Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Medicaid Expansion In Michigan Includes Pregnant Women
CBS News: Michigan Medicaid To Expand To Include Pregnant Women And Children With Green Cards
At the beginning of the next fiscal year, certain immigrants who have been granted green cards will also have access to Medicaid in Michigan. One advocate estimates the change will impact only about 3,000 people in Michigan. Not all green card holders will have access to Medicaid, as there will still be a five-year waiting period for many. (Meyers, 8/24)
North Carolina Health News: Why Are So Many People Losing Medicaid?
Nearly 68,400 people in North Carolina have lost Medicaid since the state resumed terminations in June, with the vast majority being kicked off the rolls for what are essentially paperwork issues. The purge follows the expiration of the continuous coverage requirement, a federal provision that prevented states from disenrolling Medicaid participants — old and newly qualified recipients — for the first three years of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Baxley, 8/25)
More health news from across the U.S. —
Becker's Hospital Review: West Virginia Hospital Infection Free Since 2021 Opening
Since opening in December 2021, there has not been a single hospital-acquired infection at Mon Health Marion Neighborhood Hospital in White Hall, W. Va.. "Achieving over 600 days without a hospital acquired infection is no small task," Alison Gwynne, infection preventionist at the hospital, said in an Aug. 23 news release. "It takes the whole team, from the moment that a patient is admitted, to recognizing symptoms, early testing, and communication to have this success." (Carbajal, 8/24)
The Texas Tribune: West Texas Ambulances Will Get Telehealth Services To Help Save Lives
West Texas is home to endless miles of plains filled with oil field machinery, wind turbines, farms and ranches. But what’s not always available in the deep stretches of empty plains and state highways are hospitals and emergency rooms — leaving the people who live there or traveling without immediate care in their time of incredible need. (Carver, 8/25)
New Hampshire Bulletin: New Law Eliminates Insurance Pre-Approval For Crisis Mental Health, Substance Use Care
Insurance companies in New Hampshire can no longer require their members to get prior authorization before getting coverage for emergency mental health or substance use care when it is provided by a mobile crisis team, outside a licensed hospital. The new law, Senate Bill 85, is intended to make it easier for people to get insurance coverage for crisis care immediately, outside the emergency room, without having to wait for an insurance company’s approval. (Timmins, 8/24)
KFF Health News: California Offers Lifeline To 17 Troubled Hospitals
Madera Community Hospital in California’s Central Valley, which ceased operations last December and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March, moved a step closer to reopening Thursday when California’s new fund for troubled hospitals said it was prepared to offer the facility up to $52 million in interest-free loans. The program is offering an additional $240.5 million in no-interest loans to 16 other troubled hospitals, including Beverly Community Hospital in Montebello and Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital in Hollister, both of which filed for bankruptcy earlier this year. (Wolfson, 8/24)
KFF Health News: California’s Medical Board Can’t Pay Its Bills, But Doctors Resist Proposed Fixes
California doctors and state lawmakers are squaring off once again over the future of the Medical Board of California, which is responsible for licensing and disciplining doctors and has been criticized by patient advocates for years for being too lax. A bill before the legislature would significantly increase the fees doctors pay to fund the medical board, which says it hasn’t had the budget to carry out its mission properly. It would also mandate new procedures for investigating complaints. (Sciacca, 8/25)
Minnesota Public Radio: Red Lake Nation Nurse Charmaine Branchaud Honored For Improved Immunization Rates
Charmaine Branchaud can see the stories of Red Lake Nation students in the data. Branchaud says the work to improve Red Lake School District’s immunization rates began as she sifted through paper records. The data allowed her to understand student health needs. “I wanted to see if we had any frequent fliers,” she said, referring to children who often require health care. “It could be a red flag for something else going on in a student’s life.” (Olson, 8/25)
The Boston Globe: Black Breastfeeding Week Event In Roxbury Unveils New Privacy Pod
Rosandria Williams, a 32-year-old Boston native, was excited to experience the joys of motherhood. But in a devastating turn of events, she lost her first child to preeclampsia, a disorder that can lead to serious and even fatal complications for both the mother and baby, and affects Black women in the United States at a rate 60 percent higher than white women. (Obregón Dominguez, 8/24)
