Tag: November

  • Tuesday, November 22, 2022 | Kaiser Health News

    Tuesday, November 22, 2022 | Kaiser Health News

    Wellbeing Methods, Affected individual Treatment Impacted By Growing Declare Denial Costs

    Modern Health care draws awareness to a “considerable” rise in denied insurance plan promises in excess of the previous yr, which has greater administrative operate, minimized medical center income movement, and delayed client treatment. Independently, Axios reviews on how medical inflation is influencing large employers.

    More on the price tag of coverage —


    Axios:
    How Health-related Inflation Is Ensnaring Huge Employers


    A convergence of aspects driving up wellness fees is threatening to make future calendar year a incredibly pricey a person for large employers, forcing some to make tricky tradeoffs and try to eat some of the additional expense. (Reed and Gonzalez, 11/21)


    Stat:
    The Circumstance For Universal Oral Health and fitness Coverage, According To The WHO


    On Friday, oral well being advocates throughout the globe bought an early vacation gift from their longtime would like lists. They had been waiting around their entire professions — for some STAT spoke with, up to approximately 50 {fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} a century — for oral health to be folded into conversations contacting for well being care accessibility for all. The Earth Wellbeing Organization’s new Global Oral Wellness Standing report took that very first stage. (Castillo, 11/21)

    In other health treatment marketplace news —


    Present day Healthcare:
    Providence Closes 27 Southern California Retail Clinics


    Renton, Washington-based mostly Providence shut all 27 of its Providence ExpressCare services on Nov. 17 soon after the Southern California retail clinics posted “unprecedented running losses” amid labor shortages, inflation, provide chain disruption, lessen-than-predicted volumes and a much more competitive retail clinic sector, the spokesperson said. (Kacik, 11/21)


    Stat:
    Can Telehealth Support Hospitals Mitigate The Local weather Disaster? 


    As the earth stares down the barrel of local climate adjust, the wellness treatment system — which is responsible for about 9{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions — is eventually beginning to choose motion. Hospitals, in individual, are working to stem their impact, and have held up telehealth as a key technique to reduce down on carbon, by getting rid of tens of millions of miles of travel to and from wellbeing treatment facilities. (Palmer, 11/22)


    Present day Health care:
    Atrium Overall health Hosts Once-a-year Expertise Demonstrate For Staff members


    Atrium Health and fitness staff members find to set their talents on show at work and on the phase. Every calendar year, the Charlotte, North Carolina-based nonprofit health process invitations its 70,000 team users to take part in a talent present, “Atrium Well being Has Talent.” Clinicians, administrative team, leadership and other staff users come alongside one another from across the 40-healthcare facility method to showcase their expertise. (Berryman, 11/22)

    In legal information —


    The New York Periods:
    A Botched Cancer Exam, a Countrywide Scandal, and an Irish Hero


    A subsequent formal inquiry revealed that at minimum 220 other Irish gals experienced also developed cervical cancer just after getting destructive benefits for point out-run Pap smears that, a afterwards evaluation confirmed, ought to have been flagged as most likely favourable. According to 221+, an advocacy group launched by Vicky Phelan and other impacted girls and their survivors, all-around 30 of these girls have since died. (O’Loughlin, 11/17)

  • Senate votes to send cannabis research bill to Biden (Newsletter: November 17, 2022)

    Senate votes to send cannabis research bill to Biden (Newsletter: November 17, 2022)

    Interstate marijuana commerce suit; Biden: cannabis moves are “top” achievements; Reps want banking data; GOP Congress legalization plan; MD hearing

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    / TOP THINGS TO KNOW

    The Senate approved a House-passed marijuana research bill—marking the first time in history that standalone cannabis reform legislation has ever been sent to the president’s desk.

    • Just before the vote, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on the floor that he’s holding “productive talks” about “moving additional bipartisan cannabis legislation in the lame duck.”

    The White House is touting President Joe Biden’s move to pardon people for cannabis and initiate a review of its scheduling status as one of the administration’s “top accomplishments”—saying it will remedy the U.S.’s “failed approach to marijuana.”

    Reps. Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) sent a letter asking the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network to provide marijuana banking data—including a demographic breakdown that they say can “inform federal efforts around equitably ending the racist cannabis prohibition.”

    Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) spoke to Marijuana Moment about her plans to advance marijuana reform in a Republican-controlled House of Representatives next year.

    • “The only place that cannabis is controversial is in D.C.”

    An Oregon marijuana business filed a federal lawsuit seeking to overturn the state’s ban on cannabis exports and imports to and from other states—arguing that it violated the U.S. Constitution’s Dormant Commerce Clause.

    The Maryland House Cannabis Referendum and Legalization Workgroup held its first hearing since voters overwhelmingly approved legalization on the ballot. Lawmakers now need to craft legislation regulating the market, and this latest meeting focused on taxes.

    Three subcommittees of the Louisiana Employment and Medical Marijuana Task Force met to discuss issues related to workplace protections for medical cannabis patients.

    / FEDERAL

    Former President Donald Trump, in his reelection campaign announcement speech, said he would “wage war on the cartels” and reiterated that he would ask Congress for legislation “ensuring that drug dealers…who are responsible for death, carnage and crime” would receive the death penalty.

    Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) said he is open to including expungements provisions in a package of marijuana reforms alongside banking access.

    Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) said he will be watching to see how Sen.-elect John Fetterman (D-PA) evolves and changes “in between periods of marijuana and whatever else it is he does.”

    Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) tweeted, “President Biden sent an important signal when he pardoned citizens with federal charges for simple marijuana possession. But there’s still a lot more to do: 1 Expungement. A pardon ends a prison sentence, but it doesn’t erase the charge from your record. People with simple marijuana possessions are still being blocked from accessing housing, employment and other resources. We must expunge records in addition to providing pardons. 2 Pardon immigrants. President Biden’s pardon only applied to citizens with federal marijuana charges. Many immigrants applying for citizenship could continue to face deportation or other adverse consequences for possessing a substance that is now legal in many states.”

    Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) tweeted, “Black folks have been disproportionately locked up for marijuana offenses. Now, we’re being locked out of the growing legal cannabis industry. We need a cannabis policy that centers equity and the people most impacted by the failed War on Drugs.”

    Former Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR)  tweeted about the participation of the Coalition for Cannabis Policy, Education, and Regulation, for which he serves as co-chair, in a congressional hearing, saying, “Today’s hearing was a step in the right direction to creating a legal, regulated market for cannabis through federal guidelines.”

    / STATES

    South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) said her reelection effort was “tough” because marijuana and other issues were on the ballot.

    The Pennsylvania House of Representatives voted to impeach Philadelphia’s district attorney through a resolution that criticizes his decision not to prosecute certain marijuana and drug paraphernalia cases.

    Kansas’s House minority leader wants an interim committee on medical cannabis to have additional meetings.

    A Missouri senator-elect who currently serves as a representative said he would file a proposed constitutional amendment to steer legal marijuana tax revenue toward eliminating the personal property tax.

    Florida has a new top medical cannabis regulator.

    Indiana’s State Police superintendent said he doesn’t support legalizing marijuana but that he hasn’t seen an increase in enforcement near the borders with states that have enacted reform.

    Ohio regulators said it doesn’t appear that the state can enter into a medical cannabis reciprocity agreement with Kentucky under the limited provisions of an executive order on the issue that Gov. Andy Beshear (D) issued this week.

    New York regulators are being accused of violating the Constitution with guidance that says recreational marijuana “dispensaries, their true parties of interest, passive investors, and any management service providers cannot have any interest in any business anywhere that cultivates, processes, or distributes cannabis.”

    Oklahoma regulators are accepting public comments on proposed medical cannabis rules through December 15.

    Vermont regulators posted an update on the first six weeks of the state’s legal adult-use marijuana market.

    Arizona regulators will begin accepting applications for nonprofit medical cannabis dispensary certificates on December 16.

    Washington State regulators will host a conversation to explore ideas for modernizing rules for cannabis plant canopy on November 29.


    Marijuana Moment is tracking more than 1,500 cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments.

    Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access.

    / LOCAL

    The San Francisco, California Board of Supervisors voted to suspend the city’s cannabis business tax until the end of 2025.

    / INTERNATIONAL

    The Colombian Senate First Committee approved a report attached to a marijuana legalization bill, with a vote on the legislation itself expected next week.

    Bavaria, Germany’s health minister is urging European Union officials to block his country’s marijuana legalization plans.

    / SCIENCE & HEALTH

    A review concluded that “CBD is a well-tolerated and safe natural compound that exerts analgesic effects, decreasing hyperalgesia, and mechanical/thermal allodynia in several animal models of pain and patients” and that “using CBD seems to be a promising strategy to overcome the lack of efficacy of conventional treatment for chronic pain.”

    A review highlighted the “diversification of clinical trials on cannabinoid-based medications in the past 21 years,” underlining “the increased interest in conducting clinical studies on new cannabinoid administration methods such as topical applications and on the investigation of emerging phyto- and synthetic cannabinoids” and showing that “more clinical trials have been designed to explore the potential therapeutic benefits of cannabinoids in areas such as mental, behavioral, or neurodevelopmental disorders and skin diseases.”

    / ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS

    A poll of Scottish adults found that they support ending prosecutions of people for possessing small amounts of marijuana, 65 percent to 18 percent, and support enacting the same policy for heroin, 42 percent to 36 percent.

    The Kentucky Democratic Party tweeted, “Thanks to Gov. @AndyBeshearKY’s executive order, medical cannabis can be legally used starting Jan. 1, providing a lifeline to Kentuckians in pain. This is huge — while GOP lawmakers continue to ignore the will of an overwhelming majority of Kentuckians, Gov. Beshear listened.” The party also criticized the state’s agriculture commissioner, saying, “After Ryan Quarles tried to ban Delta 8, a state court ruled that this hemp derivative — which is not a controlled substance under state or federal law — is legal in Kentucky. Yesterday @GovAndyBeshear announced official regulations to ensure it can be sold and purchased safely.”

    ASTM International’s cannabis committee developed a new practice for supplier lifecycle management.

    Oklahoma Southern Baptists adopted a resolution opposing marijuana legalization.

    The director of Americans for Prosperity Montana spoke about efforts to build support for psychedelics policy reform in the state.

    / BUSINESS

    SHF Holdings, Inc., d/b/a/ Safe Harbor Financial closed its acquisition of Rockview Digital Solutions, Inc, d/b/a Abaca.

    Charlotte’s Web Holdings, Inc. received a $56.8 million investment from a subsidiary of BAT.

    Payments provider Zotto is being accused of withholding money from several CBD companies.

    WM Technology, Inc. has a new chief marketing officer.

    Michigan retailers sold $209.4 million worth of legal marijuana products in October.

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  • Tuesday, November 22, 2022 | Kaiser Health News

    Thursday, November 17, 2022 | Kaiser Health News

    Key Care Medical doctors Are Burning Out — Younger Types Specifically

    Stat’s headline says across 10 rich nations, the pressure of the pandemic is contributing to large burnout rates, producing medical doctors experience like their shipping and delivery of care is failing. Axios claims that half of main care doctors under age 55 in the U.S. say they’re burned out and numerous may depart the profession.


    Axios:
    Burnout Plagues Young Major Treatment Physicians


    Fifty percent of U.S. principal treatment medical professionals below the age of 55 say they’re burned out and some anticipate leaving the profession in the future three several years, per a new study from the Commonwealth Fund. It truly is the most current evidence of physician shortages that could hamper initiatives to decrease health disparities and fill gaps in care as the nation emerges from the pandemic. (Dreher, 11/17)

    In connected news —

    Extra wellbeing care field information —


    Yahoo Finance:
    Uber Health Hunting To Broaden Food, Medical Shipping and delivery Services


    Uber Overall health, a subsidy of the well known journey-sharing application, has observed expanding need for services as it proceeds its foray into the $4 trillion wellbeing-treatment business. World-wide Head of Uber Health Caitlin Donovan reported there is primarily developing curiosity in supply products and services for specialised foods and health care devices. When it released in 2018, it was generally for affected individual experience services. (Khemlani, 11/16)


    Stat:
    Why Will not The U.S. Have Extra Black Doctors?


    When LaShyra “Lash” Nolen was understanding about how to understand indicators of Lyme ailment in a course at Harvard Clinical School, a fellow Black classmate pointed out that all the illustrations highlighted men and women with white pores and skin. ”How would I identify these on someone’s pores and skin who appeared like mine?” her classmate asked. (Trang, 11/16)

    KHN:
    Struggle Above Well being Treatment Minimal Wage Yields A Break up Determination In Southern California

    An high priced fight above overall health worker fork out in two Southern California cities appears to have ended in a draw, with just about every facet proclaiming a victory and a decline. Inglewood citizens ended up poised to approve a ballot measure that would increase the least wage to $25 at private hospitals, psychiatric facilities, and dialysis clinics. The most recent vote rely showed Measure HC main 54{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} to 46{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}, according to Los Angeles County election officers. In Duarte, about 35 miles absent, voters were on monitor to decisively reject a equivalent proposal, Measure J, 63{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} to 37{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}. (Bluth, 11/17)

    KHN:
    How Banking institutions And Private Equity Cash In When Clients Cannot Fork out Their Healthcare Expenses

    Patients at North Carolina-based mostly Atrium Health and fitness get what looks like an attractive pitch when they go to the nonprofit clinic system’s web-site: a payment approach from loan provider AccessOne. The strategies present “easy means to make month to month payments” on clinical expenses, the site says. You don’t will need superior credit history to get a bank loan. Every person is permitted. Nothing is noted to credit rating businesses. In Minnesota, Allina Wellbeing encourages its clients to indication up for an account with MedCredit Money Companies to “consolidate your health and fitness fees.” In Southern California, Chino Valley Medical Centre, element of the Primary Healthcare chain, touts “promotional funding solutions with the CareCredit credit card to enable you get the treatment you will need, when you will need it.” (Levey and Pattani, 11/17)

  • Tuesday, November 22, 2022 | Kaiser Health News

    Wednesday, November 16, 2022 | Kaiser Health News

    Lung Hazards From Smoking Marijuana Might Be Even worse Than Cigarettes: Analyze

    Media stores report on a research that observed using tobacco pot to be linked with probably even worse lung problems than tobacco-only cigarettes. In the meantime, in Kentucky, the governor signed an government order to partly legalize medical cannabis.

    In other marijuana news —


    The Courier-Journal:
    Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear Signs Buy To Partly Legalize Medical Cannabis


    Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear signed an govt get Tuesday to legalize the possession and use of clinical marijuana by specified qualified individuals in the condition, so lengthy as it was procured lawfully exterior Kentucky and quantities to considerably less than 8 ounces. Kentucky is at this time 1 of just 12 states to nonetheless outlaw cannabis for both of those health care and recreational applications, despite general public polling demonstrating the legalization of clinical cannabis is fairly well known between its citizens. (Sonka, 11/15)

    In news about opioids and addiction —


    Reuters:
    Opioid Overdose Reversal Drug Most likely Secure For OTC Use, States Fda


    Opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone may be secure and successful for in excess of-the-counter use in some varieties, the U.S. Foodstuff and Drug Administration reported on Tuesday, likely paving the way for its use federally. The Fda would nevertheless involve facts on specific products and solutions from producers for them to be readily available around the counter at a federal level. (11/15)


    Stat:
    Fentanyl Is Building It More challenging To Begin Dependancy Treatment 


    Medical practitioners are reporting a troubling craze when it arrives to fentanyl. The strong drug, they say, isn’t just producing overdoses — it’s also producing it a lot more tough to commence dependancy cure. In individual, fentanyl appears a lot more probably to bring about critical withdrawal indications for sufferers set on buprenorphine, a critical medication used to take care of opioid use dysfunction. (Facher, 11/16)

    KHN:
    The Participant-Coaches Of Addiction Restoration Function Devoid of Boundaries

    Sarah Wright stops by her peer aid specialist’s resort place-turned-office in this Denver suburb quite a few situations a working day. But her check out on a Wednesday early morning in mid-October was just one of her initial with teeth. The specialist, Donna Norton, experienced pushed Wright to go to the dentist a long time soon after homelessness and addiction had taken a toll on her health, down to the jawbone. Wright was even now having made use of to her dentures. “I haven’t had teeth in 12½, 13 yrs,” she stated, incorporating that they made her feel like a horse. A new smile was Wright’s most current milestone as she will work to rebuild her daily life, and Norton has been there for just about every action: opening a bank account, finding a occupation, creating a perception of her own truly worth. (Bichell, 11/16)

  • Tuesday, November 22, 2022 | Kaiser Health News

    Wednesday, November 9, 2022 | Kaiser Health News

    Abortion Rights Supported By Midterm Voters In 5 States

    On Election Day, residents in California, Michigan, and Vermont approved ballot measures protecting abortion rights. And voters in Montana and Kentucky turned away initiatives that would have restricted access.


    The Hill:
    Voters Support Abortion Rights In All Five States With Ballot Measures


    Voters in California, Vermont and Michigan on Tuesday approved ballot measures enshrining abortion rights into their state constitutions, while those in traditional red states Montana and Kentucky rejected measures that would have restricted access to reproductive care. The votes signal strength to effort to support abortion rights after the Supreme Court in June ruled to overturn the landmark 1973 case Roe v. Wade and the constitutional right to the procedure. (Dress, 11/9)

    More on the results from Vermont, California, and Michigan —


    VTDigger:
    Vermont Becomes The 1st State To Enshrine Abortion Rights In Its Constitution


    Vermont’s founding document will now be appended with a 22nd article, which will read in full: “That an individual’s right to personal reproductive autonomy is central to the liberty and dignity to determine one’s own life course and shall not be denied or infringed unless justified by a compelling State interest achieved by the least restrictive means.” (Duffort, 11/8)


    Detroit Free Press:
    Proposal 3: Michigan Voters Approve Abortion Rights Measure


    “Today, the people of Michigan voted to restore the reproductive rights they’ve had for 50 years,” said Darci McConnell, communication director for Reproductive Freedom for All, the group behind Proposal 3. “Proposal 3’s passage marks an historic victory for abortion access in our state and in our country — and Michigan has paved the way for future efforts to restore the rights and protections of Roe v. Wade nationwide.” (Hendrickson, 11/9)

    Anti-abortion measures in Kentucky and Montana appear headed for a loss —


    The New York Times:
    Live Results: Montana Born-Alive Infants Regulation 


    The measure would enact a law making any infant “born alive” at any gestational age a legal person, a protection that already exists under a federal law passed 20 years ago. It would criminalize health care providers who do not make every effort to save the life of an infant “born during an attempted abortion” or after labor or C-section. Doctors say they are concerned that the law will limit palliative care for infants who are born but will not survive. (11/9)

    South Dakota Votes To Expand Medicaid Cover

    Forbes says a “wide margin” of South Dakotans voted to approve a ballot measure to extend Medicaid cover to over 40,000 low-income adults. Vox notes that this is now the seventh time in a row nationwide in which voters have approved such a measure.


    Forbes:
    Medicaid Expansion Wins In Red State South Dakota


    Voters in Republican-leaning South Dakota Tuesday approved a ballot measure to extend Medicaid benefits to more than 40,000 low-income adults. The vote by a wide margin of South Dakotans to expand Medicaid health insurance for low-income Americans under the Affordable Care Act is a political blow to Republican Gov. Kristi Noem, who opposed the ballot initiative. It’s also a setback for Republicans generally given their past unsuccessful efforts with Donald Trump to try to repeal the health law, also known as Obamacare. The Medicaid expansion measure known in South Dakota as “Constitutional Amendment D” had 56{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} support compared to 44{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} opposed with 90{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} of precincts reporting by early Wednesday morning, state election data showed. (Japsen, 11/9)


    Vox:
    South Dakota Voters Decide To Extend Medicaid Coverage To 45,000 People


    Six times before this Election Day, voters in a state had weighed in directly on whether to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act and make more low-income adults eligible for free public health coverage. Six times, the ballot measure had passed. That undefeated streak has now reached seven wins with the passage of South Dakota Constitutional Amendment D on Tuesday, according to the election results from the South Dakota secretary of state’s office. (Scott, 11/9)


    Politico:
    South Dakota Votes To Expand Medicaid 


    “We are thrilled by this victory, which took years of work, coalition building, and organizing to achieve,” said Kelly Hall, executive director of the Fairness Project, which helped pass the ballot measure. “Citizens took matters into their own hands to pass Medicaid expansion via ballot measure — showing us once again that if politicians won’t do their job, their constituents will step up and do it for them.” (Messerly, 11/9)

    Californians Defeat Dialysis Clinic Proposition, Ban Flavored Tobacco

    California voted “no” on Proposition 29, which would have required more doctor staffing at dialysis clinics. Voters said “yes,” though, to Proposition 31, a measure that bans most flavored tobacco products in the most populous state.


    AP:
    Californians Reject Measure To Alter Dialysis Clinic Rules


    For the third time in three straight elections, California voters rejected a ballot measure that would have mandated major changes to the operations of dialysis clinics that provide life-saving care to 80,000 people with kidney failure. Proposition 29 failed after nearly 70{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} of Californians voted “no” in returns late Tuesday. The measure would have required a doctor, nurse practitioner or physicians’ assistant to be present during treatment at the state’s 600 outpatient dialysis facilities. (Weber, 11/9)


    Los Angeles Times:
    California Votes No On Prop. 29 For Dialysis Clinics Changes


    Proposition 29 would have required dialysis clinics to have a doctor, nurse practitioner or physician assistant present while patients are receiving care at any of the state’s 600 dialysis centers. Clinics also would have been required to disclose if a physician had ownership interest in a facility and to report patient infection data. (Evans, 11/8)

    On flavored tobacco —


    Stat:
    California Bans Flavored Tobacco Products, Including Vapes


    On Tuesday, Californians overwhelmingly voted to ban all flavored tobacco products in the state. The move makes California by far the largest state to ban such products, which are already illegal in a smattering of smaller states, including Rhode Island, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. (Florko, 11/9)

    Gov. Gavin Newsom wins reelection —


    AP:
    California’s Newsom Wins 2nd Term, Is White House Run Next?


    Democrat Gavin Newsom easily won a second term as California’s governor on Tuesday, beating a little-known Republican state senator by mostly ignoring him while campaigning against the policies of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, two leading Republicans who also won reelection and like Newsom may run for president. … Speaking to supporters in Sacramento with his wife and four children by his side, Newsom again drew contrasts between himself and DeSantis and Abbot, saying he is “resolved to do more to advance that cause of freedom.” “We have governors that won their reelections tonight in other states that are banning books, that are banning speech, that are banning abortion, and here we are in California moving in a completely different direction,” Newsom said. “That’s a deep point of pride.” (Beam, 11/9)

    Voters Have Their Say On Medical Debt, Pot, Mushrooms, Human Rights, More

    In Arizona, voters overwhelmingly voted to decrease interest rates on medical debt. In Massachusetts, dental costs were front and center. In Pennsylvania, former heart surgeon and TV celebrity Dr. Mehmet Oz, a Republican, lost his bid for governor.


    Tucson.com:
    Arizona Prop 209 To Decrease Interest Rates On Medical Debt Likely To Pass


    The ballot proposition to decrease interest rates on medical debt is leading with 75{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} voter approval as of Tuesday night, according to unofficial election results from the Arizona Secretary of State’s office. If passed, Proposition 209 would reduce the maximum interest rates on medical debt from 10{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} to 3{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} annually. The measure would make certain assets exempt from debt collection, such as homes, household items, cars and bank accounts. (Ludden, 11/8)

    On dental insurance costs in Massachusetts —


    The Washington Examiner:
    Massachusetts Voters Approve Obamacare-Style Regulations Of Dental Insurance 


    Massachusetts will become the first state to impose Obamacare-style regulation on dental insurance, requiring insurers to put a certain percentage of the premiums they collect toward dental care after a ballot referendum received wide support. The Medical Loss Ratios for Dental Insurance Plans Initiative will soon force dental insurers to spend at least 83{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} of premiums on dental services, versus administrative or other overhead costs, or refund the excess to beneficiaries. (Adcox, 11/9)

    On mushrooms and marijuana —


    AP:
    ‘Magic Mushrooms’ Vote Too Early To Call In Colorado 


    A vote to decide whether Colorado will become the second state, after Oregon, to create a legalized system for the use of psychedelic mushrooms was too early to call Tuesday. The ballot initiative would decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms for those 21 and older and create state-regulated “healing centers” where participants can experience the drug under the supervision of a licensed “facilitator.” The measure would establish a regulated system for using substances like psilocybin and psilocin, the hallucinogenic chemicals found in some mushrooms. It also would allow private personal use of the drugs. (Peipert, 11/9)


    AP:
    Voters Approve Recreational Marijuana In Maryland, Missouri


    Voters approved recreational marijuana in Maryland and Missouri but rejected it in two other states, signaling support gradually growing for legalization even in conservative parts of the country. The results mean that 21 states have now approved marijuana’s recreational use. Arkansas and North Dakota voters rejected legalization proposals in Tuesday’s elections. A similar initiative went before voters in South Dakota, but early Wednesday it was too early to call. (DeMillo, 11/9)

    On health care as a human right in Oregon —


    AP:
    Oregon Gun Control, Health Care Measures Too Early To Call 


    Oregon voters appeared closely divided late Tuesday on measures that would add permitting and training requirements for new gun buyers and amend the state’s constitution to explicitly declare affordable health care a human right. With roughly 40{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} of the vote counted in the vote-by-mail state, the outcomes of both races were too early to call. (Flaccus, 11/9)

    Control of Congress is up in the air —


    The New York Times:
    Who Will Control The House And Senate? 


    For the second Election Day in a row, election night ends without a clear winner. It could be days until a party is projected to win the House of Representatives. It could be a month until we know the same for the Senate. Here’s the state of the race for both chambers and when — maybe, just maybe — we’ll know the outcome. (Cohn, 11/9)

  • ERIE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH PROVIDES COVID-19 DATA UPDATE FOR WEEK ENDING NOVEMBER 27, 2021

    ERIE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH PROVIDES COVID-19 DATA UPDATE FOR WEEK ENDING NOVEMBER 27, 2021

    ERIE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH PROVIDES COVID-19 DATA UPDATE FOR WEEK ENDING NOVEMBER 27, 2021

    ERIE COUNTY, NY – The Erie County Department of Health (ECDOH) is providing an update on COVID-19 data. For the week ending November 27, 2021, ECDOH received reports for 4,271 new COVID-19 cases among Erie County residents, a 2{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} decrease from the previous week. This decline may be attributable to fewer tests occurring in the latter half of that week due to the Thanksgiving holiday. This also represents a 145{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} increase in COVID-19 cases in the past six reporting weeks, and a 59{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} increase in the past four reporting weeks. Erie County’s COVID-19 case rate of 448 cases per 100,000 residents in the past seven days for the week ending November 27 is slight decrease from the previous week’s case rate of 456. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) set a case rate threshold of 100 or more cases per 100,000 residents in the past seven days for a community to be considered to have “high transmission.”

    30{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} of new COVID-19 cases last week were among city of Buffalo residents. For reference, city of Buffalo residents make up 29{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} of all Erie County residents. This past week the ZIP codes with the highest seven-day case rates per 100,000 persons were: 14025 (Boston, 32 cases), 14086 (Lancaster, 225 cases), 14141 (Springville, 52 cases), 14004 (Alden, 77 cases) and 14057 (Eden, 52 cases). 17 ZIP codes had a case rate of more than 500 new cases per 100,000 residents over seven days.

    Contact tracing case investigations continue to note family and household clusters of COVID-19 cases. With the holiday season approaching, ECDOH encourages people who plan to gather with friends and family to stay home and away from others if ill. Also, COVID-19 testing is a tool to make sure you know your COVID-19 status before small gatherings, especially if other guests are elderly, have chronic medical or immunocompromising conditions, are pregnant, or unvaccinated.

    About 43,200 COVID-19 test reports were received last week, a small decrease from the previous week’s total. Weekly test reports have remained very stable over the past four weeks. ECDOH and health care providers within Erie County still have substantial diagnostic testing capacity. People who are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, regardless of vaccination status, should strongly consider a diagnostic COVID-19 test. The New York State Department of Health maintains a list of testing locations. ECDOH created a list of community COVID-19 testing resources for parents and caregivers. Free COVID-19 NAAT tests are available through ECDOH by calling 716-858-2929 to schedule an appointment. Appointments are required for COVID-19 testing through ECDOH. Wait times for ECDOH appointment telephone line are longest in the morning. Callers may choose to call after 10 a.m. if they want to avoid a wait.

    The weekly positivity rate was 9.9{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}, up from 9.4{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} for the week ending November 20. This is the highest weekly positivity percentage since the earliest stages of the pandemic in May 2020. The 30-39-year-old age group had the highest number of COVID-19 cases last week, which represents a seven-day case rate of 693 per 100,000 persons in that age group. The age groups with the highest positivity rates were school-aged children: 12.6{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} for 5-10-year-olds; 14.8{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} for 11-13-year-olds; and, 13.7{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} for 14-17-year-olds. These higher positivity rates may reflect lower relative numbers of tests in these age groups, and a higher likelihood that symptomatic children and adolescents will seek a COVID-19 test for return to school purposes. Every age group, except ages 80 and older, had a positivity rate of more than 8{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}.

    For children under age 18 years, case totals decreased by 53 COVID-19 cases last week from the previous week, to 1,072 COVID-19 cases. Cases among children under 18 years comprised 25{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} of all cases reported for last week, an increase from October 2021 when that proportion was ~22-23{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}.

     

    The school team in the ECDOH Office of Epidemiology is managing a large volume of cases among k-12 students and school staff. Data for the week ending November 13 and November 20 are incomplete* because official test reports are pending. These weekly totals remain higher than at any other point in this academic year or the previous academic year.

    ERIE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH PROVIDES COVID-19 DATA UPDATE FOR WEEK ENDING NOVEMBER 27, 2021

    ECDOH announced that it was piloting a “Test to Stay” program with Grand Island Central School District starting December 6. Broadly, in a school using TTS, k-12 students who are not fully vaccinated and close contacts of a COVID-19 case from a school exposure would have a rapid COVID-19 test before each school day as part of a modified quarantine. Students with a household exposure would not be eligible, nor would school staff. The student would attend school that day if their test result was negative. A positive test result would mean the student is excluded from school and placed in isolation at home. ECDOH will evaluate pilot program outcomes and decide on next steps.

    With 334 COVID-19 hospitalizations reported in Erie County hospitals on November 28, 2021, the number of patients admitted to Erie County hospitals with COVID-19 has ranged from a low of 203 hospitalizations to a high of 334 hospitalizations over the past two weeks [See chart at end of release]. 211 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 (63{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}) were not fully vaccinated. Among those patients, 42 (69{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}) of 61 patients admitted to the ICU were not fully vaccinated; and, 32 (70{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c}) of 46 patients with an airway assist were not fully vaccinated. Vaccines work to reduce the risk of serious illness and hospitalization. The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) publishes statewide data for COVID-19 cases over time by vaccination status, and daily hospital admissions over time by vaccination status.                                                           

    ECDOH is reporting COVID-19 mortality data. ECDOH received reports of 8 COVID-19 associated deaths in the past seven days. Total COVID-19-related deaths from March 2020 to November 25, 2021 now stand at 2,151, with 875 reported in 2021. CDC publishes national rates of COVID-19 related cases, hospitalizations and deaths by vaccination status at https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#rates-by-vaccine-status.                        

    With data compiled by the ECDOH epidemiology office through November 29, 2021, 21{fe463f59fb70c5c01486843be1d66c13e664ed3ae921464fa884afebcc0ffe6c} of 5-11-year-olds in Erie County have at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. Additional data, including vaccination estimates by ZIP code, are posted to the ECDOH web site. NYSDOH also updates vaccination data by demographics, by county and by ZIP code.         

    ECDOH has an active schedule of COVID-19 vaccine clinics, listed at www.erie.gov/vax. Clinics for 5-11-year-olds are listed at www.erie.gov/vax. ECDOH will also vaccinate any eligible Erie County resident at their home. Call (716) 858-2929 for the “Vax Visit” program.

    ECDOH encourages Erie County residents who are not fully vaccinated to begin their COVID-19 vaccine series. COVID-19 vaccination is especially important for youth and families attending school or child care.

    ECDOH vaccine clinics will provide a COVID-19 booster dose to anyone age 18 and older as long as enough time has elapsed from their initial series completion (6 months for Pfizer and Moderna; 2 months for J&J). ECDOH encourages people to review the recommended booster eligibility criteria, evaluate their risk factors and talk to their own physician with questions. NYSDOH has further information about booster doses.

    Chart: Erie County Hospitalization Data, last two weeks (November 15, 2021-November 28, 2021); data for Nov. 25, 2021 not available due to Thanksgiving holiday.
    Data Sources: New York State Department of Health and Erie County hospitals

     

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    ECDOH, COVID-19 vaccine info & clinic schedule: http://www.erie.gov/vax

    ECDOH, COVID-19 Information Line: (716) 858-2929 – foreign language interpretation available

    ECDOH, COVID-19 Weekly Data Updates: https://www2.erie.gov/health/index.php?q=covid-19-media-data

    New York State Department of Health, COVID-19 Boosters: http://ny.gov/boosters

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