Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: HIV Testing Is A Victim Of Ill. Budget Impasse; Calif. Bill Provides $2B To Help Mentally Ill Homeless People
Chicago Tribune: Another Victim Of Yearlong Budget Stalemate: HIV Testing, Prevention
The yearlong impasse forced many health departments and social service agencies to scale back HIV screening and halt community outreach programs. So while new HIV cases in Chicago's collar counties plunged by 50 percent, experts say that was in part a consequence of fewer people being screened. Testing is down nearly 70 percent in some areas, said Erdman, assistant director for programs at the nonprofit Illinois Public Health Association. (Eldeib, 7/4)
San Francisco Chronicle: $2 Billion To Go To Housing Mentally Ill Homeless People
Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill Friday allowing the state to use $2 billion in bond money to house and treat mentally ill Californians who are homeless. The bipartisan bill, called “No Place Like Home,” will send counties bond money from future Proposition 63 mental-health revenues to create affordable-housing programs for mentally ill homeless people. Prop. 63, which is also known as the Mental Health Services Act, passed in 2004 and has raised more than $13 billion through a 1 percent income tax on residents who earn more than $1 million a year. (Gutierrez, 7/1)
Health News Florida: PriceCheck: Costs Of Having A Baby Vary Greatly, Report Says
The report by Castlight, a company that looks at millions of patient claims a year, ranked by price the 30 most populated U.S. cities, including Tampa, Orlando and Miami. Cesarean and vaginal deliveries in these Florida cities ranged from $8,000 dollars to $13,000 and included prenatal visits, ultrasounds, delivery, hospital stay and a follow-up visit. Costs varied amongst cities, and even within the same city depending on the hospital or health care facility. (Miller, 7/5)
The Associated Press: New Cigarette Taxes Could Be On Ballot In Hesitant States
An entire generation has come of age since the last time Missouri raised its cigarette tax, from 13 cents a pack to 17 cents, in 1993. Today, it's the lowest tax in the nation. And Missouri is one of just three states — along with North Dakota and California — that has held cigarette taxes flat since the turn of century. In that time, other states have increasingly tapped smokers to fill budget gaps and raise money for services such as health care and education. (7/2)
The Boston Globe: At One Hospital, Four Heart Transplants In 24 Hours
Tufts has more patients on the transplant list — by far — than any other New England hospital, with 122 people as of June 24. According to the United Network for Organ Sharing, that’s more than triple the number of any other hospital in the region. (Thebault, 7/5)
The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State Surgeon Uses Robot In Hip Replacements
Although long used to assist doctors in surgery, including knee replacements, robotics aren't as prevalent in hip replacements, at least not in central Ohio. The cost of the equipment and technology might lock out some providers, and others have been wary of the emerging technology. Ohio State is the only local hospital system doing it, although OhioHealth has made it a priority to acquire the same technology — Stryker's Mako computer-navigated, robotic-arm assistance — for hips in the next year. (Kurtzman, 7/5)
Rome News-Tribune: Facilities For People With Special Needs Use Architectural Features To Enable Residents
At the top of a hill in Cave Spring sits the Cave Spring Center, part of the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency. The center’s mission is to help people with disabilities develop self-discipline, work ethics and job skills. ...The building is a study in how to enable, with wide doorways and halls, smooth and clearly marked flooring featuring rubberized, textured entryways to make navigating easier for blind students, message boards that also scroll the daily news and open spaces with plenty of natural light. (Wilder, 7/4)
