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Support for the Nov. 4 ballot initiative requiring that health insurance rate changes be approved by the state’s elected insurance commissioner is eroding, according to a new poll out late Wednesday, with the measure faltering under the weight of a $57-million campaign funded largely by insurers. The Public Policy Institute of California survey found that Proposition 45 is supported by just 39 percent of likely voters, sliding nine percentage points since September. Some 46 percent would vote no and 15 percent remain undecided. (Cadelago, 10/22)

Consumer advocate Ralph Nader blasted his onetime ally California Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday for failing to back a November ballot proposition that would raise the cap on pain-and-suffering awards in medical malpractice suits. “It’s inexplicable to me. It’s disappointing beyond my ability to explain to you,” Nader said in an interview, a day after he wrote a letter to Brown voicing his displeasure over his refusal to climb aboard Proposition 46. (Mehta, 10/22)

Since Adam [Glover]'s inexplicable death five years ago, his mother has been trying to find out what went wrong. Five independent doctors who [Sarah] Hitchcock-Glover consulted told her that Adam's death was preventable and that he died from hypovolemic shock, when the heart is unable to pump enough blood due to severe fluid loss. This November, voters will consider Proposition 46, a patient safety initiative, in part because of Hitchcock-Glover's work. (Clark, 10/22)

A type of “personhood” amendment North Dakotans will vote on next month could have broad ramifications for healthcare in that state, some experts say. Voters will decide whether to adopt a seemingly simple amendment to the state's constitution. “The inalienable right to life of every human being at any stage of development must be recognized and protected,” reads the ballot measure that voters will consider. Measure 1 was originally viewed as an anti-abortion measure. But opponents say it could insert the government into crucial decisions about medical care because its unusually broad language could apply to end-of-life care and other types of treatments as well. If passed, it would be the first such personhood law in the country. (Demko, 10/22)

Medicaid expansion and the state budget emerged as key issues Wednesday in Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan and Republican businessman Walt Havenstein's first televised debate. Hassan, who is seeking her second term, has centered her campaign on bipartisan accomplishments during her first term, while Havenstein says his background leading large defense companies such as BAE Systems makes him better qualified to manage the state budget. In the debate, broadcast on WBIN-TV, the two also sparred over casino gambling and a recent increase in the gas tax and disagreed on almost every issue. The election is Nov. 4. Hassan signed a Medicaid expansion bill earlier this year that aims to bring 50,000 low-income people onto private insurance plans using federal dollars through the Affordable Care Act. Three Republican and three Democratic senators crafted the plan. (10/23)