Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: Taking Stock Of The First Year Of Calif.'s Law Allowing Physician-Assisted Deaths; Blue Cross Blue Shield Of Georgia Limits ER Coverage
The Associated Press: Group: 504 Californians Got Life-Ending Prescriptions
At least 504 terminally ill Californians have requested a prescription for life-ending drugs since a state law allowing physician-assisted deaths went into effect in June 2016, marking the first publicly released data on how the practice is playing out in the nation's most populous state. The number represents only those who have contacted Compassion & Choices, an advocacy group that provides information on the process. The organization believes the overall figure to be much higher. (6/1)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Blue Cross In Georgia To Limit Emergency Room Coverage
The Obamacare exchange may survive next year in rural Georgia. But patients who depend on its last remaining insurer are now learning there’s a catch. ... Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia, the only insurer on the exchange for 96 of the state’s 159 counties, is telling patients with individual policies that if they go to the emergency room and it’s not an emergency, they’ll be stuck with the bill. (Hart, 5/31)
Los Angeles Times: Knowingly Exposing Others To HIV Should No Longer Be A Felony, State Senate Says
The state Senate on Wednesday voted to no longer make it a felony for someone infected with HIV to knowingly expose others to the disease by having unprotected sex without telling his or her partner about the infection. (McGreevy, 5/31)
Houston Chronicle: Texas Children's To Expand To Austin With Clinics
Children's Hospital is expanding to Austin with an extensive outpatient network that would be the latest extension of its brand beyond the Texas Medical Center. The elite Houston hospital plans over the next five years to open four pediatric urgent-care clinics, three pediatric specialty clinics, 18 pediatric primary-care practices and two maternal-fetal medicine practices, leaders said Wednesday. The first to open will be an urgent-care clinic in south Austin next spring. (Ackerman, 5/31)
New Hampshire Public Radio: With Republicans Now In Charge, N.H. Will Likely Get Fetal Homicide Law
The New Hampshire House votes Thursday on a bill that would allow fetuses older than twenty weeks to be considered people in cases involving murder, manslaughter and negligent homicide. (6/1)
Health News Florida: Pregnant Women Will Continue To Receive Free Zika Tests
“We have increased our lab capacity so that the turnaround time for results will be much shorter, and we have the ability to do all testing within our state, so we will not have to send samples out to the CDC lab in Colorado at this point," Florida Surgeon General Celeste Phillip says. (Aboraya, 5/31)
KCUR: Salaries, Limited Graduates, Rural Culture Leading To Mental Health Shortage
One reason for the shortage of psychiatrists and psychologists, [Dr. Mike] Neitzel said, is that it’s hard to convince an urban-trained professional to relocate to a more rural area. There are cultural reasons, and reasons of convenience—and sometimes, Neitzel said, the professionals have already had children by the time they finish residency, and don’t want to move their families. A high turnover rate in Missouri’s mental health workforce isn’t helping matters. (Moore, 5/31)
The Associated Press: Health Records Vendor Settles False-Claims Lawsuit For $155M
One of the country's largest vendors of electronic health records will pay a $155 million settlement to resolve allegations it caused health care providers to submit false claims to the federal government, the U.S. Department of Justice and federal prosecutors in Vermont announced Wednesday. The acting U.S. attorney for Vermont said eClinicalWorks, of Westborough, Massachusetts, and three executives will pay the settlement to resolve allegations the company misrepresented the abilities of its software and paid kickbacks to some customers in exchange for promoting its products. (5/31)
Tampa Bay Times: Stalemate Between All Children's Hospital, UnitedHealthcare Leaves Families In A Bind
United provides health insurance for some of the region's largest local governments, including Pinellas County government and the cities of St. Petersburg and Tampa. ... United used to have a contract with All Children's that allowed members to pay in-network rates. But when it came time to renegotiate last fall, All Children's asked United to pony up more money. (McGory, 5/30)
Reuters: NYC Rehab Chain Narco Freedom Pleads Guilty To Corruption
A trustee for a Bronx-based chain of drug and alcohol rehabilitation clinics pleaded guilty on its behalf to stealing millions of dollars from Medicaid, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said on Wednesday.The plea came 2-1/2 years after the attorney general accused Narco Freedom and some of its officials of trying to plunder the nonprofit and defraud Medicaid of at least $27 million. (Stempel, 5/31)
