Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: Kan. Advances New Autism Coverage Mandate; Reports Fault Access To Mental Health Care In Mass.
The Kansas Health Institute News Service: Autism Coverage Changes Move Forward
A change to the state’s new autism coverage insurance mandate moved Wednesday to the Senate, despite evidence of a lack of communication between legislators and the Kansas Insurance Department. Alterations were expected after legislators, autism advocates and insurance companies came together on a bill in the 2014 session to mandate that health insurance plans for businesses with more than 50 employees include limited coverage of childhood autism treatments. (Marso, 5/6)
The Associated Press: Reports Fault Access To Mental Health Care In Massachusetts
Despite increases in the number of Massachusetts residents covered by health insurance, barriers to mental health care remain — including low insurance reimbursement rates and clinicians who increasingly rely on clients paying out of pocket. That's according to a report released Wednesday by the Donahue Institute at the University of Massachusetts. (5/6)
Los Angeles Times: Aetna's Rate Hike Excessive For Small Employers, Regulator Says
For the third time since 2013, California's managed-care regulator has criticized health insurance giant Aetna Inc. for imposing an excessive rate hike on small employers. The nation's third-largest health insurer is raising rates by 19.2%, on average, for about 16,000 people covered by small employers. This change in premiums took effect last month. (Terhune, 5/6)
WBUR: No Panacea: Latest Good News, Bad News On Health Reform
Here in Massachusetts, where coverage is near universal, costs stand in the way of needed health care for more than a quarter of residents, according to new findings from the state’s Center for Health Information and Analysis. (Goldberg, 5/6)
The Associated Press: Highmark To Pay 30,000 Claims Submitted By UPMC Providers
The health insurer Highmark has agreed to pay about 30,000 outstanding medical claims filed by rival UPMC providers. Gov. Tom Wolf announced the development Wednesday and commended Highmark for working with his administration to resolve the outstanding claims as the two western Pennsylvania health care giants compete for patients and coverage. (5/6)
Stateline: Despite Laws, Mental Health Still Getting Short Shrift
Under federal law, insurance plans that cover mental health must offer benefits that are on par with medical and surgical benefits. Twenty-three states also require some level of parity. The federal law, approved in 2008, and most of the state ones bar insurers from charging higher copayments and deductibles for mental health services. Insurers must pay for mental health treatment of the same scope and duration as other covered treatments; they can’t require people to get additional authorizations for mental health services; and they must offer an equally extensive selection of mental health providers and approved drugs. (Ollove, 5/7)
The Associated Press: Governor Signs Bill To Close Montana Developmental Center
Gov. Steve Bullock signed a bill Wednesday to close the Montana Developmental Center and move most of the 53 people with severe intellectual disabilities, mental health issues and personality disorders to community-based settings in the next two years. The Democratic governor said in a letter that he has concerns about the bill's approach to closure but he decided to defer to the Legislature's decision. (Baumann, 5/7)
St. Louis Public Radio: St. Louis Zeroes In On Obesity Problem With Localized Data
The city of St. Louis has updated, localized information about how many residents are overweight. According to 2014 driver’s license data provided by the Missouri Department of Motor Vehicles, about 61 percent of St. Louis residents are overweight or obese. The St. Louis Health Department released a report analyzing the data on Wednesday. (Phillips, 5/6)
Heartland Health Monitor: Johnson County 'Stepping Up' To Address Mental Illness Among Inmates
Johnson County was one of four communities nationwide introduced Tuesday as initial participants in a broad effort aimed at reducing the number of mentally ill individuals in local jails. Dubbed “Stepping Up,” the initiative is a combined effort of the National Association of Counties, the Council of State Governments Justice Center and the American Psychiatric Foundation. (Sherry, 5/6)
MinnPost: Minn. Official Outlines State Response To Opioid Addiction Crisis
For the past several years, public health officials in Minnesota have been well aware that the state is facing a disturbing uptick in cases of opioid addiction. These addictions often start with prescription pain medications and escalate to highly addictive injectable drugs like heroin, a drug that’s ready accessibility at relative low cost that has created a problem in many cities and towns across the state. In 2014, for instance, a record high 14.6 percent of admissions to state addiction treatment programs were for heroin addiction, according to “Drug Abuse Trends in Minneapolis/St. Paul: 2015,” a report authored by Carol Falkowski, CEO of Drug Abuse Dialogues, an educational training organization. (Steiner, 5/6)
The Washington Post: Texas High School With Chlamydia Outbreak Has Abstinence-Only Sex Ed
Crane High School in Crane, Tex., is experiencing an outbreak of the sexually transmitted disease chlamydia. The number of cases reported appears to be in dispute. While numerous stories in the Texas media say there have been 20 cases, with the MySanantonio reporting “nearly two dozen,” the school superintendent told the Washington Post and CBS7 in Texas that there have been a total of 8 cases during the year in the county as a whole but that more people are being tested. Crane Independent School District Jim Rumage had sent a letter home to parents, saying the number of cases reported have been “significant.” (Moyer, 5/7)
Kaiser Health News: Losing A Hospital In The Heart Of A Small City
Lakewood Hospital is this community’s biggest employer, with 1,000 workers. It has been a rich source of municipal revenues even as manufacturing jobs left the region. But the hospital, operated for the city by the large nonprofit Cleveland Clinic system, has lost money since 2005. Executives say they need to close it and replace it with a smaller outpatient health center and emergency room. (Tribble, 5/7)
