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Newsweek reported on a class action lawsuit filed against Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield of New York, accusing the major insurer of publishing an inaccurate directory of doctors who were supposed to accept the insurance. Instead, the “ghost networks” caused patients to fork over substantial amounts of money out of pocket because they were out of network. Because of the confusion, many patients also faced significant delays in finding health care or gave up entirely, according to the lawsuit.
Home care provider Compassus is set to manage Providence’s home-based care services through a new joint venture, reported Becker’s Hospital Review. The joint venture will operate under the name Providence at Home with Compassus. As part of the agreement, Compassus will oversee operations for the joint venture, which will cover 24 home health locations across Alaska, California, Oregon, and Washington, along with 17 hospice and palliative care sites in Alaska, California, Oregon, Texas, and Washington. Additionally, the joint venture will manage private duty services in Southern California.
The Los Angeles Times, CNN and the Associated Press are three of the dozens of news outlets to report on our ongoing Kaiser mental health strike in Southern California.
A report from the Urvashi Vaid National LGBTQ+ Women’s Community Survey, found that 22 percent of LGBTQ+ women respondents have attempted suicide, and 66 percent reported seeking treatment for trauma, NPR reported. The analysis finds that LGBTQ+ women experience substantial health disparities, mental illness and barriers to care. Nearly half of respondents live with anxiety (44 percent) or depression (51 percent). The National Association on Mental Illness reports 19 percent of U.S. adults have an anxiety disorder and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports 18 percent of U.S. adults have depression. The survey also found differences among race — respondents of color reported higher rates of disability and attempted suicide.
Sutter Health is planning to expand its Elk Grove campus with a new 56,000-square-foot specialty care center. The $67.8 million project will add 44 physicians — 27 specialists and 17 primary care providers — to the Sutter Health Elk Grove Care Complex. The expansion aims to increase access to specialties including cardiology, neurology, and women’s health. The new center, Becker’s Hospital Review reported, also will expand the urgent care services. Construction is scheduled to start in summer 2025 and be completed in 2026.
Spectrum News reported that Governor Newsom has signed into law State Senator Monique Limón’s SB 1061, which ensures that medical debt will no longer be included on consumers’ credit reports, an issue that impacts around 11 million Californians that have medical debt. An amendment forced on Limón’s bill at the last hour means that patients who use a medical credit card or a specialty loan to pay for their hospital bill will not be protected under the new law. The new law takes effect on July 1, 2025.
A Roll Call article states that 61 percent of adults said they know someone who has considered, attempted, or died by suicide, according to the 2024 Public Perception of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Poll, conducted by The Harris Poll. The biennial survey found that number has consistently risen, from 53 percent in 2018 to 55 percent in 2020 and 59 percent in 2022. The poll — a joint effort led by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention at EDC, and the Suicide Prevention Resource Center — also found that 25 percent of U.S. adults have thought about or attempted suicide themselves. Adults who have experienced thoughts of suicide are also increasingly open to speaking to others, with 82 percent open to this in 2024 — a 9 percent increase over 2018.
