Oregon sets first hospital-specific community benefit spending floor
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Oregon set its first community benefit spending floor for one of its health systems, establishing a more rigorous regulatory framework that more states may follow, experts said.
As mandated by state bill HB 3076 passed in 2019, Portland, Ore.-based Legacy Health will have to spend at least $253 million on community benefits in fiscal 2022 based on its three-year average of unreimbursed care; direct spending on the social determinants of health, health equity and other community benefits; and its operating margin. Oregon officials hope to address unmet needs and health inequities by setting minimum spending thresholds and tracking those investments. They believe a separate state bill to align and coordinate community benefit programs across providers, health plans and public health departments can also help.
North Dakota Senate committee hears proposals to lower prescription drug costs
The Senate Human Services Committee heard testimony last week on three bills aimed at getting North Dakota consumers access to lower prescription prices.
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Brayden Zenker / N.D. Newspaper Association Education Foundation | 7:30 am, Feb. 1, 2021 ×
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BISMARCK The Senate Human Services Committee heard testimony last week on three bills aimed at getting North Dakota consumers access to lower prescription prices.
“Most of us have never heard a good explanation of why the same drug a few miles across the border (in Canada) sells for 40%, 30% or sometimes even 20% of the price we pay in this country,” said Sen. Howard Anderson Jr., R-Turtle Lake, who introduced all three.
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Florida, Colorado and several New England states are moving ahead with efforts to import prescription drugs from Canada, a politically popular strategy greenlighted last year by President Donald Trump.
But it’s unclear whether the Biden administration will proceed with Trump’s plan for states and the federal government to help Americans obtain lower-priced medications from Canada.
During the presidential campaign, Joe Biden expressed support for the concept, strongly opposed by the American pharmaceutical industry. Drugmakers argue it would undercut efforts to keep their medicines safe.
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, an industry trade group, filed suit in federal court in Washington, D.C., to stop the drug-purchasing initiatives in November. That followed the Trump administration’s final rule, issued in September, that cleared the way for states to seek federal approval for their importation programs.
Wisconsin will become one of only 10 states without statewide mask mandates when the Assembly votes Thursday to overturn Gov. Tony Evers' order, but masks
The Wisconsin Senate voted to end a statewide mask mandate.
Green Bay Packers fans a game last week. The Wisconsin mask mandate is part of emergency orders issued by Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat.Credit.Tannen Maury/EPA, via Shutterstock
Jan. 27, 2021
The Wisconsin State Senate has voted to end a statewide mask mandate issued by the governor, a resolution that would put Wisconsin among a minority of states without such a requirement if assembly lawmakers approve it.
The resolution, which passed on Tuesday and was sponsored by Republican lawmakers who claim the measures are unconstitutional, would end a monthslong requirement to wear masks in public and indoor settings that came into force as part of emergency orders issued by Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat.