State News

Maine was one of two states to earn an 'A' grade from the Catalyst for Payment Reform (CPR) report card on healthcare price transparency, reports HealthLeaders Media. CPR and the Source on Healthcare Price and Competition, at the University of California Hastings College of Law, analyzed which states had advanced or implemented legislation promoting price transparency for healthcare consumers. The organizations focused on important components of price transparency laws, like whether the state mandates the creation of an APCD, makes healthcare price information available to consumers, and has a publicly accessible, mandated website.

Maine was one of two states to earn an 'A' grade from the Catalyst for Payment Reform (CPR) report card on healthcare price transparency, reports HealthLeaders Media. CPR and the Source on Healthcare Price and Competition, at the University of California Hastings College of Law, analyzed which states had advanced or implemented legislation promoting price transparency for healthcare consumers. The organizations focused on important components of price transparency laws, like whether the state mandates the creation of an APCD, makes healthcare price information available to consumers, and has a publicly accessible, mandated website.

Colorado lawmakers decided to table their public option plan because consumers, providers and other stakeholders haven’t been able to weigh in on the bill because of the COVID-19 pandemic, reports Modern Healthcare. The bill’s sponsors promised to resurrect the effort next year, arguing that the economic fallout from the outbreak demonstrates a need for more affordable health coverage plans in the state. The Colorado Hospital Association has denounced this public option plan, instead pushing its own plan for a statewide healthcare budget similar to policies in Oregon and Massachusetts.

Arizona ranked third-worst nationally for the amount of money it spent on public health at $10 per person in 2018, reports the Associated Press. Although the state’s public health spending increased to $15 per person in 2019, it was still less than one-fifth of what Massachusetts spent that year despite having a smaller population. States’ public health investments not only impact their ability to handle emergencies such as COVID-19, but they also support disease prevention and the reduction of health disparities, as public health crises affect minorities at disproportionate rates.

Davis Abel lives with lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease that makes her more susceptible to catching a virus or an infection. After developing symptoms of COVID-19, she made an appointment with her primary care doctor, where she was told she needed to have tests done to rule out other respiratory diseases and to make her eligible for the COVID-19 test. In this edition of Kaiser Health News' Bill of the Month, it is revealed how Davis became liable for an astounding $536.46 for a primary care appointment and testing through two in-network sites. Though Congress has passed legislation expanding the number of tests and services insurers must cover at no cost, gaps remain that expose patients to surprise medical bills. The guidelines state that insurers are required to cover the cost of an appointment without cost sharing only if the doctor orders or administers a COVID-19 test. So, because Davis' doctor performed a baragge of other tests due to a national shortage, but not for COVID-19, she was on the hook for the high medical bill. 

In the past six months, California state authorities have fined more than a dozen drug makers a total of $17.5 million for failing to report price hikes as required by law, according to STAT. The fines underscore an ongoing struggle between the state and the pharmaceutical industry over disclosing price increases, an issue that has galvanized consumer advocates and lawmakers around the country as they seek to control prescription drug costs. The California law requiring drug makers to provide advance notice of price hikes and explain the reasons for any increases, implemented in January 2019, has served as a model for other states exploring ways to respond to rising drug prices.

Food stamp recipients in Texas will be allowed to use their benefits to order groceries online and have them delivered to their door, according to The Dallas Morning News. Food stamps help about 1.4 million eligible low-income households in Texas with benefits worth nearly $5 billion a year. However, the state is still awaiting word from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service on its recent request to let people in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program use their Lone Star Cards to buy carryout or delivered food from restaurants.

Virginia legislators are implementing new policies to bolster the state’s healthcare workforce in response to the pandemic, according to a press release from the Governor’s office. It is estimated that up to 30,000 additional workers are needed in Virginia’s hospitals, long-term care facilities, and public health departments, should a surge occur. The executive order allows hospitals, nursing facilities, and dialysis facilities to have out-of-state licensees provide in-state care and Virginia-licensed nurse practitioners with two or more years of clinical experience to practice without a collaborative agreement.

The Montana Hospital Association has issued a conservative estimate that the COVID-19 impact on its hospitals in the first three weeks would be around $100 million, reports The Missoulian. A 2019 study found that Montana’s hospitals are responsible for around $4.7 billion worth of annual Gross Domestic Product. The combination of canceled elective procedures and people avoiding doctors’ offices is having a real depressive effect on hospital revenue. Earlier in April, Montana’s Congressional delegation announced that Montana hospitals altogether would receive about $111.5 million from the program set up by the CARES Act.