State Highlights: Virginia Gov. Vetoes ‘Counterproductive’ Health Care Bills; Details Lacking As Iowa Reports Savings For Privatized Medicaid

Richmond Times-Dispatch:
Governor Vetoes Insurance Legislation, Terming It Counterproductive

Gov. Ralph Northam has vetoed four bills he contends would undermine Virginia’s health insurance marketplace and raise premiums — the same problems that Republican senators say the proposals would address for people who can no longer afford health insurance. … In vetoing the Senate health insurance bills on Friday, Northam said the state should seek a more comprehensive solution to problems that have caused premiums to soar for individuals and small businesses purchasing coverage in the commercial marketplace. (Martz, 5/18)

The Associated Press:
Governor Northam Vetoes GOP Healthcare Bills

(Virginia Gov. Ralph) Northam said that legislation and other Republican-backed bills he vetoed would undermine efforts to expand affordable health care. He said lawmakers could help lower rising health care costs by expanding Medicaid to 400,000 low-income adults. (5/18)

Des Moines Register:
Iowa Privatized Medicaid Savings Changes Again Without Explanation

The question of exactly how much Iowa is saving by privatizing its Medicaid system became more muddied this week, as state officials repeatedly changed their estimates. The Iowa Department of Human Services provided no details of how it came up with a new estimate of $140.9 million in state savings, which it released Thursday afternoon. A one-page letter containing that estimate described it as a “projected annual range.” On Friday, a department spokesman said the figure wasn’t an annual estimate, it was actually a “cumulative” amount since April 2016. Then, late Friday afternoon, the same spokesman said the $140.9 million estimate was for the current fiscal year. (Leys, 5/18)

The New York Times:
Technique Used To Find Golden State Killer Leads To A Suspect In 1987 Murders

In 1987, Jay Cook, 20, and Tanya Van Cuylenborg, 18, a couple from Canada, were brutally killed while they were vacationing in Washington State. On Friday, the Snohomish County sheriff’s office announced that it had a suspect in custody in the rape of Ms. Van Cuylenborg and the murders. William Earl Talbott II, 55, of Seatac, Wash., was arrested on Thursday. An important break came once again as a result of DNA sleuthing techniques similar to the ones used last month to crack the Golden State killer case. (Murphy, 5/18)

Minnesota Public Radio:
State Officials Outline Progress In Investigating Reports Of Elder Abuse

Minnesota Commissioner of Health Jan Malcolm said Friday that the backlog of more than 3,000 reports and open cases of elder abuse has been reduced to 122 cases. The update came after a series of stories in the Star Tribune reported that 97 percent of reports of abuse and neglect in senior homes in 2016 were never investigated by the state health department’s Office of Health Facility Complaints. (Richert, 5/18)

Pioneer Press:
MN Officials: Progress Made Trimming Elder Abuse Investigations Backlog 

Minnesota is making more progress on its efforts to more quickly investigate claims of abuse by vulnerable adults. Jan Malcolm, state health commissioner, released an update Friday that the number of open abuse investigations has dropped from 826 to 122 thanks for an ongoing partnership between the departments of health and human services. (Magan, 5/18)

The Wall Street Journal:
The Spillover Effects Of State Gun Laws

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania had a hunch about gun laws: A place with strict laws surrounded by states with lenient ones would have more shootings. But the data revealed something different. Counties in states with tight gun laws weren’t affected by the loose laws of neighboring states—but counties in states with loose laws had lower rates of firearm homicide when nearby states had tight laws. “It’s a halo effect,” said Elinore J. Kaufman, lead author of the study. “If you lived in a state with lenient laws but neighboring states had stronger laws, you were a little bit protected.” (McGinty, 5/18)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Deaths In Georgia Jails: Inmate Deaths Linked To Mental Illness

Gaps in the criminal justice and mental health systems have turned local jails into warehouses for the mentally ill, often with fatal consequences. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Channel 2 Action News and the Georgia News Lab conducted one of the most comprehensive reviews of jail deaths ever undertaken in Georgia, reviewing the deaths of more than 500 inmates and detainees in the state’s local jails in the past decade. (Schrade, Peebles and Georgia News Lab, 5/18)

San Jose Mercury News:
Stanford Ousts Suicidal Students From School, Homes: Lawsuit

Stanford University students who attempt or consider suicide have been banned from campus, ousted from university housing, and ordered to pay hundreds of dollars for getting kicked out, according to a new lawsuit filed by three students and a mental health group. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in San Jose, alleges that the university’s policies deter troubled students from seeking help from campus counseling and other Stanford services. (Baron, 5/18)