New York lawmakers advanced an amendment on Fridayto enshrine the right to get an abortion in the state's constitution, a week after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
The big picture: The amendment passed in the state Senate and Assembly during an extraordinary session that Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) called. The process to change the New York Constitution requires that lawmakers pass the change during the next regular legislative session, as well. Advocates hope voters will be able to decide on the amendment in 2024.
Why it matters: The numbers indicate that the issue has struck a nerve and is galvanizing voters to funnel money into the party ahead of November's elections.
Abortion providers on Friday filed a lawsuit directly with the Oklahoma Supreme Court to challenge two abortion bans in the state.
Driving the news: Nearly all abortions have been unavailable in Oklahoma since late May, when Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) signed into law a bill banning abortion that is enforced by lawsuits from private citizens.
Children aged 5 to 11 who lived in counties with an active COVID-19 vaccine provider had significantly higher vaccine coverage in the six months after pediatric shots became available, the CDC reported on Thursday.
Why it matters: Experts say younger kids remain at risk of severe illness from the virus, noting about half of U.S. counties lack an active pediatric clinic, family medicine clinic or federally qualified health center.
Patients will soon have a clearer picture of what insurers and employers pay for health care thanks to a federal rule that kicks in today — if a collection of health tech companies can make the trove of data understandable.
Why it matters: Patients often have no idea what a procedure or service costs — and have little ability to comparison shop — until they're left holding the bag with a higher bill than they expected.
