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APRIL 2017 – Additional mental health and substance abuse articles and information from around the nationLA’s Chronic Challenge: What to do with the mentally ill homeless when they refuse help? Gravely Disabled or Conveniently Avoided? You don’t have to go to skid row or Hollywood to find chronically ill homeless people. Some have been on the streets for years, and when medical help is offered, they won’t take it. Advocates are trying to convince authorities that more aggressive, humane intervention is possible under existing law for when a person is “gravely disabled.” Columnist Steve Lopez offers a closer look at what can be done for “the wounded, the hollow-eyed, the weather-beaten souls.” repeal bill would cap Medicaid payments below actual costs The House Republican proposal to revamp Medicaid financing would shrink federal payments to the states significantly over time, increase the uninsured rate, and boost uncompensated care costs, experts say. ?Read MoreSacramento Bee: Republican ‘Health’ Bill Cruelly Takes Aim At Mentally Ill? In their rush to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, congressional Republicans are engaging in a sleight-of-hand at the expense of people who are among the least able to fend for themselves, the severely mentally ill. A mere four months ago, in December, Republicans were patting themselves on the back for approving what they called major mental health care legislation, the 21st Century Cures Act, a measure to increase funding for mental health care and ensure more treatment for severely mentally ill people. (3/11)What are the implications of the House healthcare bill for women’s health? The GOP-sponsored legislation intended to replace ACA has worrying implications for women’s health. The timing of the bill’s release couldn’t be more salient as much of the globe celebrates International Women’s Day and its central campaign theme, #BeBoldForChange.Andrew Cuomo, Van Jones: Reform Needed for Justice System That’s Failing Most Vulnerable – USA Today Our nation’s prison system faces a systemic, fundamental problem that must be addressed. Over the past 40 years, the prison population in the United States has increased 500%, with 2.2 million people currently incarcerated. Together, we have the responsibility and opportunity to reverse that trend and reform a criminal justice system that has grown too big and too unfair, especially to our nation’s youngest and most vulnerable: 16- and 17-year-olds who are ensnared in the adult criminal justice system. More here.Your Child’s Been Sent to Jail. And Then Comes the Bill. – The Washington Post In dozens of one-on-one meetings every week, a lawyer retained by the city of Philadelphia summons parents whose children have just been jailed, pulls out his calculator and hands them more bad news: a bill for their kids’ incarceration. More here. Experts: ?Invest More in Children to Keep Them Out of Trouble – If it takes a village to raise a child, then it’s time to “invest in the village” so it can rehabilitate juveniles who get in trouble with the law. More here.?How Going to Jail Changed my Life Path, Part 2 – Juvenile Justice Information Exchange Three years have passed since I first went to jail. I often think back to the bumpy, almost dangerous, ride over the bridge to Rikers Island. My classmates and I would hold onto our belongings and the handles of the van as we swerved to avoid potholes and bumps in the road, crossing from freedom to a caged environment. More here. How Going to Jail Changed my Life Path, Part 3?– Juvenile Justice Information Exchange When I first went to Rikers Island, I did not anticipate the impact this would have on my academic and professional career. The initial trip across the city to the confines of the jail made me question my place within the justice system and how I could be an advocate for change. More here.She begged a store not to sell her mentally ill daughter a gun. It did anyway — with a tragic result. Janet Delana had called the police, the ATF and the FBI. Finally, she pleaded with a manager at the gun shop. Even so, Colby Sue Weathers — a paranoid schizophrenic — was able to buy a gun, and soon her father was dead. The large settlement Delana won from the shop could provide a legal road map for similar lawsuits around the country. By Ann E. Marimow ??? Read more??The Hill: GOP Rep: Some People 'Just Don't Want Healthcare' Some people “just don’t want health care,” according to Rep. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), who cited the Bible while arguing against former President Obama's Medicaid expansion. “Just like Jesus said, ‘The poor will always be with us,’” Marshall, a doctor and freshman lawmaker, told?Stat News?on Friday. ... Marshall argued that ObamaCare’s expansion of Medicaid had not helped.?“Just, like, homeless people. … I think just morally, spiritually, socially, [some people] just don’t want health care,” he said. (Sullivan, 3/3)The Washington Post: People With Autism, Intellectual Disabilities Fight Bias In Transplants Paul Corby needs a new heart. On that there is no dispute. The same rare disease that killed his father at 27 is destroying his left ventricle. While there is no cure or surgery that might repair the damage, a heart transplant could extend his life considerably. But Corby, who lives in Pottsville, Pa., is autistic, suffers from several psychological conditions and takes 19 medications. When he applied to the transplant program at the University of Pennsylvania in 2011, he was rejected because of his “psychiatric issues, autism, the complexity of the process .?.?. and the unknown and unpredictable effect of steroids on behavior,” according to the denial letter sent to his mother. (Bernstein, 3/4)Detroit Free Press: Mental Health Cuts Stir Fears In Macomb County [Ron] Plewa's family?is?worried about what will happen to him as?Macomb County undergoes what authorities say will be ultimately total nearly $30 million in Medicaid funding cuts from the state, which is in the process of redistributing the money. Wayne County is among the areas that will benefit from the redistribution, while Oakland County is expected to lose money as well, although Macomb is getting hit the hardest. If the state goes through with a projected $12.5-million cut in funding to Macomb County on April 1, that could mean less money for those who provide services to help Plewa with his daily tasks and?allow him to continue his independence. It could?force him to move to a more restrictive environment with his older parents or in a group home. (Hall, 3/5)Cleveland Plain Dealer: No Epidemic Of Cleveland Teen Suicides, Despite Study Saying Many Contemplate Ending Their Lives About 20 percent of Cleveland school district?high school students say they have attempted suicide, a rate that's among the highest in the nation and which offers an alarming look at how teens in the high-poverty city view their lives. It's also an incomplete and fuzzy look that doesn't include hard data that can paint a different picture. There's no epidemic of suicides among Cleveland teens, with the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner?handling a total of five suicides by Cleveland teens from 2012 through 2016. (O'Donnell, 3/3)Columbus Dispatch: Mental-Health Advocates Enlist Local Clergy To Dispel Misconceptions The National Alliance on Mental Illness - Franklin County and the Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Board of Franklin County are teaming up with faith leaders and clergy members to educate them so they can, in turn, educate church, synagogue, temple and mosque members...?The board has been working with the faith community for more than 10 years, Dixon said, and it wants to support faith-based organizations and the work they do every day with the mental-health resources it can offer. ADAMH, for example, recently hosted a symposium on mental health, with a demonstration of acupuncture and other techniques for stress management given by health professionals. (King, 3/3)St. Louis Post-Dispatch: A Florida Court Rules That Doctors Can Talk About Gun Safety. It Is, After All, A Major Public Health Issue. Medical professionals have the right to protect people — that’s what a federal appeals court in Florida unanimously ruled on Feb. 16 when it said doctors can’t be penalized for discussing gun safety with their patients. It was a well-deserved comeuppance for the gun lobby and its latest ploy to pit Second Amendment rights against the First Amendment. They sought to muzzle doctors when they talked to their patients about gun safety, but the court didn’t buy the argument. (3/6)AMA head: Obamacare has a cold, not a terminal illnessThe Affordable Care essentially needs a tuneup, not the overhaul Republican lawmakers are pushing, the chief of the American Medical Association told an audience of healthcare executives in Florida on March 3. ?Read MoreCounty Looks to Reduce Number of Mentally Ill in Prison Lehigh Valley Live—Mar. 3 | Pennsylvania?Newly Released Inmates Getting Access to Healthcare Coverage —Mar. 1 | Louisiana?Maryland Governor Declares State of Emergency for Opioid Crisis Washington Post—Mar. 1 | Maryland?Isolation, Deprivation, Violence: Life in the County Jail for Mentally Ill OregonLive—Mar. 1 | OregonOpinion: Mental Illness, Untreated Behind Bars The New York Times—Feb. 27 | National‘A Proactive Step': Treatment Team to Respond to Overdoses Mansfield News Journal—Feb. 27 | Ohio?Law Enforcement to President Trump: How to Keep America Safe Fox News—Feb. 21 | NationalLivingston County ‘Stepping Up’ to Tackle Mental Illness among Jail Inmates Livingston County News—Feb. 15 | New YorkPerspective: Mental Illness Crisis in Jails Demands New Approach Center for Health Journalism Fellowships Blog—Feb. 13 | NationalImproving Access to Substance Use Disorder Treatment in Baltimore City National Institute on Drug Abuse—Feb. 13 | MarylandCincinnati Enquirer: John Kasich Opposes GOP Obamacare Repeal Bill Because Of Medicaid Phaseout Ohio Gov. John Kasich on Tuesday became the latest GOP leader to oppose his party's bill in the U.S. House of Representatives to repeal and replace Obamacare. In theory, Kasich wants to repeal former President Barack Obama's health care law. But he said Tuesday he doesn't like the House Republicans' alternative plan. (Thompson, 3/7)The Washington Post: How The House Republicans’ Proposed Obamacare Replacement Compares On Monday, House leaders released legislation to replace the Affordable Care Act. If it passes, here’s what would change. (Cameron and Shapiro, 3/7)The Washington Post: The Massive Tax Cuts For The Rich Inside The GOP Health-Care Plan Republicans' new health-care bill is a mass transfer of income?that cuts taxes for the wealthiest Americans while cutting federal benefits for the middle and working class. Just two provisions in the Republican plan would allow the richest households to?pay an average of nearly $200,000 less under the GOP?plan,?according to?the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center. (Ehrenfreund, 3/7)Bloomberg: Obamacare Bill's Burden On Poor Brings Out Critics On All Sides The effects of the long-promised measure to roll back Barack Obama’s signature 2010 legislation would fall mainly on the poor, a fact that has set off opposition from both left and the right. The bill would cut taxes?to the tune of about $575 billion over a decade, mainly on the wealthy and health-insurance companies. It would limit money channeled to low-income people, raise costs for older Americans and wind down the expansion of Medicaid. (Trace and Edney, 3/7)The New York Times: How Republicans Plan To Ration Health Care It looks as if Republicans want to bring back health care rationing. In 2010, Mark Price, a 37-year-old resident of Goodyear, Ariz., was struggling to pay the bills for his leukemia treatment. His house was under foreclosure. He had insurance through Medicaid, and yet he died after the state said it would not pay for a potentially lifesaving bone marrow transplant. Facing a $2.6 billion budget deficit, Gov. Jan Brewer and Arizona Republicans had opted to ration care, eliminating state payments for bone marrow, liver, heart, lung and other transplants. Simultaneously, the state changed eligibility rules to cut health care for 47,000 low-income children and 310,000 low-income adults. (Ezekiel J. Emanuel, Aaron Glickman and Emily Gudbranson, 3/7)Los Angeles Times: The GOP Obamacare Replacement Would Help The Rich, Hurt The Poor And Unleash Chaos Republicans have finally released their long-awaited alternative to the Affordable Care Act. As expected, the bill would give a huge tax cut to the wealthy and gut the federal spending that the poor and the middle class depend on for their health insurance. (Nicholas Bagley, 3/7)Los Angeles Times: Here's The Secret Payoff To Health Insurance CEOs Buried In The GOP Obamacare Repeal Bill Concealed within the 123 pages of legislative verbiage and dense boilerplate of the House Republican bill repealing the Affordable Care Act are not a few hard-to-find nuggets. Here’s one crying out for exposure: The bill encourages health insurance companies to pay their top executives more. It does so by removing the ACA’s limit on corporate tax deductions for executive pay. The cost to the American taxpayer of eliminating this provision: well in excess of $70 million a year. In the reckoning of the Institute for Policy Studies, a think tank that analyzed the limitation in 2014, that would have been enough that year to buy dental insurance under the ACA for 262,000 Americans, or pay the silver plan deductibles for 28,000. (Michael Hiltzik, 3/7)Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Whatever They Call It, GOP Health Plan Is A Mandate On Monday, House Republicans unveiled their Obamacare "replacement" plan, which they claim eliminates the individual mandate. Yet a provision of the bill allows insurance companies to increase rates by 30% on those who allow their policies to lapse but then re-apply for insurance when they need it. That sounds an awful lot like a mandate that identifies as an incentive. It is what Chicago poet Gwendolyn Brooks referred to as an "identical disguise." And it allows the GOP to claim credit for keeping all the people who were forced to sign up for health care under Obamacare. (Christian Schneider, 3/7)Politico: Obamacare repeal seen as weakening mental health protectionsDallas Morning News: Words matter when fighting the stigma of mental illnessGizmodo: DARPA’s Brain Chip Implants Could Be the Next Big Mental Health Breakthrough—Or a Total DisasterMilitary Times: VA to start offering mental health care to 'bad paper' veteransWomen’s Health: Why X-Files’ Gillian Anderson Wants Women To Open Up About Mental HealthObamacare replacement bill endangers hospital finances and bond ratings Legislation that dismantles the Affordable Care Act and passed through two key House committees Thursday would hurt hospitals financially and possibly lead to debt downgrades, according to Moody's Investors Service and S&P Global Ratings. ?Read MoreMedicaid dispute could prevent 220,000 Iowans from using Mercy hospitals, clinicsDes Moines Register: Medicaid Dispute Could Prevent 220,000 Iowans From Using Mercy Hospitals, Clinics More than 220,000 poor or disabled Iowans could lose access to one of the state’s largest hospital-and-clinic systems because of a payment dispute with a Medicaid management company. The affected Iowans receive Medicaid via AmeriHealth Caritas, one of three companies the state hired last year to run the public health insurance program. AmeriHealth recently mailed letters warning that it has been unable to negotiate new contract terms with Mercy Health Network. If the two sides can’t reach a deal by July?1, the Mercy system system would no longer be included in AmeriHealth’s network of health-care providers, the letter says. (Leys, 3/9)San Francisco Chronicle: Help Mentally Ill With Police Training And Treatment, Not Jail? Violent encounters between police and individuals with mental illness — Sean Moore in San Francisco and Joseph Mann in Sacramento — have highlighted the use of lethal force. In both incidents, police were summoned to address dangerous or disorderly behavior of men who suffered from mental illness; both incidents ended with officers shooting the suspects, one fatally. Public attention has focused narrowly on perceived police mismanagement of these tragic situations. Unfortunately, it may be difficult to defuse a dangerous situation especially when the officers feel that their lives are at risk or a civilian may be injured. (Matthew E. Hirschtritt and Renee L. Binder, 3/9)Teens Don’t Think with Adult Brains: Consider Science in Juvenile Sentencing – The Seattle Times The Washington state Supreme Court last week took another step toward a more just juvenile-justice system. The court unanimously tossed out the absurd 31- and 26-year sentences imposed on a 17-year-old and his 16-year-old partner for robbing trick-or-treaters at gunpoint on Halloween night, 2012. Their crime spree netted a phone and 96 pieces of candy. No one was hurt. More here.?Insurers feel the pressure of the GOP Medicaid overhaulThe Affordable Care Act's insurance marketplace has been tough on health insurers' bottom lines, but Medicaid expansion funneled thousands of new members to insurers and boosted revenue for many. That may soon change. ?Read MoreFirst-year doctors will be allowed to work 24-hour shifts starting in JulyThe controversial decision ends the latest phase in a decades-old discussion over how to balance physician training with the safety and needs of patients. The current cap is 16 hours of patient care. By Lenny Bernstein ??? Read more??What did the CBO’s estimate of the American Health Care Act reveal? The Congressional Budget Office’s estimate of the economic impact of the House healthcare bill calls attention to premium increases and who will lose insurance.The New York Times: Health Bill Would Add 24 Million Uninsured But Save $337 Billion, Report Says The House Republican plan to replace the Affordable Care Act would increase the number of people without health insurance by 24 million by 2026, while slicing $337 billion off federal budget deficits over that time, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said Monday. (Kaplan and Pear, 3/13)CQ Roll Call: Attack On CBO Seen As Disturbing New Development Republicans’ rollout of Obamacare repeal legislation has provoked one of the most brutal public beatings of the Congressional Budget Office in recent memory.The trigger? The release of a cost estimate of Republicans’ budget reconciliation legislation that would partially repeal and replace a major portion of the 2010 health care law ( PL 111-148 , PL 111-152 ).The common defense when grilled on what CBO would show? Slam the nonpartisan scorekeeper. But former CBO employees and directors said that doing so could have devastating consequences down the road. (Mejdrich, 3/14)The Hill: WH Analysis Of ObamaCare Replacement Projects Bigger Coverage Gap Than CBO: Report? The White House's internal analysis of the GOP's ObamaCare replacement plan reportedly projects more insurance losses than the report released Monday by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The White House document, obtained by Politico, projects that 26 million people would lose coverage over the next decade under the GOP's healthcare plan. It finds that 54 million people total would be uninsured in 2026. (Savransky, 3/13)WBUR: Why Are So Many Middle-Aged Men Killing Themselves? A?recent rise in suicides in Massachusetts --?an increase of 40 percent from 2004 to 2014 — is driven by a rise in middle-aged men taking their own lives, according the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. In fact, 40 percent of all people who die by suicide in the United States are men between the ages of 35 and 64. It’s a staggering number, especially since this demographic represents only 19 percent of the nation’s total population. (Reed, 3/14)The New York Times: The Original Lie About Obamacare You hear it from Republicans, pundits and even some Democrats. It’s often said in a tone of regret: I wish Obama had done health reform in a bipartisan way, rather than jamming through a partisan bill. The lament seems to have the ring of truth, given that not a single Republican in Congress voted for Obamacare. Yet it is false —demonstrably so. That it’s nonetheless stuck helps explain how the Republicans have landed in such a mess on health care. The Congressional Budget Office released a jaw-dropping report Monday estimating that the Republican health plan would take insurance from 24 million people, many of them Republican voters, and raise medical costs for others. The bill effectively rescinds benefits for the elderly, poor, sick and middle class, and funnels the money to the rich, via tax cuts. (David Leonhardt, 3/14)CNN Money: The Truth About The Uninsured Rate In America The nation's uninsured rate has fallen to a historic low under Obamacare, but you'd never know that listening to Republican leaders speak.Bracing for a harsh assessment of their Obamacare repeal bill, House GOP leadership and the Trump administration are attacking the accuracy of the congressional agency tasked with reviewing it. (Luhby, 3/13)The Washington Post: Employees Who Decline Genetic Testing Could Face Penalties Under Proposed Bill Employers could impose hefty penalties on employees who decline to participate in genetic testing as part of workplace wellness programs if a bill approved by a U.S. House committee this week becomes law. In general, employers?don't have that power under existing federal laws, which protect genetic privacy and nondiscrimination. But a bill passed Wednesday by the?House Committee on Education and the Workforce would allow employers to get around those?obstacles if the information is collected as part of a workplace wellness program. (Sun, 3/11)The Baltimore Sun: New Baltimore Wellness Center Works To Reduce Stigma Of Mental Illness? Patients who receive mental health counseling at the new Simon Life and Wellness Center in Baltimore lie on white leather sofas with faux suede and fur pillows. Abstract art in warm hues adorns the walls and colorful flowers pop against the modern white interior design. It's not the typical decor for an urban mental health center, but the staff at Simon Life and Wellness in the Charles North neighborhood wants clients, many of them low-income, to see it as a cool and welcoming place. (McDaniels, 3/12)The CT Mirror: Once Again, School Health Clinics Facing Cuts? School-based health centers – which provide medical and mental health care and sometimes dental services and health education, often in schools with many low-income or high-risk students – have historically received widespread backing from policymakers in Connecticut.?Research?has linked them with improved academic performance and graduation rates, as well as better health measures, such as higher vaccination rates, reduced asthma complications and lower emergency department use. The?report of the Sandy Hook Advisory Commission?– established after the 2012 shootings – noted the clinics’ potential to make it easier for students to get behavioral health care without the stigma sometimes associated with mental health facilities. (Levin Becker, 3/10)Texas Tribune: With Proposal To Penalize Men For Masturbating, Legislator Aims To Shake Up Health Debate? When it comes to issues related to health, state Rep. Jessica Farrar says that men should have to undergo the same “unnecessary” and “invasive” procedures that she says Texas women are subjected to under recently passed state laws. That’s why the the Houston Democrat on Friday filed House Bill 4260, which would fine men $100 for masturbating and create a required booklet for men with medical information related to the benefits and concerns of a man seeking a vasectomy, a Viagra prescription or a colonoscopy. The bill would also let doctors invoke their "personal, moralistic, or religious beliefs" in refusing to perform an elective vasectomy or prescribe Viagra, among other proposed requirements in the bill. (Samuels, 3/12)Austin American-Statesman: Texas Lawmaker Files Bill That Would Penalize Men For Masturbating A Democratic lawmaker has filed a bill that would, among many provisions, create a $100 fine for men who masturbate and ejaculate outside of a woman’s vagina. The bill, called “A Man’s Right to Know,” was filed Friday, the filing deadline for the legislative session, and appears to satirize current and proposed laws and regulations that have been criticized for restricting women’s access to abortions and health care choices. (Chang, 3/11)GOP health overhaul puts pressure on state governments The Republican health care plan means less money for states and gives them a tough choice: Find a pot of cash to make up the difference or let coverage lapse for millions of lower-income Americans. ?Read MoreCherry-picking patients? Mayo Clinic aims to 'prioritize' privately insured Preferring commercially insured patients over those covered by Medicare and Medicaid has long been one of the healthcare industry's dirty secrets. ?Read MoreStat: How Medicaid Pays For Addiction Treatment, State By State More than 30,000 Americans are dying from heroin and painkiller?overdoses every year. Hundreds of thousands of people covered by Obamacare’s expansion of Medicaid — more than a million, by at least one estimate — have mental health and substance abuse issues. The GOP plan could impact the program in two ways. First, it would eliminate in 2020 the requirement that states, which administer Medicaid and jointly fund it with the federal government, offer robust coverage of?mental health and substance abuse services for people who enrolled in Medicaid under the Obamacare expansion. (Scott, 3/14)CQ Roll Call: HHS, CMS Signal Willingness To Let States Reshape Medicaid President Donald Trump's new chief of Medicaid and Medicare, Seema Verma, told governors Tuesday she would seek to speed their bids to reshape Medicaid, including requiring people who get benefits to work. "We intend for this to be the beginning of a discussion on how we can revamp the federal and state Medicaid partnership to effectively and efficiently improve health outcomes," wrote Verma, the new administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Pricein a joint letter. (Young, 3/14)The Star Tribune: Mayo To Give Preference To Privately Insured Patients Over Medicaid Patients Mayo Clinic’s chief executive made a startling announcement in a recent speech to employees: The Rochester-based health system will give preference to patients with private insurance over those with lower-paying Medicaid or Medicare coverage, if they seek care at the same time and have comparable conditions. The number of patients affected would probably be small, but the selective strategy reveals the financial pressures that Mayo is facing in part due to federal health reforms. (Olson, 3/15)The Des Moines Register: GOP Health Plan Would Hit Iowa Especially Hard After seven years, U.S. House Republicans have finally unveiled their plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. It immediately went over like a lead balloon with pretty much everyone, including doctors, hospitals, insurers and advocacy groups. Many conservatives cannot even feign support for it. (3/14)Huffington Post: Medicaid Is About Grandma Why don’t Democrats more often make the point Sen. Chuck Schumer made this week about the consequences of GOP efforts to scuttle Medicaid: "Medicaid is for poor people, but also 60 percent goes to people in nursing homes. And that affects not only them, but their kids. You’re a kid 45 or 50, your Mom or Dad is in a nursing home. They could be kicked out after this bill passes. What would you do? You have to take them at home, stop working to take care of them. Or you have to shell out thousands of dollars out of your pocket." (Craig Crawford, 3/14): Proposed Medicaid Reforms Could Devastate Young People With Complex Medical Needs Current proposals to simultaneously repeal the Affordable Care Act and reform the federal Medicaid program would be devastating to children and young adults with disabilities and complex medical needs. Even if the final ACA replacement plan continues to allow young people to stay on their parents’ insurance plans until age 26 – which is a benefit largely supported on both sides of the political aisle – the most medically complex among them rely on Medicaid because of the extraordinary level and cost of care needed. (Anna Nguyen, Rebecca Kim, Sophie Jan and Ahaviah Glaser, 3/15)2. Obamacare Pushed Nonprofit Hospitals To Do Good Beyond Their Walls. Now What? A provision in the 2010 health law required these hospitals to justify their tax exemption by demonstrating involvement in community health. Repeal, replace or repair could stall that momentum. (Shefali Luthra, 3/16)The New York Times: One Certainty Of G.O.P. Health Plan: Tax Cuts For The Wealthy The House Republicans’ plan to replace the Affordable Care Act is messy and confusing. No one is sure exactly how Americans will be affected and how much more health insurance will cost them. But there are two certainties. Their health care plan provides a tax cut for the wealthiest Americans. And it will make it easier for Republicans to pass more tax cuts this year. It could also be viewed by some people as a break from some of the populist campaign promises President Trump made to lift up the country’s “forgotten men and women.” (Rappeport, 3/15)Des Moines Register: Medicaid Firms Spending Less On Care For Iowa's Poor, Disabled The three private firms running Iowa’s Medicaid program have found ways to trim spending on care for the poor or disabled Iowans they cover, a new report suggests. But all three continue to lose tens of millions of dollars on the controversial project. The companies’ per-member monthly spending on health care for adults fell by as much as 28 percent from the three months ending in September 2016 to the three months ending in December 2016, the new report shows. (Leys, 3/15)Stat: A 41-Day Fight To Get Treatment Ends In A Daughter's Overdose Leigh Ann and John Wilson play back those 42 days in?a constant loop. They remember the clinics with lengthy waiting lists; the treatment centers that wouldn’t take Medicaid; the doctors who discouraged Taylor from inpatient treatment, saying she could do without it. They wonder, more than anything, why it’s so hard to get addiction treatment in the state with the nation’s highest drug death rate — 818 deaths last year, most of them from opioids. (Blau, 3/16)The Washington Post: Despite A Mother’s Plea, Her Mentally Ill Daughter Was Sold A Firearm. Here’s Why She Sued. She called the police. Then ATF. After that, the FBI. Janet Delana was desperate to stop her mentally ill adult daughter from buying another handgun. (Marimow, 3/6)Miami Herald: Republicans Punish The Poor For Having The Nerve To Get Sick Suddenly, there was just blood every where. It erupted from my father’s mouth as we sat watching television. I was still struggling to process this horror when my mother, too shaken to drive, asked me — 17 years old and still on my learner’s permit — to get us to the emergency room. Somehow, we made it. But the ER was crowded with folks like us, poor and bearing loved ones in distress. The hospital couldn’t get to my dad right away. They didn’t even have a room to put him in. (Leonard Pitts Jr., 3/14)Cleveland Plain Dealer: Genetic Testing In The Workplace Is A Bad Idea: Jeer Of The Day A Republican-dominated House committee approved HR 1313 last week along partisan lines. Businesses argue that the popular programs need the information to help keep employees and their insured family members healthy and reduce health care costs. Two problems with the bill: Genes are not destiny, but that may not stop employers from discriminating against workers. Critics also argue that third party vendors who run the wellness programs have weak privacy rules. Kill this bill. (3/16)Stateline: Disabled Fear Medicaid Cuts Will Diminish Their Independence In every state, Medicaid now covers at least some home- and community-based services for the disabled, including health aides, adaptive equipment and transportation. But the federal government does not require such coverage under Medicaid, as it does services such as doctor’s visits, nursing home care and laboratory tests. That means states may be tempted to drop the home-based services for the disabled first if federal Medicaid money dwindles and they have to find savings. (Ollove, 3/17)NPR: Low-Income, Elderly, And Disabled Likely To Be Hit Hard By GOP Medicaid Cuts Many in Texas are keeping a close eye on the Republican bid to replace the Affordable Care Act. One of the big changes is how it would affect low-income people, seniors, and people with disabilities who get help from Medicaid. And people on both sides of the political spectrum say the Lone Star State is not going to fare well. (Lopez, 3/17)Politico: The General Who Went To War On Suicide On the evening of July 19, 2010, Major General Dana Pittard, the new commander of Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, got a call from the base’s 24-hour duty officer. A SWAT team had been sent to the house of a young sergeant named Robert Nichols. Nichols was inside with a gun, threatening to kill himself. Pittard arrived at the soldier’s home just in time to see the soldier step out of the house, put the gun to his chest and fire. Neighbors and police crowded the street, but Pittard was the only officer from the Army base at the scene. He went home, where his boxes were still packed from his move 10 days before, feeling disturbed and helpless. (Hattem, 3/17)NH Times Union: Statewide Effort Aims To Improve Mental Health Services For Veterans? Leaders in the mental health and veteran fields say that New Hampshire is the first in the nation to implement a statewide effort to identify mental health patients with a military background and fashion outreach and treatment programs for them. At least one staff member at each of the state’s community mental health centers is a designated liaison for military issues. Hundreds of mental health workers have been trained on military culture. (Hayward, 3/16)KCUR: Kansas Lawmakers Working To Reverse Brownback Medicaid Cuts? With all of the talk in recent years about Kansas’ budget problems, it can be hard to keep track of what programs have been cut and by how much. So, some Kansans may not remember that last summer Gov. Sam Brownback ordered more than $56 million in cuts to KanCare, the state’s privatized Medicaid program. Including the amount of federal matching funds lost, the cuts amounted to $128 million. Kansas lawmakers remember the cuts, and they are taking steps to reverse them. (McLean, 3/16)Des Moines Register: Disabled Iowans Say Medicaid Firms Are Cutting In-Home Help [James] Campbell, 44, [is] one of nearly 7,400 Iowans with disabilities who use Medicaid’s Consumer Directed Attendant Care program, or CDAC, which pays members of the community to provide everyday assistance that lets recipients continue living in their homes instead of nursing homes. The Long-Term Care Ombudsman’s Office recently reported that reduced hours in the CDAC program are?one of the top complaints the agency is?hearing?about the privatized Medicaid system. (Leys, 3/16)The Des Moines Register: Profit-Seeking Medicaid Insurers Vs. Iowans Iowa has been victimized by Gov. Terry Branstad’s Medicaid privatization for nearly a year. Handing over a $4 billion government health insurance program to profit-seeking companies did not make sense in theory, and in practice, it has been a nightmare for health providers and low-income Iowans. Enough is enough. It is time to return to the state-managed Medicaid system that had low administrative expenses, timely reimbursement for providers and consistency in coverage for patients. (3/16)San Jose Mercury News: How Health Care Is Done In America When it comes to saving money on health care, it is so true that you can save a bundle by eliminating the sick. They’re tiresome, always complaining, they smell bad, and they’re ruining it for the rest of us. Put the seriously ill out of their misery, get them to die 10 days earlier than they normally would, you can run the system at a profit. Simple as that. (Garrison Keillor, 3/16)Urban Institute: Ensuring Compliance With Network Adequacy Standards: Lessons From Four States Narrow provider networks are increasingly common in the individual health insurance market. Regardless of what system emerges from efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, insurers are expected to continue to rely on narrow provider networks. The new administration has proposed to loosen federal network adequacy standards and delegate more authority to states. This paper examines how four states with significant regulatory experience have assessed and monitored the adequacy of provider networks in the nongroup market to ensure consumers have timely access to care. (Wishner and Marks, 3/16)Tax Credits Under Threat - HSB 187 Rep. Pat Grassley (R), introduced a bill this week that substantially changes Iowa's tax credits. Early indication is that the bill will cap the total amount of credits each year, and decreases that total amount each year after. A "first come, first served" approach is instituted through the cap, and refundable credits would no longer be refundable.A number of credits, including the Iowa Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), are included. EITC is a key anti-poverty component of our tax code that helps over 200,000 Iowa families.Mayo Clinic faces questions after CEO comments on insurance -Mayo Clinic is facing questions from the state of Minnesota after its CEO told employees that if patient conditions are equal, its hospitals should prioritize privately insured patients over those under government-subsidized programs such as Medicaid. ?Read MoreThe Washington Post: Republicans Threaten To Deny Poor People Medical Care If They Aren’t Working Many forms of public assistance, including food stamps,?require recipients to work, look for work, volunteer or participate in vocational training. The work requirements vary from one program to the next and have varying requirements vary by the program and traits of the recipients, such as their ages and whether they have children. Yet when it comes to health insurance, such?requirements would be nearly impossible to enforce, conservative and independent experts on the Medicaid program said Friday. (Ehrenfreund, 3/18)The Hill: Cotton: Private Insurance Market Provision A Big Problem In GOP Healthcare Proposal Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) indicated Sunday the private insurance market provisions in the current GOP healthcare proposal is a larger problem than Medicaid expansion. Cotton told host Jake Tapper on CNN's "State of the Union" that the Medicaid expansion provided a partial solution to health insurance coverage, but the private insurance market would hurt everyday Americans. (Beavers, 3/19)Bloomberg: Four Republican Governors Come Out Against Obamacare Replacement Plan? In a letter Thursday, governors from Ohio, Nevada, Michigan and Arkansas wrote Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan and said the legislation the House is considering “does not ensure the resources necessary to make sure no one is left out, and shifts significant new costs to states.” They said the bill “does not meet” goals set out by President Donald Trump about state flexibility and making sure people are covered. (Edney and Tracer, 3/17)The Washington Post: An Architect Of The ACA Is Now Advising Trump As GOP Works To Level The Law When bioethicist and oncologist Ezekiel Emanuel meets with President Trump at the White House on Monday, the session will reveal publicly what has been happening privately for months: A trusted ally of former president Barack Obama and chief architect of the Affordable Care Act is trying to help steer how Republicans rework it. (Eilperin and Goldstein, 3/20)Stat: Mayo Clinic CEO 'Regrets' Statement On Prioritizing Private Insurance Patients Facing a possible civil rights investigation, Mayo Clinic’s chief executive is backpedaling from statements he made to employees about?prioritizing the care of privately insured patients over those on Medicare and Medicaid. Dr. John Noseworthy issued a press release late Friday saying that he regrets that the wording he used caused confusion about the hospital’s commitment to serving patients with government insurance. He sought to correct the record after Minnesota regulators said they are looking into potential legal violations based on his comments. (Ross, 3/17)The Washington Post: Poison Control Centers Receive 32 Calls A Day About Children Exposed To Opioids The phone rings once approximately every 45 minutes — that is how often poison control centers in the United States receive calls about children being exposed to prescription opioids, according to a study published Monday. Over a span of 16 years, from January 2000 until?December 2015, about 188,000 calls were placed to poison control centers regarding?pediatric and teenage exposure to opioids, the study published in the journal Pediatrics found. Sixty percent of the children?exposed to opioids were younger than 5,?while teenagers accounted for 30 percent. (Naqvi, 3/20)The Washington Post: As Opioid Crisis Intensifies, One Md. School System Looks At A ‘Recovery’ School Kevin Burnes thinks his school saved his life. He arrived there at 14 years old, just out of rehab, and says it was exactly what he needed: a place where kids with drug and alcohol problems could stay on a path of recovery as they worked toward high school graduation. “I have no question that it changed the course of everything I was doing,” said Burnes, now a music teacher and musician. (St. George, 3/19)Arizona Republic: The Stealth Attack On Health Care Through Obamacare Repeal Efforts Health care should be a right for every American. That was an applause line for Sen. Bernie Sanders at a recent town hall in the very deep Trump territory of West Virginia. Sanders is in sync with a decades-long national trend of increasing access to health care.?But the party in power is doing something completely different. (Linda Valdez, 3/18)The Kansas City Star: Prospect Of Guns In State Mental Hospitals Means It’s Time For Lawmakers To Act Common sense dictates that Kansas doesn’t want guns in its mental hospitals. But the state is headed precisely in that direction unless lawmakers can rally in the days ahead and agree on exemptions to a gun law passed in 2013. That law gave mental hospitals, other hospitals and the state’s college campuses four years to prepare for the day when firearms would be allowed in their buildings. (3/18)An inmate died after being locked in a scalding shower for two hours. His guards won’t be charged.Darren Rainey, a 50-year-old schizophrenic man, was found lying dead in 3 inches of pooled water, his skin peeling off. Prosecutors said there was no evidence of wrongdoing. By Derek Hawkins ??? Read more??1. GOP Scraps Individual Mandate But Sets Up New Penalty For Those Skipping Coverage -The penalty would affect people buying insurance who had a lapse in coverage of more than 63 days over a year. A surcharge of 30 percent would be attached to their premiums for a year. (Anna Gorman and Jordan Rau, 3/21)USA Today: Republicans Modify Obamacare Repeal Bill To Win More GOP Votes Under the modified version of the GOP replacement bill, states would be allowed to require able-bodied Medicaid recipients without dependents?to work beginning in October —?and would get a funding boost as a reward for doing so. States could also receive federal funding for the program as a lump sum — instead of a per capita allotment — for children and non-disabled, non-elderly adults. Taxes imposed by the ACA on the wealthy, sectors of the health care industry and others to pay for expanded?coverage would be repealed in 2017 instead of 2018. (Groppe, 3/20)Supreme Court sets higher bar for education of students with disabilities The opinion, rejecting a lower standard used in a case by President Trump's nominee to the high court, Neil Gorsuch, said that “every child should have the chance to meet challenging objectives.” By Emma Brown and Ann E. Marimow ??? Read more??Health bill isn't reform; it's a tax cut for the wealthy The bill gives a massive tax cut for the upper class and a benefit claw-back from the poor. — Awkward: On the final day of Neil Gorsuch’s testimony before the Senate, the Supreme Court unanimously overruled the foundation of one of his opinions in a case involving the rights of children with disabilities.The Supreme Court Rules in Favor of a Special Education Student Shift To Medicaid Block Grants Is A Threat To People With Disabilities ’s the Matter With Iowa? Moines Register: King Lone 'Yes' Vote On Health Care Bill Among Iowa's House Members With a key vote looming Thursday, Iowa’s entire congressional delegation has staked out positions on the Republican health care proposal aimed at repealing and replacing Obamacare. Three Iowa members, U.S. Reps. David Young, Rod Blum and Dave Loebsack — two Republicans and a Democrat — have announced they oppose the measure and will vote “no” on Thursday. The delegation's other Republican, U.S. Rep. Steve King,?says he will support the bill. (Noble, 3/22)Modern Healthcare: AMA Urges Congress To Vote No On Amended ACA Repeal Bill The American Medical Association called on Congress to vote down the American Health Care Act despite Republican's last-minute amendments to the bill, claiming millions will lose coverage if it becomes law. The trade group said in a letter to Congress Wednesday that it is still concerned about the law's plan to roll back Medicaid expansion. AMA said the bill's proposed tax credits are less generous than the Affordable Care Act's cost-sharing subsides for low-income individuals. (Dickson, 3/22)CQ Roll Call: With Repeal Vote Looming, House Passes Two Health Bills The House on Wednesday passed a pair of bills that are part of Republican plans to remake the health system. The bills, which would close a narrow antitrust loophole for health insurers and establish rules for a new type of plans for small businesses, are part of the GOP’s “third phase” of action to replace the 2010 health law. The first bill (HR 372), which passed 416-7, would close an antitrust loophole that allows health insurance companies to share information with each other when they are trying to assess risks and set rates. ... The second bill (HR 1101) passed 236-175. It would establish rules for association health plans. These plans would allow groups of small businesses in the same field or professional association to band together and create an employee pool large enough to offer lower-cost health insurance for their employees. (Siddons, 3/22)The Washington Post: New Research Identifies A ‘Sea Of Despair’ Among White, Working-Class Americans Sickness and early death in the white working class could be rooted in poor job prospects for less-educated young people as they first enter the labor market, a situation that compounds over time through family dysfunction, social isolation, addiction, obesity and other pathologies, according to a study published Thursday by two prominent economists. (Achenbach and Keating, 3/23)NPR: The Forces Driving Middle-Aged White People's 'Deaths Of Despair' In 2015, when researchers Ann Case and Angus Deaton discovered that death rates had been rising dramatically since 1999 among middle-aged white Americans, they weren't sure why people were dying younger, reversing decades of longer life expectancy. Now the husband-and-wife economists say they have a better understanding of what's causing these "deaths of despair" by suicide, drugs and alcohol. (Boddy, 3/23)Vox: “I See My Son In Every One Of Them”: With A Spike In Suicides, Parents Of Utah’s Queer Youth Fear The Worst In recent years, suicide has become the leading cause of death in Utah among adolescents between the ages of 10 and 17, whereas national rates of youth suicide are considerably lower. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is the third leading cause of death among teenagers across the US each year. Hard data on the youth suicide rate is difficult to come by for 2016 because the year has only recently drawn to a close. (Nico Lang, 3/20)Huffington Post: Mental Health, Maternity Care Guarantees In Jeopardy As GOP Wrangles For Votes Someone with bipolar disease might have no way to pay for a psychiatrist to monitor his condition. A couple might have to fork over $15,000 to have a baby. These are just two of the possible consequences of a deal now under discussion in the U.S. House as Republican leaders working with the Trump administration try furiously to round up the votes they need to win approval for their bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act. (Jonathan Cohn, 3/23)Los Angeles Times: Eliminating Essential Health Insurance Benefits Is A Stupid Idea That Won't Save Money. Here's Why. David Anderson of Duke points us to a recent paper by Milliman, the preeminent cost-analysis firm in healthcare, about how much these essential benefits actually add to the cost of health insurance and the consequences of removing the mandates. The paper finds that eliminating the most vulnerable mandates, such as maternity care, will reduce average premiums somewhat but drive costs for people who need those services sky-high and transfer much of the cost to other public programs. The net gain for society is almost invisible. To put it another way, the savings are an illusion. In fact, eliminating the mandates might even cost the federal government more money. (Michael Hiltzik, 3/22)Seattle Times: Medicaid Is A Lifeline For Our Children As discussions continue to swirl around the future of our nation’s health-care system and the American Health Care Act (AHCA), it’s vital we do not forget about the well-being of those who represent the future of our nation — our children. Medicaid is the most critical health care program for our country’s youth, and we at Seattle Children’s are deeply alarmed about the proposed changes to Medicaid that would disproportionately impact our children. (Jeff Sperring, 3/22)CBO analysis of revised health-care bill shows just as many uninsured, less deficit reductionThe score by the Congressional Budget Office projects a recent version of the House bill would reduce savings in federal spending by $150 billion over the next decade — far less than their earlier plan — but still would leave 24 million more Americans uninsured by 2016 than under the Affordable Care Act. By Amy Goldstein ??? Read more??Editorial: Branstad cheerfully ignores threat to Medicaid expansionState agrees to help Medicaid companies shoulder huge lossesThe Wall Street Journal: Basic-Services Requirement Is At Heart Of Health-Insurance Split At the heart of the last-minute negotiations over the House GOP health-care bill is a pillar of the Affordable Care Act: the requirement that most insurance policies cover a basic set of health services, including such items as maternity and mental-health care. Repealing that requirement, as many conservatives want, would topple a core element of the ACA that sought to protect patients from the high cost of using a health service not covered by their insurance. (Armour, 3/23)Kaiser Health News: Late Move To Dump ‘Essential’ Benefits Could Strand Chronically Ill A last-minute attempt by conservative Republicans to dump standards for health benefits in plans sold to individuals would probably lower the average consumer’s upfront insurance costs, such as premiums and deductibles, said experts on both sides of the debate to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. But, they add, it will likely also induce insurers to offer much skimpier plans, potentially excluding the gravely ill, and putting consumers at greater financial risk if they need care. (Hancock, 3/24)The Washington Post: ‘I Wouldn’t Want To Lose My Mammograms,’ Male GOP Senator Says — Then Immediately Regrets It’s a common question among those decrying the cost of health insurance: Why should you have to purchase a plan that covers procedures you won’t ever need? Especially if, say, you’re a guy, and your plan covers maternity care — as Obamacare requires most plans sold through an exchange to do? It’s also a philosophy in conservative circles gaining momentum as Republicans try to deconstruct Obamacare, (Phillips, 3/23)The Washington Post: CBO: Latest House GOP Health-Care Bill Would Mean As Many Uninsured By 2026 According to the CBO’s projections, a set of amendments that House GOP leaders agreed to support Monday night would cut the federal deficit by $150 billion between 2017 and 2026. The original version of the American Health Care Act, as the bill is called, would have curbed the deficit by an estimated $337 billion in that period. The changes would have less impact on savings because they would make it easier for Americans to deduct the cost of medical care from their income taxes and would accelerate by a year the repeal of several taxes that help pay for the ACA, including taxes on insurers, hospitals, high-income adults and tanning beds. (Goldstein, 3/23)Des Moines Register: These Families With Children Injured By Doctor Mistakes Say They Don’t Want Caps On Malpractice Payouts Families of Iowans who were severely injured by medical errors traveled to the Statehouse on Thursday to denounce bills that would limit awards in malpractice lawsuits. The families said if the bills were in effect, they probably couldn’t have found lawyers to take their cases, even though medical providers’ mistakes or neglect caused permanent disabilities or death of patients. (Leys, 3/23)Sacramento Bee: Sacramento County Sheriff Adds Mental Health Beds To Jail? As the Sacramento County Main Jail handles more inmates with psychiatric problems, the Sheriff’s Department is developing a new section staffed by UC Davis medical professionals, social workers and deputies that can provide intensive mental services without 24-hour care. The county currently keeps inmates who are suicidal or deemed a threat to others in an 18-bed “acute care” unit, which functions like a residential treatment facility. (Garrison, 3/23)Des Moines Register: Branstad Cheerfully Ignores Threat To Medicaid Expansion Health and Human Service Secretary Thomas Price and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service Administrator Seema Verma have sent a letter to Branstad and the governors of 30 other states who expanded Medicaid .... They're also urging the governors to pursue changes in Medicaid, such as charging beneficiaries higher premiums and requiring beneficiaries to pay for emergency-room visits to discourage such visits. ... Apparently, the governor's enthusiasm for Medicaid expansion has been supplanted by his enthusiasm for a CMS director determined to scuttle that effort. Could it be "the health needs of our state" are less of a priority than the president's political agenda? (3/23)The New York Times: Late G.O.P. Proposal Could Mean Plans That Cover Aromatherapy But Not Chemotherapy Why should that 60-year-old man have to pay for maternity benefits he will never use? If 60-year-old men don’t need to pay for benefits they won’t use, the price of insurance will come down, and more people will be able to afford that coverage, the thinking goes. ... But there are two main problems with stripping away minimum benefit rules. One is that the meaning of “health insurance” can start to become a little murky. The second is that, in a world in which no one has to offer maternity coverage, no insurance company wants to be the only one that offers it. (Margot Sanger-Katz, 3/23)Another Mess: Branstad And Reynolds Are Bankrupting Iowa - Iowa Starting Line depleted state system fails many with serious mental illness People with mental illness under the supervision of the Department of Mental Health have endangered themselves or others recently, including one who died.I Can’t Take It Anymore bucks reflect our governor's values Dispatch: ‘Let’s Grow Up, And Let’s Serve Americans,’ Kasich Says Of Health-Care Fix Ohio Gov. John Kasich continues to call on "reasonable" Republicans and Democrats to unite and craft a bipartisan fix for Obamacare that preserves expanded Medicaid coverage for the drug-addicted and mentally ill. He's rather blunt about it: "Let's grow up, and let's serve Americans." (Ludlow, 3/26)Columbus Dispatch: More Ohio Newborns Suffer From Mother’s Addiction The number of Ohio babies who come into the world sick and craving drugs continues to soar. New state reports show that the rate of neonatal abstinence?syndrome — the medical term for withdrawal symptoms suffered by newborns — jumped to 159 per 10,000 live births in 2015. That's more than eight times the rate a decade earlier, in 2005, when there were just 19 such hospitalizations for every 10,000 live births. (Price, 3/27)The Hill: 'Deaths Of Despair' On The Rise Among Blue-Collar Whites? A decades-long trend of economic stagnation and social immobility may be to blame for a shocking increase in death rates among middle-aged white Americans, a new study finds, as the number of deaths caused by drugs, alcohol abuse and suicide reaches levels not seen in generations. For nearly a century, advances in medical technology and healthy living have sent mortality rates of all Americans plummeting. But in recent years, a stark divide has emerged along educational and racial lines: as death rates plunge for minorities and well-educated whites, the number of whites without a college education dying in middle age is skyrocketing. (Wilson, 3/25)Des Moines Register: State Agrees To Help Medicaid Companies Shoulder Huge Losses State leaders have agreed to help private Medicaid management companies shoulder huge losses they’ve suffered in covering more than 500,000 poor or disabled Iowans, documents released Friday show. The three national companies have complained about “catastrophic” losses on the Iowa project, which started last April. They have pleaded for the government to help them make up for about $450 million in red ink. ... The documents were released Friday afternoon in response to a Des Moines Register open-records request made Jan. 12. (Leys, 3/24)Boston Globe: In Massachusetts’ Failing Mental Health Care System, Even The Lucky Ones Aren’t So Lucky James Boyd Jr.’s death is one of seven recent incidents involving Department of Mental Health clients that illuminate a growing concern inside the state agency: that the department is releasing a steady stream of people with serious mental illness to live in the community without proper supervision. While thousands with serious mental illness struggle to get any help, the roughly 21,000 Department of Mental Health clients are promised treatment at state-run facilities and state-funded programs in the community that are operated by private vendors... But the string of incidents raises questions about whether the department is doing enough to ensure the safety of its clients and the public. (Helman and Russell, 3/25)Health care providers face 'catastrophic' claims cutsDes Moines Register: Branstad Defends Pledge To Help Medicaid Firms Cover Losses Gov. Terry Branstad on Monday defended his administration’s decision to help private Medicaid managed care organizations shoulder huge financial losses, and he said it doesn’t mean the project is in trouble. ... The three companies have complained they’ve lost hundreds of millions of dollars in Iowa in the year since they began running the state’s $4 billion Medicaid program. The Des Moines Register reported Friday that the Department of Human Services has signed contract amendments under which the state agreed to help the companies cover some of those losses. (Leys,3/27)Boston Globe: Changing Attitudes Is Harder Than Changing The Law? Someone trying to access mental health care is twice as likely to be denied coverage by a private insurer than someone seeking surgical or other medical care, according to a survey of 84 insurance plans in 15 states by the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Matt Selig, executive director of Health Law Advocates, a Boston-based nonprofit group that represents low-income residents, said that last year alone his agency opened cases for 158 people who were denied coverage for mental health or substance use treatment, nearly half of them children. (Kevin Cullen, 3/27)Understanding Psychotic BreaksPsychosis is a complex mental health symptom that over 100,000 young people experience each year. Understand what causes psychosis, how to identify symptoms and how to support someone who may be experiencing it. Read More ?Help Build the Mental Health MovementSociety's view of mental illness won't change if we don't work to change it. Here a few ways we can continue to advance our cause.Read More ?Avoiding Emotional Damage During a Political StormDuring this period of change and uncertainty, it's important to maintain your well-being. Learn how to strike a balance between being attached to the politics of our time and being detached from the political storm.Read More ?First Episode Psychosis: A Call to ArmsWhen psychosis is involved, help is needed as soon as possible. Providing it should be a priority in every community. Together, we can ensure that a serious condition always gets a serious response.Read More ?Learn the Warning Signs of Early PsychosisNAMI's early psychosis project offers free tip sheets with guidance on how to recognize early psychosis, what to do if you think someone is experiencing psychosis and how to start a conversation with and engage youth and young adults. Learn More ?Taking Another Look at a Too-Often-Forgotten Treatment for Schizophrenia"We don't endorse specific treatments at NAMI, but in my role as medical director, I always like to remind people about clozapine. The consensus in the medical community is that, generally speaking, it is an underutilized treatment." - Ken Duckworth, M.D.Read More ?How Should We Be Treating First-Episode Psychosis?Treatment options can seem bleak for someone experiencing FEP. Thankfully, the National Institute of Mental Health conducted a study that revealed the most effective form of treatment for early psychosis.Read More ?Des Moines Register: Feds' Tab Could Hit $225 Million To Help Medicaid Firms Cover Iowa Losses Iowa’s decision to help Medicaid managed-care companies shoulder deep financial losses would only cost the state government about $10 million, but it could cost the federal government up to $225 million, state officials say. Much of the federal money would come via the Affordable Care Act, which Gov. Terry Branstad opposed but which his administration has repeatedly tapped to pay for health care for poor Iowans. (Leys, 3/29)The Des Moines Register: Bill Capping Malpractice Awards Is Frivolous Republicans have waited a long time to make numerous changes to Iowa law. Now that they hold majorities in the Iowa Legislature, they’re moving as fast as possible. On their list is limiting the amount of money an injured patient can collect after being victimized by medical malpractice or nursing home negligence. (3/29)Branstad’s Legacy will be Medicaid Debacle Post: Mental Health Patients Worry They Won’t Survive Paul Ryan’s War On MedicaidU.S. News: Plan to End Children's Mental Health Program Faces PushbackWashington Post: When we thought mental illness could be cured with architectureForbes: How Trauma In One's Teens Can Affect Mental Health In Mid-Life?Vocativ: Suicide Rates On The Rise In U.S., Especially In Rural Areas — CDCIowa requests CMS pay up to $225 million for Medicaid managed-care losses - Iowa's controversial move to privatize its Medicaid program has cost participating insurers an estimated $450 million in losses. ?Read MoreDisabled America Disabled or just desperate? Rural Americans turn to disability as jobs dry up. Across large swaths of the country, disability has reshaped scores of mostly white, almost exclusively rural communities, where as many as one-third of working-age adults live on monthly disability checks, according to a Post analysis. The increases have been worse in working-class areas, worse still in communities where residents are older, and worst of all in places with shrinking populations and few immigrants. By Terrence McCoy ??? Read more??Health News Florida: Florida Universities Plead For Mental Health Funding Florida’s universities say they need more money to hire additional mental health counselors and law enforcement officers. University officials said they’re seeing a dramatic rise in students needing help coping with anxiety, depression and academic stress. (Mueller, 3/30)Boston Globe: Time For Action On Mental Health In Massachusetts The Boston Globe Spotlight series paints a disturbing picture of the current state of mental health care in the Commonwealth. Vulnerable people and their families are left to fend for themselves. Individuals who suffer from severe and debilitating mental illness are often criminalized or lack access to appropriate treatment. Our criminal justice system has become the de-facto provider of behavioral health services. The response of the legislature to tragic stories from our first responders, our courts, and our family members has been anemic at best. Our system does not adequately serve those with severe mental illness, and it is well beyond the time to take bold action. (Kenneth Donnelly, 3/31)Part 1 of “Young and Arrested”:?A Boy in Prison by Age 14 – WMFE - Streetlights glare inside Lieutenant Shane DeJarnett’s white unmarked SUV as he cruises through Pine Hills ?past houses, and churches and pedestrians. As Orange County’s nighttime sheriff, DeJarnett keeps a close eye on what is happening in this mixed-income black neighborhood on the west side of Orlando. More here.?Part 2 of "Young and Arrested": A Boy Sent Away to Residential Confinement – WMFE - Inside a large room, two security guards monitor concrete holding cells and rows of chairs, mostly empty. A girl in a navy blue jumpsuit faces them, slumped over, with her head in her hands. A boy a few seats down from her watches a television overhead. More here.?Part 3 of “Young and Arrested”: A Boy Who Went from a Classroom to a Courtroom – WMFE - The wooden benches of teen court at the Thomas S. Kirk Center for Juvenile Justice are filled with kids in jeans and dress shirts. Their eyes are fixed on a young man reading a list of sanctions from a sheet of paper in his hands, “The defendant shall receive the following mandatory sentences: Forty-five hours of community service; six jury duties of teen court; supervised shopping; random drug testing.” More here.Part 4 of “Young and Arrested”: High Risk, High Need, High Potential – WMFE - As night falls across Orange County and sheriff deputies hit the street for their routine night patrol, a handful of them stick around inside a meeting room at the sheriff’s office to talk with researchers and residents. “We’re all here because of violent crimes,” says one man to the group. “For us to reduce that, there are a lot of factors that come into play.” More here. Part 5 of “Young and Arrested”: What to Takeaway from Orange County's High Juvenile Arrest Rate?– WMFE - It is impossible to talk about juvenile justice in central Florida let alone the United States without talking about race. Numbers show young black men in Orange County are arrested at higher rates. That is a trend that sociologists and civil rights advocates say dates back to the Reconstruction and Jim Crow era when laws were created to either deny blacks of certain rights or make it easy for them to be stripped of them. More here.Mass. mental health system beset by challenges Readers react to the Globe Spotlight Team’s report on the state’s troubled mental health system. ................
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