Judge strikes down wage boost for some home workers. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon said part of the rules approved last year conflict with federal law that has long exempted third-party providers of in-home care for the elderly and disabled from complying with minimum wage and overtime laws. The decision. (AP, Dec. 22)
With caregiver pay hike, states warned about ADA obligations. In a “Dear Colleague” letter issued last week, officials from the U.S. departments of Justice and Health and Human Services said that states must be cognizant of their obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act to provide services in an integrated setting. (Disability Scoop, Dec. 19)
Video visits allow doctor to reach far-flung patients. Telehealth is booming across the country, but it is especially relevant in rural places like the Eastern Shore… [Here, the] computer helps spread thin resources. One of the clearest examples of how telemedicine can improve care is stroke treatment. There’s something called the “golden hour,” the time patients are candidates for a powerful clot-busting drug that can reverse nerve damage.
Head of Medicaid to exit. Cindy Mann, the deputy administrator at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will step down next month after five years as head of the country’s biggest public insurance program. (The Hill, Dec. 19)
Opinion: Gov. Jay Nixon must quickly increase pay for home health workers in Missouri. “Home health attendants work long hours with heavy lifting and save the public a great deal of money by enabling elderly and disabled people to remain at home instead of moving to institutional settings.” (The Kansas City Star, Dec. 19)
Obama renews tax breaks, creates ABLE accounts. President Barack Obama signed legislation Friday that … allows people with disabilities to open tax-free savings accounts. (AP, Dec. 19)
Colorado’s aging population will need increased services to age at home. Keeping needy senior citizens in their homes will require an expansion of services like transportation, meals-on-wheels, counseling and nutrition education, according to the Colorado Department of Human Services[, which] is asking for an additional $4 million next year. (The Denver Post, Dec. 22)
Medicaid privatization may pose risk to those with complicated health news. Florida’s decision to privatize government-subsidized healthcare for more than 3 million Medicaid recipients will lower costs and improve care, state leaders say. But the new managed care system is also exposing some Floridians in Medicaid, the state/federal insurance program for children, the poor and disabled, to the uncertainties of the private market for the first time. (Kaiser Health News, Dec. 23)
Mental-health funding could get boost in Indiana’s budget. Rep. Mike Karickoff, R-Kokomo, who will serve as the Budget Subcommittee Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, said most of the new funding for mental-health services will come out of the $11 million appropriated to enact sentencing reform. He said the question now is how and where to allocate that funding. (Kokomo Tribune, Dec. 23)
After 15 years, Dallas area’s mental health experiment may be ending. North Texas leaders have boasted for years about the… partially privatized system called NorthSTAR[, which] uses less money to treat more people than in any other part of the state. More important, they say no one in need of care ever goes on a waiting list. But critics have argued that the system offers less comprehensive care and causes the region to lose out on state dollars. And now, an effort to break it up seems to be gaining steam. This month, a state oversight panel described NorthSTAR as “outdated” and suggested that it be scrapped. (Dallas Morning News, Dec. 20)
The rise of disability tech. From robots that can help you remember things, to cars that can drive on their own, disability tech is on the rise. (TNW, Dec. 22)