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Massachusetts has the best overall health care system in the country, according to an annual ranking released Thursday by The Commonwealth Fund, a New York City-based foundation that conducts independent research on health care issues. (Soebroto, 6/22)

Starting in 2021, under the American Rescue Plan Act, the federal government offered states the option to extend Medicaid postpartum coverage to a year. The move comes with permanent matching federal funds. More than 40 states have adopted the policy so far, including nearly all Midwestern states like Kansas and Missouri. ... But a handful of Republican-led states like Iowa, Idaho and Arkansas, recently ended their legislative sessions for the second time since the extension option has been available without approving the extension. (Krebs, 6/22)

Although SNAP is a federal program that allows families access to food stamps, each state can set different requirements for eligibility. Texas looks at a household’s income but also factors in the value of a household’s cars, known as the vehicle asset test. (Bach, 6/23)

A rise in syphilis cases in Alaska in recent years has led to a record number of cases of the often deadly disease being passed from mothers to babies during pregnancy, according to a new state health report. “We saw an upward trend,” said Riley Fitting, an epidemiology fellow with the Alaska Department of Health and the lead author on the new report, which tracks congenital syphilis cases in Alaska between 2018 and 2022. (Berman, 6/22)

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration has sued three school districts for adopting policies to tell parents if their children show signs of changing their gender identity. The lawsuits, filed Wednesday by Attorney General Matt Platkin against the Manalapan-Englishtown, Marlboro and Middletown school districts and boards, allege the policies violate New Jersey’s Law Against Discrimination and put transgender students at risk. (Friedman, 6/22)

Ellen and Linda Guevel were feeding their two small dogs Missy and Ava one recent evening inside their Clearwater apartment. Ellen chopped up chicken while her wife Linda, donning a shirt that read, “Don’t tell me what to do, you’re not my dog,” put some kibble in bowls. Most responsibilities in the couple’s lives have fallen on Ellen ever since Linda was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2016, but helping out around the house has become an important part of her daily routine. (Colombini, 6/22)

Crowds are gathering in downtown Denver this week to learn about the future of psychedelics like magic mushrooms and MDMA. The five-day Psychedelic Science 2023 event, attracting medical professionals, politicians, celebrities and practitioners, covers a wide variety of subjects from the business of psychedelics to therapeutic uses for these substances. (Paterson, 6/23)