State Highlights: Ariz. Tops Federal Tally For Complaints Against Medical-Debt Collectors; Fla. Republicans Push To Undo Hospital Certificate-Of-Need Rule
Outlets report on news from Arizona, Florida, Michigan, New Hampshire, Louisiana, California, Georgia and Tennessee.
Arizona Republic:
Complaints Mount Against Medical-Debt Collectors
The complaints offer a narrow glimpse into what can happen long after a patient leaves a doctor’s office or hospital and disputes or refuses payment of a bill. Hospitals and doctors often deal with unpaid bills. Some turn to debt collectors to get what the insurance company, the consumer or both refused to pay. (Alltucker, 4/18)
Miami Herald:
House Republicans Push To Give Hospitals Greater Say In Expansion
For four decades, hospitals wanting to expand or open new facilities have had to get the state to agree there’s a need for more healthcare in their community. It’s a rule that Republicans in the Florida House say creates unnecessary burdens on the free market. This week, they’ll be passing a bill to repeal it. (Auslen, 4/18)
Arizona Republic:
CVS MinuteClinics To Relieve Stress On Phoenix VA, Open Doors To Many Veterans In Arizona
Veterans in the Phoenix VA Health Care System can now get immediate medical treatment for minor illnesses and injuries from CVS MinuteClinics under a pilot project announced Tuesday. The program will be open to about 120,000 veterans, enabling them to call VA triage nurses and, if their symptoms qualify, receive an appointment within two hours at one of the drugstore chain's 24 clinic outlets in central Arizona. (Wagner, 4/18)
The Washington Post:
Flint Mayor Says Water Switch ‘Too Risky’ After Lead Crisis
Flint’s mayor reversed course Tuesday and recommended that the Michigan city beset by a man-made crisis that left the water supply contaminated with lead continue getting its drinking water from a Detroit-area system long term, saying a third switch would be too risky and expensive. (Eggert, 4/18)
New Hampshire Union Leader:
Business Is Booming For Long Term Care Partners
A Portsmouth company that fills a unique niche in the insurance market is confident its services will be in demand for years to come. Long Term Care Partners on Arboretum Drive is a third-party administrator of insurance services for federal employees. Under a seven-year contract regulated by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, LTC is responsible for the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program, which has about 275,000 enrollees and an eligible population of 4.4 million-plus federal employees, annuitants and qualified family members. LTC is also contracted to administer BENEFEDS, an exchange and service platform through which more than 2.5 million federal employees can manage their dental and vision coverage, with the choice of coverage from more than a dozen major national carriers. (Haas, 4/18)
New Orleans Times-Picayune:
Registry Tracks New Orleans Elderly, Disabled For Evacuations
New Orleans has a plan in place to help evacuate around 40,000 people who might not be able to get out on their own ahead of a hurricane. But during an evacuation, how does the city know where to find of the most vulnerable people, the elderly and disabled? Enter the Special Needs Registry, created to provide transportation and shelter for New Orleanians with special medical needs during emergencies such as a power outage, evacuation or hurricane. The registry keeps a database of information on around 4,400 people who will need extra help during an evacuation, and comes equipped with a small outreach team to update the records and annually. (Evans, 4/18)
California Healthline:
As California Weighs Soda Warning Labels, Tax In Berkeley Shown To Dilute Sales
A new study of the soda tax in Berkeley, Calif., shows that residents are doing what public health experts had hoped — they’re ditching sugary drinks and opting for healthier beverages. The study, the largest to date of Berkeley’s soda tax, comes as California lawmakers this week again consider legislation to put a warning label on sweetened beverages — a bill that died in committee three times in three years. (Ibarra, 4/18)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Two Years Later, Soda Tax Hasn’t Hurt Berkeley Businesses
From the perspective of public health experts, Berkeley’s tax on sugar-sweetened beverages — the first of its kind in the country — has worked. The city has seen a significant drop in soda sales since the tax was implemented in March 2015. (Cheng, 4/18)
Sacramento Bee:
Disabled Placards For Thousands Of Dead Californians Part Of Program Abuse
California’s Department of Motor Vehicles needs to significantly beef up efforts to prevent fraud and abuse in the state’s disabled person placard program, a new state audit recommends, noting that officials accept applications lacking required medical documentation, issue too many duplicates, and fail to cancel the placards of people who have died. Almost 3 million people had disabled placards or special license plates as of June 2016, according to Tuesday’s Bureau of State Audits report. (Miller, 4/18)
Georgia Health News:
Fraudsters, Beware! Health IT Firm Launched In Georgia Is After You
Companies in the industry provide a range of products and services, from electronic health records, medical billing and revenue management to diagnostics, preserving the security of information exchanges, and consumer health information... The revolution in patients’ medical records has accelerated the IT spurt, with physicians’ offices across the U.S. giving up folders full of written notes and turning to digital data. (Miller, 4/18)
Arizona Republic:
Arizona Won't Require Warrants Before Department Of Child Safety Takes Children
A plan to move toward requiring a judge's review before the state removes children from their homes has died. Lawmakers in the Arizona House of Representatives this week nixed what Rep. John Allen had called a "half step" toward a warrant program for child removals in cases of child abuse and neglect. (Pitzl, 4/18)
Arizona Republic:
Arizona Lawmakers Undo Disability-Lawsuit Compromise; Ducey Signs Off
Disability-rights advocates deemed Tuesday a "sad day" after Gov. Doug Ducey signed into law new limits on accessibility protections, contending he and state legislators chose business interests over civil rights despite having a practical alternative. (Polletta, 4/18)
Nashville Tennessean:
For Stealing $1.5M From Children's Food Program, Tennessee Woman Gets 3 Months Prison
A La Vergne woman who stole $1.5 million from state programs that feed children in need was sentenced last week to three months in prison, records show. Federal sentencing guidelines recommended more than five years prison time, according to court records. The reason U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger handed LaShane Hayes the shorter term is unclear because several court documents are sealed, however other filings indicate Hayes wanted a probation sentence because of a medical condition. (Barchenger, 4/18)
Sacramento Bee:
Amid California’s Pot Business Boom, Most Banks Run Away From All That Cash
Marijuana farmers – clad in plaid shirts and jeans, and looking like, well, farmers – openly assembled for a meeting of the California Growers Association. But the trade group’s agenda topic – about banks refusing cannabis business – still spoke of doors closed and cash transactions made in the shadows. (Hecht, 4/18)
Tampa Bay Times:
House And Senate Advance Medical Pot Bills But No Compromise In Sight
Florida lawmakers are moving full steam ahead to implement the voter-approved constitutional amendment to legalize medical marijuana, but there is still no sign of a compromise between competing House and Senate plans. (Auslen, 4/19)
