SEATTLE – Hay muchas razones por las que los proveedores chicos de atención a la salud quieren afiliarse a los grandes sistemas hospitalarios – por ejemplo más dinero, pacientes y tecnología. Pero el asunto tiene más aristas.
Actualmente casi la mitad de las camas de hospital en Washington forman parte de sistemas de atención médica basados en la fe, proporción que hace dos años de la mitad. Algunas opiniones señalan que tal tendencia podría llegar a limitar el tipo de cuidados disponibles para los pacientes –en especial de procedimientos no alineados con la doctrina Cristiana – y están discutiendo el tema.
Las fusiones entre prestadores de servicios de salud incluyen la de PeaceHealth, de Vancouver, con la Universidad de Washington (UW, por sus siglas en inglés), y la de los Centros de Enseñanza de Salud de Spokane (STHC) con Providence Health Care.
Leah Rutman, consejera de políticas de ACLU en Washington, comenta que vigilarán de cerca qué tanto son afectados los socios seculares de estas fusiones que se dan bajo las Catholic Ethic and Religious Directives (Normas Católicas Éticas y Religiosas), código que regula los cuidados de la salud.
“Estas directrices establecen que a esos sistemas Católicos de atención médica no se les permite brindar muchos tratamientos de fertilidad, servicios de salud reproductiva, ni servicios al final de la vida. Se trata de preocupaciones muy reales, porque la interpretación que haga cada hospital o sistema de salud de estas normas, puede ser diferente.”
Las organizaciones participantes en las fusiones han declarado que la atención al paciente no correrá riesgo alguno. Rutman señala que una parte del dinero público se usa para la atención al paciente en los hospitales y clínicas afiliados, y agrega que la Constitución del estado de Washington estipula que “el dinero público no será destinado… para sostener a institución religiosa alguna.”
Según el grupo “Compassion & Choices” (Compasión y Opciones de Elección), la atención al final de la vida y la ley “Death & Dignity” (Muerte y Dignidad) están en riesgo en el estado de Washington. Robb Miller, director ejecutivo de la organización, afirma que la ley permite que las organizaciones religiosas se abstengan.
Su temor es que los profesionales médicos y trabajadores sociales no recomienden a otros profesionales fuera de su corriente de fe, ni den a la gente información que no va con sus normas religiosas.
“El consentimiento informado es uno de los más importantes principios en la práctica de la medicina. La retención de información y de recomendaciones es lo que realmente representa un problema en estos proveedores.”
Los estudiantes de medicina y de posgrado en ambas universidades también han expresado preocupación por las restricciones que pudieran surgir en la capacitación o la residencia, por causa de las directrices religiosas. Miller afirma que la mejor manera en que la gente puede informarse sobre las limitaciones en la atención es preguntar a su médico o su hospital.
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Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has emerged from a long court case with another win.
After nine years and multiple delays, prosecutors are going to drop securities fraud charges against the embattled official. As part of the deal, Paxton must perform 100 hours of community service, pay almost $300,000 in restitution and take advanced legal education courses.
Dan Cogdell, attorney for Ken Paxton, said they welcomed the deal.
"It is not a plea bargain, he didn't plead," Cogdell emphasized. "There is no admission of guilt, there will never be an admission of guilt, because he's not guilty."
In 2015, Paxton was accused of persuading investors to buy stock in a tech startup, without disclosing he would be compensated for the deal. He was also accused of steering clients to a friend's investment advising business without registering with the Texas State Securities Board.
The deal is the second recent legal ruling in Paxton's favor. Six months ago, he was acquitted on 16 corruption charges in an impeachment trial in the Texas Senate but he has not been cleared of all accusations against him. Paxton is being sued by four of his former deputies, who say they were fired after making reports to the FBI he was using his office to help a supporter.
Cal Jillson, professor of political science at Southern Methodist University, said the federal investigation will be handled differently.
"They're taking their time turning over all the rocks," Jillson observed. "If they think there has been illegal behavior on the part of the attorney general, that will be a much different process than the political process that we saw in the Texas Senate."
Despite his legal troubles, Paxton has remained a popular politician. He's been reelected two times since he was indicted. Prosecutors in the case said if Paxton does not comply with the terms of the deal, he could still be tried on the original fraud charges.
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The New Hampshire House passed a bill to eliminate any exceptions to the state's voter ID law and requires documented proof of citizenship in order to register.
The bill would eliminate "affidavit voting" for those without ID and give any registered voter the right to challenge a person's voter registration on Election Day.
Rep. Heath Howard, D-Strafford, said challenges would require the lowest burden of legal proof and could prevent eligible voters from casting a ballot.
"It doesn't seem logical to me or fair that somebody could walk into a polling place, sign an affidavit, and take away somebody else's right to vote," Howard stressed.
Howard explained people would have to visit a state superior court to reclaim their eligibility, an often lengthy and costly process. Supporters said the bill simply aims to solidify existing ID law and prevent voter fraud.
Voting-rights advocates said more than 2,000 Granite Staters without identification used affidavits to vote in the 2022 midterm election and strict voter ID laws disproportionately impact Black, Native, elderly and student voters.
Howard noted not everyone has their birth certificate, and passports or naturalization papers can take months to receive. He emphasized several state investigations of voter fraud in 2020 yielded zero criminal proceedings.
"I think that we've experienced enough of this nonsense when it comes to accusations of voter fraud," Howard asserted. "This is just further perpetuation of that's not necessarily grounded in facts."
Howard added the latest attempt to tighten ID requirements could also be in violation of the Help America Vote Act and National Voter Registration Act. A similar law in Kansas was struck down in 2020 by a federal appeals court as unconstitutional.
Support for this reporting was provided by The Carnegie Corporation of New York.
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More than 86,000 Wyoming voters have been purged from voter rolls, thanks to a state law requiring county clerks to remove people who did not vote in the most recent election, according to a new analysis by AARP Wyoming.
Wyoming is one of 20 states to purge inactive voters, a policy affecting more than one in three Americans.
Tom Lacock, associate state director for AARP Wyoming, said it is important for people who sat out the midterm elections to make sure their registration is up-to-date.
"For folks who have not voted during the 2022 election, it's really the right time now to get to their county clerk's office and register for the 2024 presidential election," Lacock emphasized.
The high number of purged Wyoming voters is largely attributed to higher than normal turnout in the 2020 presidential election followed by near record low turnout in the 2022 general election. Lacock noted county clerks typically send postcards to those being purged, encouraging voters to contact their clerk to remain registered.
Secretary of State Chuck Gray has also proposed changes to the state's voting rules, which could make it much harder for people who do not have a valid driver's license to vote, such as nursing home residents or older voters who have stopped driving. Lacock noted the window for early voting is also closing.
"The other big change this year is we're going to see the number of days that voters can participate in early voting dropped from 45 days to just 28 days," Lacock pointed out.
A new state law also changes how Wyoming voters can vote in primary elections. Lacock explained people must now pick which party's primary they want to vote in no later than May 15.
He encouraged all eligible voters to make sure they can participate in the upcoming November election, which will determine the makeup of half the U.S. Senate, the entire House of Representatives...
"... and the presidential election, all hitting in the same year," Lacock stressed. "This is really an opportunity to make sure that candidates understand what is important to you, and to stand up and be counted."
Disclosure: AARP Wyoming contributes to our fund for reporting on Civic Engagement, Consumer Issues, Health Issues, and Senior Issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest,
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