Trending News Today: Cancer End-of-Life Care Superior to Other Conditions

Findings from a recent study revealed that end-of-life care was significantly better for patients with cancer or dementia compared with pulmonary disease, congestive heart failure, and renal disease, reported Kaiser Health News. In the study, researchers found that 60% of individuals with a relative dying of cancer or damage reported their relative received excellent end-of-life treatment, and 80% said the relative always received the care they wanted. However, for relatives who died of renal, cardiovascular, or pulmonary conditions, only 55% of people reported excellent end-of-life care, and 54% reported that for relatives dying frailty. Patients dying from those conditions were significantly less likely to have a palliative-care consultation, and were more likely to die in the ICU instead of hospice care, despite a majority of Americans who feel more comfortable dying at home.

On July 1, 2016, Louisiana, which imprisons more of its citizens per capita than any other state, will launch the expansion of Medicaid coverage to provide individuals leaving prison with a chance to receive health care. According to USA Today, 2 women released from incarceration described prison reentry as psychologically crushing for most people. When former inmates lack access to health care when they leave prison, many will end up returning to prison. “It’s unconscionable to just drop them off at a Greyhound bus station,” Rebekah Gee, a physician and Louisiana Secretary of Health, said in the report. “They’re just going to come right back.”

Although, the health law that allows young adults to stay on their parents’ health insurance until they turn 26-years-old provides benefits, there is a lack of privacy when staying on the family plan, prompting several states to address this issue. There have been a number of states, including California, Colorado, Maryland, Oregon, and Washington, who had adopted laws or regulations that make it easier for dependents to keep their medical information confidential, reported Kaiser Health News. Although the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act offers some protections, an insurer is not obligated to honor the request. “There’s a longstanding awareness that disclosures by insurers could create dangers for individuals,” Abigail English, director of Center for Adolescent Health and the Law, said in the report. “But there was an added impetus to concerns about the confidentiality of insurance information with the dramatic increase in the number of young adults staying on their parents’ plan until age 26.”