Georgia Bill Aims To Reduce Harm From Surgical Smoke
At issue is smoke as a byproduct of thermal destruction of tissue, which may pose health risks for people present during surgery. Separately, a bill to improve access to mental health, which had been moving through the Georgia legislature, faces sudden opposition.
Georgia Health News:
Bill In Legislature Targets Dangerous ‘Surgical Smoke’
In operating rooms, the smoke created by surgery can be a health hazard for those breathing it in. Such “surgical smoke’’ is a byproduct of the thermal destruction of human tissue by the use of lasers or other devices. According to the CDC, the smoke has been shown to contain toxic gases, vapors and particulates, viruses and bacteria. A bill that has passed the Georgia Senate and is now before the House would address this issue. It would require hospitals and surgery centers in the state to implement policies to reduce surgical smoke. It’s sponsored by Sen. Matt Brass, a Newnan Republican whose wife is a nurse. (Miller, 3/25)
In other news from Georgia —
AP:
Georgia Mental Health Bill Faces Sudden, Vocal Opposition
A bill to improve access to mental health treatment in Georgia that appeared to be sailing through the state Legislature is now facing vocal opposition, with some critics claiming it would protect pedophiles and threaten Second Amendment rights. State lawmakers supporting the bill have blasted some of the criticism as outlandish. (3/26)
In other health news from across the U.S. —
The Texas Tribune:
Feds Restores Billions In Indigent Care For Texans
Federal health officials on Friday restored $7 million a day in funding to Texas hospitals after stopping it six months ago over concerns about how the state pays for health care for uninsured Texans. Until last September, Texas had tapped this funding, which comes through what is known as the 1115 Medicaid waiver, to reimburse hospitals for patients who use Medicaid. Most states are able to get these dollars by matching the federal dollars from their general revenue. But Texas had come up with its own mechanism known as the Local Provider Participation Funds, in which private hospitals set up taxing districts and sent that money through local and state governments to the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (Harper, 3/25)
Modern Healthcare:
Florida Suspends Centene's Medicaid Enrollment, Fines Insurer Over Tech Error
Florida's healthcare agency has immediately suspended Medicaid and long-term care enrollment in a Centene subsidiary and fined the insurer nearly $9.1 million, after a computer glitch led Sunshine State Health Plan to mistakenly deny medical claims for more than 121,100 lower-income adults and children. The $125.9 billion insurer must pay the fine within 30 days, according to a state Agency for Health Care Administration letter sent to Sunshine State Health Plan's CEO on Wednesday. Centene's Florida arm must also submit a plan for how it aims to reprocess all provider and patient claims within 21 days, demonstrate within 30 days that future claims are paid promptly and participate in weekly phone calls with the agency's senior executives about how the process is going. (Tepper, 3/25)
Colorado Sun:
Colorado Regional Mental Health Centers Alarmed By Plan To Overhaul System
The signature piece of legislation to redefine Colorado’s mental health system is a 232-page bill that’s causing panic among community mental health centers that for decades have cared for the state’s most vulnerable patients. That’s because the bill laying out the state’s new Behavioral Health Administration proposes blowing up the system as they know it. Colorado has 17 community mental health centers, each responsible for providing crisis services, ongoing therapy and help with housing to people who are low income or don’t have insurance. The centers operate in 17 regions of the state under no-bid contracts with the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, which dispenses funding through the Medicaid program. The centers receive $437 million in tax dollars per year. (Brown, 3/28)
Columbus Dispatch:
Ohio Bill Helping Patients Fight Health Insurers Ready For Approval
A bipartisan bill that would help patients meet health insurance copays may finally move after sitting dormant for more than a year following unanimous passage by the Ohio Health Committee. A Dispatch story earlier this month described how House Bill 135 was mysteriously stalled after questions were raised by Cincinnati Rep. Bill Seitz, the No. 3 GOP House leader. Dozens of advocacy groups – such as the American Cancer Society, The AIDS Institute, and Ohio State Medical Association – support the measure. Only organizations representing health insurers and pharmacy benefit managers openly opposed the bill. (Rowland, 3/25)
The Columbus Dispatch:
Disabled Parents Say Their Differences Are Being Used Against Them In Ohio Family Courts
Kara Ayers was shopping for clothes with her children when a conversation with a store employee took a turn. "The lady at the checkout asked me how I had my daughter," Ayers said. "I didn’t understand at first." The clerk explained. She asked whether "I had her vaginally or a c-section. I was like, 'Who says vaginally at the Kohl’s checkout?'" Ayers, who uses a wheelchair, was stunned but not surprised. Strangers routinely ask her all kinds of inappropriate questions about her marriage and her parenting. (Staver, 3/28)
Iowa Public Radio:
Iowa Is Considered A Leader In Lowering The Rate Of Stillbirth; Two Of The State's Congresswomen Want To Help The Rest Of The Country Follow Suit
Two of Iowa’s members of Congress are co-sponsoring a bill (Maternal and Child Health Stillbirth Prevention Act) that would clarify that stillbirth prevention activities can be funded through the Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant—which is allocated to every state health department. There is a companion bill in the U.S. Senate as well. Both 1st District Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson and 3rd District Democratic Rep. Cindy Axne are co-sponsoring the bill, along with more bipartisan co-sponsors in other states. "Stillbirths devastate thousands of families each year, and we have to be doing everything we can to help reduce the risk of stillbirths,” Axne said. “This bipartisan legislation will provide much-needed funding to support the health of mothers and babies in Iowa and across the country, and I’m proud to be working with my colleagues to combat this silent crisis." (Arena, 3/25)
