Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Abrupt Nursing Home Closures In Massachusetts Strain Families, Market
The Boston Globe: ‘It’s Flooding An Already Completely Congested Market.’ Nursing Home Closures In Western Mass. Leave Families And Hospitals Scrambling
The abrupt announcement that four nursing homes in Western Massachusetts will be closing this spring has forced hundreds of people to scramble to find alternative facilities for their fragile family members. (Lazar, 2/25)
San Francisco Chronicle: HHS Chief Becerra Tours Laguna Honda, Says ‘Stay Tuned’ On Its Fate
Like adversaries seeking detente, both sides in the conflict over the fate of San Francisco’s Laguna Honda nursing home met Friday and walked together through the beleaguered facility that is home to 550 frail and low-income city residents. (Asimov, 2/24)
In other news from California —
Los Angeles Times: California Toxics Agency Vows Improvements On Exide Cleanup
The head of the state agency overseeing toxic substances said it must radically improve communication with residents living near the former Exide battery recycling plant in Vernon, where it is pursuing the largest environmental cleanup in California history. (Garrison, 2/24)
Axios: Schools Unprepared To Help Asian American Students Navigate Racial Trauma
The first two months of the year have left Asian Americans reeling as they attempt to reconcile their reality with a seemingly unending string of violence — and many are homing in on the lack of mental health care available to some of their most vulnerable. (Chen and Doherty, 2/25)
KHN: California Explores Private Insurance For Immigrants Lacking Legal Status. But Is It Affordable?
A doctor found cysts in Lilia Becerril’s right breast five years ago, but the 51-year-old lacks health insurance. She said she can’t afford the imaging to find out if they’re cancerous. Becerril earns about $52,000 a year at a nonprofit in California’s Central Valley, putting her and her husband, Armando, at more than double the limit to qualify for Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program for people with low incomes and disabilities. Private insurance would cost $1,230 a month in premiums, money needed for their mortgage. (Bluth, 2/27)
More health news from across the U.S. —
Axios: Why Millions On Medicaid May Lose Coverage This Year
Millions of people who rely on Medicaid coverage may be removed from the program over the next year. Under the COVID public health emergency, the federal government required state Medicaid agencies to provide coverage, even if an individual's eligibility changed. (Doherty, 2/26)
Axios: What To Know About SNAP Benefits Returning To Pre-Pandemic Amounts
The temporary boost to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits put into place during the COVID-19 pandemic will end this week. The end of the emergency allotments aimed at combating food insecurity will impact more than 41 million Americans who received the increased benefit last year alone. (Habeshian, 2/25)
