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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: Non-Physicians Will Be Able To Prescribe Drugs That Curbs Opioid Addictions
The federal government will offer waivers to nurse practitioners and physicians assistants to write prescriptions for drugs that curb addiction to opioids. Dr. Harry Chen the Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Health says in a rural state like Vermont there aren't enough doctors to prescribe the drug to those in need. He says it’s important to allow other medical professionals to prescribe the treatment. “To have another additional workforce that can take the training, that can prescribe that evidence based treatment for opioid use disorder is really beneficial” says Chen. The waivers will require a 24 hour training and will take effect in February. More »
VPR: Long Time Rutland Pediatrician Arthur Wolk Dies at 97
Dr. Arthur Wolk, a beloved Rutland area pediatrician, died Thursday at the age of 97. Wolk took care of thousands of children in his 42-year medical career. Born in 1919, Wolk grew up in Rutland and attended the University of Vermont for undergraduate studies and medical school. During World War II and the Korean War, he served in the US Army Medical Corps. He served as chairman of the Vermont Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, served as president of the medical staff of what is now Rutland Regional Medical Center and was chairman of the Rutland County Medical Society. More »
VPR: Shumlin And Scott Remain Hopeful Trump Will Honor 'All-Payer' Deal
Gov. Peter Shumlin says he's optimistic the administration of President-elect Donald Trump will support the state's new health care payment reform plan known as "all-payer." In late September state and federal officials signed an agreement that allows Vermont to make a dramatic change in the way that health care is paid for in the state. The idea is to shift away from the current system, known as "fee-for-service" which reimburses the health care system for every procedure and test that's done, and move towards a system that rewards positive health care outcomes and emphasizes primary care services. More »
NATIONAL NEWS
NBC News: Trump Picks Rep. Tom Price to Lead HHS
President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he will nominate Georgia Rep. Tom Price to head the Department of Health and Human Services. The Cabinet-level pick, which requires Senate confirmation, inserts one of Obamacare's most outspoken critics into the key position to dismantle it and help Republicans implement their own blueprint for health care reform. More »
The Hill: House GOP eying major Medicare overhaul in 2017
The head of the House Budget Committee said Thursday that lawmakers are eying an overhaul of Medicare next year. Budget Committee Chairman Tom Price (R-Ga.) said he expects lawmakers to push forward with an overhaul “within the first six to eight months” of President-elect Donald Trump's administration. It's the first time that a House GOP leader has said officials are planning to fast-track an overhaul of Medicare in 2017. More »
NY Times: U.S. Dementia Rates Are Dropping Even as Population Ages
Despite fears that dementia rates were going to explode as the population grows older and fatter, and has more diabetes and high blood pressure, a large nationally representative survey has found the reverse. Dementia is actually on the wane. And when people do get dementia, they get it at older and older ages. The new study found that the dementia rate in Americans 65 and older fell by 24 percent over 12 years, to 8.8 percent in 2012 from 11.6 percent in 2000. That trend that is “statistically significant and impressive,” said Samuel Preston, a demographer at the University of Pennsylvania who was not associated with the study. More »
NY Times: Many Insured Children Lack Essential Health Care, Study Finds
A new study to be released on Monday by the Children’s Health Fund, a nonprofit based in New York City that expands access to health care for disadvantaged children, found that one in four children in the United States did not have access to essential health care, though a record number of young people now have health insurance. The report found that 20.3 million people in the nation under the age of 18 lack “access to care that meets modern pediatric standards.” More »
NY Times: House to Vote on Bill Aimed at Speeding Approval of Drugs
The House plans to vote Wednesday on a $6.3 billion bill aimed at speeding federal approval of drugs and medical devices and boosting biomedical research. The legislation, a priority for congressional leaders in the lame-duck session, seeks to streamline how federal regulators assess the safety of new treatments and let them reach markets more quickly. It provides new money for the National Institutes of Health and Food and Drug Administration, including funding for the White House's cancer moonshot and precision medicine initiatives. The bill also would seek $1 billion in grants to states to fight opioid abuse. More »
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