Florida Medicaid Unwinding Cut Coverage, CHIP From 600,000 Kids
Report writers examining Medicaid review processes wrote that Florida was one of the states prioritizing "hasty" removal of kids from support programs. Also in the news: a slowdown in deadly overdoses in L.A. County homeless people; more.
WUSF:
Nearly 600,000 Florida Kids Lost Medicaid/CHIP During 2023 Unwinding, Report Shows
Nearly 600,000 children in Florida lost government health insurance last year when states began reviewing Medicaid eligibility again, according to a report published this month. In the report, policy experts at the Center for Children and Families at Georgetown University. write that Florida is among states that prioritized "hasty" removal of kids from the program. (Colombini, 5/9)
In other news from across the country —
Los Angeles Times:
Deadly Overdoses Stopped Surging Among L.A. County Homeless People
Year after year, Los Angeles County has seen devastating losses on its streets as homeless people bedding down in tents, under tarps and on sidewalks died of drug overdoses at soaring rates. Now a newly released report shows that the death rate from overdoses stopped rising among unhoused people in the county in 2022 — the year L.A. County was stepping up its efforts to save lives. (Reyes and Seidman, 5/9)
AP:
Seattle To Open Short-Term Recovery Center For People After A Fentanyl Overdose
Seattle will open a new space for people to recover and receive treatment for nearly 24 hours after they have overdosed on fentanyl or other drugs, Mayor Bruce Harrell announced Thursday. The center is slated to open near the Pioneer Square neighborhood in mid-2025 and will be run by a homelessness and substance abuse nonprofit organization called the Downtown Emergency Services Center. (5/10)
Chicago Tribune:
A Blood Test To Help Detect Lung Cancer? New Test Offered At OSF Healthcare Part Of Trend In Medicine
Julie Harris had never been tested for lung cancer. A low-dose CT scan, the only recommended screening for adults at risk of developing lung cancer, was not something she’d ever found time to do. But when her primary care doctor recently suggested a new blood test to help look for signs of the disease, Harris was intrigued. She had her blood drawn the same day, in the same building as her doctor’s appointment. (Schencker, 5/10)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Black Patients In St. Louis Move Up Kidney Transplant Waitlist As Racially Biased Test Ends
Jerome Massey doesn’t know all that was done behind-the-scenes to help him get a new kidney by removing an unfair barrier based on his race. But he’s thankful it allowed him to get back to normal life, with long days at work and busy weekends with his children and grandkids stopping by for his barbecue. (Munz, 5/9)
North Carolina Health News:
Making A Case For More Oral Health Care
If a group of dentists, policymakers and health care analysts got their way, North Carolina would do some revamping of its oral health care infrastructure to make routine cleanings and preventative care more accessible to hundreds of thousands of people. (Blythe, 5/10)
Lexington Herald Leader:
KY Juvenile Justice: Grievances Reveal Problems Among Teens
Inmates got spoiled milk and uncooked or burned food, served with dirty cups and utensils. Bed sheets weren’t washed for weeks. Inmates were threatened with sexual violence by other inmates. Guards, who sometimes failed to conduct safety checks, withheld showers. Prescription medicines weren’t handed out. (Cheves, 5/9)
