What We’re Reading: NY Dental Coverage Expands; Abortion Denial Broke Law; Masking Comes Undone

5 Million Low-Income New Yorkers to Get Dental Coverage

A class-action lawsuit settled on Monday will cover common but expensive dental procedures for the 5 million adults in New York State covered by Medicaid and will include implants, root canals, and replacement dentures, reported The New York Times. The suit was filed in federal court in 2018 against the State Health Department and charged the state with denying thousands of low-income New Yorkers necessary medical treatment. The suit argued that dental health is necessary for employment, overall physical health, and psychological well-being.

Two Hospitals Broke Federal Law Denying Abortion

Two hospitals—one on Missouri and one in Kansas—refused to provide an emergency abortion to a pregnant woman in premature labor at 17 weeks that put her life at risk and violated federal law, a first-of-its-kind investigation by the federal government has discovered, reported The Associated Press. The findings are a warning to hospitals countrywide as they attempt to reconcile dozens of new state laws that ban or severely restrict abortion with a federal requirement for doctors to provide abortions when a woman’s health is at risk. The federal law that requires doctors to treat patients in emergency situations surpasses any state laws, said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra.

Masks Not Required in Health Care Settings

Health regulators and some infectious-disease specialists have determined that universal masking is no longer necessary in medical settings, according to The Washington Post. Oregon, Washington, and California were among the last states to lift mask requirements in medical settings in April, with Massachusetts close behind when the public emergency ends May 11. Some medical experts and patient safety advocates desire to have masks required in health care settings, while others say that it is not medically necessary unless there are outbreaks or elevated respiratory virus transmission.