Governor Inslee recently released a five-year plan to transform Washington’s mental health system, calling for the transition of care from large mental health institutions (Western and Eastern State Hospitals) into smaller, regional state-run facilities. Patients referred to the hospitals by civil courts or regional mental health systems would move into the smaller facilities and private...
Category: News Posts
A Weak Attempt to Control Drug Costs
President Trump announced a new plan to control drug costs, but it lacked the punch advocates were hoping for. Many of the proposed policies are modest steps that have already been taken or that will require more time and study, including changes to purchasing by federal programs and additional changes related to rebates from drug...
Basic Health Plan Settlement for Two States
The Affordable Care Act included a Basic Health option that allows states to cover individuals earning below 200 percent of federal poverty through a state-run program. New York and Minnesota sued after the federal government changed the amounts they would receive to operate their Basic Health programs following the termination of cost-sharing reductions. They reached...
Buyer’s Remorse Over Republican Tax Plan?
Two Republicans recently criticized the Republican tax bill that passed in January. Ousted Health & Human Services Secretary Tom Price said the Republican efforts to undo the individual mandate would increase costs for the people remaining insured – but later claimed his comments were taken out of context. Senator Marco Rubio voted for the tax...
The Impact of the Administration’s Actions is Clear
A recent Commonwealth Fund analysis found that the Affordable Care Act coverage gains are beginning to recede, largely due to actions taken by the Administration and Congress in the past year. Four million working age adults have lost coverage since 2016. The increase in the uninsured rate was higher for people earning less than 250%...
Lawsuits Challenge Family Planning Funding Changes
Earlier this year, the Administration announced proposed changes to the federal Title X family planning program to focus on abstinence and natural family planning methods. But new lawsuits seek to protect this funding, which benefits millions of low-income patients in need of comprehensive sexual health services. The new focus on abstinence is another hit to...
Celebrating Mother’s Day by Tracking Maternal Mortality
Maternal mortality is on the rise in the United States – a shocking trend that needs to be addressed. Two women die each day during or related to childbirth and there are 50,000 “near misses” each year – most of which are preventable. There are also staggering health disparities in maternal mortality, primarily for African...