Free Republic

With frustration mounting over lawmakers’ inaction on gun control, the American Medical Association on Tuesday pressed for a ban on assault weapons and came out against arming teachers as a way to fight what it calls a public health crisis. At its annual policymaking meeting, the nation’s largest physicians group bowed to unprecedented demands from doctor-members to take a stronger stand on gun violence — a problem the organizations says is as menacing as a lethal infectious disease. The action comes against a backdrop of recurrent school shootings, everyday street violence in the nation’s inner cities, and rising U.S. suicide...

It was supposed to be one of the biggest political showdowns in Kentucky this fall: Kim Davis, the clerk of Rowan County, running against David Ermold, the gay man she denied a marriage license to three years ago. That moment, caught on camera, set off a red-hot culture war over the summer of 2015 in this quiet corner of Appalachia. Since Mr. Ermold announced he was running for county clerk in December, he raised more than $200,000 from around the country and drew supporters far and wide. This was a campaign, he said in an interview before the primary, for...

As Facebook shapes our access to information, Twitter dictates public opinion and Tinder influences our dating decisions, the algorithms we’ve developed to help us navigate choice are now actively driving every aspect of our lives. But as we increasingly rely on them for everything from how we seek out news to how we relate to the people around us, have we automated the way we behave? Is human thinking beginning to mimic algorithmic processes? And is the Cambridge Analytica debacle a warning sign of what’s to come — and of happens when algorithms hack into our collective thoughts? It wasn’t...

A total of 29.3 million Americans (9.1%) were uninsured in 2017 -- not a big change from 2016, but down by 19.3 million from 2010, the year the Affordable Care Act (ACA) became law, a government survey found. Among ethnic groups, Hispanic adults made up the large percentage of the uninsured, at 27.2%, followed by black at 14.1%, non-Hispanic whites at 8.5%, and Asians at 7.6%. All four of these groups had significant drops in their uninsured populations from 2013 through 2017, the survey found. Of those adults under age 65 with private health insurance, 3.7% were covered by plans...

What are we trying to do? We are building mobile-friendly tools to help inform vulnerable immigrants of the risks they may face in their neighborhood or workplace, as well as enable legal aid groups, community organizations, and activists to mobilize rapidly to protect immigrant communities. These tools will deliver real-time, location-based, verified information about immigration enforcement activity. We are currently looking for people with experience in secure app development, public relations, nonprofit/NGO coordination, and immigration law to join us as volunteers or consultants, and for liaisons with local raid rapid response networks in any area of the United States. We...

http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20180511/NEWS/180519968 https://www.statnews.com/2018/05/11/trump-drug-pricing-speech/ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/trump-denounces-middlemen-and-largely-spares-pharma-in-drug-pricing-speech/ http://www.bipc.com/trump-condemns-middlemen-in-drug-pricing-speech-modern-healthcare https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/the-health-202/2018/05/14/the-health-202-health-industry-appears-unfazed-by-trump-s-drug-pricing-speech/5af4ac5530fb042588799464/ http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/health-plans/eliminating-middlemen-trump-takes-aim-pbms-drug-pricing-speech http://www.bipc.com/trump-condemns-middlemen-in-drug-pricing-speech-modern-healthcare

Most physicians don't think it's their responsibility to address patients' social determinants of health, according to a new survey from Leavitt Partners. Nearly half of doctors reported that their patients would benefit from food assistance, affordable housing and transportation to appointments. Yet well over 50% of doctors didn't think they or insurers have a role in providing that help. Physicians' resistance to address social determinants comes as providers are increasingly responsible for patients' well-being with the transition to value-based payment models. Research indicates an individual's health status is tied to their social environment, so providers are currently rethinking—and debating—the services...

The Trump administration is considering a policy change that might discourage immigrants who are seeking permanent residency from using government-supported health care, a scenario that is alarming some doctors, hospitals and patient advocates. Under the proposed plan, a lawful immigrant holding a visa could be passed over for getting permanent residency — a green card — if they use Medicaid, a subsidized Obamacare plan, food stamps, tax credits or a list of other non-cash government benefits, according to a draft of the plan published by The Washington Post. Even the use of such benefits by a child who is a...

A new venture capital firm co-led by former CMS Administrator Andy Slavitt will seek to invest in healthcare technology and service companies that deliver innovative care to low-income, high-needs populations. Town Hall Ventures will focus on building companies that provide higher-quality and lower-cost care for poor, underserved communities, particularly involving Medicare, Medicaid, risk-based care, complex care and the social determinants of health. Its leaders see a big opportunity to improve care for the 120 million people in Medicare and Medicaid through innovations such as better models for delivering care at home or in other comfortable and low-cost settings. "We are...

In an ominous sign for patient safety, 71% of reusable medical scopes deemed ready for use on patients tested positive for bacteria at three major U.S. hospitals, according to a new study. The paper, published recently in the American Journal of Infection Control, underscores the infection risk posed by a commonly used endoscopes. It signals a lack of progress by manufacturers, hospitals and regulators in reducing contamination despite numerous reports of superbug outbreaks and patient deaths, experts say. "These results are pretty scary," said Janet Haas, president of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology. "These are very...

<p>Georgia Power says completion of the two new nuclear units being built in Waynesboro faces skilled labor shortages, despite the project being ahead of its revised schedule.</p> <p>A report filed by the company to the Georgia Public Service Commission ahead of Vogtle construction progress hearings next month identified difficulties in meeting craft labor requirements at the plant as one challenge that could hamper efforts to meet its completion forecast of 2021 and 2022.</p>

As the nation’s opioid epidemic rages on, the federal agency charged with leading the government’s response to substance abuse is changing the way it helps local communities. But critics say the move risks leaving programs with fewer resources until the new plan is in place. The controversy began in January with a low-key announcement by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Rather than continue hiring contractors to pair experts with communities, as has been done for years, SAMHSA’s new approach will “utilize local expertise” to provide technical assistance and training. This effort will “focus on the specific needs...

People living with disabilities, serious illness and the frailty of old age are bracing to lose caregivers due to changes in federal immigration policy. About 59,000 Haitians live in the U.S. under Temporary Protected Status (TPS), a humanitarian program that gave them permission to work and live here after the January 2010 earthquake devastated their country. Many work in health care, often in grueling, low-wage jobs as nursing assistants or home health aides. Now these workers’ days are numbered: The Trump administration decided to end TPS for Haitians. In Boston, the city with the third-highest Haitian population, the decision has...

As more states consider expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, along comes another independent study showing increased government insurance for low-income Americans pays for itself. Take the state of Montana, which expanded Medicaid in 2016 to more than 90,000 people. A study out this month from the University of Montana’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research shows the expansion of Medicaid generates a half-trillion dollars a year in healthcare spending. Of that, 70%, or $350 million to $400 million, is “new money circulating in Montana’s economy.” Beginning this year, states gradually began to pick up some costs, but the...

In an ideal world, providers would be able to spend less time collecting quality data and more time actually improving the quality of care, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar said here Thursday. "We need to ensure that in the quest for information on quality, we don't have providers, payers or others spend so much time accumulating data to improve reporting that they're not actually improving quality," Azar said during a press briefing with reporters at HHS headquarters. "Let's make sure it's the information that really matters; let's have the minimal necessary reporting burden to get the job...

Voter registration databases and vote-tabulation systems are maintained by state and local governments, not by any federal bureau.

A common theme is emerging from Georgia GOP leaders asked about how the state’s feud with Delta Air Lines could impact the bid for Amazon’s second headquarters: The Seattle-based tech giant might appreciate some red-state conservatism. Gov. Nathan Deal conceded that the Legislature’s decision to punish Delta after it cut ties with the National Rifle Association doesn’t help the state’s pitch for Amazon’s 50,000 jobs. But he said the fracas could show off another side of the Peach State. “If you’re looking for a state with diversity, welcome to the state of Georgia. We are a very diverse state. Diversity...

Norma Diaz and her husband, Joseph Garcia, have dedicated their careers to running a nonprofit health insurer that covers some of California’s neediest residents. For three decades, they have worked for a Medicaid managed-care plan, Community Health Group, serving nearly 300,000 poor and disabled patients in San Diego County under a state contract funded entirely by taxpayers. They’ve earned above-average ratings for patient care. And in the process, they’ve made millions of dollars. Together, Diaz and Garcia made $1.1 million in 2016 and received more than $5 million since 2012. Diaz’s compensation as CEO exceeded the pay of several peers...

Consolidation throughout the healthcare industry is increasing costs and driving more care through hospitals, the Physicians Advocacy Institute warned in a letter to Congress. Healthcare organizations have been joining forces to try to get ahead of the industry's shifting landscape. The number of physicians employed by hospitals and health systems grew by nearly 50% from 2012 to 2015, with a corresponding decline in the number of independently practicing physicians, according to the letter—supported with research from consultancy Avalere Health—sent to the House Energy & Commerce Committee's oversight and investigations subcommittee. The decline of the independent medical practice and lack of...

Electronic health records were supposed to lower administrative costs, but they may not be getting the job done, according to a new study published this week in JAMA. Administrative costs made up as much as a quarter of professional revenue for some patient encounters, according to the study, which focused on a single academic medical center. Researchers attribute much of the high cost to varying contracts between the hospital and health plans and payer as well as varying price schedules. "After investing more than $30 billion in health IT, we haven't improved the administrative efficiency," said Dr. Kevin Schulman, one...