Texas is recognizing maternal health care is not just about doctor s visits, with a new law taking effect this fall to enhance screening for nonmedical needs. Housing, nutrition, transportation, employment and other factors play a significant role in poor infant and maternal outcomes. Brian Sasser, chief communications officer for the Episcopal Health Foundation, said new legislation will require Texas Medicaid to develop a standardized screening tool to help determine the nonmedical health needs of pregnant Texans and their babies. .
Sometimes, patients who call an ambulance end up getting stuck with a big bill because the ambulance company does not have a contract with their health plan. Assembly Bill 716 is designed to prevent surprise out-of-network bills. It passed the California State Assembly and is now making its way through the state Senate committees. .
A Connecticut group submitted a resolution to Hartford s City Council seeking to create more health equity at the city s hospitals and clinics. Make the Road Connecticut s resolution asks the council to work with community health providers to guide them on how to supply better services for the city s immigrant community. In Connecticut, 22-percent of residents age five and older speak a language other than English, according to U-S Census data. .
Advocacy groups in West Virginia are working to raise awareness about the end of COVID-19 pandemic-related protections that have triggered a new review of who is on the rolls. Sharon Carte, board president with West Virginians for Affordable Health Care, said according to the state bureau that handles eligibility, it appears that around 30,000 thousand people on Medicaid or CHIP have been retained. That s a 60% renewal rate. .
Recent editorials from West Virginia newspapers:
The Intelligencer on profound changes needed to solve the opioid crisis:
If the human toll is not enough reason for some elected and bureaucratic officials to take seriously the fight against substance abuse in our state, here is one that might come closer to speaking their language: According to the Center on Budget and Policy, treating and addressing substance abuse and addiction cost West Virginia an estimated $11.3 billion in 2019.
In economist Jill Kriesky’s report, she includes the costs that have sprung out of the addiction epidemic such as hepatitis, HIV, neonatal abstinence syndrome and an overburdened foster care system. Her report estimates economic damages from drug-related fatalities in West Virginia were $9.8 billion in 2019.