Fish and Aggression?
A free public service for a better community
A Good Day To Advocate for Better Healthcare
If there are subjects you’d like to see or improvements made, please let me know using the comment button below. I received a note from a professor friend of mine this morning, Angela, who asked that we cover insurance denials. I will begin working on that shortly.
Videos of these newsletters appear on Youtube on this channel. They are on hold until early June.
Omega 3 and Aggression
Overt acts of aggression include verbal and physical violence and bullying. Then, there are covert signs like vandalism and property damage, fire-setting, and theft. Both can negatively affect relationships and have legal consequences. It goes without saying that, on many levels, society would be better off if aggressive behaviors were reduced. A new study may have discovered a way of doing that. (Link)
In 2001, Dr Joseph Hibbeln, a senior clinical investigator at the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), published a study finding a correlation between the consumption of high amounts of fish (a rich source of omega-3) and lower homicide rates. The following year, the University of Oxford in the UK led a study where British prisoners were given nutritional supplements that included vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids. The researchers found that prisoners given supplements were less violent and antisocial.
In psychology, a distinction is made between ‘reactive’ aggression, an in-the-moment response to a perceived threat or provocation, and ‘proactive’ aggression, which requires planning. This meta-analysis of 29 randomized controlled trials that explicitly measured aggression in people who’d been given omega-3 supplements found that there was a 30% reduction in both types of aggression.
I’m not a huge fan of fish but I guess I can learn.
Massive Measles Exposure
We have been writing about measles lately. It is a dangerous disease that can cause serious long term health problems and even death. Today it was reported that a traveler carrying measles flew from Munich through Los Angeles on the way to Fresno Yosemite International Airport this month, exposing thousands of California travelers to the highly infectious disease, health officials have confirmed. Read more from the Los Angeles Times and San Francisco Chronicle. Take it seriously.
Same Sex Marriage - Works Well
The Rand Corporation has researched the effects of same-sex marriage. Over the 20 years that same-sex couples have been able to marry in the United States, there have been no negative effects on marriage, divorce, or cohabitation among different-sex couples, according to new report from RAND and UCLA.
Across 96 studies reviewed by the project, researchers found that extending marriage and other forms of legal recognition to same-sex couples has been consistently positive for same-sex couples and LGBT individuals, their children, and the general population.
The physical health of LGBT individuals in states that approved marriage between same-sex couples also improved, as demonstrated by higher levels of health insurance coverage, and declining rates of sexually transmitted infections, and problematic substance use.
When states legalized marriage for same-sex couples, same-sex households in those states experienced more stable relationships, higher earnings, and higher rates of home ownership.
Overall, equal rights seems to work out well.
Mental Health Professionals Need Our Help
A recent report in Stat highlights a problem in Medicaid mental health services. Across the nation, half of the population resides in areas with an inadequate number of mental health professionals, and 65% of rural counties lack access to a psychiatrist entirely.
The Medicaid program pays psychiatrists in Michigan between $60 and $70 per 30-minute visit. Compare that to the up to $120 that private insurers pay. Because of this disparity, only 36% of psychiatrists accept new Medicaid patients, compared to 70% of physicians overall, prioritizing mental health care for privately insured patients with higher incomes.
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) developed a reimbursement formula that takes a number of factors into account to set compensation. Let’s let our representatives in Congress know so they can allocate more to the CMS budget to help.
ACTION
Use RESISTBOT by texting SIGN PVMDGC to 50409 to send this message to our Members of Congress and Senators and ask them to increase funding to CMS to help increase the reimbursement rate to psychiatrists that take Medicaid patients.
“I am your constituent and I want you to know that 65% of rural communities have no psychiatric services available. Part of the reason is that the Medicaid reimbursement rate for psychiatric services is half of what commercial insurance pays. Please allocate additional funding so CMS can pay psychiatrists enough to take Medicaid patients. Thank you.”
Learn About Healthcare Policy
The Kaiser Family Foundation has put together an online course about healthcare policy. It is called Health Policy 101. It is free and here is the link to their course page. I will keep this note here for a few days.
Resources
Find My Elected Officials
Contact State and Federal Representatives - phone and email
Healthcare Advocacy (Us) Website
Our Newsletter resources including reproductive healthcare - Healthcare Advocacy Reading List
Important Healthcare Resources
League of Women Voters Healthcare Reform Toolkit
Organizations to Contact
National Nurses United Medicare4All
Physicians for a National Health Program
One Payer States
Healthcare Now
Reproductive Health
NARAL - Pro Choice America
Charley. chatbot abortion resource - make sure to use a secure incognito browser if you live in a state that has banned abortion
Planned Parenthood
Miscarriage and Abortion Hotline has references about where to procure abortion medications. They also assist women in the process of self managed abortion or miscarriage by phone or text and will respond in an hour. Details and hours of operation at their website.
United State of Women Reproductive health page (bottom of the page) has important resources such as medical support, access to Telehealth, prescriptions by mail, and legal support references.
Practice careful communications - The Digital Defense Fund has a number of tips to keep texts, calls, and internet use private. Here is their site.
If you need financial help with an abortion try abortionfunds.org
Claims Denials and Appeals & What to Do
Appeal a Healthcare Decision
Appeal/Negotiate a Hospital Bill
Disinformation Management
Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency
Save Democracy
Chop Wood, Carry Water by Jessica Cravens
RESISTBOT
Link to the RESISTBOT site to learn more
Link to Chop Wood, Carry Water RESISTBOT write up
Thanks for reading Healthcare Advocacy! Subscribe for free to receive new posts
Thanks for posting this great info, Alan.
I took the ResistBot action about increasing CMS Medicaid pay for psychiatrists. We need to defeat the obstructionist Republican politicians who continue to block realistic funding for a safety net along with the convicted felon who has taken over their party.
Let’s talk offline about making fish palatable. I have some restaurant ideas in mind.
Since oceans and rivers have become dumping grounds for waste of all sorts (including heavy metals such as mercury), there is wisdom in chosing the fish we eat carefully. Factory farming is a questionable source of fish. How fish are caught is another issue. Modern netting and trawling practices do a lot of damage to ocean flora and fauna. Species of fish (sole and orange roughy are two examples) have been overfished to (near) extinction because fishing has focused on profits only rather than concern for sustainability. Do the research before you jump into thinking that eating more fish is a panacea for anything. Modern living has its downside.