Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: Hospitals In Chicago Gear Up For Record-Breaking, Sub-Zero Temperatures; Kansas Cuts Back On Costly Services For Children Needing Psychiatric Care
Chicago Tribune: Hospitals Across Chicago Brace For Record Cold
With record cold temperatures predicted for Wednesday, Chicago-area hospital systems are making plans to keep people warm and help those who will inevitably fall victim to the icy weather. Many hospitals are preparing for potential influxes of patients with frostbite and hypothermia. With wind chills expected to drop to as low as 44 degrees below zero Tuesday night, people can quickly get frostbite if their bare skin is exposed for even a short time, said Dr. Adam Black, medical director at the emergency department of Amita Health Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center. Those at risk include commuters, homeless people and those whose perception of the cold may be altered, for instance, by alcohol, he said. (Schencker, 1/28)
KCUR: Kansas Cost-Cutting Forced Kids Who Need Urgent Psych Care Onto Waitlists
Residential treatment centers take children for long periods of time — weeks, sometimes months — to do more than talk kids down from crisis. They work to get at the root causes of their distress and help patients develop coping mechanisms to better manage the stressful things that set off a crisis. In 2011, the state decided Kansas was sending too many kids to residential facilities for too long. At $500 a day or more, it cost too much. The state pushed to divert kids from residential care and bring down the length of their stays. That loss of business prompted many treatment facilities to close some or all of their beds, resulting in a sharp drop from nearly 800 spots for care to the current 282. (Fox, 1/28)
Concord Monitor: 46 Years After ‘Roe V. Wade,’ Abortion Rights Activists On High Alert
A series of proposed rule changes have put national organizations like Planned Parenthood on the defensive. And a pair of Supreme Court nominations by President Donald Trump have tilted the high court to its first conservative majority in decades, putting the entire underlying Roe decision to an uncertain fate. ... New Hampshire anti-abortion supporters, meanwhile, are watching Washington, but with their own caveats. (DeWitt, 1/28)
Arizona Republic: An Arizona Law Gave Preference To Hacienda HealthCare
Hacienda HealthCare, which operates the facility where an incapacitated patient was raped and became pregnant, has a history of special protections from the state of Arizona. The not-for-profit company operates the only private facility of its kind in Arizona, and there's a reason for that: a state law that allowed the non-profit to have a monopoly in the privately owned, intermediate-care market. (Innes, 1/28)
Georgia Health News: Patients ‘Frustrated’ As WellStar, Anthem Near End Of Contract
This coming Monday, the day after the Super Bowl is played in Atlanta, thousands of Georgians who signed up for insurance exchange or individual coverage for Anthem will face much higher costs for using WellStar hospitals and physicians. Those providers will be out of network Feb. 4.Consumers say that when they signed up for Anthem coverage, WellStar was listed as part of the insurer’s network. (Miller, 1/28)
Los Angeles Times: L.A. Doctor In Trouble After Prescribing Marijuana To 4-Year-Old
A Hollywood physician could lose his medical license after recommending that a father give his 4-year-old son marijuana cookies to control temper tantrums, according to California’s medical board. Dr. William Eidelman, a natural medicine physician, improperly diagnosed the boy with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and bipolar disorder before recommending marijuana as the treatment, the medical board said in a decision announced last month. (Karlamangla, 1/28)
Arizona Republic: Arizona Supreme Court To Hear Case Involving Legality Of Extracts
Medical marijuana patients are keeping their eyes on a case headed to Arizona Supreme Court. The court granted a petition of review earlier this month and will hear arguments in March to weigh in on the hazy issue of marijuana extracts. The Arizona Court of Appeals ruled in June that medical marijuana extracts, also called hashish, do not fall under the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act. (Castle, 1/28)
The Star Tribune: Minn. Measure Would Legalize Marijuana By '22
Minnesotans over 21 would could buy and use marijuana legally by 2022 as part of a proposal that would give the state significant power and oversight of a recreational cannabis program.The state would regulate all aspects of the local marijuana industry, enforcing health and safety regulations and controlling everything from testing to labeling requirements. (Van Oot, 1/28)
