A new Colorado law mandates that each hospital form a staffing committee and report its annual master nurse staffing plan to the health department.

The bridge program task force will create a proposal for affordable, continuous health insurance coverage for individuals with frequent income fluctuations.

New laws in Wisconsin and Utah criminalize threats against health care workers, while other state legislatures consider similar bills.

Illinois, New Hampshire, and Vermont state health departments scaled back COVID-19 testing and vaccine clinics this spring.

Ten states and the District of Columbia no longer report their COVID-19 data on a daily basis.

At least 20 states are pursuing legislation to limit access to gender-affirming care for transgender youth, while some states have proposed legislation to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

An analysis finds just 17 governors discussed COVID-19 in their state-of-the-state addresses, with key themes including opposition to vaccine mandates, workforce shortages, and access to COVID-19 vaccines. Active public health emergencies remain in 22 states.

The laws prohibit pharmacy benefit managers and insurance companies from discriminating against 340B Drug Pricing Program contract pharmacies and covered entities.

In the early months of 2022, Alabama, Delaware, Kansas, and New Jersey passed legislation to mitigate health care workforce shortages amid the ongoing COVID-19 public health emergency.

In a letter to CMS, Republican Govs. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia and Jim Justice of West Virginia cite strained health care workforce and staffing crises as reasons for requesting relief. They ask for broader conscience exemptions, flexibility on enforcement, or simply a six-month delay of the rule.

The Washington insurance commissioner, state telehealth collaborative, and state health care authority will study proposed methods to measure the impact of audio-only telemedicine on access to health care services for historically underserved communities and geographic areas.

The relaunched members-only state action page now includes a search-by-state tool and specific areas focused on state responses to COVID-19 and health equity.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) requests $50 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to pay for extra hospital beds across the state; Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) requests $40 million in new ARPA funding to support hospital staffing.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) gave her first State of the State address, highlighting plans to retain and grow the state's health care workforce and invest in initiatives to advance health equity.

In response to rising COVID-19 cases, California, Connecticut, and New Mexico will require health care workers to receive a vaccine booster shot.

Rhode Island Gov. Daniel McKee (D) released a Dec. 22 executive order addressing hospital capacity and flexibility for patient care given recent surges in COVID-19 cases and medical staff shortages.