SACRAMENTO, Calif. – La ley “CARE Act” lleva casi cinco meses vigente, y los defensores afirman que ha logrado convertir lo que antes era una buena práctica, en ley.

A casi cinco meses de que entró en vigor, los defensores de la salud dicen que la ley CARE está marcando una gran diferencia en la cantidad de instrucción que reciben los pacientes y los cuidadores de pacientes.

La “Hospitals and Family Caregiver Act” (Ley de Prestación de Cuidados para Hospitales y Familias) exige que los hospitales designen una persona para brindar cuidados a cada paciente en cuanto es admitida o admitido, y luego dar instrucciones detalladas al familiar o cuidador que atenderá al paciente cuando éste es dado de alta. La idea es mejorar los resultados del paciente y reducir los reingresos por complicaciones posteriores.

Heidi Kelly, de Camarillo, apoya la ley luego de que su madre fue dada de alta del hospital con una hemorragia interna mientras recibía adelgazantes para la sangre, y posteriormente falleció sin que la familia hubiera recibido instrucciones suficientes y claras.

“No preguntaron a quién podían darle toda la información, y yo soy la mayor de seis. Y estuvieron hablando con nosotros en diferentes momentos, dándonos información diferente.”

Las cifras de re-admisión hospitalaria no planeada en 2016 no están listas aún, pero las estadísticas estatales indican que en la primera mitad de 2015 más de 124 mil personas, el 13.1 por ciento, tuvieron que regresar al hospital a los pocos días de haber sido dadas de alta, lo que representó una leve mejoría respecto al 2014.

Surani Hayre-Kwan, de la Asociación Californiana de Practicantes de Enfermería (“California Association for Nurse Practitioners”), dice que la nueva ley obliga a los hospitales a darle al paciente, y a quienes le cuidan, las herramientas necesarias para asegurar una recuperación saludable.

“En vez de que ignoren al cuidador mientras se prepara al paciente para salir del hospital, ahora el cuidador puede decir ‘Hey, momento, tienen la obligación de incluirme en este proceso para que este paciente sea atendido correctamente.’”

Una medición de la AARP encontró que 4.4 millones de californianos brindan cuidados no remunerados a un familiar o ser querido. Casi la mitad desempeñan complejas tareas médicas y casi el 80 por ciento administran medicamentos. En su página de internet, la AARP tiene una tarjeta que puede ser bajada e imprimida; es sobre la ley CARE, y puede llevarse en la cartera como recordatorio de los derechos que tenemos cuando ingresamos a un hospital.

Encuentre más información (en inglés) sobre la tarjeta para su cartera, en: http://states.aarp.org/ca-new-law-helps-family-caregivers/.


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After more than 50 years of use, some Michigan lawmakers say naloxone may not be the best choice in an overdose situation.

Naloxone is sometimes called the "Lazarus drug" because of its powerful ability to seemingly resurrect people after a drug overdose.

Sen. Kevin Hertel, D-St. Clair Shores, and some of his colleagues have introduced a bill which would open the door for what they say are more costly, but more powerful, antidotes.

"Given the prevalence of fentanyl in our communities, and how much stronger some of these drugs that we're now seeing are, we believe -- and in talking with others -- that there should be other tools to respond to an overdose," Hertel explained. "To make sure we're doing everything we can to save somebody's life."

Not everyone is on board with the proposed legislation, Senate Bill 542. Opponents argued the more expensive naloxone alternatives are not necessary, and using them would only increase profits for the pharmaceutical industry.

Jonathan Stoltman, director of the Opioid Policy Institute in Grand Rapids, said while the naloxone alternatives do help in overdose situations, they can also cause nasty side effects.

"The newer approaches, they put people into more severe withdrawal," Stoltman pointed out. "That's a pretty profound negative side effect. The one approach is very inexpensive and works great; the other approach is far more expensive and has this strong negative side effect."

Sponsors of the bill say they're hoping to give Michigan residents a chance to chime in on the issue in a public hearing sometime in June. Michigan saw more than 3,000 opioid overdose deaths in 2021.


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New Mexico saw record enrollment numbers for the Affordable Care Act this year and is now setting its sights on lowering out-of-pocket costs - those not reimbursed by insurance. More than 56,000 New Mexicans are enrolled in a medical health insurance plan on the state exchange - an increase of 12,000 people overall.

Colin Baillio, deputy superintendent with the state's Office of Insurance, said the state has boosted its outreach and made efforts to improve the overall consumer experience.

"We saw a 40% year-over-year increase, and New Mexico saw the biggest percentage increase during the open-enrollment period among all of the state-based marketplaces," he explained

Part of the enrollment increase is due to what's called the "unwinding" - a federal directive that required all states to redetermine Medicaid eligibility following a three-year pause on checks during the COVID pandemic. He said by using expanded tools made available by the federal and state government, 8% of New Mexico's population is now uninsured - down from 23% in 2010.

Following approval by lawmakers in the 2024 legislative session, the New Mexico governor signed seven health care-related bills into law - one of which requires annual reporting of prescription drug pricing. Baililo said the Affordable Care Act built the foundation that has allowed the state to pursue additional affordability initiatives.

"I'm really glad to see that there's so much interest in the next step of health reform, really leaning into these out-of-pocket cost issues and making it easier for people to afford to stay covered and see their doctors," he continued.

Two years ago, the state also passed a one-of-a-kind law that did away with behavioral health co-pays for people in certain insurance plans.

New York's medical aid-in-dying bill is gaining further support. The Medical Society of the State of New York is supporting the bill. New York's bill allows terminally ill people with only six months to live to use this option, with safeguards requiring two physicians' approval.

The bill's Assembly sponsor Amy Paulin, D-Westchester, said despite the growing support, other hurdles lie ahead.

"Now we have what I believe, if it came to the floor, a majority. There's still a hesitation on the part of leadership. You know, we need members to assure leadership that they no longer have reservations," she said.

Other newly resolved concerns center on making sure insurance companies and doctors who don't support this aren't held liable. She's optimistic the bill will pass after nine years in the Legislature. New York would be the 11th state along with Washington, D.C. to have medical aid in dying legislation.

Corinne Carey, senior New York campaign director with Compassion and Choices finds the pandemic drew a vivid picture of a person's end-of-life experience. There were images of people dying on ventilators, apart from loved ones, and unable to communicate. She said people began thinking about a "good death."

"And, what is a good death is being surrounded by loved ones, having some measure of control, experiencing the touch of your loved ones, and being the one in the driver's seat," she explained.

Now people have different options for end-of-life care, each of which presents various challenges. Polls show medical aid in dying has garnered considerable support since being introduced in 2015. A 2022 Compassion and Choices poll finds 57% of nurses support medical aid in dying professionally, although fewer support it personally.