FHI's Week in Review

Volume V, Issue 24

June 11, 2018

Trump administration wants to gut pre-existing condition protections, putting GOP candidates in a bad spot

Mike Stankiewicz, in a Jun 8, 2018 Fierce Healthcare post, reports that the Department of Justice said this week it mostly agrees with a lawsuit (filed by 20 Republican states leaders) that claims the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate is unconstitutional since the GOP zeroed out its penalty last year. The Trump administration also said that pre-existing condition protections within the law were inseparable from the mandate and must be struck down as well, according to the author.

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National Republicans may have shot themselves in the foot with their latest legal battle against the ACA, which would pull back pre-existing condition protections, according to the Fierce Healthcare article. Such protections are highly supported by the public and could put certain GOP candidates in a tight spot before the November elections.

CDC: Suicide rates rising across the U.S.

Suicide rates have been rising in nearly every state, according to the latest Vital Signs < 6.7.18> report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In 2016, nearly 45,000 Americans age 10 or older died by suicide. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death and is one of just three leading causes that are on the rise.

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"Suicide is a leading cause of death for Americans - and it's a tragedy for families and communities across the country," said CDC Principal Deputy Director Anne Schuchat, MD. "From individuals and communities to employers and healthcare professionals, everyone can play a role in efforts to help save lives and reverse this troubling rise in suicide."

See also: Suicide Prevention Lifeline

$53 Million Deal Points To Lucrative Marijuana Market

News Service of Florida reports, via Health News Florida on 6.6.18, that California based MedMen will pay $53 million to acquire Treadwell Nursery's five-acre cultivation facility, located in Eustis, FL, and the right to operate 25 dispensaries throughout the state, the maximum currently allowed under Florida law.

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"For nearly a decade we have been positioning ourselves to capitalize on enormous market opportunities like this. This acquisition is right in line with our strategy of establishing a presence early on in high potential markets with limited licenses and large populations," MedMen co-founder and CEO Adam Bierman said in a prepared statement. "Florida is the third most populous state in the country with a medical marijuana market estimated to reach $1 billion in annual sales by 2020.