USA Today: Fewer Prosecuted In Benefits Program FraudThe drop in criminal prosecutions indicates a shift for federal law enforcement agencies, which have increasingly targeted schemes aimed at mortgage lending, financial institutions and Medicare, the government insurance plan for the elderly. It suggests that people who defraud food stamps, Social Security or other benefits programs are less likely to face federal criminal charges (Heath, 6/28).
Chicago Tribune: Quinn To Sign Workers' Comp Overhaul TodayGov. Pat Quinn today will sign into law an overhaul of the state's workers' compensation system, a move that will slash medical rates, set new standards in determining a worker's disability and put in place more safeguards to prevent abuse (Garcia, 6/28).
The Associated Press: NJ Senate Sends Benefits Reform Bill To GovernorThe New Jersey Senate has given final approval to a bill raising pension and health benefits costs to the state's more than 500,000 government workers. The Senate voted Monday to knock out a provision of the bill that would have restricted access to out-of-state health care. The bill now goes to Republican Gov. Chris Christie, who has scheduled a bill signing Tuesday. Christie has said the reforms should serve as a model for other states that are grappling with underfunded public worker pension programs (Delli Santi, 6/27).
The New York Times: Planned Parenthood Fights Kansas' Move To Cut Off FundsPlanned Parenthood filed a federal lawsuit in Kansas on Monday that said the state budget had violated its free speech and due process rights by preventing it from receiving federal family planning money (Williams, 6/27).
The Associated Press/Washington Post: Planned Parenthood Sues Kan. Officials Over Budget Provision Blocking Family Planning FundsPlanned Parenthood filed a federal lawsuit Monday over a provision in Kansas' next state budget that prevents the organization from receiving federal family planning funding, marking the first of what could be several legal challenges to policies successfully pushed by abortion opponents this year (6/27).
Politico: Texas To Defund Planned ParenthoodThe Texas Legislature approved a bill Monday that would both compel the state to push the Obama administration to convert Texas's Medicaid program into a block grant and defund abortion providers like Planned Parenthood (Kliff, 6/27).
This article was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.