Horse trainer suspended from three New York tracks
The New York Racing Association is gathering facts for a possible administrative hearing that could lead to the suspension of a trainer from participation or stabling at three major New York racetracks. The trainer reportedly has a history of sanctions; in 2016, he was fined in Maryland for operating his racing stable without workers’ compensation insurance for nearly seven months; it was only after an exercise rider was injured that it was discovered that the workers’ comp policy had been cancelled. Paulick Report
Navy appeals court decision barring punishment for SEALs who refused vaccine
The Justice Department is formally challenging a Texas judge’s decision that prohibits the Navy from taking action against 35 special operators who have refused the COVID-19 vaccine because of religious objections. The government also has also filed a new challenge to the Texas court’s jurisdiction, and arguing that the case should be moved to a different federal district court. Federal News Network
Ohio governor says additional transparency not needed in Medicaid contracts
Ohio’s Medicaid director apparently held stock in two huge health companies last year as she negotiated and signed multi-billion-dollar contracts with their subsidiaries, but she has refused to say how much she owned as she signed the deals, and the governor’s spokesman says the governor believes the Medicaid director has complied with the law. A subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group won a managed-care contract even though its pharmacy benefit manager is being sued by the state’s attorney general regarding its contract with the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation. Ohio Capital Journal
Michigan’s reported workplace deaths from COVID-19 drop in 2021
Michigan saw a significant decline in the number of COVID-19 workplace fatalities last year. After nearly half of the 74 deaths investigated by MIOSHA were attributed to COVID-19 in 2020, the agency recorded eight in 2021. Other workplace fatalities last year included workers falling, getting caught in equipment, being hit by a vehicle, getting electrocuted or suffering from severe burns. In 2020, MIOSHA reported the highest number of workplace deaths in at least a decade with 35 attributed to COVID-19. Mlive