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For the last two years, Syd Winlock has had a major burden lifted from his surgically repaired shoulder. Federal subsidies passed as part of a temporary pandemic relief package have drastically cut how much he pays in healthcare premiums, allowing the Sacramento-area small-business owner to purchase an insurance plan during the last two years that provided better coverage for his shoulder and knee replacements. Those federal subsidies, however, will expire at the end of this year if Congress does not extend the program. His “very manageable” price — about $700 a month for him and his wife — will increase to $2,300, Winlock said. (Gutierrez and Sosa, 6/20)

As many as 1.2 million Americans are candidates for prescription drug treatments that prevent HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, yet only about one-quarter of them got the medication in 2020, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At Detroit-based Henry Ford Health, the gap is even bigger. Of the roughly 4,000 patients who are eligible for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) within the health system, only 400, or 10%, are getting treatment. (Jordan Shamus, 6/20)

When he first started seeing a new therapist years ago, Theo Lallaman knew from the décor alone he wouldn’t be able to come out to her as a trans man. Crosses, religious texts and similar iconography adorning the office felt too close to home for Lallaman, who felt silenced by the church growing up in Green Bay. A religious therapist conjured fears from his youth: being an outsider, a sinner and, worse, someone in need of conversion therapy, the practice of attempting to remove homosexuality, transgender or gender-nonconforming identity from a person's psyche. (Eilbert, 6/20)

The Overland Park Crisis Action Team expanded last fall and gained more than just officers. Haven, the team’s therapy dog, joined the growing team and soon started helping out on calls. “She just melts people,” said Sgt. Stewart Brought, who leads the team, which is called OPCAT for short. Officer Justin Shepard, a member of the team, remembers when OPCAT was just him and one co-responder. Now, it has grown to four Crisis Intervention Team trained officers, six co-responders and Haven, with room for more. (Bond, 6/20)

A newly appointed medical marijuana advisory team formed by Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear met for the first time on Monday. The agenda for the Kentucky Medical Cannabis Advisory Committee meeting included an overview of the panel’s responsibilities and a discussion about town hall meetings. The committee will travel around the state to gather views on the issue and provide feedback to the governor’s office. (6/20)

Gov. Andy Beshear has committed efforts to bring Kentuckians with chronic illnesses relief via medical cannabis, and he's seeking feedback from a new board to help guide his next steps. As proposed legislation in recent years has stalled in the General Assembly, Beshear established the Team Kentucky Medical Cannabis Advisory Committee earlier this month to gather feedback from Kentuckians and report back to the governor. Beshear in April noted he's considering an executive order to make medical marijuana available in the Bluegrass State. (Johnson, 6/21)

Test strips to help drug users identify fentanyl and other potentially deadly chemicals would no longer be classified as illegal paraphernalia under a bill passed unanimously by the Pennsylvania House on Monday. The legislation to amend the state’s Controlled Substance, Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act can help reduct overdoses, said the sponsor, Rep. Jim Struzzi, R-Indiana. (6/20)

Thousands of patients turning to online help for opioid addiction could soon lose access to life-saving services that rapidly expanded during the pandemic — even as opioid deaths reach record levels. A new crop of startups boomed when regulations eased in 2020, allowing patients to see medical practitioners from their homes and skip the in-person visits normally required to get a prescription for buprenorphine, a drug used to treat opioid dependence. (Mahr and Leonard, 6/20)