The Biden Administration on Monday said it had finalized regulation to help ensure the 175 million Americans with private health insurance have access to affordable mental health services. The 2008 Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act already requires insurers and corporate-backed health plans to provide access and payment structures for mental healthcare services on par with other medical services. In practice, that is often not the case, with less than half of U.S. adults with mental illness able to access care in 2020, while nearly 70% of children cannot receive treatment, according to studies cited by the administration. That is partly due to a lack of mental health providers being sufficiently covered by insurance plans, leading patients to pay high out-of-pocket costs or to give up on care.
Vermont is one of nearly a dozen states where doctors can prescribe lethal medication to terminally ill patients who want to hasten their death. For the first decade the law was on the books, only Vermont residents could use it. Then, in 2023, lawmakers opened the program to out-of-staters. The change brought an influx of interest to the small state. "The floodgates opened, and suddenly we were receiving these calls," said Dr. Tim Shafer, a physician at Grace Cottage Hospital in Townshend. He prescribes for medical aid in dying, as do some of his colleagues. Because of their location in southern Vermont, they often get requests from Massachusetts, New Hampshire and other nearby states.
A Massachusetts medical doctor who punched a police officer during a mob's attack on the U.S. Capitol was sentenced Thursday to nine months of imprisonment followed by nine months of home confinement. Jacquelyn Starer, MD, was in a crowd of rioters inside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, when she struck the officer with a closed fist and shouted a profane insult. WBUR is a nonprofit news organization. Our coverage relies on your financial support. If you value articles like the one you're reading right now, give today. Starer told U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly that she isn't proud of her actions that day, including her "regrettable encounter" with the officer. "I accept full responsibility for my actions that day, and I truly wish reason had prevailed over my emotions," she said.
As genetic sequencing technology becomes more accessible and efficient, researchers have made significant strides in understanding the genetic underpinnings of various diseases.
The U.S. spends more on healthcare than almost anywhere else. But increasingly patients are getting less in return, and enduring long waits to get not as much face-time with their clinician.