Healthcare Studies and Reports

News At A Glance

National Food and Drug Administration (FDA) employees concerned that government shutdown will endanger consumer health and safety– More than 40 percent of the FDA employees have been furloughed. The FDA is prioritizing safety inspections for high-risk facilities that handle seafood, raw fruit, and meat. Many employees have expressed concern that the agency will not be able to respond fast enough to an outbreak. Federal judge blocks rule allowing health insurance companies to stop providing no-cost contraception because of religious objection– The ruling was to go into effect this week, but a Philadelphia district judge blocked it saying that such a rule could have negative consequences such as increased costs and poor health outcomes. More confusion arises with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits amidst the shutdown– After concerns that people may not receive SNAP benefits due to the government shutdown, the administration agreed to bankroll around $4.8 billion in benefits for February; those must be paid out by January 20 which is a few weeks earlier than usual. Employees in state governments who are responsible for handling the logistics of sending the benefits to almost 30 million people in nine days are confident that they will be able to do so. National Center for Health Statistics finds that fertility rates in the United States are below replacement level– The report finds that the overall fertility rate is lower than what is needed to replace the population with some geographic and racial variation. Much of this is attributed to contraception. Cancer rates have been declining for last 25 years– More public health measures (smoking bans) and technological innovation are among some of the reasons for the decline. The gap in cancer death rates between low-income counties and affluent counties increased by ten percentage points in the last 47 years. Obesity-related cancer deaths and prostate cancer deaths are no longer declining. In related news, the first patient to receive treatment under the Right to Try Act was a cancer patient at the University of California, Irvine.

January 16, 2019 | Issue 44

1. Study from the Journal of the AmericanMedical Association finds that theaverage ratio of nurse practitioners tolow-income residents has increasedfrom 19.8 to 41.1 for every 100,000people between 2010 and 2016.

2. Study from the Journal of the AmericanMedical Association finds that direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertisingincreased from $1 billion in 1997 to $6billion in 2016 in the US.

3. Study conducted by the Energy PolicyInstitute finds that the average lifeexpectancy of China could be increasedby 2.9 years within approximately tenyears if it can bring the averageemission levels down to 10 microgramsfrom 39 micrograms per cubic meter.

4. Study from the Journal of AdolescentHealth finds that 45 percent of femalesand 51 percent of males between theages of 13 and 26 do not have privatetime to speak with their physiciansalone, without someone else in theroom.

5. Study from Health Affairs finds that therate of poverty declined by 0.917percentage points in states thatexpanded Medicaid between 2010 and2016.

6. Report from the National SafetyCouncil found that the odds of dyingfrom an opioid overdose were 1 in 96,surpassing the odds of dying in a motorvehicle accident which are 1 in 103.Opioid overdoses are now the fifthmost likely cause of death; heart diseaseis still the most likely cause of death forAmericans.

Healthcare

California

New York City has a new universal health insurance program for low-income individuals and unauthorized migrants– The plan covers 600,000 uninsured residents, half of whom are in the country illegally. The NYC Care plan builds on the already-present MetroPlus plan by giving coverage for doctors visits outside of hospitals. The services provided are on a sliding scale based on ability to pay. Texas scientists who created Ebola vaccine discover promising Ebola treatment– The researchers have shown that injecting monkey who are infected with various strains of Ebola with this new treatment results in successful treatment. Before this treatment, other medications were only targeted toward one strain and required multiple injections; moreover, it was difficult to determine which strain would cause the next outbreak. Louisiana wants to pay for hepatitis C drugs for Medicaid through a “Netflix model” – The state is looking for a drug manufacturing partner who is willing to accept a fixed-cost monthly subscription fee for unrestricted access to hepatitis C treatments. Only 3 percent of around 39,000 people affected by hepatitis C received treatment due to the high drug prices last year.

Other States

California may instate a state individual mandate– A University of California report projected that the rollback of the federal individual mandate would result in 450,000 Californians without health insurance in 2020. The new Governor hopes to follow in the footsteps of Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Vermont in creating a state level individual mandate that would impose a state tax penalty on those who do not have health insurance. A tax would require a two-thirds vote in the California legislature in order to pass. Marin County faces a public health violation after 100,000 gallons of raw sewage spilled from manholes throughout one city– Last weekend, the city of San Anselmo was faced with significant risk to public health. The city has been working on replacing the old pipes and had to create a bypass system to hold during the forecasted showers; the preparation was not adequate. Sanitation crew used vacuums and tanker trucks to clean up the streets and residents were warned to stay away from the contaminated areas. Adventist Health looking to incorporate Delano Regional Medical Center as part of health system– The new agreement will have to be approved by the California attorney general and the Federal Trade Commission. Delano Regional Medical Center particularly liked the Adventists’ “commitment to agricultural communities.”

Illinois-based NorthShore University HealthSystem to offer genetic testing services during primary care visit– In this program, 10,0000 patients will be able to provide blood samples to undergo whole genome testing and receive a consultation session with a genetic counselor. This project is one of many that involves genetic sequencing at the health system. Hundreds of thousands of Ohio residents lost Medicaid in 2018– Analysts and officials are unable to pinpoint exactly why 700,000 Ohioans lost their insurance in the first 10 months of 2018. Many believe it is due to the strong economy and low unemployment rate. Others believe there may be issues with the state’s computerized enrollment system. New Hampshire has a new treatment plan for substance use disorder– The state received approximately $46 million through a federal grant to address the opioid crises. The state’s Department of Health and Human Services created a community-based model similar to Vermont’s model that includes regional access points and local treatment areas. The 2-1-1 helpline also refers people to the closest regional access point. Missouri’s Home Health Care program did not have the expected savings according to the state auditor– These services are designed to allow elderly people to maintain their independence by getting care and other services at home. In 2017, lawmakers in the state decided to increase the eligibility requirements in order to save money. They estimated that the changes would save $43 million. The state auditor determined that the state only saved $11 million because they failed to take into account that patients’ care needs and cost of care increase over time.

Oral Health

Hunger as a Health

Issue

Mental/Behavioral

Health

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Newsbytes Relevant to Our Strategic Priorities

Delta Dental of Colorado Foundation will be providing 29 organizations with a $3.4 million grant to improve dental access and prevent tooth decay– The Northeast Colorado Health Department plans to provide preventive procedures through school-based oral health centers and training and education at delivery hospitals. One of the organizations receiving the grant funds will focus on providing dental care to low-income elderly adults while a third organization will focus on addressing oral health care for the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, transgender, queer) population.

Healthcare-Related Surveys of the Week

To bring focus to our work, the Institute for Health Policy and Leadership has identified three strategic priorities: oral health, mental health and hunger as a health issue. This segment highlights news articles relevant to these priorities.

39.5% Percentage of radiologists who use telemedicine to provide care to their patients according to the 2016 Physician Practice Benchmark Survey. Radiology had the highest provider-patient telemedicine usage out of all specialties.

Hartnell College offers programs to address hunger and homelessness– Nearly 33 percent of community college students face housing insecurity in California. Approximately 60 percent of students who responded to a Hartnell College survey indicated that they suffer from food insecurity. The Guardian Scholars program provides various forms of support (emotional, financial, and educational) for former and current foster youths. The school provides food pantries and is considering building emergency housing for those who need overnight shelter.

Report highlights that Generation Z has the highest likelihood of suffering from poor mental health– Generation Z consists of those born between the mid-1990s and early 2000s. The psychologist who created the report attributes much of the stress and anxiety that causes poor mental health to the events of 9/11, the 24/7 media, and the presence of school threats that lead young folks into over-estimating risk. She also believes that Generation Z is more likely than other generation members to seek mental health care.

90% Percentage of respondents (out of 132 ) who believed that the new Apple health records feature helped improve their understanding of their health according to an online survey conducted by UC San Diego Health.

20% Percentage of pediatric emergency department visits that resulted in an antibiotic prescription between 2009 and 2014. Approximately 7 million antibiotic prescriptions are written for pediatric patients every year in emergency departments.