Latest U.S. Department of Health and Human Services News
States fail to track abuses in foster care facilities housing thousands of children, US says
WASHINGTON (AP) — Many states are failing to track how frequently children in foster care facilities are abused, sexually assaulted or improperly restrained, leaving them vulnerable to mistreatment, the U.S. Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General said in a report Wednesday. ...
Florida medical marijuana patients get an unexpected email praising DeSantis
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida has more than 700,000 medical marijuana patients and Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis — who is battling a proposal to allow recreational use of marijuana — wants them all to know what a great job he's doing. The Department of Health last week sent a...
State rejects health insurers' pleas to halt plan that will shake up coverage for 1.8 million Texans
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas officials have rejected attempts by several major insurers for needy families to cancel a proposal that would drop them from the state Medicaid program and shake up the coverage of nearly 2 million low-income Texans. At issue are some $116 billion in...
Supreme Court sides with Native American tribes in health care funding dispute with government
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court sided with Native American tribes Thursday in a dispute with the federal government over the cost of health care when tribes run programs in their own communities. The 5-4 decision means the government will cover millions in overhead costs that...
West Virginia's first ombudsman for state's heavily burdened foster care system resigns
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — The first ombudsman of West Virginia's heavily burdened foster care system has resigned. Pamela Woodman-Kaehler’s resignation will take effect June 6, the state Department of Health announced in a statement. Woodman-Kaehler said she was “choosing to...
Top US drug agency a notable holdout in Biden's push to loosen federal marijuana restrictions
In an isolated part of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration headquarters known as the 12th-floor “bubble,” chief Anne Milgram made an unusual request of top deputies summoned in March for what she called the “Marijuana Meeting”: Nobody could take notes. Over the next half...
Justice Department formally moves to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug in historic shift
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department on Thursday formally moved to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, a historic shift in generations of U.S. drug policy. A proposed rule sent to the federal register recognizes the medical uses of cannabis and acknowledges it has...
Editorial Roundup: Texas
Dallas Morning News. May 9, 2024. Editorial: Texas agency botched multibillion-dollar Medicaid bid Texas Health and Human Services’ gave Aetna a boost and must start over. In Texas, millions of low-income residents are dependent on Medicaid for their...
4/20 grew from humble roots to marijuana's high holiday
SEATTLE (AP) — Saturday marks marijuana culture’s high holiday, 4/20, when college students gather — at 4:20 p.m. — in clouds of smoke on campus quads and pot shops in legal-weed states thank their customers with discounts. This year’s edition provides an occasion for...
