- California: California Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday called on the Obama administration to approve the state's request to allow undocumented immigrants to purchase exchange coverage. In July, Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signed into law a bill that directs the state to seek federal permission for the move. If approved, California would be the first state to extend exchange coverage to undocumented immigrants (Medina, New York Times, 9/15).
- Illinois: University of Chicago Medical Center (UCMC) broke ground last week on a new ED that will include the only Level I adult trauma center on the city's South Side. President Sharon O'Keefe said the expansion will serve an acute need. "We have been operating at 95 percent to 100 percent occupancy," she said. UCMC expects the ED to open in early 2018 and serve about 2,700 adult trauma patients in its first year (Moore Jr., Crain's Chicago Business/Modern Healthcare, 9/15).
- Michigan: The U.S. Senate on Thursday approved a $10 billion bill to fund water development projects, which includes $270 million in recovery funding for Flint, Michigan, in response to findings of unsafe levels of lead in the city's water supply. The bill also would earmark $100 million in loans and grants for states with unsafe levels of contaminants in public drinking water systems and $70 million in subsidies for water infrastructure projects. EPA would receive $20 million for lead-reduction efforts (Cowan, Reuters, 9/15; Davenport, New York Times, 9/15).