Health Beat: UAMS receives NIH grant for first comprehensive study of synthetic marijuana dangers

Editor’s note: Each Wednesday, Talk Business & Politics provides “Health Beat,” a round-up health-related topics. 

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UAMS RECEIVES NIH GRANT FOR FIRST COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF SYNTHETIC MARIJUANA DANGERS
A team of University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) researchers has received a federal grant to conduct the first comprehensive study of the dangers posed by synthetic marijuana products. The $2.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) will enable a seven-member interdisciplinary research team to determine the toxicity of the man-made cannabinoids and inform policymakers as they consider regulating the products, which are intended to mimic the effects of marijuana.

Since 2015, there have been 83 calls for synthetic cannabinoid exposures to the Arkansas Poison & Drug Information Center at UAMS. Synthetic cannabinoids are psychoactive chemicals often sprayed on plants that have been cut up to look like natural marijuana. They are also sold as powders, tablets and capsules.

Over the next five years, the UAMS team will explore why the synthetic compounds are more toxic than marijuana, even though both activate the same cannabinoid receptors in the brain. Researchers will study the effects of the man-made compounds on human cells in the lab, in mice, and in those who take synthetic cannabinoids and are admitted to the ER at UAMS and ERs in New York.

GENWORTH REPORT: LONG TERM CARE COSTS IN ARKANSAS UP ACROSS THE BOARD
The cost to receive long term care services across all care settings in Arkansas has risen in 2016, including expenditures for adult day services, assisted living and nursing facilities, according to Genworth’s 13th annual Cost of Care Study. In addition, the cost to receive long term care services at home with a home health aide has increased to an average of $3,432 in Arkansas and $3,861 nationally. Home is where most Americans receive long term care, the study says.

Key findings from the report show that the cost of private nursing home care in the Jonesboro area is 38% less expensive than the national median. The Fayetteville metro area is 32.83% less expensive than the national average, at $5,171 per month. In Fort Smith, assisted living costs are 33.77% less expensive than the state average, at $2,075 per month. Home health aide costs in the Little Rock metro area are 8.65% lower than the national average at $3,527 per month. To see the full report, click here.

CMS ANNOUNCES $22 MILLION IN AFFORDABLE CARE ACT FUNDING FOR STATE INSURANCE DEPARTMENTS
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced the availability of $22 million in funding to state insurance regulators to use for issuer compliance with ACA key consumer protections. This award opportunity enables states to seek funding for activities related to planning and implementing select federal market reforms and consumer protections including: essential health benefits, preventive services, parity in mental health and substance use disorder benefits, appeals processes, and bringing down the cost of health care coverage – also known as medical loss ratio provision.

The funding is part of the $250 million in state rate review grants the ACA provided to improve the process for how states review proposed health insurance rate increases and hold insurance companies accountable for unjustified hikes.