Seven states succeeded and three failed to pass constitutional amendments to protect abortion access on November 5, according to Associated Press projections.

Many of the states that voted to protect abortion already allow it, either with no gestational limit or up to fetal viability, including Colorado, Maryland, New York, Nevada, and Montana. (Viability varies by pregnancy but is typically around 24 weeks, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.)

But two other states’ yes votes have set the stage for a potential reversal of current laws: Arizona, which currently has a 15-week ban, and Missouri, which enacted a near-total ban in June 2022 just minutes after the Supreme Court turned the decision over to the states in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.

Expanded access. Arizona’s amendment is set to take effect following a statewide canvass on November 25, per the state constitution.

Missouri’s amendment is scheduled to take effect on December 5. That doesn’t mean abortion restrictions are automatically repealed, however. Planned Parenthood’s Missouri affiliates are suing the state to stop enforcement of the current restrictions and allow three Missouri clinics to resume offering surgical and medication abortion on that date, leaders said in a Wednesday press conference.

Keep reading here.—CC

Q3 finances at two of the nation’s biggest health systems have been taken by storm—literally.

HCA Healthcare and Community Health Systems (CHS) execs cited Hurricanes Milton and Helene as their main challenges this past quarter, leading to financial hits.

In fact, it’s how both HCA CEO Samuel Hazen and CHS CEO Tim Hingtgen kicked off their Q3 earnings calls.

HCA. Nashville, Tennessee-based HCA reported $17.5 billion in revenue this last quarter. But according to its earnings report, the country’s largest hospital system lost an estimated $50 million due to the impact of Hurricanes Helene and Milton at hospitals in Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina.

During the storms, Helene impacted 29 of HCA’s hospitals and Milton hit 34, the system’s EVP and CFO Mike Marks said on the October 25 Q3 earnings call. Hazen said two hospitals in the 186-hospital health system are still recovering from flooding, infrastructure repairs, and water supply: Mission Hospital in North Carolina and HCA Largo Hospital in Florida.

Keep reading here.—CM

President and CEO David Joyner has appointed a new leader to CVS Health’s insurance arm as one of the first moves of his tenure.

The struggling chain announced that former UnitedHealthcare CEO Steve Nelson will become president of Aetna, effective November 6.

This is Aetna’s third leadership switch-up in as many months, after former president and CEO Karen Lynch was replaced by Joyner in October. Lynch—who had been at the helm of CVS Health since 2021—had taken over day-to-day leadership of Aetna in August, replacing then-President Brian Kane.

Keep reading here.—CC