MIAMI — The Trump administration has slashed funding for the second year in a row for counselors who help consumers sign up for health insurance through the federal marketplace. In 2016, federal funding for the in-person counselors was nearly $10 million in Florida. Last year, it was cut to $6.6 million. On Thursday, health leaders said it was reduced to a mere $1.25 million across the state. Epilepsy Florida has helped more than 250,000 Floridians in 35 counties sign up for insurance. In a statement, the organization's CEO admitted the funding is a significant decrease but said they will persevere. Despite numerous hurdles from the Trump administration, Obamacare enrollment has been strong with Florida leading the way with 1.7 million consumers last year. About 10 million enrolled nationally. Last month, Florida insurers announced the lowest premium hikes to date — another sign that the market is stabilizing. … [Read more...] about Funds for Florida health insurance helpers cut by millions
Health
Judge orders second mental health evaluation for man accused of driving into biking family
TAMPA, Fla. — A judge ordered a second opinion on whether the man accused of intentionally running over a father and killing him is fit to stand trial. The ruling leading to an outburst from Khadeeja Morse, the defendant's mother, in the courtroom."Can you appoint him to get treatment, too, please? So he can get medical attention, please? Psychiatric care, please!" she yelled.The order of a second competency test stemming from worries about the first report. Prosecutors say that Mikese Morse was uncooperative during the exam, leading to a lacking report.The defendant waived his right to appear. Right after the hearing, outside the courtroom where no cameras are allowed, Khadeeja walked straight toward State Attorney Andrew Warren. It marked a rare confrontation and the first face-to-face encounter between the parents and the prosecutor. The topic was Morse's mental treatment in jail."Our son is incarcerated 11 weeks and three days and no psychiatric care and no meds, … [Read more...] about Judge orders second mental health evaluation for man accused of driving into biking family
Colorado’s economy vs. residents’ health? Sides battle over what’s at stake with oil and gas well setbacks
THORNTON — A statewide ballot measure that would dramatically increase the distance new oil and gas wells would have to be from homes, schools and waterways will be a job-gutting attack on Colorado’s economy, opponents say. It will deprive cities and towns of millions of dollars in tax revenues and rob thousands of mineral rights owners access to their underground property. Or Proposition 112, known during the petition process as Initiative 97, will bring long-sought sanity to neighborhoods throughout the state, bolstering the health and safety of thousands living above or on the edge of Colorado’s increasingly industrialized energy landscape. Those are the competing messages voters will have to sort out on Nov. 6, when they will be asked whether additional controls should be placed on drilling in a state experiencing an ongoing population boom alongside an intensifying hunt for the resources that power modern life. Specifically, the measure would increase setbacks … [Read more...] about Colorado’s economy vs. residents’ health? Sides battle over what’s at stake with oil and gas well setbacks
U.S., Cuba to meet on mysterious ‘health attacks’ in Havana
WASHINGTON (AP) — As American authorities search for answers into mysterious "health attacks" that began two years ago in Havana, U.S. and Cuban officials were renewing efforts to determine the method and motive behind incidents that have left some diplomats with brain injuries. Talks scheduled Thursday at the State Department come as national security agencies and members of Congress express frustration about the lack of answers about what the U.S says were deliberate attacks on some two dozen staffers at the U.S. Embassy in the Cuban capital. Recent reports have suggested investigators have narrowed their suspicions about to cause and culprit. Cuba's foreign ministry said nine members of the scientific team it assembled to look into the incidents met with U.S. lawmakers and the National Academy of Sciences before the talks. The Cuban Embassy said the team was proposing "a dispassionate examination of health reports of U.S. diplomats in Cuba according to the rules of science." … [Read more...] about U.S., Cuba to meet on mysterious ‘health attacks’ in Havana
Maryland suit seeks to protect US health law from ‘sabotage’
BALTIMORE — Maryland's attorney general has filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump's administration for efforts he says are intended to undercut the nation's health care law. The lawsuit filed in federal court Thursday is the latest in a broad effort by attorneys general in various U.S. states pushing back against a "sabotage" of the Affordable Care Act following years of failed GOP attempts to fully repeal the Obama-era law. Attorney General Brian Frosh is seeking a declaratory judgment in U.S. District Court that ACA is constitutional. He says the Trump administration's "attempts to sabotage this life-saving law and jeopardize the health of Marylanders who rely on it cannot stand." There was no immediate comment from Health and Human Services, which is among the U.S. departments listed as defendants in Maryland's suit. … [Read more...] about Maryland suit seeks to protect US health law from ‘sabotage’