Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: Fla. Regulators Weigh Insurance Rate Hikes; Opioid Overdoses Rise In Ohio
Health News Florida: Insurance Regulators Take Up Major Rate Requests
Florida’s insurance regulators are considering two major rate increases. The moves would raise rates for workers compensation insurance and property insurance with the state-backed company Citizens. Court rulings and water claims are driving the rate hikes insurers say, and across two days of public hearings they worked hard to make their case before the office of insurance regulation. The meetings mark the first major undertakings in the tenure of David Altmaier, the new head of OIR. (Evans, 8/22)
Cincinnati Enquirer: ODs Rise, Naloxone Doesn't Work Well
Be on alert: A spike in overdoses in Hamilton County emergency rooms coupled with a lack of effectiveness of the antidote naloxone is leading health officials to believe that deadly opioids are getting to heroin users. The Hamilton County Heroin Coalition issued the warning Monday after Hamilton County Public Health noted a surge in hospital overdose cases. The emergency department-visit surveillance system detected the increase over the weekend, beginning on Friday, health officials said. (DeMio, 8/22)
The Associated Press: NY Attorney General Settles With Insurer To Provide Coverage
New York's attorney general has reached a settlement requiring a Buffalo-based insurer to pay thousands of improperly denied claims for outpatient psychotherapy and nutritional counseling for eating disorders. (8/22)
WBUR: High-Demand Local Labs Draw Increased Foreign Investments
Perhaps one of the unintended consequences of the U.K.'s "Brexit" vote earlier this summer is an influx of foreign investments in a local market: high-tech biomedical laboratory space. According to reporting today by The Boston Globe's Robert Weisman, roughly half of last year's $46 billion in commercial real estate sales were made by foreign investors. And with area lab space in short supply, what does this mean for the biomedical industry in the Boston area? (Bologna and Becker, 8/22)
Detroit Free Press: Nurses Don't Want Wayne Co. To Privatize Jail Services
A company named in a federal lawsuit in the 2014 death of a Macomb County jail inmate could be in line to take over medical services at Wayne County's jails and juvenile detention facility...But many staffers say that privatizing medical care is not the solution for Wayne County's jails. Several nurses and social workers who attended a commission meeting Thursday predicted that many current staffers would leave, exacerbating the county's staff-retention problems, although the administration said the goal is to improve care and retention. (Lawrence, 8/22)
Orlando Sentinel: Orlando Dermatologist Finds Success In Buying Practices
Advanced Dermatology is now one of the largest dermatology practices in the United States, with 155 offices in 13 states, including 30 offices in Central Florida. "In our model, we purchase [physicians'] practices, and they can practice as long they want," said Leavitt, CEO and chief medical officer of the group. "We make it easier by giving them resources, so they can enjoy being doctors again." (Miller, 8/22)
