Viewpoints: Make Mental Health Issues A Public Health Mission; GOP And Planned Parenthood
A selection of opinions on health care from around the country.
Los Angeles Times:
The Issue Isn't Mental Illness, It's Too-Easy Access To Firearms
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stands as one of the federal government's premier agencies for studying public health and the behaviors that affect it, such as the links between distracted driving (texting) and fatal motor vehicle accidents. So it stands to reason that the CDC would also research the public health issues surrounding gun violence. But it doesn't, under a de facto 20-year ban that the National Rifle Assn. got Congress to impose on taxpayer funding for such research. Yes, the organization that represents gun manufacturers and gun owners continues to convince lawmakers that the CDC should not study the effects of guns on public health. That's despite the fact that gun-related deaths — homicides, suicides and accidental shootings — exceed 30,000 a year, on par with those killed in motor vehicle accidents. (10/6)
USA Today:
After Roseburg, Face Up To Mental Illness, Addiction
Nearly 10 years ago, I crashed my car into a barrier at the U.S. Capitol at 3 in the morning. The very next day, I began the process of trying to have a conversation about what it’s like to suffer from mental illness and addiction. Not everyone was in favor of me being open about all of this. Even my father, Sen. Ted Kennedy, didn’t really get it — at least not when it came to our own family, which shows that even the most committed, informed leaders on health care can still have old-school, unprocessed ideas about diseases of the brain. (Patrick J. Kennedy, 10/6)
The Washington Post:
The War On Planned Parenthood
We got a taste of the GOP’s latest assault on women’s health when House Republicans hauled Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards in front of a mostly-male hearing last week. Republican committee members compared Richards to a criminal. They expressed astonishment over her salary (which is comparable to those of other chief executives of large nonprofits). Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) brandished a highly misleading chart from Americans United for Life that appeared to indicate — falsely — that Planned Parenthood performs more abortions than cancer screenings. ... What really demands attention are the lives currently hanging in the balance. Since 2011, states have enacted an astonishing 287 new restrictions on abortion access. One-and-a-half abortion clinics are closing every week. Last Wednesday, a Planned Parenthood clinic near Los Angeles was deliberately set on fire. These setbacks seriously hinder access to desperately-needed health services, especially for those without other options. (Katrina vanden Heuvel, 10/6)
The Kansas City Star:
Gov. Sam Brownback's Missive On Medicaid Expansion Was Wrong, Cruel And Divisive
Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback’s office sent out one of its trademark propaganda pieces on Tuesday, this one on the subject of Medicaid expansion. In its effort to score political points, it maligns low-income Kansans and pits citizens with disabilities against the working poor. As with other recent messages, the email signed by the governor’s deputy communications director, Melika Willoughby, is rife with inaccurate information. It was sent from the email address of Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer to a list of Kansans initially compiled by Brownback’s re-election campaign. (10/6)
The New York Times:
Jerry Brown’s Personal Message On Assisted Suicide
Gov. Jerry Brown of California gave a deeply personal explanation on Monday for his decision to sign legislation allowing terminally ill patients to obtain a lethal dose of painkillers from a doctor to hasten their death. ... Governor Brown, a Democrat, said that he had carefully read the opposition materials presented by a number of doctors, religious leaders and champions of disability rights and had considered religious arguments that shortening one’s life is sinful. He also consulted with a Catholic bishop, two of his own doctors, and former classmates and friends, who took a variety of positions. In the end, he reflected on what he would want in the face of his own death. “I do not know what I would do if I were dying in prolonged and excruciating pain,” he wrote. “I am certain, however, that it would be a comfort to consider the options afforded by this bill. And I wouldn’t deny that right to others.” (Philip M. Boffey, 10/6)
The Wall Street Journal:
The Tax-Smart Way To Use Health Savings Accounts
As open-enrollment season approaches, it’s time to consider how your health-insurance plan can help with not just your medical expenses, but your taxes as well. ... For tax year 2015, an HSA allows you to contribute up to $3,350 a year for individual coverage or $6,650 a year for family coverage to your account tax free. ... By contributing to your account over time, you are building a fund that you can use to pay your future medical expenses. You may not be able to continue contributing once you move to a different type of health insurance or qualify for Medicare, but the money you contributed up to that point will still be there ready for you to use. Any interest, dividends, or capital gains earned also remain tax-free as long as they stay in the account and are used for health-care expenses. (George Papadopoulos, 10/6)
The Winston-Salem Journal/Charlotte Observer:
Aldona Wos Fallout Drags On At DHHS
It’s unfortunately not surprising to hear that a federal criminal grand jury is investigating expensive contracts for high-ranking employees at the state Department of Health and Human Services. It remains to be seen whether the spending spree during former DHHS Secretary Aldona Wos’ tenure was illegal. But it was definitely wasteful and wrong. The News & Observer reported last week that U.S. attorneys served subpoenas in July, demanding that DHHS turn over records related to employees including Wos, who resigned several days after the subpoenas were served; Les Merritt, a former state auditor who was hired to be the chief financial officer for DHHS’s mental-health division; Thomas L. Adams, who briefly served as chief of staff to Wos; Joe Hauck, who was a senior adviser to Wos; and Angeline Sligh, a former DHHS manager. (10/6)