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 so last year, and Indiana and Ohio passed bans this year....
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 begun offering compounded versions of the drugs tailored to...
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 would prohibit PBMs from requiring patients to use a PBM...
PBMs Driving Up Prescription Drug Prices The three largest pharmacy benefit managers—CVS Health, Cigna and UnitedHealth Group—often “steer patients toward pricier drugs, charge steep markups on what would otherwise be inexpensive medicines and...
NY Enacts Social Media Protections for Minors New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) signed first-in-the-nation legislation ( SB 7694 ) prohibiting social media platforms from providing algorithmic feeds to minors to try to keep them online. But the “Stop Addictive...
CA to Make Changes to Labor Law Costing Employers Billions Business and labor groups in California have agreed on changes to the Private Attorney’s General Act, a landmark state law that has allowed workers to sue employers for workplace violations amounting...
VT Gov Vetoes Tough Privacy Bill Vermont Gov. Phil Scott (R) vetoed HB 121 , which would have been one of the strongest consumer data privacy laws in the nation, allowing residents to sue data brokers for violations. Scott said the measure would make the state...
Hospital Cost Transparency Bill Advances in PA The Pennsylvania House Health Committee approved a bill ( HB 2339 ) that would require hospitals to publish a list of the standard costs for all of their services on their website. It would also prohibit hospitals...
AI Disclaimer Bills Draw Support in NY First-of-its-kind legislation introduced last month in New York ( AB 10103 / SB 9450 ) would require generative artificial intelligence systems to notify users that the content they provide “may be inaccurate and/or...
FDA Advisory Panel Rejects Use of MDMA-Assisted Therapy for PTSD An advisory panel for the Food and Drug Administration rejected the use of MDMA-assisted therapy for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder. Among other things the panelists raised concerns...
Last June a new federal law went into effect that requires companies with 15 or more employees to provide “reasonable accommodations” for workers who are pregnant or have recently given birth, or who have a related medical condition. Accommodations...
LA County Launching Ambitious Plan to Address Medical Debt Los Angeles County’s Department of Public Health has developed an ambitious plan to address the problem of medical debt, which impacted one in ten, or about 810,000, residents of the county and...
Homeowners Insurance Industry Turmoil Spreading to Other States Recent turmoil in the insurance industry related to climate change has largely been concentrated in states like California, Florida and Louisiana. But the problem appears to be spreading to other...
CO Enacts Sweeping AI Law Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) signed SB 205 , the most sweeping artificial intelligence legislation in the country so far. In a letter to lawmakers, the governor said he was signing the measure in the hope of furthering the national...
AL Enacts Bill Allowing Off-Label Medical Treatment Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) signed a bill ( SB 72 )—passed unanimously by both legislative chambers—that bars the state’s Board of Medical Examiners and Medical Licensure Commission from taking...