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Four years after cutting off funding for Planned Parenthood, the state of Texas says it has been able to rebuild its safety net, in what could be a model for Republicans in Congress who hope to defund the nation's largest family planning provider at the national level. Independent health experts dispute the claim, saying Texas still has a long way to go before it can provide the level of service it did when Planned Parenthood was an integral part of its family planning efforts. According to figures provided to Reuters by Texas health officials, the state's retooled family-planning programs reached 317,393 women in the 2014 fiscal year, nearly as many as the 320,044 the state served in fiscal 2010, before it cut off funding to Planned Parenthood. (Sullivan, 11/13)

Mary Christine Reed, director of the Texas Foster Youth Justice Project, says she has evidence that state officials are routinely denying health coverage to young adults who should be entitled to it. Often, Reed says, state employees wrongfully tell former foster care youth they are ineligible. (Walters, 11/14)

A bold plan to tackle the opioid crisis in Massachusetts is fueling a debate over how far to go to stop the flow of potent painkillers that bring relief to some ailing patients but pave a path to addiction for others. The legislative proposal from Republican Governor Charlie Baker would restrict doctors’ power to prescribe painkillers — while giving them new authority to force drug addicts into immediate treatment. (Robbins, 11/13)

The Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene will regularly post on its website how quickly hospitals are sending newborn screening samples to the state lab after the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel discovered information published by the Wisconsin Hospital Association is incomplete. (Gabler, 11/13)

[Ralph] Northam — a pediatric neurologist who also happens to be Virginia’s lieutenant governor and the Democrats’ leading contender for governor in 2017 — has a calming bedside manner, one that carries over into politics. (Vozzella, 11/14)

All this week we’ve been hearing about programs that help veterans who are struggling with PTSD or TBI. But before these programs can work—veterans who need help actually need to ask for it. But we know that’s a barrier to getting healthcare. A recent survey of New Hampshire veterans indicated many felt ashamed of needing help. And they also felt the providers—most of whom have no military experience—don’t understand what it’s like to be a veteran. The state’s Department of Health and Human Services is trying to fix that. It’s funding classes on military culture for health workers. NHPR's Peter Biello stopped by one of these training sessions in Portsmouth. (Biello, 11/12)

But in New York today, they face a challenge of prosperity. The boom in housing prices has left many of them vulnerable, often clinging to apartments that are no longer suitable for their aging bodies. ... One result has been to drive relatively healthy people into nursing homes, where Medicaid picks up the tab for eligible seniors, said Daniel Reingold, president and chief executive of the nonprofit RiverSpring Health, which operates the Hebrew Home at Riverdale in the Bronx. (Leland, 11/13)

State health officials, doctors and technology experts converged on the University of North Florida campus Thursday to promote Florida’s Health Information Exchange. The exchange allows doctors and hospitals to easily share patient records with each other. The state network is lacking buy-in from some local communities. (Benk, 11/5)

Medical marijuana legalization may be heading back to the ballot in Florida next year. An initiative would allow patients to smoke or ingest cannabis in several forms. At the same time, Sen. Rob Bradley (R-Fleming Island) is pushing a more narrowly tailored proposal aimed at giving relief only to the sickest people. (Polombo, 11/15)