| Court makes it easier for patients to enter rehab
Pennsylvanians battling drug and alcohol addiction will not need a second opinion from their HMO before entering treatment programs, a state appeals court ruled. In a unanimous decision released Thursday, Commonwealth Court ruled that group insurance companies and HMOs must cover drug and alcohol treatment costs for policy holders referred to detoxification, rehabilitation and outpatient programs by a doctor or psychologist. The ruling will help about 15,000 state residents with private insurance who seek substance abuse treatment each year, said Deborah Beck, president of the Drug and Alcohol Service Providers Organization of Pennsylvania. It's a really important decision that I think gives power back to doctors and psychologists, said Beck, whose Harrisburg-based organization represents licensed treatment centers and school-run counseling programs.
Anderson House benefit this weekend
The 11th annual Anderson House Seafood Festival will be held from noon to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Deer Path Park, West Woodschurch Road, Readington Township. There will be musical entertainment by local musicians. The festival benefits the residential treatment program for women recovering from drug and alcohol addiction. Suggested donation: $5, free for children 12 and under. Nutrition course at NCC Southside A new, three-credit introductory class in nutrition will be offered from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays, beginning Aug. 29, at Northampton Community College's Fowler Family Southside Center, 511 E. Third St., Bethlehem. Students will be introduced to the fundamentals of nutrition related to health promotion and disease prevention throughout the life cycle.
Celebrities more likely to deny addiction-experts
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Celebrities are more likely to deny they have an addiction because they feel protected from life's problems and must hit rock bottom -- often a run-in with the law -- before admitting they need help, experts say. With society allowing the rich and famous to be held less accountable, addiction experts say, celebrities often face a tougher recovery after denying their problems for a long time. "A lot of times celebrities get away with a lot more, so they're often a lot further along in their disease before they ever get treatment and it's very difficult," said Susan Blank of the nonprofit Caron group, which runs rehab programs. .
No health insurance? You're probably illegal
WASHINGTON While "Sicko" filmmaker Michael Moore is blaming greed and a broken health care system for the inability of Americans to get health-care insurance, it turns out a heavy percentage of those without coverage are illegal aliens. According to the latest Census Bureau figures, 43.6 percent of non-citizens in the U.S. are without health insurance. In addition, 33.6 percent of those born elsewhere are without coverage. By contrast, only 13.4 percent of native-born Americans are without health insurance. And 17.9 percent of naturalized citizens are without coverage. The statistics will be no surprise to health-care providers. Hospital emergency rooms in Florida and California have been forced to close their doors as a result of increased demands by uninsured and under-insured patients many of them illegal aliens.
Smokers get tax break – if they quit
The Ontario government is making it easier for smokers to butt out by removing provincial sales taxes on all over-the-counter smoking cessation products. As of Aug. 13, nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products, including nicotine patches, gum, lozenges, inhalers, sprays and tablets will be exempt from PST, Health Promotion Minister Jim Watson said Monday. Watson said the announcement translates into a savings of about $24 for a person spending about $300 over 10 weeks. The program is expected to cost the provincial government approximately $5 million in tax revenue a year. "The price of nicotine replacement therapy should not be more than the price of cigarettes. Today we are helping to try to reverse that trend," he said, noting there is still a significant disparity.
Older Adult Addiction Common, Deadly and Treatable
When Japan's 61-year old Prince Tomohito spoke publicly about his treatment for alcoholism recently, he helped to lift some of the stigma attached to the disease of addiction for those in Japan and elsewhere who need treatment. The prince's alcoholism since college days, and the progression of the disease was veiled in secrecy, but older adults who suffer from addiction do not seek treatment due to shame and stigma. Studies in the U.S. how that over 70 percent of all older adult hospital admissions are related to alcohol or medication abuse. Prince Tomohito's serious medical history prior to treatment is most probably linked to decades of alcoholism. Addiction among older adults is usually misdiagnosed because symptoms mimic age-related diseases, and families often believe nothing can be done anyway.
|
