Different Takes: Use A Public Health Strategy To Control Shootings; America Is Undergoing ‘Mental Health Crisis’
Editorial pages focus on the mass shooting at a high school in Florida this week.
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Editorial pages focus on the mass shooting at a high school in Florida this week.
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Media outlets report on news from D.C., North Carolina, Minnesota, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin.
Scientists were already excited about CRISPR's potential as a total game-changer in curing illnesses, and now it's been taken up another level. In other public health news: stem cells, gut bacteria, neighborhoods' effects on health, and smog.
The diplomats showed signs of a concussion, though they received no blows to the head. Experts are stumped on what happened.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee has launched an investigation into how that slipped by regulators' attention. News on the opioid crisis comes out of Maryland, Pennsylvania and Arizona, as well.
Against all virus strains, this year's vaccine has been 36 percent effective midway through a harsh flu season. "We are a bit concerned that the performance of the vaccine right now might reduce interest in getting vaccinated in the future,” said Dr. Anne Schuchat, acting CDC director.
The inquiry kicked off after statements by a former medical director came to light that he never looked at patients' records when deciding whether to approve or deny care. Aetna says the comments were taken out of context. Meanwhile, Anthem is changing its emergency room program after it received pushback from providers and lawmakers.
The suit seeks to delay enforcement of the law, which is scheduled to go into effect March 23.
The Obama-era Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program was designed as a five-year program, but grantees reported last summer they had received letters informing them the program would be terminated at the end of June 2018 — two years ahead of schedule.
Proponents of the bill said the changes would protect businesses from frivolous lawsuits, but advocate groups warned that the changes would shift the burden to people with disabilities who aren’t able to access public spaces instead of the businesses in violation of the ADA.
Republicans in Virginia have been softening their stance against expansion in recent weeks because of the Trump administration's decision to grant work requirement waivers.
Lifetime limits and monthly premiums are just some of the other ideas states are floating after being encouraged by the Trump administration to retool their Medicaid programs. Media outlets report on Medicaid news out of California, New Hampshire, Kansas, Maryland and New York, as well.
HHS Secretary Alex Azar pointed to two specific provisions as he defended the plan: how Medicare Part D recipients who have reached the “catastrophic coverage” phase would have more of the cost of their prescription drugs paid for by private insurance and how the administration has proposed changing the way in which out-of-pocket costs are calculated.
Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin, the only holdover from the Obama administration, thinks he's being forced out by political rivals. Shulkin has come under fire this week for a European visit last summer that used taxpayer dollars for his wife's travel. The secretary has promised to reimburse the government for the amount.
Facing questions from the Senate Finance Committee, HHS Secretary Alex Azar would not commit to stepping in to block Idaho's move to allow insurers to sell plans that don't meet the health law's rules.
There were several warning signs that could have potentially helped avert the mass school shooting in Florida, but were missed or written off. Meanwhile, news outlets look at the psychological toll events like this take on teens.
"We believe we've got a very important mission with our work with serious mental illness as well as our ability to do research on the causes of violence and the causes behind tragedies like this," HHS Secretary Alex Azar said. "So that is a priority for us." Others spoke out about the longstanding policy that bars CDC from studying gun violence as a public health issue, as well.
As national focus turns to mental health after the mass shooting in Florida, advocates warn against making assumptions about violence and mental health. “It feels like mental illness is being used as a political football to deflect attention away from some other important issues," said Ron Honberg, senior policy adviser at the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
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