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Google Agrees to Help Fund Journalism in CA California lawmakers reached a deal with Google that will provide about $250 million in public and private funding for newsrooms across the state over the...
MA Expands Access to Maternal Health Care Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healy (D) signed legislation ( HB 4999 ) expanding access to maternal health services in the state. Among other things, the measure...
When the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the federal law prohibiting state-authorized sports betting in May 2018 , it wasn’t just state legislatures that sprang into action. The fantasy sports behemoths...
AI Doomsday Bill Moves Closer to Passage in CA The California Assembly’s Appropriations Committee advanced a first-of-its kind bill ( SB 1047 ) aimed at preventing mass human casualties or property...
Bill Regulating PBMs Nearing Passage in CA California lawmakers are on track to pass a bill ( SB 966 ) in the coming weeks regulating pharmacy benefit managers. The measure would prohibit PBM practices...
Access to the abortion pill mifepristone remained in place after the Supreme Court delayed issuing a decision on whether to restrict access to the drug after a federal judge in Texas ordered a hold on FDA approval of the abortion medication. The brief order from Justice Samuel Alito indicated the high court’s decision could come by 11:59pm EDT Friday (April 21). As the Associated Press reported: “The additional time could be part of an effort to craft an order that has broad support among the justices. Or one or more justices might be writing a separate opinion, and asked for a couple of extra days.” (ASSOCIATED PRESS, KAISER HEALTH NEWS)
The Department of Health and Human Services let state governors know that it intends to continue allowing pharmacists to administer COVID-19 and flu vaccines after the COVID-19 public health emergency is over. The Biden administration plans to end its emergency declaration next month. (STAT)
Facing resistance in Congress to his efforts to bolster the nation’s “care economy,” President Biden issued an executive order last week that included over 50 directives aimed at expanding access to child care and long-term care. One of those directives was for federal government agencies to “identify which of their grant programs can support child care and long-term care for individuals working on federal projects, and consider requiring applicants seeking federal job-creating funds to expand access to care for their workers.” Another instructed the department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to issue regulations ensuring Medicaid funding for long-term and home care workers caring for individuals enrolled in Medicaid. (REUTERS, CNN)
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) signed legislation (SB 113) requiring healthcare facilities to allow patient visitations. Under the new law patients will be able to designate an “essential caregiver” who can visit them for a minimum of two hours a day. (YELLOWHAMMER NEWS, STATE NET)
Industry group PhRMA submitted 76 pages of comments to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) criticizing the agency’s recently released draft guidance regarding the negotiation of Medicare Part D drug prices beginning in 2026. Among several other things PhRMA faulted the agency for failing to seek input from stakeholders on critical parts of the guidance and allowing only a 30-day comment period for an “unprecedented” change to the Medicare program. (FIERCE HEALTHCARE)
A county in Delaware that has been monitoring wastewater the past two years to assist it in strategically placing COVID-19 testing and vaccination sites now plans to use that same technology to monitor the use of fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine and nicotine. Officials in New Castle County say the data will allow them to direct their drug prevention efforts more effectively. The initiative could eventually expand statewide. (DELAWARE PUBLIC MEDIA)
—Compiled by KOREY CLARK
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