Berry, Morphis flesh out their stances in District 68 race

A few months after announcing their intentions to run for an open state House seat in a district near Russellville, two Republicans facing each other in the primary have better formed their messages for the voters. When the campaign began in early February, neither candidate offered a clear idea of what each wanted to accomplish if elected to succeed outgoing state Rep. Trevor Drown, R-Dover.

Trump announces ‘most sweeping act in history’ to drop drug prices;…

President Donald Trump's long-awaited plan to bring down drug prices, unveiled Friday, will attempt to boost private competition and increase price transparency but drops some of Trump's earlier pledges to strong-arm the pharmaceutical industry at the negotiating table. Trump called his plan the "most sweeping action in history to lower the price of prescription drugs for the American people" in remarks in the White House's Rose Garden.

President’s plan for drug prices won’t include direct negotiations

President Donald Trump is set to unveil his long-awaited plan for reducing drug prices after more than a year of bold promises to tackle pharmacy costs that are squeezing millions of Americans. But the strategy to be outlined in a speech Friday will not include a key Trump campaign pledge to use the massive buying power of the federal government's Medicare program to directly negotiate lower drug prices for seniors.

Louisiana Democrats Threaten To Evict Nursing Home Residents

Democratic Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards used the nuclear option Thursday morning when he directed the state Health Department to send out tens of thousands of "eviction notices" to elderly and disabled Medicaid recipients currently living in nursing and group homes. Edwards stated that unless new tax legislation can be passed before July 1, 2018, the existing state money used to take care of almost 37,000 Louisiana residents on Medicaid will dry up.

Paul Waldman: Democrats are finally doing politics the way Republicans do

For many years, Democrats have been convinced that the American people, and even their Republican opponents, are open to persuasion. If they could just have the opportunity to explain why their policies are morally right and practically effective, they could win almost anyone over.

Michigan may be next to set Medicaid work, training rules

Four years after agreeing to expand Medicaid to cover more low-income adults, Michigan Republicans want an estimated 350,000 enrollees who are not working to get a job - or, at the very least, to start preparing to enter the labor force. Their aim is threefold: to rein in a massive, costly government health insurance program they say has grown far beyond its basic mission, to help businesses fill job openings and to reinforce the importance of work for abled-bodied people.

Trump’s anti-life, anti-work initiative

How can we reduce the number of abortions in the United States? One way is to make sure women are confident they'll have medical coverage throughout their pregnancies and after. And how can we encourage people to work? By making work pay, which is why Republicans and Democrats have supported the Earned Income Tax Credit, known as the EITC, which tops off the pay of low-income employees.

Prescription Drug Bill, Workers’ Comp System Make Strange Bedfellows

With the stroke of a pen, Gov. Tom Wolf ended-for now-the annual effort to "change the way medical treatment is administered under the workers' compensation system" by vetoing Senate Bill 936. Over the last few years, the Republican-controlled legislature has been trying to pass various pieces of legislation targeting health care under the Workers' Compensation Act.

FDA lets vaping flourish as it eyes crackdown on cigarettes

FDA officials say the goal is to spur innovation of products that may be less harmful for adults, but health advocates are skeptical. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is giving wide leeway to electronic cigarettes as it attempts to push people away from traditional tobacco products.

Reproductive Rights Groups Sue Administration Over Birth Control Access

Three reproductive rights groups are suing the Trump administration over changes to the federal Title X program -changes that restrict comprehensive health services for women. Two separate lawsuits were filed against the Department of Health and Human Services: one by the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association, and another by Planned Parenthood affiliate groups in Wisconsin, Ohio and Utah.

Maple, honey producers not sweet on added sugars label Source: AP

Producers of pure maple syrup and honey aren't sweet on a plan to label their pure natural products as containing added sugars. They say the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's upcoming requirement to update nutrition labels to tell consumers that pure maple syrup and honey contain added sugars is misleading, illogical and confusing and could hurt their industries.

Maple, honey producers not sweet on added sugars label

Producers of pure maple syrup and honey aren't sweet on a plan to label their pure natural products as containing added sugars. They say the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's upcoming requirement to update nutrition labels to tell consumers that pure maple syrup and honey contain added sugars is misleading, illogical and confusing and could hurt their industries.

Rep. Toni Walker, D-New Haven, left, chair of the Legislature’s…

Rep. Toni Walker, D-New Haven, left, chair of the Legislature's appropriations committee, siad on April 20, "We should be creating a budget that creates hope and opportunities for all people in Connecticut." less Rep. Toni Walker, D-New Haven, left, chair of the Legislature's appropriations committee, siad on April 20, "We should be creating a budget that creates hope and opportunities for all people in ... more Connecticut's regular tax revenue will see a small boost this year and next, even as a windfall in one-time tax receipts this past winter came in larger than expected, a new report released by the state Monday showed.

Two transgender residents sue Wisconsin over discriminatory Medicaid rule

Photo of Sara Ann Makenzie, one of two transgender Wisconsin residents challenging a state regulation that prohibits low-income Medicaid beneficiaries from obtaining medically necessary treatments for gender dysphoria. Credit: Spencer Micka Photography Top surgery, a common reference for chest reconstruction surgery for transgender patients, is a widely accepted and effective surgical procedure for treating gender dysphoria.

In almost eight years, fewer than half of LePage’s proposed bills have become law

Gov. Paul LePage is leaving office this year with a bang, sponsoring more bills in the 128th Legislature than at any time in his tenure - but that doesn't mean his success is increasing as his administration succumbs to term limits. Since the beginning of the 128th Legislature in December 2016, LePage has sponsored 87 bills, but only 21 of them have made it into law so far - including three that he sponsored but then wouldn't sign, allowing them into law on their own.