In news that will likely change the way some lawmakers view the Senate’s proposal to gut and replace much of the Affordable Care Act, the Congressional Budget Office has estimated that this latest effort would ultimately leave 22 million Americans without insurance on top of those who would be uninsured under the current law, while trimming $321 billion from the federal deficit over ten years. [More]
Government Policy
Trailer Bought To Hold Victims Of Terrorism Now Holds Victims Of Heroin Overdoses
By 6.26.17
In 2012, St. Louis County in Missouri used a grant from the Department of Homeland Security to buy a refrigerated trailer that can hold more than 20 human bodies. The trailer was intended for use after a terrorist attack or natural disaster, and the county is fortunate that the money spent to buy it was wasted. Until now, when the compressor in the already-full morgue went out. [More]
GOP Revises Obamacare Repeal Bill, Adds 6-Month Penalty For People With Lapsed Coverage
By 6.26.17
One of the Republican party’s biggest complaints about the Affordable Care Act is that it requires most individuals to have some sort of health insurance or pay a penalty. The draft Senate bill released last week gets rid of that financial penalty, but a newly released revised version of that bill replaces it with a waiting period of up to six months for people who are uninsured or let their coverage lapse. [More]
Company Stops Selling Cladding Linked To Deadly London Apartment Tower Fire
By 6.26.17
A type of lightweight aluminum cladding made by Arconic (formerly known as Alcoa) has been discontinued after being linked to the deadly fire that claimed at least 79 lives at the 24-story Grenfell Tower in London. [More]
TSA May Want To Flip Through Your Summer Reading Next Time You Fly
By 6.26.17
At this point, most travelers know that your electronics, your shoes, your food, and your liquids are going to have to come out of your bag (or off your person) and get extra screening just so you can get on a flight. But now, it seems books — good, old-fashioned paper books — may be joining that list. [More]
Is The FDA Doing Enough To Keep Problematic Personal Care Products Off Shelves?
By 6.26.17
When you slather that trendy beauty lip balm on or try a new shampoo for the first time, perhaps you’re under the impression that the federal government has a process in place that ensures that cosmetic or personal care product is safe before it touches your body. But the reality is that cosmetics manufacturers don’t have to obtain premarket approval before selling most new products — and whether or not they report adverse events related to those items is pretty much up to them. Some in the industry think it’s time for this to change. [More]
Price-Hiking Pharma Bro Ignores Lawyers’ Advice To Shut Up
By 6.26.17
As a defense attorney, you can tell your clients to stop talking to the press and trolling online, but they don’t necessarily have to listen to you. Attorneys for price-hiking pharma bro and Wu-Tang Clan enthusiast Martin Shkreli haven’t been able to keep him quiet, which may be a problem in his trial for securities fraud that begins today. [More]
As Cost Of Opioid Epidemic Rises, One City May Consider Not Reviving Addicts Who Repeatedly Overdose
By 6.26.17
With opioid painkiller and heroin use exploding to the point where police officers, firefighters, and even librarians are carrying (and using) Narcan, an emergency treatment that can revive someone who has overdosed. While the drug is saving lives, it’s not free, and one Ohio city is being asked to consider whether it has to use Narcan on people who repeatedly overdose. [More]
Hospital Groups, Public Health Officials: Senate Obamacare Repeal Bill Makes “Unsustainable” Cuts To Coverage
By 6.23.17
After reviewing the Senate bill to gut and replace much of the Affordable Care Act, groups representing the nation’s hospitals believe that this legislation will leave millions — particularly those with chronic ailments and the disabled — without access to care. [More]
U.S. Halts Import Of Brazilian Beef Following Tainted Meat Scandal
By 6.23.17
U.S. food safety regulators have put a stop to fresh beef imports from Brazil, following earlier reports that meatpackers in the country — one of the world’s largest beef exporters — had allowed rotten, salmonella-tainted meat to be shipped abroad. [More]
From Damning To Noncommittal To All-In: The Rainbow Of Reactions To Senate Obamacare Repeal Plan
By 6.22.17
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has finally pulled back the curtain on his much-awaited and mystery-shrouded plan to repeal and replace much of the Affordable Care Act, and now that people — including some who were supposedly involved in its crafting — are seeing the proposal, the bill is being met with a wide range of reactions and lots of questions about whether the GOP will have the votes to pass it. [More]
San Francisco Could Be First City To Ban Sale Of Flavored Liquid Nicotine
By 6.22.17
Last fall, the American Academy of Pediatrics called for a ban on flavored tobacco products. Now, one city is poised to do just that: San Francisco took steps this week to become the first city to approve a sales ban on flavored vaping liquids in a bid to prevent young adults from becoming addicted to the products. [More]
What You Need To Know About Senate Bill To Repeal, Replace Obamacare
By 6.22.17
After weeks of secrecy, Senate Republican leaders have finally released a draft version of the budget resolution they intend to use to repeal and replace much of the Affordable Care Act. [More]
Betsy DeVos To Put $1.3 Trillion Student Aid Office In Hands Of Exec From For-Profit Student Loan Company
By 6.21.17
The top official at the federal Office of Financial Aid recently resigned after butting heads with new Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and her plan to make sweeping changes to federal student loan programs. Now DeVos has announced a replacement who is more likely to follow her lead: Dr. A. Wayne Johnson, the CEO of a private, for-profit student loan company. [More]
Why Is There A Kmart In Minneapolis That Blocks An Entire Street?
By 6.21.17
Lots of people and cities made terrible decisions in the ’70s. It was an era of traffic circles and jughandle exits, and a general “just put that building/highway wherever” attitude. Like the Kmart store in Minneapolis that was plopped down in the middle of what had been a main thoroughfare — an error that is only just beginning to (maybe) be remedied. [More]
As Opioid Hospitalizations Soar, Report Claims Imprisoning Drug Offenders Doesn’t Affect Overdoses Or Use
By 6.20.17
Since 2005, the rate of opioid-related emergency room visits has doubled and hospitalizations are up 64%. At the same time, many states are sending more people to prison for drug-related offenses. However, a new analysis contends that there is no apparent link between drug imprisonments and reining in the problems associated with the ongoing epidemic. [More]
Funeral Homes Find Ways To Upcharge Customers Who Buy Caskets Elsewhere
By 6.20.17
The Federal Trade Commission’s Funeral Rule exists to make sure that funeral homes don’t charge their customers extra if they choose to get some of the key services elsewhere, like ordering a casket from Costco or from Amazon. In the decades since that rule was implemented, some funeral homes have figured out new ways to effectively penalize customers for trying to save money. [More]
Personal Info For 200 Million U.S. Voters Left Unsecured Online
By 6.19.17
A cybersecurity firm says that a database of registered voter information containing personal data on nearly 200 million Americans was left online without proper security by a contractor hired by the Republican National Committee. [More]
