Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Alzheimer's Heavy Toll; Missouri Owes Its Blind Citizens
Louisville Courier-Journal: Alzheimer's Carries Heavy Price For Patient And Caregivers
In American culture, we have long feared aging and death. Other cultures have a different take: They honor and admire the elderly and even celebrate the end of life. For many of us in America, the end of life stage brings sadness, stress and fear. But perhaps we can learn from those other cultures that take a healthier approach. One major factor that influences our perception about aging is the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease – a condition that impacts more than five million Americans, and is the sixth-leading cause of death in America today. (Mauri Malka, 11/4)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Deadbeat State Is Cheating 3,000 Blind Missourians Out Of Millions
Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley last week said he will appeal a judge’s order that the state catch up with $26.3 million in back payments owed to 3,000 citizens who are totally blind. For financial reasons, as well as reasons of simple compassion, Hawley should rethink the appeal. The state does not dispute that it owes the back payments, which stem from the late 1990s and early 2000s. Four previous appeals over how the payments are calculated have settled the issue. In the latest judgment, made public Oct. 8, Cole County Circuit Judge Patricia Joyce figured the state’s bill at $26.3 million. (11/5)
The Washington Post: Should D.C. Build A New Hospital? Officials Should Be Cautious.
Over the past 10 years, the District has spent $179.7 million on the United Medical Center in Southeast Washington. What it has gotten in return is a perennially troubled hospital that has done little to meet the real health needs of residents in Wards 7 and 8. That experience — along with its calamitous operation of the old D.C. General Hospital — should have taught the city to stay out of the hospital business. Instead, officials are blithely talking about spending as much as $330 million to build a new hospital. (11/5)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Veterans Home Scandal Puts Governor On The Defensive
House cleaning to guarantee the safety and care of military veterans in Missouri shouldn’t stop with the St. Louis Veterans Home. It needs to include Larry Kay, head of the Missouri Veterans Commission. Kay hired administrator Rolando Carter, who had a troubled background and is now accused of presiding over a dangerously declining state of care at the home. (11/4)
