In Los Angeles County, Measure ER, a proposed half-cent sales tax for five years, was ahead with 50.59% of the vote as of Tuesday evening. The measure needs a simple majority to pass. Supporters have said the tax, which would not apply to groceries or medications, could raise about $1 billion annually.

Los Angeles County voters have often supported taxes for public programs, said Mike Bonin, executive director of the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at Cal State Los Angeles. But this measure faced a tougher political climate, particularly as residents continue to feel pressure from the cost of living.

Bonin said even some Democrats and progressive voters were uneasy about relying on a sales tax, which is often considered regressive because it takes a larger share of income from lower-income households than from wealthier residents.

“This is tough on people, and so there was some resistance to it,” Bonin said, adding that the measure did not move ahead until late in the count.

In Contra Costa County, Measure B would have imposed a five-eighths-cent sales tax expected to generate roughly $150 million a year. Voters turned it down, with 57% opposed in the latest count.

“We’re in a difficult period for middle-income people,” said Marc Joffe, president of the Contra Costa Taxpayers Association, which led the opposition campaign. He said rising gas prices during the campaign likely helped opponents make their case.

The outcomes differ from Santa Clara County, where voters last fall approved a similar sales tax with 57% support.

The Los Angeles and Contra Costa measures were prompted by concerns over federal health care funding changes approved last summer by Congress and President Trump. County officials and health care providers say changes to Medicaid, known in California as Medi-Cal, are expected to increase the number of uninsured residents. As more people lose coverage but continue to need medical care, safety-net clinics and hospitals could lose major revenue.

In Los Angeles County, Measure ER revenue also would support public health programs, Planned Parenthood services and emergency preparedness.

Health care providers backed both county measures, warning that without new funding, clinics could be forced to cut hours, reduce staff or close sites.

“There’s no way out of this,” Louise McCarthy, chief executive of the Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County, said on election night. “This is a situation that is being forced upon us. No local decisions made this happen, and no local decisions without revenue can solve the problem we’re in now.”

New projections from the UC Berkeley Labor Center estimate that 2.2 million more Californians could be uninsured by 2030 because of Trump’s spending law and recent state policy decisions. That would push California’s uninsured rate to 14.7%, nearly doubling it and undoing much of the state’s progress in expanding coverage over the past decade.

Counties, which operate public hospitals and safety-net clinics, say federal changes and funding reductions are creating large budget gaps. Local officials also say the state has not provided enough support to offset the losses.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly Mitchell, who introduced Measure ER, described the tax as a last resort. She said the county had already frozen hiring, restricted overtime and used emergency reserves. County officials estimate federal cuts will cost Los Angeles County about $2.5 billion over the next three years.

The measure drew opposition from some cities, anti-tax organizations and Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, whose district includes the county’s northern exurban communities. Sales tax rates are already among the highest in the state in some parts of Los Angeles County, including Lancaster and Palmdale, where rates are 11.25%. In Contra Costa County, Pinole and El Cerrito have sales tax rates of 10.25%.

Both counties needed approval from the state Legislature to place the proposed taxes before voters because the increases would exceed state sales tax limits.

The votes came as Californians continue to identify affordability as a leading concern. A recent Public Policy Institute of California survey found that half of Californians named the cost of living as the state’s top issue.

Susan Shelley of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, which opposed both measures, argued the proposals were presented in a misleading way. Because the measures were written as general sales taxes rather than taxes legally reserved for health care, they required only a simple majority to pass instead of the two-thirds threshold required for a special tax.

Shelley said she hopes the results caution other counties against pursuing similar measures.

“I hope it sends the message that people are taxed enough,” she said.

Supporters in Los Angeles County said the money would be used for health care as promised.

“This is a temporary solution, and we will not stop fighting for the long-term federal funding Angelenos deserve,” said Jim Mangia, chief executive of St. John’s Community Health.

Contra Costa County operates one hospital and 11 clinics. Supporters of Measure B estimated the county could face a deficit of at least $1 billion over five years because of funding losses, though opponents disputed that figure.

County Supervisor John Gioia said the tax revenue would have helped preserve core services and keep residents insured. Under Trump’s budget bill, counties will have to verify Medicaid eligibility every six months instead of once a year. Adults without children also will face new work reporting requirements.

Gioia said the measure could have paid for more eligibility workers and strengthened the county program that provides basic health services to residents who have no other insurance options.

Los Angeles and Contra Costa counties looked to Santa Clara County as a model. Voters there approved a similar tax in November, and it took effect in April. County officials expect it to generate about $337 million a year. Santa Clara County is directing the money to emergency services, cardiac care, mental health, maternity care and other programs.

Even so, Santa Clara County Executive James R. Williams said the new tax revenue covers only about one-third of the county’s projected shortfall. The county is still cutting and reorganizing staff and services to balance its budget.

“We were very clear, right from the outset, when we put this emergency measure on the ballot, that we were staring down over a billion dollars a year in revenue losses” because of federal cuts, Williams said. The missing piece, he added, is state support.

The California State Association of Counties estimates federal cuts could cost California’s 58 counties as much as $9.5 billion. County leaders say local governments cannot absorb that level of loss on their own. The association has been asking the state for more funding for months, but Gov. Gavin Newsom and lawmakers face a deadline next week to finalize the 2026-27 state budget.

“For most California counties, raising local taxes to absorb the impacts of federal cuts is not feasible,” said Graham Knaus, the association’s chief executive. “And the fact that counties are even being forced to contemplate it is unacceptable.”

Original source: CalMatters

The post California Health Tax Measures Split Voters as Cost-of-Living Worries Mount appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

For many people of color, preparing for a doctor’s appointment includes dressing up to boost the chances they’ll be taken seriously and treated with respect, according to a new survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Survey respondents described donning clothing with university logos prominently displayed, getting their hair done, and adding makeup and jewelry in advance of medical appointments. 

“Como te miro, te trato — You’re treated how you look,” Jeymie Luna Roldán, a Florida woman who is Latina, told Devi Shastri at AP News. 

The survey of nearly 6,300 people, conducted over the telephone during the summer of 2023, revealed that 55% of Black people, 49% of American Indian/Alaska Native people, 47% of Hispanic people, and 39% of Asian people say they take care with their looks to receive fair treatment at least some of the time. That’s compared to 29% of white people who said the same. 

It’s just one of many biases and indignities included in the report. People of color were less likely than whites to say their health care providers spent enough time with them, involved them in care decisions, respected their culture, or explained concepts clearly. 

Of adults who’d been pregnant or gave birth in the past decade, 22% of Black people reported they were denied pain medication, compared to 10% of white adults. 

This kind of discrimination can lead to worse health overall, reports Colleen DeGuzman at KFF Health News.

Even the anticipation of maltreatment can make patients tense and unable to communicate well, Dr. Alison Bryant, an obstetrician at Massachusetts General Hospital, told AP. 

The survey also documented racism and discrimination in everyday activities, which contributes to stress, and structural inequities that impact safety and social and economic circumstances.  

For example, only 4% of white respondents reported being threatened or mistreated by the police over the past year, compared to 11% of Black people.

But the discrimination in health care is particularly dangerous, Bryant said. 

“Racial bias in health care is as damaging as any disease,” Burgess Harrison, executive director of the National Minority Health Association, told KFF Health News.

 Studies show that Black patients get better treatment and tend to feel better heard and cared for with Black doctors, as Dr. Lisa Cooper of Johns Hopkins University explained while discussing her seminal research on the topic in a recent Center for Health Journalism webinar.

In the KFF survey, people of color reported better treatment when their health care providers matched their ethnicities. 

“A renewed emphasis on recruiting more people of color into the health care field is vital,” said Harrison. 

But that prescription faces added headwinds from the recent Supreme Court decision that restricts the use of race in medical school admissions.

Suicide rates rose among women in 2022

The latest data on suicides shows the highest rate of deaths among American Indians and Alaska Natives. 

The group had nearly 27 deaths per 100,000 in 2022, a slight dip from the previous year. 

The data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, covering nearly 50,000 deaths in 2022, has not yet been finalized and will likely incorporate more deaths in total, reports Mary Kekatos at ABC News. 

Another concerning trend is a rise in suicide among women, writes Mariel Padilla at The 19th. While more men commit suicide overall, the rate for women increased 4% from 2021 to 2022, compared to only a 2% increase for men.

And the rate for women may be an undercount, the CDC said, because women often use methods such as poison that take longer to be deemed a suicide.

Mental health experts told The 19th that the pandemic, which eliminated many forms of social support and added financial strain and caretaking obligations, may underlie the rise in suicide among women. Domestic violence may also be a contributor. 

Among young adults, education costs and living expenses are also stressors, said Hyeouk Chris Hahm, associate dean for research at the Boston University School of Social Work. 

The increase in suicide rates in women might also be due simply to better tracking of the problem, said Jessica Provines, assistant vice president of wellness at Wichita State University.

Continued support, treatment and interventions, such as the 988 suicide crisis line launched in 2022, can help, Provines said.

Black people need fertility treatment, too

Stereotypes and stigma suggest infertility isn’t a common problem for Black people, a belief that is untrue, reports Anissa Durham at Word in Black.  

Durham draws on a new report from CCRM Fertility, a clinic in Newport Beach, pointing to barriers to fertility care in the Black community. 

Of the 1,000 Black men and women who answered the survey, 57% believed Black people are less likely to seek fertility treatment, and 26% reported experiencing bias when doing so. 

Black individuals suffer from long-held misconceptions, rooted in slavery, that Black women are highly fertile, that Black men are especially virile, and that Black people have many babies, writes Durham. 

Yet some research indicates Black women have higher infertility rates than white women.

High rates of chronic illness among the Black community can also make it harder to get pregnant, Dr. Stephanie Marshall Thompson, who led the survey, told Word in Black.

Cost is also a barrier: A single cycle of in-vitro fertilization can run $10,000 or more, shutting out many people of color.

Nearly half of survey respondents said they were more comfortable with fertility providers who are also Black, but a similar number felt there was not enough Black representation in the field.

The Food and Drug Administration just cleared an over-the-counter artificial insemination kit, which retails for $129.99 and could allow some people to conceive at home. 

“The bottom line is as health care providers we must do better,” Thompson said in a release

Find your latest news here at the Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle

The post The Health Divide: Survey offers fresh look at widespread racism in health care appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

“While uninsurance among children has generally been declining in the U.S., our results highlight the need for a renewed focus on making sure that children’s coverage is affordable for families and provides the benefits that children need” said Jamie Daw, PhD, assistant professor of health policy and management at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health.

Using representative data from the 2016-2021 National Survey of Children’s Health, the researchers analyzed parent- or caregiver-reported information on health insurance data for children from age 0-17 and also compared changes during COVID-19, identifying inconsistent and inadequate coverage within each insurance type. 

Inadequate insurance was defined by failure to meet three criteria: benefits were sufficient to meet a child’s needs; coverage allows a child to see needed health care providers; and a lack of reasonable annual out-of-pocket payments for child’s health care. 

Inconsistent coverage was three times higher among publicly compared to commercially-insured children. However, inadequate insurance was more prevalent overall, affecting nearly 1 in 5 U.S. children (16.5 million annually), with particularly high rates among the commercially-insured. The researchers also found that the child and family characteristics associated with higher rates of inconsistent and inadequate coverage differed by insurance type.

Of the sample of 203,691 insured children,34.5% were publicly-insured and 65.5 percent were commercially-insured. Compared to commercially-insured children, publicly-insured children had higher rates of inconsistent coverage (4.2 vs. 1.4 percent,) and lower rates of inadequate coverage (12 vs 33 percent). Relative to 2016-19, inconsistent insurance decreased by 42 percent for publicly-insured children and inadequate insurance decreased by 6 percent, for commercially-insured children during COVID. 

In summary, the findings indicate: 

– 1 in 5 children in the U.S. have inadequate health insurance, i.e. insurance that either has unreasonable out-of-pocket costs or doesn’t have benefits that meet the child’s medical needs. (

– Inadequate coverage is particularly high among kids with commercial insurance (approximately 1 in 3 commercially insured vs. 1 in 10 publicly insured kids).

– Insurance gaps (i.e. periods without coverage) are more common for publicly insured children.

– Both commercial insurance adequacy and public insurance gaps decreased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic when there were additional subsidies for commercial insurance and requirements for states to keep Medicaid beneficiaries enrolled. 

-With protections winding down in 2023 following COVID, many publicly insured children are losing coverage which will reverse the gains in consistent coverage that were seen during the pandemic. 

-More needs to be done to protect commercially insured families against high out-of-pocket costs for child’s health care and make sure that benefits/provider networks are sufficient to meet children’s needs. 

Also, Daw and colleagues note there is a particular need for state Medicaid programs to conduct targeted outreach and linguistically and culturally competent navigation assistance for immigrant families.

“Federal COVID-19 relief policies prevented states from disenrolling children on Medicaid and instituted enhanced subsidies for private Marketplace coverage. Our study findings suggest these policies made an important difference for families during the pandemic: publicly insured children had fewer coverage gaps and coverage was more affordable for commercially insured children. Policymakers should be actively considering how to maintain and build on these gains,” noted Daw.

Co-authors are Sarra Yekta, Columbia Mailman School of Public Health; Faelan Jacobson-Davies and Lindsay Admon University of Michigan; and Stephen Patrick, Vanderbilt University Medical Center

The study was funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (R01HS029159). 

Find your latest news here at the Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle

The post Millions of Kids in U.S. Have Inadequate Health Care Coverage appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

The $5+ million campaign, “What You Earned,” focuses on educating Veterans and their families about some of the most tangible, cost-saving benefits of using VA – including low-cost or no-cost health care, debt-free education, $0 down payments on home loans, no-cost memorial services and burials, and much more. The campaign uses actual cost comparisons to demonstrate Veterans’ savings with VA vs. without VA, with the goal of encouraging Veterans who are not enrolled in VA health care or receiving VA benefits to apply for the first time.

This first-of-its-kind campaign – which will run across television, print, radio, digital media, billboards, public transit, and social media – is the next phase of VA’s aggressive efforts to bring new Veterans to VA. While last year’s campaign resulted in record numbers of Veterans applying for VA benefits, many of our nation’s heroes are still not connected with VA. The new campaign aims to reach these Veterans by providing clear, compelling reasons for them to sign up for what they’ve earned.

“All too often, Veterans don’t know about the full scope of the health care and benefits they’ve earned through their service to our nation,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. “The goal of this campaign is to change that. We want to show Veterans and their families – in the most tangible terms possible – how VA can help them afford to stay healthy, go to school, get a job, buy a home, and more.”

“Our goal is to bring as many Veterans as possible to VA, because study after study shows that Veterans who use VA do better,” said Deputy Secretary Tanya Bradsher. “But we need to give Veterans a clear and compelling reason to sign up, and that’s what this campaign is all about: showing Veterans that they can save thousands of dollars by using their earned VA health care, home loans, GI Bill benefits, memorial services, and more.”

This new advertising campaign is a part of the largest outreach effort in VA history, which VA launched after President Biden signed the PACT Act into law as a part of his Unity Agenda for the nation. Thus far, the effort has resulted in an all-time record number of Veteran benefits applications in 2023; a 25% increase in health care enrollments year-over-year; an 80% awareness among Veterans of the PACT Act; and more. Key aspects of the effort to date include:

• Media coverage: During fiscal year 2023, VA generated 395,000+ news articles and 137,000+ broadcast pieces – a 21% increase year-over-year – with the goal of informing Veterans about the care and benefits they’ve earned.
• Events: VA has hosted more than 2,500 PACT Act-related events for Veterans across all 50 states, Washington DC, Puerto Rico, and Guam.
• Advertising: VA has executed a MarCom award-winning PACT Act advertising campaign across streaming, print, radio, podcasts, signage, sports sponsorships, digital advertising, and more. The $10+ million campaign has led millions of visitors to VA.gov/PACT and generated $13 million in donated media through public service announcements.
• Direct Veteran outreach: VA has sent hundreds of millions of PACT Act-related emails and letters to Veterans to encourage them to apply. In September, VA also executed its first-ever text marketing campaign to encourage eligible Veterans to enroll in health care before the September 30 PACT Act deadline, resulting in a 179% increase in year-to-date health care enrollments for that specific cohort of Veterans.
• Collaborations: VA has worked with the White House, Congress, Veterans Service Organizations, influencers (Jon Stewart), sports teams (Tampa Bay Rays), and major corporations (CVS and USAA) to spread the word about the PACT Act.
• VA.gov/PACT: Within one hour of the Senate passage of the PACT Act, VA launched VA.gov/PACT – a one-stop-shop for Veterans and survivors to learn about and apply for PACT Act-related care and benefits. Since then, the website has garnered more than 22 million page views.
• Print, digital, and video resources: VA has developed a library of videos, flyers, and information – in more than 10 languages – to help Veterans understand what this new law means for them.

In addition to focusing on Veterans who are newly eligible for VA care and benefits under the PACT Act, the campaign is also designed to reach historically underserved Veterans – including women Veterans, Black Veterans, Hispanic Veterans, younger Veterans, and Veterans living in rural areas. The campaign will feature ads in both English and Spanish.

Moving forward, VA will continue to aggressively reach out to Veterans to encourage them to come to VA. VA encourages all Veterans, family members, caregivers, and survivors to learn more about VA and apply for their world-class health care and earned benefits today.

Find your latest news here at the Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle

The post VA launches advertising campaign to encourage new Veterans to sign up for health care and benefits appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

Reducing burnout among health care workers is a top priority for VA, especially at a time when VA is delivering more care and more benefits to more Veterans than ever before. This effort is a part of President Biden’s new executive order on Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence and VA’s efforts to use trustworthy AI solutions to improve health care and benefits for Veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors.

VA’s health care professionals provide life-saving and life-changing care for Veterans every day. Veterans who are enrolled in VA health care are proven to have better health outcomes than non-enrolled Veterans, and VA hospitals have dramatically outperformed non-VA hospitals in overall quality ratings and patient satisfaction ratings. Additionally, many of VA’s health care workers risked their lives to deliver for Veterans during the pandemic.

“AI solutions can help us reduce the time that clinicians spend on non-clinical work, which will get our teams doing more of what they love most: caring for Veterans,” said Under Secretary for Health Shereef Elnahal, M.D. “This effort will reduce burnout among our clinicians and improve Veteran health care at the same time.”

This sprint is just one aspect of VA’s comprehensive efforts to reduce burnout among health care workers. Last year, VA launched the Reduce Employee Burnout and Optimize Organizational Thriving (REBOOT) initiative to address major factors contributing to burnout and to promote wellbeing among employees. Additionally, VA is hiring employees at record rates to ensure that health care workers have the support they need. These efforts have led to a 20% decrease in turnover rate among Veterans Health Administration employees from 2022 to 2023.

Proposals for the AI Tech Sprint should seek to address one or more of the two focus areas: speech-to-text solutions for use in medical appointments, and document processing to reduce the time needed to integrate non-VA medical records into patients’ VA record.

Innovators interested in applying for the AI Tech Sprint can do so on the AI Tech Sprint website.

Find your latest news here at the Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle

The post VA launches $1 million AI tech competition to reduce health care worker burnout appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

VA encourages all of these Veterans to visit VA.gov/PACT or call 1-800-MYVA411 to learn more and sign up for VA health care before the deadline. Veterans who are enrolled in VA health care are proven to have better health outcomes than non-enrolled Veterans, and VA hospitals have dramatically outperformed non-VA hospitals in overall quality ratings and patient satisfaction ratings. Additionally, VA health care is often more affordable than non-VA health care for Veterans. 

This special enrollment period is a part of the PACT Act, the largest expansion of VA health care and benefits in generations. Since President Biden signed the PACT Act into law on Aug. 10, 2022, more than 344,000 Veterans have enrolled in VA health care and more than 4.2 million enrolled Veterans have been screened for toxic exposures.

“Are you a Veteran who deployed to a combat zone but never enrolled in VA health care? If you left active duty between Sept. 11, 2001, and Oct. 1, 2013, you should sign up now,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. “Even if you don’t need this care now, you may need it in the future – and once you’re in, you have access for life. But don’t wait – the deadline is Sept. 30 — so go to VA.gov/PACT and apply today.”

Although this deadline is written into law for this specific group of Veterans, many other groups of Veterans are able to enroll directly in VA health care without first applying for VA benefits – including many Vietnam Veterans, Gulf War Veterans, Veterans who deployed to a combat zone and transitioned out of the service less than 10 years ago, and more. Veterans who do not meet any of the above criteria can often still access VA health care by filing for VA benefits or based on income. If a Veteran is granted service connection for any health condition, they become eligible for VA care.

President Biden has made supporting Veterans a core element of his Unity Agenda for the nation. When the President signed the PACT Act into law, he extended the standard eligibility window for Veterans who deployed to combat zones to enroll in VA health care from 5 years to 10 years. The PACT Act also expanded VA benefits for millions of Veterans, making more than 300 health conditions “presumptive” for service connection. This means that if an eligible Veteran has one of these health conditions, VA automatically assumes that the condition was caused by the Veteran’s service and provides compensation and care accordingly. Since the PACT Act was signed into law, VA has delivered more than $1.85 billion in PACT Act benefits to Veterans and their survivors. VA encourages Veterans and their survivors to apply for these benefits now at VA.gov/PACT. 

More information on eligibility for the special enrollment period can be found at VA.gov/PACT. The period applies to Veterans who deployed to a combat zone, never enrolled in VA health care, and left active duty between Sept. 11, 2001, and October 1, 2013 — specifically those who served in a theater of combat operations during a period of war after the Persian Gulf War or in combat against a hostile force during a period of hostilities after Nov. 11, 1998.

VA is executing a nationwide campaign to ensure that as many Veterans as possible enroll before Sept. 30. To date, VA’s PACT Act outreach campaign has included more than 2,000 events nationwide, $13 million in paid media, 60,000 earned media clips, more than 400 million emails and letters to Veterans, the creation of a one-stop-shop PACT Act website, and more. This is the largest outreach campaign in VA history, which has one goal in mind: ensure that all Veterans – and their survivors – get the health care and benefits they deserve under the PACT Act.

For more information about how the PACT Act is helping Veterans and their survivors, visit VA’s  PACT Act Dashboard. To apply for care or benefits today, visit VA.gov/PACT or call 1-800-MYVA411. 

Find your latest news here at the Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle

The post Next PACT Act deadline: Health care enrollment for Veterans who deployed to combat zones appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

WASHINGTON — VA released a PACT Act Year-In-Review Dashboard showcasing the care and benefits that VA has delivered to Veterans and their survivors since President Biden signed the PACT Act into law on Aug. 10, 2022. Partly due to this historic law, VA is delivering more care and more benefits to more Veterans than ever before. Key results to date include:

• Delivering benefits to Veterans and their survivors: VA has delivered more than $1.85 billion in earned PACT Act benefits to Veterans and their survivors. VA is delivering these benefits to Veterans at the fastest rate in our nation’s history, processing 1.65 million total Veteran claims thus far in this fiscal year (including 458,659 PACT Act claims) — 16% more year-to-date than the previous all-time record.
• Increasing Veteran access to health care: Since August 10, 332,252 Veterans have enrolled in VA health care — which is nearly 50,000 more enrollees than during the previous year. This includes more than 113,719 enrollees from the PACT Act population (Vietnam, Gulf War, and Post-9/11 Veterans).  
• Screening Veterans for toxic exposures: More than 4.1 million Veterans have received free, 10-minute screenings for toxic exposures from VA under the PACT Act — a critical step to catching and treating potentially life-threatening health conditions as early as possible.
• Spreading the word to Veterans and their survivors: Thanks to the largest outreach campaign in VA history, Veterans and survivors are applying for their earned benefits at record rates. In this fiscal year, Veterans and survivors have submitted 1.95 million total claims (including 843,448 PACT Act-specific claims) — 37% more than last year and on pace to break an all-time record. Veterans have also submitted 1.65 million “intents to file” during this fiscal year — 44% more than last year and also on pace to break an all-time record.

The PACT Act is here to stay, and Veterans and survivors can apply anytime for the care and benefits they’ve earned. Veterans and survivors who apply (or submit their intent to file) for PACT Act benefits by 11:59 p.m., ET, Monday, Aug. 14, 2023 will be eligible to have their benefits backdated to Aug. 10, 2022 — the day that President Biden signed the PACT Act into law. This is an extension from the original deadline of Aug. 9, 2023. VA encourages all Veterans and survivors to visit VA.gov/PACT to apply — or submit their intent to file — today.

“Thanks to President Biden, millions of Veterans who fought for our country are now getting health care and compensation for the conditions that followed them home from war,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. “We’re proud that so many Veterans and survivors have already benefited from the PACT Act, but this is just the beginning: we won’t rest until every Veteran and every survivor gets the VA health care and benefits they deserve.”

For more information about how one year of the PACT Act has helped Veterans, visit VA’s PACT Year-in-Review Dashboard. This dashboard is a special highlight edition of VA’s regular PACT Act dashboard, which VA publishes every other Friday to document the implementation of this legislation and showcase its impact on Veterans and survivors. The Year-in-Review Dashboard includes national and state-level data on PACT Act benefits and health care.

Find your latest news here at the Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle

The post One year of the PACT Act: A historic expansion of benefits and health care for Veterans and their survivors appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

Mobile medical units are vans or trucks that move from one location to another to provide a private space for eligible Veterans to meet with medical providers, including mental health clinicians, social workers, and other staff that provide primary care, women’s health, audiology, laboratory, and telehealth services to those who may not have access to a local VA medical center.

Ending Veteran homelessness is a top priority for VA, and President Biden has made supporting Veterans a key pillar of his Unity Agenda for the nation. In 2022 alone, VA housed more than 40,000 formerly homeless Veterans, prevented more than 17,700 Veterans and their families from falling into homelessness, and helped nearly 191,700 additional Veteran families who were experiencing financial difficulties retain their homes or avoid foreclosure. Thanks in part to these efforts, the number of Veterans experiencing homelessness has fallen by 11% since early 2020 and by more than 55% since 2010. In 2023, VA has set a goal to house at least 38,000 Veterans.

“Veterans experiencing homelessness face a variety of barriers to accessing health care, including a lack of transportation,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. “With these new mobile medical units, homeless and at-risk Veterans don’t have to visit VA hospitals — we come right to them.”

This announcement builds on sweeping new investments to address Veteran homelessness announced by the White House in June.

VA’s efforts to end Veteran homelessness are built upon the evidence-based “Housing First” approach, which prioritizes first getting a Veteran into housing and then providing them with the wraparound support they need to stay housed, including health care, job training, legal and education assistance, and more.

These MMUs have been made available through VA’s Homeless Patient Aligned Care Teams, whose mission is to address the unique needs and distinct challenges homeless Veterans face both accessing and engaging in health care. In addition to MMUs, VA already has 83 Mobile Vet Centers around the country to provide confidential counseling and outreach to eligible individuals in communities that are distant or remote from existing services. 

If you are a Veteran who is experiencing homelessness or at risk for homelessness, call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-4AID-VET (877-424-3838). Visit the VA Homeless Programs website to learn about housing initiatives and other programs for Veterans exiting homelessness

Find your latest news here at the Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle

The post VA launches mobile medical units to increase access to health care for homeless Veterans appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

Increasingly common private equity investments in healthcare are generally associated with higher costs to patients and payers, according to a Columbia Mailman-led study

A study led by a researcher at Columbia Mailman School finds that increasingly common private equity investments in healthcare are generally associated with higher costs to patients and payers. The study is thought to be the first systematic review of global private equity ownership trends in medical settings.

The findings are published in the journal BMJ(link is external and opens in a new window). The study is accompanied by an editorial(link is external and opens in a new window) titled “Private Equity Takeovers Are Harming Patients.”

In recent decades, private equity activity in health care has exploded, with financial institutions buying up hospitals, nursing homes, fertility clinics—pretty much every area of health care.

“Private equity has been rapidly acquiring health care operators across almost all medical specialties, both throughout the U.S. and beyond,” says first author Alex Borsa, MA, a PhD student in Sociomedical Sciences and Sociology. “Most patients are unaware that these changes are taking place, and that their health care is ultimately owned and managed by financiers.”

Although the influence of the financial sector has grown across many fields, “private equity is uniquely interested in health care because of the many loopholes and cost-cutting strategies that exist within this industry,” says Joseph Dov Bruch, PhD, assistant professor of public health Sciences at UChicago, who is the study’s co-senior author.

Performing a global search, the researchers found 55 previous academic research studies that investigated private equity in health care and performed a systematic review across four dimensions: health care quality, cost to payers and patients, cost to health care operators and health outcomes. They found that in every studied health care setting, private equity acquisitions have increased in prevalence since 2000. Private equity investment was most closely associated with increases in costs for payers and patients, in some cases, as high as 32 percent. Private equity ownership was also associated with mixed to harmful effects on healthcare quality, while the impact on health outcomes and operator costs was inconclusive.

Proponents of private equity have argued the cash infusions from financial firms provide direct downstream benefits for patients. However, this hypothesis was not supported by the results of the team’s review. The authors did not identify any consistently beneficial impacts of private equity ownership.

The researchers hope the study will make health care providers, policymakers, and the public more aware of the growing influence of the financial sector in the health care system. In addition, the team said, health care providers may need to pay more attention to the financial burden placed on patients. The researchers said they believe their findings may spark greater policymaker discussion on antitrust regulation and corporate practice of medicine laws. Patients, too, may want to know that their hospital, nursing home, doctor’s office or fertility treatment center may be owned by private equity and that these firms have specific financial targets that may inform care decisions.

“Our findings of increasing prevalence and possibly harmful impacts of PE ownership in health care illustrate the need to increase regulatory attention, particularly regarding transparency and reporting,” says Borsa.

The team is continuing their research to examine the role of venture capital, management consultants, financial lenders and real estate investment trusts in healthcare.

The study, “Evaluating trends in private equity ownership and impacts on health outcomes, costs, and quality: systematic review,” was published in The BMJ in July 2023. Additional study co-authors include Geronimo Bejarano of the University of Texas, and Moriah Ellen of the University of Toronto and the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

Find your latest news here at the Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle

The post Private Equity Investments in Health Care May Increase Costs and Degrade Quality appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

Throughout July, VA will host 50+ Summer VetFest events across all 50 states, DC, and Puerto Rico. The events will be casual summer gatherings featuring Veterans, their families, Veteran advocates, and the VA health care and benefits professionals who serve them. At the events, VA staff will be ready to help Veterans apply for PACT Act-related benefits (or submit an intent to file), enroll in VA health care, get screened for toxic exposures, and more.

VA encourages all eligible Veterans and survivors to file a claim — or submit their intent to file a claim — for PACT Act-related benefits now. Veterans who do so by Aug. 9 may have their benefits, if granted, backdated to Aug. 10, 2022, the day that President Biden signed the bill into law.  

“There are millions of Veterans and survivors across America who are eligible for new health care and benefits, and we will not rest until every one of them gets what they’ve earned,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. “That’s what this Summer VetFest is all about: educating Veterans, their families, and survivors — and encouraging them to apply today.”

Since President Biden signed the PACT Act into law, VA has delivered more than $1.4 billion in PACT Act benefits to Veterans. Additionally, more than 665,000 Veterans have applied for PACT Act-related benefits, more than 3.7 million Veterans have received the new toxic exposure screenings, and more than 287,000 Veterans have enrolled in VA health care (this is 40,000 more enrollments than during the same timeframe last year, and it includes 94,000 enrollees from the PACT Act target population) .

The PACT Act Summer VetFest is just one component of VA’s nationwide PACT Act Veteran outreach campaign, which is the largest coordinated outreach campaign in VA history. The campaign has one goal: ensuring that every eligible Veteran and survivor gets the PACT Act-related health care and benefits they have earned. Highlights of the campaign to date:

• Within one hour of the Senate passage of the PACT Act, VA launched VA.gov/PACT — a one-stop-shop for Veterans and survivors to learn about and apply for PACT Act-related care and benefits. Since then, the website has garnered more than 13.4 million page views from 10 million unique visitors.
  • VA is executing an aggressive national and local earned media campaign, seeking to inform Veterans and survivors about the PACT Act and encourage them to apply. Between Aug. 10, 2022, and June 9, 2023, these efforts have helped generate 30,000+ news articles and 24,000+ broadcast items about the PACT Act.VA is executing a nationwide, targeted advertising campaign across streaming video (Hulu, Roku, YouTube); print (Military Times, Military.com, USA Today); radio (satellite, traditional); podcasts; signage (including Times Square ads, D.C. Metro ads, airports, billboards, and more); sponsorships (such as Military and Armed Forces Bowls); digital advertising, including Search (Google and Bing), Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, iHeartRadio, ESPN online, RallyPoint, and more. To date, VA has spent more than $7.5 million on PACT Act advertising, driving millions of visitors to VA.gov/PACT, and generating hundreds of millions of impressions. Through Public Service Announcement distribution along with vendor negotiations, VA has also achieved $7.9 million in added value between October 2022 and May 2023, more than doubling the media value of PACT Act efforts. By the Aug. 9 filing deadline, we anticipate that VA will spend more than $11.4 million. This campaign is focused on reaching all eligible Veterans and survivors, especially those who have not previously come to VA for benefits or care.Since Aug. 10, 2022, VA has hosted hundreds of PACT Act-related events across all 50 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico with Veterans, their families, caregivers, survivors, and Veteran advocates. This includes a PACT Act Week of Action in December, when VA hosted more than 120 events across the nation. At the events, Veterans applied for benefits, got screened for toxic exposures, enrolled in VA health care, and learned more about what the PACT Act could mean for them and their families.VA has developed a library of PACT Act flyers, videos, and fact sheets to help Veterans understand what this new law means for them. The videos have been viewed more than 4 million times across platforms, and the resources have been shared directly with Veterans, VA facilities, Veterans Service Organizations, and other partners nationwide. VA has also released PACT Act flyers and information in more than 10 languages, including Arabic, Chinese, French, Haitian Creole, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese.
  • VA has sent more than 300 million PACT Act-related e-mails to Veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors, which were opened more than 94 million times.

VA encourages all eligible Veterans and survivors to apply for their earned PACT Act-related health care and benefits now. Veterans and survivors can apply or learn more about the PACT Act by visiting VA.gov/PACT, by calling 1-800-MYVA411, or by attending one of July’s events.

For more information about VA’s implementation of the PACT Act, visit the PACT Act Dashboard. VA is publishing this dashboard every other Friday to document the implementation of this law and showcase its impact on Veterans and survivors. 

Find your latest news here at the Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle

The post VA launches national PACT Act Summer VetFest to encourage Veterans and survivors to apply for new health care and benefits appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.