Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Voters Reject Calif. Proposition To Cap Dialysis Profits, Approve Limits On Abortion In W.Va. And Alabama
Los Angeles Times: California Voters Reject Ballot Measure To Cap Dialysis Company Profits
Proposition 8, which would have imposed a cap on the profits earned by large dialysis companies such as DaVita, was defeated by voters on Tuesday. Sponsored by the Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers, the measure would have shrunk the profits of hundreds of dialysis clinics across California, requiring clinics to provide rebates to insurers and pay a penalty to the state on business revenue that exceed 115% of certain costs to deliver care. A coalition led by DaVita and Fresenius Medical Care, the two companies that control a combined 72% of the dialysis market in California, has given $110 million to a campaign to beat the measure — contributing to the most money raised for such a campaign in state history. (Luna, 11/6)
San Jose Mercury News: Prop. 8: Voters Reject Cap On Dialysis Revenue
Proposition 8 fell flat at the polls Tuesday, with voters rejecting the measure that would have capped revenue made by the state’s dialysis clinics. The union-backed measure broke campaign spending records and sparked fierce debate, with both sides vehemently arguing their position was the one that would protect the 80,000 kidney disease patients in California who rely on life-saving dialysis treatment every month. (Kendall, 11/6)
KQED: Proposition To Cap Revenues At Dialysis Clinics Fails, Supporters Vow To Try Again In 2020
California voters on Tuesday rejected a first-of-its-kind ballot measure that would have placed a 15 percent revenue cap on private dialysis clinics in the state. (Levi, 11/6)
USA Today: Ballot Measures: Florida Votes To Restore Felon Voting Rights; Missouri, Michigan Pass Pot
Elsewhere across the country, voters in West Virginia, Alabama and – surprisingly – Oregon voted on measures that would limit abortion. Alabama passed Amendment 2, according to The Associated Press, which makes it state policy to “recognize and support the sanctity of unborn life and the rights of unborn children, including the right to life.” It adds that no provisions of the Alabama Constitution provide the right to an abortion or require funding of abortions. West Virginians passed a similar measure with Amendment 1, which will change the language of the West Virginia Constitution to say, “nothing in this Constitution secures or protects a right to abortion or requires the funding of abortion.” (Schnell, 11/7)
The Oregonian: Anti-Abortion Measure 106 Defeated In 2018 Oregon Election
A ballot measure to restrict state funds for abortions was rejected Tuesday by 66 percent of the vote in partial returns. Oregon has long upheld abortion rights, even as other states have put restrictions on women's ability to obtain or pay for the procedure. Oregon is one of 17 states that allows state funds to pay for abortions. Still, the measure was significant because it was the first abortion-related ballot initiative since 2006. Oregon Life United, the group behind Measure 106, failed in two earlier attempts to get the issue on the ballot. This year, it captured a mere 221 signatures more than the minimum required. (Harbarger, 11/6)
KQED: Voters Pass Proposition 11, Say Ambulance Workers Should Stay On Call During Breaks
Californians voted to deny EMTs and paramedics uninterrupted rest and meal breaks, passing Proposition 11 by 62 percent. The measure requires ambulance staff to remain on duty during breaks, keeping their radios and pagers turned on while they get coffee or lunch. (Dembosky, 11/6)
KQED: Voters Pass $1.5 Billion Children's Hospital Bond
California voters on Tuesday approved Proposition 4, which authorizes the state to sell $1.5 billion in bonds for children's hospitals to be used mainly on infrastructure projects. As of midnight on Tuesday, the measure had nearly 60 percent support. (Klivans and Dembosky, 11/7)
Boston Globe: Voters Reject Question 1, Which Would Have Mandated Nurse Staffing Levels; Decision Has Far-Reaching Impact For Health Care
Massachusetts voters rejected a ballot measure Tuesday that would have set strict limits on the numbers of patients assigned to hospital nurses, following a bruising and costly campaign that pitted nurses against hospital administrators — and nurses against nurses. The ballot question was as passionately fought as it was difficult for many voters to decipher. The result was a blow to the Massachusetts Nurses Association, a labor union that sponsored the measure and had argued that limits were needed to ensure that patients were receiving safe care. (Dayal McCluskey, 11/6)
WBUR: Mass. Voters Say 'No' To Nurse Staffing Ballot Question
Massachusetts voters have decided the state will not write nurse-to-patient ratios into law. A ballot question that would have set the maximum number of patients assigned to a nurse in hospitals at any given time failed on Tuesday. (Bebinger, 11/6)
WBUR: Mass. Votes 'Yes' On Question 3 To Keep Law Protecting Transgender People In Public Accommodations
Massachusetts voters have passed Question 3, an expected decision that upholds a two-year-old state law that protects transgender people in public accommodations. With the vote, the 2016 state law allowing people to use bathrooms, locker rooms or other similar facilities that correspond with the gender with which they identify — instead of their assigned sex at birth — will remain on the books. (Creamer, 11/6)
The Associated Press: Massachusetts Backs Transgender Rights; Michigan OKs Pot Use
Voters in 37 states considered an array of intriguing ballot measures Tuesday. Michigan voters made their state the first in the Midwest to legalize recreational marijuana by passing a ballot measure that will allow people 21 or older to buy and use the drug. A similar measure was defeated in North Dakota, meaning there are now 10 states that allow recreational use of pot. Missouri became the 31st state to approve the medical use of marijuana, while Utah was considering that step. (Crary, 11/7)
KCUR: Missouri Is Next In Line For Medical Marijuana
Missouri became the latest state to legalize medical marijuana Tuesday when voters went for one of the three ballot measures: Amendment 2. Both Amendment 3 and Proposition C failed, meaning that the courts won't have to decide which program is implemented. Many advocates at an Amendment 2 watch party at Boulevard Brewery in Kansas City celebrated the results as a victory for those seeking alternatives to mainstream medicine. (Smith, 11/7)
The Hill: Missouri Becomes Latest State To Legalize Medical Marijuana
Missouri became the latest state to legalize medical marijuana on Tuesday night. The measure, Amendment 2, will alter the state's constitution to allow doctors to prescribe the drug for several different medical conditions. The measure will include a 4 percent tax on marijuana sales, with proceeds being devoted to health care for veterans. (Wise, 11/7)
Vox: Nevada Question 2 Results: “Tampon Tax” Eliminated
Nevada just became the 10th state to eliminate the so-called “tampon tax,” making menstrual products exempt from state sales taxes. Voters on Tuesday approved State Question No. 2, meaning Nevada consumers will be able to buy sanitary pads and tampons without paying the state’s 6.85 percent sales tax. Supporters of the measure, proposed by Democratic state Sens. Yvanna Cancela and Joyce Woodhouse, argued that taxing the products placed an unfair financial burden on women. The Food and Drug Administration regulates tampons as medical devices; other medical devices, like bandages and prosthetics, are exempt from Nevada sales tax. (North, 11/7)
