Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Alaska Is One Step Closer To Legalizing Subscription-Based Health Care
Anchorage Daily News: Alaska Legislature Approves Subscription Health Care Bill
The Alaska Legislature has adopted a bill that would legalize subscription-based health care in the state. The bill would allow primary care providers to offer care to patients based on a monthly fee, similar to a gym membership. Direct health agreements, as they are called, can give patients access to limited health care services without the involvement of insurance companies. (Samuels, 4/11)
In other health news from across the U.S. —
The Colorado Sun: Colorado Bill Would Make Hospitals Use Own Name On Debt Lawsuits
Colorado lawmakers are considering a bill that would prevent hospitals from publicly concealing their involvement in lawsuits against patients, following a joint Colorado Sun/9News investigation into the practice. The bill, House Bill 1380, would apply to all debt collection lawsuits broadly, not just those over medical debt. It would require that the owner of a debt be listed among the plaintiffs in any lawsuit seeking to collect on the debt. (Ingold, 4/12)
North Carolina Health News: Fighting In The Courts May Lead To More Care Options For People With Disabilities
Disability Rights North Carolina announced a settlement agreement on Wednesday with the state Department of Health and Human Services in a long-running state court battle known as the Samantha R case. And on Thursday, the nonprofit heralded a federal judge’s rejection of DHHS’ request to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the treatment of children with disabilities in the state’s foster care system. Both cases focus on how people with disabilities are housed and treated in North Carolina. (Blythe, 4/12)
AP: Terminally Ill Patients Ask States To Legalize Physician-Assisted Death
On a brisk day at a restaurant outside Chicago, Deb Robertson sat with her teenage grandson to talk about her death. She’ll probably miss his high school graduation. She declined the extended warranty on her car. Sometimes she wonders who will be at her funeral. Those things don’t frighten her much. She didn’t cry when she learned two months ago that the cancerous tumors in her liver were spreading, portending a tormented death. But later, she received a call. A bill moving through the Illinois Legislature to allow certain terminally ill patients to end their own lives with a doctor’s help had made progress. Then she cried. (Bedayn, 4/12)
The Washington Post: D.C. Opioid Deaths Surge Past 500 In Worst Year On Record
More than 500 District residents died of opioid overdoses last year, recent data shows, setting another grim record in the city’s struggle to combat the growing crisis. The number of deaths attributed to opioid use in the nation’s capital jumped 12 percent to 518 last year, the fifth consecutive year of increases since fentanyl became the predominant drug in overdoses, according to a March report from D.C.’s chief medical examiner. (Portnoy, 4/11)
Military.com: DoD To Expand Investigation, Cleanup Of 'Forever Chemicals' In Response To New EPA Standards
The Department of Defense will expand its investigation into the prevalence of "forever chemicals" in base drinking water systems and neighboring water supplies following the Environmental Protection Agency's publication of stricter standards for the synthetic substances. ... Since 2016, the Defense Department has conducted assessments or investigated the use of PFAS and related contamination at 715 active and former military installations, National Guard facilities and other closed defense sites. As of December, the DoD had completed assessments of 707 installations, finding that 574 needed to proceed to the next step of the cleanup process, while no further action was required at 133 installations. (Kime, 4/11)
KFF Health News: As Bans Spread, Fluoride In Drinking Water Divides Communities Across The US
Regina Barrett, a 69-year-old retiree who lives in this small North Carolina city southeast of Charlotte, has not been happy with her tap water for a while. “Our water has been cloudy and bubbly and looks milky,” said Barrett, who blames fluoride, a mineral that communities across the nation have for decades added to the water supply to help prevent cavities and improve dental health. (Newsome, 4/12)
KFF Health News: California Fails To Adequately Help Blind And Deaf Prisoners, US Judge Rules
Thirty years after prisoners with disabilities sued the state of California and 25 years after a federal court first ordered accommodations, a judge found that state prison and parole officials still are not doing enough to help deaf and blind prisoners — in part because they are not using readily available technology such as video recordings and laptop computers. U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken’s rulings on March 20 centered on the prison system’s need to help deaf, blind, and low-vision prisoners better prepare for parole hearings, though the decisions are also likely to improve accommodations for hundreds of other prisoners with those disabilities. (Thompson, 4/12)
