Healthcare Tuesday

How will the Mental Health Parity Act affect your benefits? It depends on any number of things, the Los Angeles Times reports.

“People who will see the most benefit are those who previously had high copays and deductibles on mental health services,” the Times writes. “The impact will be far less for people who already have good mental health benefits, who have mild depression or have an acute life crisis where only a small amount of treatment is needed.” http://bit.ly/cVYtGC

Healthcare costs in India are also skyrocketing: Health costs in India are projected to rise 14 percent annually over the next decade, reaching $280 billion in 2020, India’s Economic Times reports. 

“Increase in personal income, government healthcare outlays and private domestic investments, combined with longer life expectancy should lead to annual average growth in healthcare spending of around 14 per cent in the forecast period,” according to an industry report, the Times said. http://bit.ly/9s74Wd

Maryland’s community health centers gearing up for influx of new patients: The Democrats’ new health reform law includes roughly $11 billion to expand and improve community health centers, which cater to some of the nation’s most vulnerable patients. Maryland is preparing.

“Our goal is to handle what the market gives to us,” Jay Wolvovsky, president of the Baltimore Medical System, told the Baltimore Sun. “We’re planning for growth.”  http://bit.ly/ar8j4J

In Oregon, calls for a public insurance option on the state exchange: Oregon health officials touring the state this weekend to get input as they create an insurance exchange “got an earful” from local residents, the Corvallis Gazette Times reports.

“In short, what they heard was this: Give us a simplified health insurance marketplace with a public option and a range of private plans that go beyond federal coverage requirements.” http://bit.ly/aPTDbp

While in West Virginia, state lawmakers have other concerns: Namely, that there simply aren’t enough health officials to implement the new reform law. 

“It’s D-Day, and they’re hitting the beach, and they just don’t have enough troops,” said House Health and Human Resources Committee Chairman Don Perdue, (D) according to the Charleston Gazette. “That’s a recipe for failure.” http://bit.ly/brkOiu