Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: Patient Data Held For Ransom In Ill.; Senior Guardianship Law In Fla.
Modern Healthcare: Patient Data Held For Ransom At Rural Illinois Hospital
Federal and local law enforcement officials are investigating a healthcare data-for-ransom security breach at 18-bed Clay County Hospital in Flora, Ill. The hospital received an e-mail ransom demand Nov. 2 containing patient names, addresses, Social Security numbers and dates of birth, but no clinical information, according to a release. The sender threatened to make the patient information public unless “a substantial payment from the hospital” was made, the hospital statement said. (Conn, 12/17)
Health News Florida: Elders Trapped By Guardianship Law
Florida's elder guardianship program is meant to help vulnerable elders. But Sarasota Herald-Tribune reporter Barbara Peters Smith recently published a series that shows the rapidly expanding system run in Florida’s probate court system ignores the rights of some. She spoke with Health News Florida Editor Mary Shedden about the year-long investigation. (Shedden, 12/17)
The Detroit Free Press: Macomb OK's Bond Issue For Unfunded Retiree Health Care
Macomb County commissioners today approved a resolution to issue up to $300 million in bonds to finance the county's unfunded retiree health care liability. The board, during a finance committee meeting, also approved sending a comprehensive financial plan to the state for approval. The state must review and approve the plan for the county to issue the bonds. (Hall, 12/17)
The Texas Tribune: Second HHSC Contract Scrapped Amid Bidding Questions
Nine months before Jack Stick resigned as the top lawyer for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission amid concerns over a $110 million no-bid contract awarded on his watch, he urged the same vendor to contact a sister agency — the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services — for related work. DFPS, which includes the mammoth Texas Child Protective Services agency, ultimately did sign a $452,000 no-bid contract with the company, 21 Century Technologies Inc., for a pilot program to help it better track families investigated for child abuse. That contract was abruptly canceled by DFPS's parent agency — HHSC — on Wednesday, one day after The Texas Tribune began asking about it. (Langford and Blanchard, 12/17)
The Miami Herald: Florida Silent On Children's Health Insurance Program Future
A bipartisan group of governors from 39 states is supporting extended federal funding of the Children's Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, which covers more than 8 million kids and their families nationwide, including about 400,000 children in Florida. But Gov. Rick Scott has not joined the chorus. Scott's office declined to explain why the governor has been silent on the issue after ranking members of the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the U.S. Senate Finance Committee sent letters to governors of all 50 states in July asking for their input on the future of CHIP. (Chang, 12/17)
MinnPost: Minnesota's 2014 Mental Health Measures Cited As Models For Other States
In a year when many state legislatures reduced or cut spending for mental health care, a report by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) found that Minnesota stands out as having remained strong in its commitment to supporting individuals and families in psychological distress. The report, titled "State Mental Health Legislation in 2014: Trends, Themes, and Effective Practices," showed that in comparison to 2013, when 36 states acted to restore funding to mental health budgets in reaction to the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, 2014 was marked by a reduction in such funding. Only 29 states and the District of Columbia increased funding for mental health services this year. (Steiner, 12/17)
The Associated Press: NY Medicaid Proposal For Covering Transgender Treatment
New York officials have proposed authorizing coverage for transgender treatment under the state's Medicaid program for low-income New Yorkers. Regulations proposed Wednesday would cover hormone therapy and gender reassignment surgery. For surgery, patients would need a medical referral and to have counseling and document a year of hormone therapy and living in the gender role consistent with his or her identity. (12/17)
The Associated Press: Texas Doctor Gets 10 Years For Health Care Fraud
A North Texas physician has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for his role in a $3 million Medicare billing scam. Dr. Joseph Megwa of Arlington was sentenced Wednesday in Dallas. The 60-year-old doctor in May was convicted of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and three counts of health care fraud. Megwa was also convicted of four counts of making false statements over Medicare claims in cases since 2006. (12/17)
Kaiser Health News: Too Little, Too Late For Many New Yorkers Seeking Hospice
WNYC's Fred Mogul, working in partnership with Kaiser Health News and NPR, reports: "But despite evidence that hospices can greatly relieve discomfort, extend life and save money, and despite a generous hospice benefit available through both Medicare and Medicaid, relatively few people in New York take advantage of it, compared to elsewhere in the country. The reasons for this local gap are complicated, but Jeanne Dennis, senior vice president of hospice and palliative care at the Visiting Nurse Service of New York, says one place to start is with patients’ fears." (Mogul, 12/17)
