Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Recent Airline Tragedy Places Focus On Workplace Mental Health Issues
NPR: Germanwings Crash Highlights Workplace Approaches To Mental Health
The horrifying crash last week of the Germanwings flight operated by Lufthansa has put a spotlight on what the airline knew — and what it should, or could have done — about its pilot's mental health. Lufthansa could face unlimited liability, after the pilot allegedly brought the plane down deliberately. Here in the U.S., employment experts say monitoring employees' mental health status raises a thicket of complicated issues. (Noguchi, 4/1)
The Wall Street Journal: After Airline Tragedy, New Focus On Mental Health At Work
As investigators and transportation officials try to determine why a young airline pilot with a history of depression might have deliberately crashed a Germanwings plane into the French Alps last week, the incident has raised questions about how much employers should know about their employees’ mental health. (Silverman and Feintzeig, 4/1)
In other mental health news -
Marketplace: Calls For Action Against Mental Health Discrimination
A new report out today from the National Alliance for Mental Illness says the health insurance industry discriminates against the mentally ill. That’s in spite of a 2008 federal law, requiring insurers to provide the same level of coverage for the mentally ill. And the Affordable Care Act hasn’t helped either. (Herships, 4/1)
