New Medicare Advantage Plans Tailor Offerings to Asian Americans, Latinos, and LGBTQ+
By Stephanie Stephens
As more seniors opt for Medicare Advantage, a few small insurers have begun offering plans that provide culturally targeted benefits for cohorts including Asian Americans, Latinos, and LGBTQ+ people. The approach, policy researchers say, has potential and perils.
Florida Foster Kids Are Given Powerful Medications, but Feds Find State Oversight Lacking
By Christopher O’Donnell, Tampa Bay Times
A report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services raises troubling questions about the use of powerful medications within Florida’s child welfare system and the risk of overdoses or dangerous side effects if children are given the wrong combination of drugs.
Nuevos planes de Medicare Advantage adaptan ofertas para asiáticos, latinos y LGTBQ+
By Stephanie Stephens
A medida que Medicare Advantage gana popularidad entre los adultos mayores, tres compañías del sur de California están lanzando nuevos planes que se enfocan en comunidades culturales y étnicas, con ofertas especiales y profesionales que hablan su idioma nativo.
Daily Edition for Tuesday, September 26, 2023
LA County Seeks To Settle Lawsuit: Los Angeles County and the plaintiffs in a lawsuit seeking more homeless services have proposed a settlement that appears to meet the demands of a federal judge who twice rejected earlier agreements. In the new proposal, filed in federal court Monday, the county pledges to provide an additional 3,000 beds for mental health and substance use treatment by the end of 2026. The initial attempt to settle last October provided for only 300 additional beds. Read more from the Los Angeles Times.
Epidemic: The Tata Way
Episode 5 of the “Eradicating Smallpox” podcast explores how a partnership between public health institutions and a huge, influential private company was key in the campaign to eliminate smallpox.
A Decades-Long Drop in Teen Births Is Slowing, and Advocates Worry a Reversal Is Coming
By Catherine Sweeney, WPLN
After three decades of declines in teen pregnancies, data shows the rates are starting to plateau. The reversal of “Roe v. Wade,” coupled with efforts to suspend sex education in schools and higher rates of youth mental health issues post-pandemic, could culminate in a perfect storm.
Massive Kaiser Permanente Strike Looms as Talks Head to the Wire
By Bernard J. Wolfson
Both sides, still at loggerheads over pay and staffing, agreed to keep bargaining after unions announced a possible strike Oct. 4-7. If no deal is reached, a walkout by about 75,000 KP workers in five states could disrupt care.
Daily Edition for Monday, September 25, 2023
Health workers strike, CARE Court launching soon, hospital news, covid vaccines, RSV, opioids, military health, and more are in the news.
Officials Agree: Use Settlement Funds to Curb Youth Addiction. But the ‘How’ Gets Hairy.
By Aneri Pattani and Emily Featherston, InvestigateTV
Parents, educators, and elected officials agree that investing in school-based prevention efforts could help curb the rising rate of youth drug overdoses. The well-known D.A.R.E. program is one likely choice, but its effectiveness is in question.
Pot Boom Wakes Sleepy Dinosaur, Colorado
By Markian Hawryluk
A small town close to the Colorado-Utah state line strikes it rich with marijuana sales.
