Saturday, March 31, 2007
New law expands insurance policies for mental health
Jennifer Byrd of the AP writes:
Private health-insurance policies for individuals and small companies in Washington now will be required to offer coverage for mental-health treatment equal to their medical benefits.
"Washington now has the strongest and the best mental-health parity requirements in our nation," Gov. Chris Gregoire said as she signed the bill into law Friday.
The measure expands a mental-health parity law passed in 2005 that required all private health-insurance policies for large groups to provide equal coverage for medical and mental-health treatment. Under the new measure, that requirement expands to companies with fewer than 50 employees and to individual policies.
It means, for example, that if a health plan allows unlimited doctor visits for colds and sprains, there can't be a cap on therapy sessions.
With this law and the 2005 measure, mental-health parity now covers about 2 million of the state's 6 million people, said Randy Revelle, senior vice president of the Washington State Hospital Association.
The remaining 4 million are covered by federal programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, work at self-insured companies or have no insurance.
Some of those self-insured companies, such as Swedish Medical Center, Ben Bridge Jewelers, American Airlines, AT&T and General Motors, do voluntarily offer mental-health parity to employees, Revelle said.
But only a federal law would require them to do so.
Private health-insurance policies for individuals and small companies in Washington now will be required to offer coverage for mental-health treatment equal to their medical benefits.
"Washington now has the strongest and the best mental-health parity requirements in our nation," Gov. Chris Gregoire said as she signed the bill into law Friday.
The measure expands a mental-health parity law passed in 2005 that required all private health-insurance policies for large groups to provide equal coverage for medical and mental-health treatment. Under the new measure, that requirement expands to companies with fewer than 50 employees and to individual policies.
It means, for example, that if a health plan allows unlimited doctor visits for colds and sprains, there can't be a cap on therapy sessions.
With this law and the 2005 measure, mental-health parity now covers about 2 million of the state's 6 million people, said Randy Revelle, senior vice president of the Washington State Hospital Association.
The remaining 4 million are covered by federal programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, work at self-insured companies or have no insurance.
Some of those self-insured companies, such as Swedish Medical Center, Ben Bridge Jewelers, American Airlines, AT&T and General Motors, do voluntarily offer mental-health parity to employees, Revelle said.
But only a federal law would require them to do so.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Bush apologizes for Walter Reed conditions
President Bush apologized Friday for the shoddy conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and promised during a visit to the facility for war veterans that "we're going to fix the problem."
Critics questioned the timing of Bush's visit six weeks after poor conditions and neglect of veterans were exposed there.
Retired Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton, among retired military officers who took part in a conference call before Bush's visit, praised the president for seeing wounded soldiers. But, he added: "I'm convinced he would honor them more if he would refrain from using soldiers as props in political theater."
"I would be very happy to see him do the Walter Reed visit more like the commander and secondarily as an inspector general, rather than as a politician," he said.
Bobby Muller, president of Veterans for America, said Bush wasn't seeing areas of the hospital most in need of change. He cited Ward 54, where soldiers are suffering from acute mental health conditions, and outpatient holding facilities where soldiers see long waits to get processed out of the Army.
"Walter Reed is not a photo-op," Muller said. "Walter Reed is still broken. The DOD health care system is still broken. ... Our troops need their commander in chief to start working harder for them."
Walter Reed is considered one of the Army's premier facilities for treating the wounded. The revelations in mid-February of poor treatment and neglect of those wounded in war was an embarrassment to Bush, who routinely speaks of the need to support the troops and praises the care they receive back home.
Troops and veterans say many of the issues have been well-known for a while, and have long been in need of greater attention.
This week, the House voted to create a coterie of case managers, advocates and counselors for injured troops. The bill also establishes a hot line for medical patients to report problems in their treatment.
Critics questioned the timing of Bush's visit six weeks after poor conditions and neglect of veterans were exposed there.
Retired Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton, among retired military officers who took part in a conference call before Bush's visit, praised the president for seeing wounded soldiers. But, he added: "I'm convinced he would honor them more if he would refrain from using soldiers as props in political theater."
"I would be very happy to see him do the Walter Reed visit more like the commander and secondarily as an inspector general, rather than as a politician," he said.
Bobby Muller, president of Veterans for America, said Bush wasn't seeing areas of the hospital most in need of change. He cited Ward 54, where soldiers are suffering from acute mental health conditions, and outpatient holding facilities where soldiers see long waits to get processed out of the Army.
"Walter Reed is not a photo-op," Muller said. "Walter Reed is still broken. The DOD health care system is still broken. ... Our troops need their commander in chief to start working harder for them."
Walter Reed is considered one of the Army's premier facilities for treating the wounded. The revelations in mid-February of poor treatment and neglect of those wounded in war was an embarrassment to Bush, who routinely speaks of the need to support the troops and praises the care they receive back home.
Troops and veterans say many of the issues have been well-known for a while, and have long been in need of greater attention.
This week, the House voted to create a coterie of case managers, advocates and counselors for injured troops. The bill also establishes a hot line for medical patients to report problems in their treatment.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Help for Oregon's mentally ill children
statesmanjournal.com reports:
Gov. Ted Kulongoski wants Oregon children to have better access to mental-health services.
To make that happen, the governor on Tuesday signed an executive order establishing the Children's Wraparound Steering Committee to oversee the development of an integrated care system for youths with mental illnesses and their families.
"The issue of mental-health care for Oregon children has been long overlooked," Kulongoski said. "The time has come to develop an integrated system of care for these children."
Kulongoski signed the order surrounded by young Oregonians and their families whose lives have been adversely affected by mental-health issues.
It is estimated that more than 43,000 children in Oregon have mental illnesses, according to census data.
The governor also addressed the need to integrate and coordinate services that help address developmental and behavioral disorders in youths, saying they and their families often need services from multiple child-serving agencies.
The shared agenda is intended to break down communication and collaboration barriers that often occur between youths, families, mental-health providers and service agencies and schools.
The newly created steering committee is charged with developing strategies aimed at improving cross-agency service coordination at the state and local levels to help provide better care for children, youth and their families.
Under the executive order, the committee must submit its plan to the governor by October.
Gov. Ted Kulongoski wants Oregon children to have better access to mental-health services.
To make that happen, the governor on Tuesday signed an executive order establishing the Children's Wraparound Steering Committee to oversee the development of an integrated care system for youths with mental illnesses and their families.
"The issue of mental-health care for Oregon children has been long overlooked," Kulongoski said. "The time has come to develop an integrated system of care for these children."
Kulongoski signed the order surrounded by young Oregonians and their families whose lives have been adversely affected by mental-health issues.
It is estimated that more than 43,000 children in Oregon have mental illnesses, according to census data.
The governor also addressed the need to integrate and coordinate services that help address developmental and behavioral disorders in youths, saying they and their families often need services from multiple child-serving agencies.
The shared agenda is intended to break down communication and collaboration barriers that often occur between youths, families, mental-health providers and service agencies and schools.
The newly created steering committee is charged with developing strategies aimed at improving cross-agency service coordination at the state and local levels to help provide better care for children, youth and their families.
Under the executive order, the committee must submit its plan to the governor by October.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Mom donates laptops to wounded soldiers
Laura Brown, a mother with a son who fought in the Iraq war, is trying to improve conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center — one laptop computer at a time.
The 50-year-old from Cody, Wyo., was chatting on the Internet with the mother of a wounded soldier two years ago when the mother mentioned she had to print out her son's e-mails and take them to him at Walter Reed because there weren't enough laptop computers to go around.
So Brown formed a group, Laptops for the Wounded, to raise money for the cause.
The hospital, flooded with wounded from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, has attracted media and congressional scrutiny in the last month, due to reports of shoddy living conditions for soldiers housed there.
Brown said she can relate with the loneliness and isolation of the wounded because she is also disabled, having suffered knee and back injuries in recent years. She is also inspired by her son, who lost his young wife to illness just weeks after they were married several years ago.
The 50-year-old from Cody, Wyo., was chatting on the Internet with the mother of a wounded soldier two years ago when the mother mentioned she had to print out her son's e-mails and take them to him at Walter Reed because there weren't enough laptop computers to go around.
So Brown formed a group, Laptops for the Wounded, to raise money for the cause.
The hospital, flooded with wounded from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, has attracted media and congressional scrutiny in the last month, due to reports of shoddy living conditions for soldiers housed there.
Brown said she can relate with the loneliness and isolation of the wounded because she is also disabled, having suffered knee and back injuries in recent years. She is also inspired by her son, who lost his young wife to illness just weeks after they were married several years ago.
You go, girls.
Arizona State led nearly the entire way to beat Bowling Green 67-49 Saturday in the Greensboro Regional.The win gave third-seeded Arizona State (31-4) its first trip to the NCAA tournament's round of eight, where the Sun Devils will face the Duke-Rutgers winner Monday with a chance to go to the Final Four. (AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain)
..And then it happened
Someone actually posted the entire Suns Dallas game from last week online at youtube.com, in 15 parts.
Like a mini series.
And no, Im posting the entire game. (I think only one of you would like that).. This is funny to say... but in part 11 of 15...
...is the final minute of regulation.
I've watched alot of basketball in my 31 years, and have hoped on hope before... had faith...
but Phoenix was down by 7 points with 57 seconds left. And then down 5 with 32 seconds left, with the Mavericks Nowitzki set to shoot two free throws. He's a 90% shooter from the line. 5th best in the league.
With the game in Dallas, fans were chanting "MVP! MVP!" to salute the amazing game, season and career of one of the game's best players.... And then it happenned.
Like a mini series.
And no, Im posting the entire game. (I think only one of you would like that).. This is funny to say... but in part 11 of 15...
...is the final minute of regulation.
I've watched alot of basketball in my 31 years, and have hoped on hope before... had faith...
but Phoenix was down by 7 points with 57 seconds left. And then down 5 with 32 seconds left, with the Mavericks Nowitzki set to shoot two free throws. He's a 90% shooter from the line. 5th best in the league.
With the game in Dallas, fans were chanting "MVP! MVP!" to salute the amazing game, season and career of one of the game's best players.... And then it happenned.
Looking back at the Suns/Mavs Double Overtime Classic
This was the first time in 35 years that two teams with records this good faced each other this late in the season. The game surpassed the hype.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Former Arizona Governor admits to seeing UFO seen by thousands in 1997
Photo: National UFO Reporting Center
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Sleepless nights may hinder moral judgment
Sleep deprivation may lead not only to bleary-eyed mornings, but clouded moral judgment as well, a study suggests.
Army researchers found that when they subjected a group of volunteers to two sleepless nights, the lack of shut-eye seemed to hinder participants' ability to make decisions in the face of emotionally charged, moral dilemmas.
The dilemmas in this case were hypothetical scenarios, and not actual events. But the study authors say the findings could have implications for people who are both routinely sleep-deprived and often need to make quick decisions in a crisis -- such as soldiers in combat and medical professionals.
Dr. William D. S. Killgore and colleagues at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research report the findings in the journal Sleep.
Army researchers found that when they subjected a group of volunteers to two sleepless nights, the lack of shut-eye seemed to hinder participants' ability to make decisions in the face of emotionally charged, moral dilemmas.
The dilemmas in this case were hypothetical scenarios, and not actual events. But the study authors say the findings could have implications for people who are both routinely sleep-deprived and often need to make quick decisions in a crisis -- such as soldiers in combat and medical professionals.
Dr. William D. S. Killgore and colleagues at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research report the findings in the journal Sleep.
Thursday, March 01, 2007
New digs
koin.com reports:
Oregon Health and Sciences University officials expressed support for the choice of Junction City as the site for a new state psychiatric hospital.
OHSU President Dr. Joe Robertson said, "The Junction City location will create excellent educational opportunities for students and expose them to careers in the behavioral sciences and public psychiatry. Oregon has a strong need for specialists in the area of mental health."
The Junction City hospital will be the second of two psychiatric hospitals planned to replace the aging facility in Salem. The first hospital, planned for completion in 2011, will be a 620-bed facility located on the site of the existing Oregon State Hospital campus in Salem. The hospital in Junction City will hold 360 beds.
Oregon Health and Sciences University officials expressed support for the choice of Junction City as the site for a new state psychiatric hospital.
OHSU President Dr. Joe Robertson said, "The Junction City location will create excellent educational opportunities for students and expose them to careers in the behavioral sciences and public psychiatry. Oregon has a strong need for specialists in the area of mental health."
The Junction City hospital will be the second of two psychiatric hospitals planned to replace the aging facility in Salem. The first hospital, planned for completion in 2011, will be a 620-bed facility located on the site of the existing Oregon State Hospital campus in Salem. The hospital in Junction City will hold 360 beds.
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