California Viewpoints: Challenge To End-Of-Life Options; Homeless And Mental Health
A selection of opinions on health care developments from around the state.
Los Angeles Times:
Court Ruling Could Mean Death With Indignity For Terminally Ill Californians
In the more than two months since California’s End of Life Option Act took effect, an unknown number of terminally ill patients have signed up for a lethal prescription to take control of their final days. We won’t know exactly how many until the state makes its first annual report next year. Anecdotally, however, about 30 people are known to have requested the lethal prescription since June 9, according to Compassion & Choices, an aid-in-dying advocacy group. But this option may be denied other terminally ill people as soon as Friday, when a legal challenge to the new law comes up for a key court hearing. Riverside County Superior Court Judge Daniel Ottolia is expected to decide whether to put the law on hold until the case is resolved. (8/25)
The Desert Sun:
End Of Life Options Law Foes Hurt The Terminally Ill
It’s bad enough that I have terminal bladder cancer. Now all three Coachella Valley hospitals have forbidden their affiliated physicians who support medical aid in dying from offering this option so I can take doctor-prescribed medication to die peacefully in my sleep if my suffering becomes unbearable. ... To add insult to injury, several physicians have filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn California’s new End of Life Option Act to prevent physicians who support medical aid in dying from offering this option to terminally ill Californians statewide! These physicians allege the law fails “to make rational distinctions” between terminally ill adults “and the vast majority of Californians” not covered by the law. (Wayne McKinny, 8/25)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Homeless Doesn’t Mean Mentally Ill
Homeless people living on the street need housing and most need mental health services. In our desire to help the street homeless, however, let’s not forget the goal of self-sufficiency that gets people out of poverty and prevents homelessness for the next generation. (Paul Webster, 8/23)
Daily Pilot:
Bill Would Help Social Workers Better Care For The Elderly
Out of sight, out of mind, a phrase we have heard sporadically thrown about, in this instance rings true. When pain, isolation, depression and dementia are locked away behind hospital walls, we fail to see the problem. Our society, somewhere down the line, has shifted. It went from rendering respect to the wisdom of the elderly and compassion to the wounded, to creating concrete walls to house those who no longer hold the ability to physically produce. This, combined with other naturally caused conditions, has led to what we are now witnessing: a high prevalence of mental illness among our elders and disabled. (Jennifer Nava, 8/25)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
The Economics Of Ending California's 'Tampon Tax'
Women's hygiene products like tampons and maxi pads are subject to regular sales tax, but in many states — including California — that could soon change. The California Assembly unanimously passed a bill on Tuesday that would exempt these products from taxes on health and gender equity grounds. Now Gov. Jerry Brown must decide whether to sign the legislation and make it a law. (Abby Hamblin, 8/24)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Why A Single-Payer System Is Inevitable
The best argument for a single-payer health care plan is the recent decision by giant health insurer Aetna to bail out next year from 11 of the 15 states where it sells Obamacare plans. Aetna’s decision follows similar moves by UnitedHealth Group, the nation’s largest health insurer, and by Humana, another one of the giants. (Robert Reich, 8/25)
The Desert Sun:
Nurse Practitioners Can Help Bridge The Health Care Gap
As millions of Americans have been given access to health insurance through the Affordable Care Act, there is clearly a shortage of primary care providers (PCPs) available to care for them. Emergency rooms are seeing more patients overall and providing an expensive alternative to primary care. The demand for PCPs is expected to rise, and it is well documented that California is already facing a significant shortage. (Kerri Woelfle, 8/24)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Better Oversight Of Foster Kids’ Meds Is Needed
There is a growing awareness that California’s foster children are being overmedicated. The state auditor released a report Tuesday that concludes “the State and counties have failed to adequately oversee the prescribing of these medications.” The Legislature and Gov. Jerry Brown have made significant strides to improve oversight and use of these drugs, but legislation to reduce the likelihood of these drugs being administered in the first place has met strong resistance. (Bill Monning and Jim Beall, 8/25)
Los Angeles Times:
EpiPen Price Gouging Demonstrates Need For More Competition In Generic Drugs
In the latest in a recent series of controversies over prescription drug prices, Mylan Pharmaceuticals has come under well-deserved fire for jacking up the price of a package of EpiPens — devices that deliver an emergency shot of epinephrine to someone suffering a potentially fatal allergic reaction — 550% since acquiring the right to sell the devices in 2007, from $94 to $608. That may seem modest in comparison to the more than 5,000% increase that Turing Pharmaceuticals quickly imposed on Daraprim, an anti-malarial drug also used by HIV patients, or the more than 3,000% increase that Valeant has extracted for Syprine, a blood-cleaning agent. But given the life-saving nature of EpiPens, their widespread use and Mylan’s effective monopoly, the company’s profiteering is outrageous. (8/26)
Los Angeles Times:
Another Reason To Hate Mylan, Which Jacked Up The Price Of Life-Saving EpiPens: It's A Tax Dodger
The pharmaceutical company Mylan has been taking on a boatload of vituperation — and rightfully so — for jacking up the price of its lifesaving EpiPen injector, which reverses allergic reactions, by 500%.But there’s another reason to detest this remarkably amoral corporation: It’s also a tax dodger. Mylan is one of the leading exploiters of the technique known as inversion, in which a U.S. company cuts its tax bill by acquiring a foreign firm and moving its tax domicile to the acquired company’s homeland. (Michael Hiltzik, 8/23)
Los Angeles Times:
Mylan Will Help More Patients Pay For Its EpiPen. Here's Why That's Bad News For Healthcare
The truth is, however, that these programs are detested by insurers, healthcare economists and government agencies -- with good reason. In fact, they’re illegal when applied to Medicare or Medicaid patients, because they may violate federal anti-kickback laws, which bar payments made to induce patients to choose particular services. Also excluded from the program: uninsured customers. They’ll still have to pay the full freight for EpiPens, which can be as much as $600 for a two-pack. Before Mylan began raising the price, it was about $100. (Michael Hiltzik, 8/25)