In The News is a concise digest of health care news in Vermont and the nation. VMS is not responsible for the content of the articles.
VERMONT NEWS
VPR: Shortage of primary care doctors looms for Vermont
A shortage of primary care doctors in most parts of Vermont has the medical community concerned, with nearly 30 percent of primary care physicians over age 60 and nearing retirement. On today’s Vermont Edition, we look at the state of primary care in Vermont and some of the solutions to address the problem. Our guests are Dr. Allan Ramsay, a former member of the Green Mountain Care Board who has practiced medicine in Vermont for over 35 years, and Dr. Jill Rinehart, an independent pediatrician and president of the Vermont chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Also in the program, should Vermont raise the smoking age from 18 to 21? Advocates fell short of getting this idea enacted into law during the last legislative session, but they're pushing the public health benefits of the law change again this session. Pediatrician Dr. Rebecca Bell explains why she's working in support of the measure. More »
VTDIGGER: State retracts data showing jump in psychiatric emergencies
A huge spike the state reported in involuntary hospital admissions for mental health patients has not happened, and officials are blaming a computer glitch for the incorrect report. The commissioner of the Department of Mental Health said officials “inadvertently double counted” a key category of patients, making it appear that the number of adult emergency admissions for mental health cases had gone way up. There was also a large increase reported in forensic admissions — those typically involve criminal cases — that turned out to be inaccurate as well. More »
PBS: How this Vermont experiment improves patient health at lower cost
This tiny state, with a population more rural and less diverse than the country as a whole, is embarking on an experiment that could transform the delivery of health care nationwide. Traditionally, doctors and hospitals are paid for each procedure, treatment or test they provide. But critics say this “fee for service” system drives up costs and harms patients by pushing providers to do as much as possible, regardless of whether it benefits patients. Under Vermont’s plan, to be phased in through 2022, health plans would pay doctors and hospitals based on how well they care for their patients and contain costs, rather than on the volume of services they provide. More »
VERMONT BIZ: US News: Vermont Top 10 'Best State,' MA is No. 1, NH is No. 2
Massachusetts is the best state in the nation, New Hampshire is 2 and Vermont is 10, according to US News & World Report. US News, which bills itself as the global rankings authority, evaluated all 50 states across a range of criteria, from education and health care to infrastructure and economy, to capture how states best serve their citizens. The inaugural Best States (link is external) rankings are the centerpiece of a new, interactive platform (link is external) featuring fresh reporting, data and charts on trends, developments and news throughout the states. More »
NATIONAL NEWS
NY TIMES: The Obamacare sticking points behind closed doors
The debate over the future of Obamacare is taking place in secret meetings among Republican lawmakers. President Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan have promised to bring forward a bill to modify the law soon. But before they do, they have to work out disagreements among their colleagues on the best way to proceed. There are, of course, many small issues that are likely to be discussed in committee hearings or in other open forums. But several disagreements are so fundamental that they probably need to be resolved behind closed doors before a bill can even be introduced. Here’s a guide to the major sticking points that are holding up Republicans’ quest to replace the Affordable Care Act. More »
WASHINGTON POST: Rate of birth defects in Zika pregnancies 20 times higher than in pre-Zika years, CDC says
Pregnancies of women in the United States infected with the Zika virus are about 20 times more likely to result in babies with certain birth defects, compared with the prevalence of these birth defects before the Zika epidemic swept through the Americas, according to a report released Thursday. Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are trying to determine how common these birth defects, such as microcephaly, brain abnormalities, eye defects and central nervous system problems, were in the years before the Zika outbreak. Although a Zika infection during pregnancy is linked to a distinct pattern of birth defects, those abnormalities are not unique to Zika. Genetic factors and other viral infections may also cause these birth defects, although in many cases the causes are unknown, experts say. More »
NY TIMES: Republican unity on health care is elusive, despite Trump’s support
President Trump’s address to Congress on Tuesday night buoyed House Republican leaders who were hopeful that his leadership would unite fractious lawmakers around a plan to replace the Affordable Care Act. But fundamental disagreements still divide Republicans on one of the central promises of their 2016 campaigns: repealing the health law. While Mr. Trump appeared to back a health plan being drawn up by Republican leaders, it became clear Wednesday that lawmakers were continuing to argue over its details. Republican senators emerged from a closed-door meeting on health care tight-lipped. Some have balked at a proposal to require workers to pay taxes on particularly generous employer-provided health benefits. Some are worried about the future of Medicaid. But the central dividing line appears to be over how the federal government would help people purchase health insurance. More »
MODERN HEALTHCARE: CMS fines 17 insurers for violating Medicare Rx plan rules
The CMS slapped nearly half of the health plans offering Medicare prescription drug benefits with fines for improperly denying beneficiaries access to drugs and other services. The fines were a result of a 2016 audit of 37 health plans made public this week. The agency issued fines to 17 of those plans. It fined Minnetonka, Minn.-based UnitedHealthcare, the nation's largest insurer, $2.5 million for failing to comply with a range of Medicare prescription drug requirements. The 17 insurers were fined a total of $7.3 million. Violations of the Medicare Advantage Part D prescription drug requirements led to reduced access to medical services and drugs, the CMS said. More »
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