Citizen Cartwright

Private equity in addiction treatment

The addiction treatment industry has become increasingly attractive to private equity firms looking for big returns, says KHN. They’re banking on forecasts that predict the market will grow by $10 billion — doubling in size — by the end of the decade, as drug overdose and alcohol-induced death rates increase.

 

But addiction researchers and private equity watchdogs say charging high patient fees without guaranteeing access to evidence-based care are common throughout the U.S. addiction treatment industry.

 

Along with access to medications, high-quality addiction treatment usually requires long-term care, according to Shatterproof, a nonprofit focused on improving addiction treatment. And treatment ideally is customized to the patient. For example, the “Twelve Steps” program developed by Alcoholics Anonymous may help some patients, while others might need different behavioral health therapies.

But when looking for investments, private equity groups focus on profit, not necessarily on how well the program is designed, says Laura Katz Olson, a political science professor at Lehigh University who wrote a book about private equity’s investment in U.S. healthcare.

With healthcare companies, investors often cut services and reduce staff costs by using fewer and less-trained workers, she says. Private equity companies often buy “a place that does really excellent work, and then cut it down to bare bones,” Olson says. 

 

The regulations of treatment providers mainly focus on health and safety rather than clinical guidelines, says KHN. Only a few states, including New York and Massachusetts, require that licensed addiction treatment centers offer medication for opioid use disorder and follow other best practices.

 

“We cannot put the burden on patients and their families” to navigate the system, says Brendan Saloner, an associate professor of health policy and management at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “My heart really breaks for people who have thrown thousands of their dollars at programs that are bogus.”

 

Mine, too.

Also in the news

IMF upgrades its outlook for the global economy in 2023

 

Biden says U.S. won’t provide F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine

 

U.S. healthcare spending is nearly twice that of other wealthy nations, report says

 

Biden to end coronavirus emergencies on May 11

ProPublica: Junk science in forensics, law enforcement

 

‘Recession resilient’ climate startups shining amid tech downturn

Boeing bids farewell to an icon, delivering its last 747 jumbo jet

 

KHN: Federal government letting health plans that ripped off Medicare keep the money

More on why the midterm election ‘red wave’ didn’t happen

I’ve been meaning to summarize this New York Times article from Dec. 31:

 

Traditional nonpartisan pollsters, after years of trial and error and tweaking of their methodologies, produced polls that largely reflected reality —but they also conducted fewer polls than in the past, according to a Times review.

And “that paucity allowed their accurate findings to be overwhelmed by an onrush of partisan polls in key states that more readily suited the needs of the sprawling and voracious political content machine — one sustained by ratings and clicks, and famished for fresh data and compelling narratives,” says the Times.

 

"The skewed red-wave surveys polluted polling averages, which are relied upon by campaigns, donors, voters and the news media,” the Times says. "It fed the home-team boosterism of an expanding array of right-wing media outlets — from Steve Bannon’s 'War Room' podcast and 'The Charlie Kirk Show' to Fox News and its top-rated prime-time lineup. And it spilled over into coverage by mainstream news organizations, including The Times, that amplified the alarms being sounded about potential Democratic doom."

 

Other pollsters lacked experience, such as two high-school juniors in Pennsylvania who started Patriot Polling and quickly found their surveys included on the statistical analysis website FiveThirtyEight, the Times says.

 

Fox News' own polling unit, "respected throughout the news industry for its nonpartisanship and transparency," wasn't detecting a Republican wave, says the Times. But in September, Sean Hannity’s prime-time show began showcasing pollsters Robert Cahaly of Trafalgar and Matt Towery of InsiderAdvantage, who predicted that the GOP would win races in Pennsylvania, Arizona and Georgia, among other places.

Unmentioned was that the Fox News Poll, covered in the network’s straight-news programming, showed all those races leaning Democratic.

 

“The culture of programming does not take kindly to narratives of ‘we’re behind’ or ‘we’re losing,’” says Jason Damata, founder and chief executive of Fabric Media, a media and advertising consultancy. “Fox has a profound understanding of what’s going to keep audiences coming back and being engaged.”

 

"Shaping perceptions across the ideological spectrum, the steady flow of data predicting a red wave prompted real-world decision-making that members of both parties now say could have tilted the balance of power in Congress,” the Times says.

“These frothy polls had a substantial, distorting impact on how people spent money — on campaign strategy, and on people’s expectations going into the election,” says Steven Law, chief executive of the Republicans’ Senate Leadership Fund, which spent $280 million on the midterms. Its own private polling didn’t show a red wave, the Times says.

 

"There were ample reasons to expect a strong 2022 for Republicans,” says the Times. "A president’s party tends to lose congressional seats in midterms. Soaring inflation and Mr. Biden’s languishing approval ratings only added to GOP hopes. But the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade and the stolen-election fantasies of right-wing Republican candidates blew unexpected wind in Democrats’ sails.”

Also in the news

India’s main opposition Congress party ends 5-month cross-country 'unity march' led by Gandhi-Nehru descendant

 

Biden, McCarthy to discuss the debt limit Wednesday

House passes bill tying petroleum reserve sales to federal leasing, on 221-205 vote

 

Concerns over National Prayer Breakfast lead Congress to take it over

 

Should federal grants favor highway repairs over expansion?

 

Ronna McDaniel wins race for RNC chair, faces bitter intraparty divide

Tyre Nichols case revives calls for changes in police culture

 

Study: There are enough rare earth minerals to switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy

 

NYTimes: 'When private equity came for the toddler gyms'

 

The need for better access to opioid rescue drug naloxone to save lives

Good news, from Future Crunch

You probably recall Future Crunch, the Australia-based group that compiles good-news stories from around the world to balance the ubiquitous negative coverage.

 

Let’s catch up with the positive trends Future Crunch is highlighting.

 

Here are "99 good news stories you probably didn't hear about in 2022," an annual Future Crunch run-down.

 

And here is Future Crunch’s most recent weekly email, including good news on global democracy, teen pregnancy and cancer in the United States, measles in southeast Asia, the healing of the ozone layer, a new way of thinking about urban density, and the restoration of the Jordan River.

Also in the news

U.S. expands sanctions on Russia’s private mercenary Wagner Group, associates

 

FBI, international partners disrupt Hive, one of world’s top 5 ransomware networks

 

The Hill: As House opens amendments process, lawmakers submit more than 140 amendments to oil reserve bill

 

Interior Department issues 20-year mining moratorium for federal land in Minnesota

 

Past U.S. presidents, vice presidents asked to recheck their personal records for classified documents

 

U.S. company gets $120 million investment to make ‘green steel’

 

Residents of Toms River, N.J., blast deal over notorious Superfund toxic waste site

 

FDA’s advisers back plan to simplify coronavirus vaccinations

FDA to work with Congress on creating regulatory framework for CBD products

 

KHN details overcharges by Medicare Advantage health plans

How to live to be 100

That’s the topic of an article on The Washington Post website this morning. 

 

Today also is the birthday of my mother-in-law, who died in 2021 three weeks before her 101st birthday. So I’ll honor her on her birthday by noting that she was a poster child for living the way experts say promotes longevity.

 

Jamie Justice, an assistant professor of gerontology at Wake Forest University, says in the Post article that some research has suggested genetics account for around 25 percent of longevity. The other 75 percent relates to your environment — where you live, what you eat, how often you exercise and your support system from friends or family.

 

And, Justice says, a good public health system “can’t be undersold.” If you have a better health-care system, you’re going to have a higher life expectancy, she says.

 

Other experts add that keeping mentally active is key. 

 

My mother-in-law, Audrey Crosby, certainly had good genes. She never showed any signs of dementia. 

 

She also stayed active, volunteering at a hospital, a food bank, a theater. She was a friendly person who chatted with everyone.

 

I won the mother-in-law lottery. I felt closer to Audrey than to my own parents. She was flexible and never once interfered in the relationship of my husband and me. It’s a tribute to her that when her living situation was changing, I invited her to live with us, which she did for several years. 

 

Audrey was intellectually curious, taking Elderhostel (now called Road Scholar) classes. I was surprised to see a study a couple of months ago saying crossword puzzles may slow dementia. Audrey was a crossword puzzle maven as long as I knew her.

 

Audrey also benefited from good health care. Her geriatrician was excellent.

Also in the news

AP explainer of U.S. decision to send Abrams tanks to Ukraine

 

Resolution honoring Iranian protesters passes House on 420-1 vote

 

House passes bill to improve FAA system that grounded flights earlier this month, on 424-4 vote

 

Federal government reinstates road, logging restrictions in Alaska’s Tongass National Forest

 

How classified documents became an 8th grade girl’s show and tell

 

Meta to restore Trump's Facebook, Instagram accounts, says it’s adding ’new guardrails'

 

AmazonSmile’s end is alarming nonprofits that benefited

 

Obamacare hits record enrollment; just 8 percent of Americans now are uninsured

 

Omnibus included funding for civics education

The $1.7 trillion spending bill enacted last month includes more than $20 million for civics education, up from about $4 million.

 

Why is civics education important?

 

"As President Lincoln said, ours is a government of the People, by the People, and for the People, but we can't govern ourselves if we don't have knowledge of our foundational principles or our history,” said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, when he introduced last year a bill with Delaware Democratic Sen. Chris Coons to spend $1 billion annually on civics education.

 

"Civics for the 21st century must be equal parts civic knowledge, skills and attitudes — inside and outside the classroom,” says an opinion article by civics education advocates published last week in The Hill. "Essential civic knowledge is more than how government works; it requires a nuanced understanding of how our country has evolved and an active exploration of current affairs that reflect diverse perspectives. Civic skills should extend beyond voting; critical thinking, using one’s voice and the willingness and tools to debate and bridge divides can also be taught and encouraged. Finally, civic attitudes matter, such as community building, hope in the future of democracy and a willingness to do the hard work of citizenship.” 

Also in the news

Jacinda Ardern's successor Chris Hipkins sworn in as New Zealand prime minister

 

Germany announces it will send 14 of its Leopard tanks to Ukraine, allow other countries to do so

 

Justice Department, 8 states sue Google over alleged digital ad monopoly

 

Documents with classified markings discovered in home of former Vice President Mike Pence

AP: Mishandling of classified documents a conundrum stretching back to Carter

FDA proposes limits for lead in processed baby food; critics say they're not enough

Promising gene therapy delivers treatment directly to the brain