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Saturday, November 2, 2024

FEMA failed to answer nearly half of calls for aid received in Helene, Milton

The Federal Emergency Management Agency failed to answer nearly half of the calls for aid and assistance it recently received during Hurricanes Helene and Milton, a report released this week shows.

During a recent week, FEMA’s call centers were so overwhelmed, almost half of all callers never connected with a federal working, according to data released this week.

And it took federal agents on average more than an hour to actually pick up those calls that were answered.

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The damning report comes as the Harris-Biden administration has been slammed by conservatives for its response to disaster relief after Hurricanes Helene and Milton slammed into Florida, North Carolina and other southern states.

One man seeking help after his North Carolina home was flooded called FEMA and got a recording that said he was 675th in line.

On Wednesday, FEMA reported sending $1.2 billion in relief to hurricane survivors in the six most damaged states.

More than 100 people died in North Carolina during Hurricane Helene.

Another 229 people were killed across seven states thanks to Helene.

A month after the hurricanes pounded the lower portion of the United States, FEMA officials admitted the agency is understaffed.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas recently acknowledged FEMA “does not have the funds” to see Americans through the rest of the Atlantic Hurricane season.

The department’s critics have noted DHS earmarked $640.9 million this year in FEMA-administered funds to aid state and local governments coping with the influx of asylum seekers.

Those immigrant-allocated funds cannot be distributed to hurricane victims, as Congress apportioned those funds specifically to address the migrant crisis.

On Friday, former President Donald Trump chided what he called the “terrible” federal response to Hurricane Helene, as outraged critics aired allegations that relief workers are sitting idle without orders.

FEMA has been struggling to respond to disasters since 2005, when Hurricane Katrina killed close to 1,400 people in Louisiana.

New York and New Jersey residents also had trouble getting through to FEMA workers in 2012 following the devastation of Hurricane Sandy.

https://nypost.com/2024/11/02/us-news/fema-understaffed-underfunded-for-next-disaster/

'California hospital property returns to community ownership'

Watsonville (Calif.) Community Hospital's property has been returned to the Pajaro Valley Health Care District.

Residents of Pajaro Valley Health Care District passed Measure N in a March 2024 election, enabling the hospital property transaction to occur. Measure N bonds helped make the property payment possible, according to a Nov. 1 news release shared with Becker's.

Birmingham, Ala.-based Medical Properties Trust, a healthcare real estate company, sold the 27-acre property for $40 million to Halsen Healthcare, who had owned it from 2019 to 2021. Halsen Healthcare sought Chapter 11 protection in December 2021, which nearly closed the hospital.

However, Santa Cruz and Pajaro Valley residents raised funds to cover legal fees, hospital debt and hospital operations, according to the release. The campaign also provided some working capital to relaunch the facility as a community-owned, nonprofit operation.

The funding and emergency legislation, CA Senate Bill 418, prevented the closure of the 106-bed acute care hospital and established public ownership and oversight of the now nonprofit hospital through the district.

In 2022, Pajaro Valley Health Care District purchased the hospital's operations but lacked resources to purchase the land and associated buildings.

Now that the district has purchased the property, Watsonville Community Hospital will save more than $3 million annually in insurance and lease payments, which will be invested back into healthcare services for the community.

https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/hospital-transactions-and-valuation/california-hospital-property-returns-to-community-ownership.html

CMS finalizes 2.83% physician payment cut for 2025

CMS released its 2025 physician payment rule, which includes a 94 cent (2.83%) conversion factor decrease from 2024.

The physician fee schedule conversion factor for 2025 is $32.35, down from $33.29 in 2024, according to a Nov. 1 CMS news release.

The final rule was met with criticism by the American Medical Association and the Medical Group Management Association.

"To put it bluntly, Medicare plans to pay us less while costs go up," AMA President Bruce Scott, MD, said in a Nov. 1 statement. "You don't have to be an economist to know that is an unsustainable trend, though one that has been going on for decades. For physician practices operating on small margins already, this means it is harder to acquire new equipment, harder to retain staff, harder to take on new Medicare patients, and harder to keep the doors open, particularly in rural and underserved areas."

MGMA Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Anders Gilberg said in a Nov. 1 statement that CMS and Congress "have once again overlooked the sobering financial realities facing our nation's medical practice."

"Today's final rule throws the financial viability of physician practices into question and threatens beneficiary access to care," he said.

Both organizations are calling on Congress to pass a recently introduced House bill that would stop the cuts that are scheduled to go into effect Jan. 1. Rep. Jimmy Panetta of California said the legislation would not only prevent cuts, but would adjust provider reimbursements for inflation.

https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/cms-finalizes-2-83-physician-payment-cut-for-2025.html

50% of US drug shortages last at least 2 years: ASHP

A survey by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists found that 50% of active drug shortages in the U.S. persist for two or more years, the Pharmacy Times reported Nov. 1.

The survey showed that while the total number of active shortages has decreased to 277 in the second quarter of 2024 from a peak of 323 in 2023, the impact has remained significant, with 99% of surveyed pharmacists reporting they have experienced a shortage.

The top drug classes affected include central nervous system medications, antimicrobials, hormone agents, chemotherapy drugs and cardiology therapies. The survey highlighted that 95 new shortages were identified in 2024, with nearly half being injectable medications. Additionally, 60% of the shortages were attributed to unknown causes, with supply and demand, manufacturing issues and business decisions also being contributing factors.

Thirty-two percent 32% of respondents said they have had to ration, delay or cancel treatments.

The survey was conducted from June 23 to July 14, 2023, and polled 1,123 pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, pharmacy residents and other pharmacy professionals.

https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/pharmacy/50-of-us-drug-shortages-last-at-least-2-years-ashp.html

RNC Sues Ga. Counties On "Last Minute" Decision To Accept Weekend Ballots, Block GOP Observers

The Republican National Committee (RNC) is suing several counties in Georgia, citing a simultaneous decision to accept ballots over the weekend - then block Republican poll watchers in defiance of guidance issued by the Secretary of State.

"Fulton, Cobb, DeKalb, and Gwinnett counties decided at the last minute to accept ballots over the weekend — which disregards the law," wrote RNC Chairman Michael Whatley on X.

Democrat officials in Georgia are playing fast and loose with election law.
Fulton, Cobb, DeKalb, and Gwinnett counties decided at the last minute to accept ballots over the weekend — which disregards the law. They have also failed to let our poll observers in to watch the process. The Secretary of State has issued guidance to allow Republican poll watchers in but local officials REFUSE.
Our election integrity operation has filed a lawsuit.
Georgia voters demand that the state and courts ensure that these reckless counties administer fair, transparent, and secure elections. Anything less undermines public trust. -Michael Whatley

Georgia GOP Chairman Josh McKoon condemned the decision, writing on X:

"Emboldened by the failure of our judicial branch to stop their changing election rules days before Election Day, Georgia Democrats and their allies in Fulton County are banning poll watchers from observing their “special” weekend operations to try to bank more Democrat absentee ballots."
We all know what is going on — Democrats are panicked by the incredible Republican turnout in early voting and will do anything to try to catch up even if it means doing it under the cover of darkness and stiff arming any independent observation of whatever the hell is going on in their four “special voting locations” open today with no notice or approval by anyone authorized to oversee elections administration.
Georgia Republicans are calling on our elected officials and elections administrators to stop this madness which is doing incalculable and irreversible damage to confidence in this election.”

McKoon posted what appears to be an internal, yet unverified (by ZeroHedge) email which reads: "Good Morning Team! FYI - There are NO WATCHERS approved for the ballot drop off! Do not let them in the building. If they want to observe from the parking lot, you can't stop that but they are not allowed to sit in the building."

In response, Georgia state Senator Greg Dolezal said "I am in communication with the Secretary of State's office and my Senate colleagues about this. The Secretary has sent investigators to all four locations and the outside monitoring teams (which were assigned specifically to observe Fulton for prior issues) are also deploying people to each location."

Stay tuned for updates...

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/there-are-no-watchers-rnc-sues-georgia-counties-over-last-minute-decision-accept-weekend

NY Republicans vote early in record numbers, Dem turnout in ‘total free fall’

More New Yorkers than ever before are heading to the polls early — and the results appear to be good news for Republicans.

Through Thursday, 1,964,393 votes were cast in New York – including 701,402 in NYC, according the state Board of Elections.

This puts the state on pace to exceed early-voting totals during the last presidential election, when 2,507,345 New Yorkers voted early over nine days.

In the Empire State’s seven battleground congressional districts, many more Republicans are voting early than in 2022, when the GOP flipped four New York seats on its way to score a slim edge in the House, according to data provided to The Post by New York Republicans Saturday.

Alex DeGrasse, executive director of Rep. Elise Stefanik’s campaign, said early voting results as of Thursday show state Dems “led by Kathy Hochul are in total free fall” and “no amount of spin can hide that.

“NY Republicans are turning out in record numbers for early in-person voting, vastly outperforming our 2022 margins in every seat, some by 50%,” he said. “Long Island looks great, as does the Hudson Valley and upstate.”

As of Thursday, there were 9.24% more Republicans voting than Dems in Suffolk County’s 1st Congressional District, where Republican incumbent Nick LaLota is positioned to beat Democrat John Avlon.

In the six other swing districts, which include two other Long Island seats, Dems were outvoting Republicans by 3.04% to 16.35%.

Considering Democrats outnumber Republicans in New York by more than 2 to 1, and President Biden won most of the state’s battleground congressional districts in 2020, the small edge favoring Democrats shows great strides by the GOP.

Unlike the 2020 election when Republican Donald Trump lost the presidency to Joe Biden after telling supporters not to trust the early-voting process, the ex-president is all in this time around — and urging Republicans to vote early and back his bid to return to the White House.

https://nypost.com/2024/11/02/us-news/new-york-republicans-coming-out-to-vote-early-in-record-numbers/

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