�鶹Ů��

On Election Day, the health care and financial security of 20 million Americans will be at stake. That’s the number of people who have gained health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. And news that premiums for plans under the law are set to increase by an average of 22 percent, just before voters head to the polls, has thrown another curveball into an unpredictable election. (Topher Spiro, 11/7)

Our map shows the price change for the most inexpensive midlevel plan everywhere in the country, thanks to data collected by the McKinsey Center for U.S. Health System Reform. We looked at that kind of plan because it tends to be the most popular among Obamacare customers. The administration study looked at a more expensive type of plan, known as the benchmark. Prices for those plans are also going up by an average of 22 percent nationwide. (Margot Sanger-Katz, 11/4)

Several weeks ago, thick envelopes from Anthem Blue Cross stuffed with 21 pages of text landed in the mailboxes of thousands of the company’s California customers. The cover letter indicated right at the top that their premiums were going up, and advised that “if you’re happy with your health plan, it’s easy to keep it for 2017” — the only thing required was to pay the full premium on the bill for January. At least as noteworthy was a change that wasn’t explained until the packet’s next page: the elimination of coverage for non-emergency healthcare services provided by out-of-network doctors, hospitals, clinics or laboratories. (11/7)

Utah, like the rest of the country, faces a crisis in healthcare. We currently have over 13 percent uninsured in Utah. This population often has no primary care physician, has poor or absent preventative care and comes to the ER as a last resort. Often too late to diagnose a medically disastrous condition. For those with insurance, our health care premiums and co-pays are skyrocketing. A Medicaid expansion would help in a number of ways. (Brian Shiozawa, 11/5)

The series of victories by challengers over incumbents in the August primaries gave hope for a healthy Kansas to many, including 150,000 hardworking Kansans who will gain access to more affordable health care if our state leaders commit to expanding KanCare. By returning to the polls on Nov. 8, I am confident we can continue on the path to a bright and healthy future for Kansas. (Vallerie Gleason, 11/6)

The fourth enrollment period for the Affordable Care Act opened Tuesday. The imperative to enroll is undiminished in terms of personal health needs, but there is some added urgency this time around. Full tax penalties come into play next year. (11/6)

New parents get a lot of advice. It comes from breast-feeding “lactivists” and Ferberizers, attachment parents and anti-helicopter ones. It’s not enough to keep babies fed, rested and changed — they also need to learn grit and sign language. So when the American Academy of Pediatrics recently issued new infant sleep guidelines — highlighting a recommendation that babies sleep in their parents’ rooms for at least six months but ideally a full year — some parents despaired. (Claire Cain Miller and Aaron E. Carroll, 11/4)

With Election Day nearing, it seems inevitable that voters will approve a measure that makes it legal for adults 21 and over to use marijuana recreationally. Is California ready for the regulatory, social and health consequences of this? No. (Marcos Breton, 11/6)

In this most contentious of elections, you wouldn’t think that a soda tax would be the issue to attract the big bucks. But measures in just two California cities have drawn more money than that state’s Senate race and statewide referendums on marijuana legalization and gun control — combined. Soda taxes are on the ballots in San Francisco and Oakland, Calif., and spending to persuade citizens to vote for or against them has topped $50 million, enough to buy every person in those two cities about 40 cans of Coke. (Margot Sanger-Katz, 11/6)

Expansion advocates support a unique, Kansas-based solution that is cost effective for the state. By voting Tuesday, you can help elect state leaders who want to make health care accessible for all Kansans. Strong leaders — leaders who understand the importance of investing in Kansas communities and hospitals — are important to passing legislation that strengthens our economy while protecting access to health care for all. (Ken Bacon, 11/6)

This term, health equity, has broadened the agenda for health and challenges conventional ways of thinking. Health is more than health care, more than disease or illness, even more than how long we live. Health is how well we live and is determined by the spaces in which we live, learn, work, play and worship. Health is a measure of equity in our society, and equity is compassion inspired by social justice. In Louisville, we lean into the hard questions of health equity, and we are beginning to find new ways to delve into the root causes of inequities: racism, sexism, wealth distribution, homophobia and ageism. (Brandy N. Kelly Pryor, 11/6)

The cumulative effects of the "isms" in general (Racism, Sexism, Classism, Ableism, Ageism, Heterosexism, etc.) are literally causing most of the poor health outcomes we have in Louisville and America where a person’s zip code has more to do with how long they live than their genetic code. If we are to have a city where people can achieve their dreams, we must work toward health equity and support efforts to ensure that all people have full and equal access to opportunities that enable them to lead healthy lives. (Theo Edmonds, 11/6)

Telemedicine is a cost-effective way to improve health care outcomes for Texans. The convenience and lower cost of treatment through telemedicine can diminish existing barriers, improve Texans’ access to health care and lead to better health outcomes for people across this state. (Gary Gibson, 11/5)

I sympathize with the frustration that Dr. Elisabeth Poorman expressed in her recent post: Why I've Stopped Telling My Patients To Lose Weight. And I agree with her that for primary care physicians, there is a problem: Ineffective weight loss counseling may bring few benefits, or even backfire. But as a specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital who has spent more than a decade treating patients with obesity, I disagree that silence about weight is an acceptable solution. (W. Scott Butsch, 11/4)

If an individual causes a minor traffic accident in Iowa and is charged with drunken driving, that individual’s blood-alcohol level is treated as a matter of public record, just as it should be. But if that very same accident caused the death of several people — including the driver in question — the driver’s blood-alcohol level is kept confidential. That’s because the blood-alcohol level of a dead person is part of a medical examiner’s report, and under Iowa law, information in a medical examiner’s report is to be kept confidential. (11/6)

While the opiate crisis continues in our communities unabated, a group of stakeholders meet this month to discuss one way to intervene that may be unexpected – providing clean needles to those who inject drugs. The clean needles will be exchanged for used needles that individuals bring to an exchange site. (Melissa Federman, 11/6)

Ohio has been called the "face of the nation's opiate epidemic." Although this is an awful designation, it brings to light a much-needed recognition and discussion of the magnitude of the addiction problem here in the Buckeye State. (Deborah King, 11/6)