Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: N.J. Gov. Seeks More Oversight Of State's Largest Insurer; Missouri Takes Big Step To Address Doctor Shortage
The Wall Street Journal: New Jersey Governor Seeks More Control Over Big Health Insurer
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is waging an unlikely battle against the state’s largest health insurer in his administration’s waning months. Mr. Christie, a business-friendly Republican who has claimed credit for cutting corporate taxes and regulations during his nearly two terms in office, is calling for more state control of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, which covers 3.8 million people. (King, 5/14)
The Associated Press: Missouri Targets Doctor Dearth, Expands First-In-Nation Law
Numerous additional doctors from around the U.S. could become eligible to treat patients in Missouri’s underserved areas as a result of a planned expansion of a first-in-the-nation law aimed at addressing a pervasive doctor shortage. The newly passed Missouri legislation would broaden the reach of a 2014 law that sought to bridge the gap between communities in need of doctors and physicians in need of jobs. That law created a new category of licensed professionals — “assistant physicians” — for people who graduate from medical school and pass key medical exams but aren’t placed in residency programs needed for certification. (Lieb, 5/14)
Texas Tribune: State Employee Health Care Fix Could Hurt Texas Medical Schools, Critics Say
Inserted in the nearly 900 page Senate budget bill are three paragraphs that would force the medical schools to treat members of the Employees Retirement System of Texas at a discounted rate... Proponents see it as a way to use one state asset to help another. But opponents warn that it would mean less revenue to help the medical schools pay for important cancer research and medical residencies that help fight doctor shortages in the state. (Watkins, 5/12)
Texas Tribune: House Freedom Caucus Blocks Maternal Mortality Bills, More Than 100 Others
In a stunning blow to public health experts and advocates, the 12-member House Freedom Caucus used a parliamentary maneuver to kill a wide slate of bills, including House Bill 1158, which would have connected first-time pregnant women enrolled in Medicaid to services, and House Bill 2403, which would have commissioned a study on how race and socioeconomics affect access and care for pregnant black women. Both bills were aiming to help the state better understand how to better reach expecting mothers. (Evans and Malewitz, 5/12)
Houston Chronicle: Key Medical Bills Among Casualties Of Bill Massacre
Texas' disturbingly high rate of pregnancy-related deaths alarmed lawmakers last summer, but the only real legislation to tackle the problem in the current session was a casualty of Thursday night's bill massacre. The killed legislation included House Bill 1158, which would have made it easier for first-time pregnant women on Medicaid to access services and information; and HB 2403, which would have required the state's maternal mortality task force to conduct a study evaluating the causes of death in blacks, who bear the greatest risk. (Ackerman, 5/13)
Boston Globe: Partners HealthCare To Cut $600 Million To Become More Efficient
Partners HealthCare, the state’s largest hospital network, is planning to slash more than $600 million in costs over the next three years, its most significant initiative to become more efficient. At more than $12 billion a year, Partners’ revenues surpass those of its competitors, but the company lost $108 million last year as its insurance arm and certain hospitals struggled. (Dayal McCluskey, 5/12)
Pioneer Press: UMN Cancels M Health Agreement With Fairview, Plans To Renegotiate
The University of Minnesota Board of Regents voted Friday to cancel its M Health agreement with Fairview Health Services in hopes of striking a better deal. Under the 2013 agreement between Fairview and University of Minnesota Physicians, U officials have said, revenues and the quality of patient care have improved. But the university thinks it can do better. (Verges, 5/12)
NPR: A Young Doctor Tends To His Patients In Rural Alaska
In rural Alaska, providing health care means overcoming a lot of hurdles. Fickle weather that can leave patients stranded, for one. Also: complicated geography. Many Alaskan villages have no roads connecting them with hospitals or specialists, so people depend on local clinics and a cadre of devoted primary care doctors. (Block, 5/13)
Denver Post: New Center At CU Anschutz Could Create National Model For Veterans’ Care
The facility, which could begin offering some services as early as this summer, will provide a place for veterans to receive comprehensive treatment in one place — whether they need treatment for a traumatic brain injury, counseling for post-traumatic stress, physical therapy or other care. The center plans also to offer alternative therapies such as acupuncture and yoga, and its location on the Anschutz Medical Campus means that more complicated treatment — such as for prosthetics — is all within a few blocks. (Ingold, 5/12)
Kansas City Star: Wellington, Kan., Hospital Threatened Like Other Rural Facilities
Wellington’s hospital is just rural enough to carry small-town problems and just close enough to Wichita — a little more than 20 miles up the turnpike — to see patients referred to bigger hospitals for the most complicated and money-generating care. That means empty beds and sometimes idle staff, more factors that push its ledger toward the red. (Canon, 5/14)
Kaiser Health News: Houston Hospital Checking To See If Patients’ Cupboards Are Bare
Sherry King had lost her job as a dental assistant and was stretching her food, sometimes going without any fresh fruit or vegetables. But the suburban Houston resident didn’t reach out for any help — even from her own relatives, whom she didn’t want to worry. Then she switched to a new doctor late last year. “They asked me, ‘Do I have enough food? Do I have access to nutritious food?’ ” the 51-year-old recalled. “When they asked me that, it made me cry.” That prompted the medical practice to take note of her situation, and a clinician soon introduced King to several local food banks that carry fresh produce and some meat, such as chicken. (Huff, 5/15)
The Star Tribune: Minnesota's 'Incident Team' Races To Stop Measles Outbreak
For nearly four weeks, the Minnesota Department of Health had been battling a measles outbreak that is now the state’s worst since 1990. The Minneapolis day care center was one of 11 where infected children have exposed thousands of others — many unvaccinated — leading to an outbreak that has sickened 54 people and spread to rural parts of the state. After a brief discussion, Heath and the group decided to contact the state Department of Human Services, which oversees child care providers, and ask for enforcement help. (Howatt, 5/15)
San Antonio Press Express: Freestanding ERs And That $2,000 Flu
The Rice University study “Freestanding Emergency Departments in Texas deliver costly care, sticker shock” released in March confirms what leaders in the emergency and urgent care industries have known for several years: Freestanding emergency rooms, or FSERs, charge 10 to 15 times more than urgent care clinics, or UCCs, for treatment of similar problems. The study noted that in 2015, the total price of a FSER visit averaged $2,199 versus $168 for a UCC. (Swift, 5/14)
Denver Post: With Sleek New Kids-Only Helicopter, Children’s Hospital And Flight For Life Are Transforming Colorado Air Transport
Before Lifeguard 6, the transfer would have taken longer in a smaller helicopter not equipped with complex, kid-specific medical treatments and medicines. What’s carried aboard the new aircraft, including the medical team, is like bringing Children’s Hospital right to the patient, say hospital and Flight for Life officials. They hope it will help transform the way sophisticated health care reaches rural corners of Colorado and beyond, where complex pediatric and neonatal intensive care is scarce. (Paul, 5/14)
The Star Tribune: Taking Cue From Edina, Other Minnesotans Want Tobacco Age Raised To 21
Now that Edina has approved raising the age for buying cigarettes and other tobacco products from 18 to 21, the idea is winning support elsewhere in Minnesota. A community health manager in northwestern Minnesota wrote last week in a letter to the editor that what Edina and more than 200 other communities around the country have done "will help prevent more kids from being addicted to tobacco products." (Walsh, 5/14)
Austin American-Statesman: Austin Council To Ban E-Cigarettes From Parks, Bars
Austin City Council members on Thursday asked staffers to add electronic cigarettes to the list of tobacco products covered by city ordinances, adding them to existing bans. City policies disallow smoking in public places including city parks, bars and restaurants.Council Member Delia Garza said she considered it a victory for public health and overall clarity of city positions. (Findell, 5/12)
The Oregonian: Age Of Rising Triplet Rates Is Over In Oregon, Nationwide
The Huntington triplets were among about 6,900 individual triplets born in the United States in 2001. That compares with about 4,200 in 2014. The decline marks significant scientific advances. Not only do fertility labs have better equipment and techniques, doctors have also gained more experience and knowledge to reduce the number of embryos they implant in a woman. (Terry, 5/13)
Richmond Times-Dispatch: VCU's New Pancreatic Cancer Treatment Could Improve Outcomes
In March, Fields and a team of Massey providers successfully inserted a CivaSheet into a 70-year-old pancreatic cancer patient from Varina, marking the first time the device has been used to treat pancreatic cancer. CivaSheet is a biodegradable applicator that is basically a flat membrane containing radioactive isotopes. Once placed, it applies radiation in one direction while shielding the healthy tissue in the opposite direction. (O'Connor, 5/14)
Boston Globe: Harvard Pilgrim Employees Get Unlimited Time Off
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care has stopped restricting how much time off employees can take, joining the ranks of tech startups and a handful of major corporations that no longer track paid vacation time as the boundaries between work and personal life become increasingly blurred. The aim of the policy is to give employees flexibility, boost morale, and attract talented workers, the health insurer said in announcing the plan. But since vacation time will no longer be on the books, unused time won’t have to be paid out when a person leaves, potentially saving the company money. (Johnston, 5/15)
Los Angeles Times: Glendale Hospitals Celebrate National Nurses Week
The American Nurses Assn. has designated May 6 through 12 “National Nurses Week,” and as the week closes, the News-Press is highlighting the work of nurses for their work at three Glendale hospitals. May 12 is also the birthday of British nurse Florence Nightingale, a pioneer of modern nursing. (Landa, 5/12)
WABE: GSU Helps Identify, Treat Stress Of Ga. Child Welfare Workers
Working with children who have been abused and neglected can be stressful. The Georgia Division of Family and Children Services said it’s one reason employees leave. DFCS has asked Georgia State University to help case workers cope. (Shamma, 5/12)
San Jose Mercury News: Comprehensive Sex-Ed Curriculum Coming To Santa Clara County Schools
In classrooms, district offices and school board rooms around the county, the conversation lately has pivoted to one subject: sex... At the center of the controversy is Health Connected, a Redwood City nonprofit that several districts in the region have contracted to teach a sex education program called Teen Talk. The program was updated following passage of the California Healthy Youth Act, which went into effect in January 2016 and requires school districts to provide comprehensive sexual health education and HIV prevention education once in middle school and once in high school. (Sarwari and Myllenbeck, 5/12)
