Preexisting Conditions Protections Becoming Achilles’ Heel For Republicans On The Trail
Candidates are struggling to make their promises to protect coverage for people with preexisting conditions believable to voters. “What you have to do at this point is duck and cover," said one Republican strategist.
Politico:
Republicans ‘Duck And Cover’ On Pre-Existing Conditions
Republicans are struggling to convince voters they will protect people with pre-existing conditions as Democrats trying to build a blue wave for November pound them for threatening to take away sick people’s health care. Republicans have sought for weeks to defuse public angst over the issue, alternately vowing to protect coverage for vulnerable Americans while trying to fire up opposition to Democrats’ growing embrace of single payer. (Cancryn, 9/19)
In other national health care news —
The Associated Press:
Administration Sends States $1B In Grants To Battle Opioids
The Trump administration is awarding more than $1 billion in grants to help states confront the opioid epidemic, with most of the money going to expand access to treatment and recovery services. Officials say more than $900 million comes from a grant program Congress approved this spring as part of a budget bill. Lawmakers are working on another bipartisan bill to address the opioid problem and hope to have final legislation to President Donald Trump by year's end. (9/19)
The Associated Press Fact Check:
Trump's Undue Credit For Slowing Health Costs
What a difference a year makes. From predicting that the Affordable Care Act would "implode" and "explode," President Donald Trump is now claiming credit for modest average premium increases expected next year. In remarks this week, Trump appeared to cite a recent analysis by Avalere Health and The Associated Press in asserting that premium costs are now "far lower" than they would have been under a Democratic president, because his administration has been managing premiums "very, very carefully." Not so. (9/19)
The New York Times:
They Were Seeking Mental Health Care. Instead They Drowned In A Sheriff’s Van.
Nicolette Green had decided to get better. The medication she was taking to treat her schizophrenia had calmed her and cleared her head. On Tuesday morning, her oldest daughter, Rose, with whom she had spent the weekend waiting out Hurricane Florence, drove her to her regular counseling session. A new therapist saw Ms. Green, 43, that day. And within a half-hour of evaluating her, he wanted her committed, said Donnela Green-Johnson, Ms. Green’s sister. ... Then Rose watched, troubled, as sheriff’s deputies patted her mother down and put her in a van to take her to a hospital almost two hours away. Rose, 19, recalled the deputies having handcuffs out when they frisked her mother, though she did not know if they put them on.(Pager, Robertson and Dixon, 9/19)
The Associated Press:
Maria's Death Toll Climbed Long After Rain Stopped
Disabled and elderly people were discharged from overwhelmed hospitals with bedsores that led to fatal infections. Medical oxygen ran out. People caught lung infections in sweltering private nursing homes and state facilities. Kidney patients got abbreviated treatments from dialysis centers that lacked generator fuel and fresh water, despite pleas for federal and local officials to treat them as a higher priority, according to patient advocates. (9/20)
Stat:
Gawande-Led Venture Taps Consulting Giant To Hone Strategy For Chronically Ill
The health venture led by Dr. Atul Gawande is working with a global consulting powerhouse to hone its strategy for improving care of chronically ill patients who account for the vast majority of medical costs, according to a person familiar with the arrangement. The partnership with Boston-based Monitor Group, the business consulting arm of Deloitte, signals a desire to deliver stepped-up services — enabled by data and modern technology — to frequent users of health care within Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, and JPMorgan Chase, the companies that hired Gawande to rein in their 1.2 million employees’ health spending. (Ross, 9/20)
The New York Times:
Apple Watch Series 4 Review: Faster, Bigger, With A Promise To Be Healthier
A few days ago, I sat in a medical recliner at the University of California, San Francisco. A cardiologist placed 10 stickerlike electrodes onto my limbs and chest and then connected the wires to a dated-looking contraption with a screen and a keyboard on a cart. About a minute later, a printer produced a chart of my heart’s electrical activity on red graph paper. The procedure I had undergone was an electrocardiogram, or an EKG, which is used to diagnose cardiac problems like arrhythmia and heart attacks. (Chen, 9/19)
The Associated Press:
Flu Shots: A Pinch In The Arm, But Not Always In Your Wallet
It's flu shot season, but the pinch of a shot doesn't have to also hurt your wallet. Health officials recommend that nearly all Americans get flu vaccinations to blunt the impact of a disease that annually infects millions. Roughly 145 million Americans get flu shots each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That count represents about 60 percent of children and 40 percent of adults. (9/19)