Source: AP/Oregonian | Washington state |
April 26, 2013
Washington state appears to be the first major government to seriously explore the possibility of pushing public employees into the exchange, but it probably won't be the last.
Source: Arizona Republic | Arizona |
April 26, 2013
Federal health officials dealt a blow to opponents of Medicaid expansion, saying they’re unlikely to fund a slimmed-down version of the state’s indigent-health-care program as the political battle over the issue intensified.
Source: AP/Denver Post | Colorado |
April 26, 2013
Medical and recreational marijuana may be legal in Colorado, but employers in the state can lawfully fire workers who test positive for the drug, even if it was used off duty, according to a court ruling.
Source: Newark Star-Ledger | New Jersey |
April 26, 2013
Senate President Stephen Sweeney’s push to stiffen the state’s gun laws got off to a rocky start as the Assembly majority leader warned the package of measures was dead on arrival because it wasn’t tough enough, and a national group of mayors abruptly put off its endorsement.
As Rhode Island is set to become the 10th state to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry, gay marriage supporters are shifting their focus to other states.
Maryland lawmakers called for a sweeping inquiry into the state prison system, amid allegations that a gang effectively took over the Baltimore City Detention Center, orchestrating crimes from behind bars and impregnating female correctional officers who helped smuggle in contraband.
Source: Newark Star-Ledger | New Jersey |
April 26, 2013
Gov. Chris Christie vetoed a bill requiring oversight of billions of dollars in federal aid for Hurricane Sandy, despite Democratic objections, calling the measure redundant and wasteful.
Source: Indianapolis Star | Indiana |
April 26, 2013
After months of arm-twisting and campaigning, Gov. Mike Pence will get half the tax cut he wanted from the Indiana General Assembly — a 5 percent reduction in the individual income tax that he’s calling a great victory.
A decision in a case before the U.S. Supreme Court could unleash a flood of litigation asking courts to crack open some of the more than 30 compacts that determine how states share water.
The accused Boston bomber may face the death penalty as a result of federal charges filed against him, even though his crimes were committed in a state where the death penalty is outlawed.
Source: Washington Post | Maryland |
April 25, 2013
Maryland’s biggest health insurer proposed raising premiums for individual policies by an average of 25 percent next year, saying that President Obama’s health law would require it to accept even the sickest applicants, driving up costs.
Source: AP/Seattle Times | Washington state |
April 25, 2013
Prosecutors and crime-lab scientists say a little-noticed provision in Washington’s new law legalizing recreational marijuana has jeopardized their ability to go after any pot crimes at all, and they’re calling for an immediate fix in the Legislature.
Legal marijuana in Colorado may not bring in enough money to cover the societal costs of legalization, a new study from a Colorado State University think tank concludes.
In this Mercer Report, you’ll learn how different organizations plan to tackle the new requirements of ACA and discover where most employer concerns are focused, who expects to be hardest hit, and how different health plans and Medicaid may impact overall costs.