Expect Snags As The Affordable Care Act Rolls Out
Even proponents of the federal health law have the same expectation: The rollout of the biggest new social program in nearly 50 years is not going to be pretty.
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Even proponents of the federal health law have the same expectation: The rollout of the biggest new social program in nearly 50 years is not going to be pretty.
Patients face severe limitations on the amount and duration of medicines they take to fight addiction to pain pills.
A new law passed this year says Oklahoma patients who are disabled, elderly or terminally ill cannot be denied life-preserving treatments if they or their health proxies want it.
As of May 1, 16 states plus the District of Columbia have approved the expansion or are headed in that direction, 27 have rejected it or about to and seven states could still go either way.
With billions at stake, hospitals are lobbying hard for Medicaid expansion in Columbus, Tallahassee and other state capitals where state legislators oppose the extension of the program.
Extending benefits to ex-offenders will provide health coverage to a group that is generally in worse health than the overall population. Researchers say it could also keep some from sliding back into crime.
Little-noticed but controversial provisions in recently passed gun-control measures in New York have local officials and mental health advocates trying to strike a balance among patient privacy, their rights and public safety.
Sequestration's cuts will likely affect how low-income Americans get maternal care, vaccinate their children and get treatment for mental illness, even if the cuts largely spare Medicare and Medicaid.
A New York law passed last year ensures that everyone with "advanced life limiting conditions or illnesses who might benefit from palliative care" not only be informed of these services but also that the provider facilitate access to that care if they desire it.
The Affordable Care Act will usher at least seven million more Americans into Medicaid next year, but the question of whether enough doctors will be there to welcome them is keeping some state health policymakers up at night.
Few states are poised to spend their own money to reverse as much as a decade of budget cutbacks in mental health care.
Connecticut was one of the first states to establish a health care advocacy agency, a response to the numerous complaints lawmakers were receiving at that time from constituents about their managed care plans.
The Obama administration has yet to complete federal regulations implementing rules that would enable states to enforce a mental health parity bill President George W. Bush signed into law, and in the meantime, behavioral health may have fallen behind.
Oklahoma prisoners with mental illnesses face a myriad of obstacles in rejoining society, but a state program seeks to reintroduce them to society, keep them on medication and save them from returning to prison.
Gov. Paul LePage is seeking cuts to the rolls of MaineCare, the state's Medicaid program, by more than 23,000 people and reduced benefits for nearly 3,800 others.
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