- Health Care Coverage
Is There a New Path for Trump to Repeal the Affordable Care Act?
The fact that Republicans have gained control of the Senate — and possibly the House — could give Mr. Trump an opening to try and transform the 2010 health law and remake the nation’s health care system. Key to that strategy, health policy experts said, is simple inaction. Major subsidies that lawmakers approved during President Biden’s term that have lowered the cost of plans are set to expire next year. Republicans could allow them to sunset, a move that could deprive roughly 20 million Americans of extra financial help for coverage on the Affordable Care Act’s marketplaces. (Weiland, 11/7).
California’s Medi-Cal Expansion for Unauthorized Residents Shows Mixed Outcomes
California this year took the final step in opening Medi-Cal, its Medicaid program, to every eligible resident regardless of immigration status. It’s a significant expansion for an already massive safety net program. Medi-Cal’s annual spending now stands at $157 billion, serving about 15 million low-income residents, more than a third of Californians. Of those, about 1.5 million are immigrants living in the U.S. without authorization, costing an estimated $6.4 billion, according to the Department of Health Care Services. (Sánchez, 11/8)
California Voters Approve Prop. 35, Boosting Pay for Medi-Cal Doctors
Doctors who serve California’s poorest residents will get paid more, in some cases, for the first time in two decades, thanks to a ballot measure approved by voters Tuesday. The Associated Press called Proposition 35 after results showed it jumped to a sizable lead. The ballot measure asked voters to earmark between $2 billion and $5 billion of special tax revenue annually to Medi-Cal, the state’s health insurance program for low-income residents and people with disabilities. The revenue comes from an existing tax on health insurers that lawmakers are currently able to spend in other ways. (Hwang, 11/5)
- Health Industry
Attorney General Grants Approval for Rady Children’s-CHOC Partnership
California Attorney General Rob Bonta has approved the merger of Rady Children’s Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Orange County, clearing the way for the pair to operate jointly under the name Rady Children’s Health, an organization that, pulling resources in San Diego and Orange counties together, would span a region home to more than 1.3 million children. (Sisson, 11/7)
5 Updates on the Upcoming End of Hospital-at-Home and Telehealth Coverage
Hospital-at-home and telehealth reimbursement from CMS will expire at the end of 2024 without congressional action. ... CMS allowed flexibility for hospitals and health systems to provide acute hospital care at home and additional telehealth services during the pandemic. The rules were since extended but expire Dec. 31. (Bruce, 11/7)
89 Hospitals Recognized with 5 or More Magnet Designations
Of the 613 hospitals with a Magnet designation, 14.5% have achieved the Magnet status at least five times [including three in California], according to data from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. The Magnet recognition program designates hospitals worldwide where nursing excellence is strategically tied to patient outcomes, according to the ANCC. (Twenter, 11/7)
Cedars-Sinai Pledges $20 Million for Health Equity Programs
Los Angeles-based Cedars-Sinai is handing out $20 million in grants to local nonprofits to promote health equity in homelessness and housing, access to care and community response, the health system confirmed to Becker's. (Taylor, 11/4)
As the Number of Nuns Declines, Catholic Hospitals Take on a Corporate Look
Inside the more than 600 Catholic hospitals across the country, not a single nun can be found occupying a chief executive suite, according to the Catholic Health Association. Nuns founded and led those hospitals in a mission to treat sick and poor people, but some were also shrewd business leaders. Sister Irene Kraus, a former chief executive of Daughters of Charity National Health System, was famous for coining the phrase “no margin, no mission.” It means hospitals must succeed — generating enough revenue to exceed expenses — to fulfill their original mission. (Liss, 11/5)
- Food Supports
Federal Partnership Launched to Address Food Insecurity Among College Students
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Education announced an agreement aimed at addressing food insecurity among college students in a press release issued Thursday. The partnership between the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service and the Education Department’s office of Federal Student Aid attempts to increase awareness among college students of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides assistance to low-income individuals and families to purchase food. (Ventura, 11/7)
USDA Moves to Remove School Lunch Fees for Low-Income Families
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that students eligible for free or reduced price school meals cannot be charged processing fees beginning in 2027. School districts currently work with processing companies to offer cashless payment systems for families. But the companies can charge “processing fees” for each transaction. By law, students who are eligible for reduced price meals cannot be charged more than 30 cents for breakfast and 40 cents for lunch. With processing fees, however, families can end up paying 10 times that amount. (Morga and Lewis, 11/5)
- Children’s Health
Spike in Teen Emergency Room Visits Due to Caffeine Overdose
Emergency room visits due to eating or drinking too much caffeine roughly doubled among adolescents in the past several years, according to new data from Epic Research. The episodes are still relatively uncommon but they underscore the potential risks of excessive caffeine intake as energy drinks with high doses of the stimulant flood the market. (Reed, 11/6)
Returning to School Quickly and Light Exercise May Aid Kids' Concussion Recovery
During cheerleading practice in April, Jana Duey’s sixth grade daughter, Karter, sustained a concussion when she fell several feet headfirst onto a gym floor mat. Days after, Karter still had a headache, dizziness, and sensitivity to light and noise. Karter rested for a week and a half at home in Centennial, Colorado, then returned to school when her concussion symptoms were tolerable — initially for just half-days and with accommodations allowing her to do schoolwork on paper instead of a screen and take extra time to get to and from classes. (Ruder, 11/5)
CDC Reports Fivefold Increase in Pertussis Cases Compared to Last Year
More than five times as many pertussis cases had been reported as of mid-October compared with the same time last year, according to provisional numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Pertussis, or whooping cough, is characterized by persistent, chronic fits of coughing followed by a “whoop” sound, and is sometimes called the “100-day cough.” (McMahan, 11/4)
Study Finds 1 in 4 Child Deaths After E.R. Visits Could Be Prevented
If every emergency room in the United States were fully prepared to treat children, thousands of lives would be saved and the cost would be $11.84 or less per child, researchers found. (Baumgaertner, 11/1)
- Mental Health
Depression and Anxiety Rates Stayed Elevated in the U.S. After Covid Declined
Significantly more Americans experienced depression and anxiety in 2022 than in 2019, even as the disruptions and lockdowns caused by the Covid pandemic eased, according to a new report. Just over 21% of American adults in 2022 reported experiencing symptoms of depression in the previous two weeks, up 2.9% from three years earlier, according to a report released Thursday by the National Center for Health Statistics. Anxiety was reported by 18% of adults in 2022, a 2.6% increase, the data from the National Health Interview Survey found. (Mufarech, 11/7)
- Firearms
Biden Pushes for Medicaid Doctors to Have Firearms Conversations with Parents
The Biden administration wants more health care providers to talk to parents about keeping their kids safe around firearms, as data shows kids are increasingly dying by suicide, accidents and homicides involving guns. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has given states the green light to allow Medicaid providers to counsel parents and caregivers of children about firearm safety and injury prevention. (Hellmann, 11/4)