CBS News article: Shocked by surprise medical bills?

CBS News article: Shocked by surprise medical bills?

This is an interesting article that sheds some additional light on a difficult topic, but actually provides little practical advice.

Nevertheless, I am going to park it on my page and put a copy of it in my efiles. I used to write a good bit on health, medicine, the history of health and medicine, and public policy until the subject became too toxic and various advocates began to advocate for particular positions by being particularly unpleasant.

Locally, not a month goes by in which someone does not reach out for help negotiating unexpected excessive medical bills – and increasingly folks are coming up against incredibly poor customer service. It appears that too many healthcare and insurance providers have become far too big to manage.

Anyway – the article: CBS News – “Shocked by surprise medical bills? Here's what you can do” by Walecia Konrad - CBS News - Sunday, March 17, 2019

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/surprise-medical-bills-send-you-into-shock-how-to-avoid-getting-hit/

57 percent of Americans have been hit with a bill not covered by their insurance.

Seeing out-of-network medical professionals is the leading cause of surprise bills.

The problem is so bad that Congress may actually take bipartisan action to fix it.

Meantime, you can take several steps to avoid a surprise bill.

Surprise medical bills seem to getting more outrageous by the day. There's the Texas man who was billed $108,951 when he was taken to an out-of-network hospital following a heart attack. Or the Vermont skier who paid $18,442 in hospital bills after she broke her leg on the slopes. Then there's the almost $18,000 urine test from an out-of-network lab.

Surprise medical billing — when patients receive a bill not covered by insurance through no fault of their own — has affected 57 percent of American adults, according to a recent University of Chicago survey.

These unwelcome requests for payment most often come after patients are treated at hospitals and emergency rooms by physicians and other medical professionals who aren't part of their health insurance network. 

Four out of 10 respondents to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll said they had an unexpected bill from a hospital, lab or doctor in the past year.

General outrage over outsized medical charges and efforts to publicize surprise medical bills by Kaiser News, CBS and other outlets may have encouraged Congress to engage in one of its few bipartisan efforts.

Read much more here: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/surprise-medical-bills-send-you-into-shock-how-to-avoid-getting-hit/

Medicine Health, Medicine Health cost
++++++

Kevin Dayhoff for Westminster Common Council

Westminster Municipal election May 14, 2019

Authority Caroline Babylon, Treasurer.

Carroll County Times: www.tinyurl.com/KED-CCT

Baltimore Sun Carroll Eagle: http://tinyurl.com/KED-Sun

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CBS News article: Shocked by surprise medical bills?

CBS News article: Shocked by surprise medical bills?

This is an interesting article that sheds some additional light on a difficult topic, but actually provides little practical advice.

Nevertheless, I am going to park it on my page and put a copy of it in my efiles. I used to write a good bit on health, medicine, the history of health and medicine, and public policy until the subject became too toxic and various advocates began to advocate for particular positions by being particularly unpleasant.

Locally, not a month goes by in which someone does not reach out for help negotiating unexpected excessive medical bills – and increasingly folks are coming up against incredibly poor customer service. It appears that too many healthcare and insurance providers have become far too big to manage.

Anyway – the article: CBS News – “Shocked by surprise medical bills? Here's what you can do” by Walecia Konrad - CBS News - Sunday, March 17, 2019

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/surprise-medical-bills-send-you-into-shock-how-to-avoid-getting-hit/

57 percent of Americans have been hit with a bill not covered by their insurance.

Seeing out-of-network medical professionals is the leading cause of surprise bills.

The problem is so bad that Congress may actually take bipartisan action to fix it.

Meantime, you can take several steps to avoid a surprise bill.

Surprise medical bills seem to getting more outrageous by the day. There's the Texas man who was billed $108,951 when he was taken to an out-of-network hospital following a heart attack. Or the Vermont skier who paid $18,442 in hospital bills after she broke her leg on the slopes. Then there's the almost $18,000 urine test from an out-of-network lab.

Surprise medical billing — when patients receive a bill not covered by insurance through no fault of their own — has affected 57 percent of American adults, according to a recent University of Chicago survey.

These unwelcome requests for payment most often come after patients are treated at hospitals and emergency rooms by physicians and other medical professionals who aren't part of their health insurance network. 

Four out of 10 respondents to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll said they had an unexpected bill from a hospital, lab or doctor in the past year.

General outrage over outsized medical charges and efforts to publicize surprise medical bills by Kaiser News, CBS and other outlets may have encouraged Congress to engage in one of its few bipartisan efforts.

Read much more here: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/surprise-medical-bills-send-you-into-shock-how-to-avoid-getting-hit/

Medicine Health, Medicine Health cost
++++++

Kevin Dayhoff for Westminster Common Council

Westminster Municipal election May 14, 2019

Authority Caroline Babylon, Treasurer.

Carroll County Times: www.tinyurl.com/KED-CCT

Baltimore Sun Carroll Eagle: http://tinyurl.com/KED-Sun

Westminster Patch: https://patch.com/users/kevin-e-dayhoff

Facebook Dayhoff for Westminster: https://www.facebook.com/DayhoffforWestminster/

Facebook: Kevin Earl Dayhoff: https://www.facebook.com/kevindayhoff

Dayhoff for Westminster: www.kevindayhoff.info

Dayhoff Soundtrack: www.kevindayhoff.net

Dayhoff Carroll: www.kevindayhoff.org

Dayhoff Art: http://www.kevindayhoff.com/

Kevin Dayhoff Time Flies: https://kevindayhoff.wordpress.com/  

A Massachusetts woman begs people not to call an ambulance for fear of high hospital costs

A Massachusetts woman begs people not to call an ambulance for fear of high hospital costs

KED - What the article does not mention is that in part, one of the drivers for the precipitous increase in the cost of a ride to the emergency room is “ambulance abuse.” Folks who call an ambulance for unnecessary reasons. These are the folks who have a headache, a running nose or stub their toe and they are calling an ambulance. At the station we call them the “frequent fliers.” More often than not – “frequent fliers” do not pay their ambulance bills – read: the station goes uncompensated for the call; and these folks call a lot. So, who pays for ambulance abuse – we do. All of us do.

Woman begging people not to call ambulance gains national attention

BY ARIS FOLLEY - 07/03/18 03:20 PM EDT

A Massachusetts woman is drawing attention for begging people not to call an ambulance for fear of high hospital costs after she was injured in a subway accident.

Video of the woman from the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Police (MBTA) Police Department went viral over the weekend. It shows her in apparent agony after her leg was caught in a gap between a train and the platform on Friday.

The 45-year-old woman, whose name has not been released, asked fellow passengers who came to her aid to not call the ambulance. “Do you know how much an ambulance costs?” the injured woman asked one passenger.

The story first picked up traction on Twitter when a Boston Globe reporter posted about the incident after witnessing the aftermath of the accident on Friday.

Read more here: http://thehill.com/homenews/media/395409-story-of-injured-woman-begging-people-not-to-call-ambulance-due-to-costs-gains

https://www.facebook.com/kevindayhoff/posts/10214238318565472

Woman begging people not to call ambulance gains national attention

BY ARIS FOLLEY - 07/03/18 03:20 PM EDT Read more here: http://thehill.com/homenews/media/395409-story-of-injured-woman-begging-people-not-to-call-ambulance-due-to-costs-gains

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Baltimore Sun Carroll Eagle: http://tinyurl.com/KED-Sun

Westminster Fire Dept. and MTA Lodge #20 Chaplain and PIO​

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Glucosamine and Chondroitin for Osteoarthritis

I was considering starting to take this over the counter medication for knees and hips that are getting old – and came across this information….. Oh, the NIH says on the website, “This publication is not copyrighted and is in the public domain. Duplication is encouraged.” 15Nov2017 https://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2017/11/glucosamine-and-chondroitin-for.html

https://nccih.nih.gov/health/glucosaminechondroitin 

On This Page

• What Are Glucosamine and Chondroitin?
• What the Science Says About Glucosamine and Chondroitin for Osteoarthritis
• What the Science Says About Safety and Side Effects
• More to Consider
• For More Information
• Key References
• Acknowledgments

What’s the Bottom Line?

How much do we know about glucosamine and chondroitin supplements?

• We have some information about the safety and usefulness of glucosamine and chondroitin from large, high-quality studies in people.

What do we know about the effectiveness of glucosamine and chondroitin supplements?

• Research results suggest that chondroitin isn’t helpful for pain from osteoarthritis of the knee or hip.
• It’s unclear whether glucosamine helps with osteoarthritis knee pain or whether either supplement lessens osteoarthritis pain in other joints.

What do we know about the safety of glucosamine and chondroitin supplements?

• Studies have found that glucosamine and chondroitin supplements may interact with the anticoagulant (blood-thinning) drug warfarin (Coumadin). Overall, studies have not shown any other serious side effects.
• If you take glucosamine or chondroitin supplements, tell your health care providers. They can do a better job caring for you if they know what dietary supplements you use.

What Are Glucosamine and Chondroitin?

Glucosamine and chondroitin are structural components of cartilage, the tissue that cushions the joints. Both are produced naturally in the body. They are also available as dietary supplements. Researchers have studied the effects of these supplements, individually or in combination, on osteoarthritis, a common type of arthritis that destroys cartilage in the joints.

More information

What the Science Says About Glucosamine and Chondroitin for Osteoarthritis

For the Knee or Hip

Glucosamine

Major studies of glucosamine for osteoarthritis of the knee have had conflicting results.

More information

• A large National Institutes of Health (NIH) study, called the Glucosamine/chondroitin Arthritis Intervention Trial (GAIT), compared glucosamine hydrochloride, chondroitin, both supplements together, celecoxib (a prescription drug used to manage osteoarthritis pain), or a placebo (an inactive substance) in patients with knee osteoarthritis. Most participants in the study had mild knee pain.
  • Those who received the prescription drug had better short-term pain relief (at 6 months) than those who received a placebo.
  • Overall, those who received the supplements had no significant improvement in knee pain or function, although the investigators saw evidence of improvement in a small subgroup of patients with moderate-to-severe pain who took glucosamine and chondroitin together.
  • For more information on the trial, see the NCCIH Web page.
• In several European studies, participants reported that their knees felt and functioned better after taking glucosamine. The study participants took a large, once-a-day dose of a preparation of glucosamine sulfate sold as a prescription drug in Europe.
• Researchers don’t know why the results of these large, well-done studies differ. It may be because of differences in the types of glucosamine used (glucosamine hydrochloride in the NIH study vs. glucosamine sulfate in the European studies), differences in the way they were administered (one large daily dose in the European studies vs. three smaller ones in the NIH study), other differences in the way the studies were done, or chance.

Chondroitin

In general, research on chondroitin has not shown it to be helpful for pain from knee or hip osteoarthritis.

More information

• More than 20 studies have looked at the effect of chondroitin on pain from knee or hip osteoarthritis. The quality of the studies varied and so did the results. However, the largest and best studies (including the NIH study discussed under the heading “Glucosamine” above) showed that chondroitin doesn’t lessen osteoarthritis pain.

Joint Structure

A few studies have looked at whether glucosamine or chondroitin can have beneficial effects on joint structure. Some but not all studies found evidence that chondroitin might help, but the improvements may be too small to make a difference to patients. There is little evidence that glucosamine has beneficial effects on joint structure.

Experts’ Recommendations

Experts disagree on whether glucosamine and chondroitin may help knee and hip osteoarthritis. The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) has recommended that people with knee or hip osteoarthritis not use glucosamine or chondroitin. But the recommendation was not a strong one, and the ACR acknowledged that it was controversial.

For Other Parts of the Body

Only a small amount of research has been done on glucosamine and chondroitin for osteoarthritis of joints other than the knee and hip. Because there have been only a few relatively small studies, no definite conclusions can be reached.

More information

• Chondroitin for osteoarthritis of the hand
  A 6-month trial of chondroitin in 162 patients with severe osteoarthritis of the hand showed that it may improve pain and function.
• Glucosamine for osteoarthritis of the jaw
  One study of 45 patients with osteoarthritis of the jaw showed that those given glucosamine had less pain than those given ibuprofen. But another study, which included 59 patients with osteoarthritis of the jaw, found that those taking glucosamine did no better than those taking a placebo (pills that don’t contain the active ingredient).
• Glucosamine for chronic low-back pain and osteoarthritis of the spine
  A Norwegian trial involving 250 people with chronic low-back pain and osteoarthritis of the lower spine found that participants who received glucosamine fared the same at 6 months as those who received placebo.

What the Science Says About Safety and Side Effects

• No serious side effects have been reported in large, well-conducted studies of people taking glucosamine, chondroitin, or both for up to 3 years.
• However, glucosamine or chondroitin may interact with the anticoagulant (blood-thinning) drug warfarin (Coumadin).
• A study in rats showed that long-term use of moderately large doses of glucosamine might damage the kidneys. Although results from animal studies don’t always apply to people, this study does raise concern.
• Glucosamine might affect the way your body handles sugar, especially if you have diabetes or other blood sugar problems, such as insulin resistance or impaired glucose tolerance.

More information

If you use dietary supplements, such as glucosamine and chondroitin, read and follow the label instructions, and recognize that “natural” does not always mean “safe.”

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates dietary supplements, but the regulations for dietary supplements are different and less strict than those for prescription or over-the-counter drugs.

Some dietary supplements may interact with medications or pose risks if you have medical problems or are going to have surgery. Most dietary supplements have not been tested in pregnant women, nursing mothers, or children.

For more information, see Using Dietary Supplements Wisely.

More to Consider

• If your joints hurt, see your health care provider. It’s important to find out what’s causing your joint pain. Some diseases that cause joint pain—such as rheumatoid arthritis—may need immediate treatment.
• If you take warfarin or have blood sugar problems, make sure you talk to your doctor about potential side effects if you are considering or taking glucosamine or chondroitin supplements.
• If you’re pregnant or nursing a child, it’s especially important to see your health care provider before taking any medication or supplement, including glucosamine or chondroitin.
• Help your health care providers give you better coordinated and safe care by telling them about all the health approaches you use. Give them a full picture of what you do to manage your health.

Key References

• Ali AA, Lewis SM, Badgley HL, et al. Oral glucosamine increases expression of transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ1) and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) mRNA in rat cartilage and kidney: implications for human efficacy and toxicity. Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics. 2011;510(1):11–18.
• Cahlin BJ, Dahlström L. No effect of glucosamine sulfate on osteoarthritis in the temporomandibular joints—a randomized, controlled, short-term study. Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology, Oral Radiology, and Endodontics. 2011;112(6):760–766.
• Clegg DO, Reda DJ, Harris CL, et al. Glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, and the two in combination for painful knee osteoarthritis. New England Journal of Medicine. 2006;354(8):795–808.
• Dostrovsky NR, Towheed TE, Hudson RW, et al. The effect of glucosamine on glucose metabolism in humans: a systematic review of the literature. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage. 2011;19(4):375–380.
• Gabay C, Medinger-Sadowski C, Gascon D, et al. Symptomatic effects of chondroitin 4 and chondroitin 6 sulfate on hand osteoarthritis: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial at a single center. Arthritis & Rheumatism. 2011;63(11):3383–3391.
• Herrero-Beaumont G, Ivorra JA, Del Carmen Trabado M, et al. Glucosamine sulfate in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis symptoms: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study using acetaminophen as a side comparator. Arthritis & Rheumatism. 2007;56(2):555–567.
• Hochberg MC, Altman RD, April KT, et al. American College of Rheumatology 2012 recommendations for the use of nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic therapies in osteoarthritis of the hand, hip, and knee. Arthritis Care & Research.  2012;64(4):465–474.
• Knudsen JF, Sokol GH. Potential glucosamine-warfarin interaction resulting in increased international normalized ratio: case report and review of the literature and MedWatch database. Pharmacotherapy. 2008;28(4):540–548.
• Pavelká K, Gatterová J, Olejarová M, et al. Glucosamine sulfate use and delay of progression of knee osteoarthritis: a 3-year, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study. Archives of Internal Medicine. 2002;162(18):2113–2123.
• Reginster JY, Deroisy R, Rovati LC, et al. Long-term effects of glucosamine sulphate on osteoarthritis progression: a randomised, placebo-controlled clinical trial.Lancet. 2001;357(9252):251–256.
• Reichenbach S, Sterchi R, Scherer M, et al. Meta-analysis: chondroitin for osteoarthritis of the knee or hip. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2007;146(8):580–590.
• Sawitzke AD, Shi H, Finco MF, et al. Clinical efficacy and safety of glucosamine, chondroitin sulphate, their combination, celecoxib or placebo taken to treat osteoarthritis of the knee: 2-year results from GAIT. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. 2010;69(8):1459–1464.
• Sawitzke AD, Shi H, Finco MF, et al. The effect of glucosamine and/or chondroitin sulfate on the progression of knee osteoarthritis: a report from the glucosamine/chondroitin arthritis intervention trial. Arthritis & Rheumatism. 2008;58(10):3183–3191.
• Thie NM, Prasad NG, Major PW. Evaluation of glucosamine sulfate compared to ibuprofen for the treatment of temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis: a randomized double blind controlled 3 month clinical trial. Journal of Rheumatology. 2001;28(6):1347–1355.
• Wilkens P, Scheel IB, Grundnes O, et al. Effect of glucosamine on pain-related disability in patients with chronic low back pain and degenerative lumbar osteoarthritis: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2010;304(1):45–52.

Other References

Acknowledgments

NCCIH thanks the following people for their technical expertise and review of this publication: Daniel Clegg, M.D., University of Utah; Marc Hochberg, M.D., M.P.H., University of Maryland; Julian Leakey, Ph.D., U.S. Food and Drug Administration; Allen Sawitzke, M.D., University of Utah; and Partap Khalsa, D.C., Ph.D., and John (Jack) Killen, Jr., M.D., NCCIH.

* Note: PDF files require a viewer such as the free Adobe Reader(link is external).

This publication is not copyrighted and is in the public domain. Duplication is encouraged.

NCCIH has provided this material for your information. It is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your primary health care provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with your health care provider. The mention of any product, service, or therapy is not an endorsement by NCCIH.

NCCIH Pub No.: 

D486

Last Updated: 

November 2014

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This page last modified September 24, 2017

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Coca Cola Syrup distributed by Rasinsky’s Pharmacy, 30 West Main Street, Westminster, Md

Coca Cola Syrup distributed by Rasinsky's Pharmacy, 30 West Main Street, Westminster, Md Tilden 8-7100.

I found this in an upper cupboard in the family kitchen. 

I was fascinated that the ingredients listed on the label read:

"Prepared with sugar and water; phosphoric acid, caffeine, extractives from coca leaves (cocaine removed) and cola nuts, and other flavoring materials, colored with caramel."

Sadly there is no date on the bottle anywhere.

Sunday, Sept. 17, 2017

The Veteran’s Administration – giving you a second opportunity to die for your country.

Single-Payer Health Care: America Already Has It

The Veteran’s Administration – giving you a second opportunity to die for your country.

The Veteran’s Administration – giving you a second opportunity to die for your country. A reality check on the idea of going to a single payer health care system – as if the current system is not bad enough.

We do not need Obamacare repealed and replaced. We need it fixed. The answer is more accountability and more competition.

Meanwhile this YouTube is yet another reminder of the horrors of the one example of a US government-run single payer healthcare
system.

Each and every one of my experiences of reaching-out to the VA to advocate for a veteran has been horrific of unbelievable proportions. If this is an example of a US government-run single payer healthcare system, we are all going to go broke paying the necessary healthcare taxes – and then die.

YouTube: “Could a single-payer, government-run health care

system work in the United States? We already know the answer, because America
already has single-payer, government-run health care. Author and commentator
Pete Hegseth explains.” 10Apr2017

http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2017/04/the-veterans-administration-giving-you.html

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Baltimore Sun Carroll Eagle: 

http://www.baltimoresun.com/search/dispatcher.front?target=all&spell=on&Query=Kevin%20Dayhoff&sortby=display_time%20descending#trb_search

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Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevindayhoff

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Kevin Dayhoff is an artist - and a columnist for:

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E-mail: kevindayhoff(at)gmail.com
My http://www.explorecarroll.com/ columns appear in the copy of the Baltimore Sunday Sun that is distributed in Carroll County: https://subscribe.baltsun.com/Circulation/

See also - Kevin Earl Dayhoff Art www.kevindayhoff.com: Travel, art,artists, authors, books, newspapers, media, writers and writing, journalistsand journalism, reporters and reporting, music, culture, opera... Ad maioremDei gloriam inque hominum salutem. “Deadline U.S.A.” 1952. Ed Hutcheson:“That's the press, baby. The press! And there's nothing you can do about it. Nothing!”- See more at: http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/#sthash.4HNLwtfd.dpuf

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Still time to register for the April 22, 2017 2017 Walk MS: Westminster event

Still time to register for the April 22, 2017 2017 Walk MS: Westminster event

April 18, 2017 by Jon Kelvey http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/news/westminster/ph-cc-walk-ms-westminster-2017-20170418-story.html

There is still time to participate in the 2017 Walk MS: Westminster event scheduled for Saturday, April 22. In fact, there will be time up until 9 a.m. Saturday, when the walk begins.

"We are not going to turn people away if they want to walk for us and raise money for us," said Katie Boothroyd, director of internal communications for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. "We're excited to have them."

Of course, you can also sign up in advance online, and for free, according to Samantha Wolfe, fundraising and event manager for the Westminster walk. People are encouraged to come out and participate whether or not they will be donating, although people can donate in person or online.

"You can walk and not donate, you can donate and not walk, you can walk and donate — it's tailored for anyone to partake in any way they feel comfortable," Wolfe said. "That extends to both a 3- and 1-mile walking loop for those that do choose to walk."

Day-of registration will begin at 8 a.m. Wolfe said, as breakfast is served and a DJ plays music; the walk itself will begin at 9 a.m. After the walk, snacks and more music will be offered.

[…]

Click here for more information: http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/news/westminster/ph-cc-walk-ms-westminster-2017-20170418-story.html

If you go

What: 2017 Walk MS: Westminster

When: Registration begins at 8 a.m., the walk at 9 a.m. Saturday, April 22

Where: Carroll Community College, 1601 Washington Road, Westminster

Cost: No cost to walk, but donations to aid research for a cure to multiple sclerosis welcome.

To learn more about the walk or to register, visit:

main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Walk/MDMWalkEvents?pg=entry&fr_id=28670

Or simply show up at 8 a.m. Saturday. For more information about MS, or walks and fundraising events, go to www.nmss.org.

Click here for more information: http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/news/westminster/ph-cc-walk-ms-westminster-2017-20170418-story.html

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Baltimore Sun Carroll Eagle: 

http://www.baltimoresun.com/search/dispatcher.front?target=all&spell=on&Query=Kevin%20Dayhoff&sortby=display_time%20descending#trb_search

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Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevindayhoff

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Kevin Dayhoff is an artist - and a columnist for:

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NPR Fresh Air: Father of 2 Sons with Schizophrenia Talks of His Struggle to Save Them

NPR Fresh Air: Father of 2 Sons with Schizophrenia Talks of His Struggle to Save Them

March 20, 2017 Heard on Fresh Air http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/03/20/520809904/father-of-2-sons-with-schizophrenia-talks-of-his-struggle-to-save-them?utm_source=npr_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20170326&utm_campaign=bestofnpr&utm_term=nprnews

As the father of two sons with schizophrenia, author Ron Powers is familiar with the pain and frustration of dealing with a chronic, incurable disease of the brain.

[…]

On the effects of deinstitutionalization in the 1960s on people with mental illness

The advent of the so-called "wonder drugs" like Thorazine ... were touted as cures for schizophrenia — they weren't. At best they were cures for symptoms. But on the strength of Thorazine and its great consumer success and promise, President Kennedy, seeking to do the right thing, signed legislation ... in 1963 ... that authorized the emptying out of mental asylums and the transferring of their patients, their inmates, hopefully into community care centers that were going to be built around the country to receive them.

Deinstitutionalization was a catastrophic social experiment, one of the worst we've ever had. It ended up creating the [mentally ill] homeless population that still plagues us today.

The second terrible effect of deinstitutionalization was that many of the people never ended up in the community centers. The government ran out of money. They couldn't build enough to contain this outflow of patients, so they ended up on the streets, and from the streets they ended up in prison. Many of them. Today our prisons are overflowing with the mentally ill. Prisons are our de facto mental hospitals.

[…]

March 20, 2017 Heard on Fresh Air http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/03/20/520809904/father-of-2-sons-with-schizophrenia-talks-of-his-struggle-to-save-them?utm_source=npr_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20170326&utm_campaign=bestofnpr&utm_term=nprnews

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