Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Confusing Language In NC Law Prompts Head-Scratching Over Medicaid Dental Coverage
People who pay close attention to the machinations of state budget-making these days in North Carolina know that you can’t just look at the bottom line to understand how lawmakers’ spending choices will shape communities, families and the health care they’ll have access to. You have to become adept at reading between the budget lines to get the sweeping effect. (Blythe, 7/17)
ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø News: ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø News’ ‘What The Health?’: States Start Their Medicaid Cuts
When Republicans passed their big budget bill in 2025, they scheduled many of the Medicaid reductions to take effect in 2027, after the 2026 midterm elections. But in anticipation of getting less money from Washington come January, many states are already cutting their Medicaid programs, making the issue more relevant for voters in November. (Rovner, 7/16)
More health news from across the U.S. —
The current state budget required New Hampshire’s Department of Health and Human Services make $51 million in cuts over two fiscal years, marking the largest reduction in its budget in the past 30 years. (Richardson, 7/16)
A key lawmaker wants Connecticut to explore manufacturing generic weight-loss drugs despite Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont’s administration backing away from the idea. (Khan, 7/16)
The sister of a Tennessee death row inmate whose execution was halted because of problems inserting an IV has filed a complaint against the doctor who was involved. The complaint filed Wednesday with the Tennessee Department of Health by Tonya Hervey says Tony Carruthers suffered excruciating pain during the May 21 attempt to administer a lethal injection and the family believes he now has partial paralysis that they attribute to a stroke. It does not specifically say how or when they believe the stroke occurred, and Hervey declined an interview request. (Loller, 7/16)
A ghost gun company has been ordered to pay more than $100 million in the death of a Kentucky teenager who had purchased the company’s pistol-building kit online. The verdict — believed to be the largest ever against a gun dealer — was awarded by a jury Wednesday following a trial focused on whether the vendor, Husky Armory LLC, skirted federal regulations barring the sale of the gun-assembly kits to those under 21. (Offenhartz and Lovan, 7/17)
