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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...
The Michigan Legislature passed a bill (SB 410) that would repeal a law passed in 1995 preventing lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies. Bloomberg Law reported that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) was “likely to sign” the measure. (MICHIGAN ADVANCE, BLOOMBERG LAW, STATE NET)
Florida Senate President Kathleen Passidomo (R) sent a memo to her fellow senators last week saying her focus for the 2024 session would be “growing Florida’s health care workforce, increasing access, and incentivizing innovation, so Floridians can have more options and opportunities to live healthy.” The memo cited studies projecting the state would have nearly 18,000 fewer physicians and 37,400 fewer registered nurses than needed by 2035. It also indicated the chamber’s Health Policy Committee would be holding a workshop on Nov. 14 “to begin the process of fine tuning ideas, putting pen to paper, and of course, hearing more input from stakeholders.” (FLORIDA POLITICS, FLORIDA SENATE)
The U.S. Senate Finance Committee passed a package of healthcare reforms that would restrict some pharmacy benefit manager practices and prevent Medicare patients from paying more for medications than insurers do. The legislation builds on PBM regulations approved by the panel in July. (STAT, U.S. SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE)
—Compiled by SNCJ Managing Editor KOREY CLARK