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Pennsylvania鈥檚 Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs has allowed providers to continue operating despite repeated violations and harm to clients.
The measure, which took effect Jan. 1, removes loopholes that made it easy for insurers to use arcane company guidelines to avoid paying for care. Patients now have an easier way to challenge those denials.
Experts agreed there鈥檚 no definitive evidence to back up the Florida governor鈥檚 assertion.
Hospitals across the country are seeing rising admissions for alcoholic liver disease, which encompasses hepatitis, cirrhosis and other conditions.
Gov. Gavin Newsom approved many consequential health care bills by his bill-signing deadline Wednesday, including a ban on the sale of menthol and other flavored tobacco products, the creation of a state generic drug label and better coverage for mental health disorders.
The president entered office seeking to overturn the Affordable Care Act, revamp Medicaid and drive down prescription drug prices, among other things. He鈥檚 hit some stone walls.
The statistic is accurate but experts say other factors make it difficult to say indicators to think about that make it hard to say it's a "huge win."
President Donald Trump has, for now at least, become a realist on the extent of the COVID-19 crisis around the country, and he is urging Americans to socially distance and wear masks. Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, Republicans facing a July 31 deadline are scrambling to come together on their version of the next COVID relief bill. Joanne Kenen of Politico, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times and Tami Luhby of CNN join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss this and more. Also, Rovner interviews NPR鈥檚 Pam Fessler, author of the new book 鈥淐arville鈥檚 Cure,鈥 which traces the history of the United States鈥 only federal leprosarium.
The coronavirus has forced drug rehabilitation centers to scale back operations or temporarily close, leaving people who have another potentially deadly disease 鈥 addiction 鈥 with fewer opportunities for help.
Experts say a bit of extra drinking isn鈥檛 a problem for many people, but they recommend watching out for specific behaviors that signal addiction.
Counting deaths caused by the coronavirus pandemic is easier said than done. Without widespread testing, officials must sort through presumed COVID deaths and those who died with infections rather than from them. Then there are the indirect deaths of people who died from circumstances created by the pandemic.
In areas hit hard by the coronavirus, such as Detroit, behavioral health care workers have been overburdened and forced to scale back services at the same time people battling mental health disorders became more stressed and anxious.
Relaxed regulations in response to the pandemic means more access to addiction treatment medications. But recovery programs are accepting fewer people, and the danger of overdose remains high.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has asked lawmakers to pare down their legislative wish lists and focus on the state鈥檚 coronavirus response. But state Sen. Jim Beall plans to forge ahead with his mental health care proposals, including a measure to create a state mental health parity requirement.
Dr. Nora Volkow, who heads the National Institute on Drug Abuse, details how emerging science points to added challenges for these patient populations and the public health system.
Under the national emergency, the government has waived a law that required patients to have an in-person visit with a physician before they could be prescribed drugs that help quell withdrawal symptoms, such as Suboxone. Now they can get those prescriptions via a phone call or videoconference with a doctor. That may give video addiction therapy a kick-start.
People in recovery from drug or alcohol addiction have to weather a new storm of depression, anxiety and isolation during the pandemic, just as the social supports of Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12-step programs move online.聽
Sarah and Andy fell in love while working to keep drug users from overdosing. But when his own addiction reemerged, Andy's fear of returning to prison kept him from the best treatment.
Health care experts thought the battle was won against heart disease, measles, smoking, STDs and other life-threatening conditions and behaviors. Better think again.
When patients need long-term treatment with intravenous antibiotics, hospitals usually let them manage their treatment at home 鈥 but not if they have a history of injection drug use. A Boston program wants to change that.
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