Cities, counties and states continue to sue opioid manufacturers, drug distributors and pharmacy chains, alleging those companies fueled the nation's opioid crisis through deceptive marketing and negligence. The metro area of Louisville, Kentucky was the latest to file a lawsuit this week, targeting the big three distributors: AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson.
Why it matters: It's not at all clear municipalities will win, but the lawsuits represent something larger — policymakers want more scrutiny and oversight for companies that make and deliver painkillers instead of heaping blame on people who suffer from addiction.
The Ohio Department of Insurance said Thursday that regional health insurer CareSource will sell Affordable Care Act plans in Paulding County in 2018. Every county in Ohio now has at least one ACA insurer after Anthem pulled out in June.
Why it matters: People in every U.S. county who buy coverage on the ACA exchanges will have at least one health insurance option for next year (assuming all insurers finalize their commitments). State insurance departments have been working all summer to fill the so-called bare ACA counties following many insurer exits.
Key quote: "Making sure coverage is available has been our goal through this process, but this is a temporary solution and one that only applies to 2018." — Ohio Department of Insurance Director Jillian Froment
President Trump has spent a good portion of his morning on Twitter — apparently browsing memes while taking a break from attacking GOP congressional leaders. A roundup of his AM missives thus far:
