health equity
Poor and minority women face widening barriers to depression treatment
Colleen Shaddox, Connecticut Health Investigative Team, July 2
Among women, those who are low-income or minority are less likely to get treatment for depression. Racial and ethnic disparities, while still considerable, are decreasing in some physical illnesses, but in mental health care, those disparities are growing. Lack of insurance coverage, the cost of treatment, a shortage of qualified clinicians, stigma and even fear of losing custody of their children can keep women from seeking help. Blacks and Hispanics are more likely to report psychological distress than non-Hispanic whites, and the rates increase dramatically for minorities who live in poverty.
medicaid
Finally, some answers on the effects of Medicaid expansion
Aaron E. Carroll, The New York Times, July 2
Research suggests that access to care has greatly improved, and that quality of care has generally improved. It has only been a few years since the Medicaid expansion, but the evidence to date is — if anything — positive. As Olena Mazurenko, the lead author of the systematic review, wrote, “With dozens of scientific analyses spanning multiple years, the best evidence we currently have suggests that Medicaid expansion greatly improved access to care, generally improved quality of care, and to a lesser degree, positively affected people’s health.”
integrated care
Texas clinics busting traditional silos of mental and physical health care
Caroline Covington, Kaiser Health News, July 5
Kerstin Taylor fought alcohol and substance abuse problems for two decades. She periodically sought help through addiction and psychiatric treatments to stay sober, but she continued to relapse. Taylor also has asthma and her doctors told her she was at risk of developing diabetes. Until recently, health care professionals treated the mind and body separately and cared for them under different systems. Efforts to provide integrated care are spreading, especially in public health clinics.
from the foundation
A healthier Connecticut: Improving the health of our state in 2018 and beyond
Connecticut Health Foundation, July 2
On Nov. 6, state residents will pick a new governor and vote for people to represent them in the state House and Senate. To help inform candidates, we put together a briefing about some of the major issues in health care in our state.