BELLEVILLE, Wis. (AP) — A founding member of the Eagles rock band is suing a Wisconsin clothing manufacturer over an ad he claims is a copyright violation.

Don Henley apparently isn’t amused by the Duluth Trading Co. ad for its Henley shirts, which are men’s pullovers. Duluth’s ad encourages consumers to “Don a Henley and Take it easy,” playing off the Eagles hit single “Take it Easy.”

The State Journal reports a statement from a band spokesman says band members take offense when someone “tries to piggyback and capitalize” on their work.

Duluth Trading says it is aware of the claim, but doesn’t comment on pending litigation. Duluth Trading has six stores in Wisconsin and Minnesota and sells primarily online and through catalogs.

By Phil Galewitz
Kaiser Health News

WASHINGTON, D.C. — With an improving fiscal climate, many states are increasing benefits for Medicaid recipients and paying their providers more.

The trend is continuing into fiscal year 2015 for those who rely on Medicaid, the state and federal health insurance program for the poor, according to a survey of 50 state Medicaid programs released Tuesday by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the National Association of Medicaid Directors. (KHN is an editorially independent program of the foundation.)

The report found that 22 states were expanding Medicaid benefits compared to just two states restricting them in fiscal 2015, which for most states started July 1, 2014. That’s the fewest states cutting or restricting benefits in at least nine years. The most commonly added benefits were dental coverage, along with mental health and substance abuse services.
However, virtually every state indicated concern about high-cost specialty drugs, especially $1,000-a-pill Sovaldi, approved last year to treat hepatitis C. Officials in 22 states said that new prior authorization rules were in place or under development to restrict use of the drug, and New Jersey said it was exploring protocols to do that.

Meanwhile, 14 states were increasing Medicaid fees to specialists in fiscal 2015, compared to three states lowering them. More states also were increasing fees to nursing homes and managed care organizations, the report found.

There were two exceptions: 31 states were cutting or freezing Medicaid hospital rates, compared to 19 that were increasing them. And 36 states either were not extending the Medicaid primary care pay raise that began last year under the Affordable Care Act and expires Dec. 31, or had yet to make a decision. Under the law, states had increased Medicaid rates to Medicare levels, a 40 percent average pay raise. Medicare is the federal program for the elderly and disabled.

Though more people enroll in Medicaid during economic downturns, that’s also when states are most likely to cut benefits and provider fees to control costs. When finances improve, states often restore cuts to beneficiaries and providers’ rates — which is what’s been happening the past three years.

“With the improvement in the economy, we see more enhancement or restorations in provider rates and enhancement or restorations in benefits,” said Robin Rudowitz, a study author and associate director of the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured.

The impact on Medicaid enrollees’ out-of-pocket costs was mixed. Four states in 2014 and 2015 were adding or increasing premiums, while seven states were cutting or eliminating premiums.

Generally, states are allowed to charge premiums only to Medicaid enrollees who have incomes above 150 percent of the federal poverty level. Iowa and Michigan, however, have included premiums for adults qualifying for coverage as a result of the Affordable Care Act.

States have the option this year under the law and a subsequent Supreme Court ruling to expand Medicaid to cover all adults under 138 percent of the poverty level, or $16,100 for an individual. In 2014, 26 states and Washington, D.C., expanded their programs. Kansas has not.

Medicaid enrollment has increased by about 8 million people in 2014, according to the latest figures from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The program now covers 70 million people.

A second Kaiser Family Foundation report found that states expect Medicaid enrollment growth to accelerate from 8 percent in fiscal 2014 to 12 percent in fiscal 2015. The growth is largely because fiscal 2015 will include a full 12 months of Medicaid expansion, while fiscal 2014 included only six months. It also will include more states such as Pennsylvania, which plans to expand on Jan. 1, 2015.

States expanding the program expect to see an 18 percent enrollment jump in fiscal 2015, up from 12 percent in 2014. Non-expansion states saw a 3 percent increase in 2014 and expect a 5 percent rise in 2015, the report found.

Phil Galewitz is a reporter for Heartland Health Monitor, a news collaboration focusing on health issues and their impact in Missouri and Kansas.

NEOSHO (AP) – The Newton County prosecutor has dropped a charge accusing a rural Joplin man of dumping the corpse of a man who died from a drug overdose.

The charge was dropped Tuesday, the day 28-year-old Jared Prier was scheduled for a preliminary hearing in Newton County. Prosecutor Jake Skouby said he didn’t have enough evidence to charge Prier.

Prier and 24-year-old Chelsie Berry, of Carl Junction, were charged with disposing of the body of 30-year-old Dennis in August in northern Newton County after first posing with his corpse and posting pictures on Facebook.

The Joplin Globe reports Skouby says Berry confessed and that can be used as evidence against her for prosecution but Prier did not confess and Berry refused to testify against him.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Carondelet Health officials say two Kansas City-area hospitals will be sold to Prime Healthcare Services.
Carondelet officials announced Tuesday that St. Joseph Medical Center in Kansas City and St. Mary’s Medical Center in Blue Springs will become part of the for-profit Prime hospital chain. The sale must receive regulatory approval.

The terms of the sale have not been released.

The Kansas City Star reports Carondelet is part of the not-for-profit Ascension hospital chain based in St. Louis. Three Carondelet Health long-term-care facilities and the two hospitals’ charitable foundations will remain part of Ascension.
The two Carondelet hospitals are approved for 450 beds and have a total of 900 physicians.
The Prime chain employs more than 30,000 people in 27 hospitals in seven states.

OZARK, Mo. (AP) — A federal agency says it will not investigate a fatal accident in September at a quarry in southwest Missouri.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration had initially said it would investigate the death of 73-year-old Shelby Hill of Clever. He died when he was hit by a front-end loader while walking across a road at the Leo Journagan Construction Company quarry.

The Springfield News-Leader reports Christian County Coroner Brad Cole has said Hill apparently misjudged how much time he had to walk across the road.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol investigated the accident and issued no citations.