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10,000 more kids to qualify for health care insurance
Nearly 10,000 Arizona children of the working poor will soon be eligible for subsidized health care. The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has approved a bid by the...
Issue: health care
2-time US Senate candidate Ward seeks top Arizona GOP post
Kelli Ward (David Kadlubowski/The Arizona Republic via AP) Two-time U.S. Senate candidate Kelli Ward said Monday she’ll seek the top post in the Arizona Republican Party...
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22,000 Arizona children could lose health care
Health care for more than 22,000 Arizona youngsters is in jeopardy because of congressional inaction. The federal budget year expired Sept. 30 without lawmakers taking action to fund the Children’s...
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3 health care reforms that Republicans oppose
One year into the coronavirus pandemic, Arizona has suffered greatly, but the chance for vaccination gives us some hope. The sheer scale of the sickness – over 800,000 cases in...
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6 ways Congress can fight for recovery from pandemic now
By Valley of the Sun United Way It’s clear the coronavirus has had a devastating impact on workers, families and businesses in Maricopa County and across Arizona. Our community is...
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A rundown of issues likely to rise in 2018 legislative session
While public education is expected to be the top issue when lawmakers return on Monday, a few other subjects are likely to command some attention. Health care: Look for the...
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ACA premiums lowest in history thanks to Kelly, Sinema
AHCCCS Complete Care – a game-changer for patients, providers
When one of the single largest innovations in Arizona’s health care delivery system occurs – and one that truly puts Arizona on the forefront of innovative patient care in the...
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Arizona asks judge to hold off on fines in inmate care case
Arizona Health Services: most pregnancy-related deaths preventable
Nearly half of Arizona’s pregnancy related deaths in 2022 were tied to mental health or substance use disorders, with 98% deemed preventable, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services....
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Arizona lawmakers debate cap on children’s health program
Advocates for a health insurance program for children from low-income families are pushing lawmakers not to let Arizona once-again become the only state to freeze enrollment in the program. Facing...
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Arizona must prioritize reform of federal safety net program
The high cost of living, coupled with rising healthcare costs, is dramatically impacting vulnerable Arizona patients living with chronic diseases. At a time when patients, families, and caregivers need relief...
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Arizona officials threatened with contempt over prison care
A judge has warned that Arizona Corrections Director Charles Ryan and another prison official could be held in civil contempt of court and the state could face fines for repeatedly...
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Arizona on course to relive health care ordeal if Congress cuts Medicaid
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer holds up the contentious Medicaid expansion bill after signing it into law. (Photo by Evan Wyloge/Arizona Capitol Times) Arizona already knows what...
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Arizona prisons boss to appeal order over inmate health care
Arizona Department of Corrections Director Charles Ryan Arizona Corrections Director Charles Ryan is appealing a judge’s order that said he and another prison official could be...
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Arizona prisons, inmate lawyers to renegotiate settlement
The Arizona Department of Corrections was sent back to the negotiating table after it failed to comply with a previous settlement requiring better health care, a judge said. U.S. District...
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Arizona senators have chance to hold Big Pharma accountable
I have been practicing medicine for over 20 years, I know firsthand the emotional and financial struggles families face when grappling with health care decisions. When I was Chief Medical...
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Arizona should be next state to rein in step-therapy
When a patient goes to their personal doctor because they are experiencing a significant health struggle, they do so with the trust that their doctor will recommend a treatment based...
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Better solution needed for health care than more government
Health care is one of the most complex issues of our times. For the LGBTQ+ community as for all Arizonans, lowering costs, increasing access, and expanding coverage is of paramount...
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Beyond the noise: health care’s journey to clarity
Bill prevents interference in doctor-patient relationship
A medical diagnosis involving mental health comes with a distinct set of challenges. As a psychiatrist I can attest that most people, including other health professionals, have limited familiarity with...
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Brutal political fight to expand Medicaid was worth it
This year marks the fifth anniversary of Medicaid restoration in Arizona, when we stood among a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers, health care providers and advocates, business leaders and patients to...
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Cancer puts health care battle for political operative on 2 fronts
Children’s health no less important than education
Not all Arizona children have access to affordable health care in Arizona. The income level of some parents is above the threshold to qualify for Medicaid, but not enough to...
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Chiropractors use opioid crisis to bolster request for Medicaid coverage
Arizona chiropractors will push for the state’s Medicaid program to cover chiropractic care in the next legislative session, the industry’s lobbyist said. And the extension of Arizona Health Care Cost...
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Christina Corieri: Childhood musical sparks life of public policy
Christina Corieri (Photo by Jenna Miller/Arizona Capitol Times) Christina Corieri can pinpoint precisely the moment she became interested in politics. She was a first grader when...
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Congress needs to do its job – renew funding for children’s health insurance
The federal deadline to renew the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) came and went over a month ago without action from Congress. The failure to renew this popular, bipartisan insurance...
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Consider a professional association, not a union
(Photo by Alex Proimus via flickr/Creative Commons) Since Arizona passed the Voter Protection Act in 1998, we are a target for citizens’ ballot initiatives used to pass laws championed by out-of-state interest...
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DOC appeals contempt ruling against agency director
(Shutterstock) The Arizona Department of Corrections has asked an appeals court to throw out a contempt-of-court ruling against its director and a $1.4 million fine against...
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DOC faces fine for non-compliance with legal settlement
The Arizona Department of Corrections faces more than $2 million in sanctions after providing documentation of widespread noncompliance with court-ordered health care standards. Charles Ryan The...
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Ducey says he still supports health care bill
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey says he still has hopes for congressional passage of the latest Republican effort to repeal former President Barack Obama’s health care law, despite Sen. John McCain’s...
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Ducey signs bill aimed to prevent teen suicide
Ducey: Immediate health care fix more important than ‘procedure’
Republican efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act formally fizzled Tuesday and Gov. Doug Ducey said the state’s senior senator and his desire for “procedure” is at least partly to...
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Finding market-based solutions to health care
Health care is a critical issue for Arizonans, particularly in light of the current environment we all find ourselves living in. However, the answer to reducing costs, increasing access, and...
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Freeing CRNAs from doctor supervision good for patients, hospitals
To increase health care access and decrease cost, government should get out of the way and empower proven health care professionals to do their jobs. We are practicing Certified...
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GOP lawmakers pushing bad-faith, anti-transgender bill
Groups join in condemnation of bill to repeal, replace Obamacare
As the U.S. Senate mulls over the Republicans’ health care bill, the Better Care Reconciliation Act, local opponents are crying foul on behalf of a variety of people facing cuts...
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Health care industry is critical infrastructure
Health care politics, environment take the air out of asthma sufferers
As board chairman of the Arizona Asthma Coalition, Dr. Edward Carter has seen the consequences when people with asthma cannot afford their medications. They end up in the emergency room...
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Health care worker’s plea: Vote, make sure voice is heard
Skipping family gatherings. Skipping necessary doctor’s appointments. Missing out on time with friends. And the death of loved ones. At this point, COVID-19 has affected every single American in one...
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Healthcare Rising Arizona targets debt collectors
Inmates: Court should take control of health care in prisons
Investing in preventative health care would pay huge dividends
Judge asks whether prison health care deal should be tossed
A federal judge who has criticized Arizona’s persistent noncompliance with a settlement requiring improvements to health care for prisoners has ordered lawyers for the state and inmates to decide whether...
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Judge calls prison health care monitoring system ‘corrupt’
Judge disqualifies health care initiative from ballot
Arizonans won’t be voting in November on a proposal to hike pay of hospital workers and guarantee that those with pre-existing conditions can get affordable health insurance. In an extensive...
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Judge fines state $1.4 million for contempt in prison health care case
Arizona Department of Corrections Director Charles Ryan (AP Photo/The Arizona Republic, Nick Oza, File) On Friday, the day of his retirement, U.S. Magistrate Judge David Duncan...
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Judge in prison health care lawsuit scolds corrections director in court
Arizona Department of Corrections Director Charles Ryan was compared to former Maricopa Sheriff Joe Arpaio and admonished in federal court Tuesday for an email sent to his staff challenging a...
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Judge mulls third contempt case against Arizona for failing to improve prison health care
A judge presiding over a nearly 12-year-old lawsuit challenging the quality of health care in Arizona’s prisons is considering whether to launch a third contempt-of-court proceeding against the state for...
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Judge orders corrections director to testify following combative email
Judge orders DOC not to retaliate against prisoners who testified in health case
United States Magistrate Judge David Duncan on July 25 ordered the Arizona Department of Corrections not to retaliate against any prisoners who offered verbal or written testimony in a case...
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Judge raises possibility of throwing out inmate care deal
Judge to fine DOC for not meeting prisoner health care requirements
A federal judge intends to move forward with fines that could add up to millions per month for the Arizona Department of Corrections’ continued noncompliance with the settlement for a...
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Judge voids prisoner health care settlement
(Shutterstock) A U.S. district court judge has voided a six-year-old prison health care class action settlement and ordered a trial after the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry and its health...
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Kavanaugh nomination threatens to upend American health care
As Americans process the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, one thing is clear: he has the potential to drastically alter American health care for decades to...
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Kelly: Border is porous, no opinion on single-payer health care
Last call for the count – get engaged in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census is happening now and with the count ending in a matter of weeks, we’re encouraging every Arizonan to be part of our complete count. [caption id="attachment_245908" align="alignleft"...
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Lawmaker strives again to insure more kids
When Rep. Kelli Butler found out a couple of years ago that the eligibility threshold for Arizona’s child health insurance program is among the lowest in the nation, she decided...
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Lawmakers should reject Pew proposal for ‘dental therapists’
An out-of-state interest group is again pushing a questionable experiment to provide second-rate oral care to some Arizonans. The Pew Foundation and its allies of convenience want the Legislature to...
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Lawyers seek another $1.6M in suit over Arizona inmate care
(Shutterstock) Lawyers who filed a lawsuit challenging the quality of health care in Arizona’s prisons are seeking $1.6 million in additional legal fees and other costs...
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Let’s put an end to ‘surprise billing’ in health care
McCain and Ducey know Cassidy-Graham health plan another danger to Arizonans
Health care has been one of the most hotly contested issues behind closed doors in Washington, D.C., and in communities all across the country this year. Here in Arizona, thousands of...
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McSally should stop misleading public about her health care record
Messengers of vaccine injuries not the culprits
This opinion is in response to the recent opinion-piece dated March 6, 2019 by authors, Dorit Rubinstein Reiss and Arthur Caplan entitled Don’t make measles great again in Arizona. First,...
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My bill promotes transparency, fairness, and prompt payment for health care providers
In the realm of business, the expectation is clear: render a service, receive timely payment. Yet, in health care, this principle is often disregarded. Commercial health insurers routinely downgrade or...
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Northern Arizona University plans new medical school amid statewide doctor shortage
FLAGSTAFF (AP) — Northern Arizona University plans to build a new medical school as part of a greater effort to address an ongoing shortage of health care workers in the...
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Nurses are playing a more prominent role in providing safe, quality care
Online shopping, aging population drive job growth
Policymakers must protect Arizonans from sudden treatment changes
Any Arizonan who is living with a chronic condition knows that finding the right treatment can be a long and challenging journey. Patients may struggle with daunting symptoms and the...
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Providers, government, hospitals and insurers stepped up together
Our system of health care is complex and confusing. Making care more convenient, personalized, and affordable is one of the biggest opportunities in our future. While COVID-19 has stressed the...
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Rep. Frank Pratt’s legacy
Repeal and replace offers way out of ACA’s limited choices
Restriction on prescription medication puts security at risk
Americans are more concerned than ever with the rising costs of health care and health care coverage. With prescription medication and other costs continually on the rise, individuals and families...
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Rural hospitals continue to provide quality care, despite facing challenges
Hospitals are a vital community resource, nowhere more than in rural Arizona. In our town of Willcox and communities like it across the state, the local hospital is not just...
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SB1082 increases access to contraception, empowers patients
Last year marked the 60th anniversary of the birth of the birth control pill, a revolutionary step that provided millions of women with greater reproductive control. Nearly two generations later,...
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Sen. Bob Worsley, philanthropist David Lincoln among 2018 Arizona Capitol Times Leaders of the Year
Sen. Bob Worsley, a Republican from Mesa, is the Arizona Capitol Times’ Leaders of the Year winner in government. Other winners include Gregory Harris of Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie for...
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Senate bill step in right direction to rein in insurance tactic
Senator Nancy Barto has shown great insight into the health care needs of our Arizona community in sponsoring SB1270. I have a unique perspective to being an advocate for this...
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State appeals ruling on prison health care
Arizona is appealing a withering federal court ruling that threw out a 6-year-old legal settlement that required the state to improve health care for thousands of prisoners. Arizona corrections officials...
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State employees, retirees will pay for health insurance trust sweeps
Arizona state employees will pay higher premiums and copays for health insurance next year, and some lawmakers say funding sweeps approved by the Republican-controlled state Legislature are partly to blame....
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State fined $1.1M over prison health care
State misses waiver deadline for able-bodied adults on Medicaid
Arizona missed its own deadline to send a waiver to the federal government asking for work requirements for able-bodied adults on the state’s Medicaid program. A state law passed in...
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State Supreme Court hears arguments on legality of Medicaid expansion
Step therapy takes health out of health care
Telehealth bill allows medical professionals to make critical decisions
“Which states have the most rational telehealth laws?” That’s a question I’ve been asked many times as the general counsel of Ro, a telehealth company that helps treat patients in all 50...
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Tim Hogan: ‘Trial lawyer’ who shaped education and health care in Arizona
Attorney Tim Hogan has held elected officials accountable for education funding and health care issues for decades, much to the chagrin of those he has opposed. Hogan, executive director of...
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To fix health care, build on what’s working
When it comes to health care, most Americans want essentially the same thing – lower costs, better quality, and improved access for those who need it most. While it suffered...
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Trial to begin over health care for 27K Arizona prisoners
Turf wars plentiful in health care practice expansion process
(Photo by Ellen O’Brien/Arizona Capitol Times) The sunrise review process is one of the more obscure proceedings at the Arizona Legislature, but it’s also the battleground...
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Voting this year is a matter of life or death
In the midst of a global health crisis and approaching the most important election of our lifetime, voters look to Sen. Martha McSally’s reprehensible record on health care to make...
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We can save money and lives with community health workers
If you have ever faced a serious health threat or have a chronic condition, you know that treatment and the road to recovery can be complicated. Taking prescriptions at designated...
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Weaponize Our Surfaces Against the Next Virus
In the COVID-19 era, the most mundane of activities—like going to the grocery store or gas station—can feel perilous. Every surface we touch could host a virus we can’t see...
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We’ve waited long enough for rural broadband
You might remember my op‐ed from last February on just how critical rural broadband is to our community and communities like ours. You might also recall me driving the issue home with...
