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Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker introduced legislation to combat the state’s growing crisis of painkiller addiction that would include allowing doctors to hold people involuntarily for treatment and limiting patients’ supply of opioid painkillers. “I’ve never seen anything with the kind of negative momentum that this particular issue has,” Mr. Baker said at a news conference Thursday. (Levitz, 10/15)

Gov. Charlie Baker is igniting controversy with two parts of a bill he says is needed to fight the state’s growing opioid epidemic. Baker wants to reduce the chances that patients will become addicted to opioid pain pills, and then heroin, by capping all first-time opioid prescriptions at a three-day supply. (Bebinger, 10/15)

Four companies running urgent care centers in New York have agreed to disclose more fully which insurance plans they accept, following an inquiry by the state’s attorney general that found unclear or incomplete information on their websites that could result in larger-than-expected bills for consumers. The agreements mark the first enforcement action brought under New York’s new “surprise medical bill” law, seen as one of the broadest in the nation. The law aims to reduce the number of consumers who get such bills when they unknowingly see providers who are not part of their insurance plan networks. (Appleby, 10/16)

Virginia health officials are seeking the public’s input on how to improve Medicaid coverage for substance abuse disorder treatment services. The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is inviting states to apply for waivers that would allow them to enhance or expand services. Virginia officials are soliciting public comment on that waiver request. (10/16)

An anonymous Minnesota resident is suing the state over its decision to drop nonprofit health insurance provider UCare from public health care programs after a competitive bid process, alleging the Department of Human Services hasn't offered the company's 370,000 enrollees adequate avenues to keep their current providers. UCare dropped its own lawsuit with the state this week, citing a desire to avoid more upheaval for low-income residents on MinnesotaCare or Medical Assistance who may need to pick new plans for next year when UCare is no longer an option. The Minneapolis company had originally argued that the Department of Human Services arbitrarily cut it out in a competitive bid process that state officials say will save $450 million in taxpayer dollars. (Potter, 10/15)

A patient attacked another patient at Washington state’s largest psychiatric hospital this week as federal regulators decide whether to cut millions of dollars to the facility over concerns about safety. Doctors at Western State Hospital say the number of violent episodes at the 800-bed facility is rising because staffing levels are inadequate, making the facility increasingly dangerous for patients and workers. The state agency in charge of mental-health services says it has asked lawmakers for more money to hire the workers needed to operate safely. (Bellisle, 10/15)

The American Civil Liberties Union on Wednesday accused a Catholic hospital in Michigan of failing to provide appropriate care by refusing on religious grounds to allow a pregnant woman with a brain tumor to be sterilized. The ACLU of Michigan filed a complaint with the state department that handles health regulations against Genesys Regional Medical Center in the Detroit suburb of Grand Blanc, which is part of Ascension Health, the country's largest Catholic health organization. (Wisiewski, 10/15)

A federal judge ordered Utah to keep sending money to the local arm of Planned Parenthood on Thursday amid a lawsuit over the governor’s decision to defund the organization -- at least for now. U.S. District Judge Clark Waddoups extended his earlier decision in the group’s favor, but he said he plans to issue a longer ruling later. (Price, 10/15)

The prognosis for people with HIV has changed dramatically over the last 25 years, from almost-certain death to long life with a chronic disease. How comfortable the rest of us feel about being with the HIV-positive hasn't shifted all that much. That seeming disconnect was brought home recently when the U.S. Attorney's Office in Philadelphia announced the settlement of a discrimination case involving a bariatric surgeon who allegedly refused to meet with a patient with HIV. (Sapatkin, 10/16)