What We're Reading: Paid Family Leave; Medical Devices Infiltrated; States Sue to Save ACA Funds

Trump to Call for Paid Family Leave

A new budget proposal from President Donald Trump will require states provide paid family leave. According to the AP, new mothers, fathers, and adoptive parents will receive 6 weeks of paid leave, a proposal that had been championed by the president’s daughter, Ivanka Trump. States would provide payment for leave through unemployment insurance programs and it would be up to the states to cover the costs through cuts or tax hikes. States could create a different paid leave system and opt out of the requirement.

Global Cyberattack Affected Medical Devices

An investigation found that some medical devices were affected by the global WannaCry ransomware attack that reached more than 150 countries. It determined that MedRad (Bayer), Siemens, and other medical devices were infected, reported Health IT Security. Medical devices that aren’t updated can lead to data security issues that attacks like WannaCry can exploit.

States Take Legal Action to Save ACA Funds

A total of 15 states are trying to preserve cost-sharing reductions under the Affordable Care Act. The Los Angeles Times reported that California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman filed a motion to intervene in a federal lawsuit that could affect the future of cost-sharing subsidies to insurance companies that reduce costs for lower-income people. HHS pays insurers these subsidies, but Republicans have maintained they are unconstitutional. The other states involved are Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Washington. The District of Columbia has also joined the lawsuit.