Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
West Virginia Moves Toward Banning Abortions After 15 Weeks
AP: West Virginia Lawmakers Introduce 15-Week Abortion Ban
West Virginia lawmakers have introduced a bill to ban abortion after 15 weeks — a proposal nearly identical to the Mississippi law currently under review by the U.S. Supreme Court. As the nation waits for the court to make a decision later this year in the abortion case that could overturn its landmark Roe v. Wade decision, at least two states — West Virginia and Florida — have introduced bills mirroring Mississippi’s. (Willingham, 1/18)
In other news from across the U.S. —
Bangor Daily News: Maine Vows To Fix Hiccups Found In 1st Year Of Health Care Marketplace Rollout
Maine’s first year of running its own health insurance exchange came with double-digit enrollment increases and communication and navigation challenges that the state told lawmakers Tuesday it wants to fix before the next enrollment period. The state’s exchange, CoverME.gov, which allows residents to shop for health insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act as well as sign up for MaineCare, the state’s version of Medicaid, rolled out last year. It was a priority of Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat who signed a 2020 bill paving the way for Maine to implement its own marketplace instead of using the federal one. (Andrews, 1/19)
AP: House OK's Bill Excusing Mental-Health Absences For Students
The Kentucky House overwhelmingly passed legislation Tuesday aimed at ensuring that mental health-related absences from school are excused for students. The bipartisan measure heads to the Senate after clearing the House on a 94-0 vote. (1/18)
AP: Florida Suspends Health Official In Probe Over Vaccine Law
A health official who has helped lead central Florida’s response to the pandemic has been put on administrative leave as state officials investigate whether he tried to compel employees to get vaccinated for COVID-19 in violation of state law. The state health agency is conducting an inquiry into Raul Pino, director of the Florida Department of Health in Orange County, “to determine if any laws were broken in this case,” Florida Department of Health press secretary Jeremy Redfern said in an email. (1/18)
WABE: USG Employees Call On System To Change Rules For Smoking Fee
Employees of Georgia’s university system are automatically categorized as smokers through the system’s health insurance plan. If employees don’t opt out of that status, they’re charged an additional monthly fee. Employees who don’t smoke have to opt out every year to avoid the fee. The system automatically defaults them to “smoker” status each year. (Dalton, 1/18)
New Orleans Times-Picayune: First Cases Of Drug-Resistant Fungus Found At Louisiana Hospital
Two patients at University Medical Center in New Orleans have been diagnosed with a rare, drug-resistant fungus called Candida auris, hospital officials said Tuesday, marking Louisiana’s first known cases of the pathogen. The fungus, a type of yeast, is considered a global emerging threat by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. C. auris can cause infections in the bloodstream or in wounds, and is typically spread in health care settings. It is sometimes called a “superbug” because it is resistant to common antifungal drugs. (Woodruff, 1/18)
CBS News: U.S. Senate Candidate Gary Chambers Smokes Marijuana In New Campaign Ad
Democratic U.S. Senate Candidate Gary Chambers of Louisiana released an ad on Tuesday showing the candidate smoking marijuana while promoting a pathway toward legalizing the drug. "I hope this ad works to not only destigmatize the use of marijuana, but also forces a new conversation that creates the pathway to legalize this beneficial drug, and forgive those who were arrested due to outdated ideology," Chambers said in the ad. (Brewster, 1/18)
Anchorage Daily News: Wasilla Doctor Sentenced To Federal Prison For Overprescribing Narcotics
A former Wasilla doctor was sentenced Tuesday to serve nearly three years in federal prison for illegally distributing narcotics to his patients. David Chisholm, 64, prescribed highly addictive prescription drugs — including oxycodone, methadone, morphine and fentanyl — “outside the usual course of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose” to his patients at Camelot Family Health, according to charging documents filed in the case. His prescribing practices contributed to the overdose deaths of at least five of his patients, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Schroeder. Chisholm’s clinic was a “pill mill” where anyone could go to get opioids, he said. (Williams, 1/18)
KHN: Buffy Wicks Turns Her Health History Into Legislation
In her short tenure as an elected official, California Assembly member Buffy Wicks hasn’t been shy about sharing her most intimate health care struggles with the public. In her very first speech in the Assembly, Wicks, a Democrat who has represented Oakland since late 2018, told the story of her abortion at age 26. She has also spoken publicly about her decision to freeze her eggs. (Bluth, 1/19)
