By Katie Kerwin McCrimmon Many Coloradans with jobs say they can no longer afford health insurance, a new analysis from the Colorado Health Access Survey has found. Nearly one-third of Coloradans more than 1.5 million people are either uninsured or underinsured, according to the initial survey results that were released in November. New analysis shows that 85 percent of uninsured Coloradans say they dont have health insurance because its too expensive. Job loss and poverty used to be the key causes for poor health coverage. But the landscape in Colorado is changing dramatically. Today, a good job no longer guarantees…
Category: News - Part 22
By Katie Kerwin McCrimmon The battle over contraception has escalated in Colorado with Planned Parenthood officials calling out Colorados Attorney General for opposing federal birth control mandates. Attorney General John Suthers signed a letter this month along with 11 other attorneys general demanding a reversal of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services new requirement that health plans offer birth control coverage. We strongly oppose the unconstitutional approach taken by the proposed contraceptive coverage mandate, the letter reads. We believe it represents an impermissible violation of the Constitutions First Amendment virtually unparalleled in American history. Tapping into the rage…
Medical marijuana banned on school grounds Dont expect to see students or teachers or other staff members legally smoking or consuming marijuana on school grounds, even if they possess medical marijuana cards.The Colorado Association of School Boards certainly wont be drawing up sample model policies to permit sanctioned use of the drug on campuses, said Brad Stauffer, associate executive director. In fact, Colorado school districts have begun to adopt policies that specifically spell out the opposite. We feel the laws in place clearly support what our policies say, that is, that the use of medical marijuana is prohibited in schools,…
By Katie Kerwin McCrimmon of Solutions Hes 16 but his baby face makes him look a little older than 10, his age when he first tried marijuana. I smoke marijuana every single day all day long, the teen said during a lunch period spent hanging out in a park outside his downtown Colorado Springs high school. It develops brain cells. That is a complete and true fact, he said. It kills weak brain cells. It does affect your lungs but its better than smoking cigarettes. Dozens of students interviewed across Colorado as part of an investigation by Education News Colorado,…
By Terrance R. Kelly The most important issue today in health care morality is crystal clear. It has nothing to do with birth control insurance coverage for employees of Catholic universities and hospitals, the Catholic hierarchy or Republican presidential candidates. Several cancer drugs that are the mainstay of treatment regimens used to cure several cancers,are not being manufactured in sufficient quantities to meet the life-and-death needs of cancer patients. Dr. Michael Link, the president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, states, If you are a pediatric oncologist, you know how to cure 70 to 80 percent of patients. But…
By Katie Kerwin McCrimmon of Solutions Shes not the stereotypical stoner, zoned out in a haze of smoke and flunking out of school. Emma is a graduate of Palmer High School in Colorado Springs, known for its prestigious International Baccalaureate program and for attracting a diverse student body. But Palmer holds another distinction and so does Emma, whose name has been changed to protect her identity. The downtown Springs school posted one of the highest increases in drug violations reported by any Colorado school in the past four years. In 2007-08, Palmer reported two drug violations; in 2010-11, it was…
By Rebecca Jones of Education News Colorado and Katie Kerwin McCrimmon of Solutions Sometime on Saturday, Steve Ackerman sold his last joint. His Organic Alternatives, a medical marijuana dispensary in Fort Collins, is one of 23 in this laid-back university town forced to close by Tuesday after residents voted to ban dispensaries. I wont continue in the medical marijuana industry, said Ackerman, who opened his comfortable saloon-like dispensary two years ago. But I will continue to support it, and Ill continue to help fight for what I think is right. Marijuana should not be prohibited. Cruise south a little less…
By Diane Carman Listening to the candidates vying for the Republican presidential nomination might lead your average health care consumer to think the system is on the verge of collapse. While the Affordable Care Act is not yet fully implemented and remains in large part unproven, some health care systems around the country are demonstrating the potential for significant improvements in cost control, access to care and better outcomes. They also are acting as testing grounds for such health care reform concepts as medical homes, virtual health care, electronic medical records, integrated behavioral health care and revenue pooling across care…
By Bob Semro Prescription drugs are a big part of the monthly budget for many seniors on Medicare, and provisions in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are working to lower those costs. In 2011, 3.6 million Medicare recipients nationwide saved $2.1 billion in prescription drug costs, according to estimates released last week by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). In Colorado, 39,746 Medicare recipients saved $22.8 million on prescription drugs, or $579 per person on average, according to these estimates. HHS projects these savings will increase over time totaling nearly $4,200 for the average Medicare recipient by 2020….
Colorado schools have reported a 45 percent spike in drug violations in the past four years, even as the total number of other violations reported to state officials has declined. Interviews with school officials, health care workers and students across the state depict marijuana as the key factor behind the increase. Whats happening at your school? Search below to see a four-year history of drug offenses and their disposition, such as expulsion. Click here to load this Caspio Online Database. Search tips and data notes To compare schools or districts, hit Ctrl or command and click on as many names…