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Uncertainty over Medicaid funding has providers weighing the risks of launching Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly in new states. Georgia, Nevada and Connecticut are launching PACE and West Virginia is considering a program. However, operators are concerned about investing millions of dollars in new states that might set payment rates too low or not prioritize PACE. (Eastabrook, 8/13)

�������ýҕ�l Health News: Trump Team’s Use Of Arcane Budget Rule Threatens Medicaid Coverage

About 200,000 low-income Arkansans could see major changes to their health coverage next year after the Trump administration recently informed state officials it will not renew a key Medicaid agreement with the federal government. The decision by federal officials, citing authority granted under President Donald Trump’s signature tax-and-spending law, suggests the GOP-led state’s predicament could foretell other repercussions in how states are allowed to run the program under federal waivers. (Galewitz, 8/14)

The Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office must hand over hundreds of anonymized health records of immigrant detainees following a Massachusetts court ruling. Judge James Budreau issued the order, released Wednesday, a month after attorneys for the sheriff and the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts sparred in Suffolk County Superior Court. “I think this is a decision that is important for government transparency and the rights of immigrant detainees,” said Dan McFadden, managing attorney at the state ACLU. “(The Sheriff’s Office) cannot exempt itself from public records law simply by contract with ICE.” (Andrade, 8/13)

A baby with a rare congenital heart condition was born Wednesday in the midst of an ongoing legal battle across multiple states among his parents, the surrogate who carried him and Texas’ attorney general, who filed a motion with a court to intervene in medical decisions for the baby. (Madani, Grinberg and Lavietes, 8/14)

A Texas family is speaking publicly after their son, Sam, died following exposure to a concentrated 7‑Hydroxymitragynine (7‑OH) product he believed was ordinary kratom. Their story comes as federal regulators move to classify 7‑OH and related compounds as Schedule I opioids, citing rising overdoses and the drug’s spread through gas stations and vape shops. (Castro, 8/13)

California ‘s prison system has systematically failed to protect incarcerated women from sexual abuse and harassment by guards, the U.S. Department of Justice said Thursday. The federal investigation also found that California’s corrections department failed to provide victims with a way to report sexual abuse and harassment without retaliation. On top of that, staff who were tasked with investigating the misconduct were often themselves accused of sexual abuse or harassment. (Riddle, 8/14)

As traumatic injuries and deaths surge among children involved in crashes on e-bikes and other electrified vehicles, one California prosecutor is cracking down by pursuing criminal charges against some of the young riders’ parents. It is just one way officials across the country are trying to tackle the growing issue, while families navigate a patchwork of local laws and guidance on what kind of souped-up cycles and scooters are safe or even legal for their kids to ride. (Marcelo, 8/14)

State officials announced a “dramatic drop” in the number of children with behavioral health disabilities who have been placed in institutional settings and other changes, including the launch of new services as well as service rate increases, marking progress on Nevada’s efforts to comply with federal disabilities law since the Department of Justice called out the deficiencies four years ago. Ann Jensen, administrator of Nevada Medicaid, described the decrease and new community-based mental healthcare model as a “big win” that needs to be celebrated. Still, she said it’s just the first of many improvements that must happen. (Mueller, 8/13)