Rural Dispatch: July 2023

Patients Squeezed in Fight Over Who Gets to Bill for Pricey Infusion Drugs
By Samantha Liss To drive down costs, insurers are bypassing hospital system pharmacies and delivering high-priced infusion drugs, including some used in chemotherapy, via third-party pharmacies. Smarting from losing out on billing for those drugs, hospitals and clinics are trying to convince states to limit this practice, known as "white bagging."

Montana Adds Protections for Kids in Private Residential Treatment Programs
By Cameron Evans Programs in the so-called troubled teen industry will be required to provide a 24-hour hotline and unmonitored video calls with family and be subject to more inspections under a new Montana law.

Idaho Drops Panel Investigating Pregnancy-Related Deaths as US Maternal Mortality Surges
By Natalie Schachar Amid a years-long rise in maternal mortality rates in the United States, Idaho lawmakers decided to disband a committee created to investigate pregnancy-related deaths.

Meet the People Deciding How to Spend $50 Billion in Opioid Settlement Cash
By Aneri Pattani As settlement dollars land at the state level, state councils wield significant power in determining how the windfall gets spent. And, though they will likely include the most knowledgeable voices on addiction, these panels also face concerns about conflicts of interest and other issues.

Mental Health Respite Facilities Are Filling Care Gaps in Over a Dozen States
By Cheryl Platzman Weinstock As three years of pandemic stress accelerated an ongoing nationwide mental health crisis, peer respite programs diverted patients from overburdened emergency rooms, psychiatric institutions, and behavioral therapists. Now, more “respites” are opening.

Groups Sue to Overturn Idaho ‘Abortion Trafficking’ Law Targeting Teens
By Sarah Varney It is illegal to help a minor obtain an abortion in Idaho or leave the state for one without parental consent. The lawsuit says the ban infringes on the right to interstate travel and First Amendment freedoms.

Excessive Drinking During the Pandemic Increased Alcoholic Liver Disease Death Rates
By Phillip Reese The number of Californians dying from alcoholic liver disease rose dramatically in the last decade, sped by the pandemic.

A Plan to Cut Montana’s Medicaid Waiting List Was Met With Bipartisan Cheers. Then a Veto.
By Mike Dennison Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte’s veto disappointed and bewildered those seeking to address low-income residents’ long wait for assisted living or in-home care.

The Painful Legacy of ‘Law and Order’ Treatment of Addiction in Jail
By Renuka Rayasam Efforts to improve addiction care in jails and prisons are underway across the country. But a rural Alabama county with one of the nation’s highest overdose rates shows how change is slow, while law enforcement officials continue to treat addiction as a crime rather than a medical condition.

Congress Considers Easing Regulations on Air Transport of Donated Organs
By Colleen DeGuzman A little-noticed provision of sweeping legislation to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration would make it easier to fly human organs from donor to recipient.

Doctors Created a Primary Care Clinic as Their Former Hospital Struggled
By Cecilia Nowell With the community’s help, former co-workers came together to fill gaps in care left by the loss of doctors and departments at a Gallup, New Mexico, hospital.

Home Sweet Parking Lot: Some Hospitals Welcome RV Living for Patients, Families, and Workers
By Christina Saint Louis Medical and RV industry professionals say hospitals that offer RV parking are easing access to health care for some patients who drive long distances for treatment, like many rural residents.

A New Law Is Supposed to Protect Pregnant Workers — But What If We Don’t Know How?
By Gina Jiménez During pregnancy, workers often face hazardous circumstances, including breathing toxic chemicals. On June 27, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act began requiring employers to provide “reasonable accommodations.” But the new law has a big hole: Not nearly enough is known about which chemical exposures are dangerous for pregnant workers.

The DEA Relaxed Online Prescribing Rules During Covid. Now It Wants to Rein Them In.
By Arielle Zionts Supporters say the proposed rules would balance the goals of increasing access to health care and helping prevent medication misuse. Opponents say the rules would make it difficult for some patients — especially those in rural areas — to get care.