USA Today (4/9, Kucinich) reports, “Mental health advocates, heartened when their cause took center stage in the wake of the mass shooting in Newtown, Conn., are now looking past the gun debate with the hope of having a more positive discussion about the issue.” That’s because “the focus [has been] primarily on how to prevent mentally ill people from obtaining weapons rather than improving care.” To urge a new focus, “the VERA Institute of Justice issued a policy paper warning that mental health should be dealt with as a public health issue, rather than a criminal justice issue.” And “Congressional advocates of expanding mental health said Tuesday that…the push to make changes to the mental health issue would continue.” In addition, the President’s budget proposes “$235 million for new mental health programs.”

Related Links:

— “Mental health advocates worry about gun legislation, “Jackie Kucinich, USA Today, April 9, 2013.

Medscape (4/10, Melville) reports, “Individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have an increased risk for earlier onset of some health conditions compared with those without the disorder,” according to research presented at the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) 33rd Annual Conference. “For the study, researchers evaluated data on 34,653 community-dwelling adults older than 20 years from Wave 2 (2004-2005) of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC).” The data revealed that “those with PTSD had greater odds of having conditions, including gastrointestinal disorders, across all age groups and of having conditions such as arthritis at a younger age compared with those without the disorder.”

USA Today (4/9, Kennedy) reports, “People younger than 65 are twice as likely to skip medications than older Americans, according to a study released today by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The new CDC study found that about 13% of the Americans younger than 65 did not take their medications as prescribed to save money, while 6% of the older group skipped medications.” Approximately “6% of both groups tried alternative therapies to avoid prescription drug costs.”

Bloomberg News (4/9, Edney) reports that “Americans spent $45 billion out-of-pocket on retail prescription drugs in 2011, the CDC said. The Affordable Care Act is expected to expand access in 2014 when medication coverage is considered an essential benefit of any health plan offered in new insurance marketplaces called exchanges.”

The Newark (NJ) Star-Ledger (4/9, Livio) reports that the study “found the most popular cost-cutting strategy – employed by one out of every five patients at any age – was to ask doctors to prescribe a cheaper drug, according to responses from 33,000 people who participated in the CDC’s National Health Interview Survey in 2011.”

Related Links:

— “Study: Younger patients more likely to skip medications, “Kelly Kennedy, USA Today, April 9, 2013.

The Denver Post (4/8, Robles) reports than in an effort to integrate health services for patients, an increasing number of primary care physicians (PCPs) in metropolitan Denver, CO are providing on-site mental health counseling services. Patients are able to undergo instant consultations while at the doctor’s office. The piece points out how some physical and mental health conditions may overlap. By way of example, some patients who have had a heart attack will end up with a serious depression, or some people may have difficulty learning to cope with diabetes or asthma. Other people who are substance abusers may also have a comorbid physical problem.

Related Links:

— “Primary care doctors welcome mental health professionals, “Yesenia Robles, The Denver Post, April 8, 2013.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune (4/7, Spencer) reported that a class-action lawsuit filed against UnitedHealth Group will test the Federal law that says insurance companies cannot treat “mental health claims differently from medical and surgical claims.” The lawsuit was brought by the parents of a child with bipolar disorder, “two other individuals and the New York State Psychiatric Association,” and “could set a major precedent for mental health coverage in the era of healthcare reform.” The case is notable because it does not rely solely on state law for an individual claim but instead “relies heavily on the federal parity law, as well as the federal Affordable Care Act.” UnitedHealth, based in Minnetonka, Minnesota, “declined to discuss the suit, which was filed in New York on March 11.”

Related Links:

— “Suit against UnitedHealth tests mental health coverage rules, “Jim Spencer, The Minneapolis Star Tribune, April 7, 2013.