News outlets reported on a variety of state developments.
NPR: Mass., N.H., Take Aim At Bone Marrow Registry
Bone marrow registries are usually noble efforts to find donors with the right genetic match to save the life of a terminally ill person, but one such program in New England is under investigation by attorneys general in two states (Greenberg, 12/17).
The Boston Globe/Worcester Telegram & Gazette: Officials Rip Health Chain's Aggressive Bone-Marrow Campaign
UMass Memorial Health Care Inc.'s use of pricey models in short skirts and spike heels to entice people to sign up for its bone marrow registry, while allegedly misleading consumers about the cost of testing, has drawn scrutiny of the hospital chain from authorities in New Hampshire (Caywood, 12/17).
McClatchy/The Sacramento Bee: More Middle Income Families Going Without Health Insurance
As more Americans lose health coverage because of unemployment, the latest snapshot of the uninsured reveals a grim picture: It's not just the poor and unemployed who now go without health insurance. About a third of California's uninsured had family incomes of more than $50,000 a year in 2009, according to the California HealthCare Foundation (Calvan, 12/17).
San Francisco Chronicle: Bleak Health Care Scenario On Retirees
A new report from the (San Francisco) controller's office shows the city has an unfunded health care liability of $4.36 billion. That means it'll cost that much to pay the promised health care benefits for every current employee and retiree -- and that number will keep growing as health care costs rise. By 2033, the tab will be a whopping $9.7 billion (Knight, Lagos, Coté and Gordon, 12/17).
Texas Tribune: Advocates Filing Suit Over Disabled In Nursing Homes
Disability rights advocates will file a class-action lawsuit on Monday, alleging that Texas leaders have violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by confining some 4,500 Texans with disabilities in nursing homes (Ramshaw, 12/16).