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Criminally ill: Systemic failures turn state mental hospitals into prisons
Sarah Jane Tribble and Doug Livingston, KFF Health News, Dec. 22
The mental health system in the U.S. “makes it easier to criminalize somebody than to get them help,” according to interviews conducted by The Marshall Project with patients, current and former hospital employees, advocates, lawyers, and others. State psychiatric hospitals nationwide have largely lost the ability to treat patients before their mental health deteriorates and they are charged with crimes. Psychiatric hospitals are short-staffed and consistently turn away patients or leave them waiting with few or no treatment options. Those who do receive care are often sent by court order after committing serious criminal offenses.
40 million people turn to ChatGPT for health care
Megan Morrone, Axios, Jan. 5
More than 40 million people globally turn to ChatGPT daily for health information, according to a report from its parent company, OpenAI. Users turn to the AI chatbot for help decoding medical bills, spotting overcharges, appealing insurance denials, and in some cases to self-diagnose or manage their care. In rural communities, where access to health care can often be limited, OpenAI says users send an average of 600,000 health care-related messages every week. ChatGPT can give wrong and potentially dangerous advice. However, it has also been found to uncover errors like duplicate charges on people’s medical bills.
CT to get $154M through federal rural health grant for 2026
Lisa Hagen and Katy Golvala, The Connecticut Mirror, Jan. 2
Connecticut will receive about $154 million in federal assistance to improve health care and access in rural communities ahead of anticipated changes and cuts to Medicaid. The funds come from the Rural Health Transformation Program, which will provide assistance to states over the next five years. Connecticut’s plan to use the money is focused on increasing care options in rural areas and facilitating access to care. It includes efforts such as mobile medical and dental vans and expanded telehealth options. The funding comes as many clinics and hospitals brace for changes and cuts to Medicaid in the coming years.
This new CT law seeks to prevent generic drug price hikes. It’s in effect – for now
Michayla Savitt, Connecticut Public Radio, Jan. 6
A law aimed at combating the rising cost of generic drugs in Connecticut is now in effect. However, its future is uncertain. A national organization representing drug distribution companies is challenging the legislation. In Connecticut, medications from retail pharmacies accounted for the state’s highest health care spending increase from 2022 to 2023. The new law allows Connecticut to fine drug manufacturers that raise the cost of generic medication beyond the annual rate of inflation. The Healthcare Distribution Alliance (HDA) filed a complaint on behalf of its members in Connecticut, arguing the law could threaten distributors’ role in the drug supply chain.
Midwife and Black maternal health advocate, 31, dies due to childbirth complications with her first baby
Kayla Grant, People Magazine, Jan. 5
Dr. Janell Green Smith, a midwife and Black maternal health advocate, died from childbirth complications while delivering her first baby. The 31-year-old from South Carolina dedicated her life to advocating for Black maternal health and safe childbirth. The American College of Nurse-Midwives said in a statement, “That a Black midwife and maternal health expert died after giving birth in the United States is both heartbreaking and unacceptable. Her death underscores the persistent and well-documented reality that Black women—regardless of education, income, or professional expertise—face disproportionate risks during pregnancy and childbirth due to systemic racism and failures in care.” The organization called her death a “profound failure of the systems meant to protect birthing people.”