Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
To Combat Suicides, All Veterans Can Now Get Free Emergency Care
NBC News: Starting Tuesday, All U.S. Military Veterans In Suicidal Crisis Will Be Eligible For Free Care At Any VA Or Private Facility
Beginning Tuesday, U.S. military veterans who find themselves in suicidal crisis will be eligible for free emergency medical care at any Department of Veterans Affairs facility or any private facility. Unlike for most other medical benefits, veterans do not have to be enrolled in the VA system to be eligible. More than 18 million veterans in the U.S. could be eligible. (Kube, 1/13)
Axios: Veterans Eligible For Free Emergency Suicide Care Starting Jan. 17
Any U.S. military veteran in "acute suicidal crisis" will be able to access emergency health care at any facility for free starting next week, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced Friday. (Chen, 1/13)
The Washington Post: Study Finds Insufficient Mental Health Care Access For Many In Military
Military members and their families have unique mental health needs. But a study shows that up to 35 percent of military recipients don’t have access to adequate psychiatric care despite government insurance that covers such services. Published in JAMA Network Open, the study looked at 39,487 U.S. Zip codes with at least one beneficiary of Tricare, the Defense Department health-care program that covers uniformed service members, retirees and their families. Researchers combined data from a variety of federal sources with community information. (Blakemore, 1/16)
If you are in need of help —
Dial 9-8-8 for 24/7 support from the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It's free and confidential.
In other news about the military —
Military Times: An Army Family Doctor Now Leads The Defense Health Agency
The system that delivers health care for more than 9 million service members, retirees and their family members has a new director: Army Maj. Gen. Telita Crosland. She becomes the Defense Health Agency’s fourth director in its nearly 10 years of existence, and the first African American in that position. (Jowers, 1/11)
Health.Mil: Military Pharmacists Face Unique Challenges While Deployed
Tasked with having to know about hundreds of types of drugs and their interactions, equipment, and much more, pharmacists are vital in keeping warfighters healthy and ensuring that the U.S. military maintains a medically ready force. For deployed pharmacists, they face unique challenges, as they don’t work in a traditional brick and mortar setting. Rather, deployed pharmacists can be on a ship in the middle of the ocean, or in a makeshift building in the Middle East or Africa. The deployed pharmacy workforce may have to take care of warfighters in abnormal situations or locations. (Hammer, 1/12)
Roll Call: Congress Barely Dents Scourge Of Hunger In Military
A recently enacted income supplement for low-ranking U.S. troops, put in place primarily to alleviate food insecurity in the ranks, will help less than 1 percent of the estimated scores of thousands of hungry U.S. military families, according to Pentagon figures. That statistic, which has not been previously reported, suggests Congress has a lot more work to do to ensure servicemembers who put their lives on the line for their country don’t also have to sacrifice food for themselves and their families, experts and some lawmakers said. (Donnelly, 1/13)
