Health Headlines for Thursday, January 25
Senate Confirms Trump Nominee Alex Azar as Health Secretary
New York Times
The Senate confirmed Alex M. Azar II on Wednesday to be secretary of health and human services, clearing the way for President Trump’s second health secretary to begin controlling more than a trillion dollars a year in spending on medical insurance coverage for about one-third of all Americans.
Online Sales of Illegal Opioids from China Surge in U.S.
New York Times
Nearly $800 million worth of fentanyl pills were illegally sold to online customers in the United States over two years by Chinese distributors who took advantage of internet anonymity and an explosive growth in e-commerce, according to a Senate report released on Wednesday.
U.S. sued over approval of Kentucky Medicaid work provisions
Reuters
A group of Kentucky residents has filed a lawsuit challenging the federal government’s approval of new state requirements that people must work or get jobs training if they are to receive benefits from the Medicaid health insurance program.
U.S. warns against unproven opioid addiction products
Reuters
Eleven companies selling products to help people addicted to opioids have no proof to support claims that their pills and treatments aid in overcoming an opioid addiction, two government agencies said on Wednesday.
NYC considers supervised injection sites for drug users
New York Post
The NYPD is in talks with the city’s Department of Health about opening up “safe injection sites” as a way to fight the opioid epidemic, the city’s top cop said Wednesday.
Kentucky’s Medicaid Work Requirement Isn’t Only Target in Court
Bloomberg
Kentucky’s proposed work requirement for Medicaid recipients is just one aspect of the state’s overhaul of the health-care plan that some experts say puts it at risk of being overturned in court.
OMIG Releases Audit Protocols for CDPAP
JDSUPRA
The New York State Office of the Medicaid Inspector General (“OMIG”) has released its long-awaited audit protocols for Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program Fiscal Intermediaries (“CDPAP-FIs”).
Lung Association says NY can do better in tobacco control
WBFO 88.7
The American Lung Association says Albany lawmakers could be doing more to improve how the state controls tobacco use.
SNCH announces partnership with Mount Sinai
Liherald
South Nassau Communities Hospital’s Board of Trustees voted unanimously on Jan. 23 to enter into an affiliation agreement with the Mount Sinai Health System in an effort to expand health care services on the South Shore of Long Island.
Opinion: Hold big pharma, Congress accountable for opioid epidemic, says 21st Congressional candidate
North Country Now/Opinion
Between 2014 and 2015, opioid deaths tripled in Jefferson County, St. Lawrence County, and Washington County. The statistics across the North Country are alarming.
Vapor Lobby Steps Up Its Effort
State of Politics
As state lawmakers and Gov. Andrew Cuomo back efforts to regulate vaporizing products like e-cigarettes in New York, the industry is stepping up its efforts to push back.