Sacramento and Solano Counties Square Off With State Over Mental Health Duties
By Angela Hart
The state wants to stop paying Kaiser Permanente for treating severely mentally ill Medi-Cal patients in Sacramento and Solano counties and force the counties to take on the task. The counties’ leaders say they can’t afford it.
New CDC Opioid Guidelines: Too Little, Too Late for Chronic Pain Patients?
By Sam Whitehead and Andy Miller
In November, the CDC released new guidelines for prescribing opioids for pain, allowing physicians more flexibility. But doctors, patients, and advocates wonder if the updated standards will be too little, too late to help chronic pain patients in a country still focused on fighting the ongoing opioid crisis.
¿Ayudan las nuevas guías sobre opioides a los pacientes con dolor crónico?
By Sam Whitehead and Andy Miller
Las recomendaciones dejaron a muchos pacientes lidiando con las consecuencias para la salud mental y física de la reducción rápida de la dosis o la suspensión abrupta de los medicamentos que habían estado tomando durante años, lo que conlleva riesgos de abstinencia, depresión e incluso suicidio.
Daily Edition for Tuesday, March 14, 2023
Guns, abortion law and pills, pandemic stress, transgender health, Alzheimer’s, opioids, social media addiction, and more are in the news.
Black Lung Resurgence Drives Push to Protect Coal Miners Against Silica Dust
By Taylor Sisk
Since 2005, central Appalachia has recorded a tenfold increase in cases of severe black lung disease among long-term coal miners. Now, federal regulators are expected to propose a new rule to protect against silica dust, which causes the most severe form of black lung, progressive massive fibrosis.
Pandemic Stress, Gangs, and Utter Fear Fueled a Rise in Teen Shootings
By Liz Szabo
With their brains still developing and poor impulse control, teens who carry firearms might never plan to use them. But some do.
Estrés pandémico, pandillas y miedo impulsaron un aumento de tiroteos adolescentes
By Liz Szabo
Investigaciones muestran que los adolescentes expuestos a la violencia armada tienen el doble de probabilidades que otros de cometer un delito violento grave dentro de los dos años luego del trauma, lo que perpetúa un ciclo difícil de romper.
Daily Edition for Monday, March 13, 2023
Biotech Industry Left In a Lurch After SVB Failure: Silicon Valley Bank, which is headquartered in Santa Clara and does business with roughly half of the nation’s tech and biotech companies, failed on Friday. Now, as federal regulators step in to clean up SVB’s mess, biotech startups are left wondering: What happens to their money, and who’s going to finance the industry? Read more from STAT, Modern Healthcare, and Crunchbase.
Feds Move to Rein In Prior Authorization, a System That Harms and Frustrates Patients
By Lauren Sausser
The federal government wants to change the way health insurers use prior authorization — the requirement that patients get permission before undergoing treatment. Designed to prevent doctors from deploying expensive, ineffectual procedures, prior authorization has become a confusing maze that denies or delays care, burdens physicians with paperwork, and perpetuates racial disparities. New rules may not be enough to solve the problems.
An Arm and a Leg: Wrestling With a Giant: How to Dispute a Hospital Bill
By Dan Weissmann
One listener tried to dispute a $1,300 “facility fee” with the treating hospital, his insurer, a bill-mediation service provided by his employer, and finally a debt collector. He didn’t win, but he learned valuable lessons about advocating for hospital discounts.
