Paula Blankenship

Communications professional with two decades of award-winning work in journalism, corporate communications, promotional video, public relations and higher education. Always seeking opportunities to serve the public good.

Author's Posts

Feds Reverse SAMHSA Grant Cuts After Bipartisan Backlash

A day after termination notices went out to thousands of substance use disorder and mental health programs nationwide, the federal government reversed course and reinstated the funding. The abrupt cancellations at the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) would have affected roughly 2,700...
MedPAC: January MA Status Report White Papers, E books, Reports and more

MedPAC: January MA Status Report

As Medicare Advantage (MA) data watchers wait until mid-February for CMS to release January enrollment figures, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission has already completed a rearview analysis of the 2025 MA market and provides insights into 2026. In its annual report, MedPAC confirms three familiar but still consequential...
Arizona News

Banner Health Expands Pediatric Emergency Care in Tucson

The new pediatric emergency department at Banner Children’s at Diamond Children’s Medical Center in Tucson, expands emergency capacity at southern Arizona’s only Level II pediatric trauma center and strengthens access to specialized care for children across the region. The new pediatric ED features 22 treatment rooms, a...
Arizona News

HonorHealth Leads Arizona in National Nursing Excellence Recognition

HonorHealth, a Valley-based nonprofit healthcare system serving more than five million people across the greater Phoenix metropolitan area, continues to lead the state in critical care nursing excellence recognition. HonorHealth now has 12 Beacon-recognized nursing units across five medical centers, representing 75% of the 16...
Hobbs Proposed 2027 Budget - AHCCCS Asks $46.4M For Initiatives Arizona News

Hobbs Proposed 2027 Budget - AHCCCS Asks $46.4M For Initiatives

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs released her proposed $17.7 billion FY2027 executive budget last Friday, quickly drawing fire from Republican lawmakers and setting up negotiations at the state Capitol over taxes, Medicaid funding and administration, SNAP benefits, housing support, education funding, and artificial intelligence as well as how to...

2026 Federal Poverty Guidelines Announced

The 2026 poverty guidelines will be on public display at the Federal Register soon, however, The Hertel Report has compiled the guidelines from ASPE announcement and provides a year-over-year comparison. Full year-over-year charting isn't yet available, but below are the 100% FPL rates per family size for 2026 along with the YOY...
National News

Walmart Eyes Healthcare Again, Swapping Clinics for Digital Access

Less than two years after closing its patient care clinics and selling its telehealth services, Walmart is re-entering the healthcare space with a digital platform that relies on third-party providers and its national pharmacy footprint rather than employed clinicians. As reported by Health Exec, Walmart avoided specific enrollment or...
News

SAMSHA Terminates Billions in SUD and Mental Health Services Grants

Terminated funding awards could total as high as $1.9 billion across as many as 2,800 awards, representing roughly a quarter of the agency’s annual budget. Last year, Arizona tribes, universities, non-profits, and several state agencies received about $203M in SAMHSA awards; AHCCCS received the bulk of the grants, earning about $165M...
Arizona News

HonorHealth Opens Complete Care – Lake Pleasant - ER/Urgent Care Combo

HonorHealth has opened HonorHealth Complete Care – Lake Pleasant, a new Peoria facility combining a full-service emergency department and urgent care for faster triage and clearer care pathways for patients. Combined ER–urgent care facilities are emerging as a strategic access play in fast-growing suburban markets, offering health...
New U.S. Dietary Guidelines: 'America is Sick. The Data is Clear.'

New U.S. Dietary Guidelines: 'America is Sick. The Data is Clear.'

On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030, describing the update as a major reset of federal nutrition policy and a return to “real food” as the foundation of health. The new dietary guidelines will shape billions of dollars in federal food...
2025 AHCCCS Data Edition Data Resources

2025 AHCCCS Data Edition

In this year-end data edition, The Hertel Report provides an overview of Arizona's Medicaid agency, the Arizona Cost Containment System (AHCCCS). The edition examines where plan quality performance has stalled and excelled, where oversight is tightening, and how federal policy changes are reshaping the financial and administrative...
News

DEA Extends Telemedicine Flexibilities to Ensure Continued Access to Care

Just ahead of the scheduled expiration of telemedicine prescribing flexibilities, Federal regulators announced a renewal of  the pandemic-era telemedicine flexibilities for prescribing controlled substances in place through Dec. 31, 2026, giving providers and patients another two years of regulatory certainty as permanent rules are...
Study Links Hospital REIT Acquisitions to Higher Closure And Bankruptcy Risk Open

Study Links Hospital REIT Acquisitions to Higher Closure And Bankruptcy Risk

Hospitals acquired by real estate investment trusts are significantly more likely to close or file for bankruptcy, according to new national research examining the long-term impact of REIT ownership on U.S. hospital, according to a new study led by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The study published in BMJ...
Arizona News

Arizona Expands Medicaid Prerelease Access for Justice-Involved Youth

Arizona now allows eligible justice-involved youth to access certain Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program services up to 30 days before release from incarceration, marking a shift toward limited prerelease coverage aimed at improving reentry transitions. The change, implemented Oct. 1 by the Arizona Health Care Cost...
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