Happy Wednesday! In this week’s Big I Buzz: widespread power outages as extreme cold sweeps the nation. Plus, Epic responds to claims from the Texas Attorney General.

Over 800,000 Without Power as Deadly Cold Grips the Country

A powerful winter storm brought dangerous cold, snow, and ice across much of the U.S. over the weekend, leaving more than 800,000 homes without electricity and resulting in at least 12 fatalities. The storm also caused major travel disruptions, with Sunday becoming the most severe day for flight cancellations since the pandemic, totaling more than 19,000 canceled flights.

Ahead of the storm, the National Weather Service warned of large areas facing heavy snow, sleet, and hazardous ice conditions, calling the system unusually severe for mid-winter. Federal emergency disaster declarations were issued in 12 states – Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia – giving states access to federal assistance to support emergency response efforts. Read more here.

Epic Fires Back Against Texas AG in Electronic Health Records Lawsuit

Epic has formally contested allegations from the state of Texas that it holds an unlawful monopoly in the electronic health records market and limits parents’ access to their children’s medical information. In a court filing submitted this week, the company said the claims brought by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton lack both legal and factual merit.

The lawsuit, filed last month, alleges that incomplete or outdated medical records negatively affected patient care across Texas. It also claims Epic’s practices increased costs for hospitals and patients while preventing the adoption of innovative healthcare technologies. Read more here.

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