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With a large demographic — more than 20 percent — of Ohioans facing old age, many are likely to require the assistance of a friend or family member to help them take care of their medical needs. (Perkins, 5/11)

Missouri may soon have the authority to review the prices of some health insurance plans before they’re sold to consumers in the state. A measure to enact the change was approved Tuesday by the Legislature, and it’s headed to Gov. Jay Nixon’s desk. (Liss, 5/11)

It makes Gary Schwitzer cringe when he sees a network news report about a diet that lets you eat pizza, doughnuts and ice cream while melting away fat. (Gentry, 5/11)

California is spending more than $2 billion a year on health care for retired state employees – up more than 80 percent in the last decade, according to Gov. Jerry Brown’s latest budget. However, the state would have to spend over three times as much – $6.6 billion a year – to fully cover current health care costs and whittle down its $80.3 billion unfunded liability for future health care obligations, according to a new report from Pew Charitable Trusts. (Walters, 5/11)

Patients looking for more transparency in health care costs won’t usually find it on the bill from their medical provider. One visit to a hospital can result in multiple bills from various providers -- including the facility, doctor, lab and specialists -- each with their own presentation, coding and medical jargon. (5/11)

The budget includes cuts to a wide range of social service programs, including grants for mental health and substance abuse treatment, cash assistance for poor state residents, independent living centers for people with disabilities, and school-based health centers. But many of those cuts are not as steep as they could have been under other proposals made during the budget process. (Phaneuf and Levin Becker, 5/12)

Ride2MD is in the fast lane of development, with a mission, a team and a road map to launch in a few months.The patient-centric Ride2MD aims to be the Lyft for healthcare, providing an innovative solution that eliminates wasted time and effort by streamlining the transportation process with real-time technology that offers complete transparency. Through Ride2MD, non-emergency transportation can be easily booked online; Ride2MD plans to move away from vans common now to smaller vehicles and more personalized transport. “We’re totally committed,” said Simon Fernandez, who has held leadership positions at Simply Healthcare, IOS Health Systems and other companies. (Dahlberg, 5/11)

A Chicago-area oncologist has agreed to relinquish her medical license to settle charges by state officials that she used nonapproved and misbranded cancer drugs on her patients between 2008 and 2012. (Channick, 5/11)

Kansans might feel a little queasy looking at the state’s reported gastrointestinal illnesses in 2015, but officials say an increase from the previous year likely reflects improved detection technology. Cases of five types of gastrointestinal illnesses, spread by contaminated food or water, rose substantially from 2014 to 2015. The illnesses have symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. (Hart, 5/11)

The New Hampshire House has again voted decriminalize marijuana. This proposal would make first offense possession of a 1/4 ounce or less a violation. The 289-58 vote marked the seventh time house lawmakers have tried to make marijuana possession a violation. (Rogers, 5/11)

A legal challenge aimed at reclassifying marijuana in Iowa was shot down Wednesday by the state's appeals court, though the issue will be taken up again in a separate case that also seeks new guidance on the drug's use under state law. The Iowa Court of Appeals said the Iowa Board of Pharmacy had proper authority to deny Carl Olsen's request in 2013 to reclassify marijuana as a controlled substance that has medical use. (Rodriguez, 5/11)

The latest flareup of a conflict between vaccine skeptics and an inoculation-championing state senator has moved from a Capitol corridor to the realm of hashtags. (White, 5/11)

A reproductive health clinic serving San Francisco’s Mission District that is threatened with closure will stay open another year, UCSF officials say. (Romero, 5/11)