Stateline Headlines

Suicide education and training a great step for teachers, Wyoming

Wyoming prepares real-time Medicaid eligibilty system

More study needed on Wyoming's suicide problem

Show some trust of Wyoming’s workers

Wyoming lawmakers hear Medicaid update

Wyoming insurance commissioner foresees health exchange pitfalls

Legislature compounds bad Medicaid move

Groups debate ultrasound bill at Capitol hearing

State committee votes to reject Medicaid expansion

States Offer Tax Breaks to Spur Organ Donation

A new Wisconsin initiative to boost organ donations in the state by giving an income-tax deduction to living donors is gaining steam in statehouses across the country. Since January, Georgia lawmakers approved an identical bill, and similar measures have been introduced in 10 other states.

Summary of the Wisconsin State of the State Address

It's been a difficult year for Wisconsin, but Gov. Jim Doyle (D) struck an upbeat tone during his Jan. 26 state of the state address. Despite budget cuts, furloughs and pay and hiring freezes, Doyle warned that more cuts were on the horizon, although he vowed to continue "protecting education, health care and public safety and protecting the middle class against tax increases."

How Wisconsin Made Big Medicaid Cuts With Little Controversy

When lawmakers needed huge health care savings to balance the budget, they turned the decision-making over to a panel of stakeholders. The strategy could be a model for other states looking to squeeze money out of their Medicaid programs.

Drug-addicted babies up at some state hospitals

States in Forefront of Fight for Cheaper Drugs

West Virginia is breaking new ground in bargaining for lower drug prices for Medicaid patients, state workers and residents, an effort expected to intensify in state legislatures in 2005.

States Share Latest On Rx Programs

Officials from Florida, Maine, Michigan, Pennsylvania and West Virginia will provide updates on their Medicaid and state employee prescription drug programs at a forum in Pittsburgh Friday (1/11).

Schools Embrace Fingerprint Scanning

Schools across the country are scanning students' fingerprints so that they can pay for meals or check out books at the touch of a finger. But a growing backlash from parents and civil libertarians has led some states to outlaw or limit the technology.

State Officials Inclined to Go Slow on Mad-Cow Legislation

The recent case of so-called mad cow disease found in a cow in Washington state last month is prompting state lawmakers to scrutinize their policies on livestock health, but most are taking a wait-and-see approach to any new state-level legislation.

Washington's Eileen Cody Mixes Nursing, Politics

The title "union leader" evokes an image of a big, beefy man building cars in Detroit or driving a truck across the country. Eileen Cody, a member of the Washington state House of Representatives, doesn't fit that stereotype. A tall, scholarly-looking woman with short brown hair, Cody, a Democrat, is co-founder of a health care union in Seattle, where she works as a registered nurse.

Western State Reporters Say Taxes, Education Top 2000 Agenda

Reporters from eight Western states identified tax policy, education funding, health care reforms and apportionment of the states' tobacco settlement funds as the most pressing issues likely to be addressed by their states in the next legislative year. Over 50 journalists from Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming repeatedly mentioned those topics during a recent statehouse reporters' conference in Boise, Idaho.

Program Moves Vets From Medicaid

As states are forced to tighten their belts, some might look at a Washington state program that transfers the cost of eligible veterans' health care, particularly long-term care, from Medicaid to the federal VA system.

Medicaid: A Year of Excruciating Decisions

PART THREE OF FIVE: For state health officials, rising Medicaid rolls and declining federal support add up to only one scenario: a year of ever tighter budgets.

Summary of the Washington State of the State Address

"Jobs are the way out of this recession," Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire (D) told the Democratic-led Legislature in her state of the state address Jan. 12, laying out a series of proposals she said would create as many as 40,000 new jobs this year.

Health Care Wrangling Could Delay State Aid

TODAY'S TAKE: Federal health care reform has been a divisive issue for states, but for some governors seeking immediate budget relief from Capitol Hill, the wrangling over the legislation is causing uncertainty.

Lawmakers of opposing views lead Medicaid overhaul

Battle lines drawn in Va. Medicaid overhaul

1st lawsuit challenging Va. abortion clinic regs filed

U.S. official praises Va. on health care

Former Va. official helps outline the path forward in health care

Governor’s Small Business Summit focused on health-care law

SCC ramps up for new role for health insurance exchange

Virginia Out to Widen Use of Life-Saving Devices

Twenty year-old medical technology could save hundreds of thousands of Americans who die from cardiac arrest each year, but legal barriers have stymied its use. Now Virginia is taking the lead in trying to remove these barriers.

Delegates Speak: Health Care, Vetetans' Assistance

Aug. 29, 2008, 9:00 a.m. EDT Q. What serious issue in your state would you like the next president to address? Wyoming on health careHealth care is number one still. We still have a lot of people who don't have adequate health care in this nation. Someone has to do something…The cost and price of energy, although helping our state tremendously as far as giving us surpluses, but still causing a lot of heartache for the people of Wyoming. So those are the two issues: energy costs and health care. (As president, Barack Obama) will push forward some kind of national health care… I think we are going to see some additional help with health care dollars and getting people covered. -Wyoming delegate, State Sen. John Hastert, 50, of Green River, interviewed by Pamela M. Prah, Stateline.org Virginia on veterans' assistanceI served one year in Vietnam and three years in the military and then went to school on the GI Bill after that. The veterans from the war in Iraq are coming home and have no place to go …I'm thinking about these GIs now, after 12 months, ready to come home and then (their tour) is extended for another six months. You don't know how much pressure that is on a young GI. I was 19 in Vietnam and most of the vets in the volunteer Army are between 18 and 25 years old. They may say they love it ….but the reason they go in the first place is because they are looking for a better life for themselves. They are not going to war because they want to kill and maim someone else, and they don't want to be killed or maimed themselves. When they get out of there, we don't take care of them. -Virginia delegate Willie L. Brown, 62, of Chesapeake, Army veteran, interviewed by Pamela M. Prah, Stateline.org AFTER THE JUMP: Audio from Stateline.org's interviews with Hastert and Brown Comments

Is Health Care Ruling a Game-Changer?

TODAY'S TAKE: Partisan state politicians either cheered or denounced a federal judge's ruling Monday (December 13) that a key provision of the Obama administration's new health care law is unconstitutional. Meanwhile, Virginia's governor urged his peers to support an idea to fast-track the case directly to the U.S. Supreme Court, and critics of Massachusetts' broad-based health care program saw a new opportunity to challenge it.

Abortion Ultrasound Debate Intensifies

SOCIAL POLICY BEAT: The debate in Virginia whether to require every woman seeking an abortion get an ultrasound is flaring up in a half dozen other statehouses.

Cuccinelli Seeks Quick Review of Health Law

HEALTH BEAT: Virginia's Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli asks the High Court to expedite review of a lawsuit against health care reform … GOP governors threaten to leave exchanges to the federal government … Sebelius offers ways to cut Medicaid budgets, and other health care news.

Virginia Senate Bans Health Insurance Mandate

TODAY'S TAKE: The Democratic-led Virginia Senate sent a strong message about health care reform efforts in Washington, D.C., on Monday (Feb. 1), passing a bill that makes it illegal for Virginians to be required to buy health insurance. Similar legislation is being debated in more than two-thirds of the states.

Vermont Health CO-OP reorganizes to try to win license

Shumlin to tour new psychiatric residence

Blitz about to begin on health insurance exchange

Vermont board begins review of rates under exchange

What comes after decriminalization

Settlement reached in secure residence appeal

As of July 1, pot possession draws a ticket, not a charge in Vermont

Shumlin to sign marijuana decriminalization bill

New law expands effort to protect student-athletes from concussions

On The Record: Vermont Senate President Peter Shumlin

Vermont Senate President Peter Shumlin is on the run these days, literally. Besides running for lieutenant governor, he is leading a coalition of northeastern lawmakers trying to control prescription drug prices. Despite his busy agenda, Democrat Shumlin found time to talk to Stateline.org about healthcare, education and other issues during a recent visit to Washington, D.C.

Vermont Charges Ahead on Health Care 'Public Option'

TODAY'S TAKE: Every Vermont resident eventually could sign up for state-paid health insurance under legislation easily approved by the state House of Representatives on Thursday (March 24). The first-in-the-nation plan is a priority for Democratic Governor Peter Shumlin.

For Some States, Health Care Waivers Are a Big Deal

States like Vermont and Oregon, with ambitious health plans, stand to benefit if the Obama administration eases up on the rules.

In Vermont, Single-Payer Health Care in a Single State

Vermont is pondering implementation of an exclusive government-run health care program within its own borders. If it goes ahead, the whole country will be watching.

Utah health department to offer free screenings to uninsured

Coverage for all

Utah’s Health Insurance Exchange in Limbo

Utah’s attempt to preserve its health insurance exchange is testing the federal government’s flexibility on a key piece of the Affordable Care Act.

Utah Boy Mows State Capitol Lawns, Grows Organ Donor Awareness

Coming to a state capitol near you soon is "Lawn Mower Boy." Fourteen-year-old Ryan Tripp from Parowan, Utah - also known as Lawn Mower Boy - is out to set a new Guinness Book World Record by cutting the grass at each state capitol. But setting records is second to his desire to increase awareness about organ and tissue donation around the country. Lawn Mower Boy started his mowing marathon June 1 in his home state accompanied by Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt. He has since mowed a portion of lawn at the capitols in Nevada, California, Oregon, Washington and Alaska. His last stop will be in Hawaii on Monday, Aug. 9. For more about Tripp's unusual odyssey, click on

Utah to Use Gifts to Pay for Medicaid

If Gov. John Huntsman's plan works, Utah will use $2 million in private donations - instead of state tax dollars - to cover the dental bills of 40,000 poor residents on Medicaid next year. The unusual arrangement, and the political drama that led up to it, stirred up a hornet's nest in Utah over how Medicaid is funded and how state officials choose what services to pay for.

States Ask Feds for Health Care Help

With the economy tanking and state budgets deep in the red, some states are cutting benefits or people from their Medicaid and other health insurance programs to save money. At the same time, the federal government and the new incoming administration are working with states on finding ways to help them avoid such measures.

Citing Risks of Cancer, States Seek to Limit Teen Tanning

HEALTH BEAT: Concerned by research linking indoor tanning to skin cancer, legislators are trying to restrict teens use of tanning beds.

Utah is Fifth State to Adopt 'Health Care Compact'

Utah has joined four other states in a compact aimed at wresting control of Medicare and Medicaid from the federal government. But the proposal would require congressional approval.

Summary of the Utah State of the State Address

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert (R) used his first state of the state address to call on lawmakers Jan. 26 to exercise fiscal restraint and not raise taxes, but to also protect education from budget cuts.

After hours of debate, senate OKs abortion regulations

Texas Senate drops abortion ban after 20 weeks

Senate OKs abortion measure in late vote

Senators meet to consider abortion restrictions

Perry adds abortion, capital murder punishment to special session agenda

State hospitals lack oversight, accountability

Federal investigation -- State hospital caused patient’s death

Texas Cancer Agency Fights Controversy

The state’s $3 billion effort to attack cancer is under fire for the way some awards have been made.

Medicaid Fraud Busters Learn From Experience

For years, it’s been relatively easy for dishonest doctors to squeeze extra money out of Medicaid programs. Now it’s getting harder.

States Suing Feds Over Seniors' Rx Costs

Fifteen states want the U.S. Supreme Court to block the federal government's plan to bill them for a portion of costs for the new Medicare prescription drug benefit passed by Congress. The states call the law "an unprecedented intrusion into each state's sovereignty."

Texas pharmacist to head NCSL(2)

SAN ANTONIO -- A working pharmacist and mother of six, Texas state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte led Democrats on a 45-day walkout to New Mexico in 2003 to protest a Republican-backed redistricting plan. Now, the straight-talking 51-year-old is ready to add another job to her already full plate.

Texas Sees 'No-Win Dilemma' in Medicaid

TODAY'S TAKE: Texas would lose $15 billion a year in federal money if it opted out of Medicaid, as Governor Rick Perry and other Republicans have suggested, according to a new study. Keeping the program as it is, however, also presents enormous fiscal challenges for the state.

With Health Care Lawsuits, States Hope for Victory but Plan for Defeat

Even as 21 states are suing to stop the federal health care overhaul from taking effect, each one is also taking concrete measures to implement the law.

Medicare program eliminates 30 out-of-state suppliers

Health-care plan predictions vary widely among TN leaders

Tennessee Justice Center co-founder will move to top post

Winning bid for medical services to TN Correction Department is upheld

TN pharmacy board writes new rules for drug compounders

Politics complicates TennCare discussion

Petition for expansion of TennCare is presented to governor's office

Tennessee Plan Would Help Medicaid Families Keep Health Coverage

Low-income families will have more health insurance options starting in 2014, but income fluctuations and other circumstances could switch their subsidized plans. Tennessee is one of a handful of states developing ways to help people maintain coverage and keep seeing the same doctors.

State Laws Allow Adoptees To Unlock The Past

Last month, the Tennessee Supreme Court upheld a law giving adoptees 21 and older access to their birth certificates and adoption records. In Oregon, a first-of-a kind ballot initiative guaranteeing the same right is bottled up in a state appeals court. Over the years, requests to open these records have spawned pitched battles involving adoptees, birth mothers wishing to remain anonymous and anti-abortion advocates who fear that open records laws will make more women choose abortion over adoption.

Tenn. retools its health coverage

After drastic cuts to TennCare, Tennessee weighs whether to adopt an alternative health insurance program with lower expenditures tailored for a wealthier demographic.

Bredesen Calls for Medicaid Changes

Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen (D), who is presiding over one of the largest cuts to Medicaid rolls in the program's history, appeared before a Washington, D.C., audience June 24 to call for increased cost-sharing by beneficiaries and extra flexibility for states to manage their programs.

Tennessee's Bold Leap in Care for the Aged and Disabled

A determined governor has rallied his state behind long-term health care reform. As more people begin to receive care in their homes - instead of in costly nursing facilities - Tennessee is betting on managed care organizations to keep costs in check.

Settlement reached in SD Medicaid system dispute

State must protect insurance consumers

States Tackle School Safety After Sandy Hook Shootings

At least 20 states are considering bills that would allow some teachers to be armed. Others are focusing on emergency plans and mental health checks.

South Carolina soul searching on welfare of children

Tuberculosis outbreak rocks S.C. town

RAND study finds SC will pay high price for Medicaid decision

S.C. State Workers Challenge Health Insurance Hike

This year, the South Carolina legislature budgeted to give state workers, university employees and teachers their first raise in four years in exchange for increasing what they contribute to their retirement plans.

States To Brush Up On Childrens Oral Health

Representatives of eight states will gather in Charleston, S.C. next month for a closed-door policy workshop designed to strengthen oral health care initiatives for children.Selected from 28 states that applied for the workshop, delegations from Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Minnesota, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina and Virginia will attend the National Governors Associations Policy Academy for State Officials on Improving Oral Health Care for Children Dec. 13-15.

Summary of the South Carolina State of the State Address

South Carolina Gov. Sanford, once considered a strong GOP presidential contender, used his final state of the state address to again apologize for the "storm" his extramarital affair wrought and laid out three goals he hopes to accomplish in his final year in office, including a cap on spending.

R.I. health director revokes pharmacy license of former Coventry senator Blais

R.I. tightens policing of disability pensions after possible overpayments discovered

Rhode Island's Medicaid Gamble

A small state has launched a big experiment to cap Medicaid spending by keeping seniors at home and out of more costly nursing facilities. And the effort is getting high marks - so far.

Corbett signs ban on abortion coverage in insurance exchange the state couldn't be bothered to run

Corbett signs anti-abortion coverage bill in Pa.

Corbett administration seeking assurances state won’t be left holding Medicaid bag

Corbett officials on Medicaid: Corbett wants to expand, but Obama administration is too rigid