Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Oregon Plans To Skirt Covering Drugs Like Aduhelm Under Medicaid
Oregon is gearing up to ask the Biden administration if its Medicaid program can avoid paying for drugs approved through a fast-track approval pathway — like Biogen’s pricey, controversial new Alzheimer’s drug, Aduhelm. Oregon announced this month it is planning to formally submit a request to the administration to let its state out of a law that requires Medicaid programs to cover nearly all Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs. (Florko, 12/14)
In other updates from across the U.S. —
The Mississippi State Department of Health reported the state's first pediatric influenza death in 2021-2022 flu season, according to a Monday news release. Since flu deaths became reportable during the 2008-2009 season, 23 pediatric flu deaths have been recorded in Mississippi. (Haselhorst, 12/13)
An Alaska Native health entity is providing free, at-home test kits to detect sexually transmitted infections in an effort to provide more access to the tests and reduce stigma for people who want to be tested. The point of the effort is to make it easier and more discreet for people to detect and treat the infections, Hanna Warren, an infection prevention manager with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, told KYUK Public Media. (12/13)
The Orlando VA Healthcare System is building a 130,000-square-foot outpatient center in Daytona Beach that is scheduled to open in 2024. The Daytona Beach VA Multi-Specialty Clinic will replace two existing clinics that have a combined total of 74,000 square feet. The clinic will serve veterans with primary care, mental health services, radiology and labs on-site. Construction is expected to wrap up in the fall of 2023. Florida is home to more than 1.5 million veterans, the third largest veteran population behind California and Texas. (Prieur, 12/13)
Mason's abortion ban is no longer in place. Mason, the largest city in Warren County, was the second city in Ohio to pass an ordinance criminalizing abortions. The ban passed by a 4-3 vote on Oct. 25. Nearby Lebanon passed a similar ordinance in May. (Glynn, 12/13)Â
Keeping one boss happy is hard enough. Trying to do it with two dozen bosses could be impossible. It's a challenge that Yellowstone County's public health officer John Felton spends time contemplating. The county's public health office exists through an interlocal agreement between the county and its three commissioners, the 11-member Billings City Council, the nine-member Laurel City Council and the city of Broadview. (Rogers, 12/13)
And from Kentucky —
Residents of a Kentucky town devastated by a tornado could be without heat, water and electricity in chilly temperatures for a long time, the mayor warned Monday, as officials struggled to restore services after a swarm of twisters leveled neighborhoods and killed dozens of people in five states. (12/13)
