Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
'Medicaid Messes And Nightmares': Obstacles Abound In Treating Pregnant Women With Addictions
Even though most insurers cover Subutex, insurance plans require paperwork, called a prior authorization, before they’ll approve its use. Prior authorization requirements are especially onerous for pregnant women on Medicaid who may have to submit new paperwork multiple times during their pregnancy. (Forman, 8/2)
In other news on the crisis —
Attorney General Jeff Sessions plans to discuss the impact of the country’s opioid epidemic during a speech in hard-hit Ohio, where about eight people a day are dying of accidental overdoses. Sessions is scheduled to address law enforcement officers and families affected by the crisis Wednesday in Columbus. (8/1)
A commission organized by President Trump released its initial recommendations on Monday, saying it was time to declare a national health emergency, among other suggestions. Special correspondent Nick Schifrin talks with Gov. Roy Cooper, D-N.C., a member of the commission, about what would help ease the epidemic. (Schifrin, 8/1)
In the early 1800s, many Boston merchants became millionaires in part by selling opium illegally in China. ... The opium trade fueled an epidemic in China — and there are signs the merchants unwittingly fed addiction in Massachusetts. (Bebinger, 8/1)
