NPR: Anatomy of Addiction—How Heroin and Opioids Hijack the Brain
They trigger the release of dopamine, which is a neurotransmitter that causes intense pleasure in parts of the brain that include the limbic system, according to Savage. It links brain areas that control and regulate emotions such as the pleasures of eating, drinking and sex. “This is a very ancient part of the human brain that’s necessary for survival,” says Savage. “All drugs that people use to get high tickle this part of the brain.” — Jack Rodolico (Jan. 11)
PBS NewsHour: The Opioid Epidemic’s Toll on Pregnant Women and Their Babies
Each year between 2008 and 2012, on average, more than one-quarter of reproductive age women with private insurance — and more than one-third of those enrolled in Medicaid — filled a prescription for opioid painkillers. In 2014, 4.8 million women reported nonmedical or illicit use of prescription opioids. And the number of pregnant women receiving treatment for opioid abuse more than doubled between 2000 and 2012. — Alison Stewart (Jan. 9)
KHI News Service: Kansas Insurer to End Prior Authorization on Mental Health
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas won’t require customers who need mental health services to get prior authorization going forward, but it can recoup payments from providers if their treatment is significantly different from that of their peers. Mary Beth Chambers, spokeswoman for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, said the change brings the insurer’s mental health policies in line with its policies for other types of medical care and with mental health parity laws. — Megan Hart (Jan. 8)
Kaiser Health News: Medicaid to Fund More Addiction Treatment
For decades, if someone on Medicaid wanted to get treatment for drug or alcohol addiction, they almost always had to rely solely on money from state and local sources. Now, in a dramatic shift, the federal government is considering chipping in, too. The agency that governs Medicaid is proposing to cover 15 days of inpatient rehab per month for anyone enrolled in a Medicaid managed care plan. — Ben Allen, WITY (Jan. 7)
DisabilityScoop: Schools Cited for Widespread ADA Violations
Federal officials are demanding action after an investigation revealed that the vast majority of elementary schools in the nation’s largest district are inaccessible to students with disabilities. A two-year inquiry by the office of U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara found that 83 percent of elementary schools in New York City are not “fully accessible.” Moreover, in swaths of the city that serve more than 50,000 elementary school students, there is not a single school that meets accessibility requirements. — Shaun Heasley (Jan. 5)
The Hill: Lawmakers Propose Bipartisan Bill to Boost Mental Health Funding
Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) on Wednesday announced they are introducing a bipartisan bill to increase funding for community mental health clinics. The bill would expand on a 2014 law that provides funding for a trial program for eight states to create community mental health centers. The centers are to offer services such as 24-hour crisis psychiatric care. — Peter Sullivan (Jan. 6)
NPR: Feds Funding Effort to Tie Medical Services to Social Needs
The federal government has announced a $157 million project to help hospitals and doctors link Medicare and Medicaid patients with needed social services that sometimes have a bigger effect on their health than medical interventions. Even with medical care easily available, patients are often limited in their ability to get better or maintain good health if they lack stable housing, access to healthful food or the ability to get to and from medical appointments. — Julie Rovner (Jan. 5)
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