pregnancy-related disorder that causes high blood pressure. She had to be readmitted to the hospital for almost a week. But as a recent immigrant from Senegal with no family or friends living nearby, she did not know what to do with her new baby. If no one was available, she feared child protective services would take the girl into custody. (Naomi Schaefer Riley, 3/23)

Cincinnati Enquirer: Don't Make Women Choose Between A Job Or Pregnancy
To be sure, not every pregnant woman will be able to work up until her due date, but if we do not at least have laws on the books encouraging pregnant women to safely stay in the labor force, then we are inviting injuries on the job, serious health risks to both mother and baby, and increased state spending on things like public benefits. For these reasons, I urge our legislators to vote on and pass the Kentucky Pregnant Workers’ Rights Act, so that no other woman in Kentucky has to go through what I did. (Lyndi Trischler, 3/23)

Georgia Health News: Legislators Have Chance To Rein In Excesses Of Step Therapy
Georgia has an opportunity this legislative session to cut through the secretive red tape surrounding insurance practices and ensure that the sickest and most vulnerable among us have the care they need. House Bill 519, which unanimously passed the state House this session and is also pending as Senate Bill 325, would limit step therapy – also known as “fail first” – protocols, whereby patients are forced by their insurance providers to try and fail on a series of treatments before they can obtain the medication prescribed by their physician. (Dorothy Leone-Glasser, 3/25)

Louisville Courier-Journal: Kentucky Should Help Imprisoned Mothers, Pregnant Inmates Through The 'Dignity Bill'
In the midst of a tumultuous, partisan and often disappointing legislative session here in Kentucky, one bill has persevered that could offer some hope to our most vulnerable, and often forgotten citizens: incarcerated mothers and their babies. Kentucky is facing an epidemic of incarcerated women, many of whom are pregnant, struggling with addiction, or suffering from a trauma that led them down the wrong path. I filed Senate Bill 133, now dubbed the “Dignity Bill,” to specifically address these important issues. (Julie Raque Adams, 3/23)

Sacramento Bee: California Values All People — Until They Need Housing 
Assemblymember Rob Bonta, D-Oakland, has introduced legislation, Assembly Bill 2925, that would begin to address this by requiring landlords to show “just cause” before terminating anyone’s lease. His team is still working on the language, but it would create a set of valid reasons, such as failing to pay rent, that would have to be used as justification. It's a modest bill that, if nothing else, would add a layer of transparency to what is often a murky rental process, with tenants not understanding their rights. (Erika Smith, 3/25)

The Hill: Congress Must Lead On Cannabis Reform And Stand With The American Public
I was dismayed to see Attorney General Jeff Sessions (AG) recently rescind the Cole Memo, a United States Department of Justice (DOJ) document providing guidelines to United States attorneys in states that have chosen to legalize cannabis. This memo provided protection to states whose voters and duly elected legislatures have legalized some form of marijuana use. While I may not be in favor unfettered adult use for individuals over 21 years of age, I am a strong supporter of medical marijuana. Numerous friends and acquaintances benefit from the medicinal properties and pain relief provided by cannabis. I favor state-based access to medical marijuana from both a philosophical and policy standpoint. I also support the reform of our federal cannabis laws to bring conformity to federal regulations and state laws. (Michael Steele, 3/23)

The Wall Street Journal: Marijuana Supply-Siders
California’s experiment in marijuana legalization is spurring some radical thinking on the political left. Lo, high taxes and over-regulation are bad for the economy—or at least the pot economy.Golden State voters in 2016 legalized recreational marijuana on the promise that this would reduce the black market. While marijuana remains a banned substance under federal law, nine states including Washington, Nevada, Oregon and Colorado have legalized consumption and production within their borders. Many are still struggling to draw cannabis businesses out of the shadows, none as much as California. Less than 1% of the state’s 68,150 marijuana cultivators had obtained licenses as of last month, according to a recent report by the California Growers Association. The problem turns out to be the heavy hand of the state. “The incredible volume of regulation is part of the issue,” the report notes, adding that “consultants and attorneys are often a major cost for small businesses.” (3/23)

Arizona Republic: Arizona Pension Fund Could Cost You A Lot More Without This Fix
From the beginning, the Public Safety Personnel Retirement System has been doing exactly that concerning a serious problem that is not getting the attention it deserves — the financial crash facing Arizona’s Elected Officials Retirement Plan, also known as EORP. As chairman of the PSPRS Board of Trustees, let me again be clear in addressing this looming crisis: Unless the Legislature takes action, EORP will go broke within nine years. (Brian Tobin, 3/23)