Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Bipartisan Initiative To Cap Insulin Costs, Increase Coverage Becomes Law In Virginia
Gov. Abigail Spanberger was flanked by legislators and advocates Wednesday inside Inova Fairfax to sign several bills to lower healthcare and prescription drug costs. ... Right now, a 30-day supply of insulin is capped at $50. The reduced price of $35 takes effect on July 1. Also taking effect on July 1, a new bill that expands what Virginia insurance plans must cover. (Wilder, 5/13)
Iowa Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a law May 13 that enacts prior authorization reforms and prohibits insurers from penalizing providers for out-of-network referrals, according to the Iowa Hospital Association. Under the law, while initial prior authorization reviews can be done by AI, these algorithms and systems cannot be the sole basis for determining denials, downgrades or delays. Health insurance carriers cannot impose fines or other financial penalties due to a provider鈥檚 referral to an out-of-network provider, either. (Casolo, 5/13)
Dana Gibbon was 18 weeks pregnant with her first baby when her OB-GYN told her at an appointment that she wouldn鈥檛 be her doctor anymore. OB-GYN services were ending at the clinic in Corvallis, a college town of 60,000 in Oregon鈥檚 Willamette Valley. The doctor said all of the Corvallis Clinic鈥檚 OB-GYNs were resigning.聽鈥淲e have appreciated the opportunity to participate in your care and apologize for any inconvenience this may cause,鈥 the clinic said in a subsequent letter to patients. (Davis, 5/14)
Washington University is getting the largest gift in school history, the university announced Wednesday. The Bursky Family Foundation 鈥 formed by WashU alums Andrew and Jane Bursky 鈥 has committed $200 million to boost the new School of Public Health, the university said. Andrew Bursky is also chair of Washington University's Board of Trustees. (Suntrup, 5/13)
Minnesota鈥檚 local school boards have long held the power to decide how kids are taught about a variety of health education topics, including human development, nutrition, sex, child abuse prevention and other issues. That power, though, is about to shift. New statewide standards set to phase in over the next three years will put health education benchmarks in place across all public K-12 schools. Beyond the basics, the new standards will take on topics including sexual abuse prevention. (Shockman, 5/14)
