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Lawmakers in Florida gave final passage to a bill to ban fluoride in public water systems Tuesday, with the state House voting 88-27. SB 700, also known as the Florida Farm Bill, doesn't mention the word "fluoride," but it would effectively ban the chemical compound by preventing "the use of certain additives in a water system." The bill awaits Gov. Ron DeSantis’ signature. If DeSantis, a Republican, signs the bill, Florida will become the second state to ban fluoride from water supplies. (Alsharif, 4/29)

A person with tuberculosis was identified on a school campus in Fort Lauderdale, the Florida Department of Health in Broward County said Tuesday. The active TB case was reported at Dillard High School, a magnet school for computer technology and performing arts with students in Grades 6-12. (Mayer, 4/29)

The Iowa Senate passed a bill setting new standards for pharmacy benefit managers that lawmakers said will help keep rural pharmacies in business and lower the cost of prescription drugs. The legislation would set new regulations for PBMs, including requiring pharmacies to be reimbursed for the national or state average acquisition cost of a drug — a higher reimbursement rate than many pharmacies are currently receiving, according to several workers and owners of current rural pharmacies. (Opsahl, 4/28)

Voters in Alaska, Missouri and Nebraska were asked last year whether they wanted to require employers to provide paid sick leave to their workers. They overwhelmingly said yes. Now some lawmakers in each of those states are trying to roll back the benefits, citing concerns from businesses about costs. The efforts mark the latest attempt by legislators to alter laws backed by the voters they represent. (Lieb, Beck and Bohrer, 4/30)

The plan was simple: acquire 18 nursing homes in Ohio. The private equity firm put together a 56-page proposal with bullish projections and minimal costs, including spending just $6 per day for food for each resident. The figure astounded Sam Brooks. “They were talking about cutting costs and saying, ‘We’ll feed them on $6 a day,’ if you can imagine that,” said Brooks, a national advocate for residents in long-term care. (Sherman, Livio and Miller, 4/30)

It’s been called one of the worst nursing homes in New Jersey. For years it “siphoned” millions of dollars of Medicaid funds out of the home and to various side businesses, a state watchdog found, “leaving residents to live in a dismal, understaffed, and under-resourced facility.” And in December, acting State Comptroller Kevin Walsh moved to kick South Jersey Extended Care, its owner and those associated with its operations from the state’s Medicaid program. (Sherman, Livio and Miller, 4/30)

When Jennifer Lai’s mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2021, she scrambled to find a residential care facility where the Cantonese-speaking 88-year-old could live. Lai retired early to care for her mom, but she knew she’d eventually need around-the-clock help. Her mom had lost her English-speaking ability by then, a common effect of dementia. The pair visited one facility after another that only had English- or Spanish-speaking staff. “How could I put her there?” Lai said she thought to herself. “Without language, she cannot communicate. How could people help her?” (Lyn Cheang, 4/29)

Comparing the life expectancy of people born from 1900 to 2000, a study published Monday found that in many southern states, life expectancy changed very little, especially for women. But in several states in the Northeast and West, as well as in Washington, D.C., it improved significantly. Ranked among the worst states for longevity improvements over the last century, West Virginia's life expectancy for women born in 2000 rose to just 75.3 years, one year longer than its life expectancy for women born in 1900, according to the study. The state's life expectancy for men born in 2000 increased by about 9 years compared to those born in 1900. (Czachor, 4/29)