In the News

Health Care Notebook

12/23/2019
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Care act favored in foundation polls

Slightly more than half of Americans are worried they or someone in their family will lose insurance coverage if the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is overturned, according to polling from health policy nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation.

Two tracking polls conducted this year found that 56% percent of respondents overall thought they might lose coverage if a court decision voids the 2010 health law.

For Democrats, the number was higher at 80%. Republicans were less likely to fear losing coverage in those circumstances, with 29% of respondents saying they were worried.

In another recent Kaiser poll that asked about the law's provisions, a majority of respondents said it was important that most of the regulations stay in place.

Among those surveyed, 72% said it was "very important" to keep the part of the law that disallows insurers from barring people with preexisting medical conditions from coverage.

Other provisions respondents widely supported included bans on health insurers setting lifetime limits for coverage and prohibitions on insurers charging sick people more.

Last week, an appellate court considering the law ruled its individual mandate component (requiring people to buy health insurance) was unconstitutional.

The case has now returned to a Texas court, where a judge will consider whether the upper court's decision means the rest of the law is also invalid.

Lawmakers back dog therapy bill

Three members of the Arkansas congressional delegation have backed a bill to investigate the use of dogs to help veterans with mental health issues, such as post-traumatic stress disorder.

U.S. Rep. French Hill last week joined Reps. Bruce Westerman and Steve Womack as a co-sponsor of H.R. 4305, titled the "Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers (PAWS) for Veterans Therapy Act."

The legislation directs the secretary of veterans affairs to conduct a pilot program using service dogs to help with veterans' treatment.

More than 40 percent of Veterans Health Administration users had mental health or substance use issues in 2014, the bill says.

The bill has been referred to a committee.


LR doctor honored for vaccinations

A Little Rock doctor has been recognized for her work fighting cancers related to human papillomavirus, or HPV.

Dr. Laura Williams of River City Pediatrics joins doctors from 25 states in receiving the HPV Vaccine Is Cancer Prevention Champion Award, given by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and two partner groups.

The physician has one of the highest rates of HPV vaccination in the state and is a founding member of the ImmunizeAR advocacy group.

The HPV vaccine is thought to protect against several different HPV strains that can cause disease, including cervical and mouth cancer.