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States Target School Cell Phone Use At least four states have banned or severely restricted the use of smart phones in schools in the current legislative biennium. Florida became the first state to do...
Compounded Weight-Loss Drugs Creating Headaches for State Regulators With popular weight-loss drugs like Mounjaro, Ozempic and Wegovy in short supply, many doctors, pharmacies and other providers have...
In their seminal book on the American health care system, legendary investigative reporters Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele offered a disturbing metaphor for the illogical nature of medical pricing...
PA Lawmakers Pass Bill Regulating PBMs The Pennsylvania legislature passed a bill ( HB 1993 ) aimed at increasing oversight of pharmacy benefit managers. If signed by Gov. Josh Shapiro (D), the measure...
In a sign of the times, states have begun pursuing bills that require disclosure of the use of artificial intelligence. In March, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) signed SB 149 , making the state the first...
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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