Lawmakers in Massachusetts are considering legislation to allow medical aid in dying as an option for mentally capable, terminally ill adults.

Patients age eighteen and older with less than six months to live could request medication from their physician, to take at their time of choosing and peacefully pass in their sleep.

Melissa Stacy, political and public affairs strategist with the nonprofit Compassion & Choices, said those with advanced-stage cancers and other debilitating illnesses deserve peace of mind.

"The amount of suffering and pain that goes into that is really, really difficult for a patient to withstand," said Stacy, "and really difficult for them to go through at the end of life, when they could have a medication available to them."

The legislation is opposed by the Catholic Church and some disability-rights groups who claim the law could be abused, but Stacy said safeguards have been built-in and rely on decades of data from similar laws in ten other states.

A recent poll finds two-thirds of Massachusetts residents support giving some terminally ill patients the legal right to end their lives with a doctor's prescription.

Gov. Maura Healy has also expressed her support.

Woods Hole resident Nancy Walbek, whose brother David used California's medical aid-in-dying law to end his suffering from pancreatic cancer, said it's a matter of personal choice.

"He was really at peace with the fact that he had a good life," said Walbek, "and he wanted to have a good last act also, so it was a huge advantage and it was peaceful for the family, too."

Walbek said her brother was able to pass at home when he was ready and with family nearby.

She said she believes most people support the option for medical aid in dying because so many people have watched loved ones needlessly suffer in their final days.

Already thirty senators have signed onto the bill, which is now pending before the Senate Ways and Means Committee.

Clinica Family Health and Mental Health Partners have announced plans to merge operations by September of this year.

Mental Health Partners co-CEO Dixie Casford said the move will create an integrated care model that can better meet the needs of historically under-resourced populations.

Patients will no longer have to navigate complex referrals, hunt for new providers, or explain their medical history over and over.

"Whether it's oral care, and mental health care," said Casford. "Whatever combination that looks like, you come in, there's no wrong door. They can come into that system and get what they need."

The new Clinica Family Health and Wellness will offer physical, behavioral, and oral healthcare to all patients regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay from locations across Adams, Boulder, Broomfield, and Gilpin counties.

Casford said the new, larger organization will also benefit workers by providing a host of new opportunities across areas of specialization.

She said the aim is to magnify the talents and skills of the compassionate, expert staff across both organizations.

"There's going to be different positions that don't exist now across both organizations," said Casford. "And so there's going to be multiple layers of professional development, and career advancement opportunities that just don't exist in the singular organizations."

Casford said the merger is also an opportunity for new innovations. Teams of providers will be able to work collaboratively to see the full picture of an individual's physical, mental, and social needs.

She said this whole-person model can better identify and manage problems before they develop into crises. And with this merger, the new operation will be better set up to deliver a lifetime of care.

"And we really believe what that will do is move people from more acute situations farther upstream in the health care system to more prevention and wellness eventually."




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Nevada's marketplace insurance program wants people who no longer qualify for Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program to know it has extended its special enrollment period through the end of November.

Russell Cook, executive director of the Silver State Health Insurance Exchange, encouraged individuals who lost coverage due to Medicaid's redetermination process to check to see if they are eligible to enroll through Nevada Health Link. He said it takes minutes to find out what type of financial assistance Nevadans could qualify for to lower their monthly premium.

"We do want to emphasize that at a high level, if anyone in your household has lost Medicaid or CHIP coverage starting in May of 2023, you are still eligible to enroll through NevadaHealthLink.com," Cook pointed out.

Since Nevada Medicaid began redetermining eligibility in April of last year, only about 4% of Nevadans who were deemed ineligible for Medicaid benefits have enrolled in a plan through Nevada Health Link. Cook explained the two main reasons people lost coverage during the unwinding process were because of procedural reasons, meaning Medicaid needed updated information to determine eligibility, or because of an increase in income.

In addition to the extension of its special enrollment period, Nevada Health Link has also launched an SMS texting initiative created to raise awareness and engage Nevadans who no longer qualify for Medicaid or CHIP. Cook described it as a direct-to-consumer approach to simplify the process of selecting affordable health insurance.

"At least through the end of September, probably the end of the year, we are going to be reaching out to these folks who have lost Medicaid coverage, again all the way back as far as May of last year," Cook emphasized. "So it really helps us reach those folks, if we have an SMS-enabled phone on file, which of course we receive from Nevada Medicaid."

Cook added it is important everyone have health insurance and receive preventive care, especially children. He warned some health conditions can quickly turn into complicated situations if not taken care of.


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Almost half of the Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who live in Texas are skipping routine healthcare because of cost, according to a survey by Episcopal Health Foundation.

The report focuses on the overall health experiences of AAPI Texans and found that high medical bills, lack of affordable housing and reliable transportation have a negative impact on their lives.

Brian Sasser, chief communications officer for Episcopal Health Foundation, said non-medical factors can put a person's health at risk.

"Not being able to get reliable, affordable transportation to go to a doctor's visit, to go to a check-up, to get a test done, to get a prescription filled," Sasser explained. "You can't go to the grocery store to get health food so you may go to the closest convenience store, and if you can't get to a park or somewhere to exercise, you don't exercise."

One in five of those surveyed say when they receive medical treatment, they struggle to pay the bills.

More than 1.8 million Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders live in Texas. The population of Asian Americans in the Lone Star State has grown at a faster rate than any other group over the past 20 years. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Texas counties with the highest numbers of AAPI residents are Collin, Denton, Fort Bend, Travis and Williamson.

Sasser said because of the continued population growth, future surveys will focus on the community. Their survey answers mirror those of other races and ethnic groups.

"No matter which Texans we talk with, no matter where they live in Texas, non-medical factors do make an impact. And I think what is most important is under-resourced neighborhoods hit all populations and those under-resourced neighborhoods not only have an effect on someone's life, but also their health," he explained.

More than half (55%) of those polled say the state isn't doing enough to make sure low-income adults get the health care they need, and over half say Texas should expand Medicaid to cover more low-income residents, specifically children, pregnant women and immigrants.