The Idaho Supreme Court on Friday allowed a six-week abortion ban to take effect and refused to block the state's trigger ban, which is set to take effect on Aug. 25.
Driving the news: Abortion providers sued state officials in June, shortly after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, arguing that the law was "constitutionally vague" and therefore should be "invalidated and declared unconstitutional."
Florida has moved to prohibit transgender residents from using Medicaid to pay for gender-affirming care.
The big picture: Florida joined at least 10 other states — including Texas, Arizona and Missouri — in barring residents from using Medicaid to pay for the medications and surgeries prescribed to those diagnosed with gender dysphoria, the Washington Post reports.
More than a third (35%) of U.S. employers already offer travel and lodging benefits for elective and medically necessary abortions and another 16% are considering offering it next year, according to a survey from human resources consultancy Willis Towers Watson.
Why it matters: It's a glimpse into how the private sector is thinking about health benefits in the post-Roe landscape.
New York City public health officials urged people on Friday to get vaccinated against polio after the virus was detected in samples taken from the city's sewage system, suggesting "likely local circulation of the virus" in the city.
Why it matters: The detection of polio in wastewater in New York City follows the identification of the virus in other sewage samples taken from two New York counties, Rockland and Orange, in the last two months.
Usage of cheaper generic hepatitis C drugs was lower among Medicare beneficiaries than Medicaid enrollees in 2020, costing seniors thousands of dollars in extra out-of-pocket spending, according to a new HHS Office of Inspector General report.
Why it matters: The report underscores that just because a generic version of a drug exists, patients are not necessarily benefitting from it — and supports arguments that Medicare's prescription drug benefit structure incentivizes insurers to favor brand-name drugs over generics.
Vulnerable Democrats believe finally passing a law to let Medicare negotiate the prices it pays for some prescription drugs will give them a much-needed lifeline in what's otherwise been shaping up as a brutal midterm cycle.
Why it matters: A relentless focus on health care helped propel Democrats to seize control of the House in 2018, and they're hoping that delivering on this decades-long campaign promise will help them keep their congressional majorities now.
New Zealand has welcomed back the first cruise ship since the country closed its borders in March 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic spread.
The big picture: Tourism Minister Stuart Nash said in a statement that the arrival in Auckland of Carnival Australia's Pacific Explorer cruise ship carrying some 2,000 passengers and crew was "another boost for local communities" after the government dropped pandemic restrictions at the border earlier this month.
