Lawmakers take up fight against governor’s climate strategy
By MARC LEVY Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s Republican-controlled House of Representatives wants to ensure that it can block Gov. Tom Wolf’s effort to impose a price on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants as part of a consortium of states. Wolf, a Democrat, has made joining the 10-state Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative a centerpiece of his strategy to fight climate change in a major carbon-polluting state. The House voted to pass a bill, 130-71, which would require legislative approval to join the consortium. Four Republicans joined most Democrats in opposition to it. Wolf plans to veto the bill, which still requires approval in the Republican-controlled Senate. Wolf’s administration is drafting regulations that it maintains could usher Pennsylvania into the consortium in 2022.

Pennsylvania tries luck again in mini-casino license auction
By MARC LEVY Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania will again seek to auction a mini-casino license on Sept. 2, under orders from state lawmakers in search of cash for a treasury starved of tax collections from shutdowns to contain the coronavirus. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board on Wednesday scheduled the auction. Owners of the state’s licensed casinos are eligible to bid under a 2017 state law expanding gambling authorized 10 mini-casino licenses that allow up to 750 slot machines and up to 40 table games. Bidders must submit a prospective site for the casino that cannot come within 40 miles of another casino location. Minimum bids are set at $7.5 million.

Gov. Tom Wolf on Wednesday signed into law legislation that will require insurers to cover breast magnetic resonance imaging or ultrasounds for women at increased risk of breast cancer.

This makes Pennsylvania one of few states mandating insurance companies pay the bulk of the high cost that can run into the hundreds and thousands of dollars associated with these supplemental screenings for women with the following criteria:

• A personal or family history of breast cancer or genetic predisposition to it;
• Extremely dense breast tissue; or
• Heterogeneously dense breast tissue with one other high-risk factor for breast cancer.
• Under the law, the patient still may be responsible for co-pays, co-insurance and/or deductibles based on the individual’s health insurance policy.

The new law applies only to insurance companies that issue policies covered under Pennsylvania law.

Supreme Court sides with Trump in birth control opt-out case
By JESSICA GRESKO Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is siding with the Trump administration in its effort to allow more employers to opt out of providing no-cost birth control to women as required by the Affordable Care Act. The high court on Wednesday said 7-2 the administration acted properly when it allowed more employers who cite a religious or moral objection to opt out of covering birth control.  As a result of the Obama-era health law most employers must cover birth control as a preventive service, at no charge to women, in their insurance plans.

(Harrisburg,Pa.) The Department of Health today reminded Pennsylvanians that as they continue to spend more time outdoors this summer, it is important to take proper steps to protect against tick and mosquito bites.

“Ticks and mosquitoes can carry dangerous diseases that can severely impact an individual’s health if not treated properly,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said. “It is essential that all residents know the proper ways to protect themselves against these serious diseases so they do not get sick. We encourage all Pennsylvanians to get outside and be healthy but do so in the safest way possible.”

Lyme disease is transmitted by ticks.  In 2019, there were 9,009 confirmed and probable cases of Lyme disease in Pennsylvania. Over time, if not treated, Lyme disease can lead to severe symptoms that affect the heart, nervous system and joints.

You are at risk of getting a tick any time you are outside, including in wooded and bushy areas, areas with high grass and leaf litter, and even in your own yard. This is why it is important to take steps to decrease your chances of getting bitten.  To reduce your chances of a tick bite:

• Walk in the center of trails and avoid areas with high grass and leaf litter;
• Use a repellent that contains at least 20% DEET;
• Wear light-colored clothing;
• Conduct full-body tick checks on yourself and on your pets after spending time outdoors; and
• Take a bath or shower within 2 hours after coming indoors.

If you have been bitten by a tick, make sure to monitor the area for any kinds of symptoms and contact your health care provider immediately. Symptoms of Lyme disease can include:

• A red, swollen bulls-eye shape rash;
• Fever;
• Chills;
• Headache;
• Fatigue;
• Muscle and joint aches; and
• Swollen lymph nodes.

West Nile virus is another dangerous disease that Pennsylvanians should be aware of. In 2019, there were seven total human cases of West Nile virus reported in the state. Mosquitoes that transmit West Nile breed in areas with standing water. Most people infected with West Nile virus do not develop any symptoms, but about one in five will have symptoms that resemble other illnesses, which might include:

• Fever;
• Headache;
• Body aches;
• Joint pains;
• Vomiting;
• Diarrhea; or
• Rash.

West Nile virus can also lead to other serious conditions like encephalitis (brain swelling) or meningitis (inflammation of the membrane around the brain). Other severe symptoms can include neck stiffness, confusion disorientation, coma, tremors, muscle weakness, and paralysis.

The best way to protect yourself from getting bitten by West Nile-infected mosquitoes is to wear insect repellent containing DEET during the April to October mosquito season, especially during dusk and dawn when many mosquitoes are actively feeding. It is also important to reduce the amount of standing water around your home. Cleaning the gutters on your house, emptying any outside containers, turning over any plastic pools and wheelbarrows when they’re not being used and using landscaping to get rid of standing water that collects around your property are all ways to decrease the number of mosquitoes with West Nile virus.

If you are having symptoms consistent with those caused from an insect or tick bite, contact your health care provider right away. For more information on ticks and Lyme disease, or on mosquitoes and West Nile virus, visit the Department of Health website or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.