Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: Conn. Pushes For More Data On Mental Illness Coverage; In Tenn., Opposition Emerges To Bill Allowing Counselors To Refuse To Treat Patients
The Connecticut Mirror: A Push For More Data On How Insurers Cover Mental Illness
Psychiatrists tell stories of suicidal patients being required to get prior authorization from their insurance company before being admitted to a psychiatric hospital. Advocates talk of patients struggling to find a mental health clinician who accepts his or her insurance plan. Some see it as a sign that insurance companies don’t treat mental health or addiction treatment as they would physical illness – despite a federal law requiring it. (Levin Becker, 3/31)
The Associated Press: Ad Campaign Launched Over Bill To Refuse Patient Counseling
A coalition of groups has launched an ad campaign against House Speaker Beth Harwell and other lawmakers over a controversial bill that would allow counselors to refuse to treat patients on the basis of "sincerely held religious beliefs." One of the online ads addresses Harwell and warns that "businesses won't come to a state that discriminates." Opponents say the proposal would allow therapists to turn away people in crisis because they are gay, transgender or practice a different religion. (3/31)
Heartland Health Monitor: KC Area Program Shifts How Police Deal With People In Mental Health Crisis
On Megan Younger’s third day on the job, she accompanied police officers to the home of a woman whose family hadn’t heard from her in days. The woman was found in the bathtub – where she had been for three days – and had chemically burned off all of her hair. She was psychotic and delusional, but she was otherwise healthy and her lawn was mowed, her house clean and her pets well-groomed. After talking with her for a while, Younger determined the woman wasn’t suicidal or harmful to others. She was left at home where a mobile crisis team checked on her the next day. (Worth, 3/31)
The Livingston Daily: Michigan Meningitis Patients To Share $15M In Steroid Lawsuit
More than 300 patients infected in the 2012 fungal meningitis outbreak and their survivors will share in a $10.5 million class-action lawsuit settlement reached Friday in Livingston County Circuit Court. The settlement involved patients of Michigan Pain Specialists, a Genoa Township clinic that injected patients with a contaminated steroid solution linked to the nationwide outbreak. (Peal, 3/30)
NPR: Industrial Science Hunts For Nursing Home Fraud In New Mexico Case
One of the keys to providing good care in nursing homes is simply having enough staff. The federal government says about a quarter of all nursing home complaints can be traced back to low staffing levels. And studies have connected low staff levels to lousy treatment. The state of New Mexico connects it to fraud. The state's Attorney General is suing a chain of nursing homes, alleging that the facilities were so severely under-staffed, they couldn't possibly have provided the care they charged for. Now New Mexico wants its money back. (Jaffe, 3/31)
