In preparation for the upcoming legislative session, workers at Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families are interviewing Arkansans about their health coverage and finances.

The nonprofit advocates for families before state and national lawmakers.

Camille Richoux, health policy director for the group, said many residents are still dealing with the aftereffects of Medicaid "unwinding," when recipients lost their health insurance despite being eligible for continued coverage.

"We've encountered people who are having to choose between medications at the pharmacy," Richoux reported. "People who are saying, 'What's the most important prescription of all the prescriptions that I have that's gonna keep me alive?' And that has impacts on their long-term health."

She pointed out more than 270,000 adults and around 150,000 children lost coverage last year. Many people did not know they were uninsured until they tried to schedule doctor's appointments.

Advocates have been collecting the stories of Medicaid recipients for about six months. Richoux noted they have spoken to postpartum moms who can no longer receive care and unhoused residents who have not received paperwork because they do not have a permanent mailing address. She emphasized they try to represent people who sometimes feel like they don't have a voice.

"We think it's very important that the people who are impacted by Medicaid policy have a seat at the table and to be sure that their voices are heard," Richoux explained. "Part of this work is going around the state collecting those stories, sharing those with our leaders and administrators around the state."

Richoux added they will be monitoring the upcoming legislative session to ensure any changes to coverage will not have a negative effect on Medicaid recipients.


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One in four people over age 50 is taking care of at least one person with a health issue or disability, according to a new poll.

In Virginia, just under a million caregivers are providing more than $14 billion in unpaid economic value.

Jared Calfee, state advocacy director for AARP Virginia, said these numbers are growing as people are living longer and nursing homes are struggling with understaffing.

"I don't know how much capacity there is to add additional burden onto these folks plates," said Calfee. "And that's the direction we're heading in. And so both at the state and the federal level, we are going to have to start to figure out ways to do more for these folks."

He said the average caregiver pays more than $7,000 a year out of pocket. Many older caregivers are adding that on top of other jobs or kids.

State and federal lawmakers have proposed bills to help find solutions. Those include tax credits for caregivers, reducing red tape around Medicare and Social Security, and lowering healthcare expenses.

Public opinion on who should cover the cost of caring for older people is mixed.

Forty-five percent of those over 50 think it should be the government; 27% said it should be the person receiving the care, and 18% said family or friends.

Calfee said no matter what, caregiving should be a top-of-mind issue.

"Think about the people in your family that you may someday have to care for," said Calfee. "Think about the people in your family that may someday have to care for you as you age. And understand that these issues are so important and impact so many people, and very few of us are not going to be impacted by them at some point."

The U.S. Census Bureau says in a couple of decades, older Americans will outnumber children for the first time in history.

Mental-health experts are sounding the alarm about "fire brain" - a condition caused by exposure to toxic wildfire smoke. One study found that wildfire smoke can cause brain inflammation that lasts for a month.

Suzie Dukes, Chico LMFT and survivor of the Paradise Fire, said the massive Park Fire is now re-traumatizing a community already devastated by the Camp fire, which incinerated the nearby town of Paradise in 2018.

"People are in kind of a constant state of stress afterward, the feeling of being out of control, unable to prevent anything, and this deep-seated fear of losing yet again, more things. The Park Fire is triggering PTSD symptoms all over again," she explained.

A study released in July at the Alzheimer's Association conference found that exposure to wildfire smoke can raise the risk of being diagnosed with dementia. Families in need of mental-health assistance can call the California Parent and Youth Helpline at 1-855-427-2736 or go online to live chat at CA Parent Youth Helpline.org.

The trained counselors at the helpline can help get you through an emotional crisis.

"Reaching out and feeling like you belong to a community is essential in healing. Calling to a helpline can be a way out, a way out of the terror, because the human touch is essential in being able to reconnect and get your feet under you again," Dukes said.

Parents Anonymous, which runs the helpline, also offers free weekly support groups.


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Some North Carolina groups advocating for harm reduction among people struggling with drug addiction are calling for broader access to methadone, a crucial medication for treating opioid addiction.

Louise Vincent, executive director of the grassroots group North Carolina Survivor's Union, said most people can only get methadone through a treatment center, and strict regulations around timing and drug testing pose significant challenges for people in recovery. Vincent believes allowing pharmacies to dispense methadone could make it easier for individuals to stay on their recovery path.

"Pharmacies would make all the difference in the world," asserted. "I've got a Walgreens a block away. I could actually drive my scooter to the Walgreens."

Vincent also emphasized the need to address the stigma around opioid use disorder and the mistreatment she said often occurs in clinics. Over the past two decades, more than 36,000 people in North Carolina have died from overdoses.

Greer Arthur, research director for the North Carolina Collaboratory, said they are funding research and working with other organizations to explore a variety of harm reduction strategies, including allowing pharmacies to dispense methadone.

"Our goal is to be able to provide funding to researchers who can work with pharmacists, and who can listen to all the related organizations and pharmacies to understand, what are some of the barriers that they might be experiencing? Is there a way for us to pilot something like that?" Arthur explained.

She added the research will focus on rural areas and be guided by those directly affected by the opioid crisis or working to address it. On a federal level, the Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act was introduced in the U.S. Senate earlier this year, but has yet to see any progress.

Support for this reporting was provided by The Pew Charitable Trusts.


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