Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: Data Breach By Ohio Mental Health Dept.; Calif.'s In-Home Supportive Services Program Gets Wage Hike
The Associated Press: Ohio Inadvertently Releases Health Information Of 59,000
The state says it inadvertently released the protected health information of thousands of Ohioans who received mental health services. Ohio's Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services says the breach happened in February when the agency mailed postcards inviting patients to participate in a satisfaction survey. The information included patients' full names and addresses — not mental health conditions, any services received or information that could lead to identity theft. However, by requesting participation in the survey, the postcards disclosed that recipients had received mental health or addiction treatment. (5/9)
California Healthline: Minimum Wage Hike A Welcome Boost To Home Care Workers
Enrique Camacho says his 22-year-old autistic son “looks practically normal,” but functions at the mental level of a two- or three-year–old. ... As a result, Camacho must watch his son, Francisco, full-time, and gets paid $10 per hour through In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS), a publicly financed program that helps some low-income elderly and disabled people receive care at home. Starting next year, Camacho’s pay will rise because of a new California law that gradually increases the minimum wage. It will be $15 an hour by 2022 for businesses with more than 25 employees, and the same amount by 2023 for smaller workplaces. The current minimum wage of $10 per hour took effect in January. ... The roughly 400,000 IHSS caregivers in California, like Camacho, are among a larger number of home care workers who will benefit from the law. (Bazar and Gorn, 5/10)
The Arizona Republic: KidsCare's Serpentine Path To Revival
KidsCare, the health-care safety net for children, found its own safety net in the final days of the legislative session. Its prospects were promising early in the year, when lawmakers returned to the Capitol full of ambition for great accomplishments in an election year. The federal government was offering the program at no cost to the state, with full funding assured through 2017 and the prospect of another two years after that. With the state entering its sixth year of a freeze in KidsCare enrollment, and the label as the only state without an active children's health-insurance program, the time seemed ripe to bring the program back. (Pitzl, 5/9)
North Carolina Health News: For Drinking Water Warnings, Lawmakers Debate Which Standard To Use
Which standards should state government use to alert people that their drinking water is unsafe? In the wake of increased scrutiny to coal ash ponds, this question has gone from affecting some North Carolinians to affecting us all. (Clabby, 5/9)
The Kansas Health Institute News Service: Vaccination Rates For Kansas Teens Fall Short Of National Average
Kansas parents do a better-than-average job at getting vaccinations for their young children but don’t fare as well once those children reach their teen years. (Hart, 5/9)
North Carolina Health News: Occupational Therapists Advocate For Patient Choice And Access To Care
After Justin Richard sustained a spinal cord injury in 2003, he spent three months in a rehabilitation facility, re-learning how to do the basics. ... During that process, Richard said occupational therapy was perhaps the most important part of his rehabilitation. (Hoban, 5/9)
